Jade waited for an explanation, but Kat didn't provide one. She simply asked Jade if she would like to have the shower first, then when Jade declined, moved into the bathroom and locked the door. Jade considered looking through her sister's bag, but wasn't sure that Kat wouldn't - somehow - know when she got out of the bathroom. Behind the closed bathroom door, Kat started singing, amid much splashing, and all thoughts of looking through her sister's bag vanished. The song was amazingly hypnotic, seeming to twist through her mind, winding tendrils around her consciousness, then slipping down her spine and soaking into her body. Jade noticed several cats slip in through the partially open door, then move to sit in a straight line by the door. The cats ignored Jade completely, which was unusual as cats have a natural aversion to vampires; even the "good" ones.

After about half an hour of sitting stock still, listening to Kat's song, the bathroom door opened to reveal Kat towelling off her hair. Kat took one look at all the animals lined up by the door, and at Jade's entranced state, and cut off her song abruptly. The animals shook themselves and moved out of the room, but not before one of the cats hissed at Jade. Jade hissed back. The cat left the room. Jade shook herself and stood up.
"What was that?" she demanded.
Kat looked puzzled.
"It was an enchantment. But it was targeted at animals, so I don't know why you were affected."
Jade scowled.
"Vampires are animals. So are humans."
"I meant animals of a lesser intelligence." Kat thought for a moment. "I think what it did was call to the beast within you. You said that you have "bad blood" because you were bitten by a bad vampire, is that right?"
"Yes."
"So presumably the enchantment appealed to that side of you. That's very interesting. I didn't even consider that the song could work like that." A shadow crossed Kat's face for a moment. "If I'd known that, maybe I could have saved Anne-Marie."
Jade reached for her twin, but stopped before she hugged her.
"You're naked," she almost accused.
"Yes?"
"Don't you think you should put some clothes on? What if the bell-boy comes in? The door is open."
"Why?"
Jade stared at Kat for a moment.
"This isn't the middle of the woods. You can't just walk around naked."
"Oh... I suppose you're right," Kat allowed, and pulled on the silky dressing gown provided by the hotel. "Better?"
Jade laughed. "Barely! That's almost indecent."
Kat shrugged. "I always used to let the sun dry me at home. Anne-Marie..."
Kat stopped talking, and a look of pain crossed her face.
This time, Jade gave her the hug.
"You couldn't have known. You couldn't have done anything."
"You don't know what it was like to watch her die, and then sit in a tree for 2 nights with her laying down there. At least I managed to keep the animals away from her."
"You did the best you could," said Jade, then let her go, realising Kat's damp hair was making her very wet, as well as the dressing gown. "Oh, bother," cursed Jade. "I'll have to hang this outside tonight now."Kat looked at the damp patch on Jade's shirt, then felt her hair in surprise.
"Oh! Sorry."
Kat touched the bottom of Jade's shirt, and hummed a single note. Slowly the damp patch vanished, and Kat's hair began to curl.
"How did you do that?"
"Magic."
"Really," said Jade with heavy sarcasm.
"Jade," said Kat, "I know I taught you a little today, but that was very, very simple magic. Containing fire in your blood and directing water to move is far more complex. You're my twin sister, so you obviously have some sort of disposition towards magic, just like I have some towards being a vampire, but that only makes it even more dangerous for you. If you tried half the things I did, you'd fail. Or I hope you would, anyway."
Jade looked extremely indignant and insulted.
"Magic is complicated. I've been studying it since I was 13, and you know exactly how old I am. You having a slight predisposition means that what you try and do is more likely to begin to work. But you lack the knowledge and ability to control it, so its entirely possible it would kill you."
"I'm already dead, Kat," said Jade, coldly. "That's why they call us the living dead."
"You're not dead, you're undead. If you were dead you wouldn't have been able to do even the simple magic I taught you this afternoon. Magic comes from within as well as without, and for that you need a soul, or spirit."
Jade thought about that for a while, then smiled.
"Well that's nice to know."
Kat gave her a puzzled look, but Jade didn't elaborate.
"Promise me you won't try and do anything without asking me about it first?" asked Kat, moving to her bag and withdrawing some clothes and a hair brush. Jade considered, then found she couldn't lie. She scowled.
"Ok, I promise."
"Thank you," said Kat, running the brush through her hair, tugging the slight curl back to straightness.
"Why don't you dry your hair like you did my shirt?"
"Because it curls," Kat replied with a smile. "If I brush it and leave it damp it stays straight."
"I see."
Kat yawned involuntarily. "I need to sleep."
"I need to feed. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good hunting."
"Sweet dreams."
Jade left the room, and Kat prepared herself for bed.

***

On the roof of the next building, Daniel crouched, panting. He had ran the entire way from his and Jade's house, using all his vampiric strength and speed, and he had only just arrived. He'd fallen behind the girls about an hour before they reached the hotel, but had guessed where they would be. Luckily for him, he had been correct. Daniel was tired, and he didn't think he could keep up the pace without regular feeding. He watched the street carefully, and noticed Jade leaving the hotel. One consistant failing he'd noticed in Jade was that she never looked up. It was common amongst humans, and it seemed Jade's humanity had the down side of not being as animalistic as other vampires. Tonight though, Daniel noticed a difference. Jade seemed to prowl rather than walk, and she was using all her senses as she left the hotel. Daniel frowned. It seemed that her sister had done something to her, brought her vampiric instincts closer to the surface. For this reason, Daniel decided not to follow Jade; with her current heightened senses, she'd probably spot him. Instead, he waited until she'd vanished into the darkness, and moved over to the hotel.

