I had slept in, how unusual for me. When I awoke Isaac was gone and I was alone in his coffin, left to stare up at the ceiling in contemplation, hoping to glimpse one of the fairies that liked to hide in the lights. I sat up with a grin, dismissing a hunger pang, and bounced out of the coffin and up the stairs, entering Isaac's office with a skip.

I halted and let out a feral snarl. A stranger! I started to bark eccentrically as I glowered at the intruder.

"Ariadne is that necessary?" Isaac asked sardonically as he spared me a scolding look.

The stranger, an elegant woman, regarded me with cold, blue eyes and a fixed smile. She looked like she belonged in the fifties, prompting me to assume that either time travel had been discovered or she was a ghost. "Where's your Delorian?" I demanded as I glowered back at her.

Ash let out a heavy groan whilst Alex snickered. The whole gang was here- Ash, Alex, V.V, Kent, Isaac and this stranger. Too much Toreador for me, I wondered how long before the art critiquing and life lamenting began. "Is it poetry night?" I queried curiously.

"No idiot," Ash retorted coldly, "this is an important meeting about some missing Ventrue, and a killer Toreador, both serious problems that have been going on a lot longer than they should have because someone forgot to mention some choice details about them."

"Who did that?" I gasped. "How silly of them!"

Ash's dark blue eyes filled with rage and he opened his mouth to protest but Isaac cut him off, not literally alas. "That's enough," he scorned. "Ariadne, this is Ginger Swan," he introduced me to the woman at last. "Ginger, this is Ariadne."

"Last name and actual identity unknown," Ash grumbled, "because she's too insane to know them."

"Oh a Malkavian?" the woman remarked in a merry Swiss accent as I immediately looked her over for feathers. "How delightful." She was tall with killer curves and the pale skin our kind had practically made a stereotype, her eyes were so dark they were black, her lips a bold, ruby red, her hair bunched tight above her in perfect, soft, golden, not ginger, curls that weaved in and out of each other in effortless waves. One beauty spot was fixed on her right cheek and I had a sudden urge to spit in my hand and wipe it off, one which Isaac must have sensed because he was quick to give me a warning glance. She was an imposing figure wearing a tight, low cut, glittering, white and cream dress from another era with a white fox stole over her shoulders and curving in at her elbows. A large diamond sat in between her breasts winking in the light, hanging about her neck on a heavy, silver chain.

"Is the fox ghost nice to you?" I queried curiously. "Or is it angry because you're wearing its skin? I suppose now that it's a ghost it's not that bothered."

Alex started to laugh whilst Ash muttered a curse and V.V rolled her eyes and sighed. "Pardon?" Ginger queried curiously as she looked to Isaac, probably for help.

"She's a Malk," Kent chirped up, "this is how she is, in fact she's worse, and that's coming from me, I've only known her a couple of days."

"Lucky you," phoenix boy commented woefully, "I've suffered her for months."

"I love you firespawn," I said sincerely. I bounced over to them and grabbed him in a hug. "And I missed you loads!"

"Ugh get off me!" Ash feigned a protest and tried to wriggle free from my grasp but I had him tight. I burrowed my head against his waistcoat and found that it made my skin itchy, interesting. "Isaac!"

"It's easier not to struggle," Alex advised him. "Seriously, don't struggle."

"Where does she come from?" I heard Ginger question.

"Downtown," Ash snarled as he continued to fight me, "she is the Prince's welp!"

"I'm not his welp," I protested indignantly. "He killed my sire and I thought it would be fun to do his bidding, that's all!" I jerked back and gave Ash my best look of protest.

"See, she admitted it!" Ash snapped. He was of course looking at everyone but me.

"Let it go firespawn," Alex said tauntingly. "We all know she started off as LaCroix's minion but only out of naivety and boredom, not loyalty."

"Minion? Hmm that's a cool word, minion, I like that," I murmured as I released Ash at last and whirled round to face Isaac. "Am I your minion Isaac?"

He had the grace to look calm as he replied, "no, don't be silly."

"You're just a pest," Ash snarled.

"A wanton seducer," V.V decided to join in the conversation with her usual flair of dramatics, "who treats emotions like toys."

