Next day, as Fiona wasn’t working, she got up and spent ages putting on her best outfit, all lace and latex.

By the time she had finished, she looked like an ancient black and white photo of herself, and she was really satisfied with the results. For some reason, she felt she had to really impress the other woman who, according to the card, was called Kelly.

Heading out, she arrived at Kelly’s studio just after 10, and knocked.

Kelly opened the door and smiled.

“That’s more like it”, she said. “You look a bit more complete now, as well as more comfortable.”

The two women got on well and spent the next hour or so looking at some of Kelly’s designs, both as drawings and as actual garments.

As they wandered around the studio, Kelly started asking more about what it meant to be a Goth, and whether she was really committed to the lifestyle.

“What do you mean…?”, asked Fiona. “I mean, look at me! I couldn’t be more into it if I tried!”

“Perhaps you could…”, said Kelly, strangely. “There’s something I’ve been working on…”

Her hand brushed against Fiona’s and Fiona suddenly felt something like a sting on her wrist.

She was just aware of Kelly catching her as she slumped forward…

A short time later, she awoke.

Everything looked blurry, to start with; she realised something was in front of her eyes…

Shakily, she stood up and walked over to a mirror.

Her outfit was similar to before, but to her amazement she could see that her boots were locked on, as was her corset. She was now also wearing a backpack the same as Kelly’s and, looking closer, she could see a small cable coming from the backpack that plugged into the new choker that she was wearing around her neck (which was also locked on). She was also wearing lace opera gloves and a veil…

Something also felt wrong in her mouth. Opening it, and standing near the mirror, she saw that her canines were now pointed…

Crying, she called out. “Kelly! What the hell have you done to me…?!?!”

“You wanted to be committed to the lifestyle”, Kelly said. “Now you are. Let me explain…”

“The outfit that you are now wearing is locked on. That is for your protection, as much as everyone else’s.”

Kelly walked over and hugged Fiona.

“The backpack you are now wearing is your life support system. Without it, you would go crazy in seconds, as your need for fresh blood would consume you. After all, you’re a vampire now…”

“No! I can’t be! You’re lying…!”

“That’s why you’ve got a veil and opera gloves. Direct sunlight will be extremely painful for you. At least you can still go out during the day wearing that outfit.”

“I can’t go to work like this”, said Fiona. “You’ve got to undo this! Please!”

 “Sorry, it’s permanent”, Kelly said. “I thought it was what you wanted; we spoke about it at length today…”

She came over and tried to hug the sobbing Fiona, but she pulled away.

“I didn’t think you meant anything like this”, she cried. “What am I going to do now…?”

“You could always work with me”, said Kelly. “I love the outfit. Actually, I’m keen on the person inside it, as well…”

“How can you possibly think I’d want a relationship with you?”, cried Fiona. “Especially after what you’ve done to me…”

Still sobbing, Fiona turned and walked out of the studio…