The Biography of

Kendra D’Arc

Alison McDay was an abused and neglected child, surviving in a 7-person family on a dead tobacco farm. She was prettier and smarter than her clan, which made her the target of beatings and stolen dinners. At the age of sixteen, she had a substitute teacher for English who told her she had the face of a star. A week later, Alison ran away with $36 and a 3-month-old Los Angeles’ newspaper taken from the teacher’s lounge.

Her age made her risky business to professionals in Hollywood—no one believed she was 18. In desperation she agreed to be in an underground smut film, an extra “rape” victim in a racy S&M epic. Alison screamed and wept throughout the entire filming of her scene, in which she was taken by four masked men and whipped in between with a glass-tipped cat-o-nine-tails. She was paid $200, and a towel to wipe off with.

A production assistant named Jonathon D’Arc drove her to her hotel, staying silent as she cried the entire drive. At the last turn, he made a decision and turned back, taking her home with him. They didn’t speak for 3 days to one another, Jonathon coming and going while she slept or stared out the window of his two-room apartment. The first words she said was, “Thank you.” The perverse movie became a whispered blockbuster.

*

Jonathon made many connections on the job, and Alison continued to do b-rated movies, but never again submitting herself to porn. She was making a name for herself as a low-budget scream queen. Alison and Jon worked together on a movie named “The Dancer of Hades”, which made enough waves to grab Hollywood’s attention. But there were others who took notice of the pair, those with unique interests.

With a small savings, Jon produced his own film, starring Alison. He called their apartment the D’Arc/Ali Studio, and released Thy Kingdom Come, a dramatic, gruesome tale of vampires and distressed damsels. The movie was so horrifying; no one was able to write a review. The visions from Jon’s mind had made grown men cover their eyes, eyes that had seen hidden videos of child rape and live executions. The terror Alison threw from the screen was too intense to describe, other than a constant panic that remained for a few days after watching.

The movie made people talk. Jonathon was receiving calls from various producers and patrons, but one struck him in particular: Lucien Coppola, famed horror mogul and exclusive to the highest of drama society. Jon agreed to meet Lucien, against Alison’s warnings, in Italy at an international horror conference. Alison was angry at him for leaving, and decided to wait until his return to announce she was pregnant.

Lucien met Jon in Rome, bringing him to a rich estate high in the hills. They had wine for dinner, and Lucien went on and on about the movie’s truth and reality. As Jon became more and more drunk, Lucien went on talking, first in English, then in Italian, and finally, before the darkness settled in, a language Jon could never have humanly identified.

He awoke a new creature.

*

Alison was at first overjoyed at Jon’s return a month later, but grew fearful as time passed. He was an obsessed man, working late at night on new horrors to reveal to the world. She was past her first trimester before telling Jon about the baby. His initial reaction was surprise, but changed immediately to rage, cursing her for infidelity. He left their North Hollywood home and settled in the heart of L.A., only five minutes from the new studio and lot. Jon was intent on turning D’Arc/Ali into an empire, without any hindrance. Alison was left on her own.

An anonymous letter reached her one month before delivery, offering friendship from a long-time admirer. Desperate, she sent a reply to the scrawled address on the yellow envelope, and went on waiting for Kendra to come. She’d given up on expecting Jon to come home. He’d produced 4 films in 2 months, all top sellers, and was moving into the professional genre, joining the ranks of top-producing movie makers of horror and suspense. He made no move to contact Alison. Within three days of replying, Kendra received a check for $250,000 and a phone call from the top pediatrician in Hollywood. While at an appointment, her things were moved to a gated community in Beverly Hills, complete with wait staff and private guards. And finally, an invitation for dinner, to meet her benefactor.

That night, Marcus Regal met her in a darkened dining room. Four candles on the table gave light. Alison was led to a place across from Marcus, who wore a tipping gentleman’s hat and a high scarf. Only his ashen skin was truly visible, and the glint of light from one orange eye.

