They returned to the house and marched straight upstairs. When they reached Victor's office door, they saw Victor reading a book at his desk. Patricia didn't knock, the beat the door down. Victor jumped about a mile out of his seat and opened the door.
"What is the meaning of this behavior Miss Williamson? Banging on the door like that was completely uncalled for."
"Oh, stop rambling Victor and sit down. We need to have a little talk. All of us," Patricia ordered.
Victor looked taken aback by the assertiveness and seriousness in her voice but he walked to his desk and sat down and waited. Everyone was staring at Patricia with their jaws on the floor.
"Come in and shut the door, what do you miscrents want this time? Or do you want to blame another staff member of doing something wrong?" He was obviously talking about Vera, who deeply upset him.
"Were you or were you not trying to make elixir in the cellar last Friday night before you left?" Patricia demanded.
"I doubt that it is any of your business what I do in the cellar Miss Williamson."
Nina stepped forward. She didn't know what came over her, but she said very clearly, "Tell us the truth Victor or else." There was fire in her eyes, not literally of course.
Victor looked alarmed, he had been a little nicer to Nina since she had given him his father's ring and the tears of gold she had no idea about. She was never like that, even when she was in trouble, so he figured there was some good reason they needed to know. He caved in. "Yes. Why do you lot need to know?"
"Tell, us Victor, did you mess up and throw some across the room?" Patricia demanded again.
How did they know, Victor thought, were they spying on me? No, they couldn't have gotten down there without me knowing. He looked at Nina, she had the strangest expression on her face. Why am I telling them this? he thought, I never recalled reading about the Chosen One having hypnotic powers. "I may have made a mistake and got angry and threw a test tube. How do you know this?"
"Did you throw it into the furnace on purpose?" this time it was Nina that asked, well demanded an answer.
"N-no, I do not recall doing such a thing. I just remember throwing it across the room.." Or did I? I remember mixing the ingredients and tasting it. After I noticed I made a mistake, I got angry and threw it across the room... near the furnace. But how would it have ended up inside it? I believe I added fresh coals before attempting the elixir, maybe I left the door open? What does that have to do with anything?
They stood watching him think until he answered, "I remember, I left the furnace open by accident after adding fresh coal. It is possible that the test tube landed in there. Why is this of importance Miss Martin?" I still do not understand why I am telling them this. Maybe its the Osirian. Edison is in here, maybe he is doing something. No, I don't remember reading about the Osirian having hypnotic powers either.
"We have reason to believe that the ruined elixir you threw into the furnace gassed us that night causing us to do things we do not remember," Nina said dryly.
"What kind of things?" Victor asked.
"Do you remember exactly what you did that night when attempting to make the elixir, Victor?" asked Joy.
"Yes, I believe so," he answered.
"Do it again and we will show you what happened," Fabian said. The others nodded.
"Very well, follow me," Victor said. He stood up and everyone followed him to the cellar. They all watched as he replicated what he did that night. He added a purple liquid to a test tube filled with red liquid. He then took a beaker with a blue-green liquid off of the bunsen burner and added some to the test tube. He then took a sip and gagged. "This is the exact same thing I made that night. What exactly do you need to do now?"
"Pour it in a beaker and put it on the burner then one of needs to smell it. I think I should for obvious reasons," said Fabian. "Everyone stand back."
Fabian leaned over and sniffed the concoction and sure enough, the effect was instantaneous as it was that night. He lept over to Nina and practically began to eat her face off. When he started unbuttoning her shirt, the other guys stepped in to hold him back.
"My word," said Victor. "Please do not tell me this happened to all of you that night. It seems to be some kind of horomone enhancer."
Everyone just stared at him with that "DUH!" look excecpt Fabian who was trying to pry himself from Eddie and Jerome's grasp to get to Nina. Victor looked extremely upset and worried.
"From Fabian's behavior you can guess what happened that night to everyone but Joy," Patricia said.
"Why did it not effect Miss Mercer?" asked Victor.
"Because she accompanied Mick to the train station to see him off that night," panted Jerome, still trying to keep his grip on Fabian.
"There were no accidents that night were there?" Victor asked uneasily.
Nina nodded, "Fabian accidentally got me, um.." She couldn't continue.
"Pregnant," Amber finished for her.
Victor put his face in his hands and sat down on the closest thing. "Who would've guessed my selfish attempts at immortality would once again hurt others," he asked, mostly to himself.
"Victor," Nina said softly, "you'll have to help us explain this and make it so we aren't kicked out. Fabian's parents and my Gran will kill us when they find out unless we have some explanation. You don't have to tell them your attempts at immortality though. Some other kind of reason would work."
Everyone remained quiet while Victor thought. The only noise in the cellar was the heavy breathing from Eddie and Jerome trying to keep Fabian back.
"I-I'll do some research and see if there is anything that can cause that to happen. If there is, we will use that excuse. If you all will excuse me, I have work to do." Victor got up and walked back upstairs.
"Mara, is there any such thing that can do that?" Amber asked.
"Not that I know of, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist," Mara said.
The guys definitely didn't sleep well that night. They had to stay in the same room to make sure Fabian didn't escape. Who know Fabian, of all people, could be stong enough to get out of two guys' grasps.
