~An Hour Later~

I was looking through a photo album I found in one of the drawers. Most of the shots were candid Polaroid pictures of the residents of the castle. I found other things in the slots, among them a dried rose petal and a black ribbon. I was kicked out of the room after refusing to help Magenta prepare tonight's dinner – something about handling the "fresh meat" didn't quite suit my fancy. She told me to not come downstairs if that was the case, but Columbia told me to meet up with her in front of the dining room anyway when the time came. She got upset quickly afterwards, and I couldn't distract her like Magenta did. I found one Polaroid that caught my eye, took it out, and slipped it into my bag. It had Frank in between Magenta and Columbia; the girls were kissing either one of Franks' cheeks.

Upstairs, the gong clanked noisily. I could feel the vibration under my feet. Dinnertime. Deciding that my bag could stay for now, I headed downstairs.

I wandered the main hallway, looking for the right doors. Instead of guessing I waited around until I saw Columbia come down the stairs and see me. Joining me, we silently walked to the double doors leading to the dining room. I held one of them open while she walked in, and then I followed. Frank was in his usual place at the head of the table, giving secret instructions to Magenta and Riff Raff, who were standing next to him. Brad, Janet, Dr. Scott and Rocky were sitting in their places as well. Upon seeing me enter, Frank looked up at me and smiled.

"Kaydence," he acknowledged, seeming surprised for me to be there.

"Frank," I said back, greeting him the same way.

"Kaydence!" Magenta exclaimed, upset by my appearance.

"Magenta—" I started to explain.

"Columbia!" Magenta scolded Columbia, cutting me off.

"Frank?" Columbia asked, confused about how he knew me.

"Kaydence!" Frank said, starting the loop again.

"Frank!" I said.

"Kaydence!"

"Magenta!"

"Columbia!"

"Frank!"

"Kaydence!"

"Frank!"

"Kaydence!"

"Magenta!"

"Columbia!"

"Frank!"

"AS she is a guest," Frank broke the chain, having learned from earlier, "I believe that all of us should welcome our little friend here. Well now, Kaydence, why don't you introduce yourself to the rest of our little party? Everyone, this is Kaydence." He went around the table, pointing to each person. "Kaydence, meet Janet Weiss, Brad Majors, Dr. Scott, Rocky, and Columbia. And these two next to me are Magenta and Riff Raff." He turned to the two and sent them away. "You can sit down next to Janet over here," he said, gesturing to an empty spot where Magenta was setting plates and silverware, and Riff Raff was pulling up a chair. They promptly turned around and left after they were done.

I walked around the table to my newfound spot. I found myself between Janet and Frank, and across from Columbia. After pulling in my chair, which made a deafening scraping noise on the floor in the otherwise silent room, I looked around at everyone. Columbia's head was hung low. Rocky's eyes shifted, absorbing his surroundings. Dr. Scott and Brad were exchanging glances, trying to figure out what was going on. Janet fidgeted nervously, shooting desperate looks at Brad. Frank twitted his thumbs, waiting for the entrée to be brought out.

After what seemed like hours, the familiar cart rolled out, toted by Magenta and Riff Raff. Frank cut the meat with the electric knife. With every slice I lost my appetite. After the wine was poured and the meat was served, Frank raised his wine glass.

"A toast," he proposed. Everyone lifted their glasses, including me. "To absent friends," he continued.

"To absent friends," everyone echoed.

"To absent toast!" I proclaimed. Frank shot a mean look at me. I sat back further in my chair, staring down the wine in my cup. I sipped some anyway, to be polite. To my surprise, it was pretty sweet tasting. I didn't dare touch the meat, though. I cut it up into smaller pieces, never putting any in my mouth.

The dinner continued as expected: Dr. Scott revealing that the castle's inhabitants were aliens, what the mystery meat really was, singing about how Eddie didn't like his teddy, and finally the tablecloth being pulled off to reveal what was left of the no-doubt cheap little punk. As Brad, Janet, Dr. Scott, and Frank left the room running, I got up to follow, but Magenta had different plans for me…

Dum Dum DUUUM!