"Who is Alicia?" I decided to ask since he had not bothered to explain.

"She's my offspring."

"So we're still able to reproduce?" I asked without thinking. I felt my face get warm once I realized what I asked. It was not so much that I had any great desire to have offspring of my own, but I did want to know the parameters of my new condition. The thought that I might be sterile had not occurred to me before and suddenly it seemed very important to know about what possibilities were left to me, even if I had no intention on acting upon them.

"I could, but I can't promise. If you can, they should be normal. I haven't had a biological child for a long time. It's not..." he trailed off.

Michael shook his head almost imperceptibly. "What I meant was Alicia is my child of blood. As are you, now. I suppose that makes you sisters of blood."

I frowned. I already had a sister. I had thought Arianna could be bad, but that was before I met Alicia.  I should have appreciated Arianna more, in retrospect.

"Why did you turn Alicia?" I asked before considering how rude it might sound. I could not help but wonder why would he want an obnoxious childlike doll around for eternity.

He looked at me with his piercing eyes and asked, "Why do you think?" It annoyed me when he answered my questions with questions.

"I have absolutely no idea." I followed Michael up the stairs at the end of the hall.

He shrugged, then paused and looked back at me. "She was older than she looks and her personality was completely different."

"She was different? Before?" I clarified. I wondered if I had changed in ways I had not noticed yet. I shrugged; I still felt the same inside.

"She asked a lot of questions. They were not like the ones you heard today; not 'Did you bring me something?' Intelligent questions, like the questions you would have asked if I had given you a choice. She decided that the benefits were worth the risks involved."

I was so surprised by any comment that bordered on a complimentary towards me coming from Michael's sardonic mouth I could not think of anything to say in response. He continued, "But sometimes, even when humans survive the change, a part of their mind does not. Alicia is really quite a mild case."

"I could lose my mind?" I asked, struck by horror. The idea of not having control of myself because of what he had done was quite appalling.

"There would have been signs by now. You apparently dodged all the ill effects of the change, like myself."

"And like Paul?" I dared to ask.

"Yes. Perhaps," he agreed, but something in his tone told me he was done answering questions. I decided not to push it. Apparently I was only allowed to talk about Paul when His Highness King Michael pleased. He did not speak again as we reached the top of the stairs and entered another hall. 

We passed a few closed doors and he stopped in front of one that presumably would be mine for the duration of my stay on this isolated island. He pushed it open, revealing a room decorated in the same plain style as the entryway. He began to leave so I asked quickly, "What am I supposed to be doing here?"

He looked amused at my question. How was I to know? Apparently he thought I was supposed to be reading his mind. I strongly doubted I would understand that convoluted mess even if I could read it. "Resting and recuperating. You need to be in better shape the next time you meet Paul."

"I'll meet him again?" I repeated, not relishing that idea.

"Always, little girl. Always." He somehow managed to sound both dead weary and entirely amused about the inevitability of Paul simultaneously. Then he turned towards the door and said, "Make sure you get some proper rest. That's why you're here." Then he left before I had a chance to say anything else.

I was kind of hungry again, but I had more than my fill of Michael and I definitely did not want to risk running into Alicia again, so I decided to just ignore it and go to sleep. I washed my face in an adjoining bathroom and lay down on the bed in my clothes. I had nothing else to wear. I wished I did, there was a layer of sweat on my body due to the humidity. I could barely remember when I last showered. I decided I would worry about that in the morning and everything else along with it.