Archive of Our Own

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“So, how do you feel?”“Normal, I guess.”“That’s good.”
Ever since Chloe had ‘moved’ into the office, every month or so Cromwell would summon her down to his workshop to ‘pay rent’.
It sounded more ominous than it was; Rent, of course, consisted only of a simple donation.Lying there on his desk, with a handful of pillows protecting her from the chuffed wood, she waited as the older, cyan skinned man drew blood from her arm.
Chloe stared up towards the ceiling, trying to ignore the needle jutting out of her skin despite how painful it was.
This was all for a good cause, after all.
Cromwell had told her the first time she did this was that this was a blood donation.
The Cross needs blood, and always will, so each donation she did was ultimately helping out someone in need.
Although, she had to admit, his workshop wasn’t the most clean of places to draw blood from.
It was cluttered and dusty, compared to the comparatively spotless lobby.As her mind wandered about what she was doing, she soon felt the familiar sharp sting of the needle being pulled out from her skin.
Ow.
“And that’s all for today, Miss Chloe.”
Cromwell said, pinching off the tubing with a clip before placing a bit of gauze over the wound.
“Keep that there for me, if you may.
Same time next month?”“You betcha.
Anything to stay here.”
She replied, sliding off of the table and nearly taking a pillow in her wake.
Cromwell turned and headed to the bookshelf full of nebulous things, swiftly sifting through for the proper bandage.
As he did, Chloe began to ask, “So... what’s with the whole ‘blood donation’ thing?
Who are you donating it to?”“That’s an odd question.
They go to the local hospital, of course,” He replied, turning back to her to reveal a roll of sticky mesh strap in his hands.
“Where else would they go?”
Cromwell went back to Chloe and began bandaging her up, shifting her hand around so he could properly get at the wound. This was a fair answer, but Chloe had one question: What hospital?
She had never seen a hospital in town, let alone a clinic.
Maybe he meant an out of town hospital, one in another town shared with this one.
Such things needed researching.“Now, after we’re done here, it’s best we head to bed.
Tomorrow is a school night after all.”
He said.“No it ain’t.
Not only is it Saturday-”“Today is Sunday.
In only a few hours, it will be Monday.”“Not only is it Sunday,
it’s also the beginning of Thanksgiving Break!
We won’t be having school for a whole week and a half!”
Chloe exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.
Cromwell’s grip on the bandage twisted as she did, and he had to rework his finishing touches.“Very well.
Suppose I’ll have to check the calendar again, but my point still stands.”
Cromwell handed her duster back, but before she could put it back on he firmly patted her on the back.
“It’s late, and I’d rather you not stay up all night.
Get some sleep, my dear.”“Yeah, yeah, staying up’s bad for you, I know.”
Chloe took her arm back, but not before giving him a stern side eye.
This did little to win her an extra hour or two, behind his strange glasses was nothing more than mere amusement.
Begrudgingly, off she went.Leaving the workshop and going through the lobby, there was a hallway deeper within. It led to four other rooms; a kitchen, the bathroom, a room she’s not allowed in, and most importantly the way up to the attic: a small door cut into the ceiling of the hallway, with a drawstring dangling from it.
Tugging on it with enough force revealed the ladder up, falling down towards the floor with a shift and a thud. Chloe quickly scrambled up it, bracing herself for what was within.The attic was where her ‘bedroom’ was located, consisting of a spare bed, a dresser, and a bed-side table with a lamp.
All of which had clashing styles, of course.
It was tucked away in a corner surrounded by Ozawa family heirlooms, or what was left of them anyway.
They seemed to stare at her bed, glaring at it like it was an unwanted guest, a visitor who refused to leave.
Chloe hated these things, they were freaky and ancient and more than likely contained spiders and bugs.
She was also aware of their significance, to both Mackenzie and the building itself, so she couldn’t just ask to get rid of them.
Trying to ignore the ancient heirlooms, she made her way through the attic.
She tossed her duster onto a nearby naked mannequin, slipped into some pajamas, and jumped into bed.From below Cromwell kept an ear out, listening for the signs Chloe had finally gone to sleep for the night.
Certain, he nodded to no one but himself, setting the blood bag down and away from his tools.
From the ‘junk’ in his room he pulled out a small mini-fridge on wheels, humming away amongst boxes, and began to clean out some space.
Unbeknownst to him, not everyone in the office was asleep.
In the small hallway leading up to her room, Mackenzie pressed her ear against the wall and listened in.
She knew something was up, and had been for a while.In the morning around this time, every month since she invited herself in, Chloe would suddenly have this glaring, bright red bandage wrapped around her elbow.
It would disappear by the afternoon, but she’d gloat about it for the entire day, about her blood donation.Mackenzie frowned as she thought back on the previous months, her face scowling slightly.
Blood donation.
Why would he be so concerned about blood donations, let alone doing them at all?
He was a self-described inventor, not a doctor.
Naturally she had an inkling of what he was really doing with her blood, but it wasn’t concrete, enough so that it was worth going out of her way to check.
This was a ‘case’ that needed to be solved, both her and Chloe needed to learn the truth, if it really was as bad as she thought it was.
By this point she was certain that the procedure was finished, what with Chloe heading to bed for the night.
The coast was clear, and Mackenzie began to make her move.Slowly she tiptoed the short distance towards his door and pressed her ear against it, listening in.
Inside was the sounds of glasses clicking against each other, the rustling of bags.
He was reorganizing a little fridge he had, clearing out space for... something.
Regardless, it meant that he was busy, likely turned away from the entrance, and all the noise he was making would ultimately muffle whatever noise she would make.
Still, the anxiety of what she was doing began to settle in.
If she got caught doing this, she realised, she couldn’t imagine the amount of trouble she’d be in.She grasped the doorknob, slowly tilting it and feeling the inner workings turn before hearing the click of the latch.
The door shifted, and the light from within his room poured through the small crack.
There, she snapped her hand back and pushed the door a little more, just enough to let her sneak in.
The sound of him shuffling through his things became obnoxiously loud as her ears anticipated him suddenly stopping, to the point that she could hear him muttering to himself.Hidden behind the bookcase obscuring the entrance, Mackenzie spotted the ‘evidence’: a clear bag of red ooze, with a long tube running down from the bottom of it.
It lacked any clear labeling despite its supposed purpose, and the tube had clear albeit slight deformities near the tip.
Looking at it, her gums itched and ached, and she swallowed back what she assumed was her nerves.She continued to tiptoe through the workshop, making her way through and watching Cromwell like a hawk.
With a shaking hand, she reached the table and quickly snatched the bag up.
She brought it close to her body, the liquid sloshing between her fingers.
It was still fresh and warm from Chloe’s body, and it made her own feel weak.
Now closer up the deformations on the tubing of the blood bag were clearly teeth marks, as if someone had been idly nibbling on it.
She kept her footing quiet as she went back into hiding.
She stopped safely behind the odd bookshelf, only to turn back and she leer at Cromwell, still unaware that she was here at all.
‘I’m disappointed in you, Cromwell,’ She thought to herself, ‘I’m going to confiscate this.
I trusted you.’She eventually turned towards the door, tucking the blood bag close to her chest, and slipped out of the room.
On her way out, the door slammed shut, causing her to jolt and cringe.
She could hear Cromwell stop what he was doing and speak up.
“Chloe?”
Mackenzie heard him call, muffled from behind the wood of the door.
“Are you up?”
In a panic she dashed back into her room, trying to not make any more noise than she had to.Shutting the door behind her, she returned to her room, feeling the sense of anxiety trickle down into the ground from her feet in a heavy wave.
Taking a relieved breath, she set the blood bag on her desk, the liquid inside sloshing to a still against the light of her lamp.
What an unsettling sight, a bag of her own friend’s blood.
She had hoped Cromwell wasn’t willing to stoop to this low, to use a... ‘guest’, so to speak, as a form of cattle for his own means.
He could’ve at least told her.She looked down at the blood bag, quiet and still.
Out of nervous intrigue she touched it again, her fingers feeling the diminishing warmth against the smooth plastic of the bag itself.
An odd ache shot up from her stomach, causing her to retract as if the bag had bit at her.
‘No, not today.
Not this, I refuse.'
Her hands pressed against the middle of her chest, feeling her heart drum against her hand, disturbed from what she had done.
Mackenzie turned away, seeing her shadow casting against her bed and dresser, before looking back at the bag.
It sat there still, looking like harshly brewed black tea, red and bitter looking.
Her gums itched, pulling against her teeth.
‘...Alright, okay.
Just a little.’

Cromwell got up to his feet and looked around behind him, gingerly shutting the fridge door closed with his heel.
Clearly someone had entered the room, and judging by the looks of things they had already left.
He stopped to listen in once more, seeing if Chloe had, for whatever reason, left the attic to enter his room again.
Or, at least, opened and shut the door for no discernible purpose.…No, there was a purpose.
As he listened in, his eyes scanned around his room slowly only to stop at his desk.
The blood bag was gone.
A bolt of panic coursed through him.
Who did this?
Chloe was definitely asleep, as he didn’t hear her run off through the lobby and the attic up stairs, and there wasn’t enough time between the door shutting and him listening in for her to get all cozy back in bed.
Besides, for what reason would she steal her own blood?
It was a ‘donation’, it’d be counter-intuitive for her to steal it back.
If it wasn’t her, then…Perhaps he wasn’t the only person awake at this hour.
Mild amusement settled in as he realised what might’ve been going on.
Cromwell chuckled to himself as he left his workshop, turning towards the short hallway into Mackenzie’s room.
As he went to her door, the knuckles of his hand edged close to the door before stopping suddenly.
A thought crossed his mind.
If she was doing what he thought she was doing, then if he started knocking at her door, Mackenzie would naturally stash the bag away somewhere and swoop into bed, as if nothing had happened.
Then he’d never be able to find the blood bag again and the mystery of the missing blood donation would never be solved.
Chloe would be so, so sad.
As impolite as it was, it was better to simply open the door and find out.
Maple.
Bitter, out of season strawberry.
Whipped cream.
The unknown, nutmeg-y cider-esque drink Antoinette served this season.
Breakfast sausage?
And most importantly, chocolate.
Delicious, sweet chocolate. The flavors that trickled onto her taste buds were intense and pungent, and she sipped from the tip of the tube with a previously unknown eagerness.
She pressed on the bag, feeling the lingering warmth waft onto her fingertips and her mouth, achieving consistent flow so she didn’t have to strain herself sucking at it.
The fact that it was still warm added to the experience.
A cold spot would detract, sort of like adding ice to tea.Mackenzie was thoroughly enjoying herself, as much as she didn’t want to admit it.
What was supposed to be a small, curious taste became a fourth of the bag, became half, and now was swiftly approaching a full three fourths of it.
Yet, despite her enjoyment, she felt guilty doing this.
Not only swiping something from her caretaker, but drinking a friend’s... ‘juice’ as well, it felt like she was overstepping a boundary she didn’t know she had already set.
But it had to be done, she figured.
Mackenzie considered the last couple of days.It began as a mild sensation.
An ache in her stomach, slight enough to ignore but one that wouldn’t go away even if she ate, and a tickle in her throat like someone was dangling a feather in there.
Then, over the course of a few days, these sensations worsened.
An itch in her teeth, one she couldn’t scratch, no matter what.
A nervous feeling tic.
The ache, previously ignorable, intensifying to a point she could barely stand it.
She caught herself staring at her own classmates in an odd hunger.
Mackenzie felt like a predator... no, like a honeybee in a field of pretty wild flowers, or a hummingbird in a mass of feeders.
With what she knew, it was only natural she’d be doing this.The latch to the door clicked, causing her to twinge.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as her attention shifted dramatically from the sheer taste of blood to this intruder.
Of course, why would she feel safe after doing all that?
Cromwell opened the door, despite her wishing with all her might that he wouldn’t, speaking as he came in.
“Milady?
Are you awake?”
He asked, only to find her sitting at her desk, the bag’s tubing firmly still in her mouth.
So it was her after all.Mackenzie stared back at him, wide eyed with panic, ominously half lit by the lamp on her desk.
An excess of blood flooded her mouth, causing a small trickle to go down the side of her lips.
She looked down towards it and reached over to wipe it off, only for Cromwell to come over and clean it for her instead.
“Don’t be so nervous, my dear,” He cooed calmly, wiping her cheek with a small rag.
“I’m not upset.”Mackenzie removed the bloody tubing from her mouth, and swallowed down the remaining blood.
Embarrassment for what she did finally sunk in.
Calmly, as much as she could, she began to reply.
“...Cromwell, I-”“Shh, I know.
I just didn’t think it’d happen so soon.”
He said, cutting her off.
His tone was neutral, but she could hear the tinge of incredible excitement lying behind it.
“No, no, it’s not that.
I felt strange at school, and I thought-”He clapped his gloved hands together, cutting her off once again.
“It is exactly what it is, Milady.
Congratulations, you’ve all grown up!
One step towards it, anyway.
I wish I had party poppers on hand to celebrate, but maybe another day.
But now...”
Cromwell leaned in, clasping his hands together behind his back.
“I want to see your smile.
Smile for me, dear.”Mackenzie felt a small disconnect with what was going on, frowning back at him.
‘I wish you’d let me explain myself,’
She slowly bent the tubing around her fingers, sealing it- ‘Plus, I stole something.
Shouldn’t you mention that first?’- before grinning back at him.
She watched as he peered at her teeth in awe.
She had mighty canines, sharp and thick, good for piercing.
It was quite the development.
“Oh, my,”
Cromwell reached over and pushed at the side of her mouth with his thumb, trying to see them better.
“How wonderful.
Mackenzie, when did these come in?”“When my baby teeth fell out.”
She replied, slightly slurred.“No, I remember these being much smaller.
These are new .
Unless they’ve grown out more?”“I don’t remember.”
Mackenzie pulled away, leaning back, and Cromwell got the hint.
He retracted his hands, burrowing them into his lap.
“As I was saying, I’m not upset.
In fact, I’m very happy for you, Milady.
This is nothing to be embarrassed about.
At least, the drinking part, the stealing part is something I’d frown upon... although the drinking part, other people might frown at as well...”
He shook his head.
“Excuse me, let me get back on track.
Mackenzie, you are a very special person going through a very special time.
You are what some call a Dhampyr...”
Mackenzie leaned back into her chair, trying to seem like she was giving him her full attention.
The issue was, she already knew.Her father was like her, blond with pale skin.
Very ordinary human complexions.
Her mother, on the other hand... blonde, yes, but a distinct, albeit pale, shade of blue.
Not ordinary human complexions, if not to mention a dislike of garlic and crosses, this weird eye trick she would do, the inability to sleep in the same bed as her father without harming each other in some way, and the unfortunate nigh-ritualistic bloodletting ceremonies of family friends on his side.
Truth be told, if it turned out she didn’t have a single drop of vampiric blood in her body, it would be just as likely for Penelope to start hating bananas.“...And Dhampyrs are very, very rare.
To see you grow up and start drinking blood is a delight for an old man like myself.
If it pleases you, I’d like to help you figure out your preferences.
In fact, we could ask to hold a blood drive, get a blood bag from everyone, let you sip at it, and figure out-”“I’d like to go at it naturally.”
She replied curtly.
Despite his well meaning offer, to drink ‘juice’ as a concept still felt wrong.
It had only been a few minutes, it wasn’t like he could change her mind in that time.
She was, however, aware of the one other way you could do it.
When weighed between that, biting down on someone’s flesh and slurping down a bag of someone’s blood like a juice box… while the latter option was clearly the easier, somewhat more humane option (especially if they were aware about it, hmph!), the former had some aspect to it that made her brain feel good.
Nice, light, fluffy.“In that case, excuse my excitement, Milady.
I shouldn’t push you into trying new things without your permission.
Still, how do you plan on... proceeding with this?”“I have an idea.”
---
The shopping plaza was desolate, quiet with the trees stripped bare of their beautiful leaves, leaving them scattered around the place and tucking them along the corners of buildings.
A cold wind billows, causing their branches to shiver in return.
Water from the burbling fountain catches the wind, coating the edge as well as a little girl’s hand with little drops.
The stone edge had long since frozen over, giving it a thin dusting of ice.
Not that that was a problem, of course, the combination of the cool air and the ice stained stone was a relaxing combination.Mackenzie leisurely rubbed her hand against the stone of the fountain, enjoying herself and the sensation.
In her pocket was Funghi, who had felt slightly too thin-skinned for the weather and was now resting soundly in there.
Feeling him tuck himself deeper inside, Mackenzie lifted her head up to hear someone walking up behind her.
“Man, you find the strangest entertainment.”
Chloe said, looking down at her with a confused look on her face.
“What’s with you?”“It’s not entertainment,” She replied, opting to turn her head rather than stand up straight.
“I’m doing a bit of... investigative work, that’s all.”
In that moment she eyed the glaring red wrap around her arm, her duster wrapped around her waist despite the chill.
Her skin was pink from the cold because of it.
It was long past the afternoon now, yet she still had the wrap on around her arm.
Hm.“What, are you on a case?”“Not really, no... right now, I’m more curious about the bandage around your arm.”
Mackenzie pointed at it.“Oh, this?”
She lifted up her arm, as if Mackenzie couldn’t see it clearly already.
“I had a blood donation.
I’m helping kids in need, you know!
I’m practically a hero.”“Uh-huh...”
Mackenzie nodded, leering at it with knowing suspicion.
She seemed to have discovered that she could use it for clout, or at least thought she could.
For a moment, Mackenzie considered telling her the truth about it, but stopped herself before she could.
She had a promise to keep.As Chloe looked on in pride, even putting her hands to her hips, Mackenzie managed to gleam another sound in the plaza.
Against the billowing wind, she could hear the familiar tip-tap of little boots.
Finally getting to her feet, she looked past Chloe and spotted Penelope with a big, dumb grin on her face.
“Look, look!”
She said, waving two little laminated sheets of paper in her hands, trying to get both of their attention.
“Look at what I got, look!”“Now what’s that, Penelope?”
Mackenzie asked, leaning to look around Chloe.“Tickets!
Look, look!”
She handed them over once she got close enough, with Mackenzie taking one.
They were tickets to a party, green with bright colors and bold fonts, reading, ‘Town Hall Harvest Moon Party, @ Town Hall November 18th 7 PM to 9 PM, B There or B Square.
(Concessions supplied by Antoinette and Shorty)’.Chloe leaned in to read over her shoulder, and looked back at Penelope with a slight air of smugness.
“Yeah, yeah.
We already knew about that.
Mackenzie got some a while ago for me and myself, or anyone she wants to bring with.
Which is, you know, me. ”
She remarked, elbowing Mackenzie in the stomach.“Really?”
Penelope felt her excitement deflate out of her, her little hair bobbles drooping.
“But I only got these yesterday!
How did you..?”Mackenzie made a sigh, handing the ticket back to her.
“The Mayor had one of his statues stolen- He attributed it to the Cornstalker but it wasn’t him- and I ended up finding it for him.
Or what was left of it, anyway.
He paid me in tickets.”
Besides that, she knew full well that the tickets had been on sale for a whole week prior.
The fact that Penelope hadn’t known about them until now was surprising.“Aw, you got them for free?”
Her hair bobbles lowered further.
“I had to pay 14 dollars for these...”“Yeah, it’s a party hosted by the Mayor, of course it’s gonna be expensive.
So, are you going?”
Chloe asked.“Am I going?
Chloe, of course I’m going.
Who’d pay 14 dollars for tickets to a party they’re not going to?
That’s highway robbery.”
‘That’s not what ‘highway robbery’ means...'
As the two bickered about the cost of tickets and who Penelope was going to bring (Daisy, unless she got a ticket already or just doesn’t want to go, then maybe Anna, but... well, you know.
So on and so forth.), Mackenzie couldn’t help but have her eyes drift off towards the distance.
She began to concern herself with more... private thoughts.Next to the bakery and tucked into the corner of the shopping plaza was Old Time, an antique shop.
Well, it wasn’t just an antique shop, no, inside was also the cutest and prettiest boy in town.
There was a chance that Connor hadn’t bought a ticket, and if he hadn’t then maybe if she offered him one then he'd go, so then they could meet in private and she could...“Hey, Mack!”
Chloe’s voice knocked her out of the red-stained daydream she was having, much to her disappointment.
“You’ve got those tickets on you, right?”“What?”“The tickets, remember?
You’re always keeping random things in your pockets you might need later, so you’ve got them, right?”
Chloe was right, she tended to do that, mostly out of habit at this point.
“For what?
The party hasn’t started...”“Penelope wants to see ‘em.”“I...”
For once, she didn’t, she hadn’t considered the idea that this discussion would’ve come up.
She mimed patting herself down, looking for them.
“...Don’t, actually.”“What do you mean, you don’t?”
Chloe started to get flustered.
“You..!
Don’t tell me you lost them, Mackenzie!”
She paused for a moment, before shrugging back at her,
smiling even.
“It’s true.
I’m sorry, Chloe.”Chloe visibly steamed, to the point that Penelope started to get very worried, being familiar with her temper.
Much too familiar.
Fortunately, the only thing she did was snap her fingers in frustration after a while.
“Alright, fine, whatever.
We’ll just look around for them, no big deal.
Penelope, you’re coming with me.”“Me?
I’m coming too?”“Yeah, you’re just standing there, might as well make yourself useful.
Come on!”
Chloe grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the shopping plaza, leaving Mackenzie all alone.
She watched them leave, and only when they were out of sight did she begin putting her plan into action.Not too far away, she looked through the glass door into the boutique, seeing Daisy clearly inside.
How convenient.
She leisurely walked on in, the bells ringing as she opened the door.
Daisy didn’t even respond, only turning her head when Mackenzie spoke up.
“Excuse me...”“I was hoping you’d be an actual customer.
What do you want?”
Daisy said.“It’s... I wanted to ask a question.”“Is it maybe related to the store ?”“No.
Do you have a ticket for the Harvest Moon Party?”Daisy raised a brow and turned fully towards her.
“Yeah?
Beatrice bought one for every girl at the condominium.
Why?”“Just doing a bit of personal math.
I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Mackenzie slipped back out of the boutique.
Daisy watched as she went out of view, leaving the shopping plaza, and was left wondering what she meant by ‘personal math’.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
The doorbell for the office buzzed only for the entrance door to swing wide open just moments later.
Cromwell looked up from his tea and newspaper, watching Mackenzie come in before scanning the lobby.
“Well, that wasn’t very long.
Welcome back, Milady.”“I’m not.
It’s only for a little bit,” She replied, her eyes darting around the place.
“I’ll be back out sooner than later.
Was Chloe and Penelope here?”“Not at all, I haven’t even seen Chloe since she left this morning.”“Good.”
Mackenzie shut the door behind her before running back into her room.
There she found the tickets, still at her desk and thankfully untouched, from both fingers and the massive bloodstain she had left the night prior.
Brightly lit by the sun shining through her window, it had dried to a distracting, nasty crusty brown.
She grimaced, ignoring it the best she could as she scooped the tickets up and put them into her pocket.
She would have to figure out how to clean a bloodstain out of wood later, but for the tickets, it was a much easier matter to deal with.“Funghi,” She said, pointing to him.
He was still nestled neatly in her pocket, and he lazily looked up at her finger with a grunt sounding like a high pitched ‘hm?’.
“If anyone asks what happened to the other ticket, pretend that you ate it.
Anything that happens after that, I’ll deal with myself.
Okay?”He grunted again, agreeing.
Mackenzie gently stroked the top of his cap with her finger, much to his appreciation.
“That’s a good boy.”
She went to leave her room, only to press herself against the door, hidden only by the small hallway as the lobby door also slammed shut.Cromwell looks up again, seeing Chloe and Penelope standing there, with Chloe looking around indignant.
“Good afternoon, Miss Chloe, and you too, Miss Penelope.
How are you?”
He called, looking towards the slightly panicked looking Mackenzie and wondering what’s made her so concerned.“Fine, I guess.
Hey, you haven’t seen any tickets lying around here, have you?
Someone forgot something.”
Chloe explained, making a side eye away from where Mackenzie was hiding.
“They’re the tickets for the Harvest Moon Party that’s being held soon,” Penelope added.
“I wanted to see them.
In case Chloe was lying.”“Why would I be lying?”
Chloe complained.
The two bicker again as Cromwell looked at the newspaper he was reading.
Harvest Moon Party?
But it’s November.
It wasn’t an important factoid, so Cromwell kept it to himself.
“Hm.
Well, I’m going to assume you were the one who lost it, Miss Chloe.
Have you-?”“What?
No!
It was Mackenzie who lost it.
She was supposed to have them until tomorrow, but turns out she lost them.”“Is that so?”
He says, understanding now why she was hiding from the both of them.
Mackenzie looked back at him, staring daggers at him.
‘ Don’t out me, please. ’
Fortunately for her, he got the hint.
“Ah, no.
I’m afraid I haven’t seen head nor tails of her, or those tickets.
You’ll have to check somewhere else.”“But we have checked everywhere else !”
They replied, just barely out of sync with each other.
“The park, the plaza, the forest, we even tried the area near the haunted house, like a ghost managed to steal it or something.”
Chloe bemoaned.
“Where else could it be?”“I’d say… a tree, somewhere.
Something like that.
Keep looking, I’m sure it wouldn’t have traveled very far.”
He suggested on a whim, much to the appreciation of one of the girls.“Good idea,” said Penelope.
“We’ll go check the forest again, maybe someone saw it floating around!”“Could very well be the case.
I wish you both good luck.”“Thanks, Cromwell!
You’re the best.”
Penelope cheered, receiving a soft ‘you’re welcome’ from him as he went to sip some tea.
The two turn to leave, closing the door behind them.
As Mackenzie revealed herself and stepped out into the lobby proper, she could hear Chloe have a muffled revelation from behind the door.
“Hey, if it’s just floating around and someone noticed, wouldn’t they just steal it..?”
‘ Good point.
Fortunately, there’s nothing to steal .’

