Beyond Time

Friendly Predators

When I woke up the next morning, the sun was still asleep. I suppose it was a side effect of being in an unfamiliar place. I headed down the hall, and made my way to the front of the mansion, stepping outside into the darkness of the early morning. I stood in the garden, watching the sky lighten from a midnight blue to a wine-dark blue.

"What cheer!" Arthur walked up to me, sporting a white shirt instead of his usual formal blue. Something about his face seemed off, and I realized it was the fact that he wore glasses. He stepped forward so that our shoes touched. In two days, if there was one thing I'd realized about him, it was that he had no concept of personal space. "Not sleeping?"

"Woke up too early. What about you?"

"I was writing," he said, tucking his hands into his pockets.

"So you pulled an all-nighter," I said, looking up as the stars began to fade. "What do you write?"

"Mystery novels."

"Like Arthur Conan Doyle," I mused, more to myself than him.

"Like him indeed," said Arthur with an amused smile. "Come in for breakfast soon, Lin."

I nodded, and he walked away, yawning as he stretched his arms.

At the breakfast table, I was greeted with a lot of not-exactly-new-faces, including the grumpy man with white hair. I'd assumed he was an old man because of the bad lighting last night, but he didn't look a day over twenty-five.

"What's your name?" I asked curiously.

"Mozart." He didn't even spare me a glance, but his eyes were still piercing. "And keep it mezzoforte at most."

I was more surprised at his name than at his rudeness.

"Wolf, that's not nice!" called a blond-haired man as he walked in, his scarf trailing after him. Theo followed him. "I'm Vincent. I hope we can be friends."

"Aylin," I said, and he nodded as if he knew that already. I suppose stories here circle fast.

"Theodorus Van Gogh," said Theo, his eyes scrutinizing.

"Are you siblings?" I asked, looking between the two of them and their matching blue eyes. Theodorus seemed to have a protective stance near Vincent. They nodded simultaneously. "That makes you Vincent... Van Gogh?"

He smiled brightly, and I didn't know what to think anymore.

"I believe there is more I should tell you, ma cherie," said le Comte as he walked in. He exuded radiance and grace as he walked. And so he told me over breakfast how the residents were people whose names had endured the ravages of time.

"Wait." I held up both hands, trying to connect the non-existent dots as Leonardo and Theo watched with amusement. "So you're all vampires, but also famous people? How? This is the 19th century. Leonardo died in the 16th." I gestured to him accusingly. "He was buried in France!"

Leonardo shrugged. "Faking a death wasn't too hard."

"What are you, immortal?"

"Right on the money!" said Arthur.

"That was a joke!"

Le Comte smiled. "Everyone you see here was brought back to life because they had regrets, with the exception of me, Leonardo and Sebastian."

"I'm human," offered Sebastian.

"You take care of the mansion yourself?" I asked, realizing I hadn't seen any other servants. He nodded, and I muttered, "One hell of a butler, huh."

I looked around the table at all the amused glances, and some indifferent ones. "So you must have sired everyone here," I said, my gaze moving back to le Comte. He nodded in confirmation.

"I traveled through time and brought them back, but only those whose names were known throughout history, and those who had regrets. Vincent, for instance, wanted to paint more."

Vincent nodded.

I looked at Arthur. "And what about you?"

His lips curved. "Me? I wanted to chase some more pretty skirts."

I sighed, and then looked around. "I have a vague idea of who everyone else could be then."

A shadow fell over the window, and Sebastian sighed. "Master Dazai, please use the doors!"

No one else batted an eye as someone climbed in through the windows, wearing a Taisho-style kimono. He stopped as his eyes fell on me. "Your eyes are beautiful."

"Um, thanks?"

"Where's Sakura?" asked le Comte, looking around.

"Still sleeping," said Sebastian, refilling Comte's wine glass. "She must be exhausted after her escape attempt yesterday. I thought it would be best to let her rest some more."

Le Comte nodded.

I, on the other hand, with my newfound knowledge, found myself matching names to the people present. Dazai Osamu, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Isaac Newton, Arthur Conan Doyle—no wonder he had smiled!

I stood in the garden that afternoon, watering the plants. I had no need to, but I wanted to do something rather than while away time, and Sebastian had set me off with the task. Theo and Arthur were talking nearby, about how Sakura had gone shopping with le Comte.

"He's spoiling her," sighed Arthur. "And it hasn't even been 24 hours."

Theo laughed. "He's probably making her feel better about the door disappearing. Otherwise she would've been on her way next month."

"What's this?" I asked, straightening from my inspection of the violets.

"You didn't know?" asked Theo. Arthur launched into an explanation of how the door opens every month.

"Both doors?" I asked, my thoughts drifting back to Vlad's castle.

"Most likely," he said. "If it's a copy of Comte's."

"If it's a copy of Comte's, it's probably missing too," said Theo. He looked to the mansion gates. "Speaking of him, I hear he found jobs for the thieves who were attacking the nobles in town."

Arthur hummed. "I always thought he was running some kind of shady business." At my incredulous look, he smiled and continued. "You're wondering why? Look at the sheer size of his mansion. That fortune couldn't possibly have been acquired through honest means."

I watched as le Comte popped up out of nowhere and stood behind Arthur, one eyebrow raised. Theo's and mine's eyes both widened as Arthur continued. "And then he's housing ten vampires with no complaint. That cannot be without its expenses."

"Er, Arthur?"

"Yes, little dove?"

"Could you turn around?"

He looked back, and the smile on his face froze as he came face to face with le Comte, who was also smiling. Although that wasn't one I would describe as a friendly smile.

"Were you spreading rumors about me?"

"Not at all!" said Arthur, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I simply spoke of your goodwill at letting us stay here."

I leaned towards Theo. "Can he really talk his way out of this situation?"

Theo leaned back. "He's a mystery writer. He could probably talk a deal with the devil and walk out of it unscathed."

Le Comte walked away, and Arthur sighed in relief.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I asked.

Arthur considered that and then smiled. "Nothing. He'll just lecture you for an hour with that smile on his face."

************************************