They talked about the Kingdom movie, and the others that Alison made her fame in. They skirted all talk of Jonathon, and Alison listened to Marcus recite her scenes verbatim. Then, he grew serious.

“And what about Pillaging Virgins 7?” Marcus asked slyly.

She panicked. The name of the smut film hadn’t been spoken to her in years, and the sound of it was piercing. She dropped her glass, spilling water, but no one moved. The water swirled off the edge of the dining table, onto her stomach, thumping against Kendra’s unborn skull.

“I was there, Alison. I was The Whip.” He pushed the hat back up a bit, his head shifting a brief moment, and then the eyes, too. And she remembered those eyes.

Her screams lasted an eternity.

*

Marcus Regal had one bane in his unlife: Lucien Coppola. The Ventrue was a curse, keeping Regal from his rightful place in L.A. alongside the Prince. When Lucien stole Marcus’ deal with Paramount, sealing an alliance with the Toreador whores and the Prince’s favored clan cousin, it was a declaration of war.

Lucien also stole Jonathon D’Arc, right before Regal could gather the necessary resources to tantalize the young director. He had one chance meeting, however, just before Jon was given the Dark Gift by Lucien’s childe, Arthur Barrymore, offering Jon the world at his feet in exchange for his allegiance in blood. Jon refused, as though Marcus were a pigeon in his way. That was a mistake.

He learned through informants why Jon left his wife, and dreamed of a reunion. It was only chance that Alison was a member from his mortal life, before the Nosferatu had coveted his zealous skill at causing pain as well as envied his masculine beauty. But this chance was one he was willing to take, risking what little status he had left to openly attack a fellow vampire. It was easy to coax the woman out of the depression long enough to bring them together. The shock on her face was all worth it.

It was child’s play from that moment on to dominate her. And with calm amusement, Marcus Regal prepared to be a father.

*

It was the theme of Kendra’s life: when will she reunite with her father? From age 8, when she starred in her first horror movie to her stint as a Guess Jeans girl at 16, Kendra was hounded by that question. She was always ready to laugh, though, because there was no chance of a reunion. You have to have met at least once to reunite. Jonathon D’Arc was a reclusive producer/director billionaire, giving the most terrifying horror films every few years or so. He never gave interviews or went to events, and was famous for having the most detailed indoor studios ever built, able to reenact sunlight or moonlight at any hour of the day with perfect realism. He rarely left the studio at all, and demanded non-stop rehearsals from cast and crew. He built careers with D’Arc/Ali, and crafted tales of pure nightmare.

From childhood acting to teen age modeling, Kendra lived like a Hollywood princess. Her mother retired from films, instead supervising her "Uncle" Marcus’s studio, Orrendo 7, and carrying on a furious affair with 1000 mg Oxycontin. After fame from her first role, Kendra settled into a private life of education. She began modeling at 18, and chose to attend Princeton and join the drama department. She had a strange relationship to Uncle Marcus, who kept his “cancer” hidden behind hats and scarves. Her mother was loving, in a distant way, and always silent. Kendra was mainly on her own.

After a year of college, she dropped out and returned to Hollywood. With her uncle’s consent, she tripped all over Europe before settling down in the States. Quickly she made a film, a b-rated blockbuster that featured Kendra’s own stunts, and her rise to stardom began anew.

Marcus Regal had a stern hand over her budding career, and conferred his plans for Kendra with his associates. This was his first mistake. Word filtered through the city across allies and enemies, until reaching Jonathon D’Arc’s ears. Marcus’ revenge became clearer to him, and he acted fast.

The media instantly had word that Jon had sent word to his forsaken daughter. She was in Italy, filming a new gruesome sequel alongside top actors. In the public view, she calmly smiled and said she would be happy to meet her father. Alone, rage seethed, fueled by years of Marcus’ words: That monster abandoned your mother, he never wanted you. I wanted you. You’re my child. That bastard abused your mother, he made her do that movie, the one I showed you…it was his doing. He did all of that to her. He never, never wanted you. And she knew it was all true.

