The View Between Villages

Cold Blood

The stereo cut to static periodically in the back of the shop. Jesse was here almost alone for now, Milan let him know that he would be late. Of course Jeremy was nowhere to be found, and it had been a few days since Jesse and Mavis had visited her old dorm room. Jesse hadn't seen Mavis since either. She told them she was off tying up loose ends.

Jesse couldn't help but shake the feelings of what had happened. He felt like every corner of his mind was still digesting the details of the room where Mavis had existed long before him. He tried to imagine what it would've been like to go to school with her, to see her grow and change. Most of all he wondered what had made her turn so cold.

Jesse was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Barrett exit Milan's office.

"Those parts came in yesterday, right?" He asked from across the shop as he approached Jesse, the sun setting far off outside of the shop.

"They did." Jesse responded and motioned towards Milan's workstation. Barrett had decided he was going to make sure Mavis' bike was in top shape for when she left. Jesse wished it was him who was fixing it up. His stomach started to turn at the thought of Mavis leaving again.

"Perfect thank you" Barrett said flatly, moving over to the table beside Jesse's to rip open the boxes. Jesse knew Barrett could sense his unease.

Jesse tried to shake the feeling, turning his gaze to Jeremy's station. The rosary from the wall still missing, Jesse's blood boiled at the thought of it around Jeremy's neck and he wasn't sure why.

Again Jesse was ripped from his thoughts as he heard the dull roar of an engine off in the distance and he knew enough to know what Mavis' bike sounded like. She entered the yard not long after, the dark purple sky creating the perfect entrance for her. Jesse just smiled to himself.

Mavis cut her engine and removed her helmet, Jesse could see her smile reflected from his.

"I was hoping you were here" She said as she approached and placed her helmet down on Jesse's table.

"Were you now?" Jesse challenged playfully. Barrett got up and moved back to Milan's office, the door shutting behind him.

"I needed to talk to you" Mavis whispered, leaning into the table with her hands and bringing her face closer to Jesse.

"I talked to Baudelaire" Her voice became even more quiet and Jesse leaned into her as well.

"I don't know who that is Mave" Jesse whispered back with a slight chuckle.

"She's a witch, she's the top dog here, she knows everything" Mavis cut herself off with a sigh. "That's not important, look Jess, I really think we're connected" She started.

Yeah no shit. Jesse just watched her confused.

"Every vampire has a person, someone who's blood they can't resist, their singer. Every time I'm near you it's like something goes haywire in my brain, I can hear your heart I can smell you" Mavis continued to dump information on Jesse quietly, he felt his heart rate begin to pick up, wondering if this was a confession or just an explanation. Jesse wanted the former so badly.

Mavis glanced over her shoulder at the door before starting again, she sounded rushed, as if she knew she was running out of time.

"And you keep having these visions, that doesn't make sense, I wasn't human, why are you seeing these things? Why is it about me? What do you know about me that I don't?" Mavis pressed harder, she sounded like she was still questioning everything herself.

"There's only one reason this is all happening between us, I don't want to beg but I really really need you to-" Mavis was immediately cut off by Barrett reemerging from the office. Jesse could see a sense of desperation in her eyes as she backed off from the table, clearing her throat.