Fangs of a Butterfly

CHAPTER 30

So where exactly were we at? Oh, yes, Dr.Gregoire.

"Where is Dr.Gregoire?" I asked Uriel. "And Cecile."

He looked at me with a sly smile. "Oh, I was lying."

I really wanted to slap him but I couldn't.

"You know, you're a real piece of work yourself. A liar and an accomplice in murder, you're no better than me."

"I have Yves, though."

"No!" I cried. "Is he here? Did he hear of anything?"

So that's who he was with when stalking me! I thought they all had came after us, but of course not! It was him and Yves!

"Yves is in a special cabin. They have that for the researchers." Uriel looked at the water. "Since Yves is from a vampire hunter lineage. He had more respect than you know, in place plagued by vampires."

"Plagued by us? We're just people who want to live!"

"But your clans are not healthy, they use the young and women for gain."

"That is true." Which is why Edith made our clan. But it had done the same.

"So does Yves know you're here?"

"We ran here ages ago. I was hiding behind this thing on the ship, the crane? Funnel? I don't know but I hid here."

"Wonderful."

"I figured you wouldn't recognize me with my hair and glasses anyway, then when I heard you I took them off and couldn't find you again so I ran around."

"Pathetic," I laughed. He was yelling all around the ship, like a chicken with its head cut off!

Maybe that's a bad analogy.

"I want to apologize. The day you had that dream, learned the truth, and I left you. Or you left me. But we had promised, I would be there for you." He rolled up a little of his sleeve to show his bandaged arm. I remember that time we promised. I had felt lust. It wasn't a good feeling.

"I don't know. I wanted time away from you. From everyone, from that castle. But I see so many butterflies, even though they aren't supposed to be here. At the town, even the ship. Something's wrong with them; they're following me."

"Maybe they are protecting you." He was quiet for a while. "Then I'll give you time alone, and if you need me come to me. When the ship gets to land Yves and I will meet you vam—you girls here."

"Butterflies." I smiled. "Call us butterflies. And me—instead of Margery, call me Marie."

He nodded. I stepped away, holding on Lark's head as she followed.

We hurried to a second class rooms and had a different sailor show us a room after confirming we had paid with the other man. He was quieter and easier to be with. When we went in, Adalyn gasped.

"Must we live here?"

It was small, the size of my large bed in the castle, and brown, from wooden walls to floors. There was a strange bunk bed

"We aren't living here, we are staying here to avoid the sunlight. It was already burning me today," I said, pushing them inside.

Bernadette had on a face but didn't say anything, while Lark cried.

"I'd rather be upstairs and watch the sea. I didn't get burned with my bonnet, please, Margery—"

"That'll be maman to you, now." I was going to have to act as their mothers.

"No! You're too young!" Adalyn said. She was fifteen—I think. I did some calculations and shrugged.

"Then you can be a cousin. But call me maman in case anyone says anything. I'll just say you're twelve but getting extremely tall," I decided. All the girls were disappointed but sat on an ugly bunk.