I had been settling in despite all the new things happening with Sabine and my dreams—going to breakfast, even. Then one day, to my surprise, Dr.Gregoire came to the tower.

Uriel opened the door for him and Dr.Gregoire stepped in, timidly.

"Good morning, Doctor," I said. I had no idea why he came to the tower: we rarely talked before. It was early morning, and Uriel had just came to my room before he arrived. Cecile was nowhere to be seen. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes. You haven't been eating with us recently." He slowly sat down on the chair Uriel offered.

He was right. It must've been a week or so since I've last eaten with them. I had spent most days in the tower with Uriel, occasionally touching up the on our plan. We talked more nowadays, and the loss of Sabine, while still painful, had finally started to hurt less.

I had accepted it.

"I'm sorry, I got into an argument with my sister." I looked down at my hand. "And Agnes. I don't like her very much, you see."

"It's not Lady Cecile, is it?" He looked worried. I chuckled.

"Why, of course not. No one fights with Cecile. They would feel too ashamed to be mean to her." Now it was his turn to laugh.

"You're right. I understand what you mean."

I smiled and nodded. "I'm glad. You seem to get on very well with Cecile." The doctor's smiled softly, and didn't deny it.

"I came because I had a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" I couldn't imagine what he wanted of me. "What is it?"

Dr.Gregoire looked at Uriel, and he nodded, as though giving him a sign. He swallowed, and I saw his Adam's apple bob. What was it making him so anxious? Then finally, slowly, he began to speak.

"I've been thinking of bringing Lady Cecile to town with me for one day."

"Outside?" I frowned. "Agnes would never agree. That's absurd—"

"Wait," Uriel said. "Hear him out, please."

I shook my head. "How do you expect me to do something? I don't understand, you should know how Agnes is—she would never let any one of us outside."

"But I want to bring you outside, too."

I stopped, and turned to Uriel.

"What did you say?" My ears must have deceived me. There was no way he, Uriel, the coward, was thinking of bringing me outside.

He took a deep breath. "I said, I want to bring you outside, too. Would that be fine with you, Margery?"

"I—" I looked away from him and at Dr.Gregoire, then back at him. "I don't understand."

"You see, I've been thinking, there's a better chance Mistress Agnes would agree if it's you. You're her favorite, aren't you?" Dr.Gregoire attempted a small smile, but it was shaky. Was he scared—no, he was nervous. "I want to bring Miss Cecile outside. She's expressed her desire to see town, and to be in the snow. If you could come along, I'm sure she would be even happier. Uriel would come along, too, so you wouldn't be as bored."

Was Dr.Gregoire planning on escorting Cecile and saying in return for my help, he would allow Uriel and I to come along?

Did he know about Uriel and my plan?

I looked at Uriel, who was smiling foolishly. He couldn't have leaked the secret, could he?

"I think it's a wonderful chance to see the outside world, Margery. It might just be a small town in Jardin, but you can get used to it. I'm sure it'll be a good experience for you."

He was right. It wasn't a bad trade.

"I can try," I said slowly, "but I don't know if Agnes will agree."

"Thank you, Miss Margery!" Dr.Gregoire smiled, finally, a natural smile that fit the wrinkled on his face. He seemed much more relaxed. "Thank you. You're a great help. I finally understand why Miss Cecile trusted you so."

What? Cecile trusted me?

"It would be helpful if you could join us at dinner tonight. I'll try and persuade her then." I nodded.

Dr.Gregoire stood up and bid aUriel and I farewell before leaving again. The moment the door closed, Uriel turned to me.

"Is it fine with you, Margery?"

I tucked my hair behind my ears. My heart was thumping. Why? Nothing had happened yet—it wasn't even likely that Agnes would agree—yet why? I felt scared, no, nervous. Like how the doctor was when he asked me.

I turned to him.

"What—what should I wear when I go outside? To blend in with the others? My hair—" I touched my long loose locks, "what should I do with it? Should I get a bonnet or—?"

Uriel began to laugh, covering his mouth behind his hands. I scowled. Why did he always have to make me feel so childish?

"Stop laughing! And help me! I want to blend in, I want to have fun outside. It's my first time, and Cecile's, too."

"You're excited, aren't you?"

"Excited? Me?"

I held my hands to my face. Then slowly, my fingertips to my lips. I was smiling.

"I'll make sure tonight we succeed," he says, sitting down in the chair Dr.Gregoire was in. He took out his book. "Now don't move. I have yet to do a portrait with you smiling."

***

That night, I entered the dining room with Uriel at my side. The moment we entered, all the eyes turned to us.

