{Le Château du Seul.}

Mikael

After Alex had fed me a huge meal and helped me drink i began to feel better. Not only better but faster and stronger. When Alex dropped a spoon of food and i caught it a moment later it confirmed my belief. It had worked. I had marched into the home of vampires and taken immortality at the tip of sword. I climbed out of bed and strode purposefully into the ballroom.

So I decided not to edit the other post, because that would just be pointless and no one would see it. Sooo ... yah.

Mercy

The man pulled the cold barrel of the gun away from Mercy's temple, and roughly pushed her aside, jogging from the dark passageway. Mercy sunk to her knees, tears streaming down her face. She yanked her mask off, throwing it to the ground. As strange of a creature she may be, she still experienced human emotions. She still understood everything. She just looked like a beast.

Mercy wiped the tears away quickly, sniffling, before rising to her feet. She hiked the hem of her dress up to her ankles and ran down the passage, to her room. Her heels clicked unevenly on the tiles as she ran. With an immense crash outside, Mercy twisted her ankle, landing on it sideways, looking around in alarm. Her vision was so blurry because of coating of tears. Outside, another crash, then a shot of light splitting through the air. Mercy clasped her hands over her ears. A storm.

She hurried quicker through the hallways, stumbling too many times to count, her breath ragged, her lungs feeling as though they would burst. A flight of stairs and Mercy would be -

Suddenly the lights flickered off. The thunder crashed with a deafening BOOM, and Mercy stopped dead, listening to the gasps of outrage from the crowd who was still dancing floors below, or the screech of the bow across the strings of a violin as it suddenly stopped its fine tune. Finally, regaining her bearings - or, a bit of them atleast - Mercy hurried up the stairs, slamming her door closed behind her.

She pressed her back against the thick wood of the door, her curtains fluttering in the wind. She'd left them open. Rain was beginning to stream into the room, creating a large puddle on the floor. Her cat was no where in sight. Mercy wiped beneath her eyes with her wrist, and taking a deep, quivering breath, and hustled towards her window and closed the panes of glass, locking them tight. Her eyes still wide, tears seeming to stream endlessly down them, her fingers quivering.

She yanked a candleabra from its holder on the wall, and reached into the top of her vanity, pulling out a box of matches. She lit it quickly, trying hard to keep her hand steady. She placed the candle on her desk, and collapsed back into the chair, burying her head in her hands. With no power, a near-death experience, and being forced into attending the ball, this was probably Mercy's worst night.

Mercy let out a last sob, and sucking in a shaky breath, she placed her hands on her knees before rising, regaining her strength. Mercy thought she saw a shadow flit through the light of the candle which was dancing across the floor and walls eerily, but it was probably just her imagination. Convinced it was so, Mercy plucked the pins from her hair which was sitting half on top of her head, and let the golden curls swirl around her face. Her body felt numb now, and she was shivering with cold sweat. Mercy had always hated thunder. And the dark.

Mercy stared blindly at her hands which were crimping the sheets of her bed. The light of her candle had flickered out. Mercy was just about to creep over and light it again, when something flashed in her vision, and the doors flew open. Mercy had no time to react before a thick grasp had her around her waist, another hand clasping her throat tight. Second time.

"Hello, Charlotte."
- - -
Do you understand how cheesy that is? And I just figured I'd make it more fun with the power out! C=

Have fun! Put your characters through misery! Enjoy! *head-keyboard*

**Pssh... LaReina, you seem to have forgotten that there is no electrircity in that time. They used oil or gas lanterns and fire. But I like the idea of the power out. Let's just say some bizarre unnatural gust of wind went through the castle extinguishing most of the lights.

Joshua

Her voice ensued silence. He was taking everything on herself. It was human to make mistakes yet how come she seemed so devastated over it? What ever tash accused her of could not have been true. There was nothing that could come out of that man's mouth that would be truth. He was foul and crude, and definetely was incredibly idiotic, falling twice in inappropriate places. He fell out of a tree, and he fell for Isabelle.

Yet Joshua felt himself slowly sympathize with Tash. It seemed that they both would not be able to be with who ever they wished.

The candles flickered out simulaneously encasing them in darkness. He felt himself shift lightly. Isabelle didn't even stir, or at least he never herad her.

"Oh dear, isn't this unfortunate." Joshua said in the room trying to break all the awkwardness. Lightening flashed, and the sound of rain became audible. The wind rustled through the window, lifting the curtains hauntingly. He kept his hand on hers, hoping that he would not have to ever let go.

"Joshua, I-I..."

