Episode 15: "Alicia June."

"Well, what do you think of them?" she asked.

"Hm. I wouldn't expect anything less." he looked to her.

They were all very cute and modest, yet showed a slight seductiveness. It would surely drive the men there wild. Most of the women there, exlcuding Delilah wore modest maid outfits, but they all showed more than what Alicia would be wearing. They would all look good on her.

One was a gathered bust, off-the-shoulder long sleeve dress that stopped a little above the knee. There was a small cut-out piece in the back showing a little skin, not much. It came with white tights, lace fingerless gloves and the appropriate shoes that went along with the uniform--a pair of white, flat, ankle boots. Another was a corset vest top, with shorts and tights with buttons embroidered along the side of each leg. It came with fingerless gloves that ran up her arms as well as an option to choose boots or flats to complete the outifit. The final was the classic maid's uniform. It was cream colored, complete with a dress that frayed out as she walked, tights, and lace up ankle boots.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means it suits you," he said. "I can't picture you with some of the other ones...I mean, I could be wrong, but you don't seem like the type to flaunt your body around."

"I'm not," she said, "but what girl isn't flattered if a guy checks her out. Maybe once, twice. Three's okay, but after that it gets weird."

"Yeah, I suppose." he said. He smiled some and looked back down at the brochure. The ones she wanted were circled in red.

"So yeah...that's about it." She looked around her room. "I need to go through my boxes, get things settled in--and you need to show me around this place! Like, do you have a pool or a tenns court? Is there a theatre room or just something to do for fun around here? You know I can't drive."

"You can't drive?" He said, looking to her.

"No." she said rolling her eyes. "My parents didn't seem to care about that either. Like, navigating these buses and trains is a problem in itself. Some run late, others run too early. And then there are the people on the bus..." she scoffed and fell back on her bed. She placed an arm over her eyes. "I am soooo grateful you showed up, otherwise that would have been something else I had to deal with."

"You may still have to depending on where you live."

"Yeah, but like I said, if I can find a place around the cafe then I'm good. I don't mind taking one bus or train to get there. If I'm really close then obviously I can walk."

"Yeah." He said, keeping her ability to not be able to drive in mind.

It was five in the evening now. The sun was beginning to set.

He sat there, watching her breathe in and out, her stomach going up and down.

"Tell me about your family." she suddenly asked, her arm still over her eyes.

"What about them? You know all you need to know."

"Do I?" she asked. "Because depending on how long I'm with you, I'm bound to meet them sooner or later. Since they aren't necessarily human, I'd like to be aware of them, you know, have my guard up."

"You should have your guard up regardless. I have mine."

She moved her arm then. "You're afraid of your family?"

"No," he scoffed. "Not at all. They're the ones that are afraid of me."

"Are they?"

"They should be. And if not, they don't know what to think about me, that's for sure."

"I could see that." Alicia said, looking him over. "You play your cards very close to your heart, don't you?"

"I have to." He said.

"That must get draining...having to watch your step, or your mouth around people that are supposed to love you."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I would know."

"Alicia, I'm sure your parents still love you."

"Yeah, I'm sure they do. But their methods suck." she looked away from him.

"You know you're not the only one going through this. I'm sure there are millions of kids that get kicked out of their parents homes each year. Their parents telling them to sink or swim and unlike you, they don't have a 'Christian' in their corner."

"I'm well aware Christian and that seems like a bit much, don't you think?" she looked back at him.

"You know what I mean." He said.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Like I said, well, not to you but to myself, if I had to choose between staying with you and with my parents, I'd choose my parents, because they're my parents. They have no idea of how much pain they are putting me through and yeah, I'm sure there are kids that had to do the same things I'm doing and they made it. They survived and they come back and thank their parents for being hard on them, but that won't be me. That won't be me for a very long time. It's like a very vital cord has been severed...just snatched out of me. And despite all the blessings that I've had, it's still very hard for me to wake up in the morning and face this. Face all of this." She looked around the room. "Not to mention you." She looked to him. "On top of everything, I now know a secret that can get me killed, or tortured? How about both?"

