The following night you prepared for patrol again as the uncertainty of your tasks took their toll. Eleanor had both distanced himself and gotten closer to you simultaneously, Theodore began staying almost exclusively at Jack's (whom you still hadn't met), and Maurice told you something new every time you saw him. You never thought you'd have this much to catch up on being a year late to school, but you were a whole world away.

"We have to make sure the plums are ripe enough for this to work," he had said. "Please- anything you can find before then- and don't tell Eleanor."

Without much of a choice, you walked with the very same second year across the night dorm bridge, not noticing the member missing from your group.

Despite being here last night, the glowing halls and carpeted floors seemed far away. But you thought Roman was a bit closer since your last encounter. Still- you hadn't seen any of the other boys in over a week, and Cadere even longer.

The dorm was all the more daunting with your newfound purpose. Should you explore the many rooms you hadn't come across? Talk to one of the night students? Who?

As you entered the common room you heard your name in a sweet, songlike voice.

Bel was standing alone, his back towards you in the center of the room.

"Oh, hi Bel..." you greeted, prompting him to turn around with a wide grin on his young face.

"It's been so long! I missed you," he chirped. "Sorry, it's just that you took your sweet time getting here."

"What do you mean-" you asked as he pulled you into a quick hug.

"Well I knew you would be here," he said, taking his time letting go.

He must have seen the look on your face because he added, "on patrol of course."

"How is everyone?" You asked.

Belmont shrugged, amused.

"Same as usual," he replied. "Bit tense with Cadere but hey that'll never change. Wanna go outside? There won't be anyone there."

Before you could ask why it mattered if anyone was there he began walking ahead and, Theodore in mind, you followed. Besides, if there was anyone to be concerned about, vampire or not, it wasn't Bel.

And there was much to learn about him. Much indeed.

Together you exited through the kitchen area you'd spent the morning after you confronted the night class, seemingly ages ago. Like Dimitri said, you were a part of this now. You didn't have a choice. And now you were part of whatever Maurice needed you to be; what Theo needed you to be.

The late fall winds were more forgiving than usual at this time of night. You'd been so focused on your time at Jack's in Delwood you'd hardly noticed the changing leaves. Beautiful.

"So what's on your mind?" Bel asked playfully. Not only did he seem younger than his age, he seemed several decades younger than his age. You had a lot of questions for him besides know anything about kitsunes being kept for ransom around here?

"Not much really," you answered earnestly. "This past week has been really busy."

"I thought you were on break," he said.

You told him as you walked that you'd mostly been catching up on schoolwork, which was only partially a lie- the truth was you really needed to be catching up on schoolwork. The every day was quickly becoming something you missed.

"Sounds more interesting than here," said Bel. "Like I said, nothing much around the night class. Some girl drama like always. Avery has been pretty good. Lucian, not so much. Dimitri has been with Cadere a lot. Roman and I are the same as always."

"That's good," you said passively. You were holding on to each of his words, searching. "What do you mean the same as always anyhow?"

"Well Roman was my first friend here," he said happily. "And I'm pretty sure he hated me at first."

"Really?" You asked, amused.

Belmont chuckled, his forest eyes to the clouds in thought.

"Yeah. That must have been around ten years ago," he said. "And then Lucian tried really hard to curve my... tendencies... nothing Cadere wasn't doing already. I really like everyone here you know. It's like a family."

Belmont turned his attention to you and smiled with his eyes.

"It almost makes you forget how hard things are."

You stood in silence for a while. Seconds passed. Minutes passed. Then Bel gestured to continue walking and together you did. Only this time he offered his arm, with as much exaggeration as he'd done the first time you met him, and you accepted.

You were going to add something before the guy started skipping and you were forced to skip too. Unceremonious laughter aided the sounds of crunching leaves beneath you.

Suddenly you were at the very back of the dorm, an area surrounded mostly by lush trees, red at this time of year and a few black benches on a mossy stone patio.

"You really don't seem to have a care," you said, sitting on the bench. Bel sat cheerfully beside you, as if to prove your point.

"I do," he said. "The key is to lower expectations! I'm sure all the night boys know about that."

"You know you can always talk to your friends," you said cautiously, leaning forward. "I mean that."

Belmont's sigh simply didn't match his happy face, as he replied with an unconvincing "I know."

"What was it like before you became a vampire?" You asked.

It was at this that Belmont stopped looking at you. He fished for words. Then spoke frantically.

"It was really something y/n, really something. Why, you wouldn't believe what it was like, being human."

"You're right," you played along. "I just wouldn't believe it."

He shook his head.

"It was a very long time ago, actually. It was pretty normal. Only child, yay me, lots of attention- but short lived. Let's see, what else..." Bel continued. "I learned about magic at a young age, was always a bit psychic- my mom too. Then after my dad died she remarried and... well... that didn't work out. Just regular stuff, you know?"

So far Bel's life eighty odd years ago seemed more normal than your life now.

