The McDonald's was busy that night. Children ran around the play area but they were getting to be fewer and fewer as the hour got late. No one knew that for one young mother and child it was their morning routine. Brenna watched her little girl Gracie sitting at a small table drawing while the other children ran and screamed. The screams didn't bother Gracie. She could barely hear them. No one, not even Dr. Hadley could say for sure when her hearing would disappear completely. But even if she was like the other children, Gracie wasn't the type to run and scream. She preferred sitting quietly and drawing. It had worried Brenna quite a bit, but the females at the shelter had assured her that Gracie would branch out as she got older.

Life hadn't been easy on either of them. She wished she could give Gracie a better life. Maybe then the little girl would behave more like... well, a little girl.
Her attention was drawn to the table again. Gracie was being harassed by the same two little boys who had been bothering her before. They looked at Gracie and saw an easy target. Vampire children were small for their age, only reaching their full potential after their transition.
Gracie swatted at the boys and Brenna stood to go over and take care of the situation. Before she got to the table the boys had poured a carton of milk over Brenna's head, laughing. Angered Brenna stood over the boys. "You two better hope your mothers beat your butts before I do," she snarled and they ran off afraid.

[i]You okay?[/i] she signed to her daughter.
[i]Fine[/i], Gracie signed back sharply, revealing she was angry too.
The two boys mothers came over, having seen what happened, to apologize but neither Brenna or Gracie was in the mood. "Reign in your little brats or I will," Brenna snapped, knowing she sounded like a bitch but unable to help it. The human women got flustered but Brenna pushed past them before they could start to argue with her. She and Gracie left minutes later, after the manager apologized and helped clean Gracie up as much as possible.

[i]Park, you wanna go?[/i] Brenna signed.
"No," Gracie answered. Sometimes she voiced her answers, her words slurred as though she were speaking with cotton balls in her mouth. She only voiced around her mother though.
Brenna sighed. She didn't know what to do. Gracie was becoming so anti-social. Was it her fault? Had she been parenting her wrong? She had no experience in this and no one to turn to for guidance.

Brenna heard the shouts at the same time that Gracie tugged on her hand. "Mommy mommy who are they," Gracie signed and voiced.
Brenna looked up to see some men fighting. The smell of baby powder hit her nose and fear spiked inside of her. 
The smell of Lessers.
"Come on baby," Brenna said and picked up her child, preparing to run. A Lesser had spotted them, his pale eyes widening at the sight of a vampire child.
"We got a vamp kid!" He shouted to his cohorts and started towards the mother and child. Vampires were fiercely protective of females and even more so of children. If anything would make the Brotherhood bastards go crazy or please the Omega more, it would be the death of a vampire child!