time scurries away from us like field mice

out through the holes in our walls

lost to the dark night

heal me up again

everything i love gathers dust inside my chest

and all the love lost was the love that i kept

in coffins and boxes, a museum of the dead

it's time i let go, let the darkness claim them

- Observatory Mansions, Nicole Dollanganger

"Marigold, don't leave the backyard. It's dangerous out there, okay sweetie?" A shrill, aged voice sang through the clear sliding door. Outside, two small feet stood in the middle of the yard, alone. Tiny hands held a pink ball tightly, the child eyes were glazed over as she twisted and turned the ball. She mumbled out an 'okay' to her mom and let the ball fall to the freshly cut grass. She let out a sigh at the sight, turning her head to the fence. Outside of the yard, she could hear kids laughing and having fun.

The little girl looked back at the sliding door, where her mom once stood. She wanted to feel sad that her mom wasn't there, but she didn't. She was taught that 'mommy and daddy have very important things to do' and 'can't always play with her'. It's okay, she tells herself. She just has to have fun on her own. She can do that, she can do a lot of things on her own. But that didn't stop her from wanting to be with the other kids, her chest ached every time she heard a laugh from beyond the fence.

She picked up the ball and looked at it again. Eyes still glazed over, a small breeze passed through. Wind chimes echoing throughout the neighborhood. She turned around to face the fence with the ball in her hand and paused for a moment. She looked back down at the ball, and tossed the pink ball over the fence. She heard it bounce, and bounce, until she didn't.

"Hey, is this yours?" A small, high pitched voice spoke from beyond the white picket fence. Marigold was just tall enough to see over it and matched the voice to a face. On the other side of the fence, a short girl around her age held her pink ball. The other girl's hands held it better, Marigold noticed.

"Yes it is," Marigold said. The girl on the otherside waited for Marigold to say something else, but she didn't.

"...Do you want it back?" The girl asked with a sincere smile. It looked like the girl smiled a lot.

"No," Marigold said, "You can keep it."

"Are you sure? This is a really nice ball!" The girl said, but the smile on her face only grew at the idea of having a new toy. Marigold didn't smile, but didn't frown either.

"Yes, I'm sure. You'll play with it more then I would."

"Thank you!" The girl beamed, "What's your name? We should play together!"

"I'm Marigold," She said, "I'm not allowed to leave the yard or have anyone come in."

The girl looked down, the smile fading from her face. "Oh" She said, "I'm sorry. I'm Yui. Maybe when we're older we can be friends! My dad's really protective of me too, I understand."

Marigold nodded. "You should get back to your friends."

"Yeah." Yui responded.

But they both lingered for a moment, before Yui finally turned around and ran back to her friends. Marigold stayed at the fence, watching Yui running away. For a quick second, Yui turns back while she running and waves to Marigold, a real smile on the small blonde face. It was sincere, warm, and youthful. Marigold never saw a smile like that before. The girl meekly waved back, slower than Yui.

Then, she was gone. She went off playing with her friends, and Marigold went back to her room.

Everyday during the summer Marigold would see Yui and her friends play from her window. By the time summer ended, Marigold had her curtains closed so tight that no light shined through. Watching them have so much fun just made her feel alone. She couldn't bare it anymore. She started studying as much as she could to pass the time, making her parents proud with her sudden thirst for knowledge.

Her parents got her a pet hamster as a gift for doing so well. She didn't understand the point, but grew a friendship with her pet nonetheless. The maids were happy to see her talking to her pet, as if it was a real friend. They thought that maybe, just maybe, Marigold would be okay.

Slowly, studying no longer kept her mind off of things. She didn't see the point, but she made sure her parents didn't know.

Everyday until Marigold moved back to America after her parents work in Japan was done, she saw Yui outside sitting on a bench, reading or talking to friends. She learned that Yui lived at the church. Marigold thought it made sense for someone like her.

Instead of going to church, Marigold would sneak into her parents wine cabinet and hide out in her room, keeping the curtains drawn. The bottles had names that Marigold could never pronounce, but it didn't matter. Wine was wine, and it felt so good going down her throat. It was like velvet. It made her body warm and it made her smile.

