champagne confines (vampin)

7/27/2019 Champagne Confines (Vampin)

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Mimosas

Chapter 1

Every morning, they woke to Romanian radio.Through the intercom it blasted the news which

let them know it was time to get up, make their

beds, brush their teeth and go to breakfast. You

didnt want to mess up the morning routine,

either, because youd be confined in your roomfor the rest of the day. For the first time in her

life, she didnt want solitude.

She got out of bed and put on her jeans

and tee shirt. A quick brush through her hair

and she went out to breakfast.The fluorescent lights flickered as she

walked down the bright hall.

Good morning, said Mikaela the prison

guard.

In the caf, most of her jail mates were

already sat down to coffee and eggs. Only this

morning, everyone had light orange substances

in up plastic glasses.

Hi, Starr, said her new friend, Jana only it was pronounced hana. Mimosas today!

She raised her plastic champagne glass and

shook it lightly.


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Starr smiled and said, Sweet!

She walked up to the buffet and got a

tray. Lately, shed been craving ice cream likecrazy. Every morning, alongside her omelet, she

had a bowl of the chocolate frosty. Something

about the way the cold touched her tongue,

followed by hot coffee made it taste even

better.

If youre not careful, youll turn into ice

cream, said Jana.

So be it!

She took a large spoonful down.

You know, said Janas friend, Morenia.

You are very strange. I mean, this isnt

hardcore jail, but even we arent entirely happy

to be here.

Well, lets just say that Ive been longoverdue for a vacation.

She took a long swig of her coffee and

started on her eggs.

You never told us what you did, Jana

said.

Starr froze with her fork midair. Then she

took the bite and said, Im surprised you dont


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already know. And since you dont, Id rather

not say. Besides, you two havent been quick to

tell me what youve done, either. In fact, it

seems like no one wants to speak of whytheyre here.

Some of us have reputations to protect,

Morenia replied.

Oh, you assumed I dont?Well, no, but youre obviously enjoying

yourself a little too much, I might add.

After breakfast, Starr, Jana and Moreniawent outside and played a few games of tennis.

Starr, occasionally, pretended to miss a hit,

though she never let them win.

You cant be beat said Morenia. You

must come and play with me and my family atour country club. Youll be admired.

Id love that, Starr said and smiled.

Smiling was something shed done a lot of

these days. Reading, movies, champagne and

good company was her life the last few weeks.

The only thought that brought her down was

that it would end soon, and she didnt know

what was next in her life.


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You will come, both of you, and then Ill

show you a real vacation!

After a few more rounds, Jana andMorenia went to Mass off site while Starr was

called to the visitors lounge.

Marla and Shane sat at a table looking

curious.

So how are things in here? asked Marlawith a smirk.

Good.

The construction crew arrived today.

Theyre sifting through the rubble and trying touse as much of it as they can.

Okay, great.

We wanted to check up on you before we

leave for Thailand. Are you eating well?

Drinking well? asked Shane.

Yeah, Im managing; its fine. Hows

Council business?

Everyones freaking out, but its only

natural. Theyll get over it soon. Then shepulled out a tablet and said, I have some

things I want to go over with you. The Monterey


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Property: Since youre no longer working for the

Council, you have to find other ways to fund it.

Monterey was an old restored Victorianhome in California. Reportedly, it was haunted

and people regularly came to visit. It was a

financial loss but it was a tourist attraction.

Yeah, Ive been thinking about my

situation, and theres no other way. I dontknow what my future holds, and I have no idea

where my next paycheck is coming from. So Im

gonna start selling off homes and castles.

Ill get Marxus on it.

No, Ive got someone in mind.

After wishing them a safe trip, Starr called

Parker. He was an Englishman shed met many

years ago. He was well connected. Starr had a

feeling hed move her properties and get her

good prices.

Wow, what a surprise! he said. So are

you calling me from jail?

Starr laughed and said, Yeah!

Is it bad?

No, actually, its what Americans call

white collar. Dont get me wrong, though; there


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are some downer parts to being even in this

kind of prison.

How can I help you?I quit the Council, and unfortunately, I

dont have enough income to cover

reconstruction of my fathers castle. However, I

have some properties to sell. But If I dont get

enough to cover the construction costs, and thecastle doesnt get finished, then the judge will

come after me again.