"Shh. You don't have to speak. Don't dwell on the matter of Tash. If you have been acting childish, then I guess I have reverted back into an infant. I have over reacted plenty of times these last few hours. Let's just put everything behind us. We will forget this night." Joshua tried to see through the darkness, to see her emotions to see her thoughts. "A lot of things have happened tonight, a lot of things have been said. They never happened. We will just be the friends we were before, nothing more. Nothing ever will be."

The words were a lie to himself. He would not forget this night, even if his injuried leg permitted him. He had tried to get his feelings out but ended up being hurt instead. The pain was unbearable and it was impossible, increasingly impossible to imagine that that pain did not exist, but he would have to make due, as long as she would smile again, be happy again, wander the hallway's in her mischeivious manner. That would truly be the answer to his dreams.

-------------------------

Ungrounded! Cha!

~Incognito

[Tash M. Grevette]

"I..." His voice cracked.

"You?"

William shrunk back and tensed his shoulders like a soldier ready for battle. I stepped forward and looked down at him, looming over the blonde-headed boy. He looked so scared, so pale...

"Why are you like that?" I asked, hardly able to stay standing, "Are you frightened? Is that the reason for calling me sir? My name is Tash, if you didn't know,"

I glanced around for a wall to lean on. The candles flicked and threw a shadow across the boy's face and lighted his eyes. I'm not a monster, I thought, Why does he look at me so?

"You're not going to talk to me anymore," It came out as a statment more than a question. "I won't bite you,"

William's eyes grew wider.

"I see that not many people, if any, like me. I'm not even from here. I stole this suit, found this mask, and stumbled upon the masquerade. The first person I met here was Isabelle," A short, one-note laugh jumped out,"The second was Joshua," I'm sure my face must've looked disgusted when the name slipped out.

My eyes softened, glancing back down to William as the air fell silent again, "Are you still not going to talk to me?"

William

Damit it! he cursed innerly. Talk, damnit!

No words were coming up though. He hated the fact that he was terrified, hated the fact that every little thing scared him to no end. Words didnt seem to want to work for him, and the more he tried, the more they just stuck in his throat like penutbutter.

Finally he murmured a staggered "sorry." Cheeks filling with red.

"That wasnt exactly talking," Tash cocked an eyebrow inquisitively.

"I-I am sorry... but it seems I have become t-terribly b-befuddled again," The words were staggered and weak, as almost all his words were, but it was a full sentence. That was better then the meek sorry. "I-If I have o-offended you g-good sir..."

He felt regret for stuttering though. Tash, in a sense, was somewhat like him. As he had spoken before, he had stolen his outfit and found his mask. William himself only had his piano-boy outfit and even it was ragged and worn with patches here and there. The only few people he knew here was Isabelle, Mercy... and Joshua. Now it seemed he was being tested in his own terms.

"You havent offended me," Tash seemed almost bored with the conversation now. "If you cant talk then dont. You obviously have nothing to say."

That brush off stung.

"I-I did not mean to become such a waste of time," William fumbled blatantly, knees buckling. "I-I just am a nervous person by instinct. I-I am afraid of m-most people so I d-did not want to seem as such... but I dont want to be useless..."

[Tash M. Grevette]

"Maybe it'll be more," I chose my word carefully, "comfortable... if I'm at your height,"

From leaning on the wall I sunk down to the wooden floors below me, my weight squishing into the plush rug underneath. I was about eye level with William, him being slightly taller at this position.

"Better?" I asked, brushing away the hair from my face.

William, too, started to sit down. I looked past him at the door of the sickroom and thought of Isabelle, then back. He was so stiff. A china doll. The air drooped and fell silent, my suit feeling itchier and itchier.

I tore of the jacket and threw it towards the stairs, mumbling, "I wonder if all these rich people wear such scratchy things,"

William looked down to his shoes and shrugged. I don't think he noticed me looking back at the room, so I looked down, too.

"You know," I whispered, giving a small, evil grin, "There's a little story that I was told by my mother when I was kid,"

"Y-yeah?"

I nodded, "Yeah, she said that she met a boy once that died from not talking. His head was chopped off and thrown into a pot to boil! She told me that it was being talked about everywhere. That he was accused of trying to murder this guy, that they asked him if it was true, that he wouldn't... talk, so he could defend himself."

"But I haven't tried to kill anyone!" William said hurriedly.

I held up my bandaged arm, "Maybe you were the one who pushed my off that tree and tried to kill me? They'd believe it,"

"No, it wasn't me! I--!"

I started laughing, "Then don't start falling silent again, got it?"

Isabelle

"A lot of things have happened tonight, a lot of things have been said. They never happened. We will just be the friends we were before, nothing more. Nothing ever will be."

