"You want me to do what?"

Eugene drops another coin into the payphone

"I'm running out of money, just say okay and get your ass down here."

Outside the orange phone booth, Heli pulls his hat further down over his ears. Eugene, in desperate need of civilisation, had decided to take a little shopping trip to acquire some more winter appropriate clothing. Lucky for them that the days became ever shorter, since the nearest shop was quite some distance away from M. L-'s castle.

Though now bundled up in a knitted cap, scarf and thick, fur-trimmed coat, the most it's doing for Heli is shielding him from the wind. As his body barely produces any heat, he can't really say he's comfortably warm. He can't even shiver.

Eugene steps out of the phone booth, rubbing his hands together.

"She'll be here," he says.

"You really don't like Sena," Heli mumbles through his scarf.

"Not so. She's irritating, always in my way and constantly on my case, but it's not that I don't respect her. Plus, she knows her way around the supernatural and you already know each other." Eugene wraps his arm around Heli's shoulders as they walk back to the van.

"You'd put her in danger though."

"She can handle herself better than Viken or anyone else."

Eugene cranks up the heat on the long drive back. Heli feels good but Eugene removes outerwear as they go along, dropping his own hat and scarf on the floor beside them.

"You can turn the heat down," Heli offers.

"Aren't you cold?"

"Yes, but it's okay," Heli says. "You're always doing stuff for me."

Eugene shrugs. "I don't mind."

"You're not adding to my debt, are you?"

Eugene laughs. "No. The spell doesn't work that way."

"Everyone is always doing things for me," Heli sighs.

"Yeah, and?"

"Aside from never paying your debt back, I just feel like there's nothing I can do to make it up to anyone."

"You mean you're getting by on the effort and energy of the people around you?" Eugene grins. "Taking their goodwill but offering nothing in return?"

"You don't have to put it like that."

Eugene punches Heli's shoulder. "It's your nature, don't worry about it."

Sena arrives a few days later. Eugene returns from the train station with her shortly after sunset.

"Wow," she exclaims as she walks through the door, Eugene following behind with her bags. The white-haired woman steps aside, her lantern in hand, watching Sena take in the castle's front hall. Sena smiles and holds out her hand.

"I'm Sena," she says.

"You can call me A-." Red eyes flick down to Sena's outstretched hand but she doesn't take it.

"That's quite the gem," Sena continues, her tone unphased. She gestures to a large red stone mounted on a gold chain around A-'s neck. "Is it a ruby? It's gorgeous."

"Thank you," A- replies. "It's extremely cursed."

"Seriously? Can you tell me about it? How much do you think it's worth?"

They both disappear down the hall, one deadpan and one animated voice exchanging stories about favourite curses.

Eugene drops a bag he'd had slung over his shoulder.

"Did she just…she could have taken something."

"She seems very unconcerned," Heli says.

"I told her M. L- and A- are safe," Eugene explains. "I guess she thinks they're like you, considering the only vampires she's seen are you and the Shadows."

"And Jakah," Heli adds.

"Jakah is in his own category."

With steady practice Heli manages to catch up to his previous piano skill. He can play songs at tempo, and some of them are far from simple compositions. Most nights he's alone in the ballroom, though Viken has come a couple times to listen before wandering off to bed.

Heli had hoped to have some time to talk to Sena and figure out what exactly Eugene had told her she was in for, but she spends all their overlapping awake hours with A-.

He sighs and pulls the cover back down over the keyboard.

"I will miss your playing."

Heli turns to see M. L- with his arms behind his back, standing in the doorway.

Heli frowns. "Are you making us leave?"

"No," M. L- smiles. "But you will leave soon, regardless of if you find who you seek at tomorrow's event. You never intended to stay long, after all."

"I didn't realise you were listening," says Heli.

"The sound carries quite nicely through the walls," M. L- replies. "I have been reminded of many things I have missed as the years pass by."

Heli nods and rises from the piano bench.

"There's a lot of benefit from just listening," M. L- continues. "You all have everything you need for the masquerade?"

Heli pauses before leaving the ballroom with one more nod.