"Shiny toys!" I enthused as I smiled at V.V. As usual the redhead had decided to come in her underwear, or should that be overwear since it wasn't under anything? Then if one wore trousers and tops under pants and bras did they become underwear? What a predicament.

"Anyway, enough about the Malk," Kent spoke up in a bored tone, "what about the missing Ventrue? Is there no one in all of Hollywood who has seen them?"

"No one above ground," Alex retorted sardonically.

"I think some sick killer is more important than a couple of Ventrue," V.V pouted, "the Kine are starting to notice and they're getting scared and when they are scared well...some of us lose out on business."

"All of us you mean," Ash grumbled as he shared a look with V.V. I was never sure if those two liked each other or not, as far as I could tell they only united in their dislike for me. Ash just did not seem a fan of any kind of company; it went against his faith in emo I supposed.

"Perhaps they are connected?" the falsely named Ginger Swan suggested. I stared hard at her, well her neck did look a little long and thin I supposed but there was no beak and her shoes appeared too tiny to be hiding webbed feet. Some kind of bluff or disguise?

"Perhaps," Kent remarked dryly, "something which we have all considered." His grey eyes flickered over at me prompting me to smile back at him. "A Toreador according to you," he murmured dryly. "Why a Toreador would lower themselves to such disgusting, murderous behaviour is anyone's guess but to extend their kidnapping to Ventrue? That's an act of war, only a psychotic neonate could do that unwittingly, whoever is responsible for their disappearance obviously wants to start some trouble between the Anarchs and the Camarilla. It's a miracle that all the Prince has done is send you twice to investigate."

"We know a psychotic neonate," Ash murmured but he was ignored. I seemed to be the only one who was curious about this neonate he spoke of.

"A miracle?" V.V sneered as she looked at me pointedly and folded her arms. "That wouldn't be my choice of word."

"Yes," now Ash was looking at me, I had become suddenly popular amongst the Toreadors, "why is it that his highness only thinks to send you to investigate these disappearances and even after you fail to report anything back to him he still trusts you to solve the matter?"

I shrugged. "Because I'm good at using a magnifying glass?" I suggested.

"No," Isaac argued, "it's because he knows questions would be asked if he sent anyone else, he's afraid to admit that the Ventrue were ever here because they weren't sent to treat with me but with that trumped up Nosferatu, which means if they even made it to Hollywood they were sneaking about here without permission."

"The golden one?" I pondered aloud. "Yes, the one formerly of the good looks."

"Formerly," V.V commented distastefully with a shudder. "It's hard to believe any of those sewer dwellers ever had looks."

"Or smelt of anything other than feces," Alex added helpfully.

"Still, even if LaCroix isn't ready to openly admit his lackeys were here he will if he gets a whiff of foul play," Kent pointed out. "All he needs is for someone to point the finger and say the Anarchs made them disappear and then it's war."

Isaac scowled and I felt compelled to go to him. I stood by his side, eager to hug him but restraining myself since he probably wouldn't consider it appropriate. He was a stuffy, private vampire after all and we had quite the audience tonight. "This has all been going on for long enough," Isaac said angrily, "it's time to root out these problems, or problem as it may be, we cannot rule out that our Toreador killer is the Ventrue kidnapper, if they're crazy enough to kidnap, torture and murder Kine in my territory then they are crazy enough to kidnap Kindred."

"And perhaps torture and murder them too," Alex commented darkly.

"Perhaps," Isaac remarked in obvious disgust. "So we must find them, all of us must focus hard on the Toreadors of this city, one of them is our killer and they are making a mockery of this city and me by acting so brazenly."

"Too bad Hollywood is a magnet for Toreadors," I pointed out, "with all the acting and drama that you guys love, the production sets, designing clothes and scenery, you guys lap all that art stuff up."

"She does have a point," Alex agreed, he and Isaac were the only ones not glowering at me. "There are a lot of Toreadors around here."

"But so few are insane," Ginger pointed out calmly. "I say if we investigate thoroughly it shouldn't take long to find this individual who is giving us all a bad name."

"Chances are they will screw up soon enough anyway," Kent said calmly, "as all psychos eventually do."