Isabelle gave an involuntary jerk and glanced up at Joshua. She could barely see his outline in the blackness. She gave a wry smile. Of course it had to be this way. Isabelle was so confused by tonight's events, and after Tash's comments she was far to afraid to confront Joshua about her thoughts. The only solution in sight was to forget it all. And maybe, just maybe, Isabelle might be able to forget.

"Isabelle?"

"Yes?"

Joshua didn't answer. Isabelle picked herself up, and with a tremendous effort of will slid her hand out from under Joshua's. She stood up and rummaged for something to re-light the candles with. She lit a candle, holding it up so she could light the others. Out of the corner of her eye, Isabelle caught Joshua staring at her.

Isabelle gritted her teeth. She had to move on. Joshua had said it; tonight never happened.

"Monsieur, I do believe you are staring," said Isabelle, forcing a light tone into her voice. It came out distorted, and Isabelle winced. She covered it with a small giggle, and moved across the room to light more candles.

As she moved, Isabelle caught a glance at the expression on Joshua's face. His eyes seemed to be filled with a deep loss resignation. Isabelle's breath caught in her chest. She felt as if part of her heart died at that look.

But it just couldn't be.

Joshua

"Isabelle," Joshua said again averting his eyes from her. "Do we have any crutches in here? I don't believe I want to sit here for any longer. I hate being able to do nothing."

"I don't quite know. There could possibly a set in the closet." She said as she lit the last candle. "But I think we may have thrown them out." Her voice was light but she would not look at him. He felt himself silently pleading to see her face, to see her beautiful eyes and lips, her undulating hair framing it perfectly. His heart beat wildly in his chest but it shouldn't. I wasn't supposed to.

Slowly ambling himself to hang his legs off the bed, he reached for things that may help him up with out him having to put any weight on his leg. He wished something would be able to get him out of this room, that something would help him get up and wander away, find someone to distract him from this horrific world, this insanity. He thought of William sitting at the piano, the sonnet coming out stunning and incredibly alluring. He thought of Tash and his evil grimace and cold stares that only seemed to come his way. He thought of Mercy, sitting there alone in the ballroom watching the people around her longingly.

"I need to go find Mercy." Joshua spoke softly. He watched Isabelle tense lightly. Obviously she was having a hard time forgetting also. "The crutches would be much appreciated."

Isabelle disappeared into the closet and emerged carrying two big crutches,curved lightly for where he would put them under his armpit so that they would bear his weight. There was two slats of wood slanting down to connect with each other at the bottom and a small unsanded wooding handle connected to both of them. They were dark cherry wood.

"This is all we have." Isabelle began.

"They will have to do." Joshua grabbed them out of her hands not connecting her gaze no matter how much he desired. He struggled to get up but then he felt the pressure of Isabelle's grip trying to help him up, and together they succeeded. He slid them under his arms and put the weight moreover on his uninjured leg so that he could stand straight. He looked up and her.

"Before we forget," Joshua began. "I just have to do one more thing that I have wanted to do for what seems like the longest time." He cupped her face in his palm and drew her closer into a small kiss. This one was more sadder than the other because this seemed more over a good-bye kiss, not like an invitation like the other. He back away from her and shifted towards the door. "I guess I will see you around Isabelle."

And using the crutches, he ambled out of the room slowly but surely. The skill of using crutches slowly returning to him.

----------------------------------

You know it. I am bringing you back in Mercy because it seems Tash and William aren't getting anywhere with it.

~Incognito

Mikael

I watched as Joshua swerved unsteadily on crutches down the corridor away from me. I headed down the corridor and walked into the room he had just been in to find Isabella sat alone staring the wall her face, or what little i could see was a mixture of emotions. When she finally noticed i was there her face return to her usual unreadable facade.
"Oh it's you" she said looking me up and down. "You survived then."
"Yes and now i feel better than ever before."
"It won't last" she said calmly.
"What won't last?"
"That feeling of euphoria. Soon you will realise exactly what you have become."
"What i have become?" I laughed scornfully "I have become the same as your precious Joshua and yet you don't veiw me with the same strange attachment."
"You will never be like him" she replied coldly.
"Your right, he is an artifact of an old age. A relic, nay a prototype even for me. His disfigurement can never be undone but mine will never match his disturbing array. Science and surgery are far advanced since his creation."

Isabelle

Isabelle stood up quickly, furious. "Don't you ever - " she snarled.

"Don't I ever what?" asked the man calmly.

"Compare yourself to Joshua," snapped Isabelle. "He is infinitely better than you, and always will be."

"That's your opinion."

Isabelle raised her hand to slap the man. She was furious, trembling with rage. But no. She couldn't.

