Waking up hurt, and damn her head was sore.
She almost had a heart attack when she realised Myrnin was about two centimetres away from her face.
"Wow, Geez Myrnin, personal space, please" he grinned, shoving a Jam doughnut in her view.
He'd gone for a cyber look for today; steam-punk goggles on his head and metallic colours, although he was wearing his favourite footwear (if he worn any at all) the bunny slippers.
What a day today was going to be.
"Eat, I hear teenagers crave the magic of sugar" suddenly realising she sure wasn't in The Glass House all the drowsiness left her system.
"Where's Shane?" he'd twirled over to Bob's cage, feeding him some flies or something, she didn't want to think about that too much.
He waved his hands in the air "Ah, your man got himself in some trouble" he wasn't facing her and for some reason that troubled Claire.
He seemed a bit off today, not as hyperactive and loopy as usual and was starting to miss that side of him.
Picking herself up and realising she'd drooled all over the terribly knitted quilt that had been tossed over her... Wait, Myrnin knitted?
That was an image which she just couldn't quite conjure and got right back down to business.
Deciding instead of going hysterical and throwing acid all over the place, which wasn't exactly a bad idea, except that would be pure normality for him.
"What kind of trouble?" leaning her hip against a bookcase, Claire watched his movements, they seemed rehearsed and purposefully neutral; grabbing random books and flipping through them, then throwing them in another unorganised pile for the next few centuries.
This time he slowly turned around, decreasing his fast movements so he looked more human, bracing her for what was to come.
"Michael appears to have been staked in the stomach; and since it wasn't in defence then Shane is pending for a punishment" her mouth had gone dry, contorted to a patchy mummified nothing.
They had been through a lot in the past few years and it had always turned out okay in the end, but it was all too clear that Amelie, Oliver and even Myrnin would turn against them.
But he had staked Michael, Michael; Lovely, kind and caring Michael.
Her voice came out quiet and small, as if simply touching her would snap her bones, she hadn't even thought about it, she'd only thought for Shane.
"Is Michael...Going to be okay?" she spread her palms on the beaten desk which held lamps and decrepit letters, he really needed a spring clean.
He smiled, and it was completely sane, as if he understood; which was silly since if anything the only thing Myrnin understood was how to defy the laws of Physics and all scientific studies.
Putting down the tub of insects and partially shutting Bob's cage, if he crawled out she would scream to high heavens and she'd had enough screaming and shouting for one day.
But this was a Morganville day.
He picked up another book "There's a slight problem there, too" scanning through it then passing it to Claire to take notes, she really wasn't in the mood.
She sat down on the wooden seat with an eerie thump, hands flaying by her sides "He's dead isn't he?" she couldn't take it in at all.
This morning was supposed to be normal, well as normal as you could get here and everything had just gone, totally gone.
She'd seen Michael this morning, and yesterday, and before that, he couldn't just disappear into nothing, what would happen to Eve?
That was enough to make her want to puke, violently.
"As far as we know, both Eve and Michael are gone, which is why we have had to keep such a close eye on Mr Collins, he is the main suspect as you can understand" he was being very meticulous about the information he fed to her, there was something he wasn't telling her and she needed to find out exactly what it was otherwise someone was going to pay for what they did to Shane.
"But, but I saw Eve taking Michael away somewhere, then I went to answer the door!" they had it all wrong but she was his girlfriend, of course she would change the story to suit their relationship.
Myrnin ruffled her hair "Ah, my little Claire, do not worry, once we've finished this project I'm sure everything will be just fine" she highly doubted that and still needed answers.
What had happened to Michael and Eve? Where was Shane? Was Michael even still alive? Well, as alive as he could be with the whole blood-drinking fad he was on.
Just on que to make her jump, a portal formed in the middle of the room, revealing both Amelie and her entourage of guards and Oliver looking as poe-faced and pissed off as ever.
"Myrnin" she nodded to me "Claire" one of her guards grabbed a chair, letting her sit gracefully and regally as Amelie just did.
Oliver took his place beside her, shoulders solid and brows furrowed in anger, someone really didn't like being bossed around, and that was one of the things she liked about Amelie, she kicked ass.
"We have this project to discuss" gesturing to a tall, muscular vamp wearing a black suit and shades he handed over some blue prints and paper, Myrnin squinted at them, conferring.
"This is possible, but with this theory it will only affect the humans mind-set, it's not strong enough for us" he snatched a pencil from the desk and scribbled, crossing out bits of information and making diagrams.
Amelie smiled at Claire, she didn't do that often, and it seemed strange and foreign for her to do so, she was far too serious for happiness and sentimentalities.
"I need to know where Shane is" her gaze was icy and hard, causing a shiver down her spine "Please" she sighed, looking up at Oliver who right now had focused his flame-ablaze eyes to Claire, snarling some teeth.
"Oh, do quiet your primate ways, Oliver, this is civilised conversation, not a common zoo" he growled then shoved off to a creepy corner like a moody teenager.
She turned back, placing her hand on her knee "I cannot bestow you with that information" as Claire began to argue, Amelie snapped back, silencing her.
"Do you think me an idiot? I know that you and Mr Collins are intimate, we cannot risk disposing of you, aswel" both Myrnin and Claire raised their eyebrows.
She spoke of them as if they were nothing more than mere animals; she had to go into deep water.
"I won't do any of this project until you let him go." Myrnin slide hastily in-front of Claire, taking the full manic and force of Amelie's blow.
"Please, my Queen, she is but a lovesick girl, much like yourself, do spare her of her insolence and blame it upon nothing more than heartbreak" for a moment Claire thought Amelie would break his neck, and everyone else's in the room.
"He's done something to Sam, I need him back" that claimed everyone's full attention. Amelie's typo had been heard and she made no attempt to hide the fact that Michael was the last shred of Sam she had left, apart from a dodgy grave-stone which she probably visited every evening.
She looked up, piercing at her over Myrnin's shoulder "Fine, if you complete this project, Shane may walk as a free man" she breathed low and predatory "But if he has something to do with the disappearance of Eve or Michael, he will suffer the consequences" she didn't need to ask what would happen if she didn't complete the task...
They would be dead.