Bone Appétit

Click for the full-resolution version.

About the Image

Featured in today’s post is a new release from Sorumin for the current round of Anthem. The Nightshade Dress comes in six color packs, each with four shades ranging from darks and neutrals to softer pastels. A fatpack is also available if you want the full range of colors. The included HUD lets you customize every part of the dress, making it easy to create your own look. The delicate lace necklace is optional, so you can wear the dress with or without it depending on the style you’re going for. Stop by Anthem to pick up a demo of Nightshade and try it for yourself.

Synnergy.Tavis also kicked off its annual 25 Days of Halloween gift calendar on October 1, with a new gift available each day for group members. The Bone Appétit Bakery backdrop and Bone Appétit Coffees in Serena’s hands are two of the gifts released so far. The Synnergy.Tavis in-world group currently costs $150L to join, but with 25 gifts up for grabs, it’s a great value. Gifts typically include Halloween-themed backdrops along with fun holdable props that are perfect for seasonal photos. Best of all, if you miss a day, you can still go back and pick up the earlier gifts at any time. Don’t miss this chance to add some spooky new goodies to your Second Life Halloween photo collection! 🎃

Complete credits are below the story. Store and event SLurls are available on the Store & Event Links page.

The Story

Serena knew something was wrong the moment she woke up hungry. Not breakfast hungry. Not even I skipped dinner, and now I regret my life choices hungry. This was something else entirely.

She sat up in bed and stared into the darkness. Beside her, Gavin slept soundly with one arm flung across his pillow, and Fiona curled into a little white ball at the foot of the bed. Serena could hear both of them breathing. Actually, she could hear everything — the ticking clock downstairs, a car passing several streets away, the faint rustle of something moving through the bushes outside. And underneath it all, steady and rhythmic, she could hear Gavin’s heartbeat.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Serena frowned. “That’s new.”

She slipped out of bed and padded into the bathroom. The moment she flipped on the light and looked in the mirror, she screamed. Gavin didn’t stir, which seemed deeply unfair considering she could apparently hear a squirrel three houses away.

Her skin was almost porcelain white. Her eyes looked darker, her lips were a deep red, and when she cautiously pulled back her upper lip, two very definite fangs gleamed beneath the bathroom light.

“Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me.”

She stared at herself for another moment, then noticed her hair. Somehow, while turning into a vampire, it had also turned mostly white and was tied with little black bows.

“Okay,” she admitted, turning her head slightly. “That part is kind of cute.”

The hunger hit her again.

Serena glanced toward the bedroom, where Gavin’s heartbeat seemed suddenly much louder.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Nope.”

Whatever was happening, she was absolutely not going to eat her fiancé.

She grabbed the first clothes she could find and hurried downstairs. In the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and stared hopefully at its contents: leftover pizza, yogurt, half a bottle of wine, and a container of strawberries that had probably crossed the line from ripe into science experiment. None of it looked remotely appealing.

Then, through the kitchen window, she noticed a red glow in the distance.

A sign.

BONE APPÉTIT

Serena blinked.

No bakery sat at the end of her street. At least, there hadn’t been one yesterday.

Five minutes later, she was walking through swirling autumn leaves toward a tiny café decorated with pumpkins, skulls, ghosts, and enough flickering candles to violate several fire codes. The windows were filled with cakes shaped like coffins, cookies decorated as eyeballs, and pastries that looked like they were bleeding raspberry filling.

A chalkboard beside the door read:

TODAY’S SPECIALS
Dead-Eye Danish
Cryptkeeper Croissants
Red Velvet Coffin Cake
Pumpkin Scream Latte
Type O Negative — Extra Shot 50¢

Serena stopped and stared at the last line.

“Absolutely not.”

The bell over the door jingled as she stepped inside. Behind the counter, a barista looked up and gave Serena a knowing smile.

“New vampire?”

Serena stared at her. “Is it that obvious?”

“You still look horrified.”

“Fair.”

The woman nodded sympathetically. “First night is always rough. What can I get you?”

“Coffee.”

“What kind?”

“Normal.”

That earned her a laugh. Serena did not join in.

“Okay,” the barista said. “Normal coffee. Cream?”

“Yes.”

“Sugar?”

“Two.”

“Blood?”

Serena just stared at her until the woman cleared her throat.

“Never mind.”

A few minutes later, Serena emerged from the café carrying a tray loaded with coffees and a pastry she didn’t remember ordering. Somehow, she had ended up with five drinks despite knowing perfectly well there were only two people in the house who drank coffee, and one of them was apparently now undead.

She looked down at the pastry perched on top of one cup. Green icing dripped over the sides like slime, and a tiny nail stuck out of the Frankenstein head.

She took a bite.

“Oh.”

Then another.

“Oh, that’s good.”

Maybe being a vampire wasn’t entirely terrible.

A sudden gust of wind sent leaves swirling around her feet. Serena tightened her grip on the drink carrier and started home, sipping her coffee as she went. Strangely enough, the hunger had disappeared.

Maybe she didn’t need blood after all. Maybe coffee was enough.

That seemed reasonable.

She was halfway home when something swooped past her head.

Serena ducked as a bat circled overhead.

“No.”

It swooped again.

“I am warning you.”

The bat landed on a nearby fence and stared at her.

Serena stared back.

Then the bat spoke.

“You forgot Gavin’s coffee.”

Serena looked down at the five cups in her hands.

“No, I didn’t.”

“You got four for yourself.”

She checked the labels. All four cups had her name written on them.

The fifth said SAGE.

Serena slowly raised her eyes to the bat.

“Why did I buy Sage coffee? She doesn’t even live with me.”

The bat gave a tiny shrug of its wings.

“Dream logic.”

Serena narrowed her eyes.

“Wait.”

The street vanished.

The bakery vanished.

The bat vanished.

Serena opened her eyes to morning sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. Gavin was still asleep beside her, Fiona was curled at the foot of the bed, and Serena’s hair was most definitely not white with black bows.

She ran her tongue over her teeth.

No fangs.

“Oh, thank God.”

Gavin stirred beside her. “You okay?”

“I had a weird dream.”

“Mm.” He pulled the blanket higher. “What happened?”

“I was a vampire.”

“Cool.”

“I went out for coffee.”

“Of course you did.”

“There was a talking bat.”

“Obviously.”

“And apparently I bought Sage a latte.”

Gavin finally opened one eye.

“But not me?”

Serena stared at him. Of all the things she had just said, that was what bothered him?

She rolled over and grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Checking something.”

She opened Maps and searched for Bone Appétit.

No results.

Serena smiled, set the phone aside, and sank back against her pillow.

Just a dream.

Then, from somewhere downstairs, came the faint sound of a bell.

Jingle.

Serena’s eyes flew open.

A moment later, the soft flutter of wings came from outside the bedroom window.

She pulled the blanket over her head.

“Nope.”

CREDITS

Serena

TRUTH Collect x Faga Nebula (NEW)
Glam Affair River Fairy Tale (past hunt gift)
WarPaint Gauntly Contour
Izzie’s Whiskey Smokey Eyeshadow (Updated 2k)
Izzie’s Halloween Colors Lipstick (Updated 2k)
IKON Bliss Eyes
Ysoral Eva-Lou Earrings
Sorumin Nightshade Dress (NEW @ Anthem)
Glam Affair Ethereal Essence Fairy Tale Body Skin
Veechi Web Ombré Gels
Izzie’s Ultra Sheer Tights
Synnergy.Tavis Bone Appétit Coffee Holdables (group gift)