Pre-fundraiser/Dealing with Alexandria - Marie and Alex

Marie sighed as her granddaughter retreated upstairs to the confines of her bedroom. Huffing, she ran a hand through her white hair and put the muffins into a container to keep them fresh. She knew Alex was most likely sleeping, as usual because she didn't hear the booming echoes of her stereo.

Waiting a few hours, she went upstairs and into the room without knocking, "Alexandria, get out of that bed this instant! You're going to have to shower again now that you've destroyed your hair by sleeping on it. Come on! I will not wait. Move it!"

When Alex didn't respond, Marie went to the large windows and threw open the curtains so the afternoon sun hit Alex in the face, "Now! I said. I want you on your best behavior and to wear that dress I designed for you. It will flatter your figure nicely. Hop to it, we haven't got all evening." She turned then and left the room, knowing now that Alex had no choice but to be awake.

Alex laid lethargically in her tight ball, clinging to the bear under the covers. Every time Marie said a word, she winced as if she had been struck. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried to focus on the boy in her dreams but Marie's constant demands were too much to ignore. When the sun hit her eyes, she quickly pulled the blanket over her head, "I don't want to go to this stupid thing. There's no point in me attending....just another thing where you can show me off...I hate it...."

She knew Marie had heard the last bit and sighed, slowly sitting up and deciding it was best just to behave, for now. Going into her private bathroom she started the water for her second shower of the day, taking her time in getting ready. Maybe if she wished hard enough that boy would be there and take her away on a white horse, or be Romeo...either or, she wanted a fairytale and soon.

Marie heard her and sneered, turning back and nearly screaming like a banshee, "I swear girl you better straighten up and stop with your foolish dreams! He's never coming to save you, NO ONE GETS A FAIRYTALE! Not. Even. You. Now I expect you to stop being so stupid and come back to Earth. There are more important things then what you seen when your eyes are closed! I expect you ready in two hours, hair and make-up as well. No excuses."

With that, she went downstairs and into her office to go over the designs for her winter show. Everything she looked at was disgusting or too revealing for her taste, even the lingerie. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she leaned back in her chair and glanced at the clock every now and then, going back to work the moment she heard the shower turn off.

Alex had stripped and was in the shower when she heard Marie's every crushing word as if it was a knife piercing her heart. Putting her right hand on the shower wall, she leaned forward with a lowered head as the hot water cascading over her now trembling body. Gasping, she sobbed as her tears blended with the water that ran down her face. Unknown to her, a hidden secret was awakening and sending her feelings out to Edward, a connection that had long been forgotten.

Standing there, she slowly went through the motions of taking a shower, not registering what she was doing. She finished and wrapped a large towel around her body, allowing her hair to drip. Reluctantly, she started getting ready for the fundraiser and brushed her hair to blow-dry it straight. Once her hair was dry, she finally got dressed in the purple dress, dreading the next few hours of her rapidly shortening life.

She curled her hair into soft spirals so that it would hang down her back like a cascading, blonde waterfall. Her eyeshadow was simple and done in an elegant smokey purple, blending dark and light shades together. Putting her bangs in her eyes, she hid their unusually bright blue and took the left side of her hair and pinned it back with a purple flower, showing her chandelier earrings.