The maids pretended like they didn't know.

When Marigold went to highschool, she rarely actually went. She had a boyfriend who she never saw. She had friends over for parties she forgot she was hosting. Her parents put her on medication that she never took. She preferred to use her dads car as therapy. Driving as fast as she could down highways. Crying when pulled over so she never got a ticket.

Her body grew into something average and boring. Nothing too big, nothing too small. Her eyes were like her mother's, a light blue that was almost grey. She assumes that she got her hair color from her dad, as it was just as black as his.

Every night when she snuck out, She took an extra shot of Vodka for Yui. Because she's yet to see a smile as bright as hers. She must be some sort of holy being in Marigolds eyes.

It would burn. Make her eyes water. But make her feel warm. Marigold thought that vodka must be what having a real friend was like. She would smile to herself before asking the bartender for another.

Today, she's a junior in highschool. "Mari," A gruff voice barked from the other side of the door to her room. Marigold sat at the edge of her bed, running a hand through her hair. With a sigh, she got up and walked to the door. Her tiny hands ghosting over the knob, only for the man on the other side to open the door first.

"Mari," He said again. Marigold looked at him up and down. His black hair thinning, skin sagging, bags under his eyes growing, the holes in his belt running out-she knew who he was.

"Dad," She responded. Her voice has grown much deeper then when she was a kid, sometimes she doesn't even recognize it's her voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Your mother and I are going on another business trip next week, and we thought it would be better if you weren't alone in the house." He said. Marigold always found it annoying when her dad refused to speak english. She knew it was because he was tired and probably didn't notice, but she still hated it.

"Alright."

He raised an eyebrow, expecting some sort of resistance. But he received none. He coughed in his hand, to give him some time to figure out what to say and diffuses the awkward situation that he always finds himself in when he speaks to his daughter. "Our summer home in Japan is next to the church I went to when I was younger. I reached out to the priest there and I convinced him to have you accompany his daughter Yui, to a relative's house."

"You could have just had be stay at auntie's, it seems a lot easier." Marigold said, "But alright. I'll start packing now so I'm ready. How long will you be gone?"

"A little over a month," Her father said. "Now, be on your best behavior, okay?"

"Of course dad."

The two stood there for a minute, not saying anything. Marigold seemed fine with eye contact, while her father tried his best to look everywhere but at her. Marigold took it upon herself to close the door. Marigold knew that her auntie found out about her stealing her fancy wine. Her auntie never really liked her, but Marigold just had to make everything worse.

Her parents left two days early, leaving Marigold alone with the maids and her hamster again. When she woke up in the morning, she immediately checked on her hamster, as always. Her hamster was old now, and by all means should have died years ago. But somehow, it stayed alive. However, instead of hearing her little hamster burrowing down, she heard nothing. The little squeaks he always made when Marigold picked him up where gone. Instead it's eyes were wide open, and body still.

For once, Marigold let out the audible sob. A maid came in to clean her room to find Marigold crying over a dead hamster in her hands.

Two hours before she was about to leave the same day, she sat in the shower. The was water too hot, leaving her skin bright red. She looked at her hands with eyes glazed over. Her hamster is now buried in the backyard, as well as her only friend.

She stared at every wrinkle or scar. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours of her staring at her hands. The skin on her back starting to blister. It wasn't until a maid came in concerned was the water turned off and Marigold was pulled out of the shower. The maids took care of her like a doll, feeling pity for her.

Marigold didn't think that she would be so broken up about this.

They dressed her and gave her xanax before handing her her bags and pushing her out the door. A taxi drove her to the airport, where she was left to fend for herself to get to her plane on time. She thought about just...not going. But she didn't want to suffer the consequences of that. For once she decides to trust her dad's decision.

She sat in first class and was able to get the old man across from her to buy her a drink. A teen flirting with an old man is not a scene anyone wants to see, but Marigold didn't even realise what she was doing until he offered to fly her out to his house later after she was done with her trip. She declined.

The trip to Japan was long, but she was used to it. Her father insisted on Marigold's japanese being as fluent as he's, and what would be better then fully immersing her in the culture every summer? Marigold is aware most would kill to go to Japan, but she didn't see the appeal.

