"What. . ." Madam Zornem fell silent as Kyler and I ripped apart from each others grasp. I badly wanted to explain everything, and how THIS is, in fact, not my fault. I mean, I can't help that he just randomly showed up at her house in the middle of the night, right? 

"I can explain," I smile to Madam Zornem, but we both know that I can't explain a damn word of it. I got caught like a boar in the torchlights. I let out a low breath and shake my head; my hands are clammy and my legs are shaking. It is like I am full of a thousand little jitters, and they are now, of all times, coming to life and expanding into the depths of the real realm. "For the love of Gala; I can't explain. He just, he just showed up!"

"It is my fault, not hers; I was just checking in on her after drinking that concoction, and I was worried." 

"Will you two shut your bloody mouths already. I am just confused, that's all. But, you," Madam Zornem points an accusing finger towards me and gives me a slight death glare, "are in some major trouble."

"Should I ask why?" Kyler sounds, and I put my hand onto his shoulder and shake my head no. It is better that he doesn't know that I just, well, murdered somebody and left their body out on the marketplace streets to rot away. 

"It is something that Alice and I would best keep to ourselves about. This is something that won't be happening again, right, Alice?" I gulp slightly and slowly nod my head in agreement. No more randomly attacking, and sucking the soul out of drunks in the middle of the night

Madam Zornem nods her head and closes the door behind her, seemingly content with the situation or as content as she can be. She just had to hide a dead body or do SOMETHING with it; I am sure she is less than pleasantly happy. 

"So you're here to check on Alice, and now that you know her dirty little secret,"  I let out a humourless chuckle and shake my head at her response. It wasn't such a little secret. 

She gives me a sideways look before continuing her sentence, "since you know her secret we can go one of two ways. You can help us find her murderer, or you can get your memory erased. The choice is up to you." 

"I want to help," Kyler responds instantly which takes Madam Zornem and I both by surprise. I truly thought he would prefer his memory wiped; who in the kingdom of Gala wants to deal with something this complex, this secretive, something so vile and disgusting that the mere failure will lead to their certain torture and death? A brave knight he is; if it were me, I would run, hide. I would go so far away and try to forget every last second of what this entire situation is made of. Alas, I am not a knight. I don't serve the people and protect others; perhaps he is just a good person; no, I am sure he is a good person. He has earned my respect, and that takes a lot. 

"You're something," Madam Zornem mumbles, and I nod my head in agreement. What an odd creature he is. 

"Madam Zornem ---" I start to ask but am quickly interrupted.

"Celia, Madam Zornem is too formal. If we are trying to fight this hidden attacker, I am done with formalties. Call me Celia." 

My eyes are a bit wide as Kyler and I look at each other. Formalties, for an elder to be called by their first name is nearly unheard of unless it is royalty speaking to them. Her blue eyes pierce through my soul, it feels like a knife is being pierced through my heart. I let out a quiet cough and shake my head, this is bizarre. 

"Okay, now that you're in on this, Kyler, it is time to plan. Going into this blind would have consequences beyond words." 

"You're telling me," I mumble quietly and everyone seems to be in a silent agreement. The air is tense, but, in the same time, it is tranquil. Despite the furiosirty of the situation, we know I have an opportunity that not just anyone has. I have a chance to get my life back. 

"Alice,  here is what is going on. You have 39 rotations to find your murderer. Where do we start, do you have any enemies?" 

"Really, Celia?" I freeze for a second, the name sounds foreign off of my tongue. I shake the thought out of my head and continue, "I was literally a peasent, no one could have given less of a bloody shit about me if they tried."

"What about suscipous people or events in the recent pass?" Kyler and I look at each other as my mind flashes back to the past few days: the tailor warning me about the assassination, the ghost in the shed, the king smirking during the applause . . . there are so many things, and I can't seem to keep up with them all. 

"The tailor. . ." I whisper quietly. He knows something; he warned me a few days ago about being careful about the murder. What does he know?

"You mean the Daniel? The one who does all the dresses?" Kyler sounds off, and I nod my head. Celia walks a bit closer and grabs a chair from the side table next to me, or the former side table anyway. She sits in front of Kyler and I and moves a stray hair from her typically put together face. 

"Yeah, him. He said something about being careful when I got my dress, the same day I met you, Madam Zor- Celia." 

