Annaliese woke as though she had been struck in her sleep, her back as stiff as a board as she flew into a seated position on her bed, springs groaning in protest beneath her slender frame. Pale blue eyes blinked in the darkness, squinting to focus on whatever it was that had ripped her from sleep. Nothing, the room seemed completely empty and silent save for the shallow breaths she was taking. With a sigh of frustration she threw the covers aside, the silk sheets brushing across her bare, freckled flesh as she slipped from the bed. Bare feet pressed to the chilled wooden floor of her bedroom as she lifted herself free of the warmth of her bed, instantly she felt the urge to pout like a child and just crawl back under her covers. Instead she mumbled a soft curse from her faded rose lips and moved into the bathroom, not bothering to hit the lights as she moved through the rooms and only half noticing that it was early evening, the orange rays of the sunset that desperately gripped the horizon in an effort to prolong the sunlight’s stay were filtering in around the edges of her poorly covered window.

Slender hands reached out to hover beneath a large silver faucet that sprouted from a wall of mirrors. A soft click as the motion sensor picked up the movement and cold water rushed in a steady stream from the tap. A soft word was spoken into the drowning silence of her loft apartment – ‘Warmer’ – and immediately the temperature of the water that was washing down over her outreached hands increased a few degrees to a comfortable cool. Cupping her hands beneath the facet she waited for a pool of water to gather in her palms before leaning down and splashing it over her face. Blinking she righted herself again, now and for the first time since she had moved into the bathroom she gazed at her reflection in the wall of seamless mirrors. Although it was nearly pitch dark in the room she could still easily make out the soft curves of her slender frame, the swell of her hips and breasts, the long lines of her legs and delicate definition of her shoulders. Leaning that little bit closer she focused further on her features, hands gripping the porcelain of the bowl-sink that sat in front of her on a pedicle of heavy chestnut oak. Freckles clustered across the bridge of her nose and swept out over the smooth complexion of her creamy white skin before they seemed to spread in a sporadic burst of light honey dots over her face, down her neck and continued over her entire frame – lessening in intensity and quantity as you traveled the line of her body.

She was twenty-one, barely – at least in her mind. Truthfully she was far older than only that, and staring at her in that smooth textured mirror she could see how old she truly was in the aqua eyes that stared back. They were drowning, revealing her true age – They stole her innocence somehow, every lie that her young body told was found out in the depths of those pale cerulean eyes. Truths of rape and torture, of violence and sex, years of both occupied so much of her past she had actually lost interest in keeping track anymore. Since the day she had been turned, the day her life had been so easily taken and shifted into something she hadn’t expected, she hadn’t the faintest idea of who she was, who Annaliese was. Sighing she gave a small shake of her head, forgetting her thoughts for the moment as her tongue slipped past her lips to trace over her bottom lip, licking up the small water droplets that clung there. Showering, showering was good and then it would be time to venture out into the world. Why did that thought make her feel so tired?

Drought - By Gina Leaves fold in on themselves, words fold in-- the color fading at the edges, crisp & shattering at a touch. Silent bird, sing me a song. The plants withering, whisper of mistrust. Who has plucked the voice from your throat? Who has plucked the rain from the clouds, the clouds from the sky? Even the sun cannot be trusted. Even the sun is poisonous. All summer going into & coming out of doors, looking at graphs & charting numbers, handling the dry leaves of old books. The fingers are losing their sense of touch. The body, no longer hungry. There is no shade to rest under, just this dry air, this absence of wind. Watch the grass burn & burn. Silent bird, who has filled your mouth with sand? Who said the secret to flying was forgetting to land?

Taking a seat on a large, white chaise that occupied the sparse décor of the bathroom she crossed slender legs and reached behind her, delicately gathering the French braid that fell down her bare back. Her hair was long, insanely long actually and almost a white blonde. Even in the braid her hair managed to hit the back of her knees and once released it would gain another inch or two. Slender fingers worked the braid apart slowly, undoing all the hard work it had taken to tie it back and keep it under control, each movement was careful even tender as though her hair was made of strands of some precious gold. Once it was free, thick and fanned out in a kinky wave that flowed down over her shoulder and side Annaliese stood and again spoke into the darkness. ‘Shower on, hot.’ The loud gurgle of water sounded in the pipes before finally spilling in a rush of rain behind a pane of glass that spanned seven feet by five. The shower was large enough to be considered a small closet, and its entire ceiling spilled out the now steaming water onto its marble floor.

