Lamia slips from his fingers well before he hits the water. He slams into the sea, forcing the air from his lungs. He doesn't try to fight the spiralling waves of the whirlpool and lets himself be tossed and pulled. He can't see or feel anything but shocking cold.

All that's left is to wait for the monster's teeth to tear him to shreds.

Jaan will be angry, he thinks, as he's whipped around. They all would be. He doesn't even want to imagine what Viken's reaction will be when they discover he's gone. Gone for good. He should have left a note or something. Now, here in the water it's easy to see all his regrets. They would have tried to stop him, of course, but this is how things had to end.

No one will have to worry about him or Lamia anymore. They'd be sad for a while, but they've moved on before and would do so again.

He doesn't want them to feel sorry. He's certainly not. This was the outcome he envisioned when he first laid eyes upon the map marking the waters of Charybdis.

Whether it was a selfless idea or a selfish one doesn't matter. Everyone would be better off, and Lamia will be gone.

Though he continues to swallow water he can't drown. Just as he's starting to wonder exactly how long it will take for the monster to finally consume him, he feels a sharp tap to his head and drops straight down to the bottom.

He lands on his back on a hard, solid surface. Everything is completely still. A chill washes over him, but it's not the biting cold he had felt while spinning around in the water.

It's almost peaceful.

A sudden crashing dispels that thought. He opens his eyes, confused. He thought he'd heard the sound of falling metal, definitely not something that made sense in the swirlling waves.

Except, as he now sees, he's no longer underwater. He stares up at the beams of a wooden ceiling. Dingy paper covers the walls and he rolls over to see he's lying in the middle of a well worn, dull red carpet. Slowly, he rises to his feet. This is not a place he's seen for many, many years. He looks down to survey his body. He's completely dry, and dressed in a too-big pair of flannel pyjamas.

At the end of the hall, a door from which light emanates is ajar. He cautiously makes his way towards it. From inside, another round of crashes, followed by a hushed voice.

"Sh! Would you be quiet?"

Heli pauses, a hand hovering over the door, then slowly pushes it open.

A wave of warmth hits him. Inside the kitchen, pots and pans are strewn across a large table. A woman in a grey dress, her hair piled on top of her head, straightens up and places down a bowl. She wipes her hands on an apron, then cracks open the door of a large, black oven.

"Miss E-?"

She snaps up and spins around. Her mouth opens wordlessly as they both just stare.

"Heli?" She sounds surprised. "What are you doing out of bed?"

He gapes, thoroughly clueless as to what is happening. Out of bed? He must be dreaming, this can't be real. But when he tries to protest and question what she's doing here, the words from a nearly lost memory bubble out of the recesses of his brain.

"I can't sleep."

She frowns. "That's not like you. Well, seeing as how you're already here, why don't you stay and help me?"

"What are you doing?" He steps into the warm kitchen.

She points to a book laying open on a counter. "Making a cake. Would you believe-" she excitedly picks up a small tin. In large curved letters the label reads COCOA. "I got this today. Don't tell Mr. G- though."

"I wouldn't tell him anything," Heli mumbles.

"I need just a bit more wood for the oven," Miss E- continues. "Why don't you go out and get a piece or two?"

Heli nods and quickly steps out the side door. Light snow falls and crunches underfoot as he trudges out to the woodshed. It's a sharp contrast from the warmth of the kitchen. He shivers.

Miss E- has managed to organise most of the dropped dishware when he returns. She glances up from scooping flour from a sack.

"Go ahead and put it in," she instructs. "Be careful though not to burn yourself on the door."

He places the fresh wood in the stove and shuts the door, warming his cold hands for a moment in the heat that radiates off the iron surface.

"There's some milk in the ice box, would you fetch that too please?"

He's reluctant to tear himself away from the warm stove, but he does. He finds the bottle of milk and brings it to Miss E-. Her eyes go intently from the recipe book to her mixing bowl, double checking everything before she adds a new ingredient. Apparently satisfied, she pours the mixed batter into a pan, and after checking the oven again, slides the pan in.

"Next!" Miss E- claps her hands together. "Let's hurry and clean up."

She hums as he hands her the used dishes. Heli's intrigued about her upbeat mood, but doesn't ask. When everything is clean, she pulls out a kettle and asks him to fetch water. From another shelf she takes two cups and fills them with the hot water, the rest of the milk and a couple spoonfuls of cocoa and sugar.

