The Woman From Nowhere (Madeline and Artemis)

[Vice]

And so, there is this tale from long long ago.

About these women who would come and go.
From once they came and went no one would know.
Oh, "The Women from Nowhere" always roll into your life for a time.
Dancing with the sunset and leaving you in their wake to think you're fine.
But in the end, you always realize her crime.
For she changed your life but left you alone for the rest of your time.

Running

Running

Running

Artemis opened her eyes. The Emerald gleam they held shone in the darkness of her room. Running is all she had done as of late. She missed chasing The Wind. The carelessness of her freedom. The allure of being able to freely blow in and out of people’s lives. Instead, she was hiding out in New York. Using the chaos of the Titanic sinking to slide right in without anyone questioning where she came from or how she’d gotten here. She was just another displaced face in the crowd. And so, two years passed and the war arrived.

Every hair on Artemis's body stood up straight. Her bloodlust singing in her ears and running down her spine in the temptation to disguise herself as a man and join the war. She could join as a nurse but that would just be torture. So close to blood she knew she’d not be able to feed on for fear of being discovered by anyone. At least the bedlam on the battlefield would hide it better. But no, she stayed away from it altogether. She blinked a few times and blew a breath passed her lips to focus back on her work. She didn’t need to breathe... Anymore... But it was always just simpler if she acted as if she did.
...
..
.
“You can’t stay because you’re afraid of what your birth family might do?”

Mama chuckled at the expression on Artemis's face which silently asked how she knew.

“Oh, sweet child. I have been around for a very very long time. I know a thing or two.”

There was a thick and heavy silence between them. Artemis dropped her head. Mama let out a very faint breath as she rose and wrapped Artie in an extremely warm hug. Kissing her head as she took in her scent realizing suddenly, she was going to miss the vibe she contributed to Nowhere. And so, Mama huffed breaking through the silence like a knife through smooth butter.

“We’ve lost so many children. My only fear is what everyone will do upon losing you... “

“But baxt tuke.”
...
..
.

“Earth to Artemis! Damn kid again!?”

Artemis focused back in. Her body still moving as she did her job purely on muscle memory. The woman standing beside chuckling but held a stern face as she shook her head. “where do you go?” it was a rhetorical question because she walked away from Artie after asking. Artie kept her glinting eyes on her before looking at what she was doing. Sorting the mail into their proper boxes and shoots. With lightning precision that nobody questioned because she sucked at this when she first started.

The lunch alarm rang and everyone gathered in groups as chatter and laughter lifted in the air. This was always a peculiar time of day for Artie and if she didn’t play this smart each day the women around her would catch on to her never eating. She quickly dug into her pocket and withdrew and crumpled paper and a short little pencil. “oh my God!” the woman who was speaking to her earlier exclaimed as she spotted Artie staring at the page as she rolled her lips together. “Will you please eat something, fuck!” Artie jumped but not because of the language that she was used to. But because the lady had thrown a sandwich at her. And so, Artie was placed in a delicate situation with the woman’s eyes on her.

“This is the tenth missing coworker…”

“Artemis, I really don’t know

what you want us to do about it.”

Artie grumbled under her breath and went back to flinging mail into the appropriate air shoot with lightning precision. “I want us to be cautious. Curious. And concerned."

“Curiosity killed the cat hun.”

“But! Satisfaction brought him back.
Say the whole damn quote
if you’re gonna try and brush off my concerns!”

Suddenly the alarm flashed again but different this time. This wasn’t the alarm to indicate the end of their lunch hour. Everyone around Artie began to scatter. The machines stopped clanking. The chatter and vacant songs to bid the time all quieted quickly. And so, as everyone ran to hide from the blaring alarm and the loud clanks of the giant iron door being lifted to where they were, Artemis continued her job. Sorting her letters and sending them up with the pneumonic tubes. Her coworker, whom she had been bickering with grabbed her to pull her off to the side to hide.

“Ay, you!” but it was too late.

Artie wiggled free and stepped out into the man’s view.

“It’s your lucky day. Artemis this is Madeline.

