~O~
Alice glanced around the large ballroom and took in her surroundings. There were a lot of people crammed in the room, and the mindless chatter easily turned into an uproar. She wasn't here to attend the party, though; she had a job to do. Alice surveyed the people in the room, carefully scanning faces for a very important guest. She recalled the picture she had been shown prior to leaving for the party, and when she finally found him, she couldn't help but smirk; this would be too easy. Before making her move, she slipped into the bathroom and stood before the mirror.
Alice hardly recognized herself. Her hair had been straightened for the party, but she wore it straight almost daily. She also had on layers of makeup to even out her complexion, and naturally, to make her attract attention by any wandering eyes that may pass her way. Even her outfit was designed to stand out. She had on a black dress, one that was a bit short by normal standards, but not for a party, and definitely not for her mission. The dress was just long enough that she was able to conceal her weapon on the inside of her thigh. The heels she wore elongated her legs, giving them plenty of shape.
All-in-all, she was stunning, but this was not how she was used to seeing herself. Alice was still used to seeing her hair twist up into curls, and her face untouched by makeup, but that Alice had long since died, and a new one had taken her place. This was a more enticing Alice, and that was what her aim was; to be enticing. She sighed. A lot about her had changed in the past month that she had been under Levi's wing, and not much of it was for the best. It made her hate herself for what she had broken down and become, but she had little choice. This was her life now.
Alice removed what appeared to be a compact mirror and opened it to check its contents. Inside, she saw the two Snakebites that would play a vital role later on in the night. She then tucked the compact into her handbag, and when she was confident in her preparations for the night, she left the bathroom. Without a single bit of hesitation in her step, she approached the man she had spotted before going into the restroom. He looked even sleazier up close. His hair was slicked back with grease, turning the dark brown a shade closer to black.
A semi-well groomed beard consumed the lower portion of his face. "Hello," Alice said smoothly. The man looked at her, then scanned her head to toe, stopping along the way to take all of her in. It was somewhat empowering to have so much power over a man without hardly doing anything. His eyes then returned to her face and he met her gaze. "Why, hello there, miss," he said with a mischievous grin, "How can I help you?"
Alice cast a flirtatious smile his way and said, "I couldn't help but notice that, even though you're surrounded by all these people, you seem rather lonely. I was wondering if you'd care for some…..company tonight." Talking like this used to repulse Alice, and to an extent, it still did; she was just used to it now. The man stood up and held out his hand, "I'd be honored to share your company. In fact, I believe I know somewhere a bit more….private for this matter." Alice held her smile in place as she told him, "Lead the way." She and the man cut through the crowd of people.
Nobody paid them any mind; they were either too absorbed in their own conversations or too drunk to notice. Good. I don't need wandering eyes, Alice thought bitterly. They finally made their way through the crowd and reached an elevator. The building they were in also doubled as a convention center, so Alice figured that her 'guest' was going to take her to one of the smaller conference rooms. To her, it didn't matter where he took her; it would all end the same. She and the man stepped in the elevator, and when they started to go up, the man stepped closer to her.
Alice could smell the alcohol on him, and she silently thanked whatever he drank for helping to alter his judgment, even if it wasn't very much. He started to reach for her leg, right where her pistol was hidden, and she quickly stepped aside. "No, no. Patience is a virtue," she said with a grin. The man chuckled and said, "Ah, so that's how you play this game. I like it." The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, far away from the party below, and the two of them stepped out into the hallway. Alice's eyes caught a glimpse of the security cameras on the ceiling; the little red light wasn't blinking, meaning that they had been disabled.
Just as planned. They walked the short distance to one of the small conference, and once inside, the man tried to make another move on Alice, but she stopped him. "Let me step into the ladies' room for a moment, please." She stepped out of the room and into the bathroom at the end of the hallway. Once inside, she went to the sink, adjusted her hair, dress, makeup, and removed the compact from her handbag.
She attached the Snakebites to her teeth and checked to make sure they weren't visible. When everything was in place, she returned to their conference room, eager to get this over with. Inside, Alice found the man sitting on the couch. He stood up and beckoned her to come his way. She did as he asked. Now, the two of them stood close to one another, with little distance between them.