Cromwell sets down the teacup and newspaper before looking back towards her.
“So, what’s all this about?”
Mackenzie didn’t reply, as she rubbed her chin trying to figure out how to describe what she was doing.
“You can tell me in earnest, my dear.
I won’t judge.”“I... well, it’s a little convoluted.
So I have two tickets, but so does Penelope...”“You don’t have to tell me the plan per say, just the outcome.
That’s what I’m most curious about.”“I’m trying to give my other ticket to someone else, but Chloe wants it, so I’m trying to figure out a way to give it to him without her knowing I gave it to someone else.
I’m... I want to try biting there, at the party.”“With, I assume, the person you’re inviting.”
Mackenzie nodded as she watched him pinch the bridge of his nose.
Cromwell turned towards her, sitting at the edge of the chair.
“This goes back to what I asked you last night.
Milady, I need you to make another promise to me.”
He said, gently grabbing her hands, all the while looking down at her sternly.
“I need you to reassure me that you will not get caught doing this.
And, that you will take every precaution to make sure that he is okay with this.”She slowly nodded, having yet considered the risk.
He seemed rather serious about this, presumably for the same reason he asked her not to tell Chloe about what he was doing.
“I promise.”“Thank you, Milady.
I wish you luck on your endeavors.”
He said, before springing up onto his feet.
“Oh, but one more thing before you go again!
Hold right there!”
He slipped past Mackenzie, and she watched him enter his room.
Shortly he returned with an odd blue box, shaped like a tissue box.
In fact, it might’ve been an actual tissue box, as far as she was concerned.
“Here, I want you to take these, just in case you make a mess with him.”“Tissues..?”
She murmured, taking from him.
“Not at all, no!
These are much more than mere tissues.
In fact, these are what I call Alkaline Wipes, they’re used for cleaning tough stains!
I use them for many things, including spills.”Mackenzie had her doubts this was another of his inventions.
While she had never seen it on store shelves, it didn’t mean he made it himself, nor did it actually mean it was alkaline in nature.
She gave him a half-hearted look.
“Well, it’s better than a pendulum, I suppose.”“...Please, my dear.
It’s function over form, at this young of an age you’re certain to make a mess.
You should clean up before it ends up staining his clothes, especially since we want to be completely inconspicuous.”“Right.”
She replied, tucking the box into her inventory.
“I’ll try my very best.”‘ Not that it matters much… I think the people in town are far too familiar with me to want me dead if all this comes out.
Except maybe Chloe. ’ “Now go, Milady!”
Cromwell throws his arm out in a fancy flourish, pointing his hand towards the door.
“Plan your first bite, and triumph with flying colours!
Make this old man proud!”
Mackenzie looked towards the trajectory of his hands, before looking back up at him, her hands clasped together at her chest.
“Proud?
Really?”“Yes, of course.
The joy in my heart is indescribable!
I want you to succeed , my dear, I believe that’s all I can hope for.”
Hearing that, Mackenzie felt a sense of courage welling up in her.
She had someone rooting for her, besides herself!
Admittedly, Cromwell had no idea who she was referring to, ‘he’ could’ve meant a random male classmate of hers.
But he was excited for her, and at the end of the day, it was all she needed.
Grasping onto it and hoping to milk it for all it’s worth, she marched out of the office with a look of determination.Cromwell wasn’t feeling the same.
While he was definitely rooting for her and hoped that she could indeed succeed, he had a sense of apprehension at this whole idea.
A feeling of worry for her safety, an inkling of deja vu.
Returning to his seat, he ran his gloved hand against his impressive moustache, rubbing his fingers against the tips and rolling the hair together.
“What am I going to do with her..?
Crumbs...”
The inside of Old Time had this strange musk pumped in, nostalgic in a sense but generally quite stuffy.
It reminded her of the smell of cracking open an old book, mixed with ancient perfumes and lavender.
It was also quite warm, the heat of the store surging against her as she opened the door, adding to the oppressive stuffiness and ancient smell of the antique store.Connor sat at the desk at the other side of the small store, enjoying both a book of ancient history and a drink from a styrofoam cup.
Judging by what she could smell of it, which wasn’t much, it was the same drink Antoinette was giving out this season.
He must’ve visited her shop earlier, how odd.
She stood there goo-goo eyed, the ticket in her hands, just taking him in like an ice cold glass of water.
Eventually he looked up from his book and looked on over to her.
He set down his book, giving her his full attention.
“Why, good afternoon, Mackenzie.
I didn’t expect to see you around here so late, how are you?”At this point her brain went blank.
Perhaps it was the heat that caused it, or perhaps it was what she was doing (or, what she was planning on doing).
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t talked to him before, or that he never talked to her straight on before, it was just...
‘ How do I give it to him? ’
An air of awkwardness settled in as she frantically tried to plan out her next move.
Does she just hand it to him?
Ask him first?
Explain?
What would she do if he declines?
The only reason she was going at all was for him.
He soon opens his mouth again.
“I said, how-?”She quickly whips the ticket out towards him, feeling strangely light headed.
He pushes himself up from his chair, looking over towards where she was standing to even get a chance to see what she was presenting him.
“‘Harvest Moon Party’, mrr mrr... oh, I had completely forgotten about all this.
Is this for me, Mackenzie?”She nods, still staring up at him.
The store goes dead silent again, Mackenzie internally begging him to take it.
Connor soon chuckled, as if replying to her thoughts.
“If you want to give it to me, you’re going to have to come over and hand it to me.”Mackenzie made a soft eep before shuffling over towards the desk, handing it over once she was close enough.
He took it from her, bringing it close to his face as if checking if it was a forgery of not.
“Hm... Town Hall, you’d think he’d be more careful about potential thieves, with what happened a week ago.
Suppose it’s a nice break from the usual Cornstalker, hm?”
He said with a smile on his face, sounding quite chipper.
“It is...”
She replies, watching his smile falter for some reason.
“Although I do prefer just the one.
Two seems like too much.”“Aha, well... um, thank you for bringing this to me.
I was considering getting my own, but now I don’t have to.”
Mackenzie perked up, clasping her hands together as if to ask, ‘really?’
“I’ll be pleased to meet you there tomorrow.”
Connor said, his smile returning all sweet.
Ba-bump... “Me too...”
She muttered, “I’ll see you there.”
As she turned to leave the shop, she felt intensely charmed, him being more soft spoken than usual not helping matters.
Mission success !
A success so intense, she had to lean against the wooden wall by the door to mentally cool off.
Steam pluming off her hat, Mackenzie felt such giddiness that it was almost silly.
To think that giving a single grown man a present like this would be so troubling.She couldn’t wait to taste him.

