[h1][color=Crimson]Alice [/color][/h1]

If what he said was true, Alice supposed she could try for a little courage. It wasn’t as easy as everyone seemed to think though, sure, she could resolve to brave and determined as much as she liked, but that didn’t stop the fear when it came. When her hands started shaking, when her throat constricted to the point where she could barely breath, when it felt like the whole world was about to crash down around her ears, it wasn’t something she could just [i]stop[/i]. And of course, there was the omnipresent apprehension that if it did stop, she’d lose a part of herself, a part that gave her humanity, made her normal, because what kind of person could live in a body like this and not be scared? 

 Oliver understood, partially anyway. Of course, his idea of a solution to Alice’s worrying was just to worry about it more. He did everything he could though, everything in his power to try and make sure Alice had nothing to be afraid [i]of[/i], but he had a hard time realising that as soon as one problem disappeared, her brain would invent another just to take its place. 

 At least Suleykaar’s guarantee that there were good vampires out there was reassuring, albeit difficult to believe as the only good vampire she’d ever met was Oliver, and he hadn’t even properly come of age yet. But his words would be comforting for a time, as long as she didn’t allow herself to overthink it, and seeds of doubt to crawl in where they were most definitely unwanted. She inhaled deeply, building herself up, before daring to give him a small smile and a nod of understanding. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had to offer right now. 

 She looked up as she noticed the girl who’d sat down at the table, and a crimson hot blush spread rapidly through her cheeks and up to her ears. There was another person here? Another stranger? Had she heard everything she’d just told Suleykaar? Did the entire school already know? She tried to keep the panicked flailing to a minimum as she sank down into her chair, eyes flying round the room rapidly, almost as if she expected hunters sent by her sire to be dropping in through the windows at that very moment. 

 She bit down on her lower lip, teeth digging into the already damaged tissue. The girl introduced herself as Kiara, literally oozing confidence as did so, and making Alice’s stomach clench painfully. The girl extended a long, slender arm of introduction to Suleykaar, but Alice could only watch their interaction as she willed herself to sink down deep under the floor.