Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (Alexandrea)

[Alston Hughes (DELETED 4923)]

Sitting in his room, Alston was folding his clothes and packing them into a large suit case. He was leaving the comforts of his parent's home to travel to Harper Rock to investigate a missing necklace. Alston's father Zane got word that one of his creations went missing the week before and sent out someone to find it only to hear that the person went missing also. Suspicious, Zane thought someone in his company was trying to sabotage everything he had earned over the years. Thinking quickly he asked Alston so he didn't have to spend more money and this was his way of getting his only child out of his hair.

Growing up in Long Island New York, Alston was a spoiled child as his family was very rich. They earned their fortune by selling unique pieces of jewelry to the rich. Alston spent his days walking the beach and bossing other kids around in front of his parents. But when he was alone he was noted as the eccentric child by his peers and other parents as well.

After years of being bullied he went into hiding, going on trips for his father when ever he needed it. So when he was asked to go retrieve an item he started packing. Within a hour he had everything in his bag and walked down the stairs. Hugging both of his parents good bye he left and got on the plane.

It wasn't long before he arrived to Harper rock. First he stopped at the shop and looked around. Asking questions he took the information down then left to go to his room in one of there hotels. Sitting down he texted his father letting him know he had arrived.

[Alexandrea]

Alexandrea sat down her pen and stood up from her desk, stretching out her arms and her back with a sigh. She was nearly done writing about her life before Harper Rock but even though she had wanted to do it for herself as she neared the end she was feeling less motivated.

Her sire had left soon after Alexandrea had woke from her turning and despite being adopted now and having many friends, thinking about Rebecca always made her feel sad and lonely. She made a rude noise at herself for being so needy. The scent of the nearby river and early winter blew in the window, moonlight following in silver streams of light. The silk curtain danced gracefully in the gentle breeze and Alex stepped closer to enjoy the view of the night sky.

It wasn’t so long ago she wanted to be alone, as alone as anyone could be. Funny how you always seem to get what you wish for; after you no longer want it.

She knew what would snap her out of her self-pity party. She had recently acquired a necklace so lovely, that she hadn't had the heart to dismantle it for her own creations like she always did with all the jewelry she 'liberated'. Alex closed the window and went to her wall safe to admire it while trying to recall which store she had been 'visiting' that night.

Nodding to her self, Alexandrea recalled the location and after relocking the safe and replacing the oil painting she went to go put on her 'work clothes'.

[Alston Hughes (DELETED 4923)]

Furrowing his eyebrows Alston got up and reviewed the information. The first thing he was curious about was why would someone want to cross his father? The shop keeper told him that the man who came before him had a spooked look on his face and that the man had told him he seen things. The shop keeper who had been living there for quite some time told Alston about a couple local stories. Dismissing the shop keeper as a lunatic he went onto the next piece and that the camera's were gone. Which was what lead his father to believe it was an inside job.

Getting up he opened his suit case and grabbed clothes. Heading to the shower he got undressed and washed up. Drying off he slipped on a white shirt, over that was a blue plaid shirt and finally he slipped on velvet coat. Grabbing a pair of black suit pants and boxers he slipped though on and finished his attire with white socks and black loafers.

Grabbing a picture of the woman who had come here the week before he set out on the town to see if anyone seen her. Leaving the room he went to the front desk and asked a woman if she had seen her. Shaking her head she nodded and left. Going from one district to the next he asked everyone if they had seen her, some shook their heads others told him off. By the last person he had grown frustrated. "Hello, miss! Can you help me! I am looking for a w-. Miss?!"

With a blink of a eye he watched a woman bend her knees and jump into the air and over a tall building. Gasping he rubbed his eyes then took off running. When he got to the other side the woman was gone. Standing there he went to grab his phone to tell his father but he knew he would only be yelled at for acting strange again. Turning around he called it a day and went straight to the bar there wasnt anything else he could do for the night.

[Alexandrea]

Alexandrea pulled on the tight black turtle neck sweater after putting on the matching black jeans and pinning up her hair. The black ski mask was shoved into her bag to put on later, along with the rest of her gear and black gloves. She took the grappling hook Cherry had given her along this time, the jewelry store she was going back to was in a high rise.

She wondered if the cameras that she had disabled had been replaced already and took some cam scramblers along with her just in case. Between the knock out bombs, smoke bombs and lock picks the bag was almost full. A few empty bags for loot took up the last of the empty space and she fastened it across her back. Alex used celerity to get to the alley behind the building, saving her energy for the job.

Jumping to the fire escape after putting on the mask, Alexandrea took it to the roof and then with the grappling hook, repelled down to the office window of the store that was her target. She didn't have to fidget with the lock too long and it was open.

Last time, the best loot had been in the safe right here in this very same office. And the guards were all out in the store. There had been four of them last time, and she had managed to avoid them all but when the best stuff was in this one room, why bother going in through the door?

She knelt down beside the safe and got to work on the lock.

[Alston Hughes (DELETED 4923)]

Swirling a glass of scotch he pushed a twenty towards the bartender and left. As he was leaving his phone went off. It was Alston father. Picking up the phone he spoke in a low tone. "Hell-o, Father." Grunting Zane knew immediately his son was drinking. "What news do you have!" Furrowing his eyebrows he hung his head and went into a alley. "I have nothing. I talked to the shop keeper and tried looking for the woman. I have had a hard day so im calling it quits." Holding the phone away his father roared! "Quits?! After one day? Dont come home! Do-" Clicking the phone he let out a heavy sigh. His father always took things to literal.