Moving around the wall of glass she stepped through its opening at the far end, no door was needed to contain the water since it fell straight down, never on an angle and the water line started almost a full two feet back from the entrance of the shower. A small sigh was released as she moved under the shower of rain, letting it soak into her long platinum locks and trickle over her cool flesh in small streams of near scalding water. Images flashed through her mind, the same that had awoken her from sleep earlier and were constantly in her thoughts. Caleb, it was him that often occupied her mind. The night he had turned her, embraced or whatever you would like to call it. Although, to call what he had done to her ‘embraced’ was not only a far fetched tale but just flat out a lie of what it was like to be turned, to become a Vampire and be immortal. It was a way to make it seem glamorous as if you would finally belong to something, to someone and they would take care of you and nurture you for eternity. But, after Annaliese had taken this step, had experienced this so called ‘embraced’ she was still alone, and had been for all the centuries since. There had never been someone around to teach her how to be, how to cope with the new lifestyle that had been laid at her feet or even how to deal with the deaths of everyone she had grown close to. She was well and truly alone now, with no one she trusted, no one to confide in or whom she felt comfortable around. Keeping to herself was the only way she had gotten so far and frankly, why fix something that had worked for so many years.

She recalled when Caleb had discovered her, at the ripe age of 21; she was young but never really naïve. Curiosity had gotten the better of her and he had consumed every thought throughout her days. He belonged to a ground of Vampires, a Clan of which also intrigued her, though in the end there would never be a day gone by where she could honestly say she missed them, or ever wished to see a single one again. She hadn’t known then that their secrets would engulf her life and change the world through her eyes, but then again, she had never really come out and asked the questions that should have been considered. She had attended a party that night; Caleb was throwing it in honor of a friend of his. Annaliese had brought along two of her friends to join in the celebrations as Caleb had so nicely stated ‘The more the merrier – bring all your girlfriends my Darling.’ It made her sick to think of him, even now she could hear his voice in her head, deep and sensual as it flowed over her skin and ran chills down her spin. He was exciting, sensual and dangerous and for those reasons alone he interested hoards of women. January 22, 1765. Her last night of living and her first day of being re-born as a Vampire. It had snowed, and the hem of her skirt was soaked to almost her knees. The splashes of crimson-brown blood across the crystallized snow was harsh as she had watched each one of her friends be raped, slaughtered and then raped yet again. They were monsters, and still to this day she would think of them as such. She had been prepared to die after seeing the lives of her friends so easily taken as if they were cattle and their lives were meaningless, but, apparently that wasn’t in the books for her. Caleb had grown fond of her company and it was that freezing January day that he had taken her life and brought her over to be with him. It had been centuries of torture in his company, of isolation and starvation, beatings upon beatings and anything else he could think to break her. It had taken what had seemed like forever for him to grow bored of her, and for him to cast her out into the world to fend for herself. A world she no longer recognized, understood – both within herself and around her.

Untitled - By Brie Porcelin white skin Unscathed for but two marks Tiny matching punture wounds A memory from the night I lured you in the dark Flesh so warm Your pulse beat quickened My fangs peirce your neck You seem dizzy , but not sickened Bittersweet liquid touches my lips In my mouth it gently flowed Until i pulled away and smiled Scarlet blood on my fangs showed Your eyes got darker And your complexion slowly paled Canine teeth grew sharp An eerie sense of beauty Forget the times you failed So strong now One of us , of twighlight blood Stalking human victems Starts off in waves of sublime silence Ends in mainstream flood First taste of blood fuels hunger Encourages the need to feed Now harsh cravings or addiction You're turn to take the lead Bite my neck and share my strength For a moment feel a subtle sting Then familiar white-hot electricity Followed by the renewed life and energy it brings So drink deeply from my wound And love me until Death Alluring the innocent and unaware Were a part of eachother now. Welcome to my lie.

Tonight was the evening of October 27th, 1992 and she was running late. She needed to hurry and finish the shower to get off to work. Another night she would just move through the motions, pretend to be something she wasn’t and just move through this unlife as if it were a job in itself. Oh yes, and lets not forget the little task of finding something to eat, or rather someone…