Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing that you recognize from outside of my story. That includes the teeny reference to Phantom. (Go see it!)

A/N: Well, I hope you're all duly impressed that I managed to update quickly yet again. I know I am! Warning: this chapter switches to first person as an experiment. Tell me what you think!Also, just wanted to say that this chapter is dedicated to SorcerousOne, who gave me the idea for Arcturus, and had better get his ass over here and review if he doesn't want to be bitten!

Dark Side of the Moon

I tried to figure out where to go next. I knew that I would need to track down the mysterious 'god', but had no leads as to where to begin. Finally, I decided that the only one who could give her anything useful would be Sulene. I made a face. That meant going to pay SingleEarth a visit.

Sighing, I transported myself to the SingleEarth branch near her. Sulene had to live there since her family had disowned her. I would have taken her in myself, but that would have brought too many unwanted questions from authorities, seeing as Sulene was not yet of age to be without a legal guardian. As far as most people knew, I was as well, but I always managed to find the appropriate papers for the appropriate people when it was concerning myself. When it came to others, though, I didn't have that confidence. Unfortunately, this left Sulene in a room that SingleEarth had for orphans and runaways.

Because of some sort of enchantment placed on the building, it was impossible for me to transport into the building itself, so I had to be content with appearing in front of it. I don't know why they bothered – I'd never seen anybody being refused entry to the building. That includes myself during my occasional early morning visits to Sulene.

Unhappily, I went in. As always, disgustingly bright posters decorated the walls, and big, puffy, armchairs in vivid shades graced the main room. With no more than a nod to the night clerk, I climbed the stairs that led to the communal rooms. As I crept down the hall, Sulene let herself out of the dorm she shared with five other girls. Silently, she joined me in the walk, and we continued down to a locked conference room. Sulene slipped a skeleton key out of an unseen pouch and opened the door, careful that it didn't squeak. We went in, locked the door, and sat down.

As always, I was grateful for Sulene's especially powerful gift for detecting auras. Because of this, I had always been able to visit Sulene at any hour without disturbing the other girls and getting uninvited questions. Now, Sulene seemed to sense that there was something bothering me other than the usual tenseness I had after making a kill at Death Row.

"What's wrong, Maeg?" Sulene's voice was slightly harsh sounding, but rather compelling.

"I'm not really sure. Today at work," I didn't elaborate, as Sulene knows what my 'job' is. "The man was claiming to be the honored of some sort of a god. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but the man's kills sounded in part as though they were made to feed a vampire. The 'god' apparently favored young children, and was the patron of blood and the night. Have you heard anything?"

Sulene thought for a minute. "I'm not sure, but I think I saw something in the papers recently about a rash of child abductions in the D.C. area. I don't know if that could be linked, though. I could look into it, though." Even though the Vidas had disowned her, Sulene still had some contacts in the world of vampire hunters, and did not hesitate to use that net of contacts to aid me in her attempts to protect people.

"Thanks." For the first time, I let myself acknowledge the fear I felt of this rash of murders. I wasn't scared for myself, as much as for the victims. It also seemed as though whenever a powerful vampire gained followers, it meant that they were up to something. Suddenly, I felt overwhelmingly tired. Looking at my watch, I was astonished to see that it was after three in the morning. With an apology to Sulene for waking her and a goodbye, I transported myself home and fell back into bed after changing.

It is frequently thought that vampires don't dream, but that isn't quite accurate. It is true that our brains no longer distort thoughts from the waking hours to create a fantasy-scape for the nighttime. However, especially in vampires older than two or three hundred years old, memories were rather frequent. It was that way that I found myself dreaming of that time, so many years ago, when a vampire tried to gain a following and it went bad…

I had been Cafell's apprentice for nearly fifty years. During this time, Cafell had not only taught me the magic of the vampire, but also more mundane jobs. I now had a very extensive knowledge of all manner of herb lore and other types of healing. I could diagnose ailments, and set bones. I found that Cafell had not truly been my own manor's healer, but a traveling one, in high demand for her high success rate. Through this time, Cafell always took part of whatever her payment was, and set aside for my family. They were, of course, quite puzzled, since I myself couldn't be alive still. I would be over sixty, for God's sake. However, it was not their manner to question getting money.

I too was a bit confused about this long life, especially because, save for a perfection of features, and blackened eyes, I looked no different than I did at sixteen. Cafell had told me, however, that I would gain unnaturally long life. Finally, I had adjusted to the thought that I needed to kill to survive, and had found out about the startling side effects of being a healer. Because this suppressed the natural urges of the vampire kind to kill, the healing line of Cafell was quite prone to dark rages. When engulfed in one of them, the vampire in question would think of nothing other than sadistic killing, and it would subside in its own time, no sooner, no later. Luckily, Cafell was able to teach me to channel that energy so that it would only be unleashed upon the most horrible of criminals.

