Blood Lily

"This," Millie jubilantly proclaimed, "is the first floor!"

"You've seen the dining hall to our right," Amber reminded me as she pointed towards the massive oaken door. "So we'll be showing you the rest of the floor."

Looking down the hall towards the place I had eaten my first true meal and had my... first taste of blood, I couldn't help but feel a touch of nostalgia as my eyes rested upon the leafless oak. I also took greater notice of the familiar portraits on the wall, each one featuring a person with scarlet eyes and silver hair.

Ignoring the path my friends were taking, I stepped closer to the painting of a man that had caught my attention. It was the closest one to the stairs and it- he seemed to pull at mind more than any others. His hair was rather short and well-combed, and his face was clean-shaven. He seemed rather young, too, maybe in his late 20's at most. Though it was just a painting, he had an undeniable air of self-importance and arrogance mixed with a childlike sense of playfulness. In spite of that, I could feel a proper warmth underneath, an all-welcoming soul that wouldn't hesitate to offer his hand. He seemed like...

"It feels like it was only yesterday," Amber said as she placed a somber hand on my shoulder, interrupting my thoughts.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Was," Millie corrected. "He was a great man, even if Ambs and I didn't know him very long."

"Is he... dead, then?" I hesitantly asked.

"Yes," Amber plainly stated. "And no, in a way."

"We should... continue the tour," Millie said before I could ask any further questions.

Even though it went unsaid, I was almost certain who it was, who he was. I was sure I would learn soon enough, though.

Before long, they had guided me back past the stairs to our next stop. This area of the hall was much more open and had two mighty columns of pristine, white marble.

"This is the lobby," Millie said with notably less enthusiasm. The painting had clearly dampened her spirits, making guilt nibble at my heart.

"It's the entrance to the mansion, and the front door is right over yonder," Amber added, pointing to a marvelous wooden door.

"Wow, it's pretty grand for an entrance, isn't it?" I said hoping to spark a bit of zeal in them, especially Millie.

"Wait til' you see it from the outside, it's way crazier than this," Millie boasted.

"R-really?" I asked intending to feign interest but ended up being pretty interested.

"Yup, here, I'll show you," Millie happily said as she began a fast-walk towards the door.

Before she could take more than a few steps, however, Amber caught her by the tail.

"Sis, wait. We can't," she said.

"Wha- why not? It'll be real qui-" Millie stopped and looked back at Amber and then to me. "Oh, right. Whoops, we'll have to wait, sorry Lil'."

"Oh, it's ok," I said. I was disappointed the tour didn't involve a quick view outside, but I was content that Millie's spirits had been lifted. It seemed like Amber's was raised some as well.

"On the bright side, we still have the best parts of the mansion to show!" Millie merrily remembered aloud. "Right this way, Lil'!"

With a reinvigorated pace, she paved our way farther into the hall until she stopped at a humble door that had the image of a large, colorful flower upon it.

"Take a peek through the door's window," Millie suggested.

With a scarlet eye peering through the glass, I could see all colors of the rainbow mixed and assorted in a wide field of lush green.

"What is it?" I asked as I continued to gaze beyond the glass.

"That would be the famous garden of House O'Sang," Amber elucidated for me.

"Backyard duties are the best! Tending to the O'Sang garden is my favorite part of the job," Millie happily shared.

"Ohhhh!" I said as my face began to smush against the window. "C-can we go see it?"

"Unfortunately, you won't be able to for a while," Amber reluctantly answered.

"For the same reason you couldn't see the entrance," Millie added as she pried my face off the window.

"Oh... what is the reason?" I asked.

"Well..." Amber started, "vampires don't exactly mix well with light. It won't kill you to go in it, but it will be painful. The longer we spend in daylight, the more unbearable it becomes, so for your sake we can't go outside right now."

"For my sake? Wouldn't it hurt you too, though?" I justifiably asked.

"Well, normally it would but..." she mumbled.

"Just tell him we messed up already, sis," Millie demanded.

Amber let out a sigh. "Truth be told, vampires often wear clothing made of sunsilk, a fabric treasured by our kind for its ability to repel the magic harmful to us found in daylight. Sunsilk comes from wild myths called sunmoths, which are very rare. Rare enough that our tailor specializing in sunsilk had just started using the last of her supply when we gave her your measurements. Terrible timing, but it's our fault for not requesting her craftmanship earlier...sorry."

"You'd be wearing sunsilk imbued clothing like Amber if we didn't mess up, and you'd be able to go outside and see the garden, sorry Lil', but the tailor should be resupplied by the beginning of next week," Millie sadly let me know.

Next week? Was there really no way for me to see the garden until then...?

"What if..." I said as a hopeful idea sprouted, "I used an umbrella? There's gotta be an imbued umbrella, right?"

"Well, there are some sunsilk umbrellas we could get a hold of, but they wouldn't work in the garden," Amber replied.

"Why's that?" I questioned.

"The O'Sang garden is one of the most beautiful gardens in the world for a special reason: the sunlight's magic is heavily concentrated here. Only expertly-crafted sunsilk imbued items can repel it, and our tailor only creates clothing. The umbrellas would help, but you'd have a painful sunburn the whole time and I don't think you want to experience the garden like that," Millie explained.

"Oh... I'll just have to wait then, I guess," I sadly conceded.

"But!" Millie started, "We still have more of the mansion to explore, which I'm sure you'll enjoy, so come along!" Millie said encouragingly.

I nodded and followed my guide onwards as we reached yet another door, perhaps the most plain looking door yet.

Amber politely opened it for us and I immediately noticed the dimmer lighting this room had. Millie led me inside and Amber followed shortly after.

"If the garden is my favorite place outside, then this is my favorite place inside! Welcome to the lounge room," Millie said as she bowed gracefully, inviting me to partake of this forbidden fruit.

In the back of the room, a massive flat screen tv flashed with a dimmed light and, though I couldn't read it, the word "PAUSED" spread across the screen. A plump, burgundy couch sat in-between myself and the tv. I slowly inched towards the back of the couch to get a better view, and as my head peaked over it, I could make out a small wire running from a black box near the tv towards the couch.

As I inched closer and closer, my sense of smell was giving me a familiar scent, one of my favorites from time past. Inches closer, and my sense of sight confirmed it; there was a cardboard box damp with grease and wide open. Within it, there was a half-eaten pizza layered with countless toppings. My mouth began to salivate. I'm sure no one would mind if I...

A sudden and unnecessarily loud snore startled me out of the idea of grand theft pizza.

Still snoring rather abrasively, I looked down over the couch to see who it was. Her left hand was scratching her pale tummy as her messy shirt pulled up past her belly button. The wire I noticed earlier ended in some kind of controller in her right hand, which dangled in a weak grip off the couch. She was even wearing sweatpants like I was. Overall, she seemed as carefree as one could possibly be.

Though her eyes were closed, her gorgeous, silver hair could identify her as only one person...

As I looked at her closed eyes, her snoring stopped and a single eyelid lifted, her lashes like the leaves of a palm tree.

"Hmmm?" she mumbled. "Oho?~ Is this who I think it is?"

"Uhh, hi Mag-" was all I could get out before she lassoed me into a hug over the couch.