Frankenstein knew he had been overworking himself. He had hired people whose sole job it was to get a reasonable amount of sleep into his schedule after all. Still he hadn't comprehended the severity of his 'normal' days had been until they were no longer his normal.
Frankenstein frowned at the sound of the door bell; this room was meant to be sound proofed. Then he chuckled to himself; one of Kate's many attempts to get him to sleep at a decent time was to install one for the labs alone. It could only be accessed by someone already in the house.
Checking the time he was not surprised to note it was already three in the morning. Kate had reminded him to get some sleep at twelve but he had to finish what he was working on at the time. There were also other experiments that needed that one last look.
Putting down his hypotheses journal Frankenstein finished his work for the day. Opening the door, ready to assure Kate he would be getting to sleep now, Frankenstein kept his words to himself. Kate did not look like a man who was expecting to return to bed as soon as he drew the obsessive scientist out of his lab.
No, Kate looked ready to hit the gym. He was bouncing on the toes of his feet with a mixed look of guilt and excitement barely suppressed on his face. That quickly fell away as he took note of Frankenstein's face.
"You have guests." The man informed Frankenstein.
"At this hour? How did they even have my address?" He was too infamous for such information to be revealed carelessly. The guilt returned to Kate's eyes and this time it didn't have the excitement for company.
"You know when I was reaching the maddening edge of frustration last month?"
Frankenstein did; the man's normally clam gaze had dissolved into angry looks when Frankenstein cancelled another of the holidays Kate had organised on his behalf.
Frankenstein was a very difficult person and not inclined to listen to direction even when it was for his own good. Given that Kate hadn't resigned in six months like his other lifestyle consultants/secretaries. Frankenstein had decided that the looks were justified and given the man a week's holiday. Also some advice on methods to try that wouldn't drive him to anger.
Frankenstein simply nodded his response.
"Well I looked up things in your planner that involved some small level of relaxation or kept you away from work. ... One option that popped up had me stretching outside my rights as your employee. I didn't think it would get a response but it has."
Kate passed him a small newspaper cut out. It said a public figure was looking for a ward and that any applicants for the position would require guardian consent. The advert came with the address Frankenstein gave annoying people he was obliged to invite to his house; in even less words.
"Someone responded to this?" Frankenstein might have expected a mass of runaways to descend but the advertisement clearly stated guardian consent was needed.
"Apparently the guardian knows you and recognised the address. He believes you will do better by them than he will." Well that explains why the staffs of the given address were willing to send them over here without confirming they were expected first.
Then Frankenstein stopped short at the door way to the front sitting room. Didn't Siegen hate him? Yet there his was sitting across from a youth who looked almost too old to be a ward.
"...is a little over bearing but he will do well by you." Frankenstein cleared his throat interrupting Siegen as the officer tried to reassure the youth.
"I wasn't aware you had children." In fact Frankenstein knew the officer didn't; his wife was too focused on her career. "Where did you get him?" Looking at the youth it was disturbing to notice the level of indifference he was treating the situation with. Presumably his legal guardian was about to dump him on a stranger; they must not have known each other long.
"Dr Frankenstein this is Crimson Rose a ward of the state he, he has a very unusual history. There are other options but it would be best if you took him in. I, I don't think following procedure will be right in this case." Siegen; he was a very good officer and his instincts were normally spot on. Frankenstein bit back the scathing lecture he had been preparing and actually considered taking this youth in.
The youth in question, Crimson Rose, was sitting down with faultless posture his eyes lowered to the coffee table. A gaze so indifferent in could be considered lifeless and the youth didn't fidget at all, it was unnatural that stillness. What was his history?
"You don't look young enough to be a ward." It was true Rose looked to be 18, legally an adult.
"Special circumstances the court, at physicist recommendation, deemed it would take at least three years for him to adjust after... given his circumstances." Frankenstein had wanted to get a response from the youth, still the response was interesting. The youth's life was so what for the court to exempt him from legal responsibility for an extra three years...
"Can you talk Rose?" Hmm, perhaps it would be better to call the young man Crimson. Really what kind of name was that in the first place? Apart from a brief glance in Frankenstein's direction (shoulder height) there was no response.