---
“It turns out Funghi wanted a midnight snack.”
“ So he ate it?! ”
“Aw, Chloe... I’m sorry, that’s too bad.”
The sun had set, with bedtimes approaching rapidly.
Mackenzie gathered the two of them in the lobby of the office, where she revealed ‘the truth’ about what had happened to Chloe’s ticket.
“I left them on the table, and at some point he got to them and assumed they weren’t important, so he gobbled one down whole.
I would say we should go back to the park and get another one, but..”“No one would be there at this hour.
Right?”
Penelope said.“Right.”Chloe sat there at the table trembling with rage, her head lowered and her hands curled into fists in her lap.
The tea Cromwell had thoughtfully prepared for her had even gone cold at this point.
The disappointment wafting off of him because of it was palpable, although only Mackenzie seemed to notice it.
“Stupid, dumb mushroom.
I hate it.
Why does my day have to be ruined by your stupid, slimy pet?”Mackenzie glared at her.
“Funghi is my assistant ,” She scolds.
Funghi was sort of her pet, in a sense that a small thing you take care of is a pet, but he was an assistant.
Official detective material, in fact.
“And I’d prefer if you’d treat him with respect.
And it’s mucin, not slime.”“Assistant or not, if you don’t put him on a leash I’m gonna turn him into dinner!”
She snapped back at her, causing poor Funghi to tremble in fear.“Girls.”
Cromwell tapped his knuckles against the table, severing the tension between the two.
“Settle down.
I understand you’re upset, but what’s been done has been done.
No amount of threatening to eat someone is going to fix that.
Besides, I do believe there’s more important matters at hand?”Chloe rested her head on her hand, her elbow on the table.
She muttered to herself, glaring at Mackenzie.
“Yeah, like dealing with a broken promise.”
'I never promised I’d give you my other ticket. ’
“A decent guess, Miss Chloe.
No, what I mean is that it’s currently 8... it’s time for us to start winding down and heading to bed.”“Ah!”
Penelope jumped out of her seat, pushing herself up with her hands.
“Is it really that late?”“You two came back around 6, and I’ve been waiting around 2 hours to tell you about what happened to the other ticket, so…”“ Eeeeek!
I’m so sorry!”
She scooted out from behind the table, making her way towards the door.
Penelope made a hasty wave before swinging the door wide open, letting in the night air.
“I’ll see you both tomorrow!”“At this rate, I’m going nowhere tomorrow.”
Chloe mumbled, crossing her arms against the table before resting her head on it.
It was a pitiful sight, really.
Annoying, but pitiful.
Mackenzie frowned looking over at her, and despite the threat against poor Funghi’s life not too long ago she couldn’t help but feel a little bad.
“...You’re not like this.
I didn’t think you wanted to go to that party this badly, Chloe.”“I do ,” She replied, her voice muffled slightly.
“It’s Thanksgiving Break.
Besides the whole feast with the folks, I don’t get to do much during break.
It’s not much, but it’s something!
And it was free! ”“If you want something to do, we can find something to do.
There’s a whole list of things you could do around the office-”Chloe slams her fist down on the table, causing Cromwell to tense up.
“You don’t get it, do you?”
She raises her head, her face twisted with annoyance.
“You get to go!
Penelope gets to go!
Everyone else gets to go!
Meanwhile I get to sit here and do nothing until bed.
It’s not fair.”
Her expression softens, her eyes looking back down towards the table as she lies her head back down.
“It’s not fair.”Mackenzie looks down upon her and her sorry state, feeling her pity getting mingled with a side order of apathy.
She knew that she would be disappointed, rant about it for a while, and then move on like she normally did.
But Chloe had a point this time around.
It really wasn’t fair that she suddenly had her chance at fun dashed, even if Funghi had nothing to do with it, while everyone else had the ability to do so.
She looked back up towards the door, Penelope certainly long gone by now....Mm, no.
As she continued to stare out towards the door, thinking about what to do regarding the future of her plan (It did include Chloe joining in, even if she was being especially whiny about this), she noticed a little orange bobble float around in the window by the door.
Penelope had never left, she was just looming outside her door in the cold.“Chloe, you should get to bed.
I’ll join you.”
Mackenzie said, gently reaching over to stroke her head.
What lovely hair, so soft.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea, Mack.
You should pay me back for what happened,” She replies, looking just past her own arms.
“Lemme sleep in your bed tonight.”“My bed’s too small, Chloe.”“That’s not what I meant and you know it.
I wanna swap bedrooms!”
Chloe sat up straight, her hands becoming fists as they drummed against the table.
“It’s the least you could do, you know!”“I think there are other things I could do besides sleep in the attic...”
Mackenzie mumbled, sharing a similar sentiment to her regarding the attic.
Cromwell scooped up the tea cups and their little plates left on the table, taking extra care to not spill Chloe’s abandoned tea.“Milady is trying to be reasonable, Miss Chloe, and she has every right to decline.
After all, this isn’t your office.”“You don’t know that!”“I... do, actually.
However, I find that she has every responsibility to replace your ticket after what Funghi did.
Correct?”
Cromwell made a cursory glance back at Mackenzie, who in turn looked back at the door.
Penelope is still there , what is she doing?
Mulling?
She should’ve left already.
Seeing she wasn’t, should she take advantage of it right this second?
Or should she wait for Chloe to head to bed and leave it as a delightful surprise for her to find out in the morning?
Of course, she’d just assume Mackenzie left hers and leave it be, but she might see the opportunity and take it, or...Chloe looked back towards the door, what with Mackenzie staring at it so hard.
Would you look at that, there’s Penelope.
She’s got two tickets, doesn’t she?
“Hold up, I got a better idea.”“You do?”
Mackenzie asked, watching her stand up with a confident look on her face.
“Sure do.
Watch this.”
She replied, leisurely walking up to the door and pushing it open.
In its wake Penelope stumbles forward, either having been started by Chloe or merely smacked with the door as it opened.
Mackenzie wasn’t sure.
She turns back around, a small smile on her face.
“Oh, um... hi Chloe, what are you doing?”“I can ask you the same thing.
Why are you just standing out in the cold?”“Well, uh...”
Penelope pauses, stopping to mull over what she was doing.
“...I was wondering if you’d like my ticket.
You seemed so upset, so-” “ YOU WOULD? ”
Chloe shouted at her, loud enough that it echoed off into the night air and caused Penelope to back off, wide eyed and frightened.
From within the office, Mackenzie made a subdued, celebratory gesture, pumping her fists out in front of her.
Another success!...
She quickly collected herself, putting her hands back down into her lap.“Y-yeah, I would.
You seemed so, so, so upset at not being able to go, and I said I’d try to bring someone with, so I figured... it’d be you.”At this point, Chloe’s general excitement had reached a tipping point.
She almost pounces on the poor girl, wrapping her arms around her tight and burrowing her head into her shoulder.
At what little she could see, Mackenzie smiled.
Penelope giggles, patting her on the back.
“Aw, that’s so weird!
You never act like this.”“Stop trying to ruin this moment..!”
Chloe replies, her voice slightly muffled from the density of her hair.
She eventually pulls back, her hands on her shoulders.
“So, where’s the ticket?”“I don’t have it.
I’ll give it to you at the Town Hall, okay?” “ Mother-! ”
Chloe hisses, and turns back around.
“Thanks, Penelope!”
She says, almost in a slight mocking tone, as she closes the door behind her.
She then leans back on it, crossing her arms.
“...She ain’t gonna remember that ticket.”Mackenzie grumbled.
Why does she bother?
“Chloe... Penelope is doing something nice.
At least be a little happy that she is willing to do that.
Besides, how many times has she failed you?”“ Plenty of times?”Cromwell coarsely clears his throat, interjecting.
“I’m glad you both got that sorted out... rather quickly, I will note.
But it’s still time for bed.
Especially you, Milady, you have a busy day tomorrow, don’t you?”Mackenzie quickly nods back, much to Chloe’s confusion.
She looked back and forth between the two of them, suspecting something was afoot.
“A busy day, huh... whaddya got planned, Mackenzie?”“...We go to the party?”
She replied, looking confused herself.
Wasn’t the entire truth, but Chloe seemed satisfied with the answer regardless.
She got off her side of the couch to ready herself for bed, followed shortly by both Mackenzie and Funghi.
Bed wouldn’t actually be for another while.
Mackenzie had accidentally pressed her about Penelope too hard, whipping her into a fury where she started raving about her day, about Penelope, about her wild goose chase.
After so long, the office was finally quiet.
The creaking upstairs finally ceased, and Chloe had finally gone to bed.
Cromwell made a soft sigh, feeling relieved, before turning his attention to Mackenzie, who hiding slightly in the small hallway into her room.“Cromwell… when do you think she’ll go back home?”“Milady, that’s an awfully rude thing to say.
Chloe has her own problems, and it’s our duty to let her settle them her own way.
That is to say, never, at this rate.”She grumbled to herself, before slinking into her room.
Funghi had already fallen asleep on his log, although his expression wasn’t as clear and cute as it usually was.
Slightly scrunched up, as if something was disturbing him...The smell of something delectable wafted into her nose, as delicious as it was perplexing.
She took a few indulgent sniffs of it before realising where it had some from.
Of course, it stemmed from the stain on her desk, the same one she had ignored earlier this afternoon.
Naturally it reared its ugly head again.
But how was she supposed to clean it?Wait.
The Alkaline wipes!
Heading to her desk, she retrieved the box out of her inventory and opened it up with a loud clack, revealing its goods; a stack of white, cheap looking papery wipes.
She took a curious sniff before taking one, finding that it smelled merely of rubbing alcohol.
It confirmed some of her suspicions, but not all of them.It took a couple of swipes to get the dried blood to come up, where it stained the wipe a strange color of blue.
A few more and the stain fully came up.
What she was smelling, sweet and delightful, eventually faded away and replaced by the harsh smell of chemicals.
Although she was sure Funghi was smelling something else before, the new smell didn’t help him, or her for that matter, sleep any better.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Town Hall was antiquated.
Over the course of several mayoral elections, it had fallen into disrepair with many of its systems old and broken, with the hall itself having a tendency to flood terribly in April.
Similarly, the Harvest Moon Party had a long history, but whatever it was before had evolved into what most would consider an out-of-season Halloween party, and an especially lackluster one as well, no thanks to the lack of funding behind it.
It wasn’t known when these changes started to happen, maybe some 40, 50 years ago, but it wouldn’t be long before the Harvest Moon Party would be snuffed out for good.The old lights inside coated the front lot with an warm and ominous orange.
There, the townsfolk chatted amongst each other, passing the time as they waited for the mayor to arrive.
Connor, true to his word, was one of them.
He kept to himself however, waiting on the steps into the Town Hall.
With one hand holding tight on the ticket he was given, he scanned the small crowd.
He had the impression that people actually came to festivals like this, but it seems this little town was an exception.
Besides, it was in his favor, it made looking for a particular, white-capped blonde easier.
Yet she didn’t show up... where was she?A taloned foot clacked against the stone pavement.
“What time is it?”
Beatrice said, her beak firmly raised high into the air.
“It feels like it’s been an eternity.
Tom should be here by now.”
Beside her was Daisy, with a clam-shell phone in her hands.
She flicked it open, the light of it illuminating her face.
“It’s only 7:06,” She remarked as it clacked close.
“So he’s only about 6 minutes late.”“ Hmph .
At this point, I could be at home, watching my shows.
To think I came here special...”
Beatrice scoffed, causing Daisy to glare back.
“It’s not like he’s not going to show up, you know.”Further within the crowd, Penelope weaved around people, looking for Chloe.
Considering the small number of people that showed up, it should’ve been an easier job done than said, but it started to feel as if she hadn’t even showed up yet.
Penelope began to nervously nibble at her thumb.
“Ah… I hope she didn’t get in trouble at home.
I really don’t want this ticket to go to waste…”
As she nervously scanned the lot again, a green patchworked face shot up in front of Penelope’s view, its little felty arms swinging as it spoke.
“Who are you waiting on?
Who are you waiting on?”Penelope shrunk back in horror, less from the puppet’s sudden appearance and more who the puppet belonged to.
A bitty hand rose up and pinched the puppet’s lips, before it was brought down more towards its own.
“Sorry.
Lini is excited today.
Lini is very excited.
We’re going to have fun today…”The use of fun scared her, even if she was aware of what Lynsey meant.
“O-oh, I don’t mind..!”
Penelope replied, shaking her hands in front of her defensively.
Even now, she hadn’t quite forgotten the whole ‘doll’ incident with Lynsey, and wasn’t keen on having it happen again.
“I’m waiting on my friend Chloe, she said she’d be here, but…”“Felicia.”
Lynsey ‘corrected’.
Yes, she had sucked poor Chloe into the whole doll thing as well.
Fortunately Mackenzie came in and saved her before anything could happen, or at least that’s what she was told, anyway.
“Everyone is late.
The Mayor is late.
Our friend is late.
The stars are late.”“The stars?”
Penelope looked up at the sky.
Lynsey was right in a sense, most of the stars were missing, leaving a mostly clear, blackish blue sky.
“You’re right… where are the stars?”“The stars are there,” Ogden spoke, summoning Lynsey back to his side before joining Penelope in stargazing.
“But the lights of the Town Hall cause them to ‘disappear’.
Only the brightest stars, and the moon, are visible.
On this date, we once all stared at the moon... it was wonderful.”“ At the moon?”
Penelope asked, looking up towards it.
“Why?”“Because the moon is bright.
This festival, no, this party used to celebrate the moon.
We’ve come to appreciate the moon less and less as technology advances, but once we used to gather around and look up, eat treats, and appreciate it.”
He crosses his arms, closing his eyes in thoughtful contemplation.
“It was the sole light of farmers, hence ‘harvest moon’.
But now we’re actively trying to get rid of it, along with the stars.
It’s called light pollution.
Once upon a time, humanity could see all the stars in the sky, even the Milky Way.
With the way we’re headed, all the stars will go out because too much light is bleeding into our eyes...”Penelope grimaced, more than just a little creeped out.
Before she could ask him further about the stars or what light pollution was, she heard a loud exclamation ring out from near the street.
She looked back, just like the rest of the crowd who couldn’t make out who it was and expected it to be Mayor Tom; For her, it was Chloe (and hopefully Mackenzie); For Connor, also Mackenzie.
It was neither of these three.Inspector Daria, making her appearance with her hand raised towards the sky and trying to look especially glamorous, was greeted with an almost dismissive 'Oh, it’s just you.'
Visibly, she steams, throwing her arm back down.
“‘It’s just you’?!
I’m the guest of honor,” She says, tapping at a turkey-shaped broach on her chest.
“Certainly I should get more respect than just that, right?”“But where’s Mayor Tom?”
Beatrice asks, her wingtips at her hips.
“We’ve been sitting around in the cold for…”“9 minutes.”
Daisy answers, her face lit up again with her phone.“9 minutes!
Without him the party can’t start.
So where is he?”“I don’t know, he’s not with me.
Besides, I’m here on special assignment.”
Quickly, Daria dug into her pockets (a feat more impressive than it sounds, what with that coat on her) before revealing to the crowd a handwritten letter.
White ink on blue paper, it was a warning letter from, who else, the Cornstalker!
“I had this sent to me- listen clearly, ME!
Personally!- so I suspect something within this building is on the Cornstalker’s list.
What isn't specified, so this place is a potential crime scene.
So do me a favor and keep your eyes peeled for any suspicious activity.”From the back, Connor leaned in, squinting his eyes to see the letter as a slightly more impressed but still disappointed ray came from the crowd.
She was no Tom, but it was nice to know she was there at all.
With her ego stoked, the crowd returned to chatting, some even striking a conversation with the inspector.
Still it left Penelope pondering where her dear friends were.
Connor sat on the steps, tapping his fingers against the stone of the stairway, continuing to watch the townsfolk mill about some more.
In time he whipped out his wrist, pulling at his sleeve to reveal the expensive watch he wore for the occasion.
On its face read ‘7:29’.
Beautiful.From below, Beatrice threw her wings up into the air and promptly gave up, leaving the lot and heading down the sidewalk back to the condominium.
As much as he didn’t want to do it, he got to his feet and started walking down the steps.
Mackenzie, the sole reason he was here (besides out of curiosity now, who was this ‘Cornstalker’ and would ‘he’ make ‘his’ appearance today?), hadn’t shown up at all, much to his disappointment.
Before he could even walk more than two steps, he stops himself just short of falling down the rest of the way when a booming voice erupts behind him.
Amplified from a megaphone, Tom speaks, “Welcome to the Harvest Moon Festival!
Thank you all for being patient!”“Where were you?!”“It’s ‘Party’! ”Tom scrunches his already wrinkly face, feeling particularly miffed with these reactions.
“It doesn’t matter!
As I was saying,”
He clears his throat, before speaking into the megaphone again.
“We had some technical difficulties…”Penelope looked up the steps, bewildered at how loud he was being.
He really didn’t need that megaphone.
She turned back to see the road again, to see if Chloe and Mackenzie were finally making their way up towards the Town Hall lot, only to be spooked when she saw Chloe's own face mere inches away from her, her hand outstretched towards her shoulder.
“Eeeee..!
Chloe, don’t just sneak up on someone, at least say something!”“I would’ve, if that chatterbox up there stopped talking.
I can barely hear you from over here.”
She replies, before gesturing at Penelope with her hand.
She stares at it for a moment before, with a little spark of light behind her eyes, quickly searching through her purse and handing the ticket to her.
“Here, like I promised.”
Chloe snatches it up, before tucking it away safely within her duster.“It’s been 30 minutes… have you been standing here this whole time?”
Mackenzie asks, looking up at the loud old turkey trying to bark answers to an annoyed, questioning crowd.
Up there she sees Connor, looking dazed on the steps.
“Uhuh!
My fingers are cold.”“You should’ve packed gloves.”“Could’ve!
Should’ve, would’ve, had I needed them.”“But…” ‘ You do need them .’“Now with all your questions (hopefully) squared away, get in here and have fun!”
Tom switches off the megaphone before effectively fleeing inside before anyone could yell at him for making so much noise.
Slowly but surely, the townsfolk made their way inside the old Town Hall, much warmer than the November air outside.
The ceiling flakes with old white paint, painted in wave artex, although some rooms had the pleasure of having popcorn ceilings instead.
The wood flooring was dark but rather glossy- and very warped, no thanks to the aforementioned flooding every April.
The same wood, possibly even from the same tree, lined the corners like fancy sculptures, some of them even sporting fanged faces.
The only new thing about the building was that the walls had been painted a fresh yellow-orange.
Say what about the quality of the Town Hall, the people running the town certainly knew how to use it well.
But the decorations... they were definitely cheap, with plasticky bats and a fog machine set up at the front.
There was even hay and pumpkins.
As cute as they were, it set a dreary mood by accident, like watching one’s childhood slip away between their fingers.The party was exclusively held at the first floor, the stairs gated off in case anyone wanted to look at the hall’s ancient computers, or even steal them.
A good half of the Town Hall was also locked off, with the other half having only three rooms be the ‘party’; Concessions, a game room, and a decent relaxing area if you were tired of standing, wanted to chat leisurely or what have you.
There was also a closet or two that were likely unlocked- in fact, at least one person had already taken advantage of that.
Besides that and excluding some chairs set up, the other rooms were completely unimportant.The first floor was awash in the sweet smell of Antoinette’s baking, greeting the townsfolk as they came in.
Some, Dover in particular, banked on the legendary Sweet Dreams Cake being available and made a beeline for concessions.
Others drifted through the entryway, walking through the fake fog like zombies, and made their way into their respective rooms to hang out in.
One found herself pacing around the more emptier rooms.Mackenzie felt like a red hot ghost idly wandering through the rooms, with no real purpose other than to slowly plot out her next move.
She was slightly light headed, or more accurately intensely anxious, and could feel an imaginary steam boil off from the top of her head in a thin plume.
There was an ache in her stomach, and her teeth itched once more, as if to remind her of her mission.
At this point, she was kicking herself in the foot for not planning this out better.
How was she going to bite Connor, alone and privately?
How was she going to tell him about this?
And, more importantly, where was he?
She saw him at the stairs outside, it’s unlike him to just slip off that easily.

