Vivienne

Brian walked along one of the myriad of concrete paths that made up the small university he attended.  Choosing this path afforded the big man the chance to enjoy the wintry air mixed with the smell of pine and wood smoke from the nearby homes as he pondered what things he needed to do next.  Typically, Brian thought about minor things like when a project was due, what he would eat the next day, football practice or what classes he had the following day.  Tonight he had one thing on his mind, Casey.  Replaying the events of the last few days, Brian shook his head trying to piece it all together and form some sort of answer from all the mystery that made sense. “It certainly seems like its trading one obsession for another.”  He grunted and turned towards the gym, “Maybe getting some of this frustration out would do me some good.”

“Only one thing makes a guy talk to himself like that, a woman.”

Brian looked over to where he’d heard the light feminine voice come from, “Excuse me?”  He inquired softly.

Wendy looked up from the compact mirror she was holding, “I said only one thing makes a guy talk to himself.  It is my experience that it is a woman that causes that.”

“Do I know you?” Brian questioned and crossed his arms.

“No, but I know you, Mr. Ashburn.”  The red-headed reporter quipped and closed the little mirror, finally turning to face Brian.

“Great, now are you going to tell me who the hell you are?” He looked around confused, “What’s more, how the hell you knew I would be walking by as you were doing your make-up in the freezing cold.”

“The first question is the easiest.  Wendy Richards, pleasure to meet you.”  She waved playfully, “The next question is a little harder to explain.”

“Here I am talking to a strange woman, in the cold while she does her make-up.  Something tells me that I really should walk away right now.”  He unfolds his arms and takes a step towards Wendy, “However, this isn’t the strangest thing I have seen in the last few days.”

“I don’t really have a problem with the cold.  It keeps my head clear.”  She points across the small street to a local coffee shop, “We could always go get a cup of coffee.”  Curling one eyebrow up, Wendy flashes her smile. “It gives me time to finish what I was doing and answer your question…”  She hesitated briefly, “...and perhaps you will learn a little more about your girlfriend.”

“What?” Brian immediately turned red, a flash of anger washing over his eyes.

“Relax, relax.”  Wendy stood up and tossed her purse over her shoulder, “I said learn more, nothing else.  Let’s get warm, and talk a bit.”

Little warning tingles bolted across Brian’s spine and it took him a couple seconds to force his feet to move.  He took one heavy step and his shoe caught for a brief moment forcing him to stumble and grumble.

 Wendy quickly turned to the side, and her red hair bounced across her face. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I am fine.  I just feel stupid is all.”  He shook his foot that had also started tingling.  Reaching the door to the tiny cafe, “That is a couple warnings that I have ignored.”

Wendy walked up to the counter and looked over the menu for a moment before glancing to Brian, “Dark chocolate, with ginger and a sea salt rim? Sounds downright sinful.”  She turns to the barista, “I want that, with an extra espresso shot please.”  The girl behind the counter punched in the codes and looked back at Wendy and began to speak when the reporter cut her off. “Oh, whatever my large escort would like as well.”  She handed over her credit card and finally answered Brian, “What warnings would those be, good sir?”  

“Just a normal cup of coffee with sweet cream, no sugar.”  Grinning widely the young lady behind the counter nodded and looked away from Brian when her face turned deep red.  Nodding his head lightly, Brian gently offered, “My thanks.  She and I will be sitting by the window.”

Walking over to the small chair, Wendy unbuttoned her heavy coat and hung it up on an empty hook near the entry.  “You were saying warnings?”  The redhead sat down and pulled out her make-up bag again. “I supposedly have a date in about two hours or so, but I am not really sure he will show up.”  

“That explains the make-up and the cold.”  Brian shrugged and took his own seat.  Nervous and still puzzled, Brian started spinning a stir stick on the table. “I did say warnings.  First was that creepy feeling that you stalked me to speak outside, then I tripped while coming here.”  He shrugged, “I usually listen to things like that.”

“Do you?”  Wendy blotted away the red-copper lipstick she’d just applied.

“If you hadn’t mentioned my girlfriend then I wouldn’t be here.”  Brian mentioned while purposefully keeping Casey’s name to himself. -A test.-

Quickly snapping her fingers, Wendy tossed her lipstick in her purse and pulled out her phone. “Here we go.”  She held up her finger fast, “Wait, I forgot something.”  She reached back in her purse and pulled out a small business card. “Wendy Richards, Journalist.  I work for fourteen news.”  Sliding the card to Brian she kept her light chaotic antics going, “Right, okay.  Let me press play here and..”  She handed the phone to Brian and waited for part of her interview to come up. “Listen closely.”

Brian waited and heard Casey’s voice clear on the video, “K-K-Karen Collins…”  He pushed the phone back across the table. “What was I supposed to hear?” Brian asked and leaned back in his chair, once again crossing his arms.

Wendy got silent when the barista delivered their coffee’s, then grabbed her phone once more and tapped the screen. “You were supposed to know Casey’s voice.”  She took a sip of her decadent coffee, “Mmm.”

“That could have been anyone, the place was a circus.” Taking a sip of his own coffee, Brian waved dismissively to Wendy. “You still haven’t answered anything really.”