She rubbed her eyes as she waited for her luggage to come out on the conveyor belt. Her hair was thrown in the laziest of pony tails, where most of the hair wasn't even in the scrunchie. She stumbled out of the airport, the xanax finally wearing off and the busy haste of all the other forced her to snap into reality.

She got in the limo and sat across from Yui. But she was so tired that she didn't even realise that someone else was in the car. Slow jazz played from the front of the limo, calming her heart. She took in a deep breath, and let out a loud sigh.

"...Marigold?" A soft voice spoke. Hearing her name with a thick accent attached, it felt like cotton balls against Marigolds ears. Marigold slowly blinked at short blonde girl with pink eyes. A face innocent and real. When Marigold nodded, the blonde girl smiled. "I knew it was you, I remember when you gave me that pink ball when we were younger. I still have it actually! Well, not with me. Back at the church."

Marigold didn't know what to say, she stared at Yui with a blank face."Oh gosh, you probably don't remember me, sorry!" Marigold definitely remembered her, but struggle to think for a moment. "I'm Yui. We-"

"I remember. Sorry, I just woke up. Haven't had any coffee yet, you feel?" Marigold felt a lump in her throat after she spoke. The corners of her lips twitching, trying her best to look friendly. Yui smiled at her.

"Feel free to take a nap. You look tired-No offense!" Yui said. Marigold let out a small sheepish chuckle before leaning back. Staring at the ceiling of the limo with a sigh. Jet lag truly was a horrible thing.

"Hey," Marigold said breathlessly as her eyes went out of focus, she closed them to prevent her getting nauseous. "Still want to be friends? You're going to have to deal with me alot during my stay."

She thinks she must sound like a creep. Instead of being told that she was weird though. Yui smiled. "I would love that." Marigold wondered if something made Yui so nice, or if she was born with it.

"...Cool." Marigold said. "You can just call me Mari, by the way. You know any English?"

"N-not really. Are you fluent in Japanese?" Yui asked. Marigold inwardly sighed instead.

"Yeah, I am." She said, "By the time I'm done with you though, you'll be fluent in English. It's easier."

"T-Thank you!"

"No problemo" Marigold said, slowly sliding more and more in her seat. "Now if you don't mind me, I'm just going to pass out." Marigold just heard a giggle from Yui before she fell out of consciousness and into the realm of dreams.

When Marigold awoke, she struggled to open her eyes; the limo was dark and quiet. The jazz that had been playing early was turned down to a slight hum, while outside the window the clouds loomed over her like a ghost, threatening to start raining at any moment. Yui seem wide away though, reading. Marigold sat up slightly with a groan, her bones aching as she did. She twisted and stretched her neck as she took in a deep breath.

"Oh! You're up, did you sleep well?" Yui asked, a smile dusting over her lips. She spoke as if she was her mom and Marigold was a child.

"Just dandy. Are we almost there?" Marigold asked as she scratched her back. Yui only looked at her phone to check the time.

"Almost," She said, "We have a couple more minutes though." Yui put her phone back in her pocket and looked at Marigold. She wasn't afraid to look Mari in the eyes. Still seeing her as a kid who gave her a pink ball when they were younger. "So what have you been doing in America?"

Marigold struggled to find the right answer. Something that would be respectable, something that wouldn't make Yui hate her. "Nothing much, just focusing on my studies." A

Yui nodded, "You must be very smart!"

"I'm average."

"Ahah, I doubt that."

Mari didn't bother to answer. Instead, she pulled out her own phone and looked at the time before glancing back at the window. Watching the heavy clouds. She always preferred rainy weather, it makes the pollen count go down and creates the perfect ambient noise to stare at the ceiling and contemplate life.

That sounds really pretentious because it is, by the way.

"This is you girl's stop." A gruff voice barked through a cough, startling Yui and Mari. Marigold ran a hand through her hair and struggled up and out of the limo. Yui didn't have to struggle at all. They both got their luggage out of the trunk, and before they could do anything else, the limo speed off.