A voice disrupted her train of thought.
“Hey!
You’re missing out on the festivities, come on.
You got tickets for free, don’t just stand around and mope.”“Huh..?”
Mackenzie turned around, her whole face both pale and pink.
There at the entryway was Chloe, her expression swiftly turning surprised just seeing her.“...Hey, are you feeling alright?
You look like you’re gonna burst into flames.”“I...”
Mackenzie started, her eyes glancing around the room nervously.
“I’m anxious.
It’s just... don’t worry about it Chloe.
It’s not your problem.”
She said, beginning to walk past her and gently pushing her aside through the door.
“Whaddya mean, ‘it’s not your problem’?
You can’t just keep secrets from me, we’re best friends, aren’t we?”
Chloe replied, watching her as she began to drift into the other room.
“Besides, what’s up with you lately?
You’re being super twitchy and weird.”Mackenzie looks back at her, stopping in her tracks.
“I’m trying to find someone.
I gave him a ticket just for this.”“Ooooh, lucky Mackenzie, on a date.”
Chloe twiddled her fingers at her, mocking her.
“Who would’ve thought- hey, wait! ”
Oh boy.
As Chloe’s eyes widened in realisation, Mackenzie looked away out of mild shame.
“You’re telling me... you lied to me?
You spun an entire yarn about Funghi eating your other ticket so I would take Penelope’s?
So you could go on a date ?”Mackenzie sighs, before turning herself back towards Chloe.
“It’s not a date, it’s more of... an impulse, I’m sorry.
Had I told you, you probably would never forgive me.
He-”“Who’s he ?”“...His name is Connor.
He’s the one who runs the antique shop.”Chloe’s eyes squint as she tries to figure out who exactly she was referring to.
The antique shop, the antique shop… that one?
That weirdo?
“...You’re kidding.
You’re on a date with that guy?”“Again, it’s not a date,” Mackenzie raises her hands up defensively.
“He was nice about it, he said yes, but it’s not a date.
I just wanted to talk to him...”Chloe walked up to her only to jab her finger into her chest, causing her to flinch.
“You’re telling me, you stole my ticket, to give to some guy , just so you can ‘talk to him’?”“...Yes.”“You’re a liar and a half and you know it.”
She replies, more irritated than ever from such a blunt answer.
Her finger stabbed her in the chest one more time, and then kept it there.
“Come on Mack, how long have you been planning this, huh?
Since you got them tickets, since you mentioned it to me?
No wonder you were so twitchy and weird, you’re trying to get on someone 8 years older than you for what, the last week?!
That’s freak behavior!”Mackenzie finally pushed away Chloe’s accusing hand, stepping away from her.
“Chloe, you’re not listening to me.
I just want to talk to him.”“Yeah, okay.
About what, Mack?”
Chloe asked, crossing her arms.Her brain drew a blank.
Obviously the truth wasn’t an option, and the other options she had at her disposal would just make the problem worse.
“It’s… private.
Something important.
Just don’t worry about it, okay?
It’s nothing you should be concerned about.”“Alright, fine,” Chloe replied, rolling her eyes.
“I won’t worry about it.”“Thank you.”“I am gonna tell Penelope about it.”
She continued, sporting a smug sneer as she did.
Mackenzie wasn’t in the mood to deal with this, but tried making it not obvious.
“You are not.”“Am too!
Just watch me, Mackenzie!”
She pushed past Mackenzie, enough to make her stumble, as she bolted out of the room.
Chloe was banking on her making chase, this much she knew, but Penelope knowing about all this wasn’t going to harm her plans any.
It would just make her have to explain it to her as well.
So off she went on her search.Due to the spread out nature the first floor, where she checked first, the so-called ‘Table Area’ (the previously mentioned room with tables and chairs to sit at), was largely empty.
Sans Dover, of course, enjoying himself a slice of free cake.
He was staring blankly at the decorations, here cubes of well-secured hay and bales of wheat, and some artistically placed dried sunflowers for some color, all dotted around in the corners.
There was also a paper pumpkin hanging up on the wall, glitter attached to it.
This especially seemed to annoy him.
As Mackenzie wandered in, she watched him glare at that damned paper pumpkin before finally scowling at it.
“Blimey..!”‘What did that pumpkin do to him?’
She looked over at said pumpkin, then back at him.
“What’s wrong, Dover?”“Not much, got myself a cake to pass the time with…” He says, before visibly steaming.
“...I mean, look at it !
It reminds me of the school Halloween parties when I was just a pup!”‘You went to school?’
“What’s wrong with that?”“That’s the problem exactly.
I feel I’m stuck in the seventies again with these cheap decorations and… and that wallpaper!
If I wanted to feel like I’m 8, I’d find my way back home and visit my mother.”
Dover rants, before gobbling down more cake, leaving Mackenzie to stare at him in perplexed awe.
‘You have a mother?’
“All you can eat cake for 7 dollars is nice, though.
Can’t knock that.”“Speaking of which…”
Mackenzie asks, walking up to his table.
“Can I ask you something?”
He quickly pulls the paper plate of cake back towards him, glaring at her.
“If it’s cake you want, get your own!”“Not that, I was wondering if you knew where Connor was.”“Who?”
He asked.“Connor, he’s the owner of the antique store in the Plaza.”Mackenzie watches him as he tilts his head up, fork dangling from his mouth as he thinks.
The antique store… Dover removes the fork as he begins to reply.
“Ah, yeah, I know the one.
Right next to Sweet Mountain, I know it.
Don’t know the fella, though, but Antoinette does.
I think.
He’s that blond guy, right?”“That’s right.
Have you seen him?”“...Nope.”
As he returns to his cake, Mackenzie slumps with disappointment.
“Well... thank you for your time.”“Yeah, no problem.
Have fun with the party.”
Dover says, between bites.
She steps away from the table, albeit not before running her hand against the bottom of it (Smooth, and bumpy... it seems to be one of those glass patio tables, in fact, one of those expensive ones at the store), and went to leave.As she went around towards the Game Room, she heard voices coming from the main hall, only a door away from where she was.
Out of curiosity she cracked it open, seeing Daria and Tom himself near the entryway hall, half obscured with faux fog.
She seemed less than pleased, almost red in the face.
“... I’m the Guest of Honor!”
Daria said, tapping furiously at the turkey shaped broach with her finger.
“I should get in without having to pay for a ticket, right?”“Hmm?
I never said that, I said you had the right to do your job inside during the party.
That’s why you have that medal.
It’s like your police badge, but a lot better in my opinion.”The redness on her face slowly drained away, but she was still furious, tapping her heeled foot against the wooden floor.
“Mr. Mayor, sir, how am I supposed to look around for the Cornstalker if I can’t actually go inside?”“Why, by buying a ‘ticket’ up front, of course.
Or, in this case, access to the party.
Consider it a charitable donation for next year’s party.”“Why, you-!!”
She stops herself, pressing her hand up against her face, before swishing her hair.
“Whatever.
How much.”“7 dollars.”“This is highway robbery.”
Daria exclaims, before shuffling around in her coat for her wallet, much to the amusement of Tom.
Mackenzie slinked back through the door, wondering if she could find and persuade Penelope to perhaps help out Daria the same she did to Chloe the night prior.
By her count, she had three tickets… but numerous factors caused her to decide against it.
She continued on her way, and quickly found the Game Room.Almost like what Dover said, how it was set up reminded her of those small little festivals her school set up, where you could win slinkies or ink stamps by playing games.
There were a bunch of little games strewn around the large room, possibly once a game hall itself, for Bingo or something.
Here, Beatrice was bobbing for not apples, but peaches, and arguably using her beak to cheat; Daisy was fishing for plastic ducks, of all things; Lynsey was playing cards between Katrina and Ogden, and, judging by the looks of things, winning whatever game they were playing; And no Connor.
At this point she was starting to get frustrated.
Was he a ghost?
Did he leave already?Again she leaves, feeling miffed.
She goes through another lap of the rooms, quickly saying hello to anyone on her way through, if there was anyone at all.
It came to a stop in a small hallway between two small rooms.
As Mackenzie came through, she stopped in her tracks hearing the familiar, muffled voice of Chloe, followed by the door knob on the other end turning.
Her eyes snapped to an unfamiliar door in the middle, one that apparently she hadn’t noticed before.
Swinging it open, she slipped in and shut the door behind her, just as Chloe entered.“I swear, this place is like a maze!”
Mackenzie hears, pressing her ear on the door.
“What are we looking for again?”“Mackenzie, we’re looking for Mackenzie.”
‘Penelope’s with her now?’
She thought, her eyes lighting up with surprise.
“We’re going to stage an inter… v-vuh… inte…”“Intervention.”
She hears Chloe sigh, as Mackenzie leans in a little closer.
An intervention?
Are they really that upset about the whole thing with the ticket?
“I’m thinking Mack over here is two steps ahead of us right now.
That’s why she didn’t follow me... she knows we’re upset so she’s avoiding us.”
‘You’re giving me too much credit.’“Uhuh, but what do we do now?”“We trick her.
Penelope, for right now, you’re bait!”“Bait..?
What do you want me to do?”“It’s simple.
I’ll be following you around, being stealthy, while you try to find Mackenzie yourself.
Then, you get intel on her plan with this Connor guy, and then… then, uh…”“Then what?”Chloe seems to pause, stopping to think.
Planning wasn’t her best suit, and Mackenzie, while annoyed with the scenario she was listening in with (It sounds like two cops in a show, planning ways to catch a criminal...) found her attempts here amusing.
“...Well, we’re holding an intervention for a reason!
She may try and think like an adult, but she isn’t an adult.
We meet her where she plans on going to meet this guy, and... you know, tell her no.”“But what if she doesn’t want to?
It sounds like you’re making this up on the fly.”“I'm not!
Alright, change of plans.
She’s still avoiding me, so you approach her about this instead.
You tell her no, and if she doesn’t, I’ll show up as back up and we’ll drag her out of here before she has the chance to enact her plans to, you know, kiss him or whatever.”“How are we gonna drag her out?”“Boy, you’re full of questions, arentcha?
Penelope...”
The two leave with the sound of a door opening and shutting, cutting Chloe off.
Mackenzie felt surprised, she didn’t think Chloe or even Penelope would be this offended at the idea of her kissing Connor.
If it weren’t for the height difference, a kiss wouldn’t be so bad... hm, maybe if she was a little bit older...
She shook her head, opting out of the long daydream she was easing herself into.
Focus, Mackenzie, focus!
So where was she now?She turned around and scanned the inside of this small room, dark and a little cramped with a buzzing light fixture above for lighting.
As it turns out, she had stumbled upon a closet.
It smelled faintly of mold, and the carpeting was ancient, with a large lump of cloth lying at the bottom.
Was it a blanket or something?
The buzzing, its cramped nature, and the smell aside, she realised she had accidentally found her private little spot: Away from prying eyes, and perfectly soundproof.
Well, maybe not the last part, but it was secluded, so it was basically perfect.Checking to see if Chloe was actually gone, Mackenzie left the closet, anticipation growing.
She couldn’t help it, she was getting a little closer to her plan, a step closer to sinking her teeth into something... she looked back at the closet.
What a disturbing thought that was.“Funghi... I don’t normally ask for advice from you, but I worry I’m too excited about this.
Is this normal?”Now that’s a tough question to ask to a little guy like himself.
He wasn’t experienced with bloodsucking, being a fungus and all with little prior experience with budding vampires, but, giving it some thought, he decided to view it from the perspective of love.
He grunts back, shrugging.“...What a neutral response.
It’ll do.”
She replies, before reaching down to pet him on his cap.
Just inches from him, Mackenzie twinges, hearing Penelope exclaim from behind the door behind her.“Oh, she’s here!
Hide, hide!”Mackenzie shot up straight, staring at the door with a sigh.
‘Let’s just… rip off this bandaid now before it gets worse.’She quickly heads through, swinging open the door to reveal Penelope idling there, waiting for her to show up.
There’s a moment where she stares at her with a blank expression, before suddenly becoming ‘shocked’ to find her, looking around in apparent amazement.
“Oh... hi!
I haven’t seen you since you got here, Mackenzie.
So, so, so, are the rumors true?”“I don’t know, it depends.
What rumors?”
She asked, already knowing.
They weren’t rumors, either.“Well, Chloe said-”“I don’t think Chloe isn’t a trustworthy source...”“They’re rumors!
Chloe said you tricked us, and you gave your spare ticket to the man who runs Old Time.
Is she right?”
How aggravating.
It was true, she did all that, but she didn’t appreciate being put on the spot like this, especially by Penelope.
“I did,” she replies, watching Penelope frown back at her.
“...Penelope, if I told her outright...”“That’s really mean, Mackenzie.
You’re super lucky that Beatrice had gotten tickets for everyone.
What made you do this?”“Well...”
She quickly looked around, knowing full well that Chloe was hiding off somewhere.
Mackenzie then gently grabbed her hands, leaning in.
“Can you keep a promise?”
She said, her voice low and conspiratorial.
Penelope looked around the room once more, looking behind her even, before replying.
“I think I can.”“Alright.
So, I’m trying to meet him in private-”
She watched as Penelope perked up.
“-And all… I want to do… is…”
Her mind goes blank once more, trying to fetch a lie.
Penelope stares at her face as she thinks, stressing her out more.
“...Give him something.”“You’re a liar.”“It’s the truth.
I’m giving him one of my family’s artifacts, it’s for storage.”“You’re lying again.”
Mackenzie steps back, groaning, as she leans back against the face of the door.
“And you know what!
Another rumor Chloe told me, is that you plan on kissing him!
Mwah!
And you know what that is?
It’s very scandalous, Mackenzie.
He’s 8 years older than all of us!”“Penelope...”
She grumbles.“What’s Cromwell going to think?
No... what’s everyone else gonna think?
You might get in the paper, you know!
‘13 year old detective has love affair with young man’!”
She spread out her arms, as if reading out newspaper headline, before looking back at Mackenzie.
“It’s so scandalous!
I don’t want you to be ruined, Mackenzie, I don’t want people avoiding you, thinking you’re-”“Penelope.”
Mackenzie hisses with a wide frown and knitted brows, causing Penelope to go dead silent.
It wasn’t the unfamiliar look of pure anger on her face that did it, it was her teeth.
Where her normal canines were had grown four massive, pointy ones.
“...O-oh, those are... so big...”
She stared.
“What’s with your teeth, M-Muh..?”“What?”
Mackenzie realised what she was doing and quickly closed her mouth tight.
She grasps her by the shoulders, trying to get her full attention.
“Listen to me, Penelope, I’m telling the truth that I’m not going to kiss him.
I’m just going to talk to him.
Now, do you know where he is?”“He, he... he’s with the concessions.
With all the food.”Mackenzie then pats her on the shoulder.
“Thank you.
And set Chloe straight if you see her again, okay?”“Y... yeah...”She watches Mackenzie as she dashes off, feeling a little ill as she thought about what that was, Mackenzie’s big teeth .
What was that?
Were those fake teeth?
They had to be, there’s no way they’re real, but Mackenzie didn’t seem to be the type of person who would.
“Soooo?”
Chloe asks, slinking out of her hiding spot and revealing herself.
She stands beside her, hands on her hips.
“Nice show you put on there, Penelope.
Now, what did we find out?”“B... big teeth.”
She replied, distracted.Chloe leans in, raising a brow.
“What?”“Big… I mean, Mackenzie’s being weird, but she’s also got... big canines.”
She shifted her hands around towards her head, miming the titular big canines with her fingers.
“Big teeth.
Her teeth are all weird.”“Her teeth are weird?
With big canines, huh...”
Chloe looked up to ponder, crossing her arms as she thought.
She thought back to her previous actions, how weirdly suspicious she was being.
That twitchiness... a light bulb went off in her head.
“I got it!”“What?
What did you get?
Did you figure something out?”
Penelope asks, before Chloe beckons her to lean in.
“Simply put... I think our friend here is a werewolf.”“A what?”“A beast!”
Chloe points off into a random direction, causing Penelope to follow it, only to find she’s pointing at a wall.
“A murderous creature!
People who turn into slobbering beasts under the light of the full moon!
They eat people, and turn others into more of themselves with nothing more but a nasty bite!”
She snapped her teeth back at Penelope, causing her to pull away, making a yell of fear.
“ Aaaaaah!
Aaaooooh..?
But the moon’s not full though.
It’s only half full.”“Obviously, that means she’s only half turned.
But that’s not important, even if she’s half turned she’s still dangerous!
We gotta save this guy, Penelope.”“But how are we gonna do that?”“Same thing we were gonna do before!
We’ll intercept her and drag her out of here, and then... I dunno, ask around for a cure.
Her butler probably knows a thing or two about that...”“Are you sure this’ll work?”
Penelope asks, fearing for her life all the while Chloe looked completely confident in her plan.
Probably because she wasn’t going to be doggy chow if this went poorly.“Absolutely, one hundred percent.
Now...”
As if channeling her lovely Miss Daria, Chloe spun about before pointing into the air.
“Let’s do this!”
Feeling a sense of malignant giddiness, Mackenzie entered the concessions.
The room was awash with a sticky sweet smell, emanating from Antoinette’s table.
She was accompanied by an empty punch stall, which seemed odd until she recalled that Shorty was also selling concessions at the party.
She scanned the area, seeing no Connor once again.
Mackenzie gritted her teeth in frustration, feeling the ache surge again with a tightness around her collar.
The period where this horrible plan of hers had of even succeeding felt like it was starting to run thin.
“Oh, Mackenzie!”
She hears, Antoinette waving her down.
“I can’t help but notice that I haven’t seen much of you this afternoon, would you like some cake?
I’m sure you're starving.”“Maybe later.
Right now, I-”“They’re nothing experimental!
I kept getting asked if they were today, I figured I should just say it if you’re feeling skittish.”
Mackenzie groaned, not wanting to go through with this.
“It’s almost everything you could get at the bakery, even the Sweet Dreams Cake... although, everyone’s already eaten that all up.”Mackenzie walked up to her stand and, placing her hands on the table, talked to her straight.
“I’m looking for someone.
Do you know who Connor is?”“Connor?
Oh, you mean the nice young man who runs the antique shop.
I know him, why?”“I’m looking for him.
It’s over something private.”
Her response causes Antoinette to laugh.
“I understand completely, Mackenzie.
Just don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
Again, she laughs, much to Mackenzie’s growing exhaustion.
“But yes, he came by when Shorty was still around.
Got a drink and all, I think he’s in the side room here.
I think it’s an office they didn’t lock down."
Finally a straight answer.
Although, something about it was odd, however long winded it was to getting to the point.“...Shorty sells drinks?”“Gotta have something to drink with cake.
He’s gone now though, Beatrice dragged him out when he did his ‘punch’ joke on her.”“What ‘punch’ joke?”“If you ask for punch, a boxing glove jumps out at you.
I don’t much care for it, it’s too mean for this sort of setting.”Mackenzie looked on, appalled.
“I... thank you, Antoinette.
I appreciate it.”
She eventually replied, gently shaking her hand in genuine appreciation.“Don’t mention it.
I hope whatever you’re trading in gets accepted.”
Antoinette gave her a sweet smile as she pulled away and left into the side room, heading off with a distinct and odd skip to her step.
Hearing the office door noisily shut beside her table, she too leaned on it, placing her hand to her cheek.
“...Poor girl.
I wonder if she’s feeling alright.”
Her anticipation was growing.
She was making progress!
Leaps and bounds of progress!...
But why was he hiding out here?It was a small, deeply cramped, and especially warm room, with wires running all around the walls.
It even had an old, yellowed lamp as its sole light source, coating the room in a muted mellow glow from above.
At the front of the room, where Connor was giving his full attention, were a dozen or so little screens showing the various areas of the Town Hall where Mackenzie could watch the townsfolk mill about.
It gave him an air of stark cold evil, a supervillain watching closely over a city, the light of the screens reflecting against his face.“Are you sure you’re supposed to be in here?”
Mackenzie finally piped up, stealing his attention away from the screens.
He flinches, not expecting her to show up here at all.
“This is a security room...”“You’re right, I shouldn’t be.
You shouldn’t be, either.”
He replies, before sitting down in the chair stationed in the room, possibly decades old by now by the looks of things.
“And yet, here we are.
Have you come to keep watch with me?”“Not quite.
Um... what are you watching?”
She asks, looking up at the screens again.
In the concessions room next to them the tablecloth at Antoinette’s table shifts, something she catches but doesn't see what caused it.
“The screens, of course.”
He crosses his legs, looking particularly comfortable.
“I’m keeping an eye out for this ‘Cornstalker’.”“The Cornstalker?”
Mackenzie looked back at him with confusion.
“But... why?
That’s Daria’s job.
Are you trying to help her catch him?”Her response causes him to laugh.
“No, no!
I’m just an enthusiast.
I’ve heard a lot about this ‘Cornstalker’, his crimes and how his wit and charms attract even the coldest of hearts.”‘I wouldn’t call it wit or charms… he’s kind of annoying.’
“Is that really what people say about him?”
‘I’d pay good money to never hear his evil laugh again.’“On the internet, mostly.
But I’ve never seen him before... and I’d very much like to see him in person.
Well, behind a closed door, I’d hate to be robbed myself.”Mackenzie grumbled.
Ah, he’s one of those folk.
“Maybe you could join the party, switch places with Daria..?
I think she’d appreciate having a full view of the Town Hall in one room.”“Funny you say that, look.”
He says, pointing at the screen with footage of the party room.
There, Mackenzie could see Daria fishing for plastic ducks, just like what Daisy was doing when she came by.
“Seems like she’s having fun on the job.”“She is...”
Mackenzie replied, before looking back up at him again.
“Um... could you come with me?”
She asks quickly, catching him off guard.Connor leans in, uncrossing his legs.
“Ah, I figured there might’ve been a reason I was invited here, besides out of kindness.
Before you make any requests, I have to ask, where were you?”“Where was I?”
Truth be told, she was held back solely because Cromwell wanted to give her a pep talk, the ins and outs of biting, where to bite for maximum blood flow and how to achieve it, so on and so forth.
“I could ask you the same thing, I’ve been looking for you this whole time.”“Ah.
So that's why I saw you wandering aimlessly around the building...”
Mackenzie felt heat smack against her face, more so than she already was feeling.
He was keeping watch on her through the screens?
How embarrassing.
“But I guess that makes two of us.
In fact, I was waiting for you on the steps, but I never saw you.”
He continued, opting to not tell her about how he nearly fell off said steps.
Connor looked back down towards her, taking in her complexion.
Even under the warm light of the security room she seemed incredibly pale, her blush giving her a vague amount of color.
His smile falters.
“Now, where are we going, exactly?”Mackenzie tapped her fingers together as she looked away, seeming indecisive.
She already knew where, but she was trying to wait out a rush of intense anticipation.
She was suddenly salivating, and frankly she didn’t want to drool all over herself.
“Well, it’s not a matter of where- I mean, I know where... but I want to talk to you in private.”“Private?”
Connor replied.
“What kind of private?”“Somewhere... quiet, alone.
Nowhere with a lot of traffic... that kind of private.”Mackenzie watches as he leans back again, humming something to himself, his neck nicely exposed.
“That’s a bit devious sounding, don’t you think?
What’s so important that you need to talk about alone, and without anyone accidentally spotting us?”
He asked, himself looking a bit devious with his face deeply shadowed from his stray bang.“Nothing like that, no, it’s... you’ll see, that’s all.
Just meet me at the closet, the one in the hallway near the main hall.”“And why not here?”
Connor said, looking around the cramped room.
“Seems to me perfectly serviceable, at least in my opinion.
Is it the wrong atmosphere, Mackenzie?”
He teased.“I suppose you could say that... it’s just a little warm for my liking.”“Very well, I guess I'll see you there.
Just wait for me, won’t you?”She quickly nodded, looking excited in a vague, distant sort of way.
Before long she bolted out of the door, leaving him be.Again, Connor leans back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head.
In his mind’s eye, he could see clearly the events soon to follow: He shows up, she confesses her absolute and true love (Even from the beginning he could tell, girls just weren’t subtle), and naturally he declines.
