"Horace," he spoke to the skeleton. "I'd like you to meet someone. This is Ellie Piper."

"You love this girl," the skeleton said.

"Yes. Yes I do." Marcus then said, "Ellie, this is Horace, my butler."

Horace extended his frail hand to me and I shook it gently, afraid I'd break his bones. Everything seemed surreal. I was standing dead center of a dark fantasy. If I was dreaming, then I wanted my dream to last a long time. In fact, I never wanted to wake up again.

"Your dinner is on the table, Sir," Horace said. "Can I order anything for the lady? She must be exhausted after her trip."

Marcus looked at me. "You can have anything you'd like to eat."

"What are you having?" I asked him.

He swallowed and his muscles tightened. The lines on his forehead creased. "You could say it's more like a type of soup."

"That's all?"

He chuckled, nervously, and ignored my question. He turned to Horace. "I think she's craving vegetarian pizza."

"Right away, Sir." Horace disappeared into the castle. Marcus pulled me into him and wrapped his wings around me. "Let's get you in. It's getting cold out here."

The foyer of the castle was lit up with burning blue candle lights that cast shadows on the wall and highlighted the cobwebs in the corners in pure white light. We walked across a red rug that led to a double door. Marcus paused at this entrance. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yes."

He pushed open the door and I was astonished. My eyes didn't know where to look first. The ceiling was extremely high, from which an immaculate chandelier hung, directly into the center of the room, and appeared to have been spun by magical metal-weaving spiders. Black bookshelves lined every wall in that room, stuffed with volumes of work. A white Grand piano sat at an angle in the corner with a red leather bench seat. A spiral staircase with purple steps spun its way down into the room. There was a master chair made of bones and the floor was purple and white checkerboard with a red fluffy rug. I ran my finger along the bookcase. Not a trace of dust anywhere.

"What are all these books?"

He nodded at me, which indicated that I pick them up and leaf through them. He had all the cla.s.sics. Every book that'd ever been written. Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Poe. He even had cla.s.sical music compositions and leather journals of his accounts.

His wings had disappeared now. He sat down at the piano, arms on his knees, hair down in his face, staring at me. I glanced over at him.

"Can you play?"

He smirked. "Of course I can play."

He spun around on his seat, facing the piano. The instant his fingers graced the keys, a beautiful, haunting, and tragic melody spilled out into the room; a melody one could fall in love to. I walked over and leaned against the wall next to the piano. Yes, I wanted to stay here with Marcus Marble. Forever.

When he stopped playing, he looked up into my eyes. "I wrote this for you, Ellie. This is how it feels to be in love with you. This is your melody." His gaze lingered, and it appeared he wanted to say so much more, but Horace stepped into the room.

"Dinner is now served."

Marcus didn't turn his attention away from me. He stood up, reached for my hand, and kissed it. I followed him into the kitchen that was lit by moonlight and through an adjacent door that led to the dining room.

A gentle fog swept around our feet and a mysterious light lit the room in a soft blue glow. We sat in chairs made of bone that had been painted black. The stone table was adorned with a jar of moonflowers. I sat across from Marcus, my food laid before me, steaming hot, and a gla.s.s of wine. In front of him, a metal chalice.

"What kind of soup is that?"

He nonchalantly tipped the chalice forward so I could see. Inside, a glowing white liquid. "I'm sure you have more questions," he said. "You already know I'm not human."

"Right. Therefore you do not eat as humans do."

"Correct."

"Then what is it that you eat?"

"Drink," he corrected me, then added, "and it's energy. Human energy," as though that added emphasis would creep me out.

"From where do you obtain it?"

"Humans, of course."

I didn't flinch. "I don't believe you."

He reached over on my plate, grabbed a slice of pizza, and bit off a huge chunk. "That's just too bad," he said between chews. "You just ruined the ultimate prank."

"Hmm, imagine that." I ate my pizza while staring wittingly at him.

"I was trying to scare you. After all, it's only a few moments 'til All Hallow's Eve."

"Let me guess. Dry ice? Yeah. I knew that. Mysterious fog? Glowing white liquid? Glow stick in the bottom of the cup? I tried to play along, I really did, but it was just so lame, Marcus." I laughed.

"Ouch. You got me."

"Better luck next time."

His face turned from playful to serious. "Ellie, I have to tell you something very serious." His posture fell. I looked up at him. He probably was going to try another prank. "I've been keeping something from you that you need to know."

"Really, now Marcus. Is that so?"

He appeared to be selectively choosing his words. "If-since-you've entered my world, you'll probably notice that time here is different. It's frozen, non-existent."

"Yeah..."

He appeared to struggle for words. I leaned forward and placed my hand on his. "It's okay, Marcus." And then I added, "This is really good pizza."

"You don't seem fazed by my-this-world."

"I love everything about this place."

"Then stay here. With me." He looked nervous. Melancholy. Afraid I'd say no.

"I'm sorry, Marcus. I can't."

"Why?" His emotions flared.

"Because the furniture really collides with the wallpaper." I tried not to smile.

Pretending to be angry, he flew up out of his seat, came around to my chair, lifted me up and tossed me onto his shoulder. I squealed. He carried me down the hall, into the living room, and tossed me onto the red couch. He hovered above me, held my hands down with playful force, his hair dangling in his face, strands of it tickling my skin. "I want to be with you forever, Ellie Piper." I thought he would kiss me. My eyes danced around the curved shape of his red lips, full of life. Full of emotion. The grandfather clock struck midnight and the sound reverberated throughout the entire palace. "It's midnight," Marcus announced. "May I have this dance?" He stood and with a smile on his face, extended his hand to me. When I didn't immediately put my hand in his, he said, "You can dance to anything. You can be in any decade or era of time. This place is timeless." And to prove my point, he looked over to the stereo player and then back at me. A second later, Lovefool by the Cardigans filled the room. His smile widened when he saw the smile cross my lips.

