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Presidential limos waited, one for the man himself and the other a decoy. Overall, it didn’t matter which car the President left in. After all, the man visiting the school today wasn’t really the President.

Chapter Six
     
    The team had safely escorted the presidential stand–in back to the White House, where COLONY team members divided into their respective tasks and went to work. At all times a vampire stood guard near the real President, which would have meant more COLONY members present at the school, but due to last minute security concerns, the President’s decoy had been called in instead. Several other the team members watched the house from monitors and by walking the White House grounds. Vampires could always sense other predators nearby, an ability that had proven helpful many times in the past.
    It would be so much easier if the decoy himself were a vampire, but that ideal situation probably would never happen.
    William, now officially off duty, led the other available team members into their favorite pub. McGreggor’s boasted the best selection of beers in town, as well as a good choice of wine. The place didn’t belong in the catalog where the upper crust tied one on. The tavern had a wooden floor, where everybody knows your name kind of place. Other than doing their best to go unnoticed, the team blended into the atmosphere just fine.
    William settled into a corner booth in the back of the bar. He shoved the table out a few inches since he dwarfed the small bench seat, cramping his team members, Sterling and Sulie, who tried to sit across from him. Raymond, the COLONY leader, joined a moment later, after he had spoken with the waitress and placed all their orders for the evening. Being usuals at the place, the wait staff should have known their orders by heart, but their predatory nature had the vampires blend in. With repeated exposure to a vampire, humans could sometimes remember them, which could prove problematic if a vampire wanted to visit his favorite bar for decades without aging. With just one of them speaking to the waitress, there were fewer team members to recall and less chance of the humans becoming aware of them.
    Once they were all settled, William had to ask. “How did the administration pick which school to visit today? And why cancel my day off?”
    Raymond looked across the table to William. “Because of the safety of the route to the school. Given the preparation time we had, it made it the safest one to select.”
    “But why call me in on my day off?” William pressed.
    There was no hesitation in Raymond’s answer. “We were shorthanded and didn’t know until the last minute that the President wouldn’t be going to the school.”
    William nodded, allowing the information to sink in. Assuming Jackie was not the only substitute teacher to receive a last minute call, he asked, “What about the substitute teachers called to work at the last minute?”
    Raymond sat back in his seat, as if assessing William’s questioning. “We dismissed any teacher who had a record, even a childhood misdemeanor, and called in confirmed, background–checked subs.” He paused a moment, and then added, “The answer to the question you’re dancing around is ‘yes’. Every sub was a minority.”
    William’s jaw tightened. “And I was called in because I’m a black man!”
    “Not just you,” Raymond said. “Ben, as well. Plus, some human agents were called…”
    “What the hell!” William said, cutting him off. His nostrils flared and he bared his fangs before realizing the nearby humans now looked his way. Covering his face, he growled deeply.
    “Stand down.” Raymond scanned the room, noticing the humans had lost interest after a few seconds. “This isn’t the first administration that has lied.”
    The waitress brought a round of beers and a glass of wine to the table and set them down. She smiled and asked about lunch and if everything was all right. The team politely