I was back in my tower for the next few days. Uriel, I heard from Sabine, was working on sketching down the castle exterior and rooms. The girls hadn't seen much of the researchers, either, as they only recorded our lifestyle and behaviors as of now.

They were taking their time.

A few days later, Agnes came to my room.

"Today the young boy, Uriel, will begin to sketch you. Don't forget." A grin spread on her face. "Be kind."

"Don't repeat yourself unnecessarily," I grimaced. "Your voice is like a crow's."

Her smile didn't even disappear. She wasn't going to care how mean I was to her as long as she could use me. Or think she could.

"I have to say you made a good choice," she continued on nevertheless. "He's beautiful, too. Such beautiful skin, and so rosy and full of life too."

Where? He had on a look that said he wanted to die.

Either way, after breakfast, there was a knock at my tower door.

"Come on in," I yawned, still sprawled out on my bed. I woke up from a short nap. In my tower, I rarely did anything but sleep. Sometimes I read a bit, but that bored me. In fact, I did nothing at all, but I would never tell anyone. I had my kids lined up about how I wrote and read to sound like an intellect.

The doors creaked, and then he came in, a heavy looking satchel slung over his shoulder. It was of brown leather, worn out and scuffed, and a corner of a sketchbook stuck out from under the flap.

"It's Uriel, I'm here to draw you today."

He wouldn't look at me in the eyes, and simply placed his bag down on the floor, and then pulled up a chair.

I pushed myself up. I was still in my nightgown, a sheer white chemise made of muslin, with ruffles around the neck and at the edge of the sleeves. My feet was bare too, and I rolled up the hem of the skirt as I sat up. He deserved a treat, a view my of beauty.

I smiled. "Tell me, how will you take me out?" I asked.

"After Agnes is dead, what'll there be holding you back?"

"Then I'll be doing the job myself!" I growled. "I want to go to the lands of humans! I want to see things."

I stood up, stepping onto the cold stone floor with my bare feet. I held out my arms.

"I want to get rid of this dark, rainy, awful life!"

"The world outside isn't much better," he said without looking at me. I walked over to him. He had already drew a figure, not of me, but Yves was right. It was horrendous.

"A body doesn't look like that, that's a skeleton," I said.

"I'm not good at drawing people—or humans. I only managed to get here by lying to the Doctor that I was interested."

"Is it for revenge?" I asked. "For your father?"

"I don't know," he said, turning up to look at me. "How does it feel to be killed?"

"I can kill you right now," I whispered. "Just one bite into your neck. No one survives. No one turns into a vampire. That's a legend people tell themselves to be able to sleep at nights. You'll never live. One puncture and your veins are pierced, and it'll never, ever heal. Only vampires heal from bites."

I looked at his neck, partially covered by his collar. I thought of Sabine, who always gave me her blood, who always winced at my bites.

I let my cold fingers linger on his jawline, then down to his neck. It was so warm.

"Do you want to try it? People have always said my bites are like a snake's. Sharp and quick, they say they don't even feel the pain. After saying that, they would die."

His eyes had no fear, strangely, and suddenly, he smiled a little, wryly, as though I was telling him a lame horror story.

"No, thank you."

I snorted. "You're such a sad person. What do you even live for?"

"I don't live for anything. Like I said, the world outside isn't as glorious as you think it is. If you're poor, you have no money to enjoy yourself. If you're weak or sick, you can't do much. The world is dominated by the rich and powerful."

"Of course it is," I replied. "But you've forgotten one thing—the world is dominated by beauty, above all else."

He snorted. "You're saying you'll find the power to be on top in the outside world? Don't be silly, you might be on top in this little garden of butterflies, but humans aren't so kind to vampires."

"Then I'll hide away my fangs, and wear corsets and bonnets. Carry some parasols."

"You'll pretend to be human?"

I shrugged. "What's wrong with it? When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

"You have pride," he murmured softly, "but at times, you throw that away."

What was he trying to say?

"I'm not ashamed of who I am."

"But you are willing to throw that away for freedom. You are even willing to kill your own family for freedom."

"You don't know what Agnes is like," I spat. "Even you want to kill her, why is it wrong of me to help? You're a hypocrite. You have no right to look down on me."

"I'm not," he said. "I simply think you're too hasty. There is no guarantee that you can live in the outside world, and with three other girls, too. It might be better for you all to live here."

I saw red, and tensed my jaw.

"You're going back on your promise?"

"I never promised."

"Is it wrong, to want to live?" I asked, unable to control the rising pitch of my voice. "To leave this horrid life? Have you ever tried being locked away, forced to live on what people gave you, unable to make decisions for yourself? I've only ever been outside of this castle once in my life, and it was to feel the rain, with my mother! And my mother—she—"

I choked and could not think of her. It hurt to think of.

