Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Preventers: When Vampires Attack ❯ The Final Straw ( Prologue )

The setting, a grand banquet hall, lavishly decorated and brilliantly lit by over a hundred candles. The company, but two: a father and his teenage daughter; she in the prime of her life and he rapidly sliding down the wrong side of the dread "hill." There was no occasion but that of an ordinary dinner. Ordinary for Earth's President and his only child. But the night itself was far from ordinary. The conversation had taken a turn for the worst and tempers had flared. Now, the President was definitely feeling his age, but his daughter continued to smolder.

"Leave him?! Daddyyy!" The thin wail pierced the usual hollow clatter and conversational hiatus of the dinner. The girl, no more than sixteen, leapt to her feet. Slender hands brushed the napkin from her lap; it floated, forgotten, to the floor. Sharp blue eyes blazed furiously as she flipped curly blonde locks behind her shoulder. "You're not being fair!"

"Laura, . . . honey," her father sighed harshly. He'd tried reasoning, he'd tried yelling, he'd even bit out a threat. Now he was worn down to a frazzle. Might as well try to reason once again. . . . He straightened the lapels of his distinguished business suit and ran a firm hand through greying hair in a nervous gesture. "You know I didn't approve of . . . Adam when he was alive, but now. . . ."

"Daddy! Stay out of my private life! I'm not a baby anymore. I love Adam and we`re getting married and that's that! You're so stuck up!" Laura whirled and began to stalk out of the room.

"I'm looking out for your best interests, young lady. That boy isn't for you. He's from a totally different world. All of that violence, those drugs." He stood, his sharp features softening tenderly. "You're so delicate sweetheart. You're my china doll. . . ."

"Oh, God! You make me sick. And now, just because he's a vampire-" Laura snorted and rushed out of the dining room, a whirlwind of indignation.

"Mr. President?" A man detached himself from the shadows on the other side of the doors. From his vest pocket, he produced a bottle of pills, a prescription half-used.

"No, no. . . ." Laura's father waved the attendant back into his silent corner. Sighing, he bowed his head and stared at his polished black shoes. When Laura got like this, there was no reasoning with her. If only her mother was still alive. . . . That woman had had a way with children and the President couldn't help but determine that she would know exactly how to handle Laura's temper tantrums. But Margaret wouldn't be coming back to him this time. After her initial death, he had made sure of that.

The President kneaded his forehead in concentration, pushing the painful memories to the back of his mind once again. He could handle this. He just had to let Laura ride this out, like every other childish infatuation she'd outgrown. This one was particularly dangerous, though. Especially in the light of the recent murders in the capitol city. Murders that pointed to the vampires as culprits. But as long as he kept bodyguards near her when she left the house, she`d be all right. He'd keep her safe and sound . . . whether she liked it or not.

Nodding decisively, the President turned on his heel and strode into the reception hall beyond the dining room doors. As he climbed the grand staircase to his private chambers, he laid out plans. It was all for Laura's own good. Really. The child just needed the correct guidance and supervision. She'd thank him for it later.

Two hours later, the President was roused from a fitful cat-nap by Laura's maid. The poor woman seemed emotionally hurt and somewhat upset.

"Laura won't answer the door, sir. And she won't even speak to me!"

The President nodded absently. Of course that would upset her. She and Laura had become quite friendly with one another, possibly to the point of friendship. "Don't worry, Kuni. Laura just needs some time to herself right now." He gently steered her back out the door into the hallway. "Why don't you try again in the morning."

"But she's locked her door and everything, sir-"

"Well, then you can see she doesn't want to be disturbed. Like I said: don't worry yourself."

Kuni set her jaw defiantly, but strode down the hall to attend to her other household jobs. The President crossed his arms and watched her walk away with a contemplative expression. Laura usually didn`t become this petulant during her tantrums. . . .

I may be an old fool, but. . . . He approached Laura's room himself and knocked, one hand on the doorknob. "Laura, honey. It's Daddy."

A soft hissing sound, like a snake, preceded a rustling noise within. The President blinked and knocked again. "Laura, I'm coming in. We should talk this out anyways." Producing a master key from his fleece robe, he disengaged the lock and swept the door open.

The room was dark and silent, the only light was provided by the hall light and the glaring white moon outside the open window. He stood in silence for an instant, letting his eyes adjust. Something, vague and distant, disturbed him about all of this. Shaking his head, he blamed his unease on the earlier argument. The thought of Laura insisting on seeing Adam was enough to throw anyone off balance.

Suddenly, the darkness beside the large canopied bed came alive. Black as pitch, an indiscernible figure leapt at him from the shadows. The President screamed in pain and surprise as four razor-sharp claws slashed into his cheek, raking bone. Then the thing was gone, magically spirited out the window. Lying where he had fallen, the President clutched his bleeding face and stared at the flapping curtains in stunned silence. A moment later, Kuni was at his side.

"Sir? Sir! Are you- What happened- Let me see-"

"Let me alone, woman!" The President roared. Pushing her aside, he bungled his way to the bed, where the creature had been crouching. His face went slack and he almost lost his footing when his eyes fell on the small, bloodied figure in the bed. "No. . . . I`m seeing things. God, it can`t be-"

Kuni chose that moment to join him, peering over his shaking shoulder at the gruesome sight. She fell back, screaming as though she were the one to meet such a terrible fate.

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