"Well, let's not wait around." Marigold muttered, shoving one free hand in her pant pocket while the other one dragged along her suitcase. Yui hummed in agreement while Marigold started walking past the gate and fountain. She wasn't impressed at all at the structure of the home. She saw better.

However, as she got to the door, she noticed that Yui was still at the fountain, sizing up the house in awe. "Let's go, it's about to ran." Mari spoke out.

That snapped Yui out of it as she quickly speed walked to Marigold. As Mari knocked on the door, she could feel a sense of unease fall upon her. She was quick to brush it off, blaming it on her sobering up.

A minute passed of no one opening the door, and the rain was finally falling now. Patience growing thin, she opened the door herself, not caring about being polite. "Mari!" Yui scolded, but Mari simply shrugged.

"If you want to stand around in the rain, go for it."

She didn't get a response, but Yui was still walking behind her. The corner of Marigold's lip twitched upwards. It was kind of funny. The vibe of the house was instant. It was light a physical weight was put on Marigolds shoulders. It was dark, eerie, and just creepy. She wondered if she was actually supposed to be here. As she put down her bag, she looked left as right, surveying the house.

It overall looked as if it was from the victorian era, it was dated and dull. She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked around. Something was wrong here, but she couldn't figure out what.

"...Mari!" Yui called over Marigold. Mari turned around to see her over a boy on the couch. His chest wasn't rising or falling.

"Is he dead? Shit we gotta go. We do not want to be around a dead body-" But before Mari could finish, Yui already had her phone out, ready to call an ambulance. However, her pink phone was snatched from her hand in an instant.

The boy sat up, yawning as he did so. "So nosy," He complained. Within a second, he had her pinned down on the couch. His hands held her wrists like a hand cuff. "You aren't really my type, but you'll do just fine."

When he spoke, it was more as if he was talking to himself and not to Yui. "Woah, woah. Dude, can you...not?"

When Marigold spoke, she spoke directly at him. Even though her words where causal, her glare and tone were not. The boy didn't seem to notice her at first, but once she spoke she had his full attention.

"Oi, don't speak to yours truly like that. If you want my attention so badly, then you have it." He had a predatory smirk on his face. He looked at Marigold up and down. Marigold simply frowned at this and crossed her arms. She had boys look at her in a similar way before, but not in the way he was looking at her.

He looked at her as if he really did want to eat her up. Not even metaphorically.

"But pancake here did rudely wake yours truly up, I think she should pay the price." He chuckled before ducking his head down to Yui's neck, licking slowly upwards. Marigold took a step back, wondering if this was really happening. Honestly, she didn't know what to do.

"Ayato, please refrain from such activities in the common room." A more stern, possessional voice arose from behind Marigold. Marigold raised an eyebrow, was this a common occurrence? She turned around to face the voice, and was slightly taken back. He was...tall. And intimidating, to say the least.

"Huh, hey!" Yui broke away from Ayato's grasp and ran over besides Marigold.

"Mari, let's go!" Yuis voice sounded terrified, and Mari struggled to make decisions under stress. However, looking at Yui forced her to make a haste decision.

"Huh, yeah girl, got it." Marigold instinctively said without thinking. Grabbing Yui's suitcase that was already close by. She looked over at Reiji, "Sorry for introducing. We were told that this girl's relatives lived here. If you would like to complain, this is my father's number-"

"Please wait a moment. I would rather this be cleared up now." The taller man said."Introduce yourselves,"

Marigold raised an eyebrow. Demanding someone to introduce themselves without even saying who they are is kind of rude, but she isn't one to judge. "I'm Marigold Oleander, and if you don't mind, I'll be speaking for my friend, Yui Komori. She's currently a bit shaken up, understandably." Marigold spoke in a tone her father taught her. Not too rude, but not to polite either. The typical business tone. "While my parents are on a business trip, I was sent to accompany Yui during her stay at her relative's house, which we were told, was this house."

"Ayato, do you know about this?" The taller man asked the redhead, who was still sitting lazily on the couch. He was glaring at Yui the whole time, Marigold only noticed now.

"How should I know? Pancake said nothing of the sort" He sneered.

