Schemes and Dreams

The happy feel good vibe of Tartosan Sun is a reflection of me. I am a girly-girl and I own it, but you didn't hurt my feelings by saying you like this story more. I love this story for taking me outside of my comfort zone and allowing me a way to explore and express different storytelling themes. I know that what speaks most to my heart isn't for everyone, but I embrace the journey this story has opened. I love redemption stories and I think that's why Anna has stolen my heart. It's hard to imagine someone who has been through more, and lost more than her and yet she never lost sight of who she is and wants to be. There will be drama and friction ahead. How in the world do you gloss over what just happened and how do you explain how this woman suddenly appeared in the world? She has made connection with Ray and Judith in such a short time, but we haven't seen that connection play out yet.

I look forward to reading parts two and three. I'm anxious to see how they pull this whole escape off. :)

Yeah, and I actually relate more personally to the sunny-side girly-girl persona too. I'm not a very "darkness" person in general, but I am drawn to things with edge. I think it's because I want to explore my own edges. We all have them, and they can be scary but also fascinating, raw and honest. I think I am enjoying seeing you exploring yours. :)

The rollercoaster ride you are going to go on, laughs, tears, fears, hope, will be worth the wait. I will apologize now. Part Three is a really really long one. I thought about shrinking it down but that would just ruin it. You will experience so much emotionally but you won't be disappointed. My canon of memorable characters has expanded by two. Danielle, Londyn, and Mimi are joined by Anna and Rayvn.

VAMPIRE ESCAPES FROM FORGOTTEN HOLLOW TO DEL SOL VALLEY

It's like that TV show they did with Paris Hilton getting dropped into normal life, only so much better.

Sweet potato nachos? I thought it was a funny joke but now I can't stop thinking about it lol

Has anyone had such a thing?

I mean, if you took the sweet potatoes and sliced them really thin and did them either in the air fryer or under the broiler, they could be crisp enough to serve as chips without being too oily/heavy to be palatable with cheese sauce... Maybe some green bell pepper, chopped chiles, lime and cilantro for that fresh herby California touch...

She's with a big group of people, including Judith Ward. Surely they have security around them

Hah, you would think ? Ah I love Inna breaking the silence and letting out the news that Rayvn is betrothed. Very sad backstory that Anna has, at least she was able to escape Victor. Judith had to ruin the moment and bring her back to reality. Though she did raise some good points. Glad that their plan is beginning to take form, hoping they are able to free Anna and themselves

I'm so happy you enjoyed the story!❤️ Mimi is one of my favorite characters and I love writing those segments.

This is just the beginning. Wait until I start writing Summer's cooking show in Tartosan Sun.? I haven't tried it yet but I do have a recipe somewhere for sweet potato nachos. It's basically substituting thinly sliced, crispy sweet potatoes for tortilla chips. The recipe I have calls for them to be baked so you were spot on. I thought I'd do them in the next couple of weeks with some homemade pico de gallo and guacamole.?

Anna hasn't had an easy life. Even her wonderful life with Karoly before they arrived in Forgotten Hollow was short lived. I'm sure she's finally going to find her happy ending.?

Her bigger issue was to line up a private jet to avoid airport security and to discreetly whisk them back to Del Sol Valley while avoiding the media. She had flown private to and from Windenberg several times before, but which service did she trust the most to handle the situation with the utmost discretion? That was her problem for the moment. Getting Anna set up with an identity and paperwork to match was Rayvn's. Judith found that she did genuinely like Anna, it was hard not to. Judith had felt real sympathy for Anna's plight and for the bad hand life had dealt her. As Judith turned to head back to the house she spotted a familiar car coming into the village and heading towards Elle's castle. Judith realized it was the same car and the same slimy little man who had delivered them here. She saw the car head up the hill to Elle's castle. She was tempted to sneak up there and see what was happening. As she neared the house she heard what sounded like a man's anguished cry for help wafting down to her on the breeze. It didn't take a genius to figure out who was the author of that sound. So Ivan's car was up there for the taking. The only problem was she knew it was a stick shift. She had never made it past the first lesson on how to drive one having given up after ten minutes and never successfully letting the clutch out and not stalling the engine even once. The only chance they had was if Rayvn could prove a quick learner.

