Homer Bertram's Story

As soon as the the clock hit eight there was a knock on the door. Samuel looked at the door and turned back to Malice without saying anything. He got up and headed towards the door, ready for anything. He opened it and there stood the doorman from earlier. "Oh hey Bertram" Samuel said feeling a bit relieved, maybe the letter was a hoax. "What brings you up here?" Samuel asked him as he held the door wide open, leaning on it with one hand.

"I've been told that I am to chauffeur you and Madame Hemo to the vampire council. Please come with me." Homer said before making a sharp turn around. He clicked the elevator down and waited for it to come with both hands behind his back. Samuel looked over at Malice with a shocked expression. He mouthed the words "Did you know?" so that Bertram wouldn't hear.

"We musn't be late for this meeting. The vampire council is strict on timing." Bertram called out, who was now in the elevator. Samuel waited for Malice before getting inside, trying not to make a seem so obvious that he was looking for something on Bertram that could distinguish that he was a vampire.

Bertram lead them straight downstairs where his car was already parked just outside of the lobby. The car was pearly white, it reminded Samuel one of the cars seen in mobster movies. He opened the door for the both of them and waited till they both entered the car before. He closed the door behind them and made his way to the drivers seat. The interior of car was just as luxurious as the outside. This couldn't have been Bertram's car, even if he did work at a ritzy hotel. Wherever he was taking them, the people in charge must have plenty of resources.

Samuel looked out to the road, occasionally glancing back towards Malice. He slid his hand over to hers to grasp at her fingers softly. He wondered what she was thinking right now.

Samuel turned his attention back to the window shortly after. He could see that they were driven to an unpopulated area. There were fewer lights, bumpier roads, and no buildings. The only thing that surrounded them on both sides were trees. The car made a slow approach to a road hidden in the trees that diverged off of the highway. For a split second Samuel thought they were going to crash into trees, but behind the thick of greenery was a clearing of dirt road. Five minutes inwards they slowly stopped. "We have to walk from here, the road ahead is too treacherous for a car to drive on" Bertram explained as he exited the car and opened the door for them.

Samuel followed Bertram while holding Malice's hand. He felt like they were walking out into a trap. He wanted to talk to Malice, but he felt like he couldn't say anything with Bertram around. They soon found themselves at a gap between where they were standing and some land across. Connecting the two was a stone bridge that looked like it had endured a century or two. Bertram began to walk on it as if it were the as sturdy as a concrete sidewalk. Samuel was a little bit hesitant to walk across. "Don't be shy, this bridge is sturdy enough for the three of us" Bertram said to reassure the both of them

As Bertram lead the two past the bridge they seemed to be getting higher in altitude. Samuel looked to his right and saw the huge drop that was to his side. Although it was early in the morning it was pretty foggy and ominous. It was probably something accustomed to this area.

Once they passed the bridge they came to an area where the ground above them seemed to overlay, creating a great roof made of dirt. You could see the roots from trees reaching downwards from the top. They hit a dirt wall not more than ten feet in and there behind a thick of roots was a stone door. It had some sort of strange insignia on it, there was also a bit of blood on the door. Bertram took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off the door. "You'll have to excuse the mess, some of the lesser members of our society can be very sloppy at times" Bertram remarked, turning back to them when he finished wiping the blood.

With ease Bertram opened the stone door to reveal a dank and dark tunnel. It was lit by a few torches placed on the wall, but it didn't help very much. Bertram began to walked down the tunnel. "Madame Hemo I don't know if you remember this place, but you've been here before. You had to be just an infant at the time, quite the energetic one as I recall" Bertram said as he continued down the tunnel which lead to a bigger room.

There walls were all stone, carved with various pictures, and characters. It seemed to tell some sort of story or stories. The room was lit by a candlelight chandelier which didn't improve lighting by much. However everyone in the room had increased vision. There was one grand stone table with members already sitting down. Among them was Gabriel Clayworth, which Samuel spotted immediately. There were no heads at the either end of the table, but there was however a separate table at the head of the room. Five empty seats accompanied the the table, there was one in the center that particularly looked throne like.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you Madame Malice Hemo, the last remaining member of the Hemo clan, accompanied by her thrall." Bertram said to the crowd of vampires. "Thrall?" Samuel questioned aloud, turning to Malice.