"We didn't have a lot of money, so that was always hard. Especially in the forties. I did what I could though, mostly for my mom," he said. "Then one day I woke up alone to find that my mom was gone and there were fang marks in my neck and yeah y/n normal stuff."

You stared at the boy, unnerved by his consistent smile. Although now it didn't reach his gaze.

"Normal stuff..." he repeated to no one. "There was blood everywhere... a lot of it. And the guy? Gone. I don't even know what vampire could have done it. Someone must have wanted revenge or something but, none of it really makes sense. Cadere has helped a lot. He's a good man."

Your only insight on the man was his reputation for being feared.

"'You will have regrets,' he'd say. 'You cannot control having them but you can control what you do with them.' That's obviously not the best impression but, he's right. And it's obvious what he's saying. But I can't exactly move on because I get visions a lot. And half the time they're of her. And she's alive."

You remembered what Bel had said in the forest, the day you climbed trees and he let his powers slip.

She's dead. My mom- she's either dead or gone. That's all I know.

"I remember you telling me she was... gone," you said softly.

"My visions aren't wrong," he sighed a bit impatiently. "But what can I do. Cadere's right, I need help. You know that too. It's hard y/n, but I'm honestly trying."

"I'm really sorry... about everything."

"Thanks y/n," he replied. "Let's go back inside."

Together you walked once more, skipping no longer on the table. Like always, you were left with more questions than answers. What happened to Bel's mother? Why did a vampire turn him and who were they? What about Bel's abilities? Could other vampires have natural abilities before becoming vampires?

Once you made it back inside, Bel kept ahead of you, pulling you by the hand like he'd done on your first night searching Arcadia Express for your luggage.

A stinging feeling persisted in your gut. You felt guilty for considering Bel a thief. He was a friend you were grateful for. He was a friend. Could any of the night students really be behind this?

Darting back and forth, Bel kept constant watch, and eventually took you upstairs, giggle whispering stupid things all the while. You were in the corridor you recognized as belonging to the boys' rooms. It was a long, intimidating hallway, with too many just to be for the boys'. Roman's was on the end, that much you knew because you'd already trespassed in it,

Bel led you around the corner of the corridor, and, not far from Roman's room, he pointed out a door and quietly asked if you wanted to see his room.

"Sure?" You whispered back.

You couldn't help but feel you were doing something wrong, and then you remembered not only were you supposed to be looking for kitsunebi/ incriminating your friends, you were literally supposed to be patrolling the dorm.

Your cloud of thoughts dispersed as the door creaked lightly open, and Bel gestured for you to enter first. It was dark.

Bel waited until the door was completely closed to turn on the lights. Unlike Roman's room, which was pitch black, Bel had electricity, like a normal person. You thought he was teasing you like Roman by leaving you sightless, but Bel forgot you couldn't see in the dark like he could and apologized embarrassedly, the wall lights coming to life at once.

"Welcome to my room!"

As big as your shared home for the last two months, Bel's room was magnificent. To be fair, it was the first night room you could actually see, but it was a sight nonetheless. The walls were of ornate design, and green curtains kissed the floor, the same colour as Bel's eyes. His bed looked heavenly and the various shelves of gadgets and trinkets intrigued you. Most interesting of all however were the paintings around the bed and desk.

Richly coloured landscapes and forest waterfalls lived in beautiful frames. Bel as an art collector was surprising. Seeing the oak easel in the corner of the room and realizing he was the painter was even more surprising.

"You painted these?" You asked, flabbergasted.

"Haha, uhh, yeah," he said. "Sorry I don't have anything clever to say. I don't normally bring girls here," he winked.

You walked over to the easel, utterly entranced. A canvas sat atop it, vague under painting atop that.

"What's this going to be?" You asked.

"A portrait," Bel scurried up behind you. "Don't know of who yet- I just make whatever feels right."

"How long have you been painting?" You asked.

"I've been making art since I was a little boy but supplies were expensive. It wasn't until the late sixties I started painting though," he replied, less confident than usual. "Hey anyone can be a great artist if they have an eternity to practice. Not that I'm a great artist or anything."

"You are a great artist," you said. "You could sell these."

Bel shrugged.

"Yeahh but... I like knowing they're mine and belong to me. They're... special, you know?" He winked.

"Bit of a possessive artist?" You asked jokingly,

"A bit." He replied.

"What's in there?" You asked, pointing to a stunning trunk at the foot of his bed. It wouldn't have looked out of place in a pirate ship.

"My art critics," Bel said, walking over to it and sitting down.

You took in the rest of his room. His bed had a gorgeous canopy. The night stands were pretty too. But someone pretty atop them caught your eye.

"Is that.."

"My mother, yes," Bel replied, staying where he was.

It was a small painting, clearly done a long time ago, but the eyes resembled his enough to easily make the connection. She was pretty. A lot like Bel, you thought.

"What was she like?" You asked, setting it down.

"Oh," he paused. "My mom... she's one of the kindest people I've met. She went through so much."

"I can imagine," you replied, walking over to him.