Maddie, Artie.

Alright now that you two know each other so well show ‘er the ropes.”

As soon as the man left and the door came slamming down leaving all the mailwomen in the dim-lit basement of this high rise, all the women came out and got right back to work. Completely forgetting about the rest of their lunch hour. Ignoring Madeline but scorning Artemis for being so stupid. Artemis rolled her eyes “Ignore them. They’re all just chicken shits is all. Come on let’s get you acclimated!..."

She studied Madeline for a moment and it didn’t take long for her to not only figure out where she worked before this but also that she wasn’t all human. A kind smirk grew on Artie's face. 

“…You a newsie?”

[Madeline Ezperanza-Colette]

Madeline could hear the voice of The Matron and her father reprimand her for being too kind and trusting. "Foolish, insolent little girl!" The scars The Matron left Madeline with haunted her at every wake and turn and her spine chilling voice stuck to the back of her mind more closely than her own shadow. Maybe that was why she did the things she did; to become the very opposite of what they both tried to make of her. Whether it was intentional or not. The trepidation in the air made things around tense and Madeline suddenly found it was hard to breathe. Her muscles tensed and every hair on her arm stood. The heaviness of this scenario was clear from the beginning and any other person might have turned and run so why not Madeline? Was she sp unafraid of death because she certainly was not clueless? Sure she could only take the feeling in the air and the clear signs and subtle hints happening to Artemis to figure it out rather than being told outright. Yet, she had figured it out she knew with some doubt her new friend was Sanguine and right then she had the chance to slip away but instead, she stayed.

The truth always gets in one's eyes regardless of what they doing or how they tried to hide it. When you grow up as I did, living for as long as I have lived thus far you tend to find the truth in people's eyes quickly. Artemis was lying while also telling the truth. The passion in her gaze when she spoke of the missing women or thought about the whole ordeal sharply shined in her stares. That was how I knew now she was lying to me but not entirely, I had a basis to compare it to. When she spoke of hunger she was not at all lying but the full truth of what that hunger was, blurred the clarity in her gaze. Confirming to me what I had been speculating throughout this conversation. I had to admit I was terrified and my father's words on how to defend myself kept replaying in my head like a broken record but those lessons and words were all useless if she snapped. So I let her go, it was clear she was giving it her all now to keep it together. At least clear to me and I did not want her to suffer by trying to entertain me as a means to not be rude. I was not that important.  So into the dark of night, I watched her run before the blatant chill of a lonely night caressed my face. 

Madeline shivered and glanced around as if someone was watching from afar, but she knew it was just remnants of her fear wearing off. At this time of the night, the bus no longer ran but walking home gave her time to process the past forty eight hours. All the information and progress she had managed to attain in a short period was a lot. Some of the heavier things even weighed on her heart, like the thought of the missing women's families when they do not come home. The utter heartbreak of their children having to accept that while their fathers were at war their mothers were now mysteriously gone. It was not hard for her to relate to honestly but this seemed potentially so much darker than her parental problems especially if they could not figure it out and stop it. Yet why was it left to them? For Madeline, she knew better than to expect the world to care. A woman her and child there no one blinks an eye, the world war was obviously more important but to her, it was all equally important. To her finding these women was arguably more important but she knew better than to say that out loud as it was an unpopular opinion. 

The lights in my shoe box sized apartment flickered to on as I looked around the humble home with pursed lips. The faucet which insistently dripped filled the void with sound. When my father and I first moved into this place it was not much to look at nor was it comfortable to sleep or stay but with time that changed as time has that effect. Soon the water stained walls had been cleaned and the once dull space was filled with plant life of many colours and as per usual with me one window panel had been stained so that when the light shone through the small space would come to life as light danced through. Even at night as the moon smiled down its borrow light reflected onto the bed in front of the window. Where after washing, eating and settling down I now found myself. I let the colours dance across my skin before falling asleep. Anxious about the events the sun would bring.

[Vice]

A carnal beast she'd become. Just like the family, she despised. 

A meagre slave to an unquenchable thirst. 

