𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 || 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧
13 parts Ongoing Mature𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙜𝙤, 𝟭𝟵𝟭𝟴.
"𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒈𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒖... 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔."
Mary Masen, the elder sister, has kept the household together since their mother's death and now watches over Edward, her younger brother, already sliding into the grave. Unmarried, too brilliant for her time, she dreams of studying medicine-yet universities close their doors to women, while the war opens only one: the fever wards. At night, Mary reads Gray's Anatomy beneath the sheets and prays to a God who rarely answers.
At the bedside returns Doctor Carlisle Cullen, family friend, the only man who never mocked her questions. Since childhood he has been her constant and her secret. When Edward "recovers"-too quickly, too perfectly-Mary insists on calling it grace; she does not yet know that Cullen's medicine cannot stand the daylight.
Into this chorus of coughs and prayers enters Jasper Whitlock, war-scarred soldier, sent to recruit among the dying. He should be only a passing shadow; instead he stumbles into Mary-his singer, the exact note that tears his throat open.
Thus is arranged a household no pastor would bless: Carlisle plays "father" to Edward, Mary drifts toward the role of companion, Jasper circles as an impossible lover. Edward, silent pivot, gathers questions like rosary beads.
Mary does not yet know the word vampire. She only knows that Carlisle's smiles resemble promises, Jasper's gaze burns with another fever, and God-if He is watching-keeps His silence. In this house of shadows and vows, she advances, brilliant and blind, toward a secret old enough to save her... or devour her.