Truth be told, he's been stalling. He can't imagine anything good can come out of their presence at a vampire ball. What were the actual chances of Jaan being there, anyway? The most likely outcome is something terrible happening to Eugene and Sena and they end up no closer to Jaan than they are now.

By the time he wakes the next evening, his clothes are already laid out on the bed. Eugene sits at the end, trying to fix his tie and jacket despite a complete lack of mirrors. His ensemble, as well as the one he had picked for Heli, is entirely black.

"Good, you're up," Eugene says. "I was getting nervous. Hurry up and get ready, we don't have a lot of time."

"That's a pretty subdued look for you," Heli remarks. "I kinda expected you to take the opportunity to wear something…flouncy."

"I may be reckless but I'm not stupid," Eugene scoffs. "Standing out doesn't feel like a good idea this time."

Finally, he's taking caution.

"If you need help let me know," Eugene stands and walks towards the door. He pauses, his hand on the handle.

"Do you remember what you were wearing the night we found you?" he asks.

"That white coat."

"Right, a white coat with gold trims. You seemed a bit confused about it."

"Not exactly everyday wear," Heli agrees.

"It was a masquerade costume, wasn't it?"

Heli stares down at the neatly displayed clothes on the bed

"You were talking to Jakah."

"I asked him for more details about what we could expect, that was all," Eugene says.

"I don't remember anything from that night."

"I know," Eugene sighs. "He said that. He doesn't know what happened either."

Eugene leaves, pulling the door closed behind him.

Heli changes with a new sense of worry. Eugene said aloud what should have been obvious. Whatever happened at Lamia's masquerade was the reason she had left him. What if reliving a similar event jogged more of his memory? He clasps the locket around his neck. He wants to remember, but at the same time, he's afraid to know. What could he have possibly done to end up alone?

When he opens the door, Sena is waiting for him in the hallway. She turns, the long pale pink skirt twirling around her. A cascade of ruffles falls over her shoulders and a necklace of white stones glints around her neck, a large opal pendant hanging over her chest. Her hair is arranged in curls on top of her head, leaving exposed the expanse of her neck.

Heli stares.

"Is this okay? The opal is A-'s, it's enchanted with a…" Her eyebrows furrow. "Earth to Heli, is something wrong?"

He blinks and manages to blurt out, "Your neck."

Sena's eyes narrow. "You're not keeling over, so it can't be that tempting."

"You don't have any scars or anything. Unless you're planning on walking around like you're hypnotised the whole time."

"I already thought of that, don't worry," she pulls a long silky scarf from her handbag. "No one will ever know."

She ties the scarf so that her jewellery is still visible and wraps her arm around Heli's as they walk downstairs.

"Based on what everyone is saying, Jaan sounds pretty important," Sena says. "Who is he?"

"My friend," Heli replies.

"Is that it?"

"My best friend."

Sena laughs. "You have a lot of best friends, don't you?"

"Huh?"

He hadn't given much thought to how they were getting to the masquerade, but he wasn't expecting the carriage that's waiting in front of the castle's overgrown fountain. Swirls of gold decorate the exterior, and as they draw closer, he can see that it's not just a random design. Each of the twirls ends with a star. Star motifs top each of the carriage's corners and the spokes of each wheel look like a burning sun. A top-hat wearing driver sits in front, holding the reins on horses so black they nearly blend into the dark night.

"Wow!" Sena exclaims. "So far this is even better than I imagined. I might say it even feels like a fairy tale, if it weren't for the possibility of imminent death."

"That makes it even more like a fairy tale," Viken mutters behind them. He has his hands in his pockets. Taho stands beside him, both in t-shirts and shivering in the cold.

"Far out," Eugene says as he walks out and down the steps behind them. "We're not all going to fit in it though."

"You might have guessed from our attire that we're not all going," Viken retorts. "I learned how to waltz for nothing."

Eugene gives his shoulder a shake. "You'll get another chance."

"If you don't all die," says Viken.

Eugene glares, but Taho interjects before he can comment.

"I'm glad you're not all leaving me alone here."

"You can waltz with me then. We'll have our own party."

"Yeah, sure."

Heli wants to apologise but Sena pulls his arm before he gets the chance. Not that there's anything to apologise for. He feels at ease knowing at least Viken and Taho will be safe here, despite the disappointed look on Viken's face.