Samuel turned looked at Malice when Morticai asked him what'd he'd like to drink. "Do you guys have water?" Samuel asked them no knowing really what to say. Gabriel raised his eyebrow at Samuel when he said this. "C'mon don't be bashful now, you were all ready to pounce just last night on that hunter." Gabriel said as he took his seat. "That was actually for her, I actually don't drink human blood." Samuel said, pointing to Malice.

The room fell into a silent pause, even Bertram who'd been pouring blood at the moment placed the bottle down and looked over his shoulder. "What did he just say" Bertram asked aloud, now turning fully around. "That can't be possible, the look in your eyes that night. I could tell that you were starving, it was the look of a predator. You honestly expect me to believe that you don't drink human blood." Gabriel said as he leaned more forward in his chair to look past Malice to Samuel who was sitting beside her. "Well he does look rather famished" Bertram called out from the other side of the room as he turned back around to bring a large tray full of chalices of blood.

Samuel was a bit annoyed at their comments. The pale man who was looking at Malice and Samuel was beginning to have their doubts about them. He began to question why Malice was at the highest seat at the meeting and why everyone else was so willing to except it. She had not been at a meeting since she was first born. Gabriel was about to question Samuel more until Bertram placed the drinks on the table. The blood at the vampire council meeting was the rarest of blood, reserved for members higher up on hierarchy. Bertram grabbed his chalice along with Gabriel, but sitting at the table across from the table reserved for the five.

Samuel raised an eyebrow at A'Sharia and turned back to Malice who he knew exactly what she was thinking. Samuel gave Malice a small nod to confirm that he was thinking the exact same thing.

Bertram nodded in approval of Samuel's diet and Gabriel simply smiled at them. Samuel felt awkward about causing a stir and Malice defending him. There seemed to be a stiffness in the air that needed to be shaken. "...so i take it you guys don't have lemonade either?" Samuel jokingly said trying to relieve the tension. Gabriel hit his face with the palm of his hand at Samuel humor. Bertram smugly smiled at Gabriel's reaction.

Samuel really wished there were more he knew here. It was beginning to feel like a visit to the in laws. Plenty of insider jokes, awkward silences, glares, and stares. The only thing left was for one of them to pull out baby pictures of Malice. "Malice when the meeting is over perhaps you might look at the wall to your right, it has the history of your clan on it. I know a thing or two about disguises and you are certainly not wearing one" Bertram said as he pointed to the wall. "L.o.l baby pictures" Samuel thought to himself, smiling a bit.

Samuel stood up from his seat. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid Malice isn't going to be fighting anyone." Samuel said not joking at all, with a serious look on his face as he stared at all of them. "Excuse me" Gabriel said as he also stood up from his seat. "She's not fighting" Samuel repeated to Gabriel with brazen. "Perhaps you'd like to enlighten us as to why not?" Bertram questioned. Samuel paused for a moment and thought about what he was going to say. "This is suppose to be the happiest time of her entire life. She's going to get married..."Samuel said as he prepared himself for the next part. "...to me. So, I would like to compete on the behalf of my soon to be wife." Samuel declared as he looked at everyone in the room, except Malice because she knew she wouldn't like it.

Samuel was taken aback by Malice's defensiveness. Ususally he was the one more outspoken and confrontational one. He now felt what Malice felt every time he lost his cool in the past. He smiled a bit at the reversed roles.

"Will you two follow me" Bertram politely asked as he walked down a spiral staircase that took them even further underground into the mountain. Samuel followed Malice as she called out to him. "I do apologize if our first meeting was a little rough on you two" Bertram said as he lead them down about halfway. As they got further the staircase got darker, so Bertram grabbed one of the torches and relit the extinguished ones. "I apologize also for the darkness, it's been years since anyone has been in this area." Bertram said as they finally reached the bottom of the steps.

