I let you die.

Vincent's sharp words gnawed at me. It was confusing at first but come to think of it, was it just a coincidence that he was there at the exact perfect time of my death? I wanted to pretend I hadn't heard him, that he didn't say such things.

"It's true," he went on casually as though it was nothing important. "I came back just in time to pull you out of the pool. But I didn't. I... I just watched you drown."

"Why?" I choked as I felt my throat tighten.

A smile slowly broke on his face, giving him a sinister air. "You should be thankful. In the normal run of things, you'd have died on your original expiration date and Pilgrim Reaper would've personally fetched your soul. I assure you, he won't be as gracious as I am, especially to someone with your family background. There's no telling what he'd do to you. So I stole your soul to spite him. Planned every little detail from the beginning. Of course, it would've been perfect if I was able to fully resurrect you. But as it turned out, I... wasn't strong enough as I'd thought." He let out a humorless laugh before looking away.

I dropped on my knees, fumbled on the floor for Mom's Memory Tome and clutched it tightly over my chest. Four more days couldn't have changed anything. I would still die eventually. But the mere thought of his betrayal sent a twinge of pain in my chest. From the beginning, I had been nothing more than a plaything to him, a piece in his sick games to keep himself entertained. All this time, I felt like we had been partners watching each other's backs. Apparently, I had misunderstood.

"I trusted you!" I shouted, my voice catching in my throat as I glared at him.

"Well, you shouldn't," he replied in a small voice, his smile fading into a wistful façade. "Hate me. I don't care. Now that  you know everything, you got no reason to cover up for me. There's no sense in sacrificing yourself for a monster."

Through the mist in my eyes, I scrutinized his face for any sign that he was making it all up, that he was joking. "So you've heard..." It wasn't a question. He knew I was planning on killing myself to save him. He must be snooping outside the door that night I told Rosario about it.

Bemusedly, Vincent shrugged as if saying he couldn't care less. "The stupidest thing I've heard in decades, actually." He hunkered in front of me and caught my chin with his fingers, forcing me to meet his mocking gray eyes. "And then what? D'you think I'd thank you? Make you my all-time hero? You're dreaming, Miss Rayne."

"Miss Rayne," I mumbled absently, nodding as I struggled to get up. "I get it," I rasped pushing past him before rushing straight for the door, clasping a hand over my mouth to force back the annoying sounds coming from my throat.

Inconspicuously, I made my way to my locker. My fingers trembled while trying to open it, turning a few heads to my direction. Afraid to make a scene, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed outside. The playing field and parking lot were empty except for the school janitor who was shoveling snow from the pathway. I sat on the steps of the entrance, ignoring the frosty wind that bit through my cheeks.

Why was I even trying so hard? Being an unpaid all-around slave wasn't really my dream job. Just as sadistic as I had known Vincent to be, it still sucked to know that I was just part of his ploy to be a pain in his father's butt. Grudgingly, I kicked the snow on the tip of my shoes.

Out of habit, I reached for the Transference Link. Vincent was still in the music room from what I could make out. After composing myself, I headed back to class and endured the monotony of the whole afternoon.

When finally, the final bell rang, I didn't wait for Vincent to fetch me from my classroom. I hurriedly made my way out before anyone else and ran several miles without stopping. For a normal human, it would have been impossible. My legs burned like hell as I sloshed through the snow, my lungs aching with the freezing air but I didn't pause to rest. I knew the Transference link would weaken. I just didn't care. All I wanted was to get home and once I saw Marcel's old house, I bolted in and went straight up to my room.

Dad didn't pester me to have dinner with him, which would explain the loud grumbling from my stomach as I laid flat on my back. Wide awake, staring at the ceiling for hours. Trying to figure out everything at once.

Feverishly, I took out Mom's old diary and flipped through the pages. The curse would end on the thirteenth generation. I was the thirteenth generation. Mom believed that the curse wouldn't affect me anymore. Of course it wouldn't. My expiration date came way before I could even have children. Thus, the end of the curse and the end of Alessandra Clandestine's lineage. It seemed that Death found a loophole in their deal to trick her, whatever that deal was about.

The next morning came with the worst headache ever. My mood wasn't any better. After grabbing a handful of cereal from the box, I took my coat and started to head out.

