<div style="text-align: center"><i>Who's in the shadows?<br/>
Who's ready to play?<br/>
Are we the hunters?<br/>
Or are we the prey?<br/>
There's no surrender<br/>
And there's no escape<br/>
Are we the hunters?<br/>
Or are we the prey?</i>​</div><i>
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</div></i><br/>The life of the mundane was exactly the life that Tess Kavanagh lived. There was nothing unique about her; there was nothing that made her stand out from the rest. To everyone that walked passed her on the streets of New York City, she was just like they were - ordinary. Perhaps that was what made her stand out like a sore thumb, though. Perhaps that was why she found herself in a less than ordinary situation. Perhaps she was just in the wrong place at the right time, but it seemed like fate had plans other than ordinary ones for Tess.<br/><br/>Her roommates, Hannah and Michelle, weren't half bad in the grand scheme of things. They did a lot for Tess, like provide her with enough material to bitch about for a solid week within a day's time, and they also paid their rent when they were told -an upgrade from the last two free loaders she'd had to deal with. Sometimes, Hannah and Michelle even convinced the reclusive Tess to take a step away from her computer screen and enjoy the world outside of their apartment, even if it was only for a few hours at a time. This was one of those nights when Hannah and Michelle had convinced her that drinks were needed after work and clothing that would attract attention needed to be worn. While her roommates dolled themselves up and prepared for cocktail hour, Tess selected a black and white striped t-shirt, a pair of dark wash jeans, and a black cardigan to keep herself warm as the cool air of the city eventually enveloped them at night.<br/><br/>Her roommates gave her a hard time as they walked the few blocks it took to get to the center of Manhattan. Lots of quaint bars littered the streets, which were also pebbled with restaurants full of people. The place they frequented had a top patio, and because they were arriving before sunset, it would be easy for them to snag a nice place to sit, relax, and socialize before the party really started. Tess wasn't much of a drinker, and she suspected that was why Hannah and Michelle liked her to accompany them. When it came to socialization, there was always an ulterior motive for people to want to be involved in her life, or so Tess thought. In reality, Hannah and Michelle enjoyed Tess's company. It was a shame she couldn't see that.<br/><br/><b>"Come on, Tess,"</b>Michelle eventually whined as nighttime descended upon the rooftop patio.<b>"You won't even have a glass of pinot grigio? It's your favorite. You deserve one glass."</b>Michelle was right - Tess<i>did </i>need a glass of pinot grigio. Unfortunately though, Tess had to work early the next morning and wasn't about to tempt the wrath of her boss.<br/><br/><b>"No, I'm good for tonight."</b>She replied for at least the fifth time, this time using her hands for emphasis as she denied any need for alcohol.<b>"I've got an important interview tomorrow."</b>Being a sports writer had never been in her original plans. She'd always wanted to travel to exotic places, see crazy things, and experience life in ways that most people couldn't imagine. But a job was a job, and Tess couldn't afford to be picky anymore, not with student loans, rent, and living expenses dominating her current list of stress. She couldn't even begin to count the number of times she'd almost broken down and asked her parents to help her out, but seeing as their relationship wasn't exactly the best, Tess decided against it every time.<br/><br/><b>"You always have an important interview. Do you ever take a weekend off?"</b>Hannah piped in this time, a rarity for the one that was mostly obsessed in finding a man to distract her instead of hanging out with her friends. Tess raised an eyebrow, but chose to ignore her. Eventually, Hannah wandered off to meet new people and Michelle grew quiet as she waited for some of her girlfriends from college to show up.<br/><br/><b>"Call me if you need me to come get you. I can walk you home later."</b>Tess told Michelle as she eventually grew tired and decided to leave. She knew that neither of her roommates would make it home later, and having the apartment to herself for a night was a gift she'd only half expected to receive. Michelle gave her thanks, said her goodbyes, and allowed Tess to leave her with only a soft shake of her head in disbelief. Tess had experienced worse expressions of disappointment from her roommates in the past, but edging closer to 29 every day meant that she wasn't as into the party scene as her younger, less weary roommates were.<br/><br/>She walked down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, deciding the wait would be much less and a bit of exercise could be helpful in burning off the chicken nuggets she'd snagged for lunch. The building was warm and stuffy, so when she finally reached the bottom and pushed the door open into the outside, the cool air was welcome. Tess had taken this exit many, many times in her adventures to the bar, so the slightly darkened alleyway wasn't too creepy for her. Just a few steps away from the building, and she'd be directly on the sidewalk under the eyes of all of those that walked passed her without a second glance.<br/><br/>Putting one foot in front of the other, she started to make that small journey to the sidewalk. Fate decided to intervene at that time, however, and Tess felt the hair on the back of her neck stand tall. Pausing, Tess decided to check behind her to make sure she was alone. She hadn't seen anyone in the alley with her, otherwise she wouldn't have left the building alone. But as her green eyes took in the black figure now standing in front of her as her back faced the street, Tess knew she'd messed up.<br/><br/>Tag:<a class="username" data-user-id="153" data-username="@Vaughn Doom" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/153/">@Vaughn Doom</a>