Alice's Awakening

Her slim, pixielike figure was taut with the chilling echoes of a scorching agony as depthless ebony eyes opened to an isolated forest clearing. Alice squinted with pain at the sudden brightness, after what felt like a millennium of darkness, a pulsing ache blossomed behind her eyes. Eyes adjusting to the sunlight, Alice gauged her surroundings. An ocean of evergreen and daisies greeted her keen eyes, surrounded by the sheltering embrace of the ancient towering trees. Their sturdy fingers spread to usher in an iridescent glow, bathing the clearing in light. The forest was alive with the faint buzz of its creatures. Her senses sharpened and suddenly, nothing could hide from her assessing gaze. Every creature, every critter, could be heard, could be seen. The sound of every pulsing heartbeat filled her ears, the rush of blood, the rapid breathing of her prey. All except her own. She jolted off the earth and stood with feline grace. Despite the abrupt discovery, her heart did not jump with surprise, her blood did not flow, and her lungs did not desperately cling to the air.

Alice examined her hands. Smooth, fair, unblemished alabaster skin and thin, slender fingers. Yet even with the artistic delicacy in which her body was carved, there was a pulsating river of... of pure strength. No. It was not a river, but an untamed ocean.

With a vague sense of abnormality, Alice drew in a slow, tentative breath. Rather than the anticipated – the natural – cool flow of air, a scalding intensity bellowed in its stead. The heat seared the inside of her throat, and spasms caused Alice's body to contort and fall to the ground in a serpentine motion. Pangs of a primal cavernous thirst wracked her abdomen. With glowing, lust-filled eyes, Alice hissed. Although, beyond the unbearable torment, a wonderous scent beckoned. It floated on the breeze in a spirited, impassioned melody that compelled Alice's pale, lean legs into a fervent, violent sprint. Her eyes, formerly wide and innocent as a babe, were replaced by those of an apex predator.

With swift efficiency, Alice weaved through the trees and over protruding roots. The acuteness of her senses painted an image of a deer only seconds within her reach, each detailed brushstroke captured the form of the deer grazing in the shadow of an adolescent tree. The texture so clearly illustrated that Alice could faintly feel its coarse fur beneath the crushing strength of her fingertips.

Instantly, Alice was upon the fickle creature. Her claws seized her paralyzed prey thoughtlessly and her elongated canines pierced the vulnerable slope of the deer's neck. The first drop of blood sent her into a senseless frenzy, muscles clenching with an overwhelming need. The velvety innocence was the only thing of significance as it cooled her insides, feeding the ravenous hunger that gradually slipped into a temporarily satiated slumber. Slowly, Alice lifted crimson-stained lips from torn flesh, then, let out a grateful sigh as she tilted her head towards the maze of branches above her. The delicate, angular features of her face were shrouded in the darkness of the shade.

Suddenly, Alice's now golden butterscotch eyes widened, pupils dilated, and her face slackened as a disorienting sense of detachment crept into her limbs.

Alice – but not Alice - stood from the stool where she had waited in anticipation for his arrival. But centuries had taken their toll and despite the bone-deep certainty that he would appear, shackles dug in deeper. The pub door released a cringing yawn and a torrent of rain dampened the moth-eaten mat. Alice smiled as bottomless eyes and the equally beautiful face of a man met her own.

Chains vanished with a silent protest.