Drink Up

"Loyalty. Responsibility. Eternity." Lionel commanded the room as he brought the goblet from above his head to his lips and took a sip. Vivienne felt sick to her stomach. What had she gotten herself into? It couldn't be that bad given as her uncle had been so deeply involved, right? Yet here she was, sacrificing her own blood for some glamorous, expensive cult.

Lionel then passed the goblet to Vivienne and nodded. Over the candlelight she stared into his eyes set aflame for a few moments. She couldn't walk out now. It was her blood in there after all. She turned briefly to look at Claire who also nodded to let her know it was okay. Vivienne looked across the room at the other members gathered there before she closed her eyes and took the tiniest sip possible from the goblet.

The blood was warm and thick. She felt it run across her tongue and down her throat. It was disgusting, metallic, and the thought of it was making her nauseous. She turned to give the goblet back to Lionel and he quickly took it and passed it to the next member who also took a sip and then passed it on. It went like this until the goblet came all the way back around and Clare was the last. Vivienne watched intently as Clare smiled at her and tipped the goblet all the way backwards until every last drip was gone.

Clare placed the goblet on the large wooden table and Lionel spoke again. "It is done. We welcome Miss Vivienne Westing to The Council. Now the real fun can begin." Lionel's smile was dark and suggested something more was afoot.

They all left the library quietly, members conversing with each other on their way out. Vivienne stuck close to Claire and once they weren't near too many people she said in a low voice, "Well, that wasn't so bad." Claire smiled and gave a small laugh. "Oh that wasn't the bad part." Vivienne nearly stopped in her tracks and her mouth hung open slightly. "What do you mean?" Claire pulled her aside into a small hallway. It seemed the leaders of the group were grabbing their coats and heading for the back patio.

"Look. I know that part is weird and stuff but that wasn't what I was talking about earlier." Claire reached into her handbag and pulled out a small water bottle. "You might need this. Just hang on to it. And remember, everything will be okay and I'm here for you. Okay?" Claire seemed sincere and there was such an honesty in her eyes that Vivienne couldn't help but believe her. "Okay..." Vivienne said softly as she took the small water bottle from Claire's hands. "Don't be scared... but, the first time I did this I definitely passed out, so..." Claire smiled weakly but it was obvious she was telling the truth.

What on Earth were they about to do or see that would make Claire pass out? She had only just met Claire but there was something about her that made her seem very brave and confident. Just the fact that Claire had even disclosed that without even a hint of embarrassment spoke volumes. Claire seemed caring and thoughtful. In this moment, Vivienne was so thankful to have someone like her. What would she had done if she hadn't been here tonight? No one else seemed too interested in her, at least not enough to come up to her to strike a conversation. Or maybe they just didn't know how to approach her or what to say. She often felt that was most correct since her uncle had passed.

"You'll want to grab your coat. We'll be outside for a few." Claire told Vivienne. Now what were they going to do? They had already drank a bunch of blood, were they going to sacrifice an animal to the moon or something next? Vivienne put on her coat and held tightly to the little water bottle in her hands. After what she saw earlier today in the basement of the labs, could they really be anything more shocking that would upset her?