Butterflies and Vampires

CHAPTER 10

We returned to the tower a while after, after Uriel began to shake violently from the cold. He was so terribly weak, like a small animal. He looked up at me, scowling as always, except now his nose was pink and he looked quite adorable.

"If you were an animal, you'd be a rabbit," I said. I touched his face, but he recoiled quickly. "Go and change out of these clothes."

"I was going to regardless, thank you."

He left and I waited while amusing myself by walking around the guest rooms. Uriel and Yves shared one while Karl and Marcel shared another, and Dr.Gregoire had a smaller one to himself. I walked among the hallways were more framed butterflies hung. The wallpaper was breaking apart, and some of the gilded frames had rubbed off. Only the floor was hard and sturdy and I clicked my heels about them, enjoying the sound.

"Margery."

I turned to see Uriel, now in a wrinkled white shirt and new set of trousers. He pulled out a coat and was going to offer it to me until he saw I was still dripping wet and sighed. His hair, still damp, stuck to his forehead. I laughed and reached up to pull at him. This time he allowed me helplessly.

"Are you not changing out of that?" he asked with a glance downwards at my dress.

"I love this feeling. It's cold and heavy but it's something you don't always feel."

"The tower is cold enough."

"Is it?"

"What was it that you wanted to show me, anyway?"

"The rain, obviously. You'll never see rain like the rain in Jardin. People said they feel like hail, heavy and big. Cecile told me we have the strongest rain in all of Europe."

"That was what you wanted to show me?" He frowned. I giggled at his upset face.

"Next time you can show me something. Something about the outside world that I don't know. We can keep trading information like this. Wouldn't this help you too? You can include it in your book."

"You're right." A smile tugged at his lips. "Next time maybe I'll show you something, too."

"Yes." I wrung at my hair, making water drip onto the stone floor. "I hate being ignorant. I don't understand how the others stand this."

"There's books, isn't there?"

"I only read horror. I can't stand anything else, I don't know how Cecile stands reading those human books about—those worthless things. Money and marriage and 'true love'."

We started walking down the hall.

"But I love my sisters, despite it all." I'd die if they heard me say that, though.

"So will you bring them outside with you?"

"Yes. I know they wouldn't want to, that they'll stick to the traditions, but it's hurt all of them. You were there in the other tower that day, weren't you? Cecile cried."

"I know. I know, but I just don't know how you're going to do all of this—"

"Margery!"

I snapped my head up back in surprise.

Sabine stood there in the hallway, eyes wide open and lips parted. She blinked thrice before shaking her head.

"You—you went outside?"

I had forgotten I was soaked through, but I was secretly glad she hadn't heard what we were saying. I feigned horror.

"Oh, Sabine, please do keep it a secret!" I ran over to her and tried to take her hand, but she stepped back. I stood there, frozen. Why was she avoiding my touch? "Sabine?"