**11:22 AM**
Tony Andrews left the mansion feeling conflicted.
The night before, after a discussion of their roles and plans, his hosts had treated him to a fine dinner. As a werewolf, he could still enjoy normal meals, though he knew the vampires of the mansion had excused themselves to hunt. Their hospitality tempted him to stay, but the monstrous acts they committed weighed on his conscience.
Stepping into the woods, he looked up at the overcast sky. "When was the last time I saw a blue sky?" he murmured to himself.
His mind drifted back to the previous night.
The two maids—Kay, with her striking green hair, and Laura, with pink—had been tasked with finding victims to bring back to the mansion. They were responsible for the disappearance and death of Paisley Jensen and Pamela Reed respectively. And he had discovered that Chloe Baldwin had murdered Jasmine Sutton to secure a position as the middle school homeroom teacher.
"Why would you want to be the homeroom teacher?" he had asked Chloe.
"For more victims, of course," she'd replied, her tone chillingly casual. "The younger they are, the fresher the blood. You wouldn't want to eat the flesh of an old man, would you? It's like biting into a rotten apple."
"But you're a werewolf," Tony argued. "We don't *have* to eat humans or drink blood, right?"
"Yes, that's true," Chloe admitted. "But there's a part of us that *wants* to. You don't have to, but live as a werewolf long enough, and you'll feel the urge for flesh. And not just out of hunger, either."
Tony caught the double meaning. He'd noticed that night that his own urges had been heightened in a way he hadn't experienced before. He wasn't celibate by any means, but he'd never felt so consumed by desire as he did after his night with Chloe Baldwin.
Finally arriving at his apartment complex, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. The faint smell of cigarette smoke lingered, so he lit a few incense candles to mask it. Sinking onto his couch, he soon drifted off to sleep.
---
**11:40 AM**
Oswald Fisher sat on his bed, a pillow propped against the wall as he tried to focus on his book. He'd just had breakfast with his parents, but thoughts of the girl in the mirror kept intruding.
Though he hadn't seen her clearly, something about her seemed familiar, as if she'd appeared in a dream he couldn't quite recall.
A knock sounded at the door, and then it opened slightly. His mom peeked in, her face etched with worry.
"What is it, Mom?" he asked, setting his book aside.
"I don't mean to alarm you," she said, her voice hesitant, "but... your friend Julia Binder... she's gone missing."
---
**12:21 PM**
Amy Ashford and her mother, Susan, were watching TV in the living room when a knock interrupted their quiet afternoon.
Susan stood up. "I'll get it."
When she opened the door, she found Rosa Hudson standing there, smiling sweetly. Susan felt a twinge of discomfort—her last encounter with Rosa, when she'd freaked out over the garlic, was still fresh in her mind.
"Hello, Mrs. Ashford," Rosa said with a cheerful innocence. "Can Amy come out to play?"
Susan glanced back into the living room, where Amy sat watching TV. "I-I'll go see," she said, slowly retreating from the door.
When she reached Amy and told her who was at the door, Amy's face immediately clouded with fear.
"Don't let her in!" Amy whispered urgently.
"No need to be rude," a voice cut in—a voice now laced with a sinister edge. They turned to find Rosa standing inside, grinning wickedly, her sharp canines flashing. One eye was half-closed, her smile stretched disturbingly wide.
"I just want a friend to play with," Rosa said, moving closer.
Susan stepped in front of Amy protectively. "Get out, you monster!" she shouted.
Rosa laughed—a shrill, unsettling sound. The noise alerted Michael Ashford, who came rushing down the stairs.
"What's going on? Who is this?" he demanded.
"It's Rosa," Susan replied, her voice tight. "She won't leave us alone!"
Rosa's gaze shifted from Michael to Susan, then settled on Amy.
"Don't worry," she said with a smirk. "I'll be back. You invited me in, remember, Amy?" She winked. "AB negative—such a rare blood type. I won't be letting you out of my sight."
With one last menacing laugh, Rosa left, leaving an oppressive sense of dread in her wake.
---
**1:00 PM**
Ulric Adams walked through Deerwood, listening not to music but to the sound of the wind, his own footsteps, his breathing. He wanted silence—wanted to clear his mind of the Rosemary Portrait, or anything like it.
But his thoughts kept circling back. He couldn't convince himself it wasn't real; the woman in the portrait *had* vanished. He'd checked multiple times, lifting and dropping the frame in disbelief, but Rosemary was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it," he muttered to himself. "Damn it all!"
---
**1:20 PM**
Back home, Ulric approached his room, hand on the doorknob. Just as he was about to turn it, he caught movement inside.
Mom? Dad? No—why would they be in there?
A strange combination of adrenaline, fear, and curiosity surged through him as he swung the door open.
There she was—the woman from the portrait. Golden-blond hair tied in a bun, a Victorian dress hugging her curvaceous figure and huge breasts.
"Rosemary…" The name slipped out before he could stop it.
The woman stood still, as though waiting for him, then smiled. "Welcome home, my master," she said, bowing. "I am at your service."
Ulric stared, words failing him. As he tried to process her presence, something else began to take shape on his bed.
A small girl, perhaps ten or eleven, appeared, her black hair cut in a short bob and wearing a black sleeping gown.
The girl let out a deep, chilling laugh. "We finally meet, my King."
"King?"
"Yes, my King," she said with a smirk. "It's metaphorical, of course. Are you familiar with chess?"
Ulric nodded numbly.
"Well, the King must be protected. If anything happens to you, it's checkmate. Rosemary here is your Queen—use her however you wish... or, rather, however I wish." She giggled.
"W-What are you?" Ulric whispered.
The girl's laughter grew, echoing through the room. "This is going to be fun," she said between gasps. "My sister Elpis has already taken her piece, so it's only fair that I take mine." She laughed one final time before vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.
Rosemary stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Ulric's shoulder. "If there's anything you desire, I will do my best to serve you."
"To serve me?" he stammered.
"As a witch, I have magic. I will use my powers for whatever you command."
Ulric looked at her, struggling to comprehend. Rosemary sighed.
"It seems things have gotten out of hand. I believe it's time for an explanation."
---