The dry ache in my throat had begun anew and my mind taunted me with images of sweet, red nectar. I had just risen, I needed to quench my thirst and restore my strength, soon, soon, I was so thirsty though...

"Right, well I think we get the point," Ash commented stiffly. "We are looking for a Toreador who enjoys kidnapping and killing people, if only because they are bad for business."

"And let's not completely forget the missing Ventrue, just in case they do show up or are connected to this vamp," Kent reminded with a sneering smile.

Ash shrugged before heading for the door. "In the meantime I still have a club to run," he muttered, "and since it's all I have I don't need it slipping under."

"How beautifully tragic," Alex lamented mockingly.

Ash ignored him and the protest that came from Isaac who called firespawn's name with a woeful look. I felt a tinge of something for Isaac then but I was not quite what it was- sympathy, empathy, pity?

"I should go too," V.V said as she looked at Isaac warmly, "unless there's anything else to discuss?"

"No, so far only one victim has shown up and only Mr. Hatter was a witness to that," Isaac murmured. "Apart from that we have little else to go on."

"Save for what she dragged from poor David," V.V snapped with an accusing glower at me.

"Moi? Dragged? I dragged nothing from him, I swear! We chatted that was all, it was barely a conversation! And he mentioned the rose, strange thing to notice but he noticed it, not my fault," I protested.

V.V's gaze seemed to turn colder. "You left him with nightmares he had forgotten, he's traumatised because of you."

"I don't see why, I was friendly," I said in a hurt tone. I had been friendly too to the hat maker, and we had merely chatted there had been no bloodshed.

V.V cursed and shook her head angrily before her face softened and she gave Isaac a small smile. "I will do my best to watch out for suspicious Kindred," she murmured, "and anything else that seems strange."

Isaac returned the smile and nodded. "Thank-you."

V.V nodded before exiting out into the night, probably returning to her volcano with the lava that strangely did not burn and annoyingly could not be scooped up. That left Alex, the restless Kent who shifted about on the spot, and the woman who was neither ginger nor a swan and yet claimed to be both, such a liar.

"Are there any suspects?" Alex asked quietly. "I mean I know it's only come to light that the killer is a Toreador but still, I can't think of any in town who would be that mad."

"Really?" Kent commented as he looked at Alex curiously. "They would hardly be open about it, probably a master pretender this one, a grand actor I would say, that would fit in nicely with all this, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose," Alex replied calmly as he met Kent's grey stare, "it would make sense this being Hollywood. They probably consider this their greatest performance."

"Probably."

"You two have a lot of tension," I decided that pointing out the obvious might be the first step to fixing their obvious anger towards each other, "maybe you should get rid of it with a fight or sex, whichever works for you."

"Er what?" Kent bristled and looked at me in disbelief. "Do you mean with each other?" he snarled.

I shrugged. "That could work, either way like; it could solve your issues with each other."

Ginger let out an amused giggle that had me bristling, it was so light and pretty I had to loathe it, swans hissed they did not laugh like innocent maidens in stereotype movies. I wondered then how my own laugh sounded when I heard Isaac stifle his own chuckle. Had I amused the Baron? Or had something else? Perhaps he had finally noticed the sheep in the corner with the jester's hat? I looked to him excitedly hoping to find him staring at the wonderful wool giver but his golden gaze was on Ginger.

"Hell no," Alex snapped. "Kent just lacks my appreciation for art, he's rather crude for a Toreador, it's a contradiction he takes out on everyone else."

"Appreciation for art? Really Alexander, is that what you call it? You're hardly one to frequent galleries or paint, unlike me, I paint, large, glorious canvases-"

"Oh show me!" I squealed. "Do you paint unicorns? And toasters?"

"Malk shut up," Kent grumbled.

"I think our meeting is done anyway," Isaac spoke up calmly. "To answer your question Alex, there are no suspects but the idea that it is someone who thinks this is all part of an act and that they are a great actor because they have us fooled, well that's an interesting possibility. Perhaps you should investigate near the movie sets and theatres?"

"It was my idea," Kent pointed out moodily with a frown.

"Isaac this is Hollywood, it's full of sets and theatres," Alex retorted as he scowled at Kent.