Then, judging by her otherwise bothered appearance, she attacks.
Poor little lovesick detective girl gets arrested and/or delisted.
He didn’t want to be the driving force behind that, her antics were precious, and a fresh brain made even his own defeats sweeter.
Maybe he’ll just... wait a little bit.
Outside the door, Mackenzie leaned against it, her skin now deeply clammy.
After all this time, after wandering around aimlessly trying to get clues about where he was (and avoiding Chloe’s weird wrath), she finally set up her last piece of the puzzle.
With a relieved sigh, she hugged herself close, a deep and intense ache worked its way down the length of her body, like a full-body gag reflex.
“That well, Mackenzie?”
She heard Antoinette ask, as the ache slowly faded.“Oh, no.
I mean, it did, but... I’m just glad to be over.”
She replied, watching Antoinette clap for her, applauding her success.
“And I’m glad to hear it.
Now, what do you plan on doing now?
Where are you going to meet him?”“I’m sorry?”
Mackenzie asked, eyeing her.
Antoinette suddenly smiled, but her general demeanor seemed to grow defensive, trying to ignore her own slip up.
“Antoinette, were you listening in?”“Oh, me?
No, not at all!
But it’s the responsibility of us elders to know where our children are, especially if-”
She suddenly flinches, as if something knocked against her leg.
“...I mean, it’s best we know where you are, if we ever need to find you.
You know, in case if something happens.”‘Elders’.
How incredibly condescending.
She’d be in her thirties, no?
Mackenzie, having another tic, heard Funghi grunt at her from her feet, trying to inform her of something hidden.
She squints at the baker.
“Is Chloe with you?”“Chloe?”
Antoinette pauses.
A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek as she looked away.
“Um... no.
I haven’t seen her at all today,” ‘So much for ‘responsibility’ .’ “But if you need her for something...”“I appreciate it, but no thank you.
I’m trying to avoid her, actually, she thinks I’m doing something illegal.”“Like what?”
Poor Antoinette, she’s trying so hard.
Mackenzie pitied her, even if she was trying to get in her way.
“Something about kissing.”“Oh, that is very scandalous.”
She replied, looking a little excited as she did.
“But you’re not doing that, are you?”“No.
Like I told them, I wanted to give him something for safe keeping.”“But why do it privately?”
She asked again.
Arguably this was a good question, in this narrative why did she have to do it in secret?
Why was everyone forcing her to think on the fly like this?
“It’s… not important, it’s just that it’s embarrassing.”
Mackenzie said simply.“I understand, I think.
I wish you luck, Mackenzie.”
Antoinette gave her a small wave, and watched as she bolted out of the concessions.
Once she was gone, she lifted up the table cloth on her end and looked under.
“She’s gone now, you can get out from under there.”
She said, to an impatient Chloe and a perplexed Penelope.
Slowly Chloe shifted and crawled out, leaving Penelope under the table.“Good work there, Antoinette.
We got some great info, thanks to you!”
Chloe groaned, much to Antoinette’s disappointment.
“I tried my best to make it natural,” She sighed.
“But she must’ve caught on immediately.
I’m sorry, my dear, if you want to catch her I’m sure she wouldn’t be too far...”Penelope emerged from under the table, the cloth half draped over her.
“I think you did pretty well!
Mackenzie’s just smart like that, it’s hard to fool her.”“Sure, whatever.
But how are we gonna intercept her now?”
Chloe snapped back at her, as Antoinette looked towards the door.“I imagine if you asked him where she’s going, he’d probably tell you.”“What makes you say that?”“Why, he hasn’t left yet.”Indeed, that was true, but the implication was lost on the both of them.
Regardless, Penelope lit up, astonished by Antoinette’s ‘craftiness’.
“Ooh, you’re right!
Chloe, we should’ve done that in the first place!”
She said, with Chloe’s only reply being crossing her arms, turning her head away and grumbling.
Immediately getting to work, Penelope headed into the security office, leaving the two of them alone.“You know, Chloe,” Antoinette started, “I don’t really buy this ‘werewolf’ idea you’ve thought up here.
Are you sure Penelope’s not just mistaken?”She leered back at her, giving her a side eye.
“So what?
Mackenzie’s still being a creep.
We don’t know what she plans on doing with him, you know!”“Maybe she’s telling the truth, Chloe.
Not everything needs to be a grand conspiracy, and she might actually be trading something in.
I’m not sure why she’d be doing it the way she’s doing it, but I doubt she’s lying about it.”She turns her back on her, scoffing as she did.
“ That’s the thing.
Have you seen her as of late?
She’s been absolutely nuts.”“She does seem a little off lately...”
Antoinette said.
By this point Penelope had finished her ‘interrogation’, for lack of a better term, and trotted her way out of the security office and to Chloe.
“She’s at a closet.
He said it’s the one ‘in the hallway leading into the main hall’.”“A closet?”
The two other girls looked at each other, before Chloe looked back at Penelope.
“Well, what are you waiting for?
Go get her!”With a look of determination, Penelope bolted off herself.
Antoinette watched as she left, still feeling a sense of apprehension about all this, and looked back at Chloe.
“...But do you really think her acting odd is enough to assume she’s doing something awful?”Chloe looked back towards her.
“So what?”
She says, looking away again, her head tilted low.
“Either we protect her, or we protect him from her.”Antoinette frowns, disappointed.
“...Imagine how Mackenzie would feel if she knew you were doing this, treating her like she’s some movie monster.
Connor is a grown adult, even if she were to suddenly go rabid, I doubt she would do him much harm.”“And?”
Chloe asks, causing her to sigh.
“Oh, Chloe, maybe it’s time we have a talk...”
---
Mackenzie stared up at the closet door, hearing the soft buzzing emitted by the light inside.
She felt so, so worn out, but she was so close to being done, she could just taste it.
All she had to do was wait a little longer, wait for him to show up, and explain everything...She reached for the door knob, only for it to turn on its own in her hand.
It swung open to reveal Penelope, looking at her with a miffed expression.
“Oh, there you are!
I was waiting for you!”“Penelope?
What are you doing here, how did you-?”
Mackenzie began to ask only for Penelope to drag her in, grabbing her by the bandanna and pulling her in.
She shut the door behind her as she did, shutting Mackenzie in.“I could ask you the same thing!”
Penelope says, letting go of her bandanna and pointing at her with her finger all accusatory.
“What are you doing here, trying to eat people at a party?”“Eat people?
When was I..?”
Mackenzie slumped, before pressing her palm on her forehead.
“Oh, Chloe...”“I know what you’re trying to do here, Mackenzie, but we aren’t going to stand for it.”
Penelope crossed her arms, attempting to look serious.
It was remarkably cute.
“Trying to lure someone in here, and then when you’re alone... nom!”
She bites at the air for emphasis.
“Nothing left but bones.”Mackenzie looked past her own palm in exasperation.
Why does Penelope believe Chloe this much?
She shook her head, slipping her arm back down.
“I don’t know what Chloe’s been telling you, but I’m not going to eat him.
I’m not even sure where she got that idea from.”“It’s because of your teeth!”
She said, pointing at her mouth.
Mackenzie felt her heart sink a little as she did.
“You’ve got big, big canines!
And so do werewolves, that’s what Chloe said.
It’s why you were planning on luring that guy out here all ‘private’, so you could eat him.”Most of her explanation, if you could call it that, was largely ignored by Mackenzie.
She was far too panicked to listen in, more distraught about Penelope having noticed them instead of her inane accusations about her being a werewolf or whatever.
“L... listen, there is a reason-”
She stepped forward to explain, only for Penelope to press her hand against Mackenzie’s chest, stopping her in her tracks.
“Nuh-uh, you might be smart but I know you’re slipping up!
I know your plan, Mackenzie, so… stop it!”“I’m not doing anything wrong here.
Stop treating me like this.”“You can’t eat people, Mackenzie!
You know it’s illegal!
It’s about as illegal as trying to kiss boys 8 years older than you.”
Penelope pouts at her, attempting to scowl, a sharp contrast compared to Mackenzie’s otherwise calm looking, albeit incredibly impatient demeanor.
Mackenzie sighs as she places her hand on Penelope’s, it pressed on her chest still.
There, she flinches.She feels something.A pulse.
A subtle, rhythmic pumping, drumming along off sync from her own, a simple ‘ba-bumpabump’.
Mackenzie pursed her lips together, feeling that tantalizing beat reverberate around through her arm.
“Penelope...”
She mutters, growing light headed.
Penelope’s scowling faded, looking up at her.
“If I was going to eat him, why would heading to my hiding spot and waiting for me to show up stop me?”Mackenzie feels her pulse speed up, babumpabump , as her expression began to waver into one of horror.
“Well, b-because… you’re my friend, and friends… don’t eat friends?”Mackenzie attempted to look as flat as possible, trying to disguise the thoughts running through her head.
She really didn’t have to wait for Connor to show up, actually.
Penelope was just as full of blood as he was, and she didn’t have to crouch so she could get at her.Penelope’s hand trembled against Mackenzie’s chest, before finally she retracted it.
Perhaps it was the lighting of the room, the warm and ancient feeling yellow tint, or maybe it was her own eyes playing tricks on her, but Penelope watched as Mackenzie’s skin grew dead pale.
The shadows over Mackenize’s face darkened, leaving her eyes comparatively and ominously bright.
Penelope stepped back, eventually thumping against the back of the closet.
“Mackenzie, you... you...” She stammered, pressing herself against the wall.
Mackenzie could feel the ache start to stab against her belly and at her chest, causing a warm, dull and heavy feeling there.
It was unlike anything she had felt before, even before this sort of thing started to kick in.
She reached out towards her, causing Penelope to shrink back, shielding herself with her arms.
“ No!
Don’t eat me, Mackenzie!
I’m... I’m stringy!
And gross!”“What?”
The darkness around Mackenzie’s eyes faded slightly as she went back into reality, although her skin was still pale white.
She shook her head, regaining her composure.
“Penelope... I’m not going to eat you, okay?”“I’m not tasty!”
She yelped, shielding herself with her own hands.
Mackenzie grabbed one of her wrists and tugged it down, causing her to look back in fear.“Calm down.
I’m not going to eat you, I promise.”“Then… what are you going to do?”Mackenzie paused, thinking.
She thought back to the promise she made the day prior to Cromwell, to take every precaution to make sure that he is okay with this .
Er, that she is okay with this .
With a sigh and swallowing back her own anticipation, she gently put her hand down on Penelope’s shoulder.
“Do you think you could keep a secret?”“Is the secret that you’re a werewolf?”Mackenzie scowled at her.
“Again, I’m not.
Now, can you keep a secret?”
Hesitantly, Penelope nodded back, looking at her.
She paused, closing her eyes in thought.
Her life had been flipped upside down all of the sudden, and now she stands here, awash in anticipation, about to bite one of her friends.
This whole scenario didn't feel particularly real, if anything it felt like a weird dream.
A part of her didn’t want to go through with this, but the other knew she had very little choice in the matter.
“Penelope,”
She opened her eyes again.
“I want you to tell no one about this.
This will be between us, and us alone.”
Mackenzie’s grip on her wrist loosened, eventually letting go of it.
“I’m not a werewolf.
Cromwell says I’m something else.
A Dhampyr.”Penelope’s eyes widen as she admits it, before leaning in ever so slightly, intrigued.
“So... so, you don’t eat people, you just drink from them?”“Basically.”
‘I’m surprised you understood that so easily.’“But, so, what were you doing?
What was all this?
You weren’t trying to prey on him, were you?”
She asked, causing Mackenzie to frown.
She nods, sullen.
“...I was.
Cromwell told me to keep this as secret as possible, he’s worried about what would happen if people learned this about me.
I was going to tell him, but you came instead, so...”
The room goes quiet, Mackenzie looking away from the girl in front of her.
As awkward as it was, she didn’t have the strength to just ask her what she wanted to ask outright.
Eventually she takes Penelope’s hands in her own, feeling the gentle yet fast pulse running down the length of her fingers.
“Penelope... could you... give me this chance?
Just once?”“'This chance'?
Mackenzie...”“It’s just once, no more.
I just want to feel what it’s like to... bite someone else...”
She mutters, knowing full well it was for naught.
Mackenzie felt her heart quicken more, an erratic babumpbabumpbabumpbabump , and much to her surprise she nodded.
“S... sure, Mackenzie.
If that’s what you need.”“I mean, I don’t...”
She stopped herself, staring back at Penelope, before going in.She wrapped a hand around her back and spun her around, giving her more real estate to get at her as Penelope made a small yelp in return.
Mackenzie dipped her down low, her other hand still firmly grasping one of Penelope’s and her legs zig-zagging between her’s.
She stared down at her, her head tilted downwards, exposing her neck against the protection of her dress’s collar.
She watches her breathe, the rapid rise and fall of her chest as Penelope looks back up at her in anticipation.
Eventually Mackenzie leans forward, close enough that Penelope could feel Mackenzie’s breath against her neck.
Her shoulders tense up, making a small, worried peep as Mackenzie nears her neck, baring fangs.
She opens her mouth, with a long, drawn out exhale that causes Penelope to shift her feet around on the carpeted floor, and hesitates.She couldn’t.
She could not bite Penelope.
Sure, Penelope agreed to this, but did she feel right doing this?
Of course not.
Mackenzie had one goal here and it was to bite Connor.
She could bow out now, explain it off as a fluke, and just wait for him to show up.
Penelope wouldn’t just tell her secret willy nilly, she could leave if she wanted to and Mackenzie would be fine in the end.
Besides, Penelope was a sweet, delicate girl.
Even if she thought she was okay with this, these events would certainly traumatize her, at least a little.
She could just wait for him.
Like she planned.
Like she wanted to.But she couldn’t.
A drop of saliva drips off of Mackenzie’s fang and onto Penelope’s neck, causing her to shiver.
Her leg shifts slightly against Mackenzie’s own, setting her off with a jolt running down her spine.
She opens her mouth wide, fangs fully bare, before plunging into Penelope’s neck.Penelope gasps, loudly and unexpectedly, as Mackenzie’s teeth sink into her skin.
It had an unexpected quality that she had never felt before, somewhere along the lines of biting into thick gelatin that had formed a skin, as gross as it sounded conceptually.
Still, it was soft and delicate, as expected of Penelope’s skin care habits.
She let go of her hand as she began to work at her neck slightly, letting it fall to her side.
Mackenzie slid it around towards her upper back, giving her more leverage as she tilted her down further.She nibbled at her neck, trying to widen the size of the wounds without making them too big.
Soon enough she began to taste blood, a thick liquid that began to mingle with the spit on her tongue and one that started as a generically sweet flavor, much to her disappointment.
Mackenzie began to work for more, finding herself much hungrier than she was expecting.
Penelope could feel her frantic breathing against her skin, the licking and sucking against her neck, as Mackenzie tried to get as much as she could to fill herself up again.
So much so, it started to dribble down the side of her neck, despite the suction she was putting against it.
Against her teeth, her breathing quickened into sharp, short little breaths, her legs squirming and her feet rubbing against the carpet floor.“Mmm... Ma...”
Penelope’s arm reached around towards Mackenzie’s back, grabbing hold of her coat.
She seemed to hold on for dear life, as if Mackenize’s own arms weren't good enough.
“Mackenzie... Mackenzie, it...”
She began, sounding breathy and distant.
She took a deep breath, before continuing.
“It hurts...”Mackenzie closed her eyes against her neck.
As badly as she felt for her now, she couldn’t apologize.
As she lapped at her skin and around her teeth the more complex flavors of her blood came in.
They were cozy and familiar, albeit still very basic.
Icing sugar.
Chocolate chip cookies.
Angel food cake … oooh, the barest hint of sesame noodles!
Must’ve been dinner the night prior.
Mackenzie bit down a little harder, causing Penelope to shiver.
Oh, yes… apple juice, or perhaps cider?
And finally, bananas. A lot of bananas, actually.Like, way too much to be any good.Mackenzie suddenly gagged against her throat, her eyes going wide.
A pure deluge of potassium clawed against her tongue, causing her to remove her teeth out of Penelope’s skin and spit on it out the carpeted floor.
She sputters, Penelope still clinging onto her.
Her grip wasn’t nearly as strong as it was prior, and by the looks of things she had become exhausted.
Mackenzie looked back at her, expecting an expression of pain, hurt, or even terror, but found that she was completely happy, with rosy cheeks.
Pleasured, almost.
“P... Penelope?
Are you-?”“Creature of the night!”
A voice shot out through the closet, causing her to jump.
It wasn’t Connor, like she was hoping/dreading it was.
Bending in again to lick at Penelope’s wounds in a panic, she watched as the odd lump of cloth rose from the ground, revealing themselves to be someone of around Chloe’s height.
The fabric pulled back around their head to reveal a face, although Mackenzie could only see the lights of their eyes and their nose, tops.
“I see you feed on my friend... and not only that, she loves it.”“Anna, please.”
Mackenzie said between licks.
Uegh.
“Why are you in here in the first place?”“I wanted to get some sleep.”“But... you’re at a party?”“Exactly.
I received a ticket, all the girls did,”
Anna explains.
“So we needed to use them.
But I’d rather sleep than talk to people I don’t know, so I took advantage of the closet being so private.
But... I would’ve never expected to have a front row seat to something like this!
The resident detective is a real, genuine, bonafide vampire!”“I’m not!
I’m merely half of one.”
She felt Penelope’s arms soon becoming limp, falling to her sides and forcing her to hold on to her.
Mackenzie propped her up, trying her best to keep her upright.
“Can you keep this a secret, Anna?
I don’t want anyone else knowing about this either.”“I may... I’ll vouch for you, even.
But, only on one condition.”“Which is?”
Mackenzie watches as Anna’s hand emerges from under her protective cloth, before flicking out her wrist towards her.
She sighs, before setting Penelope down.
“...Alright, give me a second.”
Anna wasn’t a taste sensation either, nor did she have a vivid array of flavors in her blood.
Overall, it was mostly salty, like instant ramen broth and other quickly prepared foods like frozen meals, and of vitamins, specifically the cloying, vague fruitiness of vitamin gummies.
However, it was arguably better than the overpowering taste of bananas.
Anna lowers back towards the ground, retracting her wrist after Mackenzie nearly sucked it clean off.
“It’s even better than I thought... thank you.”
She remarks, before going still on the floor.Mackenzie was sitting on the floor of the closet, feeling exhausted with her stomach nice and full.
The ache had subsided, leaving her only with an odd, vague feeling in her throat.
She looked down at Penelope, her soft head on her lap.
She looked dainty and delicate there, her eyes closed as if she was asleep and her hands curled up around her chest.
Mackenzie reached over to stroke her head, feeling her curly, bubbly soft hair between her fingers.
Penelope stirs, her hands twitching a little as she opens her eyes, and looks up at Mackenzie.
“Oh...”“Good morning.
How do you feel?”
Mackenzie replied, her hand still deep in her hair.
“Does your neck hurt?”“No... it feels a little bruised, but it doesn’t hurt.”
Penelope closed her eyes again, sighing as she sunk into Mackenzie’s lap.
Mackenzie stroked her hair for a bit longer before patting her on the head.
“Stay awake, Penelope.
You need to leave before Chloe notices you’ve been gone for a while.”She hums, before looking back up at her.
Penelope smiles softly, before nuzzling up against her belly.
“Mackenzie... can we stay here for a little bit longer?
Can we do that again?
Please?”Mackenzie frowned.
“If you eat more than bananas and sweets, maybe.
But you still need to go.
Go tell Chloe I’m alright.”“What about you?”“I’ll just stay here until Connor comes.
It’s fine.”
She says, before her mind starts to linger on how hungry she was, or in this case how she wasn’t.
On second thought, she might not have the stomach space for Connor.
“I don’t know, Mackenzie.
It’s been a while... I think you’ve been stood up.”Mackenzie sat up straight.
She had no frame of reference, with no clock in the closet to look at, but judging by how much time felt had passed it was entirely possible it had happened.
To consider that she did all this, went through so many hoops and got yelled at by not one of her friends but two of them, and still failed to achieve what she wanted to do was aggravating, to say the least.
But he wouldn’t just... stand her up, would he?
That wasn’t like him.
But she couldn’t blame him.
A part of her figured that maybe he got skeeved off by what she was doing.
Oh, her poor heart... she put her head in her hands, sighing.
“...You’re probably right.
I shouldn’t have bothered...”“It’s okay, Mackenzie,” Penelope said, reaching over to put her own hand on her cheek.
“You did your best.
We had fun anyway.”‘I’m glad you think so, but...’
Mackenzie looked back down, putting her hand over Penelope’s.
As clean as her wound was when she was done, it had still bled a little onto her collar.
She reached into her inventory to grab the Alkaline Wipes, cracking it open to reach for a wipe.
Gently Mackenzie cleaned off the little dabs of blood on her collar, causing her to twinge.“Calm down, I’m not hurting you.”“I know, but it... hurts a little...”
Penelope drew her hand back.“It’s chemicals,”
Mackenzie explains, “I’m cleaning you up.
We’re supposed to keep this secret, remember?”
She massaged the wipe into her collar until nothing red remained and the wipe itself was stained blue.
“Now, keep still.”
She said, looking at the big splotch of spat out blood towards the left of her.Penelope nods, and slowly Mackenzie rises to her feet.
She slowly rolled off of her lap limply, lying with Anna’s sleeping body on the floor.
As she cleans up the other bit of blood, Mackenzie couldn’t help but eye her limp friend with intrigue.
It was just a pint or so, wasn’t it?
It shouldn’t make her this dazed and weird.
Eventually she cleaned up the small splodge, tucking the used up wipes and their box in her inventory, and gently tapped at Penelope.
“Last warning, Penelope.
If you don’t come out with me, I’m leaving you in here.”“Okay, okay.
I’m coming...”
She replied, nodding slightly as she did.
Penelope slowly propped herself onto her feet, only to cling again to Mackenzie, this time grasping onto her arm and tucking herself close to her.
She was breathing on her neck, something Mackenzie didn’t much care for.
With some tugging, she managed to get her to walk and eventually follow her out of the closet.She brought her to the room with the glass patio tables, the one with the pumpkin Dover hated so much.
Fortunately Penelope didn’t seem to mind the pumpkin herself.
There she sat her down at one of the tables, trying to make her sitting there a little natural by propping her up, leaning on said table.
Dover had since left, so she didn’t have an audience while she was doing this.
Mackenzie patted her on her shoulder to get her attention.
“Penelope?
Are you with me still?”Penelope nodded, slowly and distantly.“Good... I’m going to get you something to eat.
Just stay and sit here, okay?”“Okay...”
Slowly Penelope slumped forward, resting her head on the table.
Mackenzie took this moment to leave her be, heading to the concessions.
The path there was quiet, and even then when she reached there Antoinette was nowhere to be seen, causing her to wonder if everyone had already left.
Inside the concessions was a clock, revealing that it was almost half ‘til nine, 30 minutes before the party was supposed to end.
So perhaps she was right.At Antoinette’s table most of her wares had been picked clean, leaving only a few cakes remaining.
There was a small note left there as well, which Mackenzie picked up to read when she got close.
It read, ‘Having a heart to heart, be back soon.
(Take as much as you’d like)’.A heart to heart?
With who?
She set it back down, assuming it was likely Chloe.
A heart to heart... perhaps this was the key to her finally moving back in with Antoinette and leaving her and Cromwell alone.
At least, in terms of housing arrangements.
She scooped up a plate of plain vanilla pound cake, with a little dollop of cream and a sliced strawberry on top.
She took no more than two steps towards the door before she heard a yell of terror.“Vampire!
There’s a vampire in the building!”“...Chloe.”
She hissed between her teeth.
Of course her night would end like this.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Everyone, keep calm!”
Daria shouted, her voice echoing through the spacious main hall, raising her hand in the air.
“We’re together now, and there’s power in numbers, so even if it is scary, let’s not panic about what’s happened.”