"Seriously? Totally cliche."

"Hmm," he said. "That doesn't convince you. Change please."

Stay by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs played next.

I laughed.

"Still not pleased?"

"No," I smiled.

Kiss Me by the Cranberries played.

"You really see me as this kind of girl, don't you? The one who responds to these types of songs?"

"You're a girl, after all." He shrugged.

I scoffed. The Cure sang The Love Song. Marcus stood there, deflated, hands in pockets, but love dancing in his eyes. Halfway through the song, he said, "Okay. I'll try this." He looked at the stereo again and Earth Angel by Deathcab for Cutie played this time.

"Marcus, Marcus, Marcus," I said. "I'll give you this dance, if you'll go with me to my high school Homecoming Halloween dance. And maybe you can see what kind of music I slow dance to." I wrapped my arms around his neck and he put his on my waist.

"Top forty of the year?"

"No way."

"Ellie..." He backed away and looked me in the eyes. "I'm nineteen. And I'll be nineteen forever."

"I know," I said.

"But you're going to continue to age. You're seventeen. You'll soon be eighteen."

I took in a long breath. And exhaled.

"Soon, the Risorgimento will happen. It's the renaissance of this world. Everything will be reborn. It'll be my centennial and my last vicennial, meaning I'll have my last chance to pa.s.s on through to the afterlife and leave this place, but it's my last and only chance. The vicennial marks a time when one can decide to stay here, or move on. It happens once every twenty years, but only until one hundred years have pa.s.sed. After that, if one hasn't already pa.s.sed over to the afterlife, he will not have a chance to do so from that point on. And, as for the centennial, you only get a hundred years to find love, which is why you're allowed five vicennials. If by the last vicennial, one has not found an immortal lover, then he is advised to pa.s.s through to the afterlife, or live forever alone. A walking death, without the possibility of ever loving anyone, or having them love you back. What I'm saying, is that I want you to stay here, with me, until the end of time."

All I could do is stare into his eyes.

He said, "If you dishearten me, I'll have no choice but to pa.s.s on through. It will be marked by the one-hundredth hour."

"You want me to die for you?"

"I love you more than the possibility of life. I'm not asking you to do that for me, Ellie."

"But I would do that, Marcus. I would do anything for even the possibility of this." And I rested my head on his shoulder and kept dancing even though the music had stopped.

All of a sudden, the lights went out, covering everything in blue-black darkness. Marcus scooped me off my feet and carried me up the stairs, gently, to his chamber, then set me on my feet again. His bay window open, allowing cool night-air in, that ruffled the purple curtains. I heard the ocean, roaring below and crashing against the mountain. On my right, was a mirror, laced in intricate decor, and I caught my reflection in it. To my left, a gigantic bed, with four black posts that appeared to be carved by an artisan. And on that bed was Marcus, his shirt open a little below the neckline to reveal his chest, and no shoes or socks on his feet. His body lay extended across the mattress, hands behind his head. He caught me looking and gazed at me out of his peripheral. He tapped the wide open s.p.a.ce next to him, an invitation for me to join. I climbed onto his bed, the comforter, velvety soft and black. I sat with my back against the headboard, legs crossed, and arms anchoring me in place. Marcus leaned up on his elbows for a few seconds, and then he moved to where I sat and crossed his legs, too.

"So, you've been alive for a hundred and nineteen years?"

"No," he said. "I've just been walking around. I wasn't alive until I met you." He turned his head to look at me. And it was in that look, that our faces pulled together and he kissed me, and then his body ended up on top of mine, warm and pa.s.sionate. My fingers gripped by his. "I want to unite us as one. We were made for each other."

Could someone please hit the stop b.u.t.ton? Shake me awake? Anything?

Just at that precise moment, a loud interruption. Someone's fist hitting gla.s.s. Marcus rolled off me, with a shocked expression on his face. I looked across the room. A girl, with curly jet black hair, stood by the mirror, which was now broken. She was furious.

"She isn't supposed to be here!"

Marcus was horrified. "And neither are you. Go home, Vivian."

The girl was rather beautiful.

"You brought your mortal to our world! I should kill her. Better yet, I should kill you."

"Dare I even ask what could possibly be so important that you had to barge into my chamber at this precise hour and disturb me?" Marcus ran his fingers through his unruly hair.

"Your thoughts are a mess. They're radiating all over the place. For your information, 'tis not I who disturbed you, but the exact opposite. I was awoken from my slumber and greeted with all the things you desire to do to this...this...girl."

Marcus smirked and his teeth bit down on the knuckle of his index finger.

"It's disgusting!"

He rose off the bed and gently took Vivian by the shoulders and guided her to the window. "I should usher you off to bed. Be gone, at once."

"I will not be able to rest with all these images crowding my mind."

"Perhaps you should find yourself a suitor."

"I haven't the time."

"Then I suppose you will be pa.s.sing through at the Risorgimento. Good riddance." He shoved her out the window.

He turned to see my horrified expression, then smirked. "Oh, don't worry. She can fly."

"She's really beautiful. Who is she?"

"Vivian, is my twin sister."

"You have a twin sister?"

He nodded. "There are a bunch of us around here, but with it being All Hallow's Eve and all, most are busy catering to the needs of the dead and dying."

"What do you mean?"

"Resurrection. Around this time, new people are brought to this world."

"How are they chosen?"