Title: The Child's Gaze
Categorey: LXG
Character Focus: Dorian Gray, Mina Harker, and Quincey Harker
Rating: K+ for certain matters
Summary: Pre-League short story. Dorian meets Mina at her house, where he is introduced to her small son. By seeing the child's gaze, Dorian soon realizes that he is not liked by the boy.
Note: Just something for the Halloween mood, and while I'm trying to plot the next few chapters of Clash of the Shinobi. I just read Dracula the Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt and Bloodline by Kate Cary, I did like how Quincey was portrayed in them as a vampire or half-vampire, so I am writing him in through Dorian Gray's perspective. It is possible that Mina might have introduced Dorian to Quincey, but the boy didn't take a liking to Mr. Gray. LXG is copyright to 20th Century Fox, Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil. Dorian Gray is copyright of Oscar Wilde. Mina and Quincey Harker are copyright of Bram Stoker.
Diary of Dorian Gray
October 28, 1895
It was a cool autumn evening, I was on my way to meet Mina at her home before taking her out to the theatre. As I looked out the window of the coach, the sun was setting over London and the people on the streets were either heading home or going on their nightly routines. The coach came to a stop at the address that I instructed the driver to go to, I could see that the house was a two-story building with a shingled roof, lace patterned window frames, and a single front door similar to the other houses of the upper middle-class.
After checking that I had arrived to the correct address, I climbed out of the coach and asked the driver to wait. With my cane tapping on the cobblestones, I walked up the small pathway to the painted white door. I tapped the brass door knocker three times and adjusted my coat and shirt collar as I waited, I always make sure that I'm well groomed and presentable.
"Dorian," said Mina's smooth voice as she opened the door, "so good to see you this evening." She wore a black evening gown with her long red scarf around her neck, her auburn hair was playfully pinned up.
"Mina," I said, "you look lovely tonight."
She and I met months ago at an art gallery while attending an exhibit. What I learned about Mina when I met her was that her husband passed away years before and she had been working as a chemistry teacher. I came to admire her as both beautiful and intelligent, yet she was hesitant when I first asked her out. After several attempts, Mina decided to accept my invitations, explaining that it was time for her to move on from losing her husband.
"Thank you," said Mina, "you look quite refined yourself."
"Mummy," said a small voice from behind Mina, "where are you going?"
Mina turned around to face the source of the voice, when she did, I saw past her elegant form the small form of a child in bed clothes. I arched my brow at the surprising site, Mina never told me that she had a child. The child standing in the entrance hall was a boy of the age of five or six years, he had darker auburn hair and his wide eyes were the same icy blue as Mina's.
"I'm just going to go out for the night, Quincey," Mina answered, "I will return before morning. Now tell me why you aren't in bed?"
"I'm not sleepy," said the boy, only to yawn. It was funny when children said they weren't sleepy even though they are. It was so long ago when I said that to my grandfather back when I was a boy.
"Well," said Mina, facing me again, "I suppose that I should introduce the two of you." She gestured for Quincey to come to her. "Come here, Quincey, I would like you to meet Mr. Gray." The boy came and stood beside her, he stared up at me with his icy gaze.
"Hello," the boy said quietly, "my name is Quincey."
"Such a pleasure to meet you, Quincey," I said, using the charms that would make girls blush, but the boy didn't seem to notice. "I am Dorian Gray, you can just call me Mr. Gray." Quincey nodded slowly, but he still focused his icy eyes on me.
"He's a little shy," said Mina, running her delicate fingers through the boy's hair.
"I see," I said as I tried to take my view from the child's rather unsettling stare. He probably was just uncomfortable being around someone new and strange to him.
"Time for you to go to bed," Mina said to her son, "I'll see you in the morning." She kissed the child on the forehead and called for the housekeeper, a plump middle-aged woman, to escort the boy to his room.
As the housekeeper urged Quincey to go upstairs, the boy looked back at me. Strange that a gaze from a child should be so cold. When he was out of sight, I felt a little more comfortable. The thought of Quincey's gaze was so ridiculous! He was just a child, innocent, naive, and a little ignorant. Why would I be disturbed by a child staring at me? However, he stared at me as if he knew there was something wrong with me, as if he knew my secret. Impossible, I never bothered telling anyone about the painting, the child was just not adjusted to meeting new people.
"He is quite a boy," I said, hoping that talking would settle my nerves. "How old is he?"
"He'll be six in November," said Mina. "I normally have him staying with Dr. Seward, but I plan to go with Quincey on All Hallows Eve to visit my husband's grave. Every year, it's been a tradition to visit the grave of my husband with my son."
"That's understandable," I said, "it is important that families keep to their traditions." I cleared my throat, remembering our evening plans. "Shall we be going?"
"Of course," she said, grabbing her coat, hat, and bag. "Perhaps if you see Quincey more often, I'm sure he'll become used to you."
"I may need to think about it," I said as we got into the coach. As we were riding in the coach, I could not stop thinking about that child's unsettling stare. That boy might never get used to me, nor I will become used to him. Maybe it was time to close my relationship with Mina and move on. Hopefully Mina will understand.
Fin.