Name:
Alek James Ayeris
Nicknames:
Some people call him Al, which he despises.
One girl, back in his childhood, nicknamed him Eir but he has not seen her in years.
Age:
22
Gender:
Male
Appearance:
Alek stands just south of 6'1 with a somewhat lanky build. One might assume that he could reach a full height of 6'2 if he really wanted to straighten himself up. However, his shoulders are almost always hunched over slightly, giving a small curve to his back and a slightly stunted posture. His skin is a shade too pale for normal humans, yet still retains some normal color, most prominent in the summer. He has only one marking on his body. A round sigil that rests right over his heart. He has no recollection of where and when he received it. He isn't even sure whether it is a tattoo or something he was born with.
On first glance, Alek looks about average. He has an angular jaw line that is still somewhat rounded to give him a softer appearance. His eyes are a dark brown color, shrouded under heavy brows that can easily give him the appearance of a vicious predator or an amused school boy. His hair is naturally black and curly. Alek keeps it at a medium length where it has grown out enough to be straightened a little by gravity but not long enough to get in his way. It usually looks unkempt as he only pushes it back out of his face and leaves it where it may land. More often than not he sports a shadow of a stubble, only going clean shaven on rare occasions.
Personality:
Alek is a tough person to fully figure out, mostly because he never speaks about himself at length even when prompted. His exterior personality is a fabricated act, meant to keep prying eyes out of his personal life. Underneath the facade lies a completely different person. One that is guarded from the world around him. One that had been playing this game for so long that it is almost natural to him to simply project a different persona instead of opening up his true self.
As a result, he can be rather reserved, preferring the sound of other peoples' voices to his own. He has incredible control over his temper, having spent most of his life learning to suppress his emotions. That is not to say that he doesn't get angry. He simply won't act on it. He is the type to turn around and walk away from an argument when he deems that his opponent has strayed into ego territory. If he ever does lash out, it is usually quick and with devastating results.
The mask that most people see when they meet him is carefree and laid back. He jokes around and has a tendency to come off as a flirt even when all he is doing is being polite. He never pursues any friendships and is terrible at anything related to romance. He has come to the conclusion that there is no hope for him to ever have a normal friendship or relationship with the secrets he harbors. As a result, he doesn't ever bother himself with anything of the sort, preferring to not linger in anyone's life for long.
Family Life:
Alek doesn't know anything about his birth family. He's only been told that his father had abandoned them before he was even born and his mother soon died in childbirth. As a baby, he was passed down to an orphanage and adopted by his current family. He grew up with a mother, a father, and a younger sister, Katelyn. His foster parents could not have kids of their own, so they chose to adopt according to the old family traditions. An older boy and a younger girl where all they wanted to find a sense of normalcy.
While Katelyn adapted well, however, Alek never accepted the fact that this was his home. He knew, from an early age, that he was different and that he just didn't belong. He tried to accept the love shown to him by his foster family but it always seemed fake and unnatural. Thus, he became the black sheep and retreated into his own mind in search of an escape. It was no surprise when, right after graduating high school, he chose to move out of the house, opting for his own place on the other side of town. He rarely speaks with his parents now, though Katelyn takes care to visit him and keep in touch often. She is possibly the only person in his life that knows him best, even if she doesn't know all of his closely guarded secrets. Alek refuses to burden her with them.
Dreams:
Alek dreams of what any person in his situation would. Of a normal life, free of his curse. He wants freedom. To not feel trapped by society's outreach. He doesn't want to have to hide secrets and corner himself away into his own mind for the sake of those around him. For the sake of his own safety.
More than this, he is constantly searching for his place in the world. He wants to figure out what it is that he meant to do in this life and then pursue it. So far all he has been able to find are interests but he is looking for the passion in an endeavor and a clear career path.
Likes:
Alek likes solitude. Those blissful times when he doesn't have to put on a mask and surround himself with false smiles and stories. He loves reading and can often be found stalking the aisles of the local library or else seated in a far corner of a coffee shop. He is also a bit of a writer and a poet, though he had never shown his work to anyone before. It is unlikely he ever will. Oddly enough, he enjoys the company of chatty people. The more another person talks, the more Alek feels at ease to simply sit back and listen. When he isn't pressured to reveal much about himself, he tends to like the person more. This is mostly why he doesn't mind hanging out at the local bar every once in a while.
Alek also likes being outside in the rain and witnessing violent thunder storms. Not surprisingly, he is also a fan of critters such as spiders and snakes.
Dislikes:
On the flip side, crowds tend to annoy him in the same way that being pestered about his past signals a downward spiral in a conversation. Alek has never been a fan of beaches, malls, and fares for this reason. He also has a tendency of staying away from the part of town where he grew up. He doesn't like revisiting old memories. He doesn't like the past at all, in fact.
Alek doesn't like being kept in the dark about anything. If he senses that someone is not telling him everything, he is more likely than not to continue asking about it until either the person in question snaps at him or else Alek gets aggravated enough to demand an answer. He is aware that this is hypocritical and he never seems to care.
Finally, he despises the curse that he has been living with his entire life. He has never told anyone of it even though some almost found out on their own in the past. Almost. Alek fears what he might have been capable of doing if his secret got out. He does not wish to kill but he knows that he might if the knowledge passed into the wrong hands.
