Alice.

He could not shake her from his mind, nor his dark heart. Not that he wanted to at all. Liam Enduro was in no denial that he was in truth infatuated with young Alice Lynch, that raven haired beauty whom he had turned, who his blood flowed through. How he longed for her, to hold her, to stroke her hair and feel her smooth skin against his own. Even now his thoughts were of only her, as he stood alone on one of his favorite rooftops overlooking the city of New York.

“Hmph.” He grunted to himself as he looked out over the city, taking in the beautiful site that was New York City after sundown. He had done this hundreds of times through the decades, and still the charm of such did not fade.
His handsome, pale face was locked in a grim expression. His arms were crossed tensely across his chest, his knees were locked in an uncomfortable position.
He wore a tan-colored Parisian coat over a black v-neck shirt, and gray slacks adorned his legs, brushing against the black loafers on his feet.
He would have looked quite charming in a classy bar or lounge, or even a business interview.

Oh, Alice Lynch, He thought. You cannot evade nor resist me forever. I will have you one way or another. And once I have you...

Liam snorted and shook his head to himself, smiling grimly.
“How corrupting and intoxicating they are, love and lust. Quite amazing.”

Alice gazed absently at the paper before her. It had been some time since the disastrous ball, since she had visited her shop which now surely was in the hands of her father and his greedy spawn- her brother. The dark lock about her finger was twisted out of shape as she stared at the paper without really seeing it. While she had tried to embrace life as one of the night walking, blood suckers, it was quickly loosing its charm. With a city keeping it's eyes out for Alice Lynch and a stalker who would do anything to get his hands on her, going outside was a stressful experience for the young vampire.

Scattered about her were different designs, doomed to be forever trapped in paper. Their color and forms would never be brought forth to the needle and cloth. Never pressed upon delighted forms of people to make them shimmer and shine. Alice herself was colorless in her dejected state. While she still kept herself healthy, Alice did little else. Becoming the shadow she had been when living with her family before she had left and been disowned. The latter which was now forgotten as her family was trying to navigate this scandal of her disappearance and keep their fortune intact. Alice doubted they would have any problems, but she was mourning. Her passion had been imprisoned by fear, her desire to listen to jazz and drink good tea quelled by the consistency of it.

The lessons with Liza were hardly any better. Alice's skill at fighting were abysmal to put it lightly. She had no knack for it. Running? Oh, she could run for her life and hide quite well. But actually fighting? Alice had known it was a mistake when she had first asked, but surely it would not be so hard! The woman almost laughed at her foolishness. It had been hard- worse than hard. With a needle and thread she could annoy and 'polite' people to death, but give her a knife and she was likely to cut herself. Odd considering she had little problems cooking. Wrapping her arms about her knees the young vampire rested her forehead on them and gave a soft sigh. Was this what eternity would be like? Hiding away in a hovel? Loosing what she desired most because of some scandal or other that would happen as she faked her death. Thankful at least she had been able to refund and respond to many of the clients she had had. Claiming there was a emergency and she would be out of business due to the 'situation'. Something that someone had taken to the police. They had been even more furious. But how could they trace her? She had dealt with it all from her own computer at her home.

She had salvaged some of the precious items. Pieces that could not be remade, items of sentimental value. All stored away in one of the bags carefully. One was a coat so like the one she had sold Liam that fateful night. But the detail in the minuscule embroidery had been tasking. Taking her hours and years to complete. It laid out over Liza's bed. The sun glittering over the thread she had carefully prepared those years ago. Two colors wrapped about a third. The buttons were not a overly tacky gold but a softer silver edged with the gold. The dark material of the coat was not black, but a deep red mixed with the same thread technique under a deep ebon-grey and black. A interior lined with dark silver. It had been a part of a paired line she had done. The matching dress- one she had kept for herself- lost in her store. The coat alone was worth a fortune, the dress to match with it? The price would allow her to open her store in another country and live contently while business picked up. Her eyes blurred with tears at the thought of selling the magnificent piece.

The door to the apartment suddenly opened with a slight creak, and in stepped Liza. She had been out shopping and had a pair of plastic bags in her right hand. She wore a black sweatshirt and a pair of skinny jeans, her hair hung loosely as usual. She reached around with her left hand and pulled the key from the slot, and then pushed the door shut with a click, turning the lock. “Thank God for twenty-four hour malls.” she said as she placed both bags on the counter.