"On the subject of attire, here." Eugene hands Heli and Sena each a mask of stiff black lace.

"It's a masquerade, remember? Masks are the point," he continues, seeing the blank expression on Heli's face as he stares at the accessory in his hand.

"Right," he mumbles.

The driver jumps down from his seat to open the carriage door for M. L- and A-, who climb inside. They wear white masks decorated with gems, in contrast to their deep red attire. Heli and Sena follow, leaving Eugene and Jakah to take the exterior seat on the back.

"Will they be okay outside?" Heli says. "It's rather cold."

"We won't be going too far," M. L- says. "They will be quite alright."

"You are always cold," A- adds.

"Relax," continues M. L-. "You will want to be comfortable for the ride."

"You just said we aren't going far," Heli says.

"It is far enough."

Sena giggles at his confused expression. With a lurch, the carriage begins to move forward. As they pull away from the castle, the light fades away, leaving them in pitch black darkness. Heli pulls open the corner of the curtain covering the door window, all he can see is the fuzzy silhouette of trees dusted with snow and a thick, creeping mist. Behind him he can hear Jakah and Eugene's muffled voices. Jakah lets out a laugh which is quickly cut off. A few moments of silence pass.

Across from him, M. L- and A- sit still, neither speaking. Sena leans into Heli's arm, her head turned as if trying to listen for the now quieted voices from the two behind them.

A loud bang echoes through the carriage. Heli and Sena both jump. It's followed by a loud knocking above their heads, right where Eugene and Jakah ought to be sitting. Sena straightens up, turning her head to the ceiling as she grips Heli's arm.

"What's going on?" Heli says to M. L-

M. L- smiles and does not answer.

The knocking continues growing louder and faster. Heli can't hear any voices under it. He lifts the curtain again but not even trees are visible. He's staring into complete darkness.

"Is something happening to them outside?" Heli stands, hitting the top of his head on the ceiling of the carriage. "You said they-"

The carriage stops and the door opens.

"Please." M. L- motions for them to exit and Heli jumps out after Sena. Jakah and Eugene are both climbing down from the backseat.

"What was that all about?" Heli asks.

"What was what?" Eugene asks, his eyebrows raised.

"All the banging and knocking."

"What are you talking about?" Jakah gives him a confused look. "No one was knocking on anything. Rather short ride though, I felt like I just blinked and we were here."

"Sena heard it too, didn't you-"

Sena pulls on his sleeve, her mouth agape as she stares wide-eyed at the sight before them.

This chateau is huge. Three stories of white stone worth of windows glow with a bright yellow light, the long halls stretching as far as he can see between distinct rounded towers. The carriage pulls away to make room for the next arrival, already coming through the tall gate.

"Alright kids, you all remember why we're here," Eugene says, but all three of his companions are just staring, transfixed.

"Waltzing," Heli mutters.

"Not dying," Sena says.

"Money," Jakah concludes.

"It's not that impressive, what's wrong with you?" Eugene wraps his arms around Heli and Jakah's shoulders to start them marching forward. "You're looking for your friend so he can get this one in line and over his heartache."

"It wasn't like that," Heli retorts.

"Of course it wasn't."

"Come," M. L- sweeps his arms as he leads them up the steps. "We must first properly greet our hosts."

They follow M. L- and A- inside. The castle is lit with candlelight, magnified through crystal chandeliers. Masked figures weave between gold-topped marble columns. A string quartet fills the place with elegant music.

"Quite the event," Sena breathes, clinging tighter to Heli's arm. "They're all vampires, right?"

"A lot of them," Heli says. "You should be okay if we stick together."

"The Duke and Duchess were people of import in life. This has been their home for many, many years. Their transformation was a sad necessity to keep their heads," M. L- explains. "Most fortunate for them that this place was shunned and forgotten by the living inhabitants of this country."

The Duke and Duchess in question sit near the quartet. The Duke is a large man dressed in a gold-trimmed waistcoat and knee britches, while the woman beside him dons a silk gown that stretches out wide at the hips. The skirt is covered in ruffles, large bows and crystals. On their faces, full masks covered in jewels and topped with black ostrich feathers glitter in the light.