The man began to place kisses on her neck, and she could feel his fangs grazing her skin. She narrowed her eyes and grabbed onto his shoulders for leverage, then sunk her own fangs into her shoulder. Blood filled her mouth, and she heard the man curse as he jumped back; obviously, he didn't expect this to happen. He clutched his neck and stared with wide-eyes at Alice. "What the Hell?! You're a Vampire?! You don't smell like one! You smell of human!" he shouted.
Alice licked the blood from her lips and said, "It's a little thing my boss came up with. Masks the aroma of Vampire and makes me smell like a human. Kind of like a perfume." The man's face twisted in anger, and she saw he was about to lunge at her, but she didn't move; she knew what was about to happen. The man coughed up blood and fell to the ground, where he began to twitch.
Amidst his convulsions, he asked, "What…..What did you do to me!?" Alice laughed and said, "Another one of my boss's creations. Right now, poison is traveling through your veins and destroying your body. You might have three minutes left, if you're lucky. So, I suggest you say what you need to before you die."
He coughed up more blood and asked with a gurgle, "How…How did a Hunter….find me?" Alice walked over to where he lay on the ground and propped her heeled shoe on his chest. "Oh, trust me, I know more than you know. You're Lord Ronald, one of the few members of the Society that escaped Zoran's takeover and hid underground. You really need to do a better job of trying to hide. Parties aren't the best place to do that; you might get recognized. Don't want that, now do you?"
Lord Roger coughed again, and his convulsions grew more intense. He then ceased to move, and when Alice nudged him with her foot, he didn't respond. "Filth," she scoffed and scooped up her handbag, then left out of the conference room, only to stop in the bathroom on her way out. Inside, she removed the Snakebites and rinsed the man's blood from her mouth. She then proceeded to straighten her dress and hair, which had gotten messed up.
When she was once again presentable, she left out of the bathroom, taking the stairs down, rather than the elevator, and snuck out of the backdoor of the convention center. In the course of an hour, she had snuck inside, taken care of business, and snuck out without gaining any unwanted attention; she had been a ghost. As Alice walked down the sidewalk, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. When it was answered, she said, "It's done. On my way back." She then hung up and continued on her way.
~O~
Alice shut the door behind her and sighed. The building was empty for the most part, with only a few people currently inside; the rest were out in the City taking care of their own missions. "Another successful run, I see?" a smooth voice asked. Alice glanced up at the stairs, where Levi stood. She smiled up at him and said, "Of course. As if I'd let scum like him get the upper-hand." Levi chuckled and descended the stairs.
He then walked up to Alice, leaving little distance between them. At one point, the closeness with Levi would had made her cringe and turn away, but not anymore; she had learned to get a grip on those feelings and hide them. Levi's eyes scanned her up and down, just like Lord Roger had at the party, and a grin tugged at his lips. "No wonder the mission was easy for you. Any man who turned this down couldn't have been well in the mind," he said with a shrug.
Alice smiled back and said, "Indeed. Well, I believe I'm going to go upstairs and change into something a bit more comfortable." As she started towards the staircase, Levi grabbed a wrist, an act that, at one point, would have filled Alice with fear. However, she didn't flinch at his touch. "When you are done, I want a full report for our logs. Got it?" he said.
Alice, without looking at him, nodded her head. He then let go of her wrist, and she went upstairs to her room. Once inside, she locked the door and made her way to her dresser, where she removed a plain shirt and a pair of jeans. Alice stripped out of her dress and felt as the fabric grazed the scars on her back. Before she put on the jeans and shirt, she walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light.
The shadows were chases away, leaving nothing to be hidden in the darkness. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, the reflection she had come not to recognize most of the time. Alice then turned slightly so she could see her back. From her shoulders to the base of her spine, her back was littered with scars of various shapes and sizes. Some of them had been inflected by Levi during one of his attacks, but most of them were from the lashing she received a little over a month ago. She reached back and touched one of the raised pieces of skin; she didn't feel anything.