"Boss, why don't we let them use the guest rooms and discuss this in the morning?" Officer Siegen seemed court between reluctance and exhaustion at Kate's suggestion; Rose didn't seem to care at all.
"...Alright."
XXX
It was a good thing it was the weekend; Frankenstein reflected as he finished off the last of his breakfast and no one else had woken yet. He had already checked on last night's experiments, only finding two errors made due to exhaustion. The results wouldn't be ready for a few more hours so he might as well do some reading in his personal library.
Cleaning up after himself Frankenstein made his way to the room in question and discovered that one of his guests was awake. Crimson Rose was seated in an overstuffed chair under the skylight reeding one of the tomes the shelves supported; an encyclopaedia.
Not something many people would just sit down and read but then most of Frankenstein's shelves were covered in reference books; the few reading books would have been hard to find. Still if his charge could read then, "Can you write?"
The sharp focused gaze that had been set on those pages disappeared as Rose stiffened. It was a least a minute before the youth responded with a nod; so slight it was barely perceptible. So they would have a sound method of communication, good.
"Don't mind me."
Frankenstein settled down to his own reading, well research, on current misconceptions. Occasionally taking discreet glances as his companion Frankenstein was concerned to realise it took almost half an hour for the youth to be comfortable enough in his presence to return to his own pursuits.
When Rose did relax the atmosphere became so calm that Frankenstein stopped checking and was absorbed in his hobby shortly after. The sun finished rising and the room got steadily brighter; time passed like an inconsequential matter.
There was a light rap on the library door and Kate entered. "Officer Siegen has finished breakfast and would like to discuss matters with you, Boss." Frankenstein gave him and absent minded response then almost jolted when a rustle of pages near him announced Rose returning his tome to the shelves.
Blinking at his surroundings Frankenstein realised Siegen would be well and truly up by now so they could discuss matters. Packing away his latest note book he turned to his secretary, "Where would Siegen be?" Kate looked slightly surprised but quickly informed him that Siegen had returned to the sitting room to finish this morning's discussion.
"He doesn't normally respond so quickly." Kate whispered to Rose; not quietly enough.
Feeling slightly irritated Frankenstein entered the sitting room with Kate and Rose trailing just behind him. It seemed for all Siegen didn't like him, he did understand Frankenstein. The necessary documents were already on the table.
The mini mountain of paper work later and Frankenstein was the legal guardian of Crimson Rose. Siegen took his leave promising to send over Rose's physic report as the guardian should know what he is dealing with. Kate had taken Rose on a tour of the house the second he realised the youth would be staying.
So Frankenstein had time to check up on his experiments then prepare a few small tests to see how Rose was going academically.
XXX
Rose wouldn't be able to go to school. At least not until the glaring gaps in his education had been addressed. Reading comprehension was excellent but Rose didn't even recognise the most basic numbers for mathematics. History and Law were both inaccurate even if the youth seemed to have been educated to know only the falsities.
Frankenstein addressed the easiest problem first; he gave Rose a small pile of history books and asked the youth to read them. It would be no trouble to hire a tutor for the youth's education and Rose went through with everything he asked readily enough. That was the bigger problem.
Apart from the rare times Frankenstein found him window gazing Rose didn't show any interest in things. He never asked for anything, in his free time he would read through the reference books and he remained completely closed off or indifferent when Kate or Frankenstein was present.
Crimson Rose's private information was sent as promised Frankenstein closed the folder after one look at the first page and didn't open it again. The youth didn't even have a birthday on record.
Frankenstein decided to hire a tutor close to Rose's age in the hopes the youth would open up to them. It had mixed results, on the positive Rose didn't tense around Yuna but he didn't open up either.
In less than a week it was clear no amount of coxing would draw Rose outside willingly. So when Kate informed him that his work had called to complain that the long service leave hadn't been used as intended and there was getting to be too much. Frankenstein took a holiday and a less passive approach.
Being the every second of everyday was impossible they both needed their space but Frankenstein tried to do something like it until Rose stopped tensing in when he entered the room. It had the double effect of pulling Rose out of his indifference.
It worked but not as planned. In his attempt to be there when Rose woke up Frankenstein was within ear shot when a nightmare had the youth fall out of bed with a thump. It was quite a feat when the bed was a double.