It was in that summer when I met Jeth. In one of the small villages was a man who was suffering from many broken bones due to a careless Lord charging through a field on horseback. Jeth was this man, who was not able to get out of the way quickly enough. Luckily, the breaks were not serious, and Cafell had left me alone when she sensed that something was amiss in another town.

Even as I performed the painful process of the bone setting, the young man seemed in good humor. He arrogantly wore his dark hair in a long horsetail, a style usually worn only by nobles. His eyes had a wicked glint, and the lines on his face seemed more from laughter and cynical amusement than from work and pain.

"Well, I think I should break bones more often if I always get a healer as beautiful as you, Milady!" Jeth's voice was only slightly strained. "But do you only come on occasions of pain, or would you consent to sharing experiences of pleasure as well?" I couldn't help but blush at the young man's forward manner, and couldn't resist giving the bindings on his leg an extra-painful jerk as I tied them.

"Who says we need to choose?" My voice was equally playful, but slightly more strained. I'd never felt anything for a man before, and though I was enjoying the sensation, it did make me more than a bit uncomfortable.

We exchanged comfortable banter for a while longer, and then I had to leave, putting the young mortal out of my mind. I thought of him no more for another quarter of a century.

The dreamscape changed, and I was walking through London. I knew exactly when this was. Cafell and I had been called by a minor lord several days before to cure a cyst in his leg. It was easily lanced, and the man was recovering. As always, there had been a bit of trouble with the servants to get them to boil water. Cafell always insisted on cleaning her instruments in boiling water to 'disinfect' them. She recognized, as I now could as well, that disease was caused primarily by nearly invisible organisms living on everything. However, they were so small that only one with a vampire's sight could see them, so no one believed in them.

After that small problem, the lancing went well, and Cafell had decided that we both deserved a day in the city. The lord had rewarded us well, and our clothes were several decades out of style. So it was that late afternoon found us roaming the market stalls that were proficient in midtown. Cafell had found a stall that contained many herbs, some from as far as India! I wandered off as she shopped for supplies.

I looked for nothing in particular, and soon found myself in front of a stall with hair supplies and ornaments. Ornaments were not for me, but most of the teeth in my comb had broken with time, and it was time to get a new one. I spent several minutes looking at the combs, and had finally chosen a beautiful one of pale wood, carved with flowers. Knowing I would get a better price if I got something else as well, I began to bargain for a modest, sensible hair tie.

As I was about to set the tie down and begin the next stage of haggling for the comb, I saw it get snatched up out of the corner of my eye. I turned to confront whoever had taken my prize, but whoever it was, I think a man though he wore a cloak, had already paid, a price much higher than anyone with sense would have paid. I was about to protest, but the man in the cloak turned so I could see a bit of his face and smiled. He then took my arm and led me away a bit to a shaded alleyway.

"What do you think you're doing?" My voice was indignant. It was not, however, afraid in the least, as I knew I could easily overpower any nobleman looking for a good time. I wrenched my arm free of his.

"I'd just wanted to pay you back for services rendered, My Lady." The man's answer was enigmatic, and he still kept his face hidden. Something in his voice triggered a memory, but I could not place it. He handed me the comb.

I took it warily, keeping my distance. "I'm warning you sir, I am no easy prey. If you try to harm me, I'll…" I tried to think of a realistic threat when he interrupted.

"You'll what? Bite me?" He through off his hood, as well as the cloak on his aura. I could now sense that he was a vampire, and strong enough to hide his aura enough that I'd thought it was a strong human one. He laughed harshly, a laugh mocking the world more than it mocked me.

Suddenly, it clicked, though I knew it was impossible. "Jeth?" My voice was little more than a whisper. It couldn't be, but that was his horsetail, albeit held with a silver clip rather than a leather scrap. It was his voice with its dry sense of humor. It was his pair of mischievous eyes, though they'd darkened to the black of all vampire kind. It was his face, perfected in death.

"Arcturus, now, my dear. But yes, that had been my name." He didn't look much older than he had been before, and must have been changed soon after I met him. "Imagine my surprise at finding you here, a vampire as myself. But why you choose to mingle with the commoners is beyond me. Nice bit of work to your aura by the way. How did you do that?"

"What do you want?" I was still very wary. Men usually did not give expensive gifts to a girl they'd met once before in my experience.

"Why, nothing, dear Maegith, except to renew our acquaintance. Now, do tell me what you've been up to these past years!"