"I've always wanted to try this," she smiles, pushing one of the cups over to Heli. "This will be our secret, okay?"

He sets himself down onto one of the stools at the table, staring as steam rises from the drink. Everything about this scene felt familiar, yet at the same time so wrong.

"I remember this," he says. "You made the cake as a surprise for Jakah's tenth birthday. I was twelve."

Miss E- raises an eyebrow. "What are you saying? You are twelve."

"No, I'm-" He stops as he looks back down. The table is strangely closer, the cup's handle larger in his hand.

"This isn't right!" he says, his voice rising. "You made the cake and gave me cocoa but you wouldn't let me help you then."

"Keep your voice down," she whispers. "We don't want to wake everyone."

Unbelievable. Heli can feel his cheeks growing warm with frustration and he covers his face as he turns away.

"What's wrong?" A warm hand rubs his shoulder but he pulls away.

"You should be angry! You should hate me!"

She takes a deep breath. After a few moments of silence, he lowers his hands. She doesn't avert her gaze, despite her serious and sullen face.

"I don't hate you, Heli," she says softly. "I could never hate you."

"But I, I mean, it's my fault, I'm the reason that you're…"

She waits as he stumbles through his words.

"Are you going to take responsibility then?" she asks. "Are you going to punish yourself forever?"

"I…I don't…"

"Tell me then." Miss E- takes his hand. "What could you have done?"

What could he have done? He replays that night in his mind, searching for any course of action that would change the outcome of events. He would have never abandoned Noa. Staying behind in the attic, Lamia would have come for him, and Miss E- would have likely ended up in her way regardless. Would anything have changed if he'd paid more attention to Jino and Solon? Let Shion die? Grabbed Jakah's hand before he entered the fortune teller tent, or turned his back and ignored the knocks on the window? Been more persuasive and never follow through on the plan to go to the carnival at all?

No matter how he imagines it, every outcome results in loss.

In the end, it doesn't change a thing.

"Whether you place the blame on yourself, your friends, the monsters that came that night, or even the parents that left you on the steps of this place," Miss E- says. "What's done is done. You can't take it back now."

He knows that. If given the choice, he'd gladly give her life back, and erase all the sorrow that led to this moment. But he can't.

"You can decide what you're going to do now. How you're going to make it through all the circumstances you can't control. That's what matters," Miss E- continues.

"Tell me how I can make it up to you," he whispers, daring not to lift his eyes from the table.

Miss E- squeezes his hand.

"You can live."

He didn't expect that answer. He looks over at her, ready to question her response but she speaks before he gets the chance.

"You have many, many more years ahead of you. You have friends that adore you. You can do the best that you're able, for them, for yourself. And for me."

WIth a smile she lets go of his hand and takes a sip of her cocoa.

"On the subject of friends, I better check on this cake."

He wants to tell her he hasn't been alive in a real sense in quite some time, but suspects she'll contradict him one way or another, so he stays silent as she opens the oven door and pulls out the now baked cake. The scent of warm chocolate fills the air. The cocoa drink in his hand is warm and sweet. Even if it's just for this moment, somehow he feels better. As if things will be okay after all.

"Okay! Let's leave this to cool now," Miss E- says as she inspects her work. "Are you almost finished? You should get back to bed."

He drinks up the last of the cocoa and hands the cup back. She takes his hand again as they leave the kitchen and head up down the hallway towards Heli's old bedroom. He vaguely makes a mental note about not having regained his usual height, but decides it doesn't matter.

"I don't think I ever told you," Miss E- says. "You and I came here the same day."

"We did?" Heli looks up at her, and she nods.

"I found you the very morning I first arrived. You can imagine how it looked when I walked in, completely flummoxed with a newborn in hand. Of course, Mr. G- had to send you away for a little while until you were older, but when you came back, I felt like I had to be responsible for you. Like that was the whole reason I came here to begin with."

He listens as she tells him about himself, their past, the honest feelings she's never been able to share with anyone. He's four again, his hand tiny in her warm grip.

"I wanted so much to protect you from the world. I wanted to shield you from all its cruelty and harshness. Though it was selfish of me, I wanted to hide you away and keep you safe. But instead, I filled you with doubt and made you unsure."

He's eight and brokenhearted as she reassures him he will have a family one day. She stops in front of a closed door and turns to face him.

