Misfeasance: /Noun/ - A willful, inappropriate act. The wrongful and injurious exercise of lawful authority.
"I can't believe classes have started again! Like nothing ever happened and everything's all tickety-boo!" Laura huffs as she hears movement behind her. Carmilla is up earlier than she expected. The vampire has taken to sleeping most of the day away, while her girlfriend is off trying to get an education. "God, this place! How can the board possibly expect people to believe that everything is normal?" .
"Because it is..." Laura jumps in her seat as the silky voice of Matska Belmonde sounds behind her. The chair of the board is wearing her usual smug expression when Laura turns to face her. She's dressed in a tailored grey pantsuit, looking the epitome of power and authority. Her silk blouse is a blood red colour that matches the striking colour of her painted lips.
"Silas has undergone a transitional period of late, but normal services have resumed." Mattie chirps, looking as camera-ready as ever. Carmilla's older sister is practically a walking public service announcement. Whereas, Laura just feels like a puppet on a string.
"Is that the official stance of the administration? Let's just take the blue pill, and ignore all the insane stuff that happens here?" Laura snaps. Carmilla has warned her about back chatting the ancient vampire; but it's just not in her nature to roll over. Journalism is about telling the truth. It might not always be pretty, but it is what it is. It isn't supposed to be about warping the truth to fit the view of the establishment.
Mattie lets out a laugh. It's short, sharp and humourless. She moves further in to the parlour, coming to a stop right in front of Laura's chair. The younger girl shuffles apprehensively. The weight of Mattie's stare alone is heavy enough to keep her rooted to the spot.
"Last time I checked, the Silas News Network is part of the administration." Her voice drips with sarcasm. She has Laura over a barrel; and they both know it. The budding journalist can't walk away from the SNN any more than she can walk away from Silas. Laura has to stay; she owes it to the kids from the Voice.
"Is that what you're here for? To make more Silas propaganda for the masses." Laura twists her face. She's willing to toe the line for Carmilla's sake, but that doesn't mean she has to pretend to like Mattie. "Because if you're here for Carmilla she's sleeping-"
"I'm well aware of that." Mattie glances over at the window. It's early in the afternoon and the sun is streaming in. Carmilla is just a toddler in comparison to her big sister. Like most children, she needs to nap to keep from getting cranky. Mattie outgrew the need to sleep long ago.
"Okay...so why are you here?" Laura is even more on edge than usual. This is the first time she's had to deal with the older woman on her own. LaF and Perry both have classes, and Carmilla is sound asleep upstairs.
It's just the two of them; and the way Mattie is watching her is making Laura uncomfortable. She's staring at the freshman like she's lunch. "Um...You know what, I just remembered I'm supposed to be at a study group."
Laura goes to stand, but promptly finds herself shoved back down in to her seat. Mattie's hand remains on her shoulder as she looms over the tiny human girl. "I'm sure it can wait."
There's no edge to her voice. Her tone is as upbeat as it is during a broadcast. The threat is in her eyes alone. They're cold and black, like the eyes of a shark. Laura gulps. She thinks about calling out for Carmilla.
As if reading her mind, Mattie presses a single, perfectly manicured, finger to Laura's lips. "Don't get any foolish ideas about waking my dear sister. It's you I came to see."
"W-w-why?" Laura stutters. There's no point in trying to pretend she isn't afraid. The vampire can probably hear her heart getting ready to explode in her chest.
"Isn't it customary to get to know the family of the girl you're dating?" Mattie answers, still wearing that smug smile of hers. She always looks so damn sure of herself. Laura supposes it comes from being as old as time.
"I think I've met enough of Carm's 'family' to last me a lifetime." Laura bites out. She just can't help herself. Mattie lets out a soft chuckle. The human girl is feisty. She likes that. She can see why Carmilla chose this one. Mattie tells her as much.
"No wonder Carmilla is so smitten with you. So wide-eyed and innocent, yet so fierce at the same time. You're quite the quandary, Miss Hollis."
"I wouldn't say that –" Laura is silenced again when Mattie places her finger back against her lips.
"Tsk tsk. I'm talking now. Didn't anybody ever teach you to respect your elders?"
