"Leave everything to me, Theo. Don't worry about a thing."

A voice drifted in and out of the painful void of gray and black. For a moment things seemed to get sharper, and the pain amplified. He could see black shapes moving silently around the scene, but none seemed to be looking at him. Whose voice was that? He let out a muffled groan and tried to move. Pain shot through every limb, making him squeeze his eyes shut and try to relax again. Numbness began to spread through his body, starting with the bottoms of his feet and creeping upward. A heavier darkness than that brought by his closed lids was descending. He welcomed the escape from the pain. Darkness. Blissful darkness.

---------

"Now I agree that I myself am not a saint, but humans have committed such atrocious crimes that my own pale in comparison to- ah! A thought! He awakens!"

Theodor's eyes opened slowly, seeing nothing but a reddish blur with a splotch of black on it.

"Theodor Marion Cole. Mind if we call you Theo? Of course you don't. We wouldn't mind being called that ourselves, to be honest. Greek origins. Means 'God's gift,' in fact. Quite an ironic turn of events for you, with a name like that."

He groaned and screwed up his face trying to focus on the black oval in his vision. It emitted a hearty laugh.

"Quite a sour gift, now. Wouldn't you say? Yes. Well, we once met a man who called himself Jesus, but was a vicious murderer. Fate has its ironies, to be sure. Do you believe in fate, Theo? Ah, of course not. You know just how much control you have, we can tell."

Theodor's eyes suddenly uncrossed. He sat up, his head in his hands.

"Easy does it, now, you've been through quite a bit for one night. Theo," the man leaned in closer, "you died. We're terribly sorry, but there was no other way to save you. Luckily your recovery was swift and unhindered."

Theodor was staring at the man, not taking in a single word. He was short and pale, and dressed in a stylish black cloak that looked slightly behind the times. His eyes were half-lidded and black underneath thin, expressive eyebrows. His hair was brown and cut short, and combed to perfection. The man was incredibly handsome in a strange way. He looked slightly bemused, and spoke a few absent words to someone Theodor obviously couldn't see.

"Yes, yes, I know."

He was seated on an elegant red sofa, as was Theodor, which matched the equally elegant furnishings around the room. The table between them, the desks around the walls, the chairs and curtains and walls all stated that this was a very expensive room. The wallpaper was a slightly yellow tint with vines creeping up it. Strangely, Theodor thought for a second that he saw an eye in their midst, but it vanished. Suddenly something clicked in his head.

"Died?" he said bluntly.

"Yes. We are very sorry," the man said, nodding and leaning back against the cushioned sofa. Theodor noted dimly the "we" and the fact that the man was alone, but discarded the thought in the face of a much greater concern.

"You... don't look like an angel."

"Angel?" he laughed loudly, "An angel we are not. Far from it, in fact. Sorry to give you the wrong impression- you are very much alive now."

"Oh..." Theodor sighed in relief, then winced.

"Yes, yes, you are surely still sore from the crash. It is probably best if you refrain from moving for a while, to let your body finish its healing. You are doing remarkably well so far."

"Uh... crash?"

"You don't remember? Ah, we see it. You have no memories of earlier tonight. How curious- the rest of your memory is quite intact."

"What? How could you know that?"

He leaned in again, his hands clasped together. For a split second it appeared as if they were covered in blood, but the illusion disappeared quickly. His face adapted a solemn expression, and he said, "Then it is our duty to inform you that you are the sole survivor in a tragic car accident. Unfortunately, everyone else in the car perished before we arrived, as you would have had we not intervened. We are terribly sorry for your losses. We can leave and let you mourn, if you wish."

Theodor stared blankly at him. He made a strangled noise that died in his throat.

"As you wish," said the man, rising and gliding noiselessly out the door.

Theodor gazed after him for some minutes before finally snapping out of his stupor.