"For that, I am sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry?" he bursts out in disbelief. He's not quite sixteen and he hates that she's looking up at him with sadness in her eyes. "I'm the one who's sorry."

She pulls him into her shoulder.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…

"Remember what I told you," she whispers. "You must live, for both of us."

He nods as he pulls away from her embrace. She reaches behind her shoulders, and pulls out from her collar a small locket on a silver chain. Reaching up, she clasps it around Heli's neck.

"I want you to have this," she says. "I hope it reminds you of my wishes for you."

He clasps the locket in his hand. "I won't forget."

"Now, back to bed!" She opens the door and gently guides him inside. "The others will notice you've been gone. Don't tell them about the chocolate! I want to surprise Jakah after supper."

Heli steps backwards into the room. It's just as he remembers, but the sparsely made bunk beds are empty.

"Miss E-," he says. "I'm-"

"Don't worry," she says with a smile. "I'll come for you when the sun rises."

He reaches for the doorknob as she pulls the door closed. He stands still, his hand outreached, debating whether or not he should open the door and follow her back out. The room begins to brighten. He turns to see the sun rising over the trees through the thin curtain. He shields his face as the light grows brighter and brighter, until it's blinding. He squeezes his eyes shut as pure white fills his vision.

His face is hot. He sees red, and blinks.

Overhead is a clear blue sky, the sun shining right above him. He's stiff and sore, and as he moves his hand, feels coarse sand beneath him. Cool water recedes around him as a wave returns back to the sea. He gasps for air, choking as he coughs up water.

"Eugene, I found him, hurry up!"

Heli is still sputtering out seawater as Viken slides into the sand next to him. Eugene sprints not far behind.

"Heli!" Viken exclaims. "Where have you been?"

Good question. Heli wheezes as he tries to explain, but he doesn't know where to begin, or even what exactly has transpired himself.

"I saw the sun rise," he says. "I saw…the sun?"

He shoots up into a sitting position as realisation hits him. He's lying out in the open sun, completely exposed. Yet somehow, he's not aflame.

"I'm not burning!" he gasps.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Eugene says as he crouches down. "You're definitely burnt. But you're not on fire, which is a big improvement."

He looks around, amazed. The ocean sparkles with daylight. Behind them, the rising hill is a beautiful green. Six other figures run down the beach, sand flying as they stumble in their haste.

"Heli!" Jakah reaches him first, slipping in the sand as he wraps his arms around Heli's neck. "How am I supposed to keep an eye on you if you get up and leave?"

"Me? What are you doing out here? All of you? What is going on?"

Jakah pulls away and Heli can see his tear stained cheeks. His eyes are puffy and bloodshot. He looks pitiful.

"Were you crying for me?"

"Of course not! Not like I'd thought you left forever or went back to Lamia because you hated me and-"

"I could never."

The faces looking down on him are curious and relieved in equal measure. They don't quite approach, as if unsure if he'll fall apart again. Jino shields his face as he looks out over the sea.

"We headed back here just before dawn," he says. "We couldn't find Lamia either."

Heli squints up at them through the bright light. He's trying to make sense of this reality, and he's still not really sure what happened before opening his eyes on the beach.

Everyone shares a look, like no one knows how to explain. Heli doesn't blame them for the hesitation but finally Jaan speaks.

"Everything just felt…different. I couldn't stop Shion but somehow when he went out, the sun rose and he was totally fine."

"Doesn't the sunlight hurt?" Heli says. He touches his own face. The skin feels sore and tender.

"No," Noa says. "You must have just been out here too long."

"Isn't this incredible?" exclaims Shion as he holds out his bare arms and spins, basking in the sunlight.

"How?" Heli asks, completely perplexed.

"We thought it was something you did," Solon says, but Heli shakes his head.

"Trust me, I wasn't expecting to be here at all right now."

They break into a chorus of questions. Heli can't keep up, part of him still feels like he's swimming.

"Guys, hold up," Heli says. "You're asking too much. I need a minute."

"Come on," Viken pulls Heli to his feet. He sways, his legs unwilling to hold his weight. He feels like he's been running for years, and his body is heavy as Viken leads him up to the house. "You are burnt, but like in a normal way."

He hands Heli his gifted pocket mirror. His face is bright red. Deep sunburn spreads across his nose and cheeks, down the uncovered portions of his chest around the locket and even the back of his hands. No wonder it hurts. He groans.

