Beyond Time

Ever-Blinding Darkness

I knocked twice on the door down the hall. "Arthur?" I called.

He didn't answer, so I took the liberty of gently pushing his door open. Arthur was sprawled on the bed, asleep. Beside him, Theo had pulled up a chair, his arms crossed with his legs on Arthur's bed. His chest slowly moved with the air of someone who was also fast asleep. If I had had a camera, I would've loved to take a picture of this just to blackmail Theo.

Footsteps approached me. "Lin?"

"Sakura," I whispered.

She raised an eyebrow in confusion, and I gestured into the room. Peering over my shoulder, she let out a low whistle. "This is photo-worthy material."

I closed the door, and the two of us headed down the corridor together. "What did you want with him anyway?" she asked.

"I wanted to ask him if he wanted some coffee. This is usually the time he gets a cup."

"I'm surprised you're supporting his coffee addiction."

"He's a vampire. If he was human, I would've pulled the plug on the coffee machine ages ago." We both hopped over Leonardo who was sleeping in the corridor. I would've assumed everyone in the mansion was asleep if it weren't for the fact I could hear Mozart's music. "How's it going with Comte?"

She looked slightly troubled, and I finally understood why everyone always says her thoughts show on her face. "He takes me to a lot of parties as his partner, but somehow..."

"You feel like you don't deserve to stand there with him."

She winced and stopped walking. "How can you tell?"

"Everything you think is written on your face. And besides, you're so human it's almost painful." I threw both my hands up. "If he takes you to a party as his partner, then it means he thinks you're worthy of being his partner. That counts for everything."

She seemed lost in thought as we parted. I headed down the stairs, making a mental checklist of everything I was supposed to do today. I missed a step and tumbled the rest of the way down, pain shooting through my head.

I don't remember what happened afterwards, but I woke up to darkness darker than the night. As if the moon and stars didn't even exist.

I screamed and put a hand over my mouth to muffle it. Someone grabbed my hand, and I pulled away, looking around as I felt terror clutch at my heart.

"It's just me." It was Arthur's voice, filled with surprise.

The effect his voice had on me was instantaneous. I could literally feel the anxiety and horror recede as my heart calmed down. "Arthur." I sagged in relief.

"So you can't see." A hand came up to my cup my cheek, and I held it.

"Where am I?"

"In your room, love. Jean heard something crash and came to investigate. He took you back to your room and woke me and Theo up." A fleeting image of a disoriented Arthur and Theo waking up to Jean's stern face had me almost laughing.

"Theo?"

"Here, Knabbeltje." Never thought I would be relieved to hear someone call me puppy.

"How long have I been out?"

"Twenty minutes," said Arthur. He tried pulling his hand back, but I reflexively gripped it tighter. He patted it reassuringly, and this time I let him pull back. Next thing I knew, he pulled me into his lap, his arms around me. I could hear his heartbeat.

"Ma cherie."I looked around, not sure where the voice came from. A hand fell on top of my head. "The doctor is on his way."

Arthur and Theo started discussing some news in the city, Arthur gently rubbing my back. I listened to them talk. I heard footsteps, and the sound set me off edge.