When Casey felt the peaceful cloud leave her, she found herself standing in a well-lit circle with peared to be a wooden dance floor under her feet. Tapping her foot a couple times to firm what she was visualizing, Casey looked up to see the source of the yellowish light.

  -Ow, that was stupid Rivers.-

  Quickly squinting to avoid any more shooting pain into her mind, Casey stopped w about the light overhead and saw what she wore. Laughing quietly to herself, Casey deduced that somehow she was ready for a summer evening oown. Iing her clothing, Casey smiled to herself and a sense of relief came over her knowing that even in this pce she was still true to herself. Wearing a set of bck calf-length boots, Casey lifted one of her feet and nodded in approval when she saw the little crimson bats embedded in the leather.

  -I must be dreaming.-

  Casey quipped to herself as she took in the fact she was wearing faded jeans and a gold bodysuit that had a square nee and held her huge chest in with a set of spaghetti straps tight to her shoulders.

  -Looks like something I’d wear.-

  firming the look to herself, She flexed and took a couple daeps to get a feel for her body and happeo see her fingernails glint uhe bright light. Not only were they painted in a light blue and gold to match her outfit, Casey saw that her hands were more cwlike than before. Making a fist a couple times, she loved how she’d adapted to the extensions without really thinking about it.

  -I’m not sure about these colors though. It matches, so I’ll go with it. Now what?-

  Barely getting the question through her mind, Casey heard upbeat pop music start pying that reminded her of Ava Max. Figuring it couldn’t hurt to pass the time, Casey began with a few little daeps and started shaking her head to the beat. forted whehick curls lightly bounced off her cheeks, Casey heard ahe iy of the music pick up. Swiveling her hips and holding her arms just above her shoulders, Casey let herself get carried into the lyrics being ted.

  Dang the way she was, Casey lost track of how many songs passed and steadily ehe freedom of her fluid and sexy moves. fort and safety seemed to falter when Casey felt the cool touch of a hand e from behind her. Twisting to see the disturbance, Casey turned in time to feel a guy slip his arms around her waist and begin grinding against her. While there was something familiar about the guy's touch, Casey didn’t care for the chill that apanied his presenbsp; Shoving herself away from the man and breaking free of his grip, she held up a finger and shook her head ‘no’ as the heat and light above her radiated enough to feel all doubt dissipate.

  Pleased that she’d fended off the an, Casey once more whipped her head side to side with the beat of the musibsp; Much like before Casey felt her hair hit her cheeks with one exception, no curls. Mildly ed, she flipped her hair forward so she could see what had ged. Auburn hair had been repced with copper-strawberry blonde and the curls gone in favor of a length that touched the tops of her heavy breasts.

  -I love it!-

  Pleased beyond her wildest dreams, Casey spun in a few circles and loved the way her lighter-colored hair glowed with yellow highlights within the light she danced in. Mere seds passed before another set of heavy hands clutched her from behind and unceremoniously ran his cold hands from her waist to squeeze both of her breasts. Given that Casey was used to guys doing a myriad of stupid shit to touch her chest, she was unsurprised by the advances of this particur dark figure. While it was simple enough for Casey to twist herself free of the man’s grasp, it wasn’t getting free that was the issue. This guy had appeared out of the unseen crowd with such fidend overbearahat Casey khe issue would be how she hahe fear that tugged at her heart.

  ‘The woman I raised isn’t full of fear. She doesn’t fear what is beyond her sight. You are better than this Casey. You ’t run forever.’ Casey heard her mother clear as a bell while sitting oool, and pointing the end of a paintbrush at her.

  -No more running.-

  Rather than being cute and twisting away from the man who gripped her, She clutched his hands and squeezed them until she felt the bones snap in his hands. Filled with fidence, Casey pulled the man closer and whispered in his ear. “I used to run from people like you.” Moving to the beat of the music, Casey danced behind the man and resumed. “It olite and fake, getting water and exg myself to not cause a se, when I’d been the one insulted or treated like shit.” Flig her cw across the vile man’s ear, Casey resumed. “I was the prey. You were the predator and I was scared.” Four soft clicks and Casey felt her fangs lo pce. “Your turn.” Anger swelled within Casey and she tore a huge hunk of the man-monster’s neck out and watched as he fell to the floor spraying hot and bck blood all over the floor.