"Ah! My favourite Marquis!" the Duke's voice booms over the music. "And Marquess welcome!"

"It is an honour to be invited." M. L and A- bow their heads.

"You brought guests," the Duchess adds. "They seem quite young, and they brought mortals? I thought you swore off that sort of thing."

"These children are not mine," M. L- says. "I am merely their temporary guardian."

"Very good."

The Duke and Duchess turn their attention to the next party of invitees coming through to also complete the expected salutations.

"Please, feel free to enjoy the evening," M. L- says. "I only recommend you do not leave Sena and Eugene alone. Someone else might think they're fair game."

The room isn't that full but Heli already feels overwhelmed. He hasn't seen Jaan, but if he's wearing a mask covering his whole face, it might be a harder task than he thought.

"Do you want to…," Sena trails off, her head turning every which way as she takes in the scene.

They stop next to a three-tiered fountain, each level shaped like the petals of a flower, with thick red liquid pouring down into a pool below. Next to it sits a table covered with clear crystal glasses. Heli watches a woman take one of the glasses and dip it into the liquid before gliding away. Heli picks up one of the glasses and holds it under the cascade falling off of the bottom stone flower. He takes one sip, then another, and then downs the whole glass full before his evaluation of it settles too thoroughly on his thoughts.

This blood is human.

He coughs the last gulp down, his chest already tightening. His eyes catch the gaze of M. L- standing a few paces away.

"Virtue," M. L- mouths.

"That was so good though," Heli says, fighting the need to double over.

Sena takes the glass from his hand.

"I see why Eugene wanted someone to babysit you," she sighs. "Was it worth it? You look like you're about to pass out."

With a gentle tug she pulls him across the room and out onto a balcony. Jakah and Eugene are already there, leaning over the railing, watching as more guests arrive on the grounds below. Most pull up in horse-drawn carriage as they had, some some step out of the backseats of cars.

"They put on a good show for being undead," Eugene says.

Jakah glances up as Heli and Sena approach.

"Not everyone lurks in abandoned places like us," he says.

"It's fitting though. We started out abandoned," Helisung sighs. "I'm sure this is exactly what Jaan envisioned when he said he wished to be rich."

Sena gives him an inquisitive look. He leans forward on the railing, taking deep breaths of cold air. On the other side of the road, the castle lights glisten on the surface of the water of a calm river.

"What's that?"

Sena points to something approaching down the torch-lit road. They're jostled by other people trying to squeeze onto the balcony with a rising chorus of the hushed whisper of the same question. Jakah perks up as well. From the growing silhouette, it doesn't look like a carriage or car. As the shape comes closer, Heli sees it's not a singular vehicle, but an entire entourage of at least seven people on horseback. In the centre sits a figure with a long cloak, flowing out behind him. He and the riders surrounding him carry a glinting sword on their hip.

"Ohh," Jakah says. "Looks like he still thinks it's the middle ages."

"Who?" Heli asks.

"He goes by Baron or Lord, uh something or other. He never goes anywhere without a fleet of bodyguards, as if he's not strong enough to take care of anything by himself. Bit of an enigma, really."

"Why swords?" Sena adds.

"Best way to cut someone's head off."

Her grip on Heli's arm tightens.

Jakah is practically leaving over the balcony railing in his attempt to get a better look at the party below. Heli debates grabbing the back of his jacket to keep him from falling over headfirst when he leans back in a fit of laughter.

"Look," he wheezes, pointing down below.

Heli looks again at the horseback riders, now approaching the main steps. One of the last in the line sits on a grey horse, wearing a dark coat embellished with pearls. The mask he sports is also pearl-covered, but it only covers the top part of his face. The bottom half is exceedingly familiar.

"That can't be…is that Jaan?"

"He sure looks pompous doesn't he?" Eugene says.

"They all look frightening," Sena murmurs.

"He's the least scary among us, I promise," Heli says.

They watch until Jaan disappears under the balcony. Heli turns, but Jakah grabs his arm.

"Wait," he says through a final fit of giggles. "Lord Whatsit may not like it if you just run up to them."