“If the voice didn’t convince you, then I am quite sure this will.”  She opened a folder on her screen labeled ‘public access’ and pulled up the video of the woman being rescued from a pole camera. “Ah, there we go.”  She slid the phone back. “Can’t deny that, you can see her face pretty well from that angle, Brian.”

Defeated, Brian leaned on the table and rubbed his temples. “The image is a bit fuzzy, and I am not saying anything to a reporter.”

“I am not recording anything, Brian.”  Wendy commented and took another sip of coffee. “You really should have gotten the dark chocolate, it sends little tingles all over with the ginger.”

Frustrated, Brian hit the table with his fist, making the employees and the few others in the shop jump in surprise. “Look…”  Brian huffed and took an exasperated breath, “You’re annoying me to the point I ju…”

“I annoyed you?”  Wendy inquired after another pull from her coffee. “You are angry at your girlfriend, not me.  I am just showing you what you asked for.”  She pulled back her phone and dropped it into her purse.  Grabbing her mascara and the compact again, she started applying the black liquid to her eyelashes. “I followed the ambulance they took her in and then she simply disappeared from the hospital.”  Screwing the cap back on the tube, she pulled out an eyelash curler and gently worked the tool so the soft hairs had a soft semi-circle shape to them. “That footage was seen by others and I was subsequently informed that her name wasn’t Karen Collins, rather Casey Rivers.”  Wendy softly licked the salt from the rim of the cup and took a sip. “This is almost like a drug.”  She winked at Brian.

Brian attempted to regain his composure, “Sorry.  I don’t usually get angry.”  Not thinking clearly he grabbed his cup, and took a healthy swig of the hot coffee and coughed when it partly burned his tongue. “That was stupid of me.” He muttered and wiped the water from his eyes where they’d teared up. “How’d you know I would be walking by?” His voice now hoarse from the burn in his throat.

“I didn’t.”  Wendy handed the serving woman her card again, “Keep the tab open, I think I am going to get something to eat in a few.”  Nodding once the server went back behind the counter and started working on the second coffee for Wendy. “I found her on Facebook, and found you just after.  You both have your residence public.”  She pointed to the small quad of walkways and the bench where she’d been sitting. “The gym and your hall is there and Casey’s opposite, where you were walking from.”  She paused and finished off her first cup of rich coffee. “I played a hunch that I would see you at some point.”

“Lucky.”  Brian heard his stomach rumble. “I guess that answers that.”  He waited a second, “You mentioned helping Casey?”

Turning over her wrist to see the time, Wendy lets out a loathsome sigh. “Figures.”  She looks up at Brian, “Never trust the police.”

Chuckling Brian shrugged one shoulder, “Cops suck, what can I say.”

Wendy gets up and walks to get a small paper menu with the different pastries and sandwiches the cafe offered, “You can say that I got dolled and now have no date.”  She points to the menu, “You hungry?  I apparently have lots of time now.”

“I could eat.”  He glanced at the menu when Wendy passed it to him. “We are discussing helping Casey?”

A swift breeze passed over the street, making pine needles from the thick trees splatter all over the shaking window.  The couple looked at needles with a light trance gleaming in their eyes, and spoke at the same time.  “Windy.  Eyes.  Clear.  Brother.”

The incident passed about as fast as it came upon them, the needles that formed the runic words skipping down the pavement as though nothing happened. “You are the one.”  Wendy came out of her trance and grabbed Brian’s right hand and saw dark lines that matched her own symbol on her hand. “Tell me, where did you get that mark?”

Brian jerked his hand away and rubbed his palm. “What the fuck are you doing?  What made you think you could just grab my hand, you nutcase?  What do you mean I am the one, what one?” He rattled off questions in a flurry of confusion and anger.

Wendy quickly went to the counter and ordered a couple quick sandwiches to occupy the workers in the cafe and sat down returning with her second cup of coffee, “Look, I don’t have lots of time.  Those sandwiches will be finished soon enough and I have questions as well.”  Closing her eyes, she let the dark chocolate resonate with her a bit and calm her so that she could speak clearly. “All of the others and I have the same symbol or mark, but mine..” She opened her palm to show Brian the soft lime green glow coming from it. “You have it as well, but it's not radiating yet.”  She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Now I get it."  She peered up at the dark pines across the street, “Thanks for that.”  She focused back on Brian. “It literally called my name, Wendy and said open your eyes, he’s your brother.”

“I…it's a birthmark.”  Brian blinked and hesitantly touched the glowing mark on Wendy’s hand. “I…was born with it.  My mom always called it my lucky charm.”

Wendy leaned closer to Brian and whispered lightly, “I think I was meant to awaken you, Brian.  There are things that you probably know but think are just superstitions.”  Wendy hesitated and looked around, “Let’s eat and discuss this further.”

“You promise this will…help Casey?” Brian nervously looked at his palm, and felt the blood anxiously coursing through his veins.

“I said you would learn about her, helping her is another matter.”  She sipped on the rich chocolate again. “We will get to that, Brian.  All in good time.”