Bertram went ahead in the darkness and lit a torch one by one to reveal a hallway without about five rooms, two on each side, followed by the last room in the middle at the end of the hallway. The hallway was made of stone and the doors were wooden, but the room showed no signs of decay or abandonment. "This the Hemo wing of the council estate. It's last owners were your parents Madame Hemo. You'll find the master bedroom straight ahead. There are two guest rooms on the right. The bathroom is on the left. There is one extra room on the left, but I'm afraid it's been sealed off by some sort of magic that we have not attempted to break out of respect for the Hemo's." Bertram said as he began to head back up the stairs. "If you don't have any questions I'll be heading back to my human job. I'm sure the council will designate you with a butler soon enough." Bertram said as he waited to see if either of them had a question. "Thanks Bertram, I'll be fine for now. How about you Mal?" Samuel asked

"Then I'll just be on my way then" Bertram said as he headed up the now lit staircase to the main room. Samuel turned to Malice as he left, also looking around the room. "My penthouse is way better than this" Samuel though to himself as he looked at the somewhat seemingly ancient architecture. It seemed like it'd been carved out centuries ago.

"You don't have to Malice, you just did all the work for me" Samuel said as he smiled at her. Even Samuel had to admit that she was a bit moody, but he didn't want to put that thought into her head. Samuel wrapped his arms around Malice to comfort her. "Well this place...is interesting" Samuel said to get her mind on something else.

"Both Malice and her progeny are in the Hemo wing." Bertram announced once reaching the top of the stairs. Gabriel grunted a bit and stood up out of his seat. "Can someone please explain to me why are just so casual as to letting her stay here? We don't even know if she's Malice Hemo herself and did you see how uncontrolled that thrall was. My mother would torture him for that outburst, he is lucky that he is not one of the Clayworth children" Gabriel said as his voice flared a bit.

Samuel was a bit shocked by her story, wishing he hadn't asked. He was sure that it pained Malice to revisit something like that, "I'm sorry Malice, I didn't know." Samuel apologized as he held her. Samuel knew that Isobel had transferred herself into Malice's body when she was young, he wasn't sure of the time though. She could have been there as soon as she was born, but just kept quiet, or she could have just happened to pop in the exact moment that Malice needed. Regardless of speculation, Samuel decided it would be wise to ask her about it. Matter of fact it would be good to ask her about the entire council while he was at it.

"Reckless? Me? Never A'Sharia, I leave that type of behavior to you." Gabriel said with a smirk. He began to head towards the exit. "I'm going back to the nest. It's almost time to open. I'll try to get some info on the thrall. Call me when the trials begin and by call I mean by phone. We may be centuries years old, but that doesn't mean we have to live like it" Gabriel said as he grabbed his coat and left.

Bertram sighed as he knew that comment was directed at him. Every time he wanted to talk to someone he'd always travel to them instead of using the cell phone Gabriel got him.

Samuel sighed when Malice told him about the lack of time they'd have. "I knew we should have done vegas, Isobel better be one hell of a priestess" Samuel jokingly said. "So I guess these trials start tomorrow. Lets get settled in, I have the feeling we won't be sleeping on memory foam mattresses tonight." Samuel said as he looked down the large stone hallway, lit by a few torches. The place felt a bit like a crypt.

"Before retiring, are there any preparations that need to be made for the trials?" Bertram asked Morticai as he messed with his white gloves, to adjust them.

Samuel gave Malice a grin after her shove. "Yeah just like the good ol' days" Samuel laughed as he remembered The Academy days. Isobel was overbearingly protective of them during those years.

He watched her look around and the locked room sort of drew in her attention, it made her awkward. "Why? What's wrong Malice?" Samuel asked her. He wasn't used to Malice looking some uncomfortable. Well he couldn't blame her for not wanting to sleep in this place. It was outright creepy, it was then that Samuel realized they'd not been offered the choice to return when the trials were beginning. They were holding them there as captives so they wouldn't run. It was almost like a death sentence for impersonating Malice. He wondered how many people were brought down here before they were killed

Bertram proceeded to leave the council dwelling as he began to drive back. It was completely dark out now, but Bertram enjoyed driving. He could run faster than the car, but he had shreds of humanity that he liked to hold on to.

