Clubbing in Paradise

Sophie led Giselle into Club Heihei. They passed the bouncer and headed for the bar. Loud music was blaring and tons of people were grooving on the dance floor. Neon lights were moving across the room. After sitting down, the bartender came over to them.

"Aloha! What can I get you lovely ladies?"

"I'll have a Sex on the Beach," Sophie requested.

"A cosmopolitan for me," Giselle said.

The bartender nodded and went to make their drinks.

"So, what do ya think?" Sophie asked.

"It's... nice. Not really my scene, but maybe I just need to change things up a bit."

"Here you are ladies," the bartender said as he set down their drinks in front of them. "A Sex on the Beach and a Cosmopolitan."

The two vamps each took a sip.

"Mmm," Sophie purred. "This is good."

Giselle smiled and said to the bartender, "It's delicious, thank you."

The bartender nodded and went to go wait on other people. Once the girls had finished their cocktails, Sophie pulled Giselle out towards the dance floor.

"Come on!"

Giselle barely budged from her spot, irritated.

"I don't dance!" Giselle cried, trying to be heard over the music and noises. "Not like this." She waved her hand towards the crowd. "I dance waltzes and other proper ballroom dances. I have no idea how to do... that."

She pointed to a woman twerking exaggeratedly against a man's crotch while the man's hands ran across the woman's breasts. Giselle looked away, embarrassed. Sophie laughed.

"Louis really kept you sheltered, didn't he?"

"Pampered more like."

"No way!" Sophie argued. "You've been sheltered from all the nasty little habits of humans nowadays."

Giselle sighed, "I guess your right, mon amie."

"Of course I'm right. When have I ever been wrong?" Sophie laughed again.

She grabbed Giselle's hand and dragged her out onto the floor. Sophie swayed to the music, trying desperately to convince Giselle that everything was fine.

I just need to get her to loosen up, Sophie thought. Which means... more alcohol!!!

Sophie and Giselle went over to a standing table. Sophie called a waitress over and requested a round of vodka shots. The waitress nodded and soon returned with ten shot glasses for each of them.

"Cheers, love."

They clinked the first shot and downed it. Then they downed the next nine pretty quickly. Satisfied, Sophie led Giselle out to the centre of the dance floor. Now, both were swaying to the music. Soon, Giselle started to falter and trip. Sophie caught her.

"You don't look so good, love."

Giselle groaned, "I don't feel so good."

The problem was, Giselle barely ever drank due to Louis's strict rules. They usually just had the maximum of one glass of wine, per month. Or if it was a special occasion. So... of course she couldn't hold her drink very well.

Then, Giselle vomited on the floor. Her eyes rolled back and she went unconscious. Sophie was still holding her and then sighed, picking her up. She slung Giselle over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

At least I know a vamp at the hospital, Sophie thought.

She took Giselle to her vamp contact and soon, Giselle was hooked up to a bag of blood. The vamp doctor turned on the machine that was going to pump the alcohol out of Giselle's stomach.

"Soph, who is this?" Dr. Woods asked.

"My maker."

"She's the one who turned you?"

"Yes. Giselle Marchant."

The other vampire froze. "You mean to say that this lady is the mate of Louis Montpierre?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She's powerful. And a liability."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not on good terms with Louis. Should he find her in here, getting her stomach pumped, he'll go postal. I need to get her conscious quickly and out of here."

"Why are you so scared of Louis Montpierre, Frederic?"

He sighed in anguish. "The Wood, Renetelli, and Montpierre families have been around since the start of time. We're the original vampires. The Renetellis mostly control Africa and the Mediterranean. The Montpierres control all of Europe and the Atlantic. The Woods control North America and the Pacific."

"What about Australia and South America and Asia?"

"They're run differently. They have councils instead of the families. I guess you could say we're three different royals families."

"But why are the Woods and Montpierres against each other?"

"It's a petty trade feud. My father refused to sell oil to Louis's father. Now we're not on good terms. Louis would extract revenge if he could."

"And I wouldn't want to see that," Giselle muttered.

The other two turned to look at her.

"I heard everything," she said simply. Then she nodded to him. "Frederic."

"Giselle."

"Long time no see. So... you're living in paradise now, huh? Got out of D.C.?"

"Yeah. Couldn't take the politics anymore."

"I get it. Louis finally quit his job as adviser to the French President."

"So... what's Montpierre up to now?" Frederic asked.

Giselle looked away.

"Probably trying to find me."

"Yes, but his job?"

Giselle sighed. "He's become the Vampire King."

Frederic gasped, "How?"

"Simple. He killed Gabriel Le Monde."

"Head of Le Monde Oil. Of course," Frederic said. "Now it all makes sense. Old man Montpierre let up on us a few weeks back. Said we were fine, everything had been covered."

"What's the Vampire King?" Sophie asked.

Giselle explained, "It means that every vamp in the world now answers to Louis. He has hold over us all. Whether we like it... or not. Louis is now the supreme vampire. The most powerful of us."

Frederic hung his head and Sophie gasped.

"So we all answer to him?" she clarified.

Giselle looked up and looked her right in the eyes. Her voice was sorrowful and dead when she spoke.

"Yes."