"Divide them between you then," Ginger suggested in a dismissive tone.

My stomach let out a low growl and I found salvia creeping up on my tongue as my very muscles seemed to stiffen and throb as if I were suddenly plagued with sickness or exhaustion. My dead form was already weakening, in eager need of refreshment, of life. A strange irony that we took life to live when we were in fact dead ourselves. I often wondered if I would one day meet my own ghost, if I was dead I had to have one and what a joyous uniting that would be. I hoped that I had the form of a floating bedsheet and that I was a good haunter, maybe if I was really lucky I even knew the three ghosts of Christmas, oh one could dream!

"I'm taking the theatres," Alex claimed. "Now that, that is settled it's time to feed," I felt his green stare fall on me, "Ariadne, would you like to join me?"

I smiled and nodded eagerly before looking to Isaac. "Are you coming?" I queried hopefully.

His golden stare was still on Ginger. "No," he retorted, "Ginger and I have not seen each other in a while, we need to become reacquainted."

Old friends then? I stared hard at the blonde and wondered from when and how. So many mysteries, yet no time to solve them. Since I could not pee on Isaac to mark my territory I glowered at the blonde and let out a warning growl before turning and skipping to the door.

Alex snickered before opening the door for me, allowing me to skip out into the night before him. "Jealous?" I heard him query as he followed me up the alleyway.

"Only of the butterflies, they have such lovely wings," I admitted.

"Oh so Ginger doesn't bother you then?" he taunted as he caught up to me and we walked side by side up Hollywood's busy streets. "Well I suppose you shouldn't worry, her and Isaac haven't had contact in years, that's all history."

"What's history? Your days of conquering? You died so young tragic Macedonian!"

"No. Ginger and Isaac, he's her sire, fell for her in the day, she was one of the famous stars, everyone wanted her and you know Isaac, look at Ash, clearly collecting film stars is a hobby of is. Although unlike Mr. Rivers, Miss Swan was more than a one hit wonder, she was famous for three decades before Isaac finally gave into his envy and turned her. Admirable he even waited that long, although he was young then himself."

"Fame and fortune, so bitter and sweet," I commented as I looked at the pedestrians wandering around us with bloodlust, wondering who to pick for supper or should that be breakfast? First meal of the day after all, or evening rather.

Alex chuckled. "I can tell this is a sore spot for you so I'll leave it alone but you shouldn't worry, Isaac clearly is fond of you."

I paused and stretched out my arms before me to study them before bending over to look at my legs. "I don't have any spots!" I exclaimed as I looked at Alex indignantly. Pity, I did envy the leopards theirs, how different it would be to be covered in beautiful, big, black spots.

Alex smiled and shook his head. "You wouldn't suit spots, now where do you want to go? I'm thinking Ground 0 since Ash and V.V probably wouldn't be too happy to see us in their clubs and the last time I fed on someone shopping in the Red Spot I felt strangely...lightheaded."

I shrugged. "To this lowdown building of knowledge then," I agreed. My thirst was growing and growing, I did not care whose hot blood I stole just as long as obtained some soon. We headed towards the internet cafe; Alex shooting charming smiles at would be singers, actresses and students who passed us by. I settled for trying to look out for goblins and the dwarf thieves instead. I crouched and tried obfuscating myself, that usually made those wonderful voices clearer, perhaps I would be able to eavesdrop on the half-sized mischief makers. I heard the whispers of the night come in a confusing collection- females, males, children, adults, pensioners, some speaking English others foreign languages, some mystical and some ancient. It was hard to sift through them trying to find ones of importance, and I was happier just to enjoy the conversing.

The Ground 0 cafe loomed beside us, it was part of a chain of old-fashioned two storey houses made from cement and marble with fancy columns and hourglass shaped railings on the second floors and multiple arches around windows encased behind iron bars. It had obviously not been designed as an internet cafe, a fact made further obvious by the cheap sign- a dirty white banner slung between the floors with Ground 0 painted on it in lime green with a line below it and the words 'Internet cafe and gaming centre' foolishly dabbed on in white making them almost impossible to see. I wondered how hard it would to climb up there and steal the banner; it would be a welcome addition to Isaac's bedroom, something to hang above the coffin.