  Seds after the man disied within her light, Casey felt a rush of ecstasy as fear left her body. “Hell yeah!” Casey screamed and spun on her heels still jamming to the music that pulsed in from all dires. Reag up to feel her four eeth, Casey happily pyed with her fangs until she noticed her hands weren’t as tanned as they used to be.

  -Huh?-

  Holding up her arms while she still bounced her hips side to side, Casey shrugged off the fact that her cultivated tan had been repced by pale skin.

  -Oep closer. Sylvie… it's w.-

  Happiness and glee filled Casey’s mind for a split sed before she spun her way into another man. Only this man wasn’t unknown. Face to face with the soft goatee and loving green eyes. “Brian.”

  “Casey. What are you doing?” He folded his arms over his huge muscur chest.

  Frozen in pce even with the heavenly pop beats going off in her head, Casey reached up with her cwed hand ahe soft hair on Brian’s fabsp; Devoid of fear for the man before her, she tilted her head a her new copper-strawberry blonde hair fall over her shoulder. “I’m being myself, for the first time in a very long time.” Resolved to bury this nightmare ond for all, Casey felt the heat and light above her reinforce her will. “Brian. It is time for you to go. I held onto your memory way too long.” Slowly, the musietrated her soul again and she started moving her head lightly. “La---..” She quietly sang to the big man. “..--.”

  “You ’t live without me, Casey.” Brian winked and opened his arms. “e o’s make this right.”

  Fueled by her resolution and the o keep dang, Casey shook her head and spun away from the man she once loved. “This is right, Brian. ht is over, there is just your memory that haunts me.” Grinding her hips and curling around the fading image, Casey blew him a kiss. “Rest in Peace, Brian.”

  -You did it, Rivers!-

  Jumping wildly in the air and nding on her knees, Casey fell backwards on the wooden floor and began ughing as loud as she could. “It’s really over..” Squirming the best she could to the music, Casey felt three pairs of hands lifting her up. Seeing that the hands beloo her blood bunny friends, Casey let herself get pulled up and began dang with them in her bright circle.

  “Casey, you should see yourself.” Amber spoke up while grinding herself into Casey’s new and nearly perfe. “I am in love with the red of your lips.” She ughed, “I could kiss you.”

  Holding Amber with one arm, Casey pulled the bunny tight to her body. “So, I a am?” Casey leaned in and kissed Amber on the cheek and waited until her friend nodded. “Does Sylvie know it worked?”

  “Not yet. When is up to you.” Amber firmed aurhe kiss in kind.

  Casey danced with the other two for a few minutes, enjoying the bliss and freedom that came with it. Finally with beads of red s from her body making her glisten with a red hue, Casey stepped away from her three dance partners and looked up once more into the bright light that protected her. “Ready when you are.”

  Slightly ed whehree friends disappeared bato the crowd, Casey saw a short-haired pear and walk intht, Casting a shadow as she did so. Happy to see the blue-gray hair, Casey smiled and whispered, “Sylvie. You..we did it.” She looked at the floor and made the e. “We are the eclipse.”

  Opening her eyes, Casey found herself led deep within Sylvie’s arms and still lying ft on the bed. “Sylvie..” Her voice cracked and she embraced her creator. “I-I saw the eclipse.” Casey ran her hand through the blue-gray hair, desperate to feel something real. “I don’t know how, but it was..like a test.”

  “Your eyes, Casey.” Sylvie felt the liween them loto pce, firming that Casey was indeed her progeny. “They…they…I.” Sylvie gulped and pulled Casey into a tight hug, “They are like looking into the sun.”

  Suddenly aware of Sylvie’s presence far beyond holding the vampiress, Casey felt something clito pd she could almost read the woman’s mind. “Oh, that’s wild.” Casey ughed aurhe hug, lightly kissing Sylvie on her neck. “What, what do you mean about the sun?” Casey pulled bad stared into the full moon eyes of her creator. “I must still be waking up, did you say my eyes..were..”

  “..Yes, like the sun.” Sylvie cupped Casey’s cheeks and swirled her finger gently. “They are golden like the sun. It is like seeing a su..or..” Sylvie smiled aurned Casey’s kiss with one on her progeny’s cheek. “..a sunrise.”