"We came here to-"

"Just wait for a chance to get him alone," Jakah says. "Lord Whatsit isn't Lamia."

"Are you even trying to remember his name?"

He leads Sena back inside the filling ballroom. Dancers twirl and spin across the floor. Between them, he can see Jaan as he follows the rest of this party up the stairs and over to the far wall. Whoever this lord is, he's attracting attention. As he passes, others move to clear a path for him. Even on this side of the room, heads are turned as people whisper to each other.

"He seems like a big shot, huh?" Sena muses.

"Yeah, and no one is going to clear a path for us to get across," Heli frowns.

"We'll just have to dance our way over."

"I'd rather-"

Sena pulls him into the fray before he can respond. If nothing else, teaching Viken how to dance was a good refresher and they easily fit in, passing other couples as they make a rather roundabout way across the room.

The vampire whose name Jakah forgot is surrounded not only with his own detail, but a gaggle of other guests apparently clamouring for his attention. They no sooner pass Jaan then someone moves in front of Heli just as he's about to wave and try to catch Jaan's eye. The flow of dancers forces them to start in the other direction.

"There's too many people," Heli groans.

"Jakah's strategy is probably best," Sena says. "You're going to have to wait."

Disappointing, but they're right. Hopefully everyone else gets bored of crowding him and Heli or Jakah will have a chance to talk to Jaan before the night ends. He's also aware of the glances the vampires around them are making towards Sena, with hungry looks in their eyes.

"She has a lovely neck," someone behind him says. A chill runs up his spine when they continue. "Would you mind if I stepped in?"

Heli pulls Sena away without even glancing to see who it was talking to him. She raises an eyebrow but doesn't protest as he leads her to one of the long tables lining the room. Halved pomegranates fill golden bowls sitting in the centre. Sena plucks one of them from the bowl.

"Not much food, is there?," she remarks as she picks out a couple of the seeds. "I can't imagine the fountain is enough for everyone here. And this is all there is of normal food. What do they intend as the meal?"

Heli leans closer to Sena's ear. "The intended meal is you."

She pushes him away and he grins at her annoyed face.

"You're awfully cheeky for someone who isn't supposed to drink human blood," she says. "Though you seem to recover from that curse awfully fast."

"Helps when you don't see where it comes from. I mean, who it comes from."

She pops a couple more pomegranate seeds in her mouth. "Heart curses are rare and they're all different so there's no real way to predict what the symptoms are going to be. Unless, of course, you understand the conditions for it already. Are you sure these people are all vampires? There are an awful lot of them."

"I'm not sure."

"And it's a lot more white than I imagined. I envisioned, I don't know, everything being black and red, and dark."

She continues on but Heli tunes her out as he watches the dancers pass by them. He didn't think anyone took a census of the vampires in the world, but it does seem to be a larger population than he realised. But at the same time, he starts to think something about the masked figures is creating an illusion. Sometimes it seems like the same handful of people are spinning by, over and over as if stuck in a loop. Not that he would know any of their faces anyway.

"The masks do fool the mind, don't they?" A voice whispers in his left ear. "You never know who might slip through."

He turns, but no one is behind his right, Sena eats more of the pomegranate. The air fills with a sense of anticipation, as if this is all a show while everyone waits for the real event. There are also more mortals than he anticipated, and though he had been facetious, his quip about Sena being the main course of the evening may not have been far off at all. Before the night ends, the white marble may well be splattered in red.

Across the room the lights dim, as if a shadow had passed over them. Heli glances up at the chandeliers hanging overhead. Nothing seems out of place, and no one else seems to react to the sudden change in light. On the table in front of him, the pomegranates have turned brown and shrivelled. A chill runs up his spine and his entire body feels uncomfortable and weird.

"Sena, do you-"

He turns, but she's not there.

"Sena?"

He stands, looking around trying to see through the shifting mass of bodies. She wouldn't have just walked away, she knew better than that. But he doesn't see anyone that he recognises. Even Jaan is no longer standing guard to his aristocratic comrade. From the corner of his eye, he catches the last remnants of a wisp of black smoke as someone speeds by behind him.

From down the hall, he hears a scream.

