Meet the Character - Alyssa

I'm going to try something a little different this week. An exercise in character development. I've asked a couple of my, more forthcoming characters to sit down and chat with you. Today's character is Alyssa. (Each character will have a few days to answer any questions, so please ask away.)

"Alyssa, can you please step forward and tell us a little something about yourself?"

A petite woman, with a long mane of straight auburn hair, stands up from a folding chair. In one graceful blur of motion, she joins me at the makeshift podium.

"Yeah, sure, no problem Kate," She says with a smile, flashing her brilliant white teeth. Her tiny fangs, poke out just a little, reminding me of what she truly is.

"Um Alyssa, its Katie, not Kate," I cautiously remind her.

Her twilight, blue-grey eyes meet mine. I quickly look away, not wanting to be mesmerized by her stare.

"Sorry," she says cheerfully. "I was just trying to give you a pet name. You know, a term of endearment." She finishes with a little snort of a laugh.

I shudder for a second. I don't want to be any vampires, pet.

"Anyway," Alyssa turns to face the crowd. "I'm Alyssa... but then you already know that. I am, or was twenty-five. Oh yeah, and I'm a vampire...but...you probably know that already too." Her left hand reaches up nervously, grabbing a hold of her right arm. She bites down on her lip. A tiny drop of cherry-red blood leaks out of her mouth. Her tongue quickly laps it away. She blinks a few times, takes a deep breath, and focuses again on the crowd.

"Okay, so, I was turned by Lysander. He's my, um, Mate. That's the term most vampire's I've met, use to describe the person they are with. It seems words like: boyfriend, fiance, or Husband, aren't really part of their vocabulary. Weird, I know. I guess he could also be called my master or my maker, I don't know about you, but those words just don't sit right with me. He's a pretty good guy though, once you get past the over protectiveness."

Alyssa's hand moves to her mouth, she chews on her nails for a moment, as if trying to figure out what to say next.

"Wow..Uhh...Um... I feel so unprepared for this. I don't know what else to say. I'm not really use to being the center of attention, unless Nicholas is making me the butt if his jokes. He's a bit of a jerk," she adds with a nervous laugh.

"Right, so I am supposed to be talking about myself, and here I am chatting about my clan. Maybe I'll just let you guys tell me what you want to know. Ask me anything. As long as it doesn't involve me giving away too many secrets, I'll be happy to answer. Oh and just for the record, I don't know how to turn anyone so don't bother asking me for that." Alyssa rolls her eyes. "I don't know why anyone would actually ask for that, but some people do." She sighs impatiently.

"So tell me, what would you like to know about me?"

Alyssa’s eyes light up with excitement. “Oooh great a question! I thought I was going to have to stand up here all night waiting for someone to ask something. Yes, you there with your hand up. What would you like to know?”

Danyelle asks, “How do you feel about no longer being human? Was it much of an adjustment?”

Alyssa ponders the question a little before responding. “Well, I like the idea of immortality. As my friend, Crystal likes to say, it’s the best anti-wrinkle remedy out there.” She gives a little chuckle. “Seriously though, I like being a vampire, its fun for the most part to have such power and know I am not going to die anytime soon. The hardest thing about the whole, vampire thing is the bloodlust. I can smell a mortal from quite a distance, and let me tell you, it’s a great scent.”

She closes her eyes as a serene smile crosses her face. A pleasurable sigh escapes her lips as her tongue traces the edges of her fangs.

“Think of it like smelling fresh baked cookies, or home made apple pie. It’s really hard to resist such a sweet, warm, inviting scent.”

She blinks her eyes and shakes her head, before focusing back on the audience.

“Controlling my natural instincts, in order to not mistakenly harm an innocent person is no easy task. That’s the hardest part in all of this. I would hate to make a mistake again and accidentally kill another innocent. The other minor inconveniences are tolerable. I was always more of a night person anyway. I mean, I can always get a spray tan if I want to appear like I’ve been in the sun.”

Another hand rises up from the crowd.

“Oooh, this is fun. Yes, you there in the back.”

Scott Greenstone says, “I have a question for Alyssa; How often does she go out for a snack?”

Alyssa giggles. “Aww, do I scare you? You don’t have to be afraid to talk directly to me. I’ve already had my fill tonight.”

She flashes another smile to the crowd, purposefully showing off her fangs.

“In the beginning, I had to, um…snack,” she giggles, “every night. Now, I can go a few days without needing blood. I’ve seen some of the older ones go more than a month without having to drink.”

“Keep those questions coming. I’m having fun with this. Oooh, I see another hand raised.”

Jessica says, “Thanks for the interview Alyssa. So, now that you're a vampire, do you still care about ordinary entertainment? Playing games, dancing? Are there children vampires?”

Alyssa shakes her head. “Kid vampires, no way! Could you just imagine a baby bloodsucker running around for all eternity? That’s just not right,” She laughs.

“As for entertainment, were just like you.” She winks. “I love movies, video games, and gambling. Just not going to clubs. I had a really bad experience last time I was dragged out to go dancing. I’m not doing that again. But, yeah, were still into all the same kinds of things we enjoyed in our mortal life. I’ve been trying to convince Lysander to get me a Wii..” Alyssa makes an odd hand swinging motions as if she is holding a remote control.

“And I just can’t wait to see that vampire movie, what’s it called, New Moon? It’s always funny to see how Hollywood portrays your kind. Maybe Katie will let me come back and give you a vampires review.” Alyssa giggles.

“Well it looks like I have time for one more question. Anything else you want to know?”

Jenna Alexander says “So, Alyssa – as a vampire you now have new abilities such as speed, heightened senses, strength, etc. Which do you like the best?

It's wonderful to talk to you. I'm looking forward to hearing about your next round of adventure with Lysander.”

“Aww, thanks Jenna. Hmmm, well, since I still haven’t mastered mind reading I’d have to say a close second would be, hypnosis. I love to play with that ability. This one time I had a guy come after me with a knife and I stopped him dead in his tracks. Then I made him take the knife and…” Alyssa is interrupted by the sound of a man clearing his throat.

“Oh, um, hi hunny.” Alyssa looks at Lysander with a sheepish grin. “Guess my time is up. It’s been so fun talking with all of you. I hope to see you again.”

Alyssa bows to the audience before walking away.