“We aren’t panicking,”
Daisy replied within a gathered group of townsfolk.
“If anything, the only one who needs to be reassured is the Mayor.”

Daria looked back behind her, watching Mayor Tom run around the hall with his wings high up in the air.
“We’re doomed!
There’s a vampire on the loose, and there’s nothing we can do about it!!”
She looks back towards the group and points back towards him with her thumb.
“Oh, I can’t do anything about that.
He’s allowed to panic, he’s the Mayor.”

After Chloe had announced the sudden and abrupt assault of her friend Penelope, most of the remaining party goers were stationed off in the main hall for their own protection.
As Daria said, there was power in numbers.
In fact, the only ones that weren’t in the main hall were Anna (but no one really knew about her, so...) and Penelope, who was kept upstairs behind lock and key for her own health.
Those that remained, outside of those already mentioned, were Dover, Ogden and Lynsey, Katrina, Antoinette, and Connor.

“Vampires?
I didn’t think they existed, are you sure she got bit by someone for real?”
Dover asked.
“For all we know, the scamp’s crying wolf.”

“That’s a reasonable concern, but I’ve already checked myself.
There were four pin pricks on her check,”
Daria tapped at the right side of her neck.
“Just like what Miss Chloe said.
I didn’t believe it either, but either they’re drawn on or we have something worse than just a mere ‘vampire’.”

The townsfolk began to mutter amongst themselves.
A real vampire?
Sure, ghosts were likely real, but vampires in this town?
“Why would…

anyone

want to attack us?
There’s nothing special about Day Dreamers.”
Antoinette remarked.

“That’s exactly why anyone would go here to commit a crime like this,”
Connor said, with an odd air of familiarity with the idea.
“Why someone broke the Mayor’s statue, why we see the Cornstalker so often.
It’s a sleepy town, it’s the perfect place to slip in and… in this case, attack a defenseless little girl.”

Daisy looked back up at him.
Who was this dude?
And why does he speak like he’s

amused

with what’s going on?
She glares at him, her brows furrowing as she scowls.
“What, are you the vampire?
Penelope was attacked and you’re standing there just musing about it like you're in a book!”

As Connor looks back down at her in concern, Dover picks up on the conversation and points at him, just as equally as mad as Daisy was.
“Yeah!
Show a little compassion, why don’t you?
My poor sweet Penelope just got hurt!”

“My Penelope..?
Hold on, I didn’t mean to offend everyone...”
Connor says, trying to make himself seem as nonthreatening as possible.
It didn’t seem to help much, if not making them even more upset with how he was treating the situation.
As the two of them attempted to verbally dogpile him, Katrina had yet to contribute anything to the discussion.
A real vampire, hm?
After watching the scene before her play out for a while, she looks over to Mackenzie and Chloe with a knowing glint in her eyes, the both of them looking quite chilled albeit for different reasons.

“You can’t possibly believe Penelope got bit, right?”
Mackenzie asked, trying to reasonably feign disbelief.
“They are too!”
Chloe snipped back.
“I-I-I saw it with my own two eyes, I swear on my life!
Bite marks, four

big

pricks on her neck, all slumped over until I checked up on her!
A vampire got Penelope!”

“No... no way.
Vampires aren’t real, Chloe...”

“Sure they are!
My mom told me about them all the time!”

“Even if they are, why would one come here?”
‘

To bite boys they like, obviously...

’

“Well..!”
Chloe started, only to pause and think.
Why would a vampire, something sneaky, something that only came out only in the dark, attack at a big, bright party like this one?

“Well, because it’s the best place to blend in, you know, with a bunch of people spread out and all, and...”
She gave the idea some further thought, before suddenly glancing around the hall with wide eyes.
“...It... it means, one of us is the vampire!”

Chloe’s revelation caused the townsfolk to go quiet, and for Mackenzie’s heart to sink deeper into her own stomach.
As Connor makes a sigh of relief, they all start looking at each other with suspicion.
“Hey!
Don’t you start coming at each other’s throats,”
Daria shouts.
“Don’t make me step in.”

Mackenzie patted Chloe on the shoulder, causing her to shudder back with a noise.
“If there is a real vampire, then they’ve likely left by now.
Do you know how long Penelope was sitting there?”

“N... no, but maybe if we set up a time frame and some statements, we might be able to narrow it down.
Let’s see here...”
Chloe crossed her arms, looking away from Mackenzie and up towards the ceiling.
“Last I saw her, was when I was... uh, sending her to find you.
That was about 20 minutes ago.
I found her about 4 minutes ago, and 4 minutes after that, we gathered here.
So that’s our time frame.”

‘

I was only in there for 15 minutes or so?
Felt like eternity…

’
“Then what’s your alibi, Chloe?”

“Mine?
I, uh... was talking to Antoinette.
Her idea.”
She gestured back at Antoinette, who stepped out from hiding within the group.
“It’s true.
I was there when Penelope went to go find you, Mackenzie.
So that’s my alibi.”

“What were you two talking about?”

“Oh, the simple things.
She seemed upset, so I figured talking to her about it would make her feel better.”
Antoinette smiled back.

“Yeah, yeah, those.
Nothing special.”
Chloe added.
“So she’s not a suspect.
Plus, I know her.
She’s not gonna be a vampire.”

“You also know everyone else here.
We all know each other.”
Mackenzie pointed out.
Chloe shook her head in return.
“I don’t know

everyone

here.
I don’t know... uh, the fortune teller very well, we’ve spoken, like, once.
She could totally be the vampire!”
She said, pointing at Katrina.
The townsfolk looked to her as well, waiting for her to answer.

“Child, why do you have to single me out of all people?
You know better than this.”

“Alright, so what?
Why shouldn’t I suspect you, being all mystical in the dark and stuff?”

“For starters, I know for a fact that there is no vampire here at all.”

Chloe ended up scoffing at her.
“Yeah?
That’s not much of an alibi, you know.
So give me something better than ‘I just know’, alright?”
Katrina sighs, trying with all her might not to just ignore her.
“My alibi is that, if we’re following your time frame to the dot, I was off... how do I put this..?”

“You were moping!”
Lynsey spoke up.
“I won everything and you were off moping about it!”

Katrina went quiet, looking straight ahead in front of her as if wishing she was dead at that moment.
“...

Yes

.
That is a way of putting it.
I was moping.”

“And where were you when you were ‘moping’, huh?
Near the tables, maybe?”

“I was still in the game room, just in another part of it.
I was watching the ducks.
Now stop accusing me.”

“But you’re a suspect!
Everyone here, except me, Antoinette, and Daria, is a suspect!”
Chloe said, raising her hands up for emphasis, only to shoot them back down when Katrina takes a step towards her.
“And I can reassure you,

there are easier ways of solving this than pointing fingers

.
One of us has already seen everything.”

‘

One of us..?
But who..?

’
Antoinette perked up, catching on.
“Oh, right!
Connor here was in the security room for most of the night.”

‘

I forgot!
He saw everything!
He probably saw

me

!

’

“What?”
Daria swung herself around as Mackenzie looked on in panic.
She looked at the group, bringing her hands to her hips and tapping her foot against the floor.
“You were in an off-limits room this whole night?
Why?”

“It wasn’t,” Connor explained.
“It was unlocked.
In fact, a lot of things were left unlocked by the Mayor.
As for what I was doing, I was merely curious about the whole Cornstalker situation.
I’ve heard about him before, and hearing that he was supposed to be here, I decided to keep a lookout for him.”

“That’s very daring of you, sir, whoever you are, but this is strictly police matters.
Leave it to the Inspector!”

“Oh?
But you seemed to be having fun.”
He says, causing her to blush out of embarrassment.
“So I figured it might be nice to... let you have fun, while someone else did the heavy lifting.”

“Aw, that’s so thoughtful of you...”
Daria seemed to swoon, before glowering back at him.
“But I am going to write you up for going into spaces you

aren’t

supposed to be in.”
As Connor smacked his palm against his forehead, Daisy spoke up.
“Then he saw

everything

, including everyone in the party and what they were doing.
Which means...”

“...He saw Penelope!”
Chloe finished, with wide eyes.
“Go on!
Tell us, what did you see, who attacked Penelope?!”

“Well, if you must know, I didn’t see the attack.
It was staged somewhere I couldn’t keep watch.”
Connor began.
Mackenzie looked up at him, holding her hands together.
They stuck together with their own clamminess, sopping with dread.
This was it.
She was done for.
“But I did see where she went before she got ‘bit’.”

“Well, where?
Come on, tell me!
Justice is on the line, you know!”

“Hold your horses, alright?
As what Antoinette said, she watched her leave, but before she left the concessions she spoke to me.
Both her and Chloe had a conspiracy that Mackenzie was out to get me.”

“A conspiracy?”
The group, Daria included, looked back down at Chloe, waiting for her to explain.

“Well, ah, you see...”

“She thought she was a werewolf.”
He said, omitting the detail Penelope specifically told him.
“But, as we know...”

“The moon isn’t full today.”
Ogden replied.
“It won’t be full for another 6 days, in fact.
It’s on a Waxing Gibbous.”

“Exactly.”
Whatever that means.
“So I can reassure everyone, seeing that we’re all panicking over a possible vampire attack, that she is no werewolf.”

“Oh, come on!”
Chloe shouted.
“So what if it’s half full, that means she’s half turned!
Half turned is just as deadly as a fully turned one, you know.”

‘

Glad she’s stuck up on that, instead of realising what else has fangs.

’
“That’s not how that works, Chloe...”
Mackenzie said.
She points at her in return.
“Ooh, so you’re the werewolf expert now, huh?
Of course you’d say that, Wolfy!”

“

Chloe

.”
Antoinette scolded, causing her to draw back her accusatory hand and keep quiet.

“But I still told her where she was going, in this case one of the closets, the one closest to us.”
Connor continued.
“I don’t wish to break her heart, but I felt it was safer for her for Penelope to go in my stead.
I saw her heading inside, followed by Mackenzie.
She came out a couple of minutes later with her.”

The group looked towards Mackenzie, where she stood there in a daze like panic.
“So you were the last person that was with Penelope, before I found her?...
Mackenzie, are you..?”
She quickly shook her head back at Chloe, feeling the blood rush past her ears.
“I’m not a vampire, and I didn’t bite her, Chloe.”

“Sounds awfully suspicious...”
She snapped her fingers at her, pointing at her again and causing her to flinch.
“Mackenzie!
The evidence here is totally stacked against your side of the court.
For starters, you being so nutty, not only during the beginning of the party, but the entire week prior paints you in a bad light.
Even Connor thinks you were up to shenanigans, seeing that he sent Penelope to you instead of going himself.
Secondly, you purposefully went for a location where no one would be able to find you.
Everyone thought those closets were locked up, except

you

apparently.
The perfect hideout, if no one expects you’re going to be there!”

“Please, this is just a massive misunderstanding.
I’m telling the truth when I said I wanted to meet up with him to trade!”

“And

thirdly

, you were the last person seen with Penelope!
You came into the closet with her, and left the closet with her!
All this points straight to you, Mackenzie, what did you do to Penelope?
How much blood is in your

stinkin’ gullet

right now?”

Daria too then scolds.
“Chloe!
Stop antagonizing Mackenzie, you aren’t an officer.”

“I...”
Mackenzie felt the color drain from her face.
It’s done, she’s over.
She should just turn herself in now and save everyone the effort.
But maybe... she looked over to the door way leading into the hallway with the closet.
“...Have an alibi myself.”

“Oh really?
Well, go on, spit it out.”
Chloe chides.

“While I cannot excuse my behavior today, and I admit, I may have been very suspicious, I did not bite Penelope.
In fact, there was someone else in the closet with us that can confirm it.”

“Who?”

“Anna.”

Chloe frowns, trying to remember who this ‘Anna’ was.
She had never heard of an Anna before, either in passing or physically meeting an Anna.
Then again, as she had demonstrated only a few minutes ago, she didn’t know everyone in town either.
Eventually Daisy nudges her, before whispering in her ear.
“A friend of Penelope.”

“Oh.”
She says, bluntly, before lighting up.
“Oh!
Well, obviously a friend of Penelope would be concerned for her if something bad happened there, that’s what friends do.
Go on, Mackenzie, go get her.”
Chloe continued, before shoo-ing her away with the back of her hand.

Mackenzie, turning as swiftly as she could, marched for the hallway door and quickly stepped though, shutting it behind her.
She stood there for a bit, just trying to get her nerves in order.
How could Chloe just... do that?
Although she had her points in order, Mackenzie felt impressed with her about that, she just didn’t assume that she would use it against

her

.
She should’ve just stayed in the closet with Penelope, perhaps bite her more to pass the time.
It did feel... good to bite, after all.

Mackenzie felt herself swallow, a lingering flavor of too-much-banana suddenly popping back into her tongue as if to remind her why she left the closet in the first place.
She stepped away from the door, a sole drop of sweat gliding down the side of her head, and headed towards the closet.
Out of habit, she knocked on it, only to sigh and reach for the handle.
“Yes?”
She heard Anna reply, sounding weary.
“Who is it?”

“It’s Detective Ma-... it’s

Mackenzie

.”

“Oh, welcome back.
Are you here for a second outing with me?”
There was a thud against the doorframe.
Mackenzie imagined her standing there and leaning against it, trying to make herself seem alluring.
Amusing, but distressing.
“No...”
‘

You also taste horrible.

’
“I’m here to get you to vouch for me.
Chloe is accusing me of... doing the thing I did.”
She sighed.

“Accusing?
Why don’t you just owe up to it?
I get you wanna keep it secret but I don’t get

why

.
What a wonderful gift to have, to bite like you do.
You must feel

so

powerful...”