No light slipped into her apartment at any time of day. The curtains perpetually drawn over the windows to restrict prying eyes. The nightmare she became when she fed was hidden away within these four walls. The secrets these walls kept unable to tell the world the descendant of Dracula was right here. Gorging away at the stock blood she kept at hand. Keeping the world safe from her innate urges to hunt and drink from every warm body whose heartbeat rhythmically taunted her. 

This blood wasn't enough.

It never was but her vial disgust and grave desire to not be like her siblings was far more powerful than her need for warmer, fresher blood. 

The night seemed to go just as quickly as it came. And so having now been satisfied the black rose shade of Artie's eyes deliquesced back to that emerald green they always held. Glowing like a gold mine at any time of day. Her rigid muscles loosed as she rose from her bed. And her fangs ascended upwards. She groaned as she shook her long wild hair out of its messy bun. 

Apprehension was in the air. Like a lite pelt of morning dew coating grass. The conversation from the night before playing in her mind as she clocked in. Wondering if she should venture to speak with Virginia once more to confirm the hunt started today. Her eyes never needed time to adjust to the dimly lit basement where she worked as she entered and immediately scanned for Madeline. Who had yet to arrive it seems. Unless she too went to confirm with Virginia? "hmmm" Artemis mused to herself as she worked. Now recalling the fear that radiated from her new friend last night. Recalling how different her blood smelled. 

She'd never smelled anything like it before. 

The possibility of Madeline not being a human was high. But just what could she be? She was no Lupine or Sanguine. She'd have recognised those scents immediately. And she wasn't a Mystic as her eyes didn't have that glow that theirs do. Siren or Fea maybe? She knew quite a lot about Sirens and so little about Fea. Madeline didn't seem to match anything she knew of the Sirens. They were quite far from any large enough body of water. And she mentioned travelling here by train and not boat which meant she spent a large amount of time away from the sea. Could she not have earned her tail yet? 

Maybe a banshee! A wicked thought struck her. The grey which infested her watercolor eyes was the color of death. But they never left the Matron so again too far away from the source. She clicked her tongue to shake that thought away. All the while her body worked off muscle memory. 

Could she be Artie's namesake? A goddess? A faint mix of intrigue and panic swirled within Artemis for just one second.  "Good morning!" she distracted herself once Madeline arrived. "You're early!" her eyes take the shape of crescent moons as she smiles. 

Watching her new friend for a small moment before turning her attention back to her work. She couldn't be an Eternal. They fell. They didn't exist. 

Madeline was far too caring to be one of those selfish gods. 

[Madeline Ezperanza-Colette]

The morning sunlight streamed in through the stained glass and danced across Madeline's skin. She stirred for a moment or two before waking with a deep inhale which was followed by a stretch. She lay and stared out her window just listening to the silence of the morning trying to ignore the stress slowly building within her about the importance of the day. Madeline scoffed and groaned because of course she found herself in this situation not two days after being at this new job. Was it a way to redeem herself? To cleanse her soul of her past transgressions and start anew? She huffed the thoughts away as she rose from her bed and got ready to start her day. Her initial plan was to make breakfast at home but the gas in her building was off for maintenance purposes for the twelfth time this month and after telling the landlord they would be talking about how much she was paying for the gas she clearly could not use she headed off to work. With the intent to stop at the corner store beside the building but something was wrong. 

The streets were far too empty on a block filled with businesses both big and small. Even during this war I would still see the hustle of women and young men too young to go to war on their way to work. This was not some back alley or side street, it was a main avenue normally filled with the traffic of people. Something was very wrong. I scoured the streets and open stores for a radio but no breaking news was playing once I found one. "Any major news today?" The cashier shook her head no in a dismissive answer to my question while never looking up from her newspaper. I pursed my lips but held my tongue as I now rushed to work again finding the emptiness of the building lobby quite strange. I heard Artemis speak but not what she said as my mind focused on the nonexistent encounters I had this morning. "Did the street seem more vacant than normal to you today?" I scanned around the mail room to find what I had come to know as our usual numbers. "Because it was too empty for my liking this morning."