"That's because you attacked me out of nowhere!" Yui complained, earning a scoff from the boy.

"This seems to be a bit messier than I originally thought, please, follow me into the living room where we can discuss this more." The taller man said. Marigold suppressed a sigh.

This was going to be a long night.

Mari was used to feeling like people were watching her. Constant paranoia mixed with insufferable anxiety was the type of life she was used too. However, now that the Xanax has worn off, she's more sober than ever, and is in house you would see in a horror film, she thinks she lost her mind. Every breath she takes she feels as if it's louder than a drum, but years of pushing it down has done her good. As Yui thinks that Marigold is completely fine.

The short blonde holds on to her arm, whether it be subconsciously or not. Marigold doesn't bother her about it even though physical contact has always put her on edge. Marigold is for once, trying to come up with a plan. A bad feeling is bubbling up in her chest, and it isn't random anxiety this time. She has a reason to feel what she's feeling.

"Please, have a seat." The taller man says, but it sounded more like a command. Nonetheless, Yui and Marigold do as such. Sitting next to each other on a couch too fancy and pretentious for even the richest of the rich. Marigold held back a sneer.

Before she could voice her complaint, a new voice spoke from behind her. "Is it true? Is there really two little human girls here?" Marigold turned her head, looking up to the stair wall railing too see another boy, similar to the red head that assaulted Yui earlier. The corners of his lips were upturned, looking down at the two, briefly making eye contact with Marigold before focusing on Yui.

Marigold barely even took a breath before realising that someone was directly behind her. Her eyes widened as she realised that the boy upstairs was now gone, and instead licking the cheek of Yui. "Ah, you smell so sweet," The boy murmured.

Marigold quickly came to the conclusion that moments like these are why she doesn't stay sober.

Another boy who was shorter and more child-like was on the other side of Yui, saying something that Marigold didn't quite catch, before he also tried to lick Yui. This time, however, Marigold was quick to grab Yui's arm to pull her away from the boy, landing Yui nearly in Marigold lap. "If we could figure out why we were given the wrong address, I would greatly appreciate it." Marigold said with venom dripping off her voice, glancing at Reiji as she spoke.

"Laito, Kanato, please control yourselves. Mrs. Oleander,-"

"Oi, who woke me up?!" A gruff, sharp voice growled, cutting Reiji off. The two girls wondered if they're ever going to make any progress. Next to the wall, a boy with white hair was fuming.

"Where did you come from?" Yui asked, bewildered. Really, can everyone here teleport?

"My questions first!" He yelled, slamming his fist through the wall. Marigold let out an audible sigh.

She looked back at Reiji, giving him the 'are you shitting me right now' look. Reiji's look told her that they were not, indeed, shitting her right now.

"Shu, do you know anything of this?" Reiji spoke with as much discipline as he could muster after dealing with everyone. From behind him, a boy was pounding on the couch. Marigold and Yui didn't even notice him.

The boy slowly sat up, glancing at the two girls through the corner of his eyes. "Huh? ...Yeah. That man called. He said we'd be receiving two guests and to treat them with respect."

A moment of silence passed, before the loudest redhead spoke. "Are you telling me that pancake here and what-her-name are the prospective brides?"

"Oh, is that all?" Kanato spoke, this time loud enough for Marigold to hear. His voice was kind of nice.

"More like a sacrifice then a bride." Laito mused to himself.

Shu spoke once again, more tired than the last, "Oh...right, he mentioned not to kill them either." He said, "Also, we can't drink from the taller girl, her name is Marigold or something. She's only temporary"

"Huh? They sent us a bride we can't even use?" Kanato complained.

"Nfufu, that means we're going to have a very loooong relationship with Bitch-chan, and savor our time with...hm...what should I call her?"

"Tch, how about useless?" Ayato muttered.

"Useless-chan? It doesn't really have a ring too it, Ayato"

"Uhm...What do you mean by drink?" Yui questioned, scooting even closer to Marigold.

"Huh, do you really not know by now? We're vampires." Ayato deadpanned. Silence once again filled the room.

"...You're joking, right?" Marigold asked. "Jesus christ this is so stupid."