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Rayvn was surprised to find the books and the bookcase itself free of dust and cobwebs. In every old horror movie she could remember the front of the bookcase was laced with spiderwebs and all the books had the dust of centuries on them. When she watched those movies it always struck her as an odd device. If you're immortal and you have no internet or tv what else was there to do but reading and housekeeping? It appeared to her that these vampires were more well-read than the ones from the old movies. For that matter the entire village was immaculate compared to what she imagined it would look like. There were still cobwebs here and there, and in some places the plaster was cracked, but it wasn’t really what she would have imagined. After skimming through more than a dozen books each, Anna found what she had been looking for.
https://i.imgur.com/pGPdfHl.png?1

"I found it!" she said as she jumped up off the sofa. "There is a potion that will break my bond!"

"That's fantastic Anna." Rayvn wrapped her in a hug. "What do we need?"
https://i.imgur.com/LFU7AcD.png

"We need garlic, wolfsbane, plasma fruit, valerian root, and mandrake. But there is a problem. The only place where you will find mandrake and valerian root in Forgotten Hollow is in Elle's castle. She has a room where she and Lilith make and store the various potions they use."

"I assume you know where this room is?"

"Yes. It is on the first of the subterranean levels near what she calls the ‘lesser dungeons’. That is where she and Lilith keep the mortals they call 'pets' and the higher rank of servants. I will have to be very careful."
https://i.imgur.com/3lcXXN1.png

Judith came through the door, the rustle of her voluminous skirts announcing her arrival before she appeared in the doorway, bathed in the light from the candles flanking the door. "How quickly do you think you can learn to drive a stick shift?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"That little weasel that brought us here just arrived. Long story short, I'm fairly confident he will no longer be needing his car."

"I don't think Elle's going to allow me to take driving lessons. Anyway my problem is I'm just really horrible at working the clutch without stalling the engine. I can do it, but it usually takes me a few tries to get it right. And I'll have to do while I'm scared out of my mind. Under the circumstances I'm all for trying. What's the worst that can happen?"
https://i.imgur.com/zX9FDaQ.png

"You kill the engine at the worst possible moment, they catch us, and I become a scullery maid. That's the worst that can happen."

"No pressure" Anna said, which was met with gales of laughter.
https://i.imgur.com/RyyFu3v.png

When Rayvn was finally able to regain her composure, "You're a quick learner Anna. So we need a plan. Where can we find the other items we need?"

“Everything I will need is in that room. Elle keeps the room well stocked so I know I will find everything I need in there. It’s the bigger matter of getting in to the room, but I can use my mist form to get in. You can help me by collecting some of those same items to take with us so that once we reach safety I can cure myself of my vampirism. I will need ten sprigs of wolfsbane, ten plasma fruits, and ten cloves of garlic….”

“And a big bag of breath mints!” Judith said.

“You can find those items not far from here. There are several patches of wild garlic and wolfsbane within a few steps of the house. The nearest plasma fruit tree is a short distance beyond that.

“Why don’t you mix up that part of the potion ahead of time so that you can do what you need to do faster?”

“I will be using mist form to enter the castle and I will not be able to carry it with me. Don’t worry, I can mix this very quickly.”

"What about these clothes?" Judith asked. "We can't simply pop up in Windenberg dressed like this without attracting attention. I haven't seen our belongings since we woke up the other morning. What happened to them?"

“They ordered me to dispose of them. I made it look like I did, but they are safely hidden in the attic. I did not mention it to you because I did not wish for either of you to do anything impulsive and show up in public wearing your old clothes and alert Elle and Lilith. Lilith in particular since she and Caleb are right across the way from you."
https://i.imgur.com/HuvGNw7.png

"Could you get them down for us please, while we get the ingredients you need." Rayvn wasn't looking forward to this next bit. "Judith, we need to travel fast and light. Take only what you absolutely need.”

"What? Leave some of my stuff here? Are you out of your mind?"

"Do you think we can sneak up that hill with all of the stuff we brought? Or that once we start our run for it that we'll have time to stop off here and load everything into the trunk? We have to travel light and fast. Besides it's mostly clothes anyway."

"But I don't wear common off the rack clothing. I wear designer labels. Those are not cheap outfits?"

"Alright. If you get bogged down with your designer dresses and tops and get left behind you'll be the most stylish scullery maid in the world. Oh wait, Elle won't allow you to wear those outfits."

"Touché. Fair enough. Though when we get back to the civilized world I would like a word with you about your bossiness."

"I do apologize Judith, but I'm only concerned about doing whatever we have to do to get all three of us out of here alive. I'll gladly face the consequences for stepping on your toes later."

“I couldn’t possibly take these. They are beautiful but they're yours.”

“Not anymore. They’re yours. I want you to have them. We have so much to do to get you ready for the modern world. This is your first of many new outfits. And besides which Judith and I owe you a huge debt for helping us get out of here.”