The whipping had destroyed many of her nerve-endings, leaving the skin on her back dead and unable to feel. Alice thought of it as an added bonus for the pain she suffered that night, because now, she couldn't suffer like that again. With a sigh, she slipped on the shirt and jeans, then turned the sink on. Water came rushing out into the basin. Alice took a cloth and soaked it with the lukewarm water, then pressed it to her face in order to remove her layers of makeup. She had to work at getting the eyeliner off, but after several minutes of scrubbing, she had gotten the bulk of it off.
However, even without all the makeup, Alice still hardly recognized herself, even though she looked more like her old self. Maybe it was because of her eyes; they, too, had changed. No longer did the light of life radiate from them. Instead, they were cold. Harsh. Unforgiving. Just like Levi's, she thought bitterly. Alice threw the washcloth in the sink and left the bathroom, flipping the lights off as she crossed the threshold.
The room was plunged back into its darkness. Alice then stopped in the middle of the room and stared down at the floor. It scared her to know how much things had changed within the span of a month. She was no longer the scared little girl she used to be. Now, she was coldblooded killer. She had no qualms about seducing her targets, or putting a bullet into their heads after she had earned their trust. In a way, she was no different than Sinclair or Gillfrey. They had earned hers and Shun's trust, then betrayed them. But, as Alice had learned, sometimes one had to act like scum to get rid of scum.
There were many nights when Alice wondered why she had endured so much suffering, and then she would remember; she was doing this to avenge Shun's death. Then, after she remembered, she would wonder if it was worth it at all. Revenge had been her driving motivation when she first joined Levi's ranks. Now, she wasn't sure what her motivation was. There was no doubt that she still wanted Sinclair and Gillfrey dead, but she felt like that wasn't her prime reason anymore. However, there was the chance that Hunting had gone from a means of revenge, to a job.
She hadn't like it at first, but the more she killed Vampires, especially those who had once been ranking members of the Society, she came to enjoy it. The thrill of the Hunt, Levi had called it. More than likely it was the blood of her Vampire Hunter ancestor that was starting to shine through and consume her, and Alice now had her doubts that, when Sinclair and Gillfrey were dead, if she would hang up her pistol like she had planned.
That had been her goal all along; kill those who wronged her, then retire. Now, it seemed like her plans had changed, and the thought of giving up Hunting left her empty inside. It had become a part of her. It had shaped her into who she was now. It was who she was. To give up a part of her birthright seemed impossible; it would have been the equivalent of giving up the talent of playing a musical instrument. "Are you almost done?" Levi called from the floor below. Alice snapped out of her thoughts and remembered he was waiting for her. "Yes, I'm on my way down!" she called back. She then hurried out of her room and went downstairs, where Levi was patiently waiting for her report.
~O~
Alice finished her report and watched Levi scribble things down in his logbook, which was filled with years-worth of records of their Hunts. He shut the book and said, "Impressive work as always, Alice. You've come quite a long way since your arrival last month, and it definitely shows in some of your older records. Good work." Alice smiled a genuine smile; it was rare to get Levi's approval about things, so whenever she did, she felt a bit of pride in herself.
"Thank you," she said. Levi tossed the logbook aside and told her, "If things keep going like this, we'll get our hands on the Count in no time. I know you want that more than anyone else here, don't you?" Alice stared down at her lap as she nodded. She then felt as Levi took hold of her chin and brought her gaze up to his. "Hey, don't look so grim. I know you miss him, but keep in mind, you have me to lean on now," he said quietly.
Alice felt a bit of heat creep through her cheeks. "I know," she whispered back. Levi ran his thumb across her check, and she could feel as remnants of her makeup were wiped away. His touch still made her skin crawl; that was one thing that would never change. He then leaned in a placed a kiss on her lips. It was gentle, something Levi wasn't exactly known for, but at the same time, there was a hunger behind it, and Alice could feel him beg for more. He always wanted more, and sadly, he usually got what he wanted.
