I decided to start with my original plan of asking everyone their back story, but since I knew that Gabriel was also interrogating them, I made sure to not ask questions. All I did was listen when they told me about what had happened to them and how they all knew each other. It was very clear that all of the guests had some kind of relationship with each other, some of which I knew. The witches were like sisters and Alexandria was married to Connor, but the others I could only guess.

Why did Dracula and the wolf man hate each other? What really happened between Doctor Frankenstein and her monster? How did Hyde know Connor? How long had Alexandria known Dorian for him to constantly propose to her? Was there a reason the headless horseman had his head but also didn't? And how did Marina know how to find them all? I had more questions but I wasn't going to ask them all at once. I wanted to start with Hyde but he began to get all sweaty and ran off before I could talk to him.
"Hyde?" I asked as he vanished.
"He does that," Connor responded. "He's been through a lot in the past few years."
I didn't know what to say to that but figured since I had the chance to talk to him, I asked him if there was a place we could talk privately.

"Wait where are you going?" Alexandria asked.
"Don't worry I won't keep him for too long, I just want to know what you all know," I answered. She nodded a look of complete trust in her eyes and I felt a strange feeling run through me. I ignored it and followed Connor to the living room, he sat down on the white couch and I said what had been burning in my head for awhile. "I saw you in Alexandria's room, I didn't mean to spy but you guys left the door open a bit." Connor looked at me and I wondered if he was thinking about flashing his teeth at me. No I couldn't have any of those thoughts anymore, I fought against them every time a new possible worry entered my mind. How could I help these people if I was afraid?

"You weren't supposed to know," Connor said. "No one except my brother knows, we have a complicated history," he continued. "but make no mistake I love her."
"I understand but how did this happen and why keep it secret?" I asked. Connor nearly scoffed at me but backed off at the last second, I could see his features change as he recalled the events.
"I wasn't always a werewolf," he admitted. "Before this I was just a regular kid with parents who researched animal DNA," he continued. "When I was nine my parents were killed."
"Dracula?" I asked thinking that was why he hated the vampire and if it was I couldn't blame him, that was a perfectly understandable reason.

"No not him, by an angry mob and the leader let me live only to live with the pain," Connor responded. "I promised myself that I was going to find a way to get back at him for taking away my family, but I was a kid so I couldn't do anything yet," he continued. "I was looked after by my aunt until I ran away she was somewhat insane, and I ended running into Hyde."
"Oh so that's how you know him?" I asked. "But wait how could that be possible? Wouldn't he have been Jekyll then?"
"No he wasn't," Connor answered. "And trust me you don't want to meet Jekyll, he was not the victim everyone thought he was," he continued. "But Hyde took me in and raised me as his brother, a little while after that I got bit my a wolf while hunting."

Now that wasn't something I expected to hear, I looked at him in shock as he explained that because he's parents had worked with animal DNA. They were doctors and sickness like yellow fever were spreading like wildlife, so when bodies began piling up. His parents sometimes looked for ways to use them to save humans from certain diseases, and when he got sick with they tried to save with wolf DNA.
"So with that and getting bit you developed lycanthropy," I said once I put two and two together. He nodded and looked away from me. "When did you discover you could transform?" I asked.
"The full moon after I got bitten," Connor answered. "It took me a few years but I eventually got it under control," he explained. "Before I met Alexandria some farmer spotted me near their cattle, its how I got the name Wolf man."

I wrote everything down with my quil and ink, it probably wasn't the best idea but I needed to get the whole story out of everyone. Plus I needed to verify everything that was said when I talked with the other guests.
"I'm so sorry that happened to you," I said. "the stories about you are all wrong Connor you seem like a decent guy."
"Yeah well tell that to everyone else," he responded. "I wolf out once and suddenly people began chasing me with pitchforks and torches." He spoke with such a tone in his voice that I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. There were no signs that he was lying, no talking fast, no turning red, fidgeting, or eyes moving to the left. So with no signs that he was being dishonest I believed him.

"And how did you meet your wife?" I asked being genuinely curious.
"Oh that's a story for another day, and a long one but I'll just say this stay away from the vampire he's not to be trusted." he answered. There was that feud again but I couldn't help but wonder what in the world it had to do with his wife.
"I see but what does that have to do with Alexandria?" I asked.
"Like I said it's a long story," Connor growled. "But let's just say he tried to make her into his wife." Wait was he being serious about that? I couldn't make myself ask anymore questions and I told him he could leave. He didn't say anything at first but thanked me before he left the room, it wasn't a threat and I didn't feel uneasy, but what he said really got under my skin.

If Dracula had tried to make Alexandria into his wife, then it was possible he killed Dorian Gray because he thought the two were together. Therefore making Dorian a threat to his plans, I wanted to get both sides of the story but when I arrived back Dracula was being questioned by Gabriel. So with with that option out of sorts for awhile and since I had already talked with the witches. I decided to talk with Alexandria, she seemed surprised but didn't protest when I asked for her to follow me. One thing that bothered a little bit which hadn't bothered me before, was that she kept asking questions.
"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Just someplace private I don't want anyone to eavesdrop on us," I answered. "So Alexandria I spoke with Connor," I continued as she sat down, she looked at me when I said those words with fear and shock in her eyes. "Don't worry I won't tell anyone, I just want to hear some things from you about his story."
"What do you want to know?" She asked. I asked her about Connor's back story and she confirmed his claim about his origins.
"How did you come across him anyway?" I asked. It was rude to point out the age difference the two had as they were clearly very happy together, but I couldn't help but be curious about what went down. "He said it was a long story."

"It is," she answered giggling. "But I'm guessing you're asking because of what he said about Dracula?" She asked and I nodded just wanting to listen to what she had to say. "A few years back when my mother became sick, my father Abraham Van Helsing wanted me to get married to extend the legacy," she explained. "I was seventeen at the time and I had no interest in having an arranged marriage," she continued. "So I ran into the woods one day and there he was."
"Connor in his wolf form?" I asked blinking in surprise. She nodded and told me that she thought he was a dog and was injured so she decided to take him home.
"I lived in a mansion at the time, but I didn't get to stay long as my father told me that he had arranged a trap for Dracula." She answered.

I knew what she was saying, her father wanting her to become Dracula's bride so that she could easily kill him. It lined up with what Connor had told me, and I figured that Dracula saw a similar opportunity to get back at his arch enemy. If I had to guess, Connor stayed in his wolf form until Alexandria was taken to Dracula's castle and did all he could to protect her. Meaning that he would not only make an enemy out of the count, but get the girl as well as she most likely fell in love with Connor during that time.
"He saved you," I said. "That's how you found out about his origins."
"He did more than save me Ms. Holmes, Connor protected me and treated me with kindness," she answered. "The only person who has done that was my mother, so despite what people say he's a good man."
"I believe you Alexandria," I answered immediately and I was being honest this time. "I want to help you, but you have to tell me everything about you and Dorian."