“I feel so different in these clothes. What do you call this footwear? These are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. Oh how I wish I could see myself in the mirror.”
https://i.imgur.com/fCDozUB.png

“We call them sneakers. I forgot it’s been centuries since you’ve actually seen yourself. My phone may not work, but the camera does. Let me take a picture of you and show you what you look like."

"What're you doing? What is that thing your holding?"

"It's called a cell phone. It can take pictures of things, but it does so many other things too. Pictures are like sitting for a painting only there is no painter and you can see the results instantly.

“You are having me on! That thing can really do that? Is it safe?”

"It's ok Anna, it's totally safe. Alright hun, look at me and give me your best smile. Got it!
https://i.imgur.com/nv5bdJz.png

"Let me show you what you look like. Say hello to Anna Eros, modern woman..."
https://i.imgur.com/pDqzvHL.png

Anna's eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning. "That's me?!" she nearly screamed with delight as she stared wide-eyed at the screen.
https://i.imgur.com/qMsHGfe.png

"Yes, that's you Anna. See, even after all you've been through you are still beautiful! Inside and out.”
https://i.imgur.com/Q541YZn.png

"I didn't know what time and the transformation had done to me. I..." Tears began to well in the corners of her eyes as she recalled Karoly taking her in his arms, kissing her gently, sweetly, and telling her she was the most beautiful woman in the world. That had been so long ago, but she could still feel the thrill that went through her as his lips met hers, and smell the lovely aroma of his rosewater cologne. Rayvn put her arm around Anna's shoulder and gave her a little squeeze. Anna shook herself. She had to keep her wits about her if they had any chance of getting out of here. She could confront her emotions later. “My eyes though, are they really that red?”

“Yes. She’s going to need sunglasses until she gets the cure.” Judith said. She had slipped into the room as Anna and Rayvn had been discussing the photo. “I’m sorry Anna, but those eyes will draw attention.”

“I do not need sunglasses. If I hide my vampire form, my dark form, I think my eyes should go back to their normal color. It’s just easier to stay in my dark form so I use it at all times. I did not know that my eyes were that color when I use it though”. Anna switched forms and her eyes regained their deep blue.

“You have the most beautiful blue eyes” Judith said.

“She’s right.” Rayvn said. “I need to get changed myself” It was then that Rayvn noticed what Judith was wearing. "Heels, Judith? Really?”

“I only have one pair of sneakers and they’re back in Del Sol Valley." She couldn't keep the snarky comment to her self. "Silly me I should have realized we were going to be running for our lives from vampires when I packed. Look, don’t worry about me. I’ve been wearing heels everyday since I was a teenager. I just hope when the time comes you two will be able to keep up with me!”

Rayvn got changed and joined Anna and Judith for one last review of the plans. “I will need some of my vampiric powers to get into the castle and back out again. My powers are the quickest and safest way. I hope we don’t need them afterwards, but I can’t return to being human again until we reach Del Sol Valley. Elle and Lilith can’t get to Windenberg quickly without help, but even then as long as we are there we need to be careful and I will need to retain my powers to defend us. It's not Elle and Lilith we need to worry about once we leave Forgotten Hollow, it's the henchmen they have in the outside world. If anybody comes after us in Windenberg it would be them. I can take care of them and they're not likely to try attacking a vampire. They'll probably just wait for a day or two and then send word to Elle that they couldn't find us."
https://i.imgur.com/A6hkCiH.png

“I know the private airline I’m going to contact to get us home. I've used them before and they can be ready to go in a few hours time. We're looking at roughly six hours from the call to the steps of the plane.”

“I am very curious about this plane thing. Is it like those things you call cars?”

https://i.imgur.com/hpE39yZ.png

“Umm…yes and no. We’ll explain it on the way to Windenberg” Rayvn said. “Right now let’s make sure we have the plan straight"

"I use my mist form to enter the castle, make the Potion of Dissolution, and drink it."

"While you’re doing that we get everything into the car and we wait inside with our heads down.” Rayvn motioned to herself and Judith. “We will leave a window half open for you to slip in through” Rayvn said.
https://i.imgur.com/Nd2UYE5.png

"I leave using my mist form and I materialize inside the car."

"When I hear your voice, I pee my pants, start the car and drive like hell" Rayvn said.

"Pee your pants?" Anna asked.
https://i.imgur.com/9rUjOR7.png

"My nerves are so on edge right now. Any sudden noise and I’m going to pee my pants.”

"I promise I will try not to make you pee your pants."

"Judith, Anna, I think it's time for us to get out of here. I just want to go home, enjoy a nice hot shower, and a bottle of tequila."

"Amen to that!"