Chapter 6: Uninvited Guest

Vivian watched as the light slowly crept away, the rays drawing back to the window and then disappearing into the black night. Curled in the oversized armchair, Vivian had spent the rest of the day reading in the safety of her home, knowing that Everett couldn’t surprise her here. She glanced at her phone again, still debating making the call. If she called, asked permission, she might not get the answer she wants, then she’d have no choice. She’d never be able to figure out what is going on.

Slamming the book shut, she decided to give it time. She needed more information. Unfortunately, she’d have to figure it out on her own. No way was she accepting Everett’s offer. Yet, she only had one theory to go on for finding the next creature. Of course, she’d have to make an appearance at MacKenzie’s birthday dinner tonight beforehand.

Vivian dressed in leather leggings but instead of her bloody boots, she paired them with stiletto black heels and a sequin top. MacKenzie had given it to her, Vivian reaching around to rip off the tag that was still attached. She figured tonight would be perfect, if maybe only time, to wear it. The top was loose - loose enough to slip her knife into the small of her back. Pulling her jacket over the top, Vivian slid two smaller knives into the hidden inner pockets of the long black trench coat. It was raining, so the coat fit without question.

She would come back for her full gear after dinner before heading back to the Thames River, under the same bridge as last night to find Charybdis. It wasn’t a strong lead, hell it wasn’t a lead at all, just a thought that if Scylla is known to be on one side of the river and Charybdis on the other, then maybe it was worth a shot to just check it out. She didn’t have anything else to go on.

A humid mist had fallen over London, flicks of rain still hovering in the air as Vivian tied the coat around her waist. Shoving her hands into her outer pockets, Vivian started to walk the three blocks to Brockwell Park. She never took a Uber from her house. She’d thought about walking through the park, the Naughty Piglets just on the North Side, but she was running late.

Vivian stopped, the click of her heels on the sidewalk echoing off the towering buildings on either side of her as she paused, listening to the silence that suddenly surrounded her in the darkness. The fog made it feel as if Vivian was under a thick blanket. The growing heat that the rain brought to the evening made it hard to tell if the feeling of someone watching her was literal. She felt as if something was all around her, so it was hard to tell if there was someone nearby.

Waiting for her ride, her mind shifted between itself, as she was going to her friend's birthday dinner, and simultaneously gripped her hand around the knife in her jacket pocket. Vivian preferred to know which person she was, Dr. Vivian Bishop or bounty hunter, the ambiguity of being caught in between preventing her from fully focusing on either one. This made her vulnerable.

In true MacKenzie fashion, she picked the basement of the Naughty Piglet, a dark cave-like room with a full bar. It was probably the nicest restaurant Brixton had to offer, its food more traditional than its surrounding eclectic tastes. Vivian had time to relax in the ride, the release of the pressuring fog lifting, along with the feeling that someone was watching.

Down in the basement, there was an explosion of music mixed with loud voices, as Vivian entered much more than a dinner. It was a full-blown party, at least twenty people mingling in the small, bricked-walled basement that had bottles of wine lining the wooden shelf that spanned the entire squared-off room. From the center of the crowd, MacKenzie screamed, throwing up her arms and pushing her way to Vivian.

“Yes, girl you made it!” She screamed, pulling on Vivian’s arm, forcing her to join the party.

“You said this was a dinner.”

“It is, look there is food over there, drinks there.” MacKenzie pointed to the small buffet of food in the counter, but no one was eating. “Just a few of my closest friends, naturally.”

Vivian kept her opinions to herself, scanning the room and knowing that most of these people would consider themselves lucky to actually know MacKenzie, but Vivian knew it was all a lie. MacKenzie was magnetic, drawing people to her as they orbited around her, living off her energy. However, she’d confessed to Vivian that she often feels Vivian's the only person that grounds her to this world - ironically. All these people expected MacKenzie to be on all the time, the life of the party, but it was exhausting. Vivian often giving her the only reprieve from her wild, party life.

“Let’s get you a drink,” MacKenzie announced, dragging her deeper into the party. She ordered for Vivian, knowing that Vivian would never know what to ask for, not one to drink. It was hard when she needed to be ready to kill at any moment. Didn’t really leave a lot of room for getting drunk.

Taking a small sip, Vivian felt the burn of the clear liquid in the back of her throat. But it was worth it to see a genuine smile on MacKenzie’s face. As MacKenzie moved on to everyone else, Vivian faded into the background, taking the drink down way too quickly. Checking her watch, Vivian decided she’d spent enough time at the party and needed to move on to the rest of her night. But just as Vivian started to slip through the crowd unnoticed, she heard MacKenzie calling her name again.

“Vivi, Vivi! Come over here.” Vivian winched knowing she just couldn’t walk out on MacKenzie, not on her birthday. “Come here, I want to introduce you to my new friend.” Annoyed, Vivian attempted her best fake smile that immediately turned, the air catching in her lungs, as Everett stood right in front of her.