All of her life, Maria Alvarez has been sure of three things.
1.) The Lord God will protect and guide her thought all of the trials of life.
2.) Vampires are soulless husks of their former selves, little more than animated bodies feedi...
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Two days later, she still hadn't touched the report. It was still where she left it, neatly in the center of her desk. She thought about it as she worked, lacing up the dress onto the woman in front of her.
"Is that too tight?" She asked distantly.
"No, it's perfect." The woman said.
Maria looked up, and watched as she adjusted the strapless top. Her eyes lingered on the rounded curve of her breasts as they jiggled around in the top.
"Great."
The woman turned back and forth in the mirror, the glittering skirt of the ball gown skimming her towering heels as she admired herself. Part of Maria wanted to chide her for vanity, but a louder part of her wanted to be in her place, to feel what she must have been feeling at that moment.
"My fiancé is going to be floored when she sees me!"
Maria's eyes shot up to the woman, before focusing back on the floor.
She?
"I—" she cleared her throat. "I'm sure she will."
There was a knock at the door, and Mrs. Weber walked into the room.
"I think your ride is waiting on you." She said to Maria. "I'll take over for you and close up."
"Oh, okay." Maria nodded. "I'll see you Monday evening."
"See you."
Out in front of the shop, Switchblade was waiting, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the radio.
"How was work?" He asked as Maria climbed into the car.
"It was fine." She said, "My fingers are sore."
"Hm." He said, a bit of a smirk playing at the corner of his lip. "I've got to stop by the store to get some more blood, and it's about a half hour drive since the closest one is in Tifton. You can stay in the car if it'll make you uncomfortable."
"Uh, no." Maria said. "I think I'll be fine, actually."
"Okay." He said. "We can stop by the grocery store on the way back home if you need some groceries."
"Yeah, sure. I need a few things."
Thirty minutes later they pulled up a brightly lit building that looked like a convenience store. The fluorescent sign on the front was white, with bright red letters that read Blood Plus, a small cross at the side.
She got out of the car, nervously following Switchblade into the building. The inside was similar to a pharmacy, pristine, and clean, though with much dimmer lighting. There was a line up to the counter, and Maria could only assume that they were all vampires.
When they shuffled into the line, a few of the patrons turned to steal glances at her. She moved closer to Switchblade, standing slightly behind him and focusing on the floor.