She looks blankly forward, Kyler simply appears to be confused. I wouldn't expect him to understand anything anyway; this is rather confusing for someone who has no idea what they're running head first into. For the love of Gala, this poor boy is going to be in so much trouble, but I can't do anything to change his mind, right? No, knights are known to be stubborn, and there is no doubt that Kyler is something special; I can feel it deep within the darkness of my soul or what is left of it. 

There is a sudden snap within me as my eyes widen; I leap from my seat and let out a loud gasp,

"The king!" My voice echoes around the room as I place hands to my head. "He is the one that bought my dress; he's the one that invited me to Gala! He must know something!" 

Everyone seems quiet, Kyler seemingly stunned in place. Celia's face looks sullen and quiet, the works of her mind spinning like clockwork. 

"How did this never occur to me, didn't we discuss this, Celia? You - you said something about it." 

"Gods, Alice, I am losing my memory, I don't remember anything these days." 

"Well, try. You're the one that alerted me, and I am the one inflicted with this gods awful curse." 

I let out a quiet breath and sit back down next to Kyler who sends me a pitiful frown; surly this is a lot to take in. This kingdom isn't simply corrupt, it is ruined. For this a kingdom of facades; on the outside we are perfect but deep within, there is nothing short of tragedy with every corner passed by. People are suffering, and royalty refuses to acknowledge it. 

"When my mother was alive," Kyler's voice rings around the house, and I look towards him, curious. I remember him telling me about his mother, she sounded like a kind soul, perhaps she was."She told me one rule to follow by: never trust anyone but yourself. Today, I break that rule. For ninteen Gala's it has severved me right, but I find the spirits around me to be at bay when I am with you. They seem to trust you, Alice and Madam Zornem."

"Call me Madam Zornem again or for the love of Gala," Celia mumbles quietly. She seems to be intrigued, however, and I do not blame her. Spirits are rather fascinating creatures; they are not dead nor alive. Spirits are those who are stuck in between the middle of life and death, they are simply in an infinite loop of false reality. I feel bad for them, most are quiet creatures that keep to themselves, but, at times, they can be loud, excited even. I wonder what they say to Kyler. 

"Why me, espcially when I look like this?" I gestiure to my eyes and rangs, and Kyler only lets out a smile before staring towards the ground. His eyes, typically brown, start to glow a gentle green as his breath is quiet, sombered. He stays still for those few moments before looking back at me, his eyes now back to their molasis irises. 

"They say that you are the one that will help them. However, they can't specifically say why. Madam Zornem, they say that because Alice trusts you that they trust you as well."

"I never said I completely trusted her," I whisper under my breath as I shake my head. I don't trust her completely; part of me does and part of me doesn't. She's the one that warned me in the first place, but I ponder if she is the one that put me up to it. No, certainly not. 

"A spirit whisper, strigoi, and elder, huh. Quite the group. Okay, so here's where we start," Celia pauses while shifting forward in her seat,"we need to get information out of the tailor. He knows something that we don't. Perhaps we can find a connection between him and the king."

"So how do we go about it?" I question. 

"Tomorrow you and I will go have a little chat with Daniel. Kyler," Celia points a finger towards the young knight whose eyes grow wide, "you will get an eye out for any rumors that might be circulating between the royal army. Try to keep an ear out, if you can."

"Not a problem, shall I report back tomorrow evening?"

"No, boy, you need rest. Report back in two days time unless you hear something shocking. Don't leak anything, the last thing we need is my name to become suspcious. Especially when I am helping an enemy." 

---

The ring is fitted along my finger as Celia and I stand in her shop in the midst of the bustling marketplace. Jewlery spans all around me, and there are many customers that curiously peak through the jewlery, even a few sneaky thiefs make their way into the booth. 

There is one thing that I have noticed since the day first begun, there are people that come through, occasionally, with a dark aura around them. It isn't simply a play on words, rather they have a dark cloud that seems to surround them, appearing dark, ominious. I am always quick to see that those are the thiefs, and I can only assume the aura they carry with them is something related to sin, perhaps a darkness that follows them with their betrayls, their errors. 

I have quickly developed a way of letting Celia know who the theives are by simply alerting her with a nod or little tap on the shoulder. She, from there, typically talks with them while keeping an eye on their actions. It is safe to say that they typically leave with nothing. 

I have gotten quite a few looks over the past few hours I have spent with Celia, silently may I add. For the illusion magic she has cast along me only works when I am smiling, not talking, so if I were to ever speak aloud, then there is a chance that someone might see my fangs. 