"Luna?" He knew the shock was numbing him, but he cursed himself for not feeling the pain. "Luna..." She couldn't be dead. He would have felt it. The bond they shared was too strong. She couldn't be dead. The idea of his parents dying was sad, but he was never close to them and vice-versa. But his twin sister... his other half... gone? Who was this man to say she was gone?! How dare he? How could he speak such venomous lies?

Theodor stood forcefully, meaning to find the man and beat the truth out of him, but fell back to the sofa, sobbing.

---------

Some time later he rose again, Luna's beautiful face and dark ash brown curls swimming across his vision. She was everything to him. While his parents never really cared about the adopted twins overly much, being more interested in their work, the two took care of each other. He could talk about anything to her and she would listen. And when she spoke, he knew it was full honesty from the depths of her heart. She was so free spirited and innocent, and to think that she was gone was to tear himself in half. Why? He was dazed.

So as he crossed the room toward the door, he felt like a ghost, drifting. The richly decorated hall was empty. Finally wondering why he was here and not in a hospital so soon after a crash, Theodor began to realize that he was not hurt physically. Sore, yes, but completely uninjured. The last thing he remembered was a crippling pain and lying on the hard concrete, and that voice, saying "Leave everything to me, Theo. Don't worry about a thing." and then nothing. He couldn't seem to recall actually being in the crash.

He remembered leaving with his family to go to a friend's house. Luna had had the same idea, and their parents were off to see some cheap romantic comedy in the theater. He had just whipped out his phone to record Luna in a playful attempt to piss her off, and then... nothing. Wait... his phone! He patted his pockets and was amazed to find it there. He found the recording and hit play, cranking up the volume.

Luna popped into view, as radiant as ever, listening to her iPod. She noticed the phone and attempted to bat it out of Theodor's hand. Suddenly a scream ensued from the front seat and everyone jerked to one side. The view was jostled around and around and he realized the car must have been rolling. Eventually it lay still, the phone's camera pointing at the seat. After a few minutes of nothing, suddenly he heard a voice.

"Call the police, and make sure to get Officer Matthews down here."

The view was dragged out of the car, staying aimed at the concrete. It was as if he was still clinging desperately to the phone. Suddenly the view straightened and he saw the car. It was flipped over and completely smashed in on all sides. Luna and his parents never came into sight.

"For heaven's sake, Martinus, stop looting the boy and help us out over here!"

"Just looking, just looking. Here, we'll give him his phone."

The video stopped.

He held his head in his hands, taking a few deep breaths. Why couldn't he remember? Where was he? What did that strange man want with him? How long had he been unconscious? The man had said "earlier tonight," as if the crash had just happened. Paranoia began to creep in on top of his grief, and he set off down the hallway with anxiety brewing. How had the man known his name? The sound of glasses clinking and voices murmuring reached him, and he slowed to a stop as he came to the closed door at the end of the hall. He sat listening to the conversations for a while, trying to determine whether or not he should enter. It sounded like the man, who he assumed was the host, was having a party. After a few more moments he decided not to barge in and turned to go back to his room, when a voice from inside called to him.

"Come on in, boy, Martinus has something to do and won't be back for some time."

A giggle erupted, and a woman's voice added, "Yes, we've been dying to meet you."

Theodor hesitated a moment longer before slowly pulling the door open. The large expanse of a dining room struck him as just as expensive as the rest of the house. Or, the rest of the mansion. A thick red carpet rested underneath a huge, ornate table with matching chairs. Overhead, a chandelier hung royally over the guests, lighting the elaborately decorated room. To his left, a large, arched window displayed the black of night, with equally large drapes, which were absurdly thick, hanging heavily to either side. To his right, past the table and people, sat an ostentatious golden chalice atop a wooden pedestal.

The guests themselves were as intricately engaging as the rest of the room. Their features were like carved white marble, being so pale Theodor wondered numbly whether any of them had seen the sun in their lives. They were all twelve of them dressed in black, in outfits much like the first man's dated style, save for a select few, who were wearing more modern clothing. Something was terribly odd about them. Not one of them slouched, nor did they seem in any way... flawed. They were all perfect somehow. Their posture, their demeanor, their faces and hair, even the way they held their rich wine glasses all shouted impeccability at its best.