"In a hurry?" Dad asked, pausing to lift his gaze as he shoveled piles of snow from the driveway. Perhaps, so Vincent could park easily. Ugh.

"Yeah," I answered sparingly, worried that he might start an interrogation if I so much as said more than two words. Dad seemed to take more interest in me since I came back home, which was both good and bad. I liked him better when he used to ignore me.

Giving me a dubious look, he adjusted his glasses and wedged the shovel on the side of the barren tree in the front yard. "Vincent isn't going to pick you up?"

I just replied with a shrug, turning away and trudging heavily through the snow-covered path before the conversation became any longer. Vincent was good. Really good, he even brainwashed my dad. His guise nearly tricked me into believing in self-sacrifice and loyalty and something else far greater than friendship. I might as well believe in the Tooth Fairy. Now, all of it just sounded stupid and naïve. No such things existed.

Lost in thought, I walked to school, staring at my own boots as I did. I didn't try to hurry. I just wanted to get out of the house before Vincent arrived. Seeing him wouldn't do my disposition any good. Before I could cover a good distance, the Sinclairs' yellow Land Cruiser swerved to the side of the road and parked right in front of me. The backseat door opened, revealing Vladimir with a wide grin on his pale face.

"Hop in. Your dance lessons aren't over until I said so, Aramis," he said.

Without any complaints, I hauled myself into the cab, my eyes involuntarily shifting toward the driver's seat, which was now occupied by Archie. Mei protruded her head from the shotgun seat, giving me an apologetic smile. Vincent's absence was a relief, actually.

"Wondering where my stupid brother went?" Vladimir asked as he carefully placed a pair of sky blue contacts in his eyes. When I didn't answer, he let out a sniff. "Even I have no idea, to be honest. No worries. He's probably wraith-hunting in Centralia. Or destroying someone's abandoned home in there. I couldn't really be sure. He does that when he's upset. I mean upset, more than the usual."

To avoid questions, I just nodded and fixed my eyes on the road. I didn't realize that we were already inside the school grounds until Archie opened the door for me. Like yesterday, we went to the music room. This time, Archie played the piano while Mei and Vlad coached me on the proper movements of my hands, my face, where my eyes should always focus, the correct posture—every little detail to make sure our plan would go exactly as planned.

"Slight smile, eyes down, chin up, sure strides," Vladimir barked again and again.

Intently, I poured all my attention and effort into mastering everything they taught me. It was what I needed to distract myself from the curse, Vincent, my impending doom, the ball, Dad, but mostly Vincent.

As we were dancing, Vladimir leaned closer and whispered, "Did you know how Alessandra Clandestine got a chance to strike a deal with my father?"

His words were like needles shooting down my spine and for the record, he caught my full attention. "No. But I would like to hear it," I replied, intently waiting for his explanation.

Letting out a sigh, he made me twirl three times before catching my hand and pulling me closer. "Circumstance," he answered. "With some luck, she was able to thwart a plan to assassinate Father, in which the mastermind was his first wife, Sileas—Cairo and Irvine's mother.  To reward Alessandra's heroic act, Father offered to have a bargain with her. She could have anything she wanted."

Watching my steps, I peered at him for a while. My stomach turned as I struggled to voice out the words. "And what did she ask him?"

"A soul," Vladimir replied, blinking thoughtfully. "Two souls to be exact. Hers and the lost soul of her twin sister, who happened to be very dear to our cabal."

In my head, the puzzle pieces started to arrange on their own. "Adrianna," I blurted out mindlessly, my eyes widening at realization. "Don't tell me..."

With a casual expression, Vladimir's round blue eyes peeked at me before giving me a nod. "Yes. Adrianna and Alessandra; the Clandestine sisters," he pointed out.

So that explained the resemblance between me and Adrianna. We were distant relatives.

"As you already know, the souls of the departed are to roam in Nirvana until they are chosen randomly for Rebirth," he went on as we circled the dance floor, our feet moving on their own owing to hours and hours of practice. "Alessandra demanded to redeem her original soul and Adrianna's so that they could both live their lives as mortals."

"Is that even possible?" I asked. "I mean, isn't that against the rules of immortals? Besides, Adrianna's soul and body were lost when she..." I bit my lip, trailing into silence.