"I –"
"There you go again. Interrupting." Mattie shakes her head with a condescending frown. Her expression smooths out again as she leans in close, running the tip of her finger over Laura's bottom lip and along her jaw. "I'm half tempted to take you over my knee and teach you some manners..."
"Mattie! You didn't mention you were dropping by." Carmilla swoops in to the room just as Laura is getting ready to start screaming bloody murder. Of course, by this time, the older vampire has moved clean across the room and is looking entirely innocent as she embraces her little sister.
"It was a spur of the moment thing. I was passing by on the way to a board meeting." Mattie lies with ease; leaving Laura wondering just what the hell she was really doing there in the first place. She doesn't feel like hanging around waiting to find out.
"Carm, I've got a study group. I'll catch you later." Laura keeps her gaze down low as she presses a bashful kiss to her girlfriend's cheek and mumbles an excuse to leave. She feels two sets of eyes on her all the way out the door.
A few days pass without any kind of major incidents at Silas. Mattie doesn't come back to the apartment and Laura tries to put her strange visit to the back of her mind. It works. For a little while at least.
Laura is so focused on taking notes for the class she's sitting in that she fails to notice the door of the lecture hall opening. A freshman wanders in, holding a folded over slip of paper. He hands it over to the professor, who stops rambling long enough to read it. Pushing his glasses up on to his forehead, he squints at the crowd of young, expectant faces staring at him. "Do we have a Miss Hollis in this class?"
Laura tentatively raises her hand in the air. She's hyper aware that everyone else in the lecture theatre is watching her. "Right. Good. You're wanted in the Dean of Students' office." With that, he picks up right where he left off and goes back to giving his lecture. Laura somehow manages to bite back the response of 'But she's dead' that lingers on her tongue.
It takes twice as long as it should for Laura to reach the administration building. She drags her feet the whole way. In the few minutes it takes her to get there she manages to convince herself that the Dean has risen from the crater under the Lustig. She half expects her to be waiting there, patiently in her office, to gobble Laura up the second she steps through the door.
There's no receptionist outside the Dean's office. Clearly another casualty of the budget cuts plaguing the school. Laura knocks twice, but doesn't get an answer. Finally, she pushes the door open, hoping this is all some kind of cruel prank; or maybe Carmilla's way of getting her out of class early.
Laura isn't that lucky.
When she steps inside the Dean's old office she finds Mattie sitting at the antique desk in the centre of the room. She glances up from the papers she's busy pouring over and gives Laura a wave of her hand. "Ah, Miss Hollis. About time. Sit." Laura stays standing. It's her only viable form of protest.
"Suit yourself." Mattie shrugs. She pushes her chair back from the desk, crossing her long stocking clad legs over one another. Her hands come to rest on her knees as she flashes Laura her superior smile. "I'm sure you're wondering why I summoned you here."
Sit. Summon. Stay.
Laura is feeling pretty sick of being spoken to like a dog. She bites down on her frustration, crossing her arms over her chest and forcing herself to keep her chin up. "What do you want, Mattie?" Laura can do a lot of things to hide her fear of the vampire, but she can't keep the tremor from her voice.
"What do I want?" Mattie repeats the question, her own tone as condescending as ever. "What. Do. I. Want..." Her shark like gaze remains fixed on Laura. It's making the human girl's skin crawl. She starts to regret not taking that seat as her knees begin to go weak.
The silence grows thicker as Mattie just sits there, staring away at her. She doesn't say another word until Laura eventually sits down in one of the wing-back chairs in front of her desk. The leather is cold and stiff, the cushions overstuffed.
Mattie gives her a small, satisfied, nod once she's settled. "I called you here on official business. A new Dean of Students has been chosen. The Silas News Network will be announcing it in tomorrow's broadcast."
"Let me guess, you're the new Dean?"
"Well aren't you just as bright as a button?" Mattie lets out an airy laughs as she gets to her feet. She rounds the desk, perching on it right in front of Laura's chair. "Smart, tenacious, feisty...I can see why Carmilla puts up with you." The sudden change of topic catches Laura off guard. She's left gawking, her mouth hanging open as Mattie's sharp eyes rake suggestively over her.
