Disclaimer: Vampirates belongs to Justin Somper.

Thanks everyone! XD I was really worried everyone was going to hate me for doing that, lol. So I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a train-wreck. Yep, I did have a good holiday thanks, and yes, I will keep throwing the remaining chapters at you as fast as I can! I hope my 'vampire theory' makes sense to you all!

Grace didn't have a pulse, and it was up to Mosh Zu to explain it to her. It was very rare for anyone to become, well, living dead, in the way Grace had. He had only ever known two people to do so in his immortal life: the captain of The Nocturne and himself. However, Mosh Zu was kicking himself for not considering the fact that perhaps she was no longer mortal. She had the symptoms too: numbness and blindness. Though, admittedly, it was usually just the numbness, but it was possible to become temporarily blinded too. It was also possible to become deaf, and nauseated. And it was possible to have them all at once, which was extremely hard to deal with.

Although, Mosh Zu was still overwhelmed by what Grace had done. What she had done was amazing. She gave her life to reignite her brother's. Her brother had been killed instantly by the impact, and Connor had been right; she should not have done what she did. It was very highly recommended that healers did not tamper with death, though, he could not scold her; Mosh Zu himself had died in the same fashion.

Grace was a smart girl, though; maybe she had already figured it out for herself. But then again, there was nothing really to suggest that.

The Nocturne was due to arrive in a few hours, and Mosh Zu and Maria had mixed up something which was showing almost immediate reaction and giving Grace back her sense of touch. The salve for her eyesight was still being made, but, according to Grace, it was improving gradually without the salve.

"Good evening, Grace." Mosh Zu said cheerily as he stepped into her room, "How are we feeling today?"

"Much, much better, thank you." Grace smiled, sitting up, "that medicine you gave me works wonders!"

"Yes," Mosh Zu laughed, "I suppose it does. I've brought some more of it for you, too."

"Will The Nocturne arrive soon?" Grace asked hopefully.

"In a few hours, yes." He nodded.

There was a stretch of silence as Mosh Zu went over to the table littered with pots and bottles and began to rummage around.

"What colour is it?"

Mosh Zu turned around, "Sorry?"

"My ribbon," Grace had it wrapped around her fingers, "What colour is it?"

"White."

"Like Thom Feather's." Grace smiled.

"Who?" Mosh Zu hummed, "Wait, no, I do remember him. One of the members of Lorcan's group, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes," Grace nodded, "The man in white."

"Indeed," He nodded, "I'm quite surprised you remembered him, Grace."

Grace smiled gently, "So, you never told me. Do I have a pulse?"

Mosh Zu was startled by how casual she sounded about it. "Well actually, that is why I am here."

"I see," Grace frowned, "You're here to tell me I don't" It was a statement, Grace really had figured it out by herself.

"No, you don't Grace." Mosh Zu frowned.

Grace nodded. "OK…" She sounded convinced, just not happy at all.

"You are taking this unusually well," Mosh Zu smiled at her.

"Well, there is no point getting upset over it. It is how it is, I guess. It just seems…weird." She frowned, resting her head in her knuckles.

"I need to tell you some things about this first," Mosh Zu told her, "And you must listen carefully."

Grace nodded, her eyes moving toward his voice.

"Firstly, you will never feel hungry or thirsty again." He said slowly.

"Yes, I…" She stopped dead, a thought coming to mind, "Will I…shouldn't I…"

"No," Mosh Zu shook his head, "No blood for you, Grace."

She let out a massive sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. But why do –"

"Mosh Zu!" Maria scurried in, "Sir, there's a stir-up in the hall!"

Mosh Zu stood immediately, "Grace, I'll be right back." Then, without another word, both Mosh Zu and his assistant disappeared.

Grace sat on the bed, cross-legged. She was sick and tired of staying cooped up in this room, with Mosh Zu walking in and out. She wanted to go outside, she wanted to breathe fresh air. For a moment she felt she was being ungrateful, considering how much Mosh Zu and Maria had done for her, but she couldn't help it. She felt like a caged animal.

She found the edge of the bed and slid her legs off it, and attempted to stand. She had the feeling almost completely back in her hands and feet, everywhere else was still numb.

As she rocked slightly on her feet, and fell back down again, she smiled; it reminded her of Lorcan, all wobbly on his feet when he was blind.