How much time have you got?

At first, I need to sell quickly, because I

need a few million euros to get started on whatthey called Phase I construction.

How many properties are we talking

about?

Thats the problem: Im not sure becauseevery few years, something pops up. It seems,

in Credenzas time, property was worth more

than money, so instead of growing bank

accounts, she accumulated mass amounts of

properties over the last two millenniums. Were

talking houses, land, and castles that are tooexpensive to maintain. Some of which are a

grain of sand away from tumbling and returning

to dust. Starr sighed and then continued.


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Now, heres the second problem: Minister

Gabor, of national culture and patrimony, has

been eyeing all of my known properties and has

served me several notices of impending takeover.

Right, he interrupted. Thats the law,

here: If you dont maintain your historical asset,

they can take them.

Yes and I need you to sell those

properties first.

Yeah, otherwise youll lose money, he

said. Anything else?

No, thats all, except I just want you tosell until theres enough to pay for my fathers

castle and so that I can start a new life. If you

should reach that point, then you can stop

selling. So basically, this could be a few years

worth of work.

Okay, can you send me some contracts?

Ill have my lawyer look them over.

Yeah, Ill have Shane send you

everything you need.


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Messing with Misses

Chapter 2

That evening, after everyone was locked intotheir rooms, Starr got out of bed and slipped

back into her clothes. Night was the best time

to feed because they only had one staff

member. Starr read her mind and knew she was

bribable.Nia was a struggling mother of four. No

husband and no family to help. She wasnt a

bad person, either. All she had to do was freeze

the camera for a few seconds twice per night. It

would look like a glitch in the system, and aslong as nothing went wrong, no one would

notice.

Nia knocked, lightly, on her door.

Starr opened up and slipped her one

thousand euros. Then she tip toed down the halland out to the tennis courts. From there, she

flew off into the sky and out to the forests

where she tracked a boar.

That area was dense with pigs, almost to

the point of nuisance. At night, they wereknown for destroying crops. The city was in a

bind because some wanted them poisoned


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while others were worried about ecological

ramifications.

Immediately, she sensed them andselected a particularly aggressive male.

Levitating, she chased him through the trees,

and it grunted ridiculously. Then she leapt onto

its back and broke its neck.

A few minutes later, the pig was dry. Butit was only 11 pm. Plus, what a waste it would

be to simply leave the carcass there. So she

gathered some wood and kindling and made

herself a bonfire, over which she gutted and

roasted the pig.

At 1 am, she laughed at herself. What in

the world was she going to do with all that

meat?

Ah ha, she said and smiled.

She gathered the bits, still on its spit andflew back to the prison.

Careful to avoid cameras, she snuck in

through the kitchen door. There she found

everything she needed to cut it up and package

it, which she, then, gave to Nia.

What is this? she whispered. The

emotions on her face looked torn between

fascination and worry that Starr had visitors.


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Its a gift! Dont worry about how I got it!

No one saw anything. If anything happens, Ill

take care of you. Good night!

She closed the door and climbed into bed.

The sun was just rising, but she had enough

time to catch at least one hour of sleep.

When she went out to breakfast later, itwas to find Jana looking morose. Starr tried to

read her mind, wondering what was wrong. All

she got was images of an older lady and a

young man hassling her.

As before, she dug into her ice cream.

You smell smoky, she said, like youve

been near a fire or something.

I dont smell anything, Starr lied.

That day was much the same as before,

except they spent the afternoon playing pool

and exercising in the gym.

Hey, Starr! said a woman name Ginny.

She was the prisons contraband expert.

Although the staff knew about her activities,

they pretended not to in exchange for freebies.

You want to buy some facial masks?


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Starr laughed.

Heck, yeah, I do! Jana butted in. What

do you got?Come to my room after lunch.

Then she walked to a couple more tables

and invited a few others to her room.

And come to her room, they did.

There were already half a dozen people

by the time they got there. Those who were her

top clients got the first pick and paid her the

most in credits. Credits were a monetary

system the prison used to reward or punish theinmates; they were in turn used to buy things

from the prison, like special soap or razors;

snacks or drinks. Credits could be bought with

cash, too. Starr, Jana, and Morenia had lots of

credits; hence she was always trying to sell

them things.