It was nighttime, the clock near the bed stating the time at 5:23 a.m.
Liza placed the apartment key on the night table and spoke to Alice, “Hey, feelin’ better? Actually don’t answer that. Look-I got you something.”
Liza reached into one of the bags and took out a thick sketch pad and a sketching set. The sketchbook had eighty pages and the sketching set had four pencils, an eraser, two sticks of charcoal, an ink pen, a small plastic sharpener for the pencils.

Liza extended the supplies to Alice and said,”Here ya’ go. I can take them back if they don’t suit, no hard feelings.” she said with a joking smirk.

Alice looked over with a bare flicker of recognition crossing her face as she raised her head from her hands. Opening her mouth to answer it she closed it when Liza waved her off. Staring at the sketch pad, Alice tried to smile. Knowing the watery smile was far from true. "No, their fine." Alice said with a world weary quietness that spoke volumes. The woman was a far cry from the happy woman as she had been before Enduro had come into her shop. How she hated that man!

"I just... Drawing is all well and good." She gave a small sigh as her eyes drooped as her head set back down onto her hand. "My passion is needle and cloth. Making people look their best and feeling it." She sighed and ran a slim hand through her dark hair. "I'm sorry, it's not that I don't appreciate all you've done. I'm just missing what I had." The tailor admitted softly.

“I understand,” Liza said ,”I really do. I just thought drawing might calm you. It does me. And I can’t exactly fit a sewing machine in here.”
She placed the items before Alice and turned back to the bags on the counter and began removing miscellaneous groceries; packaged meat, canned goods, a bottle of ketchup, a bag of seasoning, and so forth. She spoke aloud to Alice, her back still turned,”Two questions for you. Firstly, how would you feel about spaghetti and meatballs for our dinner? I’ll season it thoroughly if you’d like and of course mix a packet or two of blood into the sauce.”

She aloud Alice a chance to answer, and then asked her second question,”How about coming with me to work tonight? It’ll probably be pretty slow, and you can hangout at the bar with Conner again. Remember him?”

Alice nodded absently and murmured an assent to the food. It hardly mattered either way to the tailor. All she could taste was the bitter loss. She could be eating cardboard and Alice doubted she would notice. But the second question made her grow quiet considering the fact the last time she had seen a certain patron at the bar she had flung a very hate filled, albeit desperate, insult in the werewolf's face.

"Conner?" She puzzled. Dalton was the friend she had chased away with quite figuratively a big stick. Though it had been to escape a brutal scene, Alice still felt guilty over that. "I'm not sure." She admitted, Thought the prospect of leaving the apartment terrified her, she didn't think she could remain inside much longer. "But... perhaps. Perhaps I'll go."

Liza smiled and replied,”Good. It’ll help you unwind.” She turned from the counter to face Alice, leaning back against it. “You don’t remember Conner?” Liza puzzled. The fact that out of everyone there, Conner was the one that Slice had mentally misplaced. “Conner,” repeated Liza, raising her right hand high over her head to indicate a tall person, “tall Italian-looking guy with dark hair and arms the size of boulders.”

Conner had been the bartender that night who had casually chatted away with Alice while Liza worked. In fact he was the bartender at Benny’s Bar, and the manager to boot. He had worked there longer than most all of the other employees, aside from the cook.

Alice blushed and nodded at a second. Her memory was usually keen so this lapse embarrassed the tailor immensely. All the worry about Liam Enduro, and the stress over that bitch's stunt had put Alice in a mood. That mood had given way to depression when the newly made vampire became ensnared in a life she had never wanted. A life foisted upon her by greed. "My apologies." Alice sighed, pressing slim fingers to her forehead. "It's... been hard."

The excuse was lame and Alice knew it. In truth, not that she would admit to anyone let alone herself, Alice Lynch was slowly sliding into depression. The lack of her life's work. Eternity before her and she was cooped up like a caged bird. Fearing the cat would get her the minute she hopped out of that gilded cage. It wouldn't be so bad, but the cage was a basic thing and lacked the amusements that were her hobby. Or rather those amusements that had been afforded to had become too familiar. Staring absently out the window, Alice gave a sorrowful sigh. Unable to hide away the longing in her eyes for what she could not get back.