His manner was completely disarming and friendly, so I found myself telling him that my aura was not disguised, that I was a healer. He seemed utterly fascinated by the prospect that I had remained in the lower class, working for a living. I was equally puzzled by him, and told him so.

He laughed, utterly shocked. "My dear, what do you do with your kills? Well, I do believe it is getting late," he said, with a glance at the sun. "I have an appointment soon, but if it would not be too forward, I would like to invite you to take dinner with me and spend a bit of time."

"I… I don't know?" I was rather confused by this, and had to talk to Cafell. For one thing, she would be the one to tell me if I could, and for another, I had no idea how to talk to a man of any kind, much less my own.

"Well, I have no other plans, so come to the Inn of the Bleeding Bartender when the sun sets." With that, and a swirl of his cloak, he was gone. I too disappeared, to reappear at Cafell's side. I told her what happened.

"I guess it can do no harm. Just be careful, child, and forget nothing that I've taught you. But I suppose we should find you something to wear. Come. A young woman should have one nice dress anyway."

When the sun set, I was standing in front of the Inn of the Bleeding Barman. I'd heard of the inn, named for its original owner who was known well to get a cut from glass and not notice for the rest of the night, bleeding all over the patrons. Despite that rather repulsive anecdote, it was reputed to be a very nice place.

With my payment from earlier, Cafell helped me to find a dress of light blue green, with accents of a darker shade of the same pigment. My hair was arranged in its natural curls, and I stood in front of the inn, nervous in anticipation. Finally, Jeth, Arcturus, I corrected myself, walked out, dressed, as before, as a gentleman.

"My Lady?" He offered me his arm, and I took it. "Now, before my timetable interrupted, you were about to tell me a bit about yourself. Now why is it that you are a healer?"

"I, I guess because I was sworn to it. It is how I am repaying Cafell for saving my life, repaying the world." I had never thought about it really, it was just what I did. I started to walk, but he snapped his fingers and a boy brought out a dark horse, which he mounted with ease. At my hesitation, Arcturus pulled me up to sit in front of him with the supernatural strength of our kind. He kicked the horse into a fast walk.

"How long? How long will you be repaying? Why torture yourself by living in poverty while you could gain power enough to rule the world? Why, Maeg?"

No one had ever called me by a nickname, but from Je… Arcturus, it did not seem so out of place. "I don't mind healing! It is a blessing, not a burden. Why do you act as though it is a bad thing?"

He looked astonished. "Living in poverty all these years, did you never long for something more? I know I did. As soon as I had the power to, I left my pitiful life as the slave of another, became educated, and have been living as an eccentric lord ever since." He steered us down a broad street, towards the richer part of town.

"Where are we going?" Though I knew I could defend myself, and I did not distrust Arcturus, something about him set my nerves on edge.

"You have never been to a ball before, have you? We are going dancing, and we shall feast together!" We must have been moving faster than I'd thought, as we entered a large manner house that I had never seen before. Being announced was a blur as I took in the rich surroundings that were about to engulf me. I'd never even known that such wealth existed.

"Don't look so surprised! I cannot have a woman of low society as my partner tonight!" Arcturus' voice was chiding. He led me to the dance floor, and as we swept across the room, I sensed that we were the only immortals there.

"I don't know how to dance!" I was already slightly nervous, and the thought of stepping on Arcturus' toes made me even more on edge. I was glad we were in a room of mortals, because anyone who could sense auras would have sensed the tautness of my feelings.

"Come then, we will feed first. I'm sure you will learn quickly." He led me towards a grotto now.

"How will we find someone suitable among this crowd? Their thoughts are too mingled and indistinct for me to sort through them!" At this, I was truly puzzled.

"Why would you care to?" He pushed me farther into the shadows, and I was too surprised to act otherwise. I felt him send out a psychic thread of invitation and enticement, and watched, horrified, as a noble woman came over to him. The woman was beautiful, and decked out in jewels of all shapes and kinds.

Arcturus bowed slightly to her, every move emitting a deep sensuality of a kind I had never seen. Before I knew it, the two were passionately kissing. I was shocked and horrified, to say the least. How dare he take me here to then flaunt other women in my face! Especially mortals! What did they have that I didn't?

I was stupid in my naïveté, and soon had my answer – blood. Arcturus' kisses moved further down the woman's neck. As swift as a serpent, and as deadly, he suddenly pulled back and then struck. The woman uttered a slight, surprised cry, and then said no more as the blood was drained from her body. Before she died, I looked into her mind, and found nothing more wrong than a sordid affair with her fiancé's brother.

I was beyond surprised, and horrified to the point of feeling physically ill. Arcturus tossed the dried out husk of a body to the side, towards the shadows; towards me. "Why did you do that?" My voice was little more than a whisper.

