Masquerade

The banging on the door was insistent, shaking the thin rattan walls of the beachside hotel. The sound broke the silence of the dawn. It was almost five in the morning.



"Schuyler! Schuyler! Wake up!"



Schuyler stumbled out of bed and opened the door a crack. She saw Bliss standing in the outdoor hallway looking panicked, still wearing her outfit from the night before, her hair in disarray.



Schuyler unlocked the door chain and opened the door fully.



"What?"



"Oh my God, Schuyler, you have to help me, I'm in huge trouble, oh shit, it's bad, I think he's dead," Bliss said, shaking uncontrollably.



Schuyler immediately woke up. "Dead? Who's dead?"



"Morgan--the assistant--I...come quick."



As Schuyler ran down the beach with her, Bliss told her the story. "I did it. I did the Caerimonia Osculor. The Sacred Kiss. I don't know, I just felt like it. I wanted to get it over with, you know? I was hating being the only one in our year who hadn't done it. And it was great, it was fine, he seemed to really get into it--but then, I don't know, I think I went too far. Oh shit, Schuyler, if The Committee finds out, I'm in huge, huge, huge trouble."



Bliss led Schuyler to the spot where she and Morgan had made out, in a secluded area underneath palm trees, behind a sand dune.



The boy was lying face up in the sand, blood still dripping from the two small punctures on his neck.



"He's not breathing," Bliss said nervously. "I think I went too far."



Schuyler knelt down and took his pulse. "There's no pulse."



"Oh my God, they are going to kill me! No human has ever been killed in a Caerimonia! Ever!"



"Shhh...Let me think....Jack. We need to get Jack," Schuyler decided.



"Jack? Why?"



"Because he's done this before. Morgan might not be dead. Maybe this is what happens to Red Bloods after the ritual. Maybe Jack will know something we don't."



Jack was at the door, fully dressed and wide awake before Bliss had even finished knocking. Schuyler marveled at his speed. She bet he would be a natural for the Velox test. She hadn't thought to use the vampire speed in such a fashion--she was still wearing her pajamas. Jack listened to Bliss's story and was at the boy's side in seconds.



He knelt on the sand and took Morgan's pulse by pressing two fingers against his neck. "It's there...You can sense it, very faint, but it's there."



"Oh thank God," Bliss said, sinking to the ground in relief.



"So he'll be okay?" Schuyler asked.



"He'll be okay." Jack said. "He might not remember what happened, but when he awakes, he'll be looking for you. He'll be drawn to the one who marked him as her own."



"Why?"



"The Sacred Kiss creates a bond. It means he's yours. No other vampire can take him. When you took him, your blood mixed with his, and it will be poison to any other Blue Blood."



Bliss and Schuyler absorbed this new information.



"So he's like my boyfriend?" Bliss asked, not sure if she really wanted that.



"If you want," Jack allowed. "It's not a casual thing, you know. It means something. For both parties."



Bliss blushed. "I..."



"It's okay," Jack said. He lifted the boy up. "Let's just take him back to his room. He'll probably just think he has a really bad hangover in the morning."



"Thanks, Jack," Schuyler said, when both Morgan and Bliss were safely stowed in their rooms. She put a light hand on his forearm to show how much his actions that evening had meant to her. Jack smiled, his green eyes shining in the dim light. Schuyler thought she had never seen anyone so calm under pressure. He had been such a stabilizing influence, a natural leader, assuaging Bliss's anxiety and taking such respectful care of Morgan. He put his left hand on top of Schuyler's. "Any time. And tell Bliss not to worry. We all make mistakes."



His skin felt warm and smooth to her touch, and Schuyler thought they could stand like that forever, framed in the doorway to her room. But Jack released his hand first, and she reluctantly took hers back as well.



"Well...good night," Jack mumbled, nodding to the sunrise that was slowly breaking through the clouds. He began to walk away, his footsteps soft on the wood floor. "'Night," Schuyler whispered. "Sweet dreams?"



"You bet," Jack replied.



Schuyler laughed softly to herself as she unlocked the door to her room. She hadn't meant for Jack to hear her last words, but there were no secrets from a vampire with extrasensitive hearing.



Later that morning, Schuyler and Bliss shared a taxi to the airport. Their flight was scheduled at eight, and both of them had had only two hours' sleep after all the ruckus.



"You okay?" Schuyler asked.



"God, I need a cigarette," Bliss said, fumbling for her purse. She brought one out and lit it, while rolling down the window at the same time. "Want one?"



Schuyler shook her head.



"I'm not sure," Bliss admitted. "I kind of wish I had waited. I don't know, I just felt like doing it. You know? Because Mimi talks about it all the time--and all those other girls, they always brag about their familiars. And I felt like such a stupid, I don't know, virgin or something."



"So what was it like?" Schuyler asked.



"Honestly?"



"Yeah."



"It was awesome. It's like you devour their soul, Schuyler. I could taste his...being. And then I felt great, you know. It's a high. A rush. I know why people do it now," Bliss confessed.



The taxi whizzed along, and the girls looked out at a view of the flat, untroubled waters of the Caribbean. It was a spectacular sight, but both of them were glad to be going back to the dirty, gray streets of New York.



"I haven't done it yet," Schuyler confessed, taking a deep breath.



"You will," Bliss said, flicking her ashes out the window. "But take it from me when you do take a familiar, make sure he matters something to you. I feel a pull toward Morgan, and I don't want to. I hardly even know the guy."



PATIENT RECORD



St. Dymphna Home for the Insane



Name: Margaret Stanford



Age: 16



Admitted: April 5, 1869



PREVIOUS HISTORY:



Recommended isolation therapy, April 30, 1869 Patient unresponsive. Isolation therapy no longer recommended, May 23, 1869.



Patient continues to have delirium, delusion, nightmares.



Suicidal tendencies more pronounced.



Patient is violent, danger to self and to others. Recommend transfer to full-security facility.



PRESENT CONDITION:



A week before patient was to be transferred, patient started responding to treatment. Patient stayed and was allowed to remain in our facility for several weeks, in which no signs of delusion, hysteria, or dementia were observed. Patient responds well to questions and appears to have fully recovered. Recommend release to family in three months if progress continues.