Isabelle slowly curled her hand into a fist and lowered it. The man's face broke into a smug grin.

"Learning self control, are we?" he sneered. Isabelle gritted her teeth and swung open the door forcefully. It hit the man in the stomach. Isabelle smiled grimly as she heard a grunt from the man.

"No," snarled Isabelle. "I'm not."

She gave the door an extra shove into the man's stomach, then marched out into the hallway. Isabelle was shaking. She walked numbly back to the ballroom. The guests had long gone, but whether by choice or by the man's gang's force Isabelle couldn't know.

Isabelle heard a low moan made by the wind rushing past the Chateau. Isabelle crossed the ballroom in silence and paused at the doors. Lighting illuminated the room for a moment, throwing the great brass door handles into sudden contrast with the oak door.

Impulsively, Isabelle wrenched open the door. She stood in the doorway for a moment, the wind rushing past her and into the Chateau. Isabelle felt her dress blow around her, and her hair fly up into what would be hell to untangle. At the moment, Isabelle couldn't care less.

Minutes past, maybe hours, and Isabelle simply stood in the doorway, watching impassively as the Chateau grounds were ravaged by the storm. Slowly, Isabelle became aware of a single, lonely voice calling her name.

"Isabelle!"

The voice grew closer; Isabelle could barely hear it over the howl of the wind.

"... Isabelle .... Are you all right?"

William

He was quite horrified by the story he had just heard, even though he knew Tash was just trying to joke around with him but he wasnt a very humorous person when it comes to himself.

That's when he heard a crash and he looked down the hall to see Joshua banged up against the wall, a pair of crutches under his arms. He wobbled up again, striding forward just to misplace his food and slide right on his back.

"Damn it!" Joshua cursed, his face looking utterly frightening.

"Joshua!" William jumped up surprised.

"Ah, here he comes to crash this party as well," Tash chuckled darkly. "Cant have a decent conversation without mister perfect coming to rain on my parade."

As a matter of fact though, mister perfect didnt look all to perfect at this point in time. He was covered in a thick sheen of sweat, his leg bandaged up but there was still blood on his clothing, and his teeth were clenched roughly.

"William, what are you doing with him?" there was curiosity evident in his voice, but he cringed from pain.

"Oh, h-he was just talking w-with me," William stammered, leaning down to help Joshua back up onto his feet.

"This is obviously going to go nowhere," Tash was about to leave when William spoke up.

"Tash, please dont leave yet," he murmured, his eyes looking up at him. They were black, yes, but they reflected the most profound blue.

"Ah, thats speaking," Tash chuckled. He remained sitting loosely on the floor.

Here we go ...

Mercy

Mercy couldn't tell you exactly what she was thinking; everything was just a stumbled thought process, every clear thought crashing and mingling with the others. Many times she felt as though he vision were blurring, and her knees buckled beneath her, but the man who stood behind her, grasping her tight with his arms, kept her up.

"Charlotte ... Charlotte ... Charlotte! What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Charlotte ... there were only four people who knew her real name - her mother and father, her grandmother, who was deceased, and a man named Gabriel, who she'd long ago developed a liking for, but only a tiny playground crush.

But how he'd found her, she didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't bear looking up into his angelic green eyes, seeing his distraught, curly black hair, and seeing such an angel become her devil. "You'd always found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, Charlotte. You always were quite the push-over." The way he spat the words out of his mouth, and the way he measured each words meaning before he said it ... it hurt Mercy. Like a single bullet to her body each time.

She let out a whimper, her knees finally buckling beneath her. She slid to the ground, and this time Gabe let her. He roughly kicked her back, and strode (is that a word ...?) over to her desk, where he quickly lit a match, before lighting his pipe.

"H-H-how did you find m-me?" Mercy stumbled over the words, nearly choking on them. It took so much effort to say anything - it was as though her mouth had been glued shut. "W-W-Wha-What?" Gabe mocked her, pulling the pipe from his mouth and letting out a cackle. "You always were such a sad girl." He strutted himself proudly through her room, circling around, running a finger along the furniture, testing for dust. He was like a peacock showing its feathers.

"You were such a sad girl when you were young ... I obviously could tell which one was you. You carry your shoulders in such a slumped, un-ladylike fashion. And your somber expression, your worried brow ... even your golden hair is sad."

Gabe snorted and shook his head. "But this - this is the least I'd expect from you, Mercy. You're a monster. And you deserve to die. That's why I'm here. To kill you."

"B-bu-but - "

"But what? You're a monster."

