The Van Helsing Incursion

THE TRUTH IS ONLY SKIN DEEP

"Cutaneous porphyria?" Elizabeth asked from the inside of Anna's office, while waiting for her phone to bring up the relevant wiki page.

Anna nodded, and her eyes turned towards the ceiling as though the definition was written on one of the panels. Despite the end effect, Elizabeth doubted that was how Anna's memory actually worked.

"Kim informed me that her skin reacts severely to direct sunlight," Anna said. "Some associate this condition with—"

"Vampirism," Elizabeth guessed.

While Elizabeth had not been thrilled before, the idea of staying late at night with just one security guard on duty made her cringe. Sure, it was probably just a coincidence, but the hairs on the back of her neck were nonetheless sticking straight out.

"Yeah," Anna said. "That's it."

Elizabeth quickly scanned through the wiki to find some of the relevant points. There were two variants of this condition, including one that had a negative effect on the skin.

"How long has she been seeing Kim?" Elizabeth asked, because she guessed this was a new patient.

"Early August of last year, I think," Anna said while scrolling through the file. "Yeah, that's when she was first brought to us as a runaway."

Unbeknownst to her conscious mind, Elizabeth had been waiting for that answer before taking in a breath. A great weight had been lifted from her shoulders since August was well before Clara got mixed up in her life and prior to Evelyn's attempted murder. So, this case had to be unrelated.

"I can see that," Elizabeth said. "Her affliction forces her to hide from the sun. With that kind of limitation, she must wear out her welcome quickly."

"I count three—no four homes in the last two years," Anna confirmed.

"Poor thing," Elizabeth said.

Even the act of being able to empathise with a patient, despite her fears, had a positive effect. Her compassion and professionalism were things she felt rooted in. The act of helping this child through a rough patch was the type of hurdle she excelled at.

"So, no trouble?" Anna asked.

"You know what?" Elizabeth said softly. "None at all."

* * * *

"Can you stop your heart?" Evelyn asked while applying some finishing touches to her costume as their limousine drove into the city.

Clara furrowed her brow at the question. All the while, she admired the spectacular work Evelyn had put into their costumes. Evelyn's costume featured porcelain skin, a white dress, and purple haired wig, all complemented by the adorned wings and halo.

Those elements may have made this costume seem unimaginative, but Evelyn had taken it to the next level. She also wore a latex bodysuit, one that fit her like a glove. Not only did it make her skin look like painted porcelain, but it also created the illusion that she was a living, breathing doll.

That look fell into place when the mask was fitted. This was a porcelain affair, with screens that covered her eyes and mouth, all to create the look of an angelic figurine with oversized eyes. Clara had seen that style of art before, but could not place the cultural origins.

"I've never tried," Clara said flatly. "I can tell you that I'm not particularly thrilled at the idea of stopping it at all."

"Merde," Evelyn swore. "So, we can't pass you off as a fledgling vampire."

"Wait," Clara said. "You can stop yours?"

That particular question just begged for an answer. If Evelyn could stop her heart at will, then why would she maintain a pulse at all? Clara assumed that maintaining such functions only increased her need to feed.