Rushing into the room Frankenstein had pulled that still terrified figure into an embrace hoping to calm him down. There was a tense moment when Frankenstein was convinced Rose would reject the embrace then the youth had latched on to him in a death grip and cried silent tears until dawn proper.
It was a good thing Frankenstein hadn't started anything new when his last experiment concluded. With the ice broken his time was filled with Raizel. The youth would ask many questions and listen with the uttermost attentiveness to Frankenstein's answers. The subjects were so varied that even Frankenstein found he didn't always have the answer ready when they came.
The time when Rose court up with Yuna to expand his education became Frankenstein's down time. At the end of the day he would collapse into the mat he had set up in the hall on the off chance Rose had a nightmare again. It continued in that manner for a few short weeks and then there were three days when Rose didn't ask any question's seemingly absorbed in his other studies.
XXX
"Shall we get some fresh tea Rose?" The cups were empty and the pot had gone cold as they both worked quietly in the library. There were still a few good hours until dinner and it would be good to refresh them.
Rose nodded an absent minded agreement as he made his way through an eight form text book, a massive improvement from where he started.
Frankenstein quickly replaced the tea ignoring the looks Kate gave him, suggesting they should talk. Reaching for an empty cup Frankenstein failed to notice its perch and silently fumed when it shattered on the ground. Before he could warn his ward against it Rose was already there helping collect all the pieces.
They both ended up with small cuts from the task. Frankenstein because he had payed more attention to what Rose was doing and Rose, well, he seemed to have just mimicked Frankenstein. The broken cup was binned but before Frankenstein could pull a first aid kit out Rose had grasped his wrist and put their wounds together. The blood...
"Cadis Etrama di Raizel," it was the first time Rose had spoken and it gained Frankenstein's immediate attention.
"Pardon?" What did Rose mean...
"My name it means the Rose of extreme blood."Raizel's garnet eye's bore into Frankenstein's own and he had the sound impression that this was very significant for more than the obvious reasons. Normal things didn't require blood mixing just to tell someone your name.
"Frankenstein, I'm Frankenstein Lee." Raizel, because that was his name wasn't it, smiled in a manner that was truly breath taking. Then he released Frankenstein's hand and licked the wound on his own. Frankenstein instinctively copied the gesture before his good sense returned and he pulled out the first aid kit.
XXX
Kate had finally cornered him so Frankenstein smiled calmly at him and waited for whatever he had to say. "Two things Boss. First congratulations on getting decent sleep during your holiday. Second, read the paper work they sent you on Crimson, his upbringing was madness. That's all I wanted to say."
Right, honey mixed with vinegar. Frankenstein decided it was well past time Raizel sat down with him to choose a birthday. He would need one when Frankenstein sent him to high school.
XXX
A cult had raised Raizel from infancy to their beliefs; his birth hadn't even been registered with the government. Those were some beliefs and suddenly many of Raizel's questions had a theme to them. The youth had been trying to figure out how much he had been taught was true and accepted and what was claimed to be true was for the cults benefit.
The blood mingling meant family for family was bond by blood and ones real name was sacred something only to be entrusted to a select few. Adults and children were segregated with the exception of teachers and a dozen other things. The cult had been forcefully disbanded when it was discovered that a few of the influential members those who could actually call shot's were using it the hide trafficking and other criminal activities.
Raizel was in the room when Frankenstein read it he had noticed his distress and looked at the cause. He seemed indifferent to how the report painted his life and the notations that suggested the children would be trafficked when they were old enough to sell for the best price.
"I'm fine Frankenstein. We are together now and that is all that matters." What about the others? Frankenstein found he could not ask. When he remained tense Raizel started brushing his fingers through the older man's hair and Frankenstein let himself relax into the touch. He couldn't save the world alone for all he always tried but if anyone else answered Kate's ambitious add he would save them.
This is another story that ran away with itself. It was meant to be lighter. Overworked Franken adopts a child and stops over working himself to be available when they need him and starts getting decent sleep when they crawl into bed with him because nightmare's. Sadly Raizel has the appearance of an 18yr old so the back story developed and it got so sad. - Simantha