Gabe pulled a gun from his holster, loaded it slowly, a smile curling on his face when he heard Mercy's sobs start. You really are a poor girl, Charlotte ... Mercy thought to herself, not even bothering to reminisce. After all, what was the point? There was nothing happy that'd happened in her life thus far ... nothing in particular that stood out. Mercy stayed, an anvil weighing her chest down. This corset was much too tight ... especially after all the sobbing she'd spent her evening doing. This looked like the end. There really was no escape at all.

[Tash M. Grevette]

"Ah, that's speaking,"

I sat on the floor and watched as William struggle to help Joshua across the hallway. Why was I going to help that? Okay, he did bandage my arm, but... I grimanced and, with a huge amount of will power, stood up.

"You're not doing it right," I snapped, putting my arm around Joshua.

He gave me a half irritated, half shocked look and asked, "What're you doing?"

"Repaying you,"

William still held onto one side as we moved over toward the stairs. I kept my head looking forward, holding the urge to simply let him go and have William take him the rest of the way. The stairs turned out to be farther away than I expected.

"Thank you,"

"Whatever," I dropped my arms and then crossed them, turning my back to him, "What're you doing, anyway?"

"Going to find Mercy,"

I pointed to William, "We were about to do that!"

"You two were talking,"

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Um--"

Joshua cut in front of William and eyed me angrily, "No, you were taking too long. Stall all you want, but I'm going to find her,"

"As if!"

I raced down the stairs and into the gloom of flickering candles. Slow pairs of footsteps followed after: William and Joshua. He must've still been helping him down the steps when I caught sight of a figure, a dark silhouette against the heavy doors. Long hair falling backwards, shimmering softly.

"Isabelle?" I questioned, stepping closer, "Isabelle ... Are you alright?"

I caught my breath and thought, What am I doing? Why do I care! I couldn't move. I couldn't take it back now. What was said, was said. I glared at the dark floor below me and waited for her reply, soft steps still trailing behind me.

Joshua

He watched as Tash ambled away. The wrong way. He couldn't help but smile, a small sadistic smile. William got him down the last stair and looked up wildly at Joshua, smiling lightly.

"I-I like that man." William spoke, his voice almost tender. "He was very nice to me."

"He is selfish, foul, and greedy. He may be a good man at points, but he is unbearably two faced. You never know if you are talking to the real him." Joshua spoke calmly, looking into the shadow's that Tash disappeared. "Not to mention, he has a horrible sense of direction."

William seemed to shuffle nervously, watching his feet, the shiny black shoes seemed dull in the pale serene darkness of the castle. All the candles were unlit. How peculiar. It seemed like a different place, the candeliers looking twisted and monstrous, the long windows seeming dusty, the light from the outside world seeping in, beams of light landing lightly on the carpet. the castle was abandoned, not like the previous affairs of the night, and all those guests were likely never to come back again. The staircase seemed even more grand, preserved in time, spindling upwards to the rooms above.

Joshua adjusted his crutches and ambled down a small hallway, mirrors all along the walls. He watched himself pass through, looking positively dreadful, hair a mess, clothing blood stained, the scars etched along his skin. He could not bare to look at the sight of himself. He was wear and broken hearted, and that was visible and heart-breaking no matter how you looked at it.

William on the other can was handsome and charming, like a porcelian doll, following him as if connected by puppet strings. His blonde hair shining lightly and his pale skin seemed like paper in the lighting.

Joshua reached the door and eyed it maliciously. Another obsacle. He leaned onto one foot and balanced his weight perfectly. The door opened with a small creak and revealed a well furnished room, a single candle a light. Joshua could see Mercy's udulating blonde longs around her as she knelt on the ground, a gun pointed to her head by a menacing man he had never met before.

"Mercy?" Joshua hissed. "What is going on?"

--------------------------

~Incognito

William

He choked, his body clenching suddenly in fear. The sight of the man with the gun made his heart patter so wearily in his chest that he could barely breathe, his fingers pulling at the hem of his shirt.

"Mercy?" Joshua asked. The man with the gun turned, his eyes bright with anger and a slight amusement.

"Nice of you to join the party," he stated mockingly, the barrel of his gun still pressed up against the girls head. "Dont make a move sir, although I'm sure you know your odds and I dont think the boy will try anything either."

Once again, William took slight offense to the word 'boy'. He didnt mean to feel so foolishly about it but he was just as old as the rest of them. Why couldnt he be more manly? And the words that the man spoke angered him so that he could feel his fists clenching, a slow growl erupting within his chest. He had never felt so utterly frustrated and annoyed in his life and at this moment he wanted nothing more then to hurt this man and show him who was the real man here.

"William," Joshua murmured softly as if to say not to move. Suddenly the rage calmed and he looked down at his shoes embarrassed for feelings as such.