London, 1790
The moon shone full and bright on this night. For a brief moment, the shiny white orb centered itself perfectly within the window of the highest tower of the manor that sat atop the highest hill of London.
It was at that very moment that Ashley entered the room. The young lady's pale green eyes lit up at the sight, stopping only for a moment to ensure the great oak door behind her hung open just ajar. Ashley glided like a fairy toward the window, skirts fluttering about her, white as snow with black trim brushing upon the gray stone floor. Her skin shone in the moonlight. It was soft and pale like her dress but with a hint of rose that brought the room to life when she smiled, for without her, the room was just a that, a bunch of stone blocks with ornate wooden furniture, and garnet drapes. With her, it was something worth remembering.
Ashley's long black hair rippled with the gentle, cool breeze when she opened the window wide. It was striking and silky smooth like the fabric lining her decolletage. The petite lady looked about excitedly as if she expected someone to be there waiting for her, but there was nothing except the moon and stars for company. A beauty to behold for sure, but a small consolation compared to the lover she hoped to meet in the tower on this night. Disappointed but undeterred, Ashley smoothed her skirt and sat down in front of her piano. Dimples rose, and pink lips curled into a smile, for Ashley knew that her love could not resist her song. At least, she never had before.
What Ashley did not know was that her love had already entered the high tower room more than an hour before. Lady Eliza stood in a dark corner like she had done thousands of times, concealed within shadow to stalk her prey. As a vampire, it was her way.
A pariah even among her kind, Eliza had walked the Earth for centuries, leaving countless victims in her wake. Humanity long forgotten, compassion forsaken, Eliza's heart darkened with each victim taken. These were the sacrifices one had to make to survive as a creature of the night.
As Eliza admired Ashley from across the tower room, paralyzed by emotions that she had never known, she knew that this was one sacrifice she could never make. The beast raged within her. It demanded that she satiate her wild hunger, satisfy the burning hellfires of lust within her. Eliza fought back her desires, drawing bloody tears from her vibrant kiwi eyes. Only a monster, Eliza thought, would yearn to despoil such a lovely creature.
The vampire took one step forward and froze. Eliza was an unlikely beast. Her pretty face, fair skin, and long platinum locks of hair melted the hearts of men and women alike. Her lithe frame tempted even the most devout nun with the right suggestion. Her wardrobe, including the corseted black dress she wore tonight, was literally to die for. She could wear what she liked after all, for her undead body felt little pain.
In this moment, however, none of that mattered for Eliza. She was denied the luxury of her own reflection, the curse of her kind, so she scarcely remembered her own beauty. She felt like an abomination compared to this pristine young angel gliding before her, and she believed she would have felt the same even if she remembered her face. Eliza was in love, completely undone by Ashley, and that was before she even began her song.
Ashley sighed wistfully, unaware of the turmoil within the shadows of the tower. She closed her eyes, took a moment to compose herself as the moonlight silhouetted her soft frame, and wished for Lady Eliza to appear at her side. Her song had to be perfect if she was to draw her lover out of the darkness yet again. Perfection was no easy burden to bear, especially for an instrument so untested and new, but love inspired Ashley to curl her fingers atop those sleek piano keys. That was all the advantage she would need.
Soft fingers danced along piano keys, striking with enough force to fill the chamber with Ashley's melody. She mixed high notes with low, sharp with flat, soft harmonies with heavy chords. Ashley poured her emotions into her song, imagining herself hand in hand with Eliza atop a meadow in the dark of night with only the moon and stars to guide them. Her keystrokes were forceful at first, as if willing what she wanted to happen. The melody became soft as she lost herself in her song. She no longer thought. She just played, letting her heart guide her fingers to find just the right notes to convey her feelings of love, of yearning, or compassion.