"When she perished into oblivion, yes," he agreed as if reading my mind. "But remember that this is Pilgrim Reaper we are talking about. The laws are absolute but given the perfect motivation, he can bend them according to his will, especially when a contract is involved. So he brought back Adrianna's soul. Or at least what was left of it, and scheduled it for rebirth... as Alessandra's future daughter."

My feet turned into stone and instantly, it was as if I forgot all the steps. "The curse!" I said to him shakily. Words from the old diary flashed behind my eyes, connecting the dots, answering the questions that had plagued me for so long.

In anticipation, Archie stopped playing the piano. A brooding quiet prevailed in the music room for a minute or two, replacing the soothing Viennese waltz piece.

"After Adrianna's death," Vladimir began after drawing a deep breath. "Vincent obsessed himself with that particular contract even if we both didn't know if it was a fact or just a rumor. For several decades, he's been investigating, trying to find Alessandra's daughters and granddaughters but failed too many times," he added, resting his chin on the back of his hands as he gazed at me through his lashes.

Silently, Vladimir sat on the arm of a chair with Mei mechanically standing guard behind him. From where I stood, they looked like a beautiful pair plucked from an ancient painting only to be thrown into the modern world.

"Then... he found you," he said, his artificial blue eyes boring through my skull. "The deal was supposed to end come the thirteenth generation. Unluckily, you came up on our list of expired souls for the month of November; as set by Father himself. What did Father see in her? What's so special about her? He asked me those questions countless of times. He kept an eye on you since then. Vincent was the one who found out about your relationship to Alessandra."

"And he let me die," I muttered bitterly, avoiding the scrutinizing look from the boy master's eyes.

Gently, he shook his head. "I'm not justifying my brother's past actions, nor am I persuading you to believe what I just said. Your death was inevitable. A little too early for your schedule, yes. Nonetheless, what's done is done. Now, I want you to think, Aramis," he challenged, tilting his head as if to wait for something that was invisible to me. In perfect timing, the bell for the first period rang. Vladimir strapped his oversized backpack over one shoulder and headed for the door. Before he left, the boy paused to look at me over his shoulder and said, "Just try to think if otherwise happened."

If otherwise happened. Those words echoed inside my head for hours and hours. From Spanish to Physics, through Literature and until lunch break. Still, there was no sign of Vincent, though I was pretty sure he was somewhere within a mile or two since the link was still there.

"Ditching classes again?" a voice said.

I turned to look, shifting my weight on my left leg as I sat with my back on the wall, staring at the dripping water from the miniature frozen stalactites hanging from the eaves of the shed of the school backyard. It was Lindsay, smiling as she squatted next to me, pulling her scarf closer to her face.

Slightly ashamed, I gave her a nod and looked around. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't heard the bell ring or her coming.

"I missed you," she said, hugging her knees. "Carter too. He wouldn't admit it, but I can tell."

After letting out a deep sigh, I replied. "Me too. The two of you must really be fed up with me fooling around and making a big mess of myself."

With an honest smile, Lindsay gently shook her blond head and placed her hand over mine. "I don't have any clue why you're doing this, Aramis. But I do know it's for a reason. I trust you."

"Can I ask you something?" I looked up to her, waiting for her nod before continuing.  It took me a while to sort out my thoughts before I could ask her what was bothering me. "If-If for let's say, s-someone important did something really, really bad, would you still trust that person?"

As if to consider it, Lindsay's gaze trailed far away. "It doesn't really matter what the person did. It's how you feel aboutthat person that matters. If that feeling is strong enough, then you have to believe in him."

Him, I thought, my cheeks growing warm. "I-it's just an example," I blurted out, chuckling wryly, waving both my hands in front of me. "I'm not really referring to anyone... in particular."

She nodded, the small smile not leaving her lips as though she wasn't at all convinced. "I'm not really an expert since I don't have that many friends. But when I find real ones, I stick by them no matter what. That's why I'm here."

Lindsay gave my hand a gentle squeeze and all I could do in exchange was return her smile. Despite all those troubles I had caused, she still believed in me. Maybe she was right. Though I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about Vincent, he was still my master—the one who kept me alive for so long—and that was enough.