When we got off the train I was extremely tired. The days in the ship tired me out due to "seasickness" and my first day on land was so much walking.

I looked in envy as Lark was carried by Yves, her head peeking out of her bonnet and arms around Yves' neck. Adalyn and Bernadette were panting softly as we walked a deserted area with only trees, bare of leaves, too and then we reached a mansion, almost equal to the beauty of Jardin and a human house we passed by combined. It was made in the shadow of the great trees, surrounded by only nature and a cobblestone path leading to the black tiled roof. Ivies crawled up and the windows were hidden with curtains from what I could see.

I watched as Yves opened the black gates with one hand and gestured for us to go. Uriel carried two suitcases and I carried two, Adalyn and Bernadette each one.

"It's fabulous! It's like a dwelling for vampires!" I said.

"I agree, it seems cold!" Adalyn said as she walked up the path first. I was waiting to the side with Uriel for some reason, then I realized it was to talk to Yves.

When we were all inside the gate and Yves closed it behind him, Uriel spoke.

"This is your house?"

"This is Yves's house?" I screamed.

"Be quiet, lowly vampire!" Yves glared at me. "Yes, it is the Derosier estate. What of it? It's cold, and old, no one ever comes, only my mother lives here and it's the perfect hideout for four vampires at once."

"Your mother is here?" I shouted.

"Be quiet!"

"I'm fine with it," Lark said, hugging Yves. "You will protect us, right?"

"Yes, yes, princess," Yves replied jokingly to her. "My mother knows and we've kept refuge vampires here before."

"She isn't a vampire hunter, then?" Uriel asked. "What about your father?"

"Ah, he often brought over the refuge vampires. Can we go in?" Uriel walked past us and to the front door, where he pressed a button. There was a small ring inside the house.

The door opened, and a lady bowed. A servant?

Uriel said his greetings to her and asked for his mother and I turned to Uriel.

"Did you know this?"

"No. I didn't even know his father died." He seemed depressed. "Weren't we best friends? I thought he would tell me things."

"Sometimes you can't tell those closest to you."

I thought of Sabine, the smile like snow landing in your hand, or blood after being thirsty. It was so sweet. So comforting.

To the point you don't want to taint it.

We entered after Yves in groups, Adalyn and Bernadette first, then Uriel and I, last. The girl I saw was young, maybe a few years older than me, in a drab black dress, head hung down. She had sharp, bright eyes, but seemed wary.

"She's Laurel, my mother's maid and housekeeper," Yves said quickly. He let Lark down and gestured down the hall. "Now let's meet my mother."

We walked down the hall, devoid of paintings or photographs. Everything seemed sad and drab, the wallpaper a dark maroon and everything gave the vibe of a far older house than what we had passed.

Inside, I expected a woman of white hair and ugly glasses on her nose, maybe reading in a rocking chair. Then I realized that sounded like Cecile and felt guilty.

"Maman! I have missed you!"

At his sudden unexpected tone we all turned to Yves, who, like an actor of some sorts, burst into the room, arms wide open.

"Yves!" The woman stood up, but I was surprised she was beautiful, kind of like Yves with her sharp chin and perfect curved nose, but she had wrinkles vampires never would, and her hair was indeed grey on the sides.

She spoke to him in French, which I understood. The conversation was the following;

"Yves, I thought you died in Jardin! I prayed every night for you and for Hugo in Heaven! These girls are?"

"Maman, Jardin was not scary, here, these girls are from the Butterfly Clan. I suppose their surname can be Papillon? Haha!"

"This is no laughing matter, Yves! One two...four? Is the man your friend? Anyways, if their matriarch comes it might bring us danger—"

"Don't worry! She's dead, suicide because of a secret she didn't want them to find out."

Then Yves turned to us and resumed in English.

"This is my mother, you can call her Maman if it helps, or Mrs.Derosier—or even Veronique, if you dare. This is Lark, she's ten. These two are Adalyn and Bernadette, both fifteen. Lastly, the Queen Butterfly who has killed all the men who enter her tower, Margery."

"You," his broken said with an accent, "you might want to change your name." She gave a small smile, and I wondered if it was fear or something.