He takes off, following the sound of screaming until he steps into a small room. It's mostly empty for the cloaked figure of someone leaning over a struggling tangle of pale pink fabric.

He should rush forward and pull the Shadow away from Sena. They're here for him, after all. If they've managed to find a way inside, does that mean Lamia is too?

"Wait," he starts, breaking his moment of dumbstruck surprise. "I'm here, you can take me to her now."

The Shadow doesn't even look up. He's still leaning closer to Sena, drawing closer in spite of her efforts to push him away.

Heli is pushed aside as a newcomer enters the room.

The new figure rematerialises and his sword is drawn in less than a second. The cloaked figure rises up, and lunges forward but is quickly forced back into the wall, with a sword pressing into his chest.

"Did she really think you could sneak in so easily?" The swordsman says from behind his pearl-encrusted mask. "I could tell it was one of you when the lights flickered. I would have thought the last thing she'd be looking for was a fight with every notable vampire on the continent."

The cloaked vampire doesn't answer. He doubles over, streams of crumbling dust pouring out from under the fluttering black robes.

Sena slides back to the wall, a hand on her chest, wide-eyed at the scene in front of her. Her rescuer sheaths his sword, and extends a hand to her.

"Jaan!" Heli pushes the mask off his face.

Jaan turns to him, pauses for a moment, then removes his own mask as if somehow that will help him see better. He blinks, surprised before his face contorts into an expression of pure rage. His hand goes back to his sword.

"This is a new low, even for her," he snaps, circling around Heli. "Drop that form, right now."

Heli takes a step back, matching Jaan's steps as they turn about the room. "I'm- I'm… Jaan, it's me, really."

"Stop lying, and show me who you really are."

"This isn't a trick, I'm really-"

"SHUT UP!" Jaan rushes forward, his hand closing around Heli's throat with crushing force. The edge of his blade quivers next to his face, threatening to slice into his cheek. Sena gasps as Jaan continues.

"Heli is dead. I'm not going back to Lamia. So whatever it is you're trying to pull, just give it up."

Jaan's hand is pressing too hard for Heli to respond. He can't even breathe. Jaan radiates disgust. Sena steps forward and grabs Jaan's arm.

"Stop this," she says. "You don't want to kill him."

"Lamia's well known for her mind tricks," Jaan says. "I can't believe either of you."

Heli racks his mind for something, anything he can do that would prove to Jaan he's still alive. Something Jaan would know that know one else does. Memories not even Lamia could take away from them.

He envisions the late nights they spent awake on a thin mattress and thinner blanket, still playing with old wooden toys long after lights out and they should have been asleep. The day Solon came and another bed was shoved into their already crowded room. Letters to Jaan's aunt in New York that went unanswered.

He shows Jaan the morning Viken found him, a face peering down as he opened the coffin lid, and Eugene carrying him out of Lamia's castle. How he found Jakah at the carnival and the Shadows followed him home. How they came all this way because somehow Lamia was still in his mind and Jakah was sure it was Jaan who would be able to help.

Jaan's expression softens as he releases his hold on Heli's neck. Heli drops his gaze to the floor as he closes the door on his telepathic visions.

"So you came looking for me because you need something, is that how it is?" Jaan says.

"I'm all mixed up," Heli mutters. "Between Lamia, and Eugene's spell, I wanted to find everyone, but I couldn't. I'm sorry, I really am-"

He looks back up to see Jaan's half smile.

"I'm also-" he starts awkwardly.

They both stand in suspense, waiting for the other to continue. Heli shifts his weight in the silence. Even though there's a million things he wants to say to Jaan, he feels strangely shy, as if all the words and explanations won't be enough to make up for all the years Jaan believed he was truly gone.

"I hate to interrupt your reunion," Sena taps on Heli's shoulder. "But, um…"

Heli looks to the doorway, where a new robed figure is entering.

"You really think she wants you back?" Jaan says, raising his sword. "I'm going to agree with Jakah, she already tried to get rid of you once. Now I just want to know what you did to make Lamia that angry."

"I'm sure that's not the reason."

Jaan shakes his head. "Watch out for your friend. I'll make quick work of this one."