The girl who had grown up was beautiful. I no longer saw Lorelei. But the girl was still in the castle.

She was beautiful and vaguely familiar.

She had a small, melancholic face. She sat in the chair from the vanity table, only it was pulled to face the small window. It was snowing outside and sometimes white flakes floated and landed on her.

She was dressed in a loose nightgown decked with frills in the dark. How long had she been doing this? This loneliness that comes with being the next Queen Butterfly.

When the door opened she struggled to move, and then I saw how there were welts under the sheer gown. They were red and fresh.

She stood up and walked, elegant expect a small limp that she seemed used to.

Standing at the open door was a woman who looked like her, dark hair and sharpe face. No, she looked a lot like Agnes— and at that moment I couldn't think and only watched as they spoke.

"Mother?"

She didn't bother to answer the young girl's question, only hold the candelabra closer in the dark, three little  fires lighting up their ghostly white faces.

"How does childbearing fare?"

"It hurt, it's felt as though I've been carrying a boulder for so long my bones are breaking. It hurts." The girl, no, woman, held her face in her hands. "Please don't make me do that again."

"It's common, one does worry about beauty when they are pregnant. But your body is no less beautiful, unlike some. Be grateful about that, darling."

"Yes."

"I had to give birth to you at fifteen. You have a role, and that's to give birth to another you."

"I can't!"

"Shut your mouth. You're only seventeen. You know why I came, didn't I? My dim sister is asleep and I wanted to talk to you alone." Her eyes shone in the dark. They were unlike Agnes's. They were even crueler.

The girl grimaced as she pushed back into her cushion of pillows, then touched her stomach.

"I will give you a daughter, I promise."

"Yes." It was a familiar chirp. "Make sure the vampire from the East isn't on you yet."

"He knows, Mother."

"Well, he won't know when it's a son."

"No!" The girl spoke, then pushed herself up again. "You'll not hurt me!"

"I won't hurt you."

"Not him, mother, I love him!"

"Vampires don't love." She laughed. The younger girl was angry, but fear held her back. I could see the expression that wished to kill but is unable to.

The older vampire continued. "Remember, they are only here to use us in the same way. They'll keep their bloodline and we will continue our games. Sons must be killed or they'll gain. Think about it, how could you help a clan that is using us? Decrease their beautiful children, their pureblood, at least."

"Silva isn't like that," the girl faltered. "He said he loves me and our child, son or daughter."

"There's be no son." The woman walked to the window in a perfect line then giggled to herself. "There'll be no son." She held her hand out to feel a snowflake land. Then I saw it was a white butterfly.

Younger Girl stands up again, in the slow, guarded way.

"Mother—"

"You'll be giving me a daughter."

It was a statement from Older Woman. Her lips curled just as she swished her long black skirt before leaving the room. "You have a job, remember. You've been too close to that boy as of late. He'll be killed anyway."

"No," Younger Girl said, but it was a whisper.

Why are you whispering?

I see the marks, I know the dungeon, but say it.

Don't be like Lorelei. Don't give up on life. Don't become used to the killing and lose hope!

"What?" Older Woman was daring her. "You don't want him to be hurt, do you?"

"No."

Say it!

Say how cruel she is!

Say you don't want to!

Say something!

"Nothing." She was looking at her hands.

"That's what I thought. Good girl."

The 'mother' finally left the tower, and all light was gone from the room. In the dark I saw the girl cry to herself, long brown hair tangling into a mess.

She held on to her stomach but she couldn't protect it anyway. She was younger than me, and yet had to be pregnant at seventeen and lose a son. She was living a life far worse than I. She was suffering something I couldn't understand.

Only Lorelei, and the girls in the clans before me knew that pain, having to bear children, with the constant pain of praying they were a daughter.

***

The girl was in the tower again, time had passed and her face had change. Become more severe. It was snowing outside and she paced about in frustration.

She grabbed on the brass bedpost and then hit the wall with her fist. She moved around and around and then put her two hands at her temple, ready to scream, but then the door opened.

The Woman returned with a ominous grin.

"Thinking about your son?"

The girl didn't reply. Her eyes grew wet and she clutched her brown shawl tighter around her shoulders. Her stomach is flat again.