On Ginnys bed were hundreds of

individually wrapped mask sheets. They were

all different kinds, like red ginseng, aloe vera,

vitamin C, mushroom extract and etc.

Holy cow! said Morenia, who

immediately took to sifting through the many

packets.


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Jana was more interested in the few

dozen Lancome lipsticks and mascaras she had

lying on her bed.

Where are you gonna wear makeup?

What a waste! said fellow inmate, Mary.

Just because were in jail, it doesnt

mean we dont want to live like were in the

world, Molly, another inmate, replied.Starr, you gonna buy anything? asked

Ginny.

Just for the fun of it, she grabbed a few

masks. Sure, she didnt have to worry about

treating her skin, but she found the coolingsensation and aromas relaxing.

Sometime later, they sat in the common

area watching movies. Many of the women had

white sheets on their faces, were doing their

nails and playing with makeup.

Looks like Ginny did well, today, said

Morenia.

Starr turned and saw a long line of ladies

waiting at the office window in order to settleaccounts with Ginny. A few of the staff

members had been more than mollified over

her activities. They got free gift bags and last

picks for free.


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That night, lying in bed, Starr checked up

on Shane and Marla. Shane could hold her own

but it was Marlas first mission. Starr tried to

convince Marla that it would be too dangerous,but she seemed to be looking for adventure

lately. Shed become bored with accounting

work and wanted to find herself.

Starr closed her eyes and imagined she

was talking to Shane and Marla; that she couldsee them in a hotel room somewhere. And like

an astral projection, all of the sudden she felt

like she was there.

A vision came to mind. Marla stood in

front of her bathroom mirror, applying makeup.

Starr, are you here? she asked aloud.

Yep, just checking on you.

All is well. Were about to meet with

Anchali.

Glad to hear it. I have a few warnings: Be

careful of Anchali and her associates. They can

be tricky and manipulative. And since they

dont show their emotions, they can be

misleading, often saying one thing while feelingor meaning another. Theyre also very mentally

disciplined, so dont rely on everything you read


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from their minds. Many have been fooled

before.

Thanks for the advice. Well call if weneed you.

A few weeks passed in the same old

fashion. Life was a social gala, though only in

their small prison world. But the following week,

the upper levels residents who were allowedthe most privileges - were allowed out on the

town. When asked about the activity theyd like

to have on Friday night, they invariably agreed

on going out to dinner.

They were escorted to a fine restaurant ina van. It was quite an interesting sight,

especially as all the ladies wore their best, only

to arrive in what looked like a black maria.

Did you see the look on the valets face,

Jana said and laughed.

Yeah, were a bunch of classy ladies,

now! said Morenia.

Despite funny looks, they were seated at

decent tables. Some minutes later, a round of

free drinks were sent by a party of men in suits.The ladies laughed as they raised their glasses

to them in thanks.

If only they knew, said Ginny.


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Together, they ordered many Romanian

dishes, but Starr was always partial to the

simpler foods, like Galusta cu Prune and

sarmale; or rather, plum dumplings and stuffed,spiced cabbage rolls. She supposed it had

something to do with growing up on a simpler

diet and basic American foods.

When it became time to order dessert,

the men from across the room sent themchocolate clatite crepes. The ladies giggled as

the wait staff pushed chairs in between them,

so the men who sent drinks could squeeze in.

They were from the bank which was next door

to the restaurant. Starr sensed they were all

married, but like the stereotypes, were big flirts.

After dinner, the bankers escorted them

to their van. When they returned to prison, she

saw Nia was working that night. Starr was glad

because she needed to feed.

Things would have been easier if there

were rats in the jail, which there were, but the

warden made pest control a priority. The result

of her diligence was Starr having to lure mice

from outside which took too much time and

looked suspicious. Starr couldnt take small

drinks from people, as just the mixing of saliva

could turn someone.


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The only other alternative was to feed on

herself, and there was no way she was going to

do that. You might as well drink your own urine.

So that night Nia came to her room and

let her out again.

As before, she went on a hunt, but this

time found a fox. She drained it, pulled off its

fur and gutted it; then hung it on a spit. Itwasnt so bad tasting, either.

She tiptoed back to her room.

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