The Van Helsing Incursion

BURNING BRIDGES

Two weeks after the incident at the church...

Elizabeth sat at a booth with her nose pointed straight toward her phone. Since she was waiting for an order, she appreciated the ability to kill time without catching the eye of some drunk looking to check off an Asian chick from their bucket list. Alas, her timelines on Bealzabook and Twitcher were mostly static.

"How did I manage before?" Elizabeth muttered while looking at the endless stream of pictures and memes from friends and family.

Everyone was smiling, happy, living without a care in the world. She supposed it was easy to feel that way when the truth remained hidden. With a bit of effort, Elizabeth could find similar pictures on her own profile, but those were from another lifetime.

In frustration, she put her phone down and reached for her cup of coffee. After the first sip, she cringed and added sugar to taper off the bitterness before trying again.

"Better," Elizabeth said before letting out a long sigh.

Just then, her phone vibrated, so she pressed on the lock button and noticed a new icon. Since the icon was unfamiliar, Elizabeth unlocked the phone and tapped on the notification. The photo app came up, and presented her with a shot taken last year.

"On this day... a year already?" Elizabeth asked, knowing the answer, but still needing the time to process the truth.

It was a picture of Clara in the tub, one taken from the bathroom door. Elizabeth had caught her at just the right moment. Those dark wings were off to the side, granting her a glimpse of her sharp facial features.

There was nothing risqué to see, considering the sheer amount of bubbles. The scene was reminiscent of a Hollywood movie, but the reason for that layer of bubbles was not for modesty. If anything, Clara was not shy about her body. Heck, she even flaunts it.

"She did it to have fun," Elizabeth whispered while her mind played back the ditty Clara hummed at the time.

"Pretty hot for a grandma," the waitress said while refilling the coffee cup.

"What?" Elizabeth asked, sounding all confused.

"I said she's pretty hot for a grandma," the waitress repeated before a smirk broke out on her face.

Elizabeth knew full well what the waitress had said. To have this breach of trust confirmed pissed her off. Still, Elizabeth had to wonder why that line sounded so familiar.

"Why were you looking at my phone?" Elizabeth asked as a way of voicing her displeasure, while opening the door for a potential apology.

"Truth is," the waitress said, "I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now. But I've never been much of a dingle dangler so..."

"Dingle dangler?" Elizabeth asked before her mind was able to delve further into that vocabulary.

The only reason Elizabeth even knew that expression, or what it meant, was through her interactions with Clara. These days, people were not generally known for insisting on using a phone to talk to others. On the other hand, texting...

Elizabeth put her phone down and turned to face the waitress. Sure, she had been looking at the woman when placing her order, but those had been mere glances. Now it was time for her to get a good look.

To put it mildly, there was nothing noteworthy about her. She was the very definition of average in hips, bust, weight, height, and facial features. This was someone who could melt into crowds, unseen and unheard. The only memorable detail was those steel-grey...