Samuel woke up to see his dark dank surroundings, which were blurry at the moment. He heard a voice call out to him and as soon as he recognized it as Malice's he sprung up. When he landed on his feet they gave out on him and he fell to his knees. "Malice, where are you" Samuel asked, his voice a bit weaker than usual. He'd not fed in a long time, so he felt his strength fading

Meanwhile
The swarm of vampires poured in the arena in a barbaric fashion. In the center of the audience was a private balcony reserved for the council. Once again their were five chairs lined up. Clayworth took his seat with great joyfulness as he crossed his legs and waited. Bertram was in the center of the pit and with a torch. He threw it to a seemingly random area and all of a sudden ground began to catch fire in a certain pattern. The crowd roared and stomped from right above where Malice and Samuel were being held that specs of dirt flew down.

"Pregnant...you're pregnant?!" Samuel said as he just stood completely astounded by the news absorbing the weight of what Malice had just announced. Samuel suddenly picked her up and spun her around, with the biggest smile on his face. "This is great, when did you find out?" Samuel asked completely forgetting his surroundings and everything that had happened not too long ago.

Bertram made his way to the arena to a crowd that was still completely shocked at the fight, some even a bit angered. He could hear the crowd getting restless and angrier in the tone in which they spoke. "This isn't good" Bertram said as he grabbed the two corpses and dragged their carcasses out of the arena floor without saying anything.

Samuel knelt beside Malice and held her hand. "I'm going to be a dad..." Samuel pushed his hair back and took a deep breath. "I'm going to be a terrible father, I got to get a job. What kind of example would I set if i taught our children how to rob banks" Samuel said as he found himself suddenly stressed.

There was accompaniment of a dragging sound on the floor as Bertram hauled in the two corpses. He looked over at Samuel and Malice, but said nothing to them and simply moved on.

Gabriel appeared next to A'Sharia with his hands behind his back. "We now have a situation to attend to. I didn't expect this girl to live in the arena." Gabriel said as the roar of the crowd traveled throughout the arena. "You hear that? If we don't do something soon we'll have a riot on our hands" Gabriel said in a calm voice as he stood closely behind A'Sharia.

Samuel wanted to respond to Morticai, but as Malice's thrall & fiance he was more than obligated to disregard the matter at the time. Samuel walked towards Malice keeping a watchful eye on Morticai. He turned his back towards him to comfort Malice. "Malice don't worry about him, are you okay." Samuel said as he knelt a bit to get to her eye level and break the line of sight from her to Morticai.

Gabriel still paused now stood at the once crowded arena on the council's balcony, still grasping at the cheek A'Sharia had kissed him. When he could hear her footsteps no more, he suddenly broke off into a fast walk to follow her footsteps. He had lost their sound and soon began to run after them, but the arena was full of twist and turns. Even though Gabriel was familliar with the arena, it had seemed like a maze at the moment. He stopped in the middle of a four way corridor and paused again. "What am I doing?" Gabriel asked himself aloud. He chuckled a bit and started to make his way to the competitors area.

Bertram who had just finished disposing of the bodies met with Gabriel on his way back. They glanced at each other for a meeting that needed no words, like master and servant. Gabriel proceeded and Bertram followed just two steps behind him.

Samuel caught what Morticai said and at that moment he wanted to turn around and attack him while he had the chance. Images flashed through his head of all the different ways he could attempt to kill Morticai, but he remained calm. Malice's eyes had a certain calming affect on him. He held on to her as she "We need to get out of here, can you walk?" Samuel asked Malice in a calm voice as nerve racking as the situation was. Samuel felt as though Malice didn't need him to be frantic right now.

Gabriel & Bertram soon found themselves where Morticai, Malice, & Samuel were. Gabriel leaned left to look past Morticai to see that Malice was hurled over in pain while Samuel tired to comfort her. He shed a smug little smirk as he saw the sight of the Hemo in pain. Bertram on the other hand was compelled to help Malice as he quickly walked towards them. "What's going on?" Gabriel asked Morticai