Daniel had determined which room Jade and Kat were staying in, and moved so that he could see in the window clearly. He crouched in darkness, his vampiric senses allowing him to see as clearly as if he were in the room with Kat, even if he couldn't smell, touch or taste her. Again Daniel's thoughts turned to how Kat's blood would taste. Kat moved to the balcony doors and opened them fully, then stepped out into the moonlight. Daniel breathed in sharply, and caught her scent in the night air. The night breeze tousled her hair slightly, and Daniel leaned forward to get an even better look. The silk dressing gown was damp, and clung to her, concealing nothing, and leaving her throat bare. Daniel eyed her throat, and watched her pulse beating strongly. He licked his lips. He *would* turn her. His master wished it, and Kat, being bitten by Daniel would ensure she was aligned with the right side. His master was sleeping. Waiting. When her treacherous brother had stabbed a stake into his own heart, his master had been severely wounded. He was not dead though, and he would rise again, once his followers had gathered enough energy to raise him. Witches had amazing levels of energy. Daniel himself had felt the surge of power as Tim had drained the ancient witch Anne-Marie of her life blood and energy. The master was near rising. Daniel debated if he would turn Kat or merely kill her. Killing her would bring the master that much closer to resurrection, but turning her would indeed give the master that much more pleasure. Daniel had almost given up on turning Jade. She was too determined to be good - nothing had happened to get her angry enough to turn to the correct alignment. Kat, however, was furious about Anne-Marie's death, and would be easy to turn. Finding someone to kill that would make Jade angry enough to turn would be difficult, though. Until yesterday, it had seemed that the only person Daniel could kill to make Jade angry enough to succumb, would have been Daniel himself. Since the arrival of Kat, however, Jade seemed to have rekindled some affection for her father. If only her father was not currently in the service of the master. Daniel pondered how to get around this problem while Kat stood on the balcony, unaware of the danger she could possibly be in. He could attempt to convince Mark to trick his daughter into turning; though if Mark discovered Kat was involved he may baulk. Daniel could pretend to be dead, but then he wouldn't get to turn Jade, and he wasn't about to let anyone else turn her. Perhaps he could convince Mel, the vampire sent to turn Jade's father, to kill Mark...

Daniel's musings were broken by the arrival of a second vampire on the ledge beside him. Daniel started at the blonde man beside him.
"Tim," he said to the vampire.
The second vampire laughed and pulled off his blonde wig, revealing his usual dark hair.
"Daniel. Doing the master's work, I hope."
"Always," replied Daniel with a slight scowl.
Tim looked over to where Kat was finally rousing herself to go to bed. She closed the balcony doors and opened a window by her bed before settling down.
"The master would enjoy her, I think," murmured Tim.
"I thought so myself."
"You have the other sister. I claim that one for me."
"You had the witch. I have claimed her."
"You have tasted her?"
"Not yet."
"Then she isn't yours," laughed Tim, leaping across to the balcony where Kat had stood only minutes before. He pressed his fingers to the glass lightly.
"Jade is staying in that room too," called Daniel softly, knowing Tim would hear him.
Tim glared at him silently, then turned his head sharply towards the east. Daniel followed suit, and recognised what Tim had realised. Jade was returning to the hotel. Daniel cursed softly and turned back to the balcony. Tim had vanished, leaving only faintly luminescent fingerprints on the glass door. Daniel removed himself from the area, and hunted for someone to feed upon.

***

Kat and Jade left the hotel the next morning, heading towards the hills. Kat had divined a more accurate direction for their father, and guessed that, if Kat continued to manipulate time, and they travelled until nightfall, they would reach their father the following evening. Both Jade and Kat were singularly focused on reaching their father, and neither noticed they were being followed. As they travelled, Kat attempted to teach Jade enough sorcery so that she wouldn't kill herself. This much, Jade managed with relative ease. The difficult part when Kat attempted to teach Jade to manipulate an element, and Jade admitted that she was tone-deaf.
"You're what?"
"I'm tone-deaf. Why do you think I was never enthusiastic when Anne-Marie was teaching "us"? You got everything right the first time. I pretended that I wasn't interested because I couldn't pick the difference between the notes for earth and air."
Kat tried to imagine what that would be like, but failed miserably.
"Oh," she said, somewhat helplessly.
Jade laughed.
"It doesn't bother me. I knew then that sorcery wasn't my path. We have two destinies. One of us has to follow each, I suppose."
The girls walked on in silence.

***

Daniel was still pondering how to get Jade angry enough to turn her. He loved her, and it disturbed him that she was aligned with the pansy goodie-goodie vampires, when they could have all that power. Suddenly, inspiration struck. If Daniel allowed Tim to turn Kat, then that event may just be enough to turn Jade also. The turning of the twins would generate enough power to awaken the master from his slumber. It had taken their side a long time to get the secret of the date of the twins' birth from Mark. Twins, born on the night the blue comet crossed the sky! The power within each would be enormous when tapped, and enough to awaken the master. And the master would richly repay those who brought the girls to him. There would be more than enough glory for two people, so Daniel decided he wouldn't mind sharing his rightful glory with Tim. He needed his help, and the master would surely see that Daniel had been the main operator in the affair. Daniel sensed for Tim, located his relative position, and moved to speak with him.