ALPHA
2.
In the darkness of her bedroom Integra stared at the ceiling above her bed. She was dead tired, there was no doubt about it, but every time she closed her eyes the face of her uncle haunted her. Surely there was no need to be afraid of him anymore. She had disposed of him with her own hand. She had pulled the trigger by herself. She had... she had killed a human being.
Integra sat up and walked to the balcony. Did her father have to kill too? Did all of them, her ancestors, have to fulfill the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill' by killing? And what did they feel? Her father had been proud with his vocation, she was sure of that.
"Be glorious." That was his last words.
Obviously it wouldn't be as nice as it appeared. Being glorious had nothing to do with feeling glorious, she concluded.
The 13-year-old eyed the rail surrounding the balcony with a naughty twinkle in her eyes. In a matter of seconds she was sitting comfortably on it, enjoying the night breeze in her face, her back to the building. She had a good view of the Hellsing headquarters.
"Don't look down, master."
The sudden murmur in her ear caught her by surprise and almost made her lose her balance, if Alucard hadn't been quicker. With one arm around her waist he pulled her backwards so that she was still sitting on the balcony, but practically leaning on him.
Unconsciously Integra had grabbed hold of the arm around her, exclaiming, "Alucard, you idiot! You almost killed me!"
A low chuckle came from just above her head. "You're perfectly safe, master. I was only reminding you not to look down."
"Why shouldn't I?" Integra looked down obstinately. She had often climbed this rail and was never scared of the height, but this time... She could hardly believe her eyes. The distance from the balcony to the ground was terrifying; it was as if a pit had opened in Hellsing's court. She gasped and looked back straight ahead, not yet realizing Alucard was now clasping her securely with both arms. "What's... what's this?"
He only smirked.
She swiftly directed her gaze to see Alucard's satisfied face and came to the right conclusion. "It was your doing!" In one fluid motion she whirled and jumped down from the rail, abruptly pushing him away from her.
"I have warned you, master," he said politely, which added insult to her pride.
"You wanted me to look down!" she spat angrily. "Go away!" Bowing, Alucard retreated and disappeared gradually. Integra remained standing on the balcony, fuming for quite a long time until the quiet music of the night found its way into her and drowsiness overtook the command. She dragged her sleepy feet to the bed, muttering, "What a stupid servant..."
The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was the balcony, Alucard, and his protective arms around her.
- - -
The bedroom windows faced east and Integra slept with the curtains open, so she didn't need an alarm clock. The honorable sun itself woke her up every day, something she thought quite fitting for a Hellsing. This morning, though, she overslept, being a teenager who needed longer sleeping hours and with all the tiring events that happened in one single day yesterday.
The breakfast in the dining room had been cleared, but one of the servants had brought up a tray and put it on the table beside her bed. That was not all; there was a red rose in a vase on the same table.
When Integra woke up, she looked at the beautiful flower with wonder. She knew Walter was returning today, but somehow the first person coming up in mind was not a man, not living anyway. She reached out a hand and fingered the velvety petals lovingly.
"Do you like it, master?"
Now Alucard's sudden and unnatural appearance did not surprise her anymore, and she began noticing that the room temperature slightly changed during his materialization. He stood by the door, in front of Integra, but she only focused her eyes to the rose.
"Yes, thank you."
"The pleasure's all mine."
Integra had to admit that she liked his manner, though she was perfectly aware it might just be a political maneuver to get what he wanted.
For a while no one said anything. Then Integra inquired, "I thought you'd be sleeping during the day."
"That is what weaker vampires need; a gain of strength from slumbering in their coffins, and that the sunlight is ruinous for them, indeed, the day would be the best time for that." He walked to the windows and closed the curtains, which for a while had let the bright light touch him. "I just don't like the sunlight."
Integra was starting to eye her breakfast with interest. "I take it you don't like chocolate cookies either."
- - -
Dr. Seward was looking forward to starting an uneventful day. That kind of days was rare, as everyone working in the Hellsing's household very well knew. He was thinking of paying a visit to miss Hellsing, just to see the wound healing beautifully. He knew it was well-tended but he was hoping for a quiet feeling of satisfaction when he saw that he'd done a good job. And then he could devote some hours to autodidacts to keep up with the wonderful inventions the modern science world had made. Dr. Seward's wish practically exploded into dust, though, when a very tall stranger, clad in red, burst into his office with Integra in his arms, declaring, "She's been poisoned."
- - -
tbc