“I promised to keep it secret, for someone else’s and my own sake.
So please, come out and help me.”

“If you insist.”
There’s another thud, this time against the door.
Anna soon opens the door, draped over with a blanket, and stumbles forward like a drunk.
“Everyone’s at the main hall, they’re just this way...”
Mackenzie beckons, before heading back into the main hall.
She leaves the door open for her, beckoning her further to come out, before gesturing to her as she finally left the hallway.
“Here she is.
This is Anna.”

“So?”
Asked Chloe, her voice echoing along the hall.
Mackenzie looked at her, nodding as Anna stumbled forth.

“...What did she do again?”
She asked the crowd.

“We’re wondering if she’s the vampire that bit Penelope.”
Daisy commented.
“If she’s the one who attacked her at all, I mean.”

Anna stood there quietly, with Mackenzie watching her anxiously.
Ignorant of the tension in the air, she replied simply, “Nope.”

“‘Nope’?”
Chloe glared back at the covered up girl.
“That’s it, that’s your testimony?
‘Nope’?
Come on, give us some details about what they were doing then.
You were there!”

“I was there, yes.
But I know she didn’t bite her.
She would’ve probably screamed, and it would’ve alerted everyone at the party.”

“So?
What did she do then?”

“Pattycake.”

Chloe stared back, both bewildered and baffled, as she watched Anna nod her head to her own testimony.
“P...

pattycake

?
Actually, you know what?
I’m not gonna ask.”

With Mackenzie’s innocence confirmed, Daisy’s impatience then finally boiled over.
“That’s enough.
This is ridiculous, I’m leaving.”
She said, before turning on her heels and walking towards the door out of the main hall, only to be stopped in her tracks, being pulled back.
“

No one

is leaving the Town Hall until we figure out who caused this whole mess.”
Daria scolded, grabbing her against the shoulder.
“We’re going to stay here until someone confesses what they’ve done.”

A sweeping sense of weariness cascaded through the main hall.
At this rate, they’re going to be here until sunrise.
Mackenzie slumped with despair, just wanting this night to be over already.
What was she going to do now?
Cromwell was probably wondering where she and Chloe was, and it’s almost nearly 9.
Daria couldn’t possibly keep them stuck here after the party, could she?
If only Chloe kept her mouth shut...

Wait.
Mackenzie straightened back up, an idea burning in her head.
She didn’t want to make her a scapegoat, but with everyone’s time on the line, she had to make her out like a fool!
The option weighed heavily on her conscience, she knew she had already done a crime today but what’s another one, just to save her- no,

everyone else’s

hide?
She approached Daria, tapping her on the shoulder.
“Inspector...”

“Yes?”
She replied, turning her head towards her.

“Are we certain that Penelope got bit?”

“...Yeah?
I told you, I already checked.
Four pin pricks, on the side of her neck.”
Again, Daria tapped the right side of her neck.
“Why, do you know something?”

“No, I’m just curious... it’s just that, I’m wondering if I could check her.”

Daria turned around to face her fully, placing her hands to her hips again.
“Mackenzie, we already know you’re innocent, despite what Chloe implied.
What would checking on her again achieve?”

“I’m just curious, like I said.
I want to see if there really are bite marks on her.”

Daria sighed, running her hands against her hair.
“Of course you would.
Well, I suppose you can, you are a detective after all.”
She said, before leading her towards the locked off stairwell.

Daria snapped on the lights in the stairwell, revealing its decrepit nature to Mackenzie.
Two stairways leading up to the same story, with a gated off cage containing an out of service elevator.
Judging by the rust surrounding it, it hadn’t been in function for ages.
Daria began to make her way up, and Mackenzie followed closely behind, briefly touching the side rails only to recoil.
It was dusty, in a repulsive sort of way, and felt incredibly scratchy against her hand.
“There are people... that work here?”

“Yeah, it makes the police station look like a decked out mansion, doesn’t it?”
The Inspector replied, despite the fact that Mackenzie wouldn’t have a frame of reference for that.
She’s never been in the station before.
“Believe me, the offices upstairs look a lot better.
If they were like this, I would’ve kept Penelope somewhere better.”
She kept on climbing the steps, with Mackenzie behind her.

The second story was indeed better than the condition of the stairwell, but paled in comparison to the first floor.
It was beige and white, with blue and gray tiled floors.
It reminded Mackenzie somewhat of a hospital, and made the slight molding problem of the Town Hall significantly more apparent.
Daria turned towards one of the offices, with a window on the door leading in.
Mackenzie peered through, seeing all the old computers stuffed inside, with fake plants and an empty water cooler.
On one of the desks, pushed towards the middle, was Penelope, seemingly asleep.
She was covered with a strange looking blanket, another one wrapped up around itself to form a cushion for her head.

Daria unlocked the door and pushed it open, leading Mackenzie in.
“Here she is.
I’ll be out here while you check up on her.
Report

anything

new you see, alright?”

“Right...”
‘

I was going to do that anyway

.’

Mackenzie walked in, and the door closed behind her.
The office was frigid with the chill of the night air, and a small dusting of ice was on the windows.
She could see out and see the stars, and the beautiful, brightly patterned skyline of the town before her.
She passed by Penelope, looking down at her sleeping person.
She grabbed the edge of her blanket, lifting it up to see her collar before lifting that back to expose her neck.
Much to her surprise, there were no bite marks to speak of.
Anymore, that is.
She had guessed based on how Chloe and Daria had described the wounds- Big pricks, then just pin pricks- but it seemed that licking the wound and cleaning it up healed it.
What strange physiology she had... Mackenzie looked around the office for a moment, looking for any spare markers or pens.

At one of the other desks, there was a decently sized coffee can filled with markers of various sizes and colors, one of which was clearly red.

Bingo!

Knowing her time was limited, she went to make a dash towards the desk, only to feel someone grab onto her arm.
Mackenzie panics, drawing a harsh inhale through her teeth.

“You’re back, Mackenzie...”
Penelope said, in the same sort of wooziness Anna had, only much, much more so, almost to the point of sounding delirious.
She shifted over, looking up at her from where she was lying.
Mackenzie looked back, wishing she didn’t scare her like that.
“I am back, but only for a little bit.
Could you... stay there for a moment?
I need to...”

Penelope weakly pulled at her arm, trying to drag her towards her.
“Come here, Mackenzie.
I want you here.
I’m cold...”

“Give me a second, this is really important.
I’ll join you when I’m done getting something.”
Penelope let go of her arm, sitting up on the desk and wrapping herself with her blanket.
She watched as Mackenzie quickly grabbed a marker from the can, tilting her own head a little as she did.
Before long she joined her on the desk, hopping up and sitting beside her.
In turn Penelope wrapped the blanket around her, cozying up against her to warm up.
As Penelope scooted near her, she found that she was borderline ice cold compared to her own warm body.
Mackenzie flinched as she accidentally brushed up against her.
“You’re frigid, Penelope.”

“I know, I told you.
Silly.”
She replied, scooching herself closer to Mackenzie, winding the blanket around them more and more until it wrapped around them fully, sealing in all that precious heat.
“It’s been so long since we cuddled up like this.
I missed it.”

“It’s been a while since it was this cold, really.”

“No, you didn’t do it when it was cold last year, or the year before that.
I had almost forgotten about it, until I was up here in this cold...”
She looked around.
“Office, I think.
It’s like Christmas again... Mackenzie, let’s sit here for a while...”

“I can’t.
There’s a bunch of people waiting on me, Chloe thinks I hurt you.
She thinks I’m a vampire.”

“You are, aren’t you?”
She says, softly.
“Dhampyr or not, at the end of the day you’re a vampire.
Although, I guess there’s a difference.
You’re so warm, Mackenzie...”
She pressed her side against her, putting her hand on top of her’s.
Again, Mackenzie could feel her heartbeat against her fingers, a swift and rhythmic thudding.
She sat there, feeling her heart march along, half expecting herself to grow hungry again just listening to it.
“...Are you feeling okay, Penelope?”
Mackenzie asked.
“You seem really distant.”

“Just a little.
I feel lightheaded, but I’d guess that’s because of... you know, the biting.
I didn’t expect it to feel so nice, it’s a little odd.”
She goes quiet, watching the dark clouds stroll past in the night sky, with Mackenzie watching her back.
She eyed her under the bright lights of the office, checking for any blemishes that might’ve formed, anything that could be

bad

.
The only thing she could find wrong with her, was the fact that her demeanor was off putting.
‘

Nice...

’

“What do you mean by ‘nice’?”
She asked.

“Oh, well, you know...”
Underneath the blanket Penelope began to gesture, enough that Mackenzie could still see her doing it.
“It’s hard to describe.
Like, fluffy, or... bubbly.
That sort of nice...”
She trailed off again, before looking back at Mackenzie.
She felt like Penelope was seeing through her, with a distant, glazed over look in her eyes.
She stares back, uncertain about what to do besides letting her stare at her mindlessly.
She then shifts a little, and Mackenzie’s heart skips a beat.

She watches her lean in, bit by bit, her eyes gazing straight into her own.
‘

Wait...

’
Mackenzie doesn’t lean back in return, instead feeling herself tremble under the blanket.
Being all cocooned up, she felt trapped in the embrace, unable to move away or out of it.
‘

You’re not feeling right, stop it!

’

Penelope presses herself up against her, her body now moderately warm.
Her heartbeat was heavy against hers, just barely out of sync.
She rested her head on her shoulder, with her dense hair brushed up against Mackenzie’s face.
If she were to go hungry again, now would be the time to do it, although she felt more fear than a sudden itch in her teeth.
Penelope wrapped her arms around her torso, burrowing her arms under Mackenzie’s to reach her back, and on instinct she did the same.
In her ear, she whispers, “I want to thank you... for making me feel so nice.”

Mackenzie felt herself calm, although the abject fear she had felt seeing her edge closer and closer to her, still lingered in her.
She sighed, before patting her on the back.
“I guess, you’re welcome.
It’s the least I can do...”

Penelope kept her arms around her more, while Mackenzie slowly raised her hands towards her neck.
There she uncapped the marker, tilting her head to the side a little to see around Penelope’s hair, and, without accidentally marking the blanket itself, began to make small little marks against her skin.
They weren’t perfect, her accuracy was marred by multiple factors, but they would be enough to convince Daria that Chloe might’ve done all this as a mean spirited prank.

As she began to recap the marker, she felt Penelope shift.
Suddenly she went stiff, and wide eyed.
A sly grin grew against face, and she looked back towards Mackenzie.
The grin grew until she was making a wide smile, unnaturally showing teeth.
Mackenzie felt her open her mouth against her shoulder, causing her to look back as well.
“Penelope?”
She asked, turning her head only to watch her reel back and chomp down on her neck, bandanna and all.

Impatiently, Daria tapped her foot, leaning against the wall just beside the door into the office, her arms crossed.
How long does it take one girl to check on another girl for

possible wounds

?
She had been standing there for a couple of minutes now, what was Mackenzie doing?
Eventually deciding to check up on the two herself, after all she was an Inspector, she pulls herself away from the wall.
A roar of pain erupts from the office, startling her.
She whips around towards the windowed door, looking in.

Penelope was deep into Mackenzie’s neck, her teeth clamped around the side, the blanket unraveling around them before falling to the ground in a clump.
Having no fangs to speak of, Penelope bit down with incisors and molars, and dull canines.
She was rough and nasty at it, lacking the elegance Mackenzie had.
She pulled away from her, tilting off the side of the desk they were sitting on.
Penelope followed, tilting the same way she did, and tugged against her neck, pulling at her bandanna with her teeth.
The tie around her bandanna weakened until it gave away, causing Mackenzie to slip off of the desk and fall onto the hard tile ground with her bandanna firmly in Penelope’s teeth.
She made a yelp as she landed, leaving Penelope to sit there looking strangely confused.

The door into the office swings open, revealing a very startled and panicked Daria.
“Hello, Miss Officer,” Penelope replied, her mouth muffled full of fabric.
“We’re playing.”

“Like I’m buying that.
What were you two doing?!”

‘I guess it’s one way of explaining it...’
Mackenzie sat up from the floor, a mild pain in her back and a much more sharp pain in her neck.
Little teeth marks were embedded into it, even if it was protected by her bandanna.
“She’s pretending to be a vampire...”

“Is she now?”
Daria gave Penelope a sharp look.
She recoiled back with an expression of fear, the bandanna dropping out of her mouth because of it.
“Well, at least you seem better now.
Come on, that’s enough.
You’re heading back to the hall with the rest of us.”
She said, walking over towards her to help her down.
“Mackenzie, are you alright down there?”

“...Her neck, Inspector...”
Mackenzie reminded her, as she brought herself back to her feet.
“The bite marks were drawn on.”

“I asked you... what?
Are they really?”
Daria reached towards her collar and gently pulled it down.
Just as Mackenzie had said, they were drawn on, slightly wobbly in their placement.
Four little pin pricks of red marker.
“...Well, what do you know.
Hmph, case closed, I guess.”

“Chloe must’ve drawn them on herself.”
Mackenzie added, hesitantly.
Poor Chloe.
“

Sure

, but like... why, though?
I know her quite well, Mackenzie, she’s a sweetheart and a half.
What would make her want to do this?”
Daria asked, finally helping down Penelope.
She lands on her feet with a thump, and helps herself outside the office, shivering.

“I don’t know.
I guess she wanted to play a prank on all of us.”

“Uhuh.
So what’s all that about with you, huh?
You get on her bad side recently?
You seem pretty ordinary to me, just standing there like you do.”

“We’re... ‘rivals’.”
‘

I really don’t like it

.’

“Hey, don’t say it like that.
Having rivals can really work out for you, you know.
At your age, I understand you can only fathom the perks of having a rival.
But just between you and me, too many can mess you up.”
Daria remarks, looking particularly suave and confident as she said it, only for Mackenzie to look up at her with confusion.
‘

Is this about the Cornstalker?

’

“I guess now we should get back and tell everyone the good news.
Come on, Mackenzie.”
She continued, beckoning Mackenzie as she left the office herself.
Mackenzie went to follow, only to hesitantly retrieve her bandanna from the desk, feeling the slight...

wetness

of fabric between her fingers.
Penelope slobber,

yuck

.

---

“I told you all that there was no vampire here, and what do I get?
I get yelled at by a 13 year old.”

“I’m aware you’re very upset, Ms. Katrina, but you’re just going to have to sit with what happened.
No changing the past now.”

“I’m very aware of that.
The most I’d appreciate is a simple ‘sorry’ for being humiliated.”

As Daria ‘apologized’ to Katrina for what had happened, the remaining townsfolk began to leave the Town Hall.
It was a little past nine now, and what had happened was explained as thus; Chloe, for whatever reason, decided to throw Mackenzie under the bus by pretending a sleepy Penelope had been attacked by a vampire.
It wasn’t the best explanation, it had tons of holes behind it such as motive, but it was the best Daria could come up with with the information she had.
With Penelope ‘sleepy’, Dover naturally volunteered to bring her back to the condominiums.
Chloe left in a huff for the office, but not without protesting about the final verdict (“I swear I saw what I saw!
I saw bite marks on her neck!
A vampire was

here

!”), and Mackenzie stayed back for a bit.

Connor sat out on the front steps, now sitting quite firmly on the flat, non-stairs part of the steps up.
The night had grown bitingly chilly, enough to stab through his clothes and into his skin.
He shivered, knowing full well he should be returning home and into his bed, but he stayed there in wait.
No, he wasn’t waiting for the Cornstalker;
With the party over and the Town Hall set to be closed for the night, it was unlikely this Cornstalker would show up.
Strangely, he had his doubts such a

talented thief

would find their way through with the locks to the entrance door.
Rather, he was waiting again on someone else.

“You... stood me up.”
He hears Mackenzie speak behind him.
He turns his head towards her, before sullenly nodding.
“I did.
I understand it might’ve not been the most gentlemanly thing to do, but...”

“No, I understand.”
She replies, before sitting down beside him.
“I’ve been acting weird, Chloe was telling the truth about that.
It’s fine, I understand why you would send Penelope to me instead.
I scared you.”

“I wouldn’t say that you scared me, per say,”
Connor hesitantly replies.
Why would she say that?
“I’d say more troubled than anything else.
Why all this?”

“Why what?”

“...Oh, nothing.
I was wondering if you knew why you were acting like this.
We’re alone out here on these steps, you can tell me the truth about what happened there.”
He said, resting his hands in his lap.
Mackenzie felt her heart go pitter-pat against her chest, fluttering excitedly.
Her own hands rested on her chest, looking away as Connor watched knowingly.
“I...”

“Go on.”

“...I’m growing up.
That’s what Cromwell told me.”

Connor’s smile falters, before he looks away again.
“Ah, well, of course.
You are 13, after all.
But what were you doing in that closet?”

“Nothing, really... I talked Penelope out of accusing me of being a werewolf, and... we sat afterwards.
She got tired so we left the closet.”

“But what was ‘pattycake’?”

“Anna being mean.”
She said curtly.
Her eyebrows furrowed, still feeling the lingering embarrassment and annoyance of having to bring Anna out to prove her innocence.
“It doesn’t mean anything.
We weren’t actually playing pattycake in there or anything.”
Of course, this wasn’t the full story.
Connor saw the beginning and end of it, just not the inbetween.
Penelope was full of life before going into that closet, only to be horribly drained by the end of it.
It was highly suspect, but Connor didn’t suspect she was the type of person who was going off and drinking blood.
There was silence between the two of them, before she heard him mutter to himself in an amused tone.
“Ha.

Closet

.”

“What?”

“Me?
I’m just talking to myself.
Nothing you need to be privy to.”
Connor said, before standing up.
“But, my, this chill is getting to me.
I can just hear my cozy home call for me from all the way over here… I suppose I’ll be seeing you again tomorrow at Old Time?”

“If I have a case, maybe.”

“I’ll keep my eye out for anything suspicious in that case.
I’ll see you then!”
He says, before heading down the steps, waving behind him.
Mackenzie sits there and sighs, resting her head in her hands.
She already bemoaned this, but... all this trouble for nothing!
Blood that didn’t even taste all that good!
Nearly getting exposed, having to worm her way around just to accuse someone of lying!
It just wasn’t right of a detective to act like this, Dhampyr or not.
Cromwell would hate to know she did this.

She felt a shiver go down her spine, and she assumed that it was just the cold finally getting to her.
As a shadow loomed over her, she felt a hand press against her shoulder, causing her to jump.
She looked up to see Katrina’s face, staring down back at her with disappointment.
“I hope you’re aware you’re playing with fire here.”

“What?
What do you mean?”

Katrina stood up straight, retracting her hand.
“I figured that you would end up like this, another stone rolling along the path that is our fate...”
She says, closing her eyes.

“You know?”
Mackenzie leaned back in shock.
“Why... why didn’t you out me, then?
Didn’t you say that no one did it?”

“I didn’t

say

no one did it, I merely said that there were no vampires here at the party.
Penelope got bit, but the one who did it wasn’t

technically

a vampire.
Correct?”