"And there he is," said an incredibly beautiful woman, seated at the opposite end of the table. Black hair was sleek and tied in a graceful bun behind her head, and full red lips pronounced the words faultlessly. Black eyes twinkled in the light. They all had black eyes.

Another girl, who looked hardly eighteen, giggled madly.

Theodor stared dumbly. He was still disoriented from the news of the crash, and confused about where exactly he was. And now what was this? Why did they invite him in? Why were they dying to meet him?

"Strong blood, indeed."

"Nice catch, Harvey."

"Yes, well done Harvey!"

"Come now, it was the luck of the draw on this one. Furthermore, this was the work of Martinus as well."

"Did Martinus explain to him?"

"I sense not. He bears the look of grief and confusion."

"Well, someone ought to tell him before the transformation completes."

Theodor was baffled by their talk and found his weary gaze wandering to the red wine in their glasses, which were the only things on the table. He realized he could smell it. Its scent was sweet and alluring. It smelled better than any food or drink he had ever had. His mouth watered. He couldn't remember ever smelling wine so good, or even at all, as he was barely seventeen.

"He looks thirsty. Give him a drink!"

A glass was shoved into his grip, and everyone laughed. Theodor looked slowly at the fragrant red liquid, then to the perfect smirking faces around him.

"Go on, boy, think of it as your initiation into our family."

He frowned at this.

"Who are you people? What do you want with me? Why am I not in the hospital?"

Their black eyes twinkled and their smirks didn't fade.

"Well? Answer me!" he snapped at them, irritation blossoming on top of his other emotions, "Why-"

"Perhaps you should have a drink, then I will explain all," said a tall man smoothly, who stood and offered Theodor his chair. He took it, settling down between a young man not much older than himself and the giggling girl, both pale as death.

"Now-"

"Drink," said the tall man in a persuasive, soothing tone, "then will come answers."

He drank, gulping down the whole glass in one go. As soon as he had swallowed he gasped and jerked backward, toppling out of the chair and rolling across the floor. Everyone laughed, but Theodor couldn't hear them. The sweet fragrance had turned into a taste one hundred times more potent, which transformed into a feeling of pure ecstasy that spread throughout his entire body. He rolled and twitched and let out a moan as he began to shake. Every vein in his body pumped the liquid. It was like heroin or LSD, neither of which he had tried before but he knew from rough description the general idea of them. As the feeling began to fade, he could hear them talking again.

"First time's the best, to be sure."

"I still think it's best to let them hunt for their first drink."

"Without the proper instruction, there would be a trail of corpses on their first night. Better to teach them etiquette before setting them loose."

"Ah, are we sated now? Good. Up you go," and with that, the tall man heaved him back into his seat with one hand.

"What... the hell.. was that?" Theodor managed between deep breaths. The girl giggled again. He felt energized.

"The only thing you'll ever drink again."

His head was cleared of the thick cobwebs that had plagued it before. Things seemed much more in focus, now. His mind started to actually work. He realized just how weird his position seemed to be. He had been kidnapped by a bunch of strange pale people who seemed to know him after being in a crash that killed his family. Smiling slightly, he realized that all the pain he had felt over that fact was gone somehow. The depression about them seemed insignificant now. It was a loss, but life went on. He felt much stronger.

"Alright, you said you'd give me some answers."

They were all grinning slightly malicious grins. With a start, he noticed the unusually long canine teeth in their smiles. No goddamn way, he thought, and the girl next to him emitted a fresh string of giggles.

"Oh, he's got it!"

"But do you know the right questions, I wonder?" said the tall man in his smooth voice.

Theodor cleared his throat. "Why am I here? Who are all of you?"

"You are here because we brought you. And we," he gestured around the room, "are the noble vampires of Mask and Blood."