"Not on fire, but this still sucks," he says.

"Everyone else is fine so far, it looks like you were out there for hours." Viken leans in close to inspect his face. "How is this even possible? What happened to you?"

Heli's eyes are drooping, and he's not sure he's even ready to explain. He wants to change into fresh clothes and wash the sand from his hair.

"Would it be okay if I rest for a bit?" he says. "I'll tell you everything later, but I'm tired."

"Yeah, sure," Viken eyes him suspiciously. "Jaan is on to something though. You're a lot different since last night."

"I'll explain everything, I promise."

When he opens his eyes, it's still daylight though the sun is low in the sky. Laughter wafts through the open window. On the beach below, Noa is knee-deep in the ocean, splashing water at Jino who responds in kind. Someone else walks down the beach, too far away to see clearly.

Heli's skin still stings, and he takes another look in the mirror. Just as red as before. He scans the entirety of his face but stops, staring into his own eyes. Somehow, the irises seem darker. He stretches and heads outside. The daylight world is completely unlike the dark one he'd gotten used to. There's more to see, as the details of everything are brightly illuminated. He finds Eugene crouched beside a small garden, overgrown with green leafy plants. He looks up as Heli approaches.

"How do you feel?" he asks.

Heli shrugs. "Sunburn still hurts."

"I'm trying to find something that will help. Circe is kinda famous for her herbology skills, but everything I can think of isn't, well, safe for vampires."

"What would you use otherwise?"

"Something simple, like aloe vera," says Eugene as he stands.

"That's not magic," says Heli.

"I didn't say it was," Eugene says. He looks Heli over, his eyes stopping for a moment on the locket around his neck. "You're just delicate."

"I am not."

"Okay," Eugene scoffs. "How long exactly were you laying out on the beach?"

"I don't know."

Eugene returns an incredulous look and Heli feels the need to elaborate.

"I met Lamia last night," he says.

"I suspected as much."

"I," Heli speaks slowly, carefully choosing his words. "I hadn't expected to still be here today."

"She spared you?"

"No, that's not it," Heli says. "I expected the both of us to be dust at the bottom of the sea. I took her to one of the monsters that should have ended the two of us."

Eugene waits patiently as he describes the raging waters of the whirlpool, the cold descent into the dark water, the gnashing of its teeth.

"I'd guess you got swept into a current and ended up washed out here," Eugene says.

Heli debates telling Eugene about his other encounter, but some things are too precious to share. At least for right now.

"That doesn't explain everything though," Eugene taps his chin. "Ah, now's not the time to worry about it. Everyone else is having fun down in the water, and you should too. I wouldn't stay in the sun too long though. You still seem particularly sensitive to sunburns."

Heli leaves him to contemplate Circe's garden. He's not sure about going back down to the beach. The thought of more sunburn isn't a welcome one, and besides he's hungry. Someone has dragged the cooler off the boat. Not much blood is left. He lifts one bottle and sees it's thick and congealed. Even closed, the stench is terrible. He recoils even at the thought of drinking it. He pushes the bottles aside. Sitting at the bottom is a soggy, brown bag of palm-sized purple fruit. He lifts one out, turns it over in his hand, and takes a bite.

It's sweet, soft and juicy. The taste is nice, like honey, and he finishes off the entire thing in seconds and takes another. Then another. Before he knows it, the bag is empty.

He sits back on the floor. Sure the fruits tasted good, but he's still hungry. For everything he just consumed, he doesn't feel like he's eaten at all.

With a sigh he heads back outside, and settles himself in the shade of a tree. Lamia was right about one thing. Aeaea is beautiful. As if in eternal spring, bright flowers of yellow and orange already bloom in the fields. Patches of colour stretch over the hill. He looks up into the branches of the tree. Between the green leaves that flutter in the breezes are what he thinks is more fruit, but everything is hazy. He lies down, his head on his arms and closes his eyes.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

He opens one eye to see a pair of combat boots standing in front of him.

"I thought you'd be more interested in this whole daylight thing, but you seem more listless than ever."

Heli sits back up and Viken joins him on the ground.

"I mean, I don't expect you to just get over everything, but if it helps, I don't think any less of you," Viken says.

"Viken," Heli starts slowly. "Jaan said they felt different but I kinda wonder…I mean, I don't feel like a vampire anymore."

"What?" Viken leans over, scanning his face intently.