"Alicia that won't be you." He shook his head.

"How would you know? You're living proof that the 'natural' order of things can be questioned. One moment I could be doing my thing and the next I'm swooped up somewhere."

He shook his head and looked away.

"I'm right aren't I? Maybe I'll never get captured or killed but if there's one thing your birth, or existance has taught me, even my own life, my parents, is that this life is not what it seems. And people don't really get that 'til something shakes them up. Their world is shaken up. They're tossed out of their comfort zone. And yeah this is all preachy but I'm living it." She sat up and brought her knees to her chest. "It's all very true to me. Very real."

"You mean you were fine before all this happened?" He asked.

"Yeah, well no. Not really, but it wasn't like this." She said. "I mean, I was on my way to graduation. Good grades and stuff, and my parents had told me what my options were, and I thought, 'Hey. I'm good.'. I could get a job, take a few courses at a community college to see if I liked it and what not. But, I realized that my life would have probably still been going nowhere. Even if I went to college and got a degree and while I still may, I..." she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what life would have given me. I don't know what I would have been moving towards, you know what I mean?"

He nodded.

"But now that I met you, things have changed. A lot of things have changed."

"How so? What changed?"

"Well, other than my parents kicking me out which is a major blow, I'm forced to grow up really fast. Even if I'm there mentally, that really means something physically now. I have to learn how to drive. Pay bills. Go shopping. Just...live life and everything that throws at me. So far that's including you, and this world I had no idea existed. That includes the fortunate things in life, like meeting you and the wealth that you have. I know not a lot of people get to experience what I'm experiencing as far as the whole financial aspect. So that makes things a little bit easier, then there's just..." she paused. "I'll say possibilities."

"What were you going to say?"

"A void."

He didn't comment.

"A void because, even with all this, you always ask yourself isn't there something more? Something to hold on to? Something to keep you grounded?"

His sister flashed within his mind.

"And rather than go crazy and think 'What if, what if, what if', I just try and keep myself focused on the present. What I'm doing now. What I have to do now."

"You're lonely." He said.

She just stared at him.

"You're lonely." He said again. "A part of that stems from loneliness."

"Well duh. Of course a part of that stems from loneliness Christian. Thank you for reminding me." She turned away.

"Maybe you're not lonely now, but it pays a part."

"Yes, I am well aware of the part it plays." She looked to him. "And you are one to talk."

Rather than deny it he remained quiet.

"You want someone too." She said. "Perhaps that's the reason you don't just steal a bloodbag. Because doing so would ruin the relationship. Or a possible relationship I should say. And not just to be a donor either. That's extremely cruel when you could just go to a bloodbank."

Christian's fingers begin to twitch, along with his left eye.

"Hahha! You're twitching! Did I strike a nerve?!"

He got up. "And now she's stinging..."

"I don't mean to. But life is pain, I will realize that more and more. So, you either you get use to it, or you let it tear you apart." Alicia's voice wavered.

"Or you could just turn it all off." He turned to her, thinking of his sister's words. Cursing his sister's words.

She scoffed in disbelief. "And go rogue? I'd rather feel."

He wasn't expecting that response. Just who was this girl?

He wasn't born in this modern day. He was much older than it. But he kept up with the times. What was the latest slang or poltical debate? Who was wearing the latest fashion or perfume? Who came out with what? And who was dissing who? One of the things he recalled to memory was yearbook photos. All high school seniors would take them, and under their photo would be a caption saying what that person would be most known for later in life. He wondered what was under hers.

"What were you known for Alicia? In high school? What did it say under your name? Not that it matters. It can be many things that describe the individual yet isn't true at all, but I'm curious to what yours said. Was it something way off course, or did it fit you just right?" He watched her lips curl into a smirk. Her expression was bittersweet.

"I was known as the girl who would give a damn."

He chuckled. And they were right.