‘

Down to the specifics… that’s scary

.’
Mackenzie nodded back up at her.
“I guess so...”

“Besides, I’m not feeling too terribly charitable tonight.
Losing half of one’s fortune to a beginner and getting snapped at by one of your friends has made me more sour than a lemon.
At this rate, I’ll be licking my wounds for months.”

“You’re... that upset about Chloe?”

“

Not at all, no.

”
She replied, which Mackenzie swore she said with a nasty hiss.
“Fortune telling may be my profession, but outside of a few devotees I don’t make a cent off of it.
Gambling half of it away and working it back will take ages.
Hmph, what is she going to do with all that money..?”

“Why can’t you use your abilities to figure out what their cards were?”

“Child, that is cheating.
I understand you resort to low blows sometimes, but there are times in life where you must play by the rules.
Besides, I think they’d notice if I pulled out a crystal ball in the middle of a round.
Speaking of fortunes, I have a word of advice for you, Mackenzie.”
She leans in, causing Mackenzie to look back in intrigue.
“From now on, you cannot resort to these actions, lying and cheating your way out.
You’re going to have to play your cards right.
A wrong choice from here on will certainly lead to a fate worse than death.”

Katrina leaned back, leaving Mackenzie to stew in this sinking feeling she was getting.
The Fortune Teller turned around, and she too went down the steps down from the Town Hall.
Mackenzie sat there shivering, now from both the cold and from the ‘fortune’ she just received, and quietly mulled.

---

Cromwell stared into a sink full of soapy water, his sleeves rolled up and his hands, ungloved, firmly within the warm water.
Mackenzie hadn’t returned yet.
Chloe had, in fact she had already complained about her time at the party, got herself dinner, and made her way to be before he got to see a single hair of Mackenzie.
He was perfectly aware that she was fine, more than likely, but his instincts told him otherwise.
Judging by what Chloe had told him, she wasn’t perfect in disguising what had happened there.

“

...Big teeth marks!
Right on her neck

,” She had said.
“

I swear on my life, that’s what I saw.
Everyone thinks I drew them on for a prank, but they were real..!

”

He lifted his hands out, retrieving a sponge and a pan from the water.
He slots the pan in the drying rack beside him, before reaching in again to undo the drain.
Slowly the sink empties, coating the sides in soap bubbles.
Cromwell turns on the tap and starts washing his hands of soap, using the splashing of water against them to clean the sides off as well.
Even after rinsing them clean of bubbles he still went through the motions, running his hands together, rubbing his thumb against his fingers, making sure the water cleaned the underside of his nails.
Eventually he stops, pulling away from the spout of water coming from the tap, and examines.
The hands of an old man.

Looking like someone had dyed them blue with paint, they had more than 3 centuries worth of wear and tear on them.
They didn’t look new then, they certainly didn’t look new now.
They were wrinkly, the tips of his fingers visibly pruny (not helped by the fact they were in water for some time), the veins of his skin protruding slightly.
Near the knuckles there were speckles of dark blue, and he still had a burn on the webbing between the pointer finger and his thumb on one of his hands.
There was scarring at the sides of his fingertips, nails dead and black, a dusting of flakey brown underneath...

“I’m home.”

Cromwell flinched, quickly inhaling.
Turns out he hadn’t breathed for some time.
He turns off the tap, before turning back towards Mackenzie.
“There you are, Milady.
I was starting to worry if you’d come home or not.”
He says, before reaching over to stroke his moustache and making it a little damp by accident.
“I take it your endeavors were a success?”

“...I’m guessing Chloe told you.”

“Now, now, only her side of her story.
Judging by what she told me, though, you were

remarkably

sloppy...”
He watched her slump over, looking reasonably tired with everything.
“...Although, you didn’t get caught.
We can both safely consider that a success, my dear.”

“Thanks...”

“I’m surprised, though.
She says you targeted Miss Penelope… you told me it was a ‘he’ you were trying to bite.”

“It’s true,” She replied, straightening out before heading to their fridge.
Mackenzie fished through as she continued, “I tried asking him to come with me to the closet- I’m assuming she told you that part- but when I got there, Penelope was waiting for me.
I considered letting her go and waiting for him, but I ended up biting her instead.”

Mackenzie pulled out a covered bowl before turning and showing it to Cromwell.
“...Was this dinner?”

“It is.
I made it almost an hour ago, I was expecting you to come home when Miss Chloe did.”

“...Ah, right.
Um, I had a little walk before heading home.
I tried taking a detour home, but ended up getting lost.”
She admitted, but it was a half truth, really.
Something about Katrina’s fortune had chilled her terribly, ‘fate worse than death’ and all that.
She had merely gone on a walk to cool her nerves before finally heading home.
“Oh, my, that’s awfully dangerous of you.
Wandering around so late at night, you could get hurt.”
Mackenzie takes the lid off of the bowl, seeing that that night was napolitan spaghetti.
It smelled distinctly of ketchup.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I learned you had gotten hurt, or worse.”

‘

I think you worry too much, Cromwell.

’

“I know...”
She said, taking her bowl and dumping it out into a pan to reheat.
Maybe they’ll taste even better with a bit of char.
“I’ve had a long day.
I’d allow myself some time alone after all that.”

“Did it not go out as well as you’d like?”
He asked.
She stands there, watching as her noodles begin to sizzle against the heat of the pan.
She soon shakes her head.
“No.
It was a fluke, really.
I didn’t get to bite the person I wanted to, the two people I did bite tasted bad, and I nearly got caught thanks to Chloe catching on.”

“Two?
Two in one night?
Milady, that’s awfully bold of you.”

“Not really… I just had to do what I needed to do.”
Mackenzie shimmies the pan, shaking the noodles around.
She soon stops, watching the red sauce coat the bottom of the pan.
“They both... well, Penelope seemed to like it.
She wanted to do it again when we were done, and she seemed really affectionate afterwards.”

“Is that so?
Well, that is a consequence of biting.
Sometimes you’ll come across someone who doesn’t taste very good, but enjoys the experience.
The least you could do in this situation is to try and change her diet to something that more suits your tastes.”

“Well, if I do that, I'd be...”
She pauses to think, shutting off the heat.
“...Exploitative?”

“Predatory, Milady.”

“That, right.”

Cromwell sighed before shaking his head to himself, lowering it slightly.
He leans against the kitchen counter.
“Mackenzie, we are predators, after all.
We harm others for our own sake.
That’s simply how it goes.
Trying to skirt around that fact will only cause you trouble down the-”

“Her blood started to taste like pure banana after a while, Cromwell.”

Cromwell’s head shoots back up, as if surprised.
“I...

well

, I suppose that is a problem.
You can’t change her love of bananas, I suppose you’ll just have to learn to enjoy it yourself.”

‘

Or I could just not bite her again.
That’s also an option.

’
She thought, getting her dinner onto a plate.
“Maybe.
We’ll see what happens.”
She says, taking it with her as she heads for the lobby.
He follows her out, grabbing his gloves and putting them back on as he goes.
“My offer from a few days ago still stands,” He says.
“We can still hold a blood drive if you’re still feeling a little apprehensive about biting and testing on your own.”

As she sat down, she gave the idea a thorough thought.
He was half right about her feelings, she didn’t want to admit it but biting was... it felt more humane, in a sense.
Feeling still a little miffed about her discovery regarding Chloe, there was an intimate sentiment about biting, telling someone what you were doing.
It was warm, cozy.
Bubbly.
Besides, regarding how she felt about Penelope’s blood, she should’ve expected that it would’ve tasted like bananas.
The same reason she should’ve suspected that Chloe’s would’ve tasted like chocolate.
In that sense everyone’s blood was unique, specially profiled to themselves, waiting to be described and written down.

She tapped her fork against the plate as she finished up her thoughts, before replying simply.

“I’ll think about it, Cromwell.”

---

Funghi was long asleep, slumbering along on his log.
Mackenzie, on the other hand, laid in bed wide awake.
Even now she was still feeling annoyed about what she had managed to do at the Harvest Moon Party, milling over her failed attempt at biting Connor.
The pretty, pearly skin of his neck going unbitten, untouched, unblemished, it seemed to taunt her now even more so.

She turned over and closed her eyes tight, trying to ignore that feeling, pulling her blanket closer to her.
Instead, she began to dream an elaborate daydream about it, playing the role of a vicious, slightly older vampire in her head.
In the dark of night, off-lit by only the lights of the lampposts in town, she finds herself steps behind an unsuspecting Connor.
He is alone, of course, giving her full reign to seize him all for herself.
Mackenzie follows him closely behind however, waiting for him to step out into the dark himself.
After a while, she realises something.
Connor seems aware that she’s with him, aware of her secrets.
As she realises it, she sees him turn towards her with that calm smile of his, almost inviting her to pounce.
Only then, with his smile on her mind, does she...

“

Hi, Mackenzie!

”

Mackenzie throws her blanket off of her in a fit.
She sat up in bed, more annoyed than ever.
Why does Penelope have to show up only to block her, even in her dreams?
With a vile scowl she looked through her window between the curtains, looking out into the night sky, and saw the moon.
A Waxing Gibbous.

‘

...It’s bright enough, I could go on a walk.
Maybe...

’
She shook her head.
No, that’d be a terrible idea.
Judging by her clock it was midnight by that point, and even if she didn’t entirely feel as endangered as Cromwell thought she was, she could’ve been kidnapped or, worse, spirited away.
Besides, she wasn't having that bad of a time falling asleep.

She looked back through her room, lit up solely with the light of the moon peering between her curtains.
Her gaze eventually settled on her desk, stuffed against the corner.
Her thoughts turned to the ones she had when she was having dinner in the lobby.
A taste personalized to an individual.
Flavor profiles, just waiting to be documented.

Mackenzie slowly got to her feet, stepping onto the floor and towards her desk.
She sat down, turning the lamp on, and pulled out a notebook that was meant for school.
It went unused so far this year, which meant she was letting it sit collecting dust.
She opened it up, grabbing a pen, and stared at the empty, lined first page.

If her hypothesis was correct, judging by what she had learned and what Cromwell had told her, the taste of blood correlated to what the owner of that blood recently or regularly ate.
Chloe and chocolate, Penelope and bananas, Anna and... salt, I guess, that means all of them had a palate that they curated for themselves.
And it meant Mackenzie would have to find out what they tasted like by herself.

‘

If I’m going to document what someone’s blood is like, then I should call myself...

’
She pauses her train of thought on that.
‘Blood Detective’ was the first thing that came to mind regarding titles, not unlike the dreaded ‘Touch Detective’.
However, it felt incorrect for what she was doing here.
It was also leagues edgier, way

grittier

, but she didn’t feel edgy enough to call herself ‘Blood Detective’.
But ‘

Taste

’ Detective...

‘

I guess I could call this my ‘Taste List’

...’

She wrote it down on the front page, at the very top, before writing down three other names; Chloe, Penelope, and Anna.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“

Will she be alright all by herself?"

“

She’s not a baby anymore, she’ll be alright.
She can sleep by herself in the dark.

”

“

But... she’s so delicate...

”

Mackenzie listened in to her parents from behind the door, looking down at the band of light that was casting under it.
Mama gets so worried sometimes.

She laid in a big, big bed under big, big sheets, feeling slightly squashed under the weight of it.
It was so big, she looked miniscule in it.
Well, more miniscule than normal.
Watching her parents disperse towards their own rooms for the night, she looked around the one she was kept in.
It was a guest room in her parents’ friend's home, a little furnished with toys placed here and there but completely deserted compared to her room at home.
It was also pretty small, again compared to her room.
It had a window with curtains, sure, but it didn’t have a little house to play around in, a toy chest, a big fluffy bear, a padded floor, an appropriately sized bed, none of those things.
But it had a window with curtains.

She managed to roll onto her side, then onto her belly, face first into the pillow.
It smelled too odd and unfamiliar to be comfortable.
She rubbed her face against it, grumbling.
How was she going to sleep in a place like this?
Growing fed up with it she wormed her way out from under the big blanket and onto the floor, stepping onto it with a light thud, before heading to the door.
Mackenzie reaches for the door knob with a biiig stretch, turning the door knob.
It opens for a moment before it suddenly closes on her.

“

No, no, dear.
You’re staying in there for tonight, okay?

”

The betrayal!
Horrible, horrible betrayal!
She slaps her little hands against the door in a panic before it opened up again.
Unfortunately her father was very much in the way, blocking her escape.
“Mackenzie, are you alright?
You’re going to worry your mother like that.”

Mackenzie points towards her left, towards where, to her father, her parents’s room was, but really she wasn’t pointing towards there.
She was pointing towards the front yard, up the driveway where her parents were parked.

“Use your words, dear.
Come on, you can do it.
I believe in you.”

She froze.
She could’ve talked, but something in her throat blocked off all of her words, tightening its mighty fist against her vocal cords.
She pointed again more aggressively, this time to the point that her arm shook with the severity she was pointing, and her father simply sighed.
“Okay, maybe another day.”
He said, reaching down to stroke her head.
“Alright, listen.
If you absolutely have to, you can sleep with us for the night.
We’re right next to this room.
But, if stay in your room all night, I’ll speak to the big man himself and see if we can get him to get you another present for Christmas.
Okay?”

Another present?

She wants to go home!

Unless that present is getting in the car and leaving, she didn’t want another present.
But Mackenzie nodded, not knowing what else to do.
“That’s a good girl.”
He said, patting her on the head again.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Mackenzie.
Sleep well.”

She watched him shut the door behind him as he went to leave for bed, with her big eyes full of devastation.
With no Cromwell to tuck her in this time, she went back towards her bed and had to worm her way back into sleeping position.
Her sheets were cold now, a sharp and stinging cold that caused her to shiver.
A massive bed that smelt odd and now was incredibly cold, Mackenzie felt herself despair from it all.
But she made a promise, even if she didn’t like that promise.
She clung to the blanket, tucking it around her and hoped it made her warm.

Mackenzie woke up a few hours later only to find herself completely frozen solid.
Well, not solid, but she felt like she had frozen into a block of ice.
She tightened herself into a little ball in a rush of panic, shivering and chattering her teeth.
A tiny whine escaped from her throat as she looked around the room, noticing that the light under the door had gone out.
The house must’ve gone to sleep already.
No one was going to help her.

She made another whine, clinging to the blanket.
Now, at home, where she would be in her appropriately sized bed, she would’ve been warm, because there was a little vent in her room that Cromwell made sure she left uncovered all the time and that little vent produced heat from… somewhere.
But there was no little vent, because she wasn’t home, so there was no heat.

Evil house.
Evil, vile house.

Her grip quickly loosened against the blanket as she recalled what her father said only a few hours prior.
If she

absolutely needed to

, which she did, she could come and sleep with them.
But she wouldn’t get another present, which was sad, but at this point she was willing to give up another present in exchange for not dying from freezing to death.
Once again Mackenzie wormed her way out of the bed, falling to the floor with a thud.

Quickly her little feet, filled with determination, pattered against the wooden floor and soon reached the door.
With another biiig stretch, she turned the knob and swung the door wide open.

...Well, this was a bit odd.
She didn’t really know what to expect when the house was cold and empty, but with no one around, no lights on and cheery festivities going, it became remarkably eerie.
It was all... dark.
In the distance, from the stairwell she could see the soft remnant glow of the christmas tree downstairs, but that was about it.
The hallway was bordering on pitch black.
This, over all, made things slightly more difficult for her.
Where were her parents staying?

She turned towards the wall, stepping back, and looked between the two doors next to her own.
One of these had to have her parents, but the other could be... she didn’t know.
An empty room, or someone else's, who knows.
Mackenzie looked down towards the stairwell again, thinking about the big fire that was roaring in the living room in the afternoon when they got there.
That’d be awfully warm, if she could figure out how it would work.
Maybe... no, no, focus.
She looks back towards the door, sighing a big, huffy sigh, before testing her bet on the door on her right.

Cozied up in her room, Penelope slept, wrapped up in blankets and her room lit up with a little nightlight.
On the other side of her room was an old heater, pressed up against the wall.
An ancient piece of technology, much older than she was (which wasn’t saying much), but it worked like a charm keeping her and her room warm in these wintery months.
Too bad someone else might’ve wanted it more at that very moment, more than she did anyway.

Under the covers of sleep she felt something, or someone, paw at her blankets.
Her eyes opened in a flash as panic settled in, and they began to dart around her room, only for it to dissipate just as quickly.
Standing at the side of her bed was Mackenzie, her little face peering over the edge.
Soon, she calmed, and sleepily she sat up a little.
“Oh, hi, Kinzie… why are you in my room?”
She asked, not really expecting a response from her.
Maybe a squeak of some stripe, but not actual words.

“...Cold.
‘m cold.”

Her eyes widened, and she sat up a little more.
“What?”
She asked.

“‘m cold.”
Mackenzie said again, more affirmative this time, before running her hands under the blankets.
“You’re warm.
Right?”

Penelope blinked at her as Mackenzie rubbed her hands against the sheets, waiting for her response.
She had never talked to her before, or anyone else for that matter.
The most she had heard from her was a little ‘Cromwell!’ whenever her butler came to attend to her.
She didn’t even seem to like her very much, at worst biting her and at best vaguely acknowledging her.
But she came to her... to get warm?

She reached her arm out under her blanket to put her hand down on Mackenzie’s.
Indeed, she was cold, ice cold.
Penelope frowned, before dragging her hand back.
She didn’t need to be so cold.
Poor girl, she’s delicate and fragile.
At least, that’s what her mom said.

“...Okay.
You can come in!”
She said, putting on an inviting smile.

Mackenzie stared back at her for a moment before worming under her blankets, climbing in.
She could feel her rummage around for a moment, expecting her to just slide up next to her and make herself nice and cozy, before suddenly feeling a heaviness flop against her body.
Penelope flinched as Mackenzie pinned her down with her own body weight, pressed up like she was a Nightmare, feeling like a cold stone that had been dropped on her.
She didn’t weigh enough to make her unable to breathe, but being pinned down like she was wasn’t the most comfortable thing on the planet.

Penelope lifted up the blankets out of curiosity, and saw that she had indeed crawled on top of her, her head pressed up against her chest.
She frowned at her.
Really, it was kind of silly, coming up to her, leaving her door open, plonking herself right down onto her body.
Indeed, Penelope felt the need to speak up.
“Kinzie, you’re squishing me, you-”

She heard her snore, little soft, whistley snores that sounded like they were coming from a congested puppy.
On second thought, upon looking down at her for a while, it started to make her heart flutter.
She had spent a good chunk of time during previous visits trying to get to open up to her, and now that she had her tiny self pressed up against her, it made Penelope feel very good.
Very good indeed.
She fit against her very well, like a puzzle piece.
It felt... right.

“...Well, okay, Kinzie.”
She said, dropping her blankets back down onto Mackenzie, leaving just her head exposed.
“I guess you can stay like that for a bit.
It’s okay.
It’s fine.”
Penelope laid back, trying to get comfortable with her situation, coming to grips with the fact that her door was wide open and that someone was sleeping on her.
Eventually, she wrapped her arms around Mackenzie, and fell back to sleep.