He was about to slump down when he just left to go into the jewelry store. Moving into the building he moved past the guards and went into the back. Opening a door he stopped and saw someone by the safe. Without thinking he shouted. "Hey! YOU!" Moving towards the intruder he reached out to grab them and call the police.

[Alexandrea]

With enhanced hearing as a vampire, it was easy as pie for Alexandrea to hear the sounds of the tumblers in the old safe. They had changed the combination after her last visit but hadn't bothered to upgrade the safe. She chuckled softly. Perhaps they had decided that the last robbery was an inside job. Alex quickly filled the empty bags and tied them to her belt before repacking the tools of her trade and closing up the safe.

She heard someone at the door and got up with a knock out bomb already in hand. Dammit. She thought to her self; if she hadn't taken the time to have a small laugh at what she had thought was going to be a easy in and out, she might have heard footsteps sooner and already be out the window. Now someone was coming in, the door was already open and she had been spotted.

A young male human called out to her and rushed forward but Alexandrea was much faster, dodging the hand that reached out to grab her and darting around him towards the still open window. She was getting ready to jump for it when a guard arrived. He must have heard the other man's shout. The security guard was as trigger happy as the local cops and had a gun already out, preparing to fire. Alex ducked just as the shot ran out.

The bullet flew over her head and with a sickly thud, she heard the sound of a body falling to the floor behind her. Throwing the knock out bomb at the guard, Alex closed the door and pushed a desk in front of it before turning to see if the human was still alive.

[Alston Hughes (DELETED 4923)]

With his hand reaching out to the intruder he stepped forward only to see them dodge his attack. Furious he moved but as he did this he heard a shot rang out. Letting out a cry he fell to the floor and heard a loud bang then a thud. Breathing slowly he did not know where he was shot, all he felt was pain.

Coughing he turned his head to see who this intruder was. "You're going to.. Jail." He said quietly. Closing his eyes, anger took over he swore about his entire life. How he was bullied, how he didn't fit in his own family. He just wanted this to end. Speaking to the intruder again he figured it was the woman his father sent out the week before. "So, did my father put you up to this? He told me he sent you out about a week ago and that you went 'missing' of course. I was never good enough to be his own kid. He has to send someone to kill me." There was a sadness when he finished his sentence. He knew he wasn't loved but he didn't think he was hated.

[Alexandrea]

After she had secured the door, Alexandrea went to the human. It wasn't good. The bullet had got him square in the chest. Right about where Alex's head would have come up to on the man if she hadn't have ducked in time.

Foamy bubbles of blood came out of his mouth as he spoke and Alex pressed her hands over the hole in him, wishing her healing powers worked on humans for the millionth time. She had to get him to the hospital and fast. There was no time to try and pretend to be human. She would have to use her powers in there was any chance of saving the young man's life. At least if he remembered and said anything, most would not believe him. Most would think it was a delusion brought on from the pain and trauma.

His words touched her, recalling her own father and the hurt that had come from his rejection. She picked him up in her arms and made for the window. "Don't talk anymore, kid. Save your strength. Try t just relax and stay awake. You aren't going to die if I have anything to say about it."

She had gotten the human over her shoulder and was on the rope when the banging on the door started and the voices of two other security guards could be heard shouting out demands to be let in. It wasn't easy to get to the roof with the young man and all the loot but she managed.

She grabbed up her grappling hook and jumped to the next slightly lower roof and then the next which was even lower before setting him down to make sure he was still alive. Alex sighed with relief when she saw he did still breath, although it was very labored. Picking him up again in her arms, Alexandrea jumped to the street and used celerity to run to the hospital in Bullwood.

[Alston Hughes (DELETED 4923)]

What was happening? Confused he only remembered patches. The pain from the shot made him whine like a child and tears ran down his face. He felt the earth move around him then he black out. After moments he started to cough violently. Opening his eyes he could see he was on the intruder back. Wind was smacking his face as he felt death creeping up. Clenching the intruder shirt he whispered how he felt weak and he thought it was his time to die.

[Alexandrea]

It was clear that the human was suffering but to his credit, he was staying somewhat alert. Alexandrea regretted being the cause for his injury and for the very bumpy ride she was giving him as the occasional whimper gave her hope that the young man was holding on.

As she ran he began to cough and Alex felt blood running down her back. '****'. She thought to herself and went as fast as she could to the ally behind the hospital. Now if she took him in, there would be too many questions she couldn't answer. Sure she could just zip in and dump him and zip out again without being caught but now she was invested in this human, his fate was in her hands. She couldn't just leave him. She prayed to Nox he wouldn't die.

His soft whispers would not have been audible if her hearing hadn't been enhanced by her being a vampire but she did hear him and laying him down gently, she looked into his face. She got a whiff of the scent of death and knew it was true. The young man was correct. He did not have much time left. Swallowing hard, Alex made the only choice she could. If he was to die? He wouldn't do it alone. And there was still a chance he could live... like her, one of her kind.

Picking him up again in her arms she held him gently as she ran to Willow Court and took him inside her home that she shared with Kira. Alex settled him onto the sofa and then quickly read his memories and used her empathic abilities to judge what sort of person he was. She didn't like to judge people but if she turned him he would be her responsibility.

Her mind made up, Alexandrea took his face in her hands and spoke directly into his mind while speaking out loud as well. "I see that your name is Alston. Your Dad sent you here. I do not know your father. I am not the woman that he sent. I am a vampire. And you... will die. Unless I turn you. Make you, like me. The choice is yours. But decide quickly. You don't have much time. And whichever path you pick? You are not alone. I am not going anywhere."