Bio:
Alek does not remember exactly what occurred around the beginning of his life. He's been told that his father had disappeared before his birth and his mother died in labor. As a baby, he was given to an orphanage and remained there for about a year before he was adopted into a new family. His foster mom worked as a secretary and her husband helped run an engineering firm. All in all, the small family had a fairly good financial standing. They could not afford a large mansion, but the two story house where they settled was an excellent home for all.
It was two years later when they adopted a girl, Katelyn, and Alek got a baby sister. With a small family unit assembled, there was nothing that could go wrong. All except for Alek.
He was barely 5 years old when it first became apparent that there was something different about the boy. He noticed that sometimes, when he was especially annoyed or angry over something, his body would begin to shift and change. His finger nails would grow and mutate into something akin to talons. Sometimes his hair would turn a few shades lighter or else go white completely. However, these changes fell apart quickly once anger gave way to shock. He found that it was hard to control the transformations. Even more so, they terrified him. He would look in the mirror in the morning and find a pair of crimson eyes staring back, causing him to shriek and force his parents to come running in to find out what was the matter.
One day it got worse. Katelyn walked into his room with a toy train that Alek was particularly fond of. He didn't like her touching it and got unreasonably upset. When he went to yank it out of her grip, though, he brushed his arm against hers. There was a surge of energy that passed between them and the next thing he knew Kately was on the floor, unconscious. Despite himself, Alek knew instantly what had happened. Somehow, he had stolen his baby sister's energy, pulling her into a sleep. When Katelyn finally came to, it took a lot of careful coaxing to convince her that she had bumped her head on the chair and that Alek had meant her no harm. To this day, Alek isn't sure if she ever fully believed him.
As months and years stretched on, the young boy was first placed in kindergarten and then into elementary school. Even as a child, after seeing Katelyn's reaction to his curse, he made a decision to never tell a soul about it. He didn't understand it still and would not for a few more years, but little by little he became less afraid and more fascinated by it. By the time he hit middle school, he had started doing his own research on his abilities. The most he found were demons and gods of myth and legend. Tricksters, psychic vampires, and beings who could project events into reality that were never meant to take place. Some of it seemed to fit, but the rest he doubted very much. All through middle school he explored what he could do. He discovered, much to his dismay, that his power stretched further than he had previously thought.
Despite the fact that he started to act out, and that his parents worried for him constantly, Alek did well for himself in school. He had friends, some closer than others, and he had descent grades. For a while he tried to live with with his powers. To see them as some form of a twisted gift that fate bestowed upon him. He began using his abilities slowly around others, passing them off as simple pranks. Being able to act as if he was hypnotizing his victim while draining just enough energy to place them into a semi-sleep. Making teachers tired whenever he felt like the class could use a movie day. It was all harmless fun until one day he took it too far. Some kids at his school had gotten too suspicious of Alek's claims to stardom. The teachers began to question him and some of the students got spooked when he threw out an empty warning that he could choke them if he wanted to. It was banter of a child, but it was taken seriously and he was suspended for two weeks.
After the ordeal that followed with his parents, Alek shut himself off from others. No longer did he see any amusement in his abilities. They were no longer a gift but rather a curse. A burden he carried, for what reason he knew not. He attempted to ignore it but didn't feel fully complete without it. This began his descent into a darker persona that his family took the brunt of. He already learned, as a child, that he had been adopted, and wondered if perhaps his birth family would be able to answer his questions. His mother, however, was dead. His father was no where to be found. Alek didn't even know the man's name.
Throughout high school, Alek gradually learned to project a friendlier persona than he felt anyone deserved from him. As a teenager, he began to feel more and more superior to the normal people around him. If he chose to bring harm to any of them, what could they do? He felt stronger, braver, and more invincible than he had in his entire life. Yet he continuously pushed this aside, the fear of what could happen if the town found out about his curse overwhelming his desire to squash the same town. So with a friendly mask, he finished out school and soon after moved out of the house that he had lived in most of his life.
He found a place for himself on the opposite side of town. With some help from Katelyn, he also found a temporary job, working in a book store. He didn't mind the arrangement as on his time off he could lounge around with a book in his lap, hoping desperately that the infernal bell would not chime above the door of the store, alerting him to a new customer. So far he has managed to stay out of trouble and has evaded any serious inquiries into his personal life. However, he can sense that this quiet time in his life is about to come to an end.
What is your otherworld entity:
Something akin to a psychic vampire. However, he has no need for the energy he collects.
Transformation Appearance:
Alek's appearance varies according to how much power he is attempting to use at any one time. Small pranks do not alter his appearance. However, as he applies more power and gains more energy, his typically black hair turns into a shocking white color. His eyes turn red and his skin takes on a pale blue hue that is similar to a dead body. Other characteristics tend to include longer finger nails that turn dark and rotten. In times of extreme stress on his mind and abilities, his skin has been known to morph into a pure black color, cracking and oozing blood. If this happens, he gains the full power to drain a person completely of their energy, instantly killing the body and sending the soul onto the after-life.
Power:
Alek's main power is being able to drain the energy, or the life-force, of another being through physical contact with the body. His secondary power is heightened speed, which easily compliments his abilities and shapes his style of attack. His offense does not rely on brute strength, but rather the speed and his ability to get close enough to his enemy without being knocked out first. Once he has you within arm's reach, you best move quickly.
The flip side of his power is that he is also capable of transferring some of his own energy into another body if someone is in need and he chooses to help them. Unfortunately, Alek is not aware of this and has never thought to try it.
Another ability he is not aware of is regeneration. As long as he has access to enough energy, he cannot be killed.