I saw the anger in her eyes, the sons she lost and this time, she wasn't going to let go.

"Don't be so sad. Julius is still here. If anything, Andrei is an option."

"I will never carry a child again." Her voice is raspy and dry. "Lorelei had two sons taken. So did I. But she chose death instead of leaving. I will not follow her experience. I will leave with my son."

She watched the older woman carefully, but her brows were angry and there was a wrinkle between her brows.

"I was thinking you would say that." Older Woman circled around her, face serene. Predator to prey. "Lorelei taught you too much. You were young. Impressionable. You've forgotten our code."

"Beauty beauty beauty!" The girl raised her head to glare at the woman still prancing casually. "You've killed many men and boys because of your—"

"I've saved many women and girls, too." She leaned close, then put a finger on the girl's lips. She smiled.

She was beautiful. It was an ethereal beauty unlike Agnes. Agnes was an older vampire, but this vampire, despite similarities, was significantly charming. She always had on a sweet smile and was holding something dark behind the welcoming face.

"Listen, years ago this clan was ruled by men. We were all locked up to be butterflies used by both vampires and human. We deserve every part of the freedom we have reached. We will keep one, the most beautiful vampire, of course, in the tower, but besides that we are free."

"You killed Lorelei."

Was that literal or metaphorically?

"She was a strange child. We adopted too many girls her generation, she didn't get enough teaching. Or training. She was beautiful alright, but she was emotional, hysterical, and well, depressed."

"She had two sons taken away!"

"We don't keep sons."

"Why? You'd you not even let her see them? Why'd you have to keep her locked up?"

"All I wanted was one daughter!"

In a second, Older Woman's nails were dug deeply in the girl's scalp. She winced and gritted her teeth, but when she moved I saw the recoil.

"All I want is one daughter," Older Woman continued in her calm voice, "she'll be given to Agnes to raise and I'll leave this damn prison of a castle. We agreed, she'll have the girls, but one of our blood, and you are our only granddaughter, do you understand? You think we didn't try? You think we didn't suffer like Lorelei and you did?"

Her voice was scary in the stoically yet stern way it was. The girl slinked back and blinked back tears.

"Let me tell you this, I was fortunate enough to have a daughter, but I could not have any more children after your mother. My one dear, obedient daughter, Marie Elsa, was beautiful, but deaf and dumb. Couldn't speak at all. She couldn't be Queen Butterfly, so we had Lorelei take over my job, because I was the leader. And then, as fate would have it, someone killed Marie Elsa to prevent my child from having any more children. They didn't want their children to lose their spot.

"Do you understand the pain in my heart when I saw my one and only daughter murdered? She couldn't even tell me, if she was alive, who it was. She couldn't read or write. I saw her and brushed her hair, and she only smiled in the mirror at me. Why had I birthed such a defect, I wondered all the time. Was that why I couldn't have children? But then I saw you, Elsie, named after your mother, and then I loved you as my own daughter. You spoke and laughed and cried and I loved seeing it. I had to teach you what I couldn't teach Marie Elsa, and give you your rightful place as Queen. But most of all, I need you to give me a daughter."

"I understand."

"You better, darling. Every vampire here has suffered once or twice. Just one daughter, and after Agnes is happy, we will both leave. Mother and daughter. Now, isn't that touching? And your daughter will be Queen Butterfly, so you can be assured she'll have the highest ranking and luxuries to behold."

Her lies were hypnotizing and the girl was nodding to it.

"Can we really?"

"Of course. Now wipe those ugly tears and get ready to have another daughter, Elsie."

No. No way.

The girl softened and nodded,

The Mother kissed Daughter's forehead, then walked away, so scary it made one one grew cold. There was no Mother. There was only Daughter.

Then she was alone in the tower again and she hugged herself and looked at the tower. She seemed to look at the same spot Lorelei was in my memories. Maybe she saw her ghost, saw the first time she took part in the killing. Maybe she was thinking of how she didn't want to end up like Lorelei.

Then she held her eyes and cried.

"Just one daughter," she repeated. "Just one and I'll leave, I'll be free. Just one. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

She was tricked into believing she'd have freedom after this.

But I knew.

Edith and Elsie. Both could not leave the 'damn prison of a castle'—just like Lorelei.