She ran over what Mosh Zu had told her. She was dead. He was surprised at how well she had taken it, but she didn't think there was a need to worry over it. Lorcan was dead, wasn't he? She was just like him now and she didn't have to take blood either! It wasn't that bad. She could still see Connor and Bart and Cate. She may not be able to go out in the sunshine…no, it was best not to think about the bad things just yet.

She tried again, trying to push herself onto her feet, but she just toppled back to the bed. She tried a third, a fourth and fifth time, but didn't get anywhere until her sixth try, and she successfully stood – without wobbling.

She heard the door open and close, and Mosh Zu gasp.

"Grace, you can go walkabouts when The Nocturne arrives, alright? I'll get someone to take you. But please sit back down, the last thing you need is to be walking into glass bottles." Mosh Zu fussed.

"Walkabouts? Someone to take me?" Grace laughed, "Mosh Zu, I'm beginning to feel like your new pet dog!"

However, Grace did as she was told and got back in bed.

"Well, if you keep walking around like that then I shall have to find you a leash!" He smiled as he sat down on the end of her bed.

"What was wrong in the hall then?" Grace asked.

"Nothing," Mosh Zu shook his head, "Just a simple misunderstanding. Now, you were asking me something just before I left."

"Oh," Grace thought a moment, "Why don't I need to…um, drink…" She clearly didn't want to say it; just the thought of it made her feel queasy.

"Drink blood?" Mosh Zu raised his eyebrows, "The answer to that is very complex. A large amount of it is unknown, and the little that I do know is complicated, and extremely hard to explain."

"Well," Grace readjusted herself in bed, "You said The Nocturne doesn't arrive for a few hours, we have time."

Mosh Zu sighed; it was something very much necessary for her to know, which was probably going to make things even more complicated.

"OK," He said, "When you saw Connor, and realised he was dead, the only thing that crossed your mind was to stop it. You didn't want him to go, of course you didn't, and, it's always different for everybody as to how you will react. And, naturally, for a healer the instinct was to stop him from dying, even though he was already dead. You with me so far?"

Grace hesitated, and then nodded, "I think so, yes."

"In your case, you delved right into his soul – which was when you went through that tunnel – and you found the life source – which was Connor at the end of the tunnel. When you saw the dead life source (Connor) you felt the need to…revive it, I suppose. Still with me?"

"So, when I saw Connor at the end of the tunnel, it wasn't really him; it was the dead life source?" Grace asked, puzzled.

"Yes."

Grace nodded.

"Good." Mosh Zu nodded, "When you revived the life source, something happens. I don't know what. Some people like to think it's a gift from God; some think that it's a bounce back from the newly filled source; some think it's some kind of spiritual reserve in your own soul; and some like to think it's the other person's way of saying thank you. No one knows for certain. But what is for sure, is that when Connor came back to life, he took the life from you. And be it God's compassion, science or whatever, you lived too, and because Connor took the life that was yours, you became living dead."

Grace's eyes were wide with amazement; she wasn't expecting something as…magical as that!
"You aren't a vampire, Grace, because to become a vampire you don't save anyone, you don't have to be a healer. You could be cold dead for months before you wake again. You need to be sired – which is something like an old spell to bring alive the dead – and you need to feed from blood because a vampire's body still needs it. The body doesn't know that it's dead. It needs the blood to survive."

"But a vampire won't die again if you deprive it of blood," Grace frowned, "Lorcan went a long time without blood…"

Mosh Zu nodded, "Perhaps survive was the wrong word to use. But you are right, a vampire will not die when deprived of blood; a vampire is already dead. But they will become weakened, take more time to heal from wounds, and with Lorcan it affected his walking. You remember?"

"Yes," Grace nodded, "That makes sense."

Mosh Zu sighed, "Is there anything you didn't understand?"

"It was a lot to take in at once," Grace admitted, "But, if it's OK with you, I would like to think about it by myself before The Nocturne arrives."

"Of course," Mosh Zu glanced up at a clock, "You have just over an hour."

He got up and walked to the door, "And Grace,"

"Yes?"
"When they do arrive, I shall have to inform the captain. He will need to know. Would you like me to tell your brother and your friends?"

Grace thought about that for a moment, "No," She decided, "No. I'd like to tell them myself."