"Claire, are you almost done in there?"
I heard Myrnin call from outside his small, seemingly unused bedroom. I chose to ignore his question. He had to know I would be nowhere close to finished. When he'd asked me to go through some of his old possessions, I'd somehow forgotten that my boss was a centuries old vampire whom has accumulated his far share of junk over the years.
"Claire, it is extremely impolite to ignore someone when they are trying to speak to you. Didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders?" Myrnin spoke in a rushed tone, but now stood leaning against his doorframe looking as insane, yet somehow beautiful, as ever.
I gave him a frustrated look and continued to sort through one of the many dusty, old boxes containing momentums of Myrnin's life. He must have taken my hint, because when I looked up seconds later he'd disappeared without a sound.
I'd spent the majority of what I had thought was going to be a relaxing Sunday on the uncomfortable floorboards next to Myrnin's bed. When I stepped out of the house this morning the sun was shining bright in the clear blue sky and the usual scorching Texas heat was dimed with a light breeze. I'd expected Myrnin to be off in his own world without requiring my assistance, but instead he was in full swing. He'd even ditched his favourite, fanged bunny slippers for a pair of runners I'd brought for him last week in attempt to bring him into the twenty-first century.
After dusting off some old books written in languages I can only assumed died out way before my time and throwing out numerous shreds of blank paper, I was relieved it see that I actually was almost done. I lifted off the dirty sheet covering the last box and started to pick through the countless knick-knacks. I wasn't surprised to find another assortment of snow globes; Myrnin seemed to have one from every country in the world. But what did surprise me was an old, wooden, facedown photo frame. Myrnin didn't keep photos; except for the one of Ada, locked away in his top draw.
The picture inside the frame was black and white, and blurry, and I could only just make out a joyful looking Myrnin standing next to a tall, grey-headed man in glasses and a suit.
I rose from my position on the floor and stumbled out of the bedroom on stiff legs. Myrnin was sitting on his velvet, red armchair with his legs crossed and head in a book.
"What is it that you want, Claire?" He asked without looking up.
"I found this, in your things", I wondered over to his side and showed him the photo. A small smile spread across his face as he stared at the image I still could barely make out.
"Ahh, yes. That, young Claire, is a youthful George Washington". Myrnin's smile grew when he looked up at my shocked expression.
"You knew the firth president of the United States?" I questioned as I sat on the armrest next to Myrnin, but a part of me really wasn't surprised.
"I did indeed. In fact, I was quite friendly with all the Founding Fathers. This photograph was taken right after George himself offered me to join their little group, which I gratefully declined of course. How would historians today explain why one of the first political leaders of our country never aged a day?" Myrnin was no longer smiling at the photo, but at me. I smiled back, but the look in his eyes was one I had been seeing far to often lately, one that frightened me more then his look of bloodlust or insanity. It was a look of love, and compassion…. For me.
We both looked up when we heard the familiar sound of a portal forming on the far wall. The Glass House living room appeared like a painted mural and my boyfriend, Shane Collins, stepped into the lab. His expression was blank, and it was then I realized just how close I was sitting to Myrnin, and how bad it must have looked.
"Shane, what are you doing here?" I jumped up from where I was sitting with my vampire boss and rushed over to my anti-vamp-possibly-stake-carrying boyfriend and took his hand in mine as a simple show of affection.
"You've been gone all day, I came to check on you." Shane's tone was emotionless, but his expression was hard. He stared over my shoulder at Myrnin with resentment in his eyes.
"Well, you're right on time because I just finished. Myrnin was just telling about how he was buds with the Founding Fathers, cool right?" I tried to sound chipper to lighten the mood, but my voice came out strained and way too enthusiastic. I risked a glance at Myrnin, who was staring back at Shane with the same cold eyes, the exact opposite to the look I'd seen on his face moments ago.
I grabbed my bag from the bench closest to the portal and pulled on Shane's hand to drag him into the living room, while shouting a quick goodbye to Myrnin. Once safe inside a Myrnin-less home, I dropped my bag and turned to Shane, who was already staring at me.
"What?" I asked, trying desperately to sound casual and avoid the awkward conversation I knew was ahead. Shane stared at me a few moments more, studying my face for signs of guilt or regret.
"We need to talk." Was all he said, before making his way towards the stairs. I followed like a lost puppy, silently praying this would all be ok. I know Shane has never approved of me working with Myrnin, but so far his accepted it as a necessary responsibility. I had a feeling that was about to change.