THIS IS JUST SOMETHING I'VE BEEN MESSING AROUND WITH AND ITS MY FIRST ONE I'VE POSTED ON HERE, SO PLEASE BE GENTLE WITH ME. AND ALL RIGHTS GO TO RACHEL CAINE, HER BOOKS ARE AMAZING! HOPE YOU ENJOY. Please review.
Claire flung her books on Quantum physics and intermolecular chemistry into her worn out back pack. Damn she needed a new one so bad, but she just couldn't bear to part with it, they'd been through so much together, stupid she knew.
She flew out of her bedroom, not bothering to shut the door and raced down the stairs, her feet banging each wooden step with echoing booms.
"Hey, dude! We have neighbours in Africa you know!" Yelled Shane. God, how could he joke so early in the morning, and even though it was 6:00am she was still, inevitably, late.
"Yeah well why should they get to sleep in, when some of us have to work?" She panted quickly grabbing a cold pop tart from the cupboard in the kitchen, racing back through the living room, where Shane was sprawled on the sofa, his hair gorgeously messed up and eyes sparkling with amusement. He'd obviously fallen asleep on the Xbox, playing those zombie game she loved so much, again last night.
"Why are you going now? Classes don't start 'til half eight right?" He questioned while yawning widely and arching his back and his muscular arms above his head, stretching.
Claire hesitated slightly, she knew how Shane felt about her working for Myrnin, ever since he'd got this crazy idea that Myrnin had feelings for her, just 'cos he'd saved her life from Bishop a couple of months ago. Claire knew better, Myrnin always had reasons for doing the things he did, normally to save his own skin; he never would have intervened if there was no benefit to him. She just hadn't figured out what that benefit was yet.
Shane noticed her hesitation and she saw annoyance flicker across his face and he rolled his eyes. "Oh. You're working with him this morning aren't you?" He kicked the blanket off his legs and strode into the kitchen and she heard him flick the switch on the coffee machine, uh-oh, needing caffeine for Shane meant he was working up to a fight, and she couldn't deal with this now, Myrnin was going to kill her, or eat her, one or the other if she was even a minute late.
She sighed dramatically, "You can air your opinions later, but right now I'm late. I'll see you later." She grabbed her house keys out of the tray next to the door and stopped her hand on the door knob. "Shane?" She called.
There was a pause, but then a moody sounding "what?" from Shane.
"I Love you." She called to him, then slamming the door behind her and racing down the front steps in the rising sun, not waiting for a reply. She was just safe to go out now, the Vamps couldn't deal with sunlight, even the older ones couldn't have prolonged exposure, otherwise they'd start to crisp up like batter in oil.
So Claire ran the good half a mile to Myrnin's "Lair" as Eve likes to call it. Normally she would've taken the portal, but Myrnin out of some weird anciently preserved etiquette found it "rude and invasive".
She clambered down the metal stairs and gazed around at the lab, her mouth dropping open in shock and anger.
"Myrnin!" She yelled.
"Yes, my dear Claire? I would appreciate it if you kept your voice down Shelly is sleeping." Myrnin appeared out of nowhere, directly in front of her on the stairs one of his fingers lightly touching her mouth.
"Another one? Myrnin you already have like five spiders! How the hell did you get the lab so messy? I tidied it two days ago! It took me seven hours!" She whispered furiously. Gazing around at the lab again, the books were piled in massive towers, some nearly touching the ceiling, looking just about ready to collapse, when they were supposed to be in the bookcase which ran around the entire edge of the room floor to ceiling, even with a neat, handy ladder that swung around. The metal tables were covered in weird; freaky; uniquely Myrnin-looking contraptions, wires sprouting everywhere, vials and flasks glowing with colours she'd never seen before, and there was glass everywhere!
"Yes, well I prefer it like this. More homely don't you think? All that light reflecting off the tables was hurting my eyes." He said in his annoyingly rational voice. She took a moment to look him over, he was looking weirdly normal today, his outfit consisting of Hawaiian themed surfer shorts, and a plain black top, the only thing that ruined it was the bunny slippers… with fangs, and the bright yellow blazer he wore over it, but still, normal for Myrnin.
She sighed and edged past him towards the centre of the lab, avoiding as much of the glass as possible but there was still a constant crunching under her feet.
"I don't know why I bother, to be honest you should be the one tidying now, after all I'm your boss now remember?" Amelie had made the really unusual announcement just after Bishops latest take over plan.
She felt a gust of wind behind her and Myrnins cold breath on her neck.
"If that is so Little Claire, please feel free to boss me around." He said in a challenging voice with a tiny undercurrent of menace, he always hated it when she bought this up, he was the one who loved being in control.
She swallowed nervously and turned to face Myrnin "For starters you can stop all this crazy vamp shit, it's really starting to bore me." She said to his face, she saw the flicker of anger behind his eyes and was worried she was pushing to far, she hadn't had a chance to assess his mood yet. But it suddenly disappeared replace by an almost fond smile. It suited him actually, softened his features and made him look almost…human.
"My darling little Claire, I do so love your honest nature" He said softly and raised his hand to move her hair back behind her ear after a lock had fallen stray. "But sometimes, I fear, you do not take me as seriously as you used to. Do not respect me as much. I hope you don't think because of Amelies unexpected promotion, you are in any way above me. Vampires will always be above mere humans in Morganville, you know that." He said this in the exact same soothing tone, which only added to the menacing atmosphere.
"You know I don't think that, I like to think of us as being equal now-" Myrnin cut her off with a barking laugh, Which sent shoots of irritation through Claire.
"Equal? How naïve of you to think such a thing, I will always be above you Claire and it is about time you accepted that. I do, however, owe you at least a smidgen of respect as you have helped me many a times, but never think you are safe from me. No one is safe from me. Not even… Ada…" His voice fades towards the end of his speech and his eyes seem distant as if he's watching a lost, suddenly recovered memory.
Claire stepped out of Myrnins line of fire and heads towards the big wooden door at the other end of the room; she plucks the key of its hook and unbolts the door, opening it to reveal an expanse of darkness. The portal. She pictures the school library in her mind, the endless shelves of books, the constant bustle of students shuffling' attempting to be silent and the stern eyed librarian behind her wooden desk, and she feel the slight pop in her mind as the portal shifted to the right frequency.
"Obviously, you don't need me this morning so I'll see you tomorrow" she said to Myrnin while walking through the portal into the deserted library. "Maybe you'll of stopped being such an up-himself old man by then." She murmured to herself after shutting the portal.
She glanced at her watch realising it was only 7:00am; she sighed and flung her backpack onto the nearest table. Well I have an hour to kill so might as well study she thought. She pulled out the ancient book on alchemy she'd found in Myrnins lab when she was tidying the other day and began to read.