"Margery." Cecile beamed. She was dressed up in a cerise gown with alabaster lace trimmings, and she wore pearl earrings in the shape of teardrops. Cecile never dressed up. I looked at Dr.Gregoire. He smiled broadly.

I turned to look at Sabine, but she was turned away from me—and she was sitting next to Primrose.

The two girls giggled and talked as though I wasn't there as I sat between Cecile and Sabine, and then, in a split second, Primrose's eyes met mine, and she smirked.

The damn vixen!

I picked up the silverware that was laid before me and began to stir the oxtail soup we were having. Parsley swam on the oily surface and I could see pieces of chopped onions, carrots, and oxtail in the brown liquid. It was usually one of my favorite dishes, but today I didn't have an appetite.

I looked up at Uriel, hoping he'd broach the subject, but he was talking to Marcel.

Then I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned to see Agnes.

"Margery, what's the matter? It's your favorite meal tonight, isn't it? Bernadette and Lark even helped Rowena and Selma when they heard you were finally coming down to dine with us." Her vermillion lips curled up. "What's the matter?"

"Actually," Dr.Gregoire spoke, causing her to frown before turning his way, "I have something to ask."

She turned sharply to him, face immediately sour. "What?"

He stiffened. "I've been thinking of asking your permission for something, Madame Agnes."

"Out with it already, I don't have all the time to waste." Agnes always hated people diddling-dallying, but it wasn't as though she had anything better to do in her time than devise plans to make me unhappy.

"You see, I'm writing a section in my book about how vampires interact with the outside human world," the doctor began, straightening his back and pushing his glasses higher up his sharp nose. "I will be setting out to town next week and was wondering if I could bring Miss Cecile and Miss Margery with me?"

There was silence, then the dropping of a spoon in a bowl. I turned to my side. It was Sabine. Her eyes were wide, and she quivered.

"That's—that's not possible!" She turned to me for a moment and opened her mouth, but then closed it again before turning to Agnes. "Agnes, you wouldn't let it happen, would you!"

"My, aren't you in a fury." Agnes smiled coyly, and then turned to stare back into Dr.Gregoire's eyes. "You've forgotten your place, once again. I've told you countless times, my girls stay here. They will not need to know anything about the outside world, or interact with the outside world."

My heart fell. I knew it. Agnes was not one to allow us any chance of freedom, of even tasting freedom.

"You're wrong." Dr.Gregoire spoke, his voice deep.

He suddenly seemed different, no longer nervous like he was in the tower room. His eyes were dark and his brows was determined. He tilted his chin down and looked at Agnes over his lens.

"Miss Cecile and the others are not your girls, Madame Agnes. It's the era of change. In the outside world, unimaginable things are happening. There are automobiles that fly, that travel through water, and can bring you anywhere. Medicine, too—there are medicine that can change a person, and I'm sure with more time, we will discover medicine that can change vampires too. Make them able to walk under the sun, and live without blood."

"This imprudent man!" Selma screeched. "How dare he!"

"Lies!" added Rowena. "Lie, lies, lies!"

"He's not lying!" Uriel swung his head to them. "Dr.Gregoire isn't lying! The way you are living is wrong—it's strange! Locking up your own clansmen, and hiding away in this castle, away from the others! The island is full of people—how can you ever avoid them?"

"It's none of your business!"

We all turned to look at Sabine, who had stood up. Yellow curls loosened from her braid, and then she slammed both her hands on her table.

"We can live how we wish! Who are you to tell us we are wrong?" There were tears in her eyes. "You don't know a thing—you don't know what we are to each other. Clansmen? Don't call us that, we are much more. We've grown up together, with the same mothers, same food, same books, clothing, and we are all we ever had in this world where everyone hates us."

Uriel frowned.

"That's not true—"

"It is!" Sabine swung her arm over the table and knocked over both her and my glass of water. They crashed upon the floor, glittering translucent shards lining the floor, and water forming a pool.

"Sabine!" I stood up and grabbed her wrist. "Sabine, please stop!"

"Why?" She turned to look at me, and her eyes were like that day's. Red blood vessels lined the white of her eyes, and her nose grew pink as she sobbed. "Why, Margery? He's such an awful person. And I—I'm the one always by your side."

I looked away.

"Let's go, Sabine. I'll walk you to your room." She pried her arm away and turned her back to me.

"No, I'll be fine alone. Agnes, please excuse me." 

She walked out the the room, and then Adalyn and Bernadette stood up and cleaned after the broken glass.

Primrose looked at me.

"Look at what you've done." She turned away, face in a grimace. "You can't even protect Sabine."