"You don't understand anything. If I have to throw away who I am, use my body, I will. I want to be able to live as a human."

"You'll be a vampire," he said from behind me. "Forever and ever, no matter how you try and change it."

"I am!" I screamed. "I'm a vampire, and if you aren't careful around me, I might drink your blood!"

There was a clatter of metal outside, suddenly, and I jumped.

"Who's there?"

Uriel stood up, and I raced to the door and pulled it open.

There was Selma, mouth wide open. A silver platter and matching teacups had fell to the floor, spilling amber liquid onto the hem of her skirt and her slippers. Stupid hag—she looked like a fool.

Then I remembered. She had heard me. The question was, how much had she heard?

"You—you wicked child!" Without wasting a second, she screeched. "You promised Agnes! You've went against it—how dare you threaten to kill the guest!"

Faint relief washed over me; she had only heard so much. Then Uriel raced over, quickly picking up the platters and teacups. He jumped up and smiled a faint, strained smile.

"Oh no, Lady—Selma—or was it Rowena? We were merely arguing about insignificant matters. It was just a mere disagreement of opinions, please don't be alarmed."

"She—she—"

"I don't take it to heart," he continued.

Selma glared at me, not even taking the platter from Uriel. I shrank away.

"I'll be telling Agnes!" She ran away, down the stairs, heels clicking, and I knew I was in trouble. I stared at Uriel, and he grimaced.

"I tried," he said weakly. And he had. The fault wasn't his—it was mine. I had failed, completely. If Agnes wouldn't forgive me, my plan of escaping would be over. I wouldn't be able to meet with Uriel, and Primrose, the only other pureblooded vampire, would take over my place.

I grabbed my trembling hand. The idea was too scary to think about. This was my only chance, and I have failed myself, with my sharp tongue.

"Lady Margery?" Uriel stepped closer, but I stepped back.

"It's not your fault," I choked out, but I sounded so little. So scared.

***

I remembered my mother. Barely, but I remember her. She had dark hair in ringlets that was tied behind her head and she smelled of jasmine and wet soil.

All I remember was that, and the nights the Elders and her fought. It was mostly Agnes and her crones' voices echoing through the castle, but occasionally I heard my mother's cries and pleas. She wanted to take care of us, in the way normal people did, but what was normalcy in a vampire clan without men and real parents?

"You'll be doomed if you continue in this manner," I heard Agnes say one night, when Cecile was trying to pull me away from the door of the room they were in. Cecile didn't like me seeing or hearing their fights, but I had to know. "And if you don't care, then we'll do the same to your daughter."

"No! Leave Margery out of this!"

"You do know she's after Cecile. When Cecile dies, it'll be Margery we will be putting in the tower, seeing the men one after another, producing children for us."

"Don't you threaten me! I'll take her away if you do, I'll run away with her!"

"If so, then we'll have to do that to Cecile, or Sabine."

"You can't—you can't—"

"Oh, I can, I sure can."

When Cecile pulled me away, I had asked her.

"What does that mean? What were they saying? Why will I be in the tower?"

"They call them the Queen Butterfly," she said, bringing me to our room with Sabine. When I sat on the bed with Sabine, she went over to hers and began to tell us the story.

"The Queen Butterfly drinks the blood of the men who come. With these fangs, or with a knife through the neck or wrist, but that's only if you plan on killing them."

"They kill all the men who come," I said. Sabine began to whimper at these. "Don't worry, Sabine, they're only humans. They die anyways."

"But I don't want to kill."

"I know, killing isn't good." Even Cecile would say that at times, but she didn't linger long on it. "Most of the vampires don't, so we won't have to, Sabine. It'll be Margery doing it."

"Why me? You're the oldest?"

"I'm sick," Cecile said. "I am the weakest one here, I'll never live long enough to be Queen Butterfly. And it suits you better anyway."

"If I'm Queen Butterfly, then is my mother no longer in the tower?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll be it."

Here Cecile's eyes would darken and she would clam up, as though she knew she couldn't promise anything on my mother's behalf. Whether or not I was the one in the tower, my mother would no longer be there. But I was a child, and I didn't really understand.

I would pull the covers over Sabine and I, and with the faint candlelight flickering, the three of us would sleep to our future dreams.

"I'll be Queen, I'll take over Agnes, so mother wouldn't have to fight anymore," I would say. "And I'll get rid of the dungeon. Or keep the humans there. No more punishments for us. And then, let's see, I'll refurnish our bedrooms, have a big bed we can all sleep in, and get more books for Cecile, and a cat for Sabine. We will live on the castle, and be beautiful, and happy. Yes, we will be together forever..."