"We all have, you know," Bel said, peering up at you from his trunk. "Been through a lot, I mean. And everyone does- go through a lot. But some of the people here, I really wonder how they get through it. I wonder how they... live their lives each day, and aren't tormented by grief, rage, pain, contempt...misery. But it's like I said y/n, they probably are. No- they definitely are. They're just good at hiding it."

To live through so many years, you couldn't disagree. You felt sad for Bel. Clearly he was someone not only good at hiding it, but getting tired of doing so.

"It's like you said," you began. "We can feel all those things, regret, pain- but these are things we have been through, past tense. We have to look forward."

Bel sighed for what seemed like the tenth time tonight, and then, smiled once more, his blonde hair just falling over his eyes.

"You're right y/n," he said, then didn't say anything for a moment. "You should probably keep patrolling."

"I- you're probably right," you replied. "But I like talking to you. I like getting to know you."

"Tell me about yourself," he inquired. This time, he waddled over to his bed and lied on his tummy, encouraging you to join. You sat by his desk instead.

Belmont listened eagerly as you described your relationship with your parents- how you'd spent most of your time with select relatives, Aunt Melanie being your favourite. How you hadn't seen your parents in six months because they were travelling for 'work' and probably knew about this whole magic business but never told you. Arcadia might have felt like Hogwarts at first but you never wanted to be Harry Potter.

"At least your parents are alive," Bel quipped. Whether he was joking about Harry Potter or self deprecating, you couldn't tell.

"Do you have stories?" You asked. "Of people who found out about you guys being vampires and stuff?"

"Well, there have been a few times that I know of," Belmont thought, kicking his legs up and down before stopping, and then starting again. Was this how his brain worked?

"The most obvious one to come to mind is Eleanor's brotherrr," he seemed to hesitate. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

Fear suddenly struck your insides- did Bel know something??

"What do you mean?" You asked cooly.

"Well I just figured because you're so close with  his younger brother," Bel shrugged, eyes locked onto you. "He probably would have said something. In fact, when you found out about... us... I thought maybe Eleanor said something about his brother and it, I don't know, clicked?"

So the night students already think Eleanor is on the same page as his brother.

"No, Eleanor is as oblivious as anyone," you lied. "You guys just sparked too many 'coincidences.' But Maurice? Yeah that doesn't exactly surprise me. All his stories involve the night class."

"He's good friends with Roman too, so I saw him quite a bit during his time here," Bel reminisced. "I think everyone gets along with Maurice. Avery and him had some particularly wild times. And the girls? Don't even get me started."

You laughed, letting some of the tension fade. Bel was easy to talk to. And you felt like you could trust him, at least a little. Besides, it was interesting learning more about your friend's and their lifestyles. Proving to be more fascinating than epic vampire knowledge was seeing where your friends spent most of their time, what they liked to do for fun. You felt like you knew Bel a whole lot better just by seeing his paintings.

"I'm sorry there's not a lot to do here," he said, sitting cross legged on the bed. You had joined him for quite some time already, having lost the last two arm wrestles.

"I don't know why you keep telling me to try harder when you're literally immortal," you muttered. "And this bed's too soft."

"We can take this to the desk if you want."
Bel's hand firmly interlocked with yours. "GO!"

Like the last couple times, Bel kept his arm completely and predictably still, while you exerted all of your bodily force into moving it. Then he dragged it back, pretending you were winning... only this time he let you win.

You fake congratulated yourself, Bel quietly telling you to watch the volume since, well, neither of you were supposed to be in his room at the moment.

"I'm so glad you're here," Bel said casually.

A happiness quickly touched your heart.

"Thanks for having me," you smiled.

"I really wish you didn't have to go," Bel said. "It's too much fun."

"I know," you agreed. "But hey I'm on patrol and this counts as patrolling right?"

Bel shrugged.

"It's not causing harm to anyone," he said. "I think things are better for everyone when you're here. You just make things better for the people around you."

You didn't know what to say.

"Thanks Bel. You do too."

Together you realized patrol was ending and both of you were going to get in trouble if you stayed much longer, despite there being much more to talk about. He'd hardly told you about his life as a vampire in the sixties, 'staying out of trouble' he said, when you both stood up and quietly left the room, hoping no one had noticed.

Bel offered to walk you back, but this was problematic for a couple of reasons. You both knew it was best to say goodbye here.

You waved to him from the end of the hall, nearing the steps.

"Goodnight princess," he teased.

After sticking out your tongue, you were gone, quickly regrouping with Eleanor and the others. Just like last night, you felt utterly compelled to tell him all about how interesting the night students were and how much you were finding out. And then you'd think of Theo and the pit in your stomach would return with full force.

But tonight was a good night.

Belmont went back to his painting almost immediately after you left, unbeknownst to you. It was hard to see due to it being in the early stages. But with paintbrush in hand, and a careful eye, Bel knew exactly how to re-work the underpainting to get your eyes just right.

~
Stuff is happening. Wonder what you'll see coming. It's 4:00am like always, will see you very soon! Love you all! Thank you!
~ Your number one Fan <3