Alex gave me a nudge knocking me out of my obfuscating. "Come on, try to act a little normal," he implored. He opened the glass doors and we strode in. The cafe looked like an office, with computers lined up on desks against the walls and in cubicles of four in the middle of the room. The floor was chipped marble tiles, the ceiling cheap Styrofoam with flickering bars of light and the walls a thin layer of plaster that was evidently easy to carve into.

The place was busy enough with geeks, students, inquisitive journalists and people who were either bored or too poor to have their own internet connection. Some poor employee was caged behind fishnet wire, passing out coffee to one young woman. I had an urge to free him but Alex must have sensed that because he quickly clamped a hand down on my shoulder and steered me towards the small group of students in the back left corner.

I paused before we neared them, whipping my head round to face the back of a quivering woman hunched over a keyboard. Dark brown curls, a worn black jumper... Before I could speak her name a fresh pang of thirst raced through me, damn this was getting repetitive! Why were my urges always so strong? Hmm perhaps it was because I had so many within me to satisfy with it, yes that made sense. I shook off my blood haze, certain that it was important to identify this woman but before I could she turned round. Her golden-brown eyes filled with horror and her lip trembled.

"You!" she rasped a little too loudly.

"Sure it's me?" I queried mockingly as I smiled back at poor Samantha.

"You, oh God, oh God, I don't want to die, I don't want to die," she babbled hysterically drawing unnecessary attention to us.

"Die?" I echoed curiously. "Why are you dying?"

"You," she continued to babble. "I don't know why, it is you though but you don't or won't remember!"

"Ariadne maybe it's time for some hallucinating hmm?" Alex suggested in a low voice.

Samantha clutched her tangled curls and shook her head with a groan. "Please leave me alone, I won't bother her, I won't bother anyone." She stood up suddenly, pushed us violently and fled for the doors. I looked to the screen she had been sitting before; there was a newspaper article on it with a black and white picture of someone, someone who looked oddly familiar. The article was titled- 'Missing Woman Vanished From Club', I scanned it quickly and noted the line 'Sarah Grey, twenty-year-old art student, was at The Asylum in Santa Monica with friend Samantha Stone but went missing around half twelve, witnesses recalled her dancing with several men beforehand and Samantha reported to police that they had been harassed by a tall, male blonde wearing sunglasses.'

"She's going to lead you to a Masquerade violation," Alex commented darkly.

I pointed to the screen in awe with one finger. "That's me," I murmured.

Alex extended a hand to the mouse and immediately clicked off the screen and switched off the computer, using that unnatural Toreador speed of his. "Forget it," he warned me, "it doesn't matter who you were, you are Kine no more." He gripped me with one hand, turning me round to face him. "You need to get rid of her," he said quietly, "before the Camarilla decide things are too dangerous and get rid of you both."

I shook Alex's grasp off and frowned. "Wasn't me who attacked her and gave her nightmares," I commented sulkily, "that was some other Kindred."

Alex touched one finger to his brow and sighed. "Come on, she's drawn too much attention to us here, let's go."

I noticed then that everyone in the Internet cafe was still looking our way in worry and suspicion. So much for drinking from a web surfer, I was so thirsty though... Santa Monica, The Asylum, I tried to recall it but nothing sprung to mind. Was I from this Santa Monica then? Was Samantha? I followed Alex out, struggling to keep up with him. Samantha's hysterics had put him in a mood; he was angry and troubled now.

"Relax," I tried to calm him as I struggled to match his pace, "she's crazy that's all, no one will believe her rantings."

"No," Alex paused to glare at me, "you're still young, you don't understand, the Camarilla are everywhere Ariadne, if they think you are making a Kine suspicious of Kindred then you're in violation of their laws and they will do what they have to. Never mind them even, it's not good for us Anarchs either if Kine start sniffing around. She's too risky, she suspects too much."

Another growl echoed from my stomach then and a redness took over my vision briefly. When it cleared I noticed Alex giving me an odd look before he turned from me swiftly. "Come on, we need to drink," he said. He glanced about the streets and sniffed the air briefly before leading me on.