"Isla," Celia whispers and my head whips around to look at her. Isla is my alias name that we use so there are no suspcions that I am, well, alive. "Go, now. The sun has struck high noon and Daniel is on his break." 

I nod my head and with a quiet huff, I exit the small shop. Stepping into the crowdds, I hastily make my way from one part of the market street to the next, trying not to lose any part of my outfit in the process, more specifcally my ring. It feels like I am a spy, attempting to pry information away without my own secrets being exposed. 

I am quick to arrive at my destination while looking at the door, a large "OPEN" sign hanging on the door. I look within and don't see Daniel caught within the midst of the dresses, so I hesitantly open the door, hearing the old wood groan. I step into the store and close the door, quickly flipping the sign and locking the door. 

I crack my knucles and start looking around the store. At one time I used to be excited, but now I am filled with dread, almost completely bitter. I know he is up to something, that or he is a pawn within this game, no doubt there is information he has been witholding from me. 

I look at the dresses up and down while clenching my fist, thinking back to that snowy day. What if I never came to pick up that dress? Would I still be alive? Would Mama still be safe? Gods, the pure bitterness driven within my heart is unwavering, I despise him. 

"Hello," Daniel stumbles out of a small room within the building; his hair is dischevled, and he appears to be sheet white, like that of a fhost. I poinder what happened to him. Not that it matters to me anyway; I can't care less what happens to his pathetic life. 

I can only look at Daniel with a deathly agitated look in my eyes. I can feel my hands are clenched together and a pit in my stomach forms with utter rage. I want to spit on him, let him feel the wrath of a furious stirgoi, but, alas, I can't. Not yet, at least. 

After a few awkward seconds, Daniel walks up to me and gives me a half-hearted, yet hesitant, smile,"can I help you, Miss?" 

My head freezes for a moment as the air in my throat becomes locked. I don't even blink before I dash towards Daniel, and run right into him, the two of us crashing down onto the floor as I pin his arms down. He lets out a groan of pain as my hands are gentle, for now, but I am slowly adding my preassure. He pleads with me in incoherent words to let me go, but I don't budge, allowing the temptations to drink his blood to peak through.

No, stop. I have to force myself to focus or else we can't get further. A dead tailor won't do us any good. 

"Let me go you wretched woman!" 

"Let you go now? I think you owe me something, Daniel." I draw out his name and stare him directly in his eyes, there is a feeling, the illusion magic quickly wears off on my teeth and my fangs are back out. I can only stare Daniel down in his eyes and let out a full fanged smile. 

"What are you?"

"You should ask WHO?" I scream into his face as I lift one of my hands up and slam it down onto the ground it agitation. My fist lands right near his head and a crack forms into the cemented floor. He lets out a gentle curse word before  his eyes slowly widen in recognition. 

"Don't run, Boy," I whisper as I slowly unpin him. I stand back up and he does the same yet slowly. It is clear his body isn't used to the shock of the fall, and it appears that he has a limp in his left leg, good. "Look at me."

Daniel doesn't hesitate as I slowly take the ring off of my finger, the magical viel that once shields me has been taken off, and the joyous facade I once wear is now withdrawn. 

"What on gods are you?" He screams, but I walk up to him and place a single finger to his lips, shushing him in the process. I smile widely and tilt my head to the left,

"You don't realize me, Daniel? You warned me, didn't you? You're part of the ones that made me like this." My voice is calm, too calm. It is eery and downright terrifying, for a male would shiver deep into the bones of his own body with the pure calamity in my voice. 

"A-Alice?" 

"Ah, we remember names." 

"What do you want with me? What happened to you?"

"Don't play stupid!" My voice is loud as I snap at him. He flinches and backs up slowly against the wall. I am quick to notice his outifit; his once clean white shirt is now filthy with dirt, his blood pants are slighly ripped due to the fall. "Daniel Daniel, I know a lot more than I think. It is time you give me some information, unless you want to, die." 

I put a finger to my throat and make a little slashing motion, smiling like a sociopath in the process of murder. 

"Please, I don't want to die." 

"Good, we are in agreeance. I don't want to kill you." I admit as I slowly take back my finger and shake my head. I cross my arms and put my weight on my back foot releasing a sigh. I don't want to be mad, but I am. 

Maybe he is a good person, I don't know. 

"I will let you go on one term."

"Please, I'll do anything." Daniel pleads, and I let out a small smile. Tilting my head and allowing my blood red eyes to shimmer with mischevouness.

"Anything?"