"I...uh...Thanks?" Laura isn't sure how to take her comments. She thinks they might be some twisted kind of compliment, so she goes with that. "I'm planning on recording tomorrow's broadcast at lunch time. So if you want to come by –" She trails off as Mattie shrugs her blazer off, revealing a sleeveless blouse.
Despite her slender appearance, her arms are exceptionally ripped and toned. At first glance, her skin seems to be covered in a litany of scars. As Laura looks closer she realises there's a pattern to the raised welts that cover the tops of Mattie's arms and shoulders. They lead under her blouse, carrying on down out of sight. Laura doesn't mean to stare, but she just can't look away. The patterns in and of themselves are basic, but the overall effect is intricate and beautiful.
"Cicatrization." Mattie speaks up, startling the teenager out of her daze. "It's an ancient process of scarring the body for decoration. The marks tell the story of my ancestors."
"They're beautiful." Laura compliments, her fingers itching to reach out and touch them. Mattie pushes off the desk, moving in on the younger girl.
"Hmm, they were very painful; but then, many of life's beauties involve some degree of pain. They were done when I was a child. It's why they never healed when I was turned. The act is dying out now. People see it as barbaric..." There's a wistful tone to her voice as she talks about her past. Mastka is more than just old. She's as ancient as the practise she is describing. Laura sometimes forgets just how long people like Mattie and Carmilla have been around; the things they must have seen.
"Some of these scars were meant only for princes and chiefs. As a woman I was never meant to receive them... Even back then, I never played by the rules." Her blood red lips curl in to a smirk as she places her hands on top of the chair, either side of Laura's head. "What about you, Laura? Do you like to play by the rules?" She leans in, far too close for comfort.
"Uh..." Whatever Laura's answer was going to be, it's cut short when Mattie surges forward, crushing her lips against the younger girl's. Laura opens her mouth to protest, but that only makes matters worse; Mattie's tongue snakes its way past her lips. The teen makes a strangled, choking, noise as she tries to pull away.
One of Mattie's hands grabs a fistful of Laura's hair, yanking her head back and exposing her neck. The other hand covers the girl's mouth the second their lips part, stopping her from crying out. Her fangs feel as sharp as razors with the points pressing down against her neck. "I could drain you dry without even batting an eyelid. I should kill you, for what you did to Mother..."
Laura mumbles frantically against the hand pressed to her mouth. "What was that, Dear? I didn't quite catch it." Curious, Mattie moves her hand to let her speak. Laura gasps for air, fighting the urge to scream. She doubts it will get her anywhere. Instead she mumbles out only one word. A name.
"Carmilla..."
"My baby sister is the only reason you're still breathing, Child. Carmilla will grow tired of you soon enough, and when she does..." Mattie is grinning, right before her tongue darts out, running up the length of Laura's neck. "You'll die screaming my name." She stands abruptly, smoothing out her skirt with her hands and fixing Laura with her usual 'everything-is-fine-and-normal' smile.
"So, I'll be over at the apartment at lunch time for the broadcast. As the new, 'trusted', voice of Silas, you'll be the perfect person to announce my appointment as Dean. This school needs stability. We can give the student body what it needs." The freshman sits staring at the vampire, her eyes wide and her mouth bone dry. Her nails are digging in to the upholstery of the arms of the chair. The vampire's rapid change of demeanour is truly terrifying. She stands there, beaming down at Laura like the last few minutes never happened.
"You may go." She dismisses Laura with a wave of her hand. There are no threats to keep her quiet. No warnings for her not to mention their little chat to Carmilla. The new Dean of Students doesn't need to waste her breath – She's confident Laura won't utter a word to her girlfriend.
Mattie watches the traumatized human stumble over towards the door. It takes her two attempts to get the door open. She flies right out of it the second it does. Chuckling to herself, Mattie goes to sit back behind her desk. She pulls a compact mirror out of the top drawer, along with a tissue, and dabs at her smudged lipstick.
The taste of her sister's girlfriend still lingers on her lips long after she's gone. When it does eventually fade, it only leaves Mattie craving it more.