"You don't look different. Aside from the lobster complexion."

"When I checked the mirror earlier, my eyes looked darker. I thought, maybe they were turning back to brown."

"Let me see? They still look red to me. What about your teeth?"

Heli opens his mouth and Viken shakes his head.

"As pointy as ever. Maybe you're just hungry?"

"I tried, just a few minutes ago. All the blood felt gross."

"Hm," Viken leans back and crosses his arms. "Solon was complaining about it too, but he said it'd gone off. We just need to find some fresh."

"But what if I am changing back?" Heli asks. "What if I don't want blood anymore? What if I drink blood and it ruins everything?"

Viken's gaze doesn't leave Heli's face as he hums in thought.

"I don't think so," he concludes.

"Why not?"

"Coming back to life, like for real, would be a miracle," says Viken. "I'm not saying it's totally impossible, but very, very unlikely, if you catch my drift."

"I suppose." Heli would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed in Viken's doubts. Surely having escaped total death this many times had to count for something.

"Here, let's do a test." Viken rolls up the sleeve of his shirt, revealling a large plaster on his forearm. He lifts a corner and peels it off. The cut underneath isn't too long, but some of the scabbing lifts as it's stuck to the plaster and it starts to ooze.

"Ugh. Actually, that's fine." He holds out his arm. "If you're not a vampire, then this should do nothing for you, yeah?"

Should do nothing, but even mostly scabbed, the not quite fully closed cut promises more blood underneath. Viken smells so good, and Heli is leaning forward, his mind fully set on sinking his teeth into flesh.

"Okay, woah! Stop!" Viken snatches back his arm and recovers the wound. "I hate to tell you man, but I think you're still a vampire."

His chest tightens and he halts his advance. He had nearly forgotten himself for the desire for blood, and his stomach pangs in hunger. Viken regards him with a confused expression, but Heli has to admit, it looks like he's right.

"That wasn't fair," Heli says. "You already knew I can't-"

"Hey!" Eugene's voice cuts through the evening. "Who ate my figs?"

The warmth of daytime fades to the cool of a moonlit night. As the moon brightens in the sky, Heli does feel better. He's more energised but instead of swimming in the sea he's lying on his back, a damp cloth over his face. Eugene had promised it would help relieve the burns. His skin does hurt a bit less, but whatever concoction Eugene had soaked the cloth in smells bitter.

He shifts restlessly. Shion is sitting at his side, chattering away. He can't hear anyone else's steps in the sand, and the only indication he has that someone else has sat beside him is a voice.

"How do you feel?" Solon asks.

"Like I'm in paradise," Heli responds and grins, though no one can see it.

"Ah, Jaan and I went out earlier," says Shion. "Just walking around looking at the flowers. You should explore more tomorrow!"

"If I can get up," Heli says. He may be more tolerant to extended waking hours, but his sleep habits may not agree.

"Stay up late then," says Shion. "Go in the morning, when everything is fresh and dewy. Wait, maybe I'll go with you."

"You've already been here a while," Solon says. "Haven't you seen it all?"

"Not in the light!" Shion exclaims. "You know everything looks different in the morning light, and the afternoon light and the evening-"

"Jino and Eugene are working on charting a course back to the mainland," Solon interrupts. "Then I guess we'll all get back to what we were doing before."

"You're not coming with us?" Heli snaps up, the cloth falling into his lap. "I thought we'd all go home together."

"Home?" says Solon. "Eugene and Viken have a home to return to. You don't. Of course I wanted to make sure everyone was safe, but now that Lamia is gone, where else should we go?"

"Easy, we find a new home," Shion says. The cheery tone in his voice disappears. "I don't want to be separated again."

"We won't be," Jaan approaches with Noa shortly behind. He points at Solon. "I'm especially not letting you run away to the arctic."

"Too bad we can't stay here," Noa muses as he looks out over the water. "A little crowded though. Too many monsters in the caves."

"No kidding," Shion says. "There are still Shadows around, they might come back here too."

"Speaking of monsters," Jaan turns to Heli. "How did you know Lamia wouldn't be able to escape from the whirlpool?"

Heli replaces the herb soaked cloth, pressing it to his face so no one can see his expression. He wasn't meant to escape either, but he doesn't want to dwell on that. Not when for once, everything feels so right. He doesn't really want to talk about it all, and settles on a simple explanation.

"The water told me."