"I'm sorry, I had to put her that way so she will not be found until morning. I did not think a body would upset you so."

For a moment, I just stared at him, dumb in shock. Then, I finally realized what he had been talking about. "Not the body, the woman! Why did you take an innocent? How could you?" My voice had started to rise in volume and pitch.

Arcturus put a comforting hand over my mouth. "Why not? I have the power." His answer was as revolting as the deed itself.

I wrenched my head free of his grasp. "We are entrusted with their lives, as the stronger creature! How could you?" I repeated myself, vehement in righteous anger.

"Rather easily, actually. You really have never felt it, have you? Having this ultimate power, that of life and death, over ordinary citizens, not just those of evil deeds. It is freeing, an elixir. Why don't you just try it?" Before I could stop him, I felt him send out another thought, to the woman's intended. This thread carried a message of foreboding and death.

Arcturus suddenly cloaked himself in the shadows, invisible to the human eye. Looked at from the correct angle, however, both the body and myself were in plain sight. The young man, seeing me standing over the body of his bride to be, erupted into a berserk anger. He threw himself at me, giving me no time to set up shields or anything. Soon, it was apparent that I could do nothing but kill the man. Without thinking, I drew his neck towards me and drank, faster than I'd thought possible.

All thoughts fled my mind as sweet, hot mortal blood flooded my body and my veins. I felt a feeling of foreboding as my mind began to abstract itself from my body – that was the way the cold rages always came about! I could do nothing to stop it, however, and had drained the hapless mortal more quickly than I thought possible. As I finished, I looked at Arcturus and licked the blood luxuriously off of my lips with the tip of my tongue.

"Better?" Arcturus' tone was mocking.

"Much." Mine was teasing, tempting.

"Now, you see how I acquire my wealth." He started stripping the woman of her jewels. "They will not be found until morning, at which time their deaths will be blamed on a common cutpurse. The last person they will expect is the mysterious noble who is at the center of all nightlife, living extravagantly, never at work." He motioned to the man, but even in my half-thinking state, I could not bring myself to steal from a corpse.

Arcturus shrugged, and pocketed all of the valuables the man had as well. He then took my arm and led me to my dance floor. Between the vigor given by the new blood and the near-madness caused by the man's attack, I was not able to protest. Though I was no judge, I felt that my dancing was not half bad. The rational part of my brain was still revolted by the life Arcturus led, but the greater part of my mind was intrigued by this different and exciting way of life.

Still half in a daze by the end of the night, I found myself promising to meet Arcturus again the next night. He dropped me off at the more modest inn where Cafell and I were staying an hour or so before dawn.

As I half-waltzed into the room we shared, Cafell glanced up at my eyes. When she saw the look they held, she stopped packing her new supplies and stopped my euphoric dance in its tracks. "What have you done?" Her voice was pained, as though she could see the future.

"I just went out…" My voice sounded almost drunk, but it was obviously not wine or witch blood that had so intoxicated me.

Cafell thumped me down on my pallet, hard. I tried to pull away, but her grip was like iron. "I have forbidden you very little in our time together. I'm sorry, but you must never see that man again. Following him, you will do something you will regret for the rest of your life. I am no seer, but I do know that. Promise me! That's all I ask of you."

"I…" I muttered some noncommittal answer, hoping I would choose right. As I rolled away from Cafell on the pallet and exchanged my dress for my nightgown magically, a shrill beeping cut through my thoughts…

I turned over on my bed and smacked my alarm clock off. I had been asleep for merely three more hours, and it was time for school. I sighed as I pulled the blankets away and felt the cold morning air. Time to face the day, I thought ironically.

A/N: Well, thanks for reading, and please review. Constructive criticism is welcome, along with all other comments. Don't worry, there is more to Arcturus' story – that's not how it's gone bad. Now, to my lovely (two? Only two?) reviewers:

Jade Limill: Touché. I stand corrected, and will grant you that point. Ah, reading the Trilogy again (and again and again and again) is a beautiful thing. But, always remember your first time. Sorry, a bit obsessed with Phantom of the Opera! Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

NarinaNightfall: Agreed on that, but it will be relevant, I promise! Oh, sorry about not making the last chapter title clear. My English teacher has invaded my mind (a scary thought) and will not leave. We'd just read Jekyll and Hyde, a split personality I felt captured the essence of Maegith in that chapter. So, I naturally had to give Hyde a mention somewhere! And don't worry about my Ocs getting out of hand – both of my muses are very strong mages, and will blast all of them to smithereens if they try to get away from me! Glad you are enjoying my little plays on words with the code names. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for the long review!