They had it arranged for a weeknight, somewhere secluded and unknown to anyone, safe from interruption. Jonathon offered a ski cabin in Colorado, a choice she found amusing enough to agree with. They were alone, aside from the 7 bodyguards each.

They didn’t hug, or shake hands. They talked briefly, standing in the kitchen as dinner warmed. Jon looked young still, and vicious. To Jonathon, Kendra had strong eyes and an imposing posture. As she ate and he feigned drinking wine, she let him ask questions about her career which she curtly answered. After dinner, they both faked drinking, staring at their glasses from time to time, and commenting on Hollywood every few minutes.

Finally, Jon said something meaningful. “I didn’t know you were coming before I decided to leave your mother.” She didn’t look up as he continued. “In Rome, I decided to leave. You were already coming, but I didn’t know. And I made a very important decision without expecting you, one that couldn’t include you or your mother. It was too late by the time I knew. There was nothing I could do.”

“Tell me everything,” she responded quietly. And he did.

By dawn, Kendra knew about the Venture that fathered her as a man, and the Nosferatu that fathered her as a vampire. She learned about Lucien Coppola, and other faces she had met that belonged to vampire society. She learned about the truth behind her father’s success, and where the visions came from. She marveled at his supposed rise among the undead, his connections to Hollywood’s demonic rulers, and his brotherly relationship to the Prince.

Kendra wasn’t sure if she really believed what he said, but one thing she knew to be true. Her father was a movie lord, one who ruled Hollywood with an invisible presence and horrible films with death’s messages of mortality. And he became a success after a change. Kendra wanted that power immediately, and told him of her desire.

Jon smiled with satisfaction.

*

There wasn’t time for proper introductions. Kendra needed a show of good faith towards the Prince quickly, with or without education and training. Jonathon could devise a scandal for the Prince, a false assassination scheme led by Marcus Regal, but Kendra had to kill him. The Prince would see her as a loyal member of kindred society, and Jon would avoid the punishment of ignoring tradition. Kendra told herself it was just like a movie. Only this time she was the monster, and Marcus was no hero, just an extra in the wrong scene.

In four hours, Jon did what training he could to show Kendra what needed to be done, using her new abilities. She was clumsy, and not meant for assassination, but her hatred and desire to succeed gave her steady hands. A mere hour before dawn, as the weight of sleep crept over Marcus in his chamber and Kendra was still riding the adrenaline of an anonymous first kill on the street, she made her move. Without warning, without good-bye, she stepped into the room, commanded Marcus to be still, and took his head off cleanly. A curse was placed on her that dawn, but all she felt was freedom and power.

Something didn’t happen the way it was suppose to. Information was confused, not received, mixed with others, or all three. In the end, the Prince didn’t hear about Marcus’ “planned assassination”. But word did reach the ears of the Nosferatu Primogen that his Childe had been murdered by a rogue neonate, and Kendra’s existence as a vampire was soon to be cut short. It would only be a matter of time before someone learned of her Embrace or someone mortal made accusations against her, claiming the family reunion with dear old dad sparked a sudden, rebellious plot able to be planted into a fragile, brainwashed, teenage mind. Jon knew there was only one possible solution: to continue assuming her mortal life as much as possible, until a better plan was made.

This solution was short-lived, once media gossip began rumors about her absence from usual haunts and functions. A new, rash plan was created: Kendra would go off to shoot a film in New Orleans, her first contract to D’Arc/Ali productions. Her mother remained her agent, issuing whatever was needed from Regal’s inherited estate. And Kendra believed in a fresh start, new possibilities, and a city in need of someone just like her. Jon used the last of his favors to get a Declaration of Peaceful Sanctuary from the Prince. Armed with this and her little-known fame, Kendra set out to shoot Daughter of the Furies in New Orleans, the next D’Arc/Ali hit. But she was aiming for stardom within the vampire world as well, hopeful that a Prince sharing her lineage might agree to grant more than sanctuary to a hunted child. Kendra had been prepared for greatness since birth, and nothing was going to stop that from happening.