Madeline crossed her arms over her chest and dropped her head as she got lost in her thoughts. Questioning whether someone who should not know about their plan found out and planned a counter. Artemis was acting strange last night but as she thought of that again her body seized as she remembered that she realized what Artemis was and why she was so bizarre at the moment. Madeline looked Artie's way with a quick side eye before returning to her original thoughts. Although she had ruled Virginia out of being a suspect earlier she had to reconsider the possibility of her being guilty along with Artemis to some degree at least for the missing women. "And just how well do you know Mrs. Carol?" She probably sounded skeptical with all these sudden questions but she would rather ask than stay silent. The sound of the back doors flying open interrupted her barret of questions for the moment as Gomez ran into the room with a huff. "Does anyone here have experience with boilers and furnaces?! It is an emergency!!" 

[Vice]

With a false breath loaded with the intent to give a cheeky retort, Artie opened her mouth. But upon further investigation into Madeline, she decided against it. It didn't seem like a good time for her usual jokes and the barrage of questions from her new friend confirmed it. Her questions flew and Artie nearly struggled to catch them. It was no secret she was out of sorts last night. But now as she thought she questioned herself. She didn't notice the streets. She should've noticed the streets! A heavy feeling settled In her chest at the thought of the streets being empty for a different reason than Madeline was thinking.

Had the Dracula's found her?

She'd been so careful up until last night. But she just couldn't think through her blood lust. Would this curse be her undoing? The very thing that tied her to her siblings by more than just blood and name? She had to consider that she was overthinking. And by doing so she was giving them power. She forced her mind clear by focusing on the questions. She recollected on her walk here. And recalled the empty streets but seeing as she didn't stop for breakfast, a coffee, or even a pack of smokes like those around her it was less evident to her. The streets had been emptier than before because of the war. So Artemis grew used to it. But with a little extra consciousness and thought she found Madeline to be right. “They were a bit more barrier than they have been now that you mention it.”

With her next question, Artie shot out a very humanlike huff solely from her nose. The Carols were a long standing Gypsy family. And she had known this couple all of her life. That wasn't the cause for the huff though. The huff came because Artie knew she couldn't share that with Madeline. It wasn't her information to share. And who's to say Madeline was okay with the Gypsies? That was a topic they would need to speak on when they got to know each other better. Or maybe sooner was better in case Madeline had some animosity towards her people.

“The Carols helped raise me.” Her emerald gaze grew warm. It took a lot of people to raise her. Tame her, and the Carols were among that lot. It's not every day The Wind allows a Gypsy to leave their Caravan. A rare phenomenon to be sure. When it happened no one was ever sure what happened to the Gypsies that left. And so, one day Artemis awakens in Nowhere to the news of the Carols having left. Blown away by the wind, some said. Forsaken by it instead, said others. No one knew the truth or reason. And no one saw them again. Until Artie ran to New York to hide in the bustling city. The Wind blowing Virginia right to her. Proving that The Wind had in fact given Its blessing for them to leave and was very much still with them.

Almost immediately Virginia offered Artie a more powerful position in the company. Nepotistically almost. But she couldn't accept it for fear of it bringing too much attention to her since she needed to hide. So they both agreed on the mailroom. Because Virginia was unwilling to let Artie fend for herself entirely. “Please trust me when I say it's not her.” she wished she could tell and offer her friend more on the subject to earn that trust. But here wasn't a great place to discuss The Gypsies.

She could hear it.

The coughs and puffs come from the old boiler room. Gomez's clumsy run which caused his veins to swell. She could smell his panic and fear long before he entered the room. But she couldn't help. Not directly with fixing whatever made such noises. The sound of silence that filled the room around them said the same thing. No one here had the exact experience Gomez hoped. And Artemis could smell the nervousness beginning to flow through everyone's blood. Maybe her needing to feast last night was a blessing in disguise. 

“Madeline might have some.” Emerald eyes met that of her friends while a devious smile curled to reveal her bright teeth.