"Yes, I will. Maybe Marie, or Mary."

"Or Melrose," Adalyn joked and laughed. I glared at her.

"Anyways, Maman, can they stay here until we find a place for them? Another vampire from the Butterfly Clan, Cecile, will be coming with our Professor. They are both very kind and considerate so you wouldn't have to worry."

"Of course I won't," Veronique looked at us softly, and smiled. "There are many rooms facing away from sunrise, and for sunset we have curtains. That should be nice for you girls. Would it be fine for uh, Marie to stay with Lark?"

As expected, I did not react well to Marie. I only realized a moment later and nodded quietly. She continued, saying how she and Laurel will have dinner ready in a while and we should rest.

We went to our rooms, Yves waving us bye and going to rest himself. I wondered where Uriel stayed. Probably in his own room.

The bed in our room was nice, they called it the White room, whereas the other two girls had the Pink room. I liked the decorations, but the walls weren't exactly white, but a gentle floral green pattern. Then I saw the white roses in the vase on the cabinet. Ah. Derosiers had to keep their rose aesthetic.

"Should we put it our things in the drawers?" Lark asked, taking off her bonnet.

"No!" I immediately said. "Keep it in our luggage in case we have to leave suddenly. Also, don't be too comfortable. I don't believe Yves and Veronique are so innocent. Vampire hunters keeping vampires for free? Something is strange about it."

"Why?" Lark already stripped off her dress and was in only a short nightdress.

"Why?" I repeated.

"Yves is a kind human. He smells very lonely. You don't notice, but it's a very sad smell. He is a vampire hunter, he's known far more vampires than the average ignorant human. He knows we are people, too." Lark beamed. "When he's nice to me, I feel he is very, very happy. There's a gentle feeling."

Lark gestured, moving her arms up and down, around her. She turned to me with that bright smile and what could I do but trust her instincts?

Sighing, I also laid down on the soft pink bed and took a nap.

***

"Marie! Mary! Margery!"

I felt as though someone far was beckoning me. Who was it?

Sabine was standing in the dark, shouting for me. I tried to come closer and then she disappeared like smoke—into ashes.

Margery...

"You missed dinner again, Margery!"

I groaned and opened my eyes to see Lark in the darkness.

She leaned over me, in a new green dress. I pushed her off me and flipped away, then felt a bigger hand on my forehead.

"Margery, are you sick?"

I sat up, swapping Uriel's hand away. No one else but the two were in the room and my senses dulled without needing to be on defense anymore.

"I'm not, and it's Marie from now on."

"No one will know," Uriel said. "Right, Lark?"

"Yes."

I sighed as I turned around in my unfamiliar surrounding. It had suddenly felt like going to Yves's house and entering this room was all a dream. I realized how big the room was, bigger than my tower for sure, and maybe even my childhood room with Sabine. I touched the pinks covers I was in and it was so smooth I would rest my face against it.

But most of all, I realized something important. The passage of time was visible. In the day, it had held just a bit of light but now it was dark, only a lamp turned on by my bedside. I moved and my joints felt like cracking. My foot hurt, but they had slippers for me.

Lark watched as I put my feet in. It was soft, so soothing after days in boots.

"I took off your boots because you forgot to," Lark said proudly. She was still treating me like Queen Butterfly, always there to dress and undress me. I couldn't even remember to do such a small, insignificant thing.

"Thank you, Lark."

I stood up and Uriel was moving his hand around me as though to catch me. I stared at him.

"You don't have to worry, I'm fine. I'll eat what's left. Is there bread?"

"They made meat with carrots. It's like a stew, it's very good. If you want bread or milk I'm sure they have."

"I don't want to bother them at this hour—what time is it?"

"Around ten to midnight." I closed my eyes. "You should've just left me to sleep then. I needed a normal sleeping schedule."

"No, you need to replenish yourself after being seasick," Uriel argued. He touched my cheek, making me grow warm. "You've grown skinnier. I don't know without my glasses but you feel frailer."

"Well, I'll get the food myself then. I won't like to bother poor Veronique or Laurel," I said.

"Laurel is a vampire."

What?