Claire's words sounded once again in my head: Can you not clear this place up? I mean, who's even in this? You last assistant, eurgh. Now I know you really need to clean up. So, that was precisely what I was trying to do; only I'm very easily distracted. What's that? I wondered as I pulled a piece of wool, a very large piece of wool from some crevice in the wall. It smelled of dampness and soot? Hmm, defiantly mine, pulling it out of its shape I realised it was a shirt of sorts, that was as plain as the wooden table top, hmm, when had I ever worn something like this? I must have still been boring back then, perhaps I was reminiscing about when I was a human? No, I hadn't done that in centuries.
It wasn't that hard, once I focused on the task at hand, that Eve girl was right, I really should style my hair like this, it reminds me of when I was a ferociously good looking lad, having that passionate affair with dear old Elizabeth. Damn, I was still supposed to be tidying. Perhaps I was too good for this? Shouldn't Claire be doing this for me? She was my assistant after all.
No, then she might shout at me down the phone! I checked the huge clock in the corner, oh, it had stopped working almost as soon as Amelie had insisted she install it, a vivid memory of a glass beaker of acid been thrown at it sprung to mind, smiling wanly, I checked the cellular device Claire made me carry round. Why did they call it cellular? I much preferred to call it a mobile, that the British did, it made so much more sense, a mobile phone, not a cellular phone. Right tidying!
I turned round and a loud crash echoed through the stone lab, I had, in my haste knocked over a table, and several beakers, and test tubes and various other things, was that pencil I lost… 20 years ago? Yes! I remembered the yellow and green stripes and the horrendous polka dots of the... 1980's.
Eugh, well I vaguely remembered, I had been in the middle of the disease. Hmm, maybe I still had some of the clothes I got then, polka dots, stripes, a touch of velvet, cotton, that heinous invention and that horrible denim stuff. How horrible.
How could I try and tidy? This is terribly tedious. Should, oh! How long has that been there? I pulled out a huge box. It was covered in carvings, odd carvings, prising the lid open I saw why it had stayed hidden. It was Ada's box full of Jewels. I pulled out a pearl necklace, studying my reflection in it, did women still wear things like this? Pawing through the box I found several necklaces I remembered, would Claire wear these now? Probably not, I mused, did she ever wear jewellery? No, not really, earrings mostly and that dratted silver ring that boy gave her.
Damn him to hell. I threw the box back where it came from, but most unfortunately a bookcase fell over, I re-propped it, but I don't think it'll be the same, somehow. I left the books on the floor. Had Ada ever tidied the lab? No, she'd been too far gone with madness most likely, besides that was, as she had said it, servants work. She was too well bred for it, I remembered with a sad smile, not that it meant anything in the end.
I remembered the dresses she used to wear, how they hid her curvious legs and hips, and how hard it had been to get that dratted corset off. I don't think I would have that problem with Claire, in fact I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have any problem with her clothes. They were so thin, the t-shits she wore, so plain and boring, so thin and revealing. I smiled thinking about her lovely legs, which were very much to my liking….
Perhaps, she should wear more effeminate clothing? It might suit her, but not like those horrible things her make-believe dead friend wore, eugh, leather, wouldn't look good on her. A corset might. Pushing something, a book? From my chair I collapsed into it, dreaming of her smile and the way she said my name when she was scared, how small she was, so easily breakable.
I crushed whatever I'd taken into my hands, I think it was a beaker, of water, yes, water. Oh, maybe it was acid, sulphuric acid? Yes, it smelled like that. I dreamily threw the shards of glass to the floor, how easily breakable she was, how strong I was too.
I could break her, so easily. I couldn't let her go, that's why I'd had to bring her back. I couldn't lose her enquiring mind, that so many were lacking now. I couldn't lose the glint in her eye. She was so fragile, and suddenly the lab made me angry, how everything was so old, and dirty like me. Why could I not be human like that Collins boy, so I could woo her? Or hold her without her flinching from my fangs, or the flash of red in my eyes? Why was I so unlovable?
I pushed over the pile of books I'd tidied, letting them scatter across the floor, much like her blood would if I ever lost control, even for a second. I could kill her, and if I brought her back, she'd hate me. I knew it, as sure as I knew I needed blood. She would hate me. She would hate me with a passion. But, perhaps I could use that passion? Turn it to lust? No, I was foolish to think that, she didn't want me, nor lust after me. Yes, I had amazing hair, I was smart, intelligent, dashing, good looking, amazing in every way, but she would never want me.
I was too alien for her to ever love me.
Voila, I hope you liked this fairly random one-shot! Please review!