And if it wasn't given to him, then he usually took it anyway. Alice suppressed a cringe of disgust. Things had happened between her and Levi, things that she didn't like to think about. But she had allowed everything thus far to happen for a reason, and that was to ensure she held on to Levi's trust and support, for if she lost either one of those things, then she would never see Gillfrey and Sinclair's blood spill out of their bodies. So, once again she had had to grin and bear it, despite how much it made her hate herself. Levi broke their kiss and smiled.
"My Queen," he said under his breath. Alice stared at him, then finally said, "Excuse me?" Levi leaned back and chuckled. "I'm like a King, and the Hunters are like my subjects, or even knights. And you, well, you're the only one that is worthy enough to be considered on the same level as mine. That would make you a Queen, and every King needs his Queen," he said with a wink. To most people, that would have been a flattering comment, but not to Alice. All this did was prove how much of a superiority complex he had, and how, despite being as skilled of a fighter as he, she would never be considered his equal.
It made her sick, but she didn't let him know that. Instead, she smiled back and said, "I'm honored to be your Queen." Levi smiled his boyish smile and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Good to hear," he told her, "Now, if you don't mind, I have some personal matters to attend to." He then walked off and vanished up the stairs. Alice sat there and felt her skin trying to crawl away.
To think I continue to let him lay his hands on me. Disgusting. She wanted to burn all of her skin off, because that was the only was the only way she stood a chance of getting his touch off of her body. However, she had slight doubts that that would do the trick; Levi was like a stain, after all, one that not even bleach could remove. Alice shuddered and started towards the stairs to go up to her room, but stopped short at the door that led down to the basement.
It was closed, but cold air seeped out through the crevices. Without realizing why she was doing what she was doing, she opened the door and walked down the stairs to the basement. As she descended, the air grew colder and colder. The door shut behind her, plunging the room into pitch darkness, but she was able to see enough to finish her trek down the stairs. Eventually, her feet made contact with the dirt-packed floor of the basement, and she began to feel around for the bulb that hung from the ceiling. Her hand hit the chain, and she pulled.
Light filled the basement, and Alice stared at the metal pole she had been bound to a little over a month ago. Has it really been a month? Her eyes drifted to the ground, where the dirt was stained with old blood; she wondered how much of it was hers. Alice then walked up to the metal pole and placed her hand on it. The metal was like ice, and it bit through her skin and into the bones of her hand, making her shiver.
It had been here that, only over a month ago, that she was broken. She had laid there in the dirt and bled. She had also passed out from the pain a few times. In less than an hour, she had been reduced to nothing, and her life only continued to spiral out of control after that. She had done things she wasn't proud of, and let unspeakable things be done to her. In a little over a month, she had experienced more tragedy than most people did in their entire lives.
However, she was somewhat thankful for her hardships, for they made her stronger, and also made her wish of revenge a reality. Now, she had the ability to take down Gillfrey and Sinclair if she ever got the chance, and Levi had promised her that that day would be soon. The thought brought a smile to her face. All of her pain and suffering would finally be rewarded in the blood she yearned for. Alice removed her hand from the pole and started back up the stairs, pulling the chain to the bulb on her way out, and walked the rest of the way up in the dark.
Story title is based off the song Vampire Heart by HIM. I actually wrote this last weekend but forgot to post it. My bad. But this chapter was designed to show Alice's drastic transformation while being with Levi, and it only goes from there, so I'm sorry if this story gets dark; I'm aware I'm pushing some limits with this. So, if there is something in the story you do not like, then please do not ask me to change this or not to do certain things in the story because I have had several people send me messages saying that they don't want the characters to suffer anymore. People, they're fictional characters. If I'm doing that good of a job in making you believe they're real, then more power to me, but I'm not tormenting real people, so please calm down and stop telling me how to write my stories. Unless you're giving criticism I can build on, then I don't want to hear about your personal preferences. If you want something to go a certain way, write your own stories; that's what I did. So, in other words, if you don't like it, and the story isn't to your taste, then don't read it; simple as that. You are not required to read what I post, just saying. Anyway, sorry for my rant right there, but I've gotten a little tired of all of the messages with people asking me to not let the characters suffer anymore and to let them be happy and etc. It wouldn't be a story without a conflict that must be resolved. So, anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, so please read and leave a review on the way out. ~Copperpelt~