Chapter 10 – Out of Sight
"Wow," Bet exclaimed. She had walked over to the mirror, and was looking at her reflection. It was shocking. All she could see was her dress moving in the same way it would have done if she were wearing it. "Oh, Dr Jekyll, this is amazing!"
Bet started to dance and twirl around the room to see what it looked like in the mirror. Jekyll watched as the grey dress fluttered and twisted as it was danced around the room. It was strange, as the only time Jekyll had seen clothes floating in the air was when Skinner was wearing them. Jekyll imagined Skinner wearing Bet's dress and tried hard to stifle a snigger.
"What you laughing at?" Bet asked him. Jekyll blushed slightly.
"Oh, nothing." Bet continued to spin and twirl around the room. Jekyll stood up as she twirled past him, knocking his leg. She wasn't the most graceful person he'd met; Jekyll thought, just she spun into the bookcase.
"Oh!" Bet exclaimed as she tripped to the floor, a book falling into her lap. Jekyll rolled his eyes.
"Allow me," He walked over to where she was sprawled on the floor. Leaning down he grabbed out to where he though her arm was, missing completely. He felt her grab hold of his wrist and pull herself up. She gave the book back to Jekyll.
"Good book?" she asked. He looked at it. The book read 'The Carew Murder Case – Utterson.' Jekyll shuddered, and placed it back on the bookshelf.
"I've read better." He mumbled. "Are you ready to try the visibility potion yet?" Jekyll asked her.
"Oh, Dr Jekyll, can I please stay like this for a little bit?" Jekyll was taken aback. Wasn't she as excited as he was to see if his potion worked?
"Try the visibility potion first," Jekyll told her. "And then you can turn back for a bit if you really want." Bet walked towards him.
"Yeah, of course." She said. "You wanna find out if it works, don't you?" Jekyll nodded. She smiled at him. "It will work, you know. It 'as to. You did it!" Jekyll laughed, awkwardly.
"Well, we'll just have to wait and see won't we." He turned to his desk and picked up the second potion. He held it in the air and watched it swirl within the vial. Bet crept up behind him and looked over his shoulder.
"Is that dyed too, or is it normally green?" she asked, curiously. Jekyll replied to her.
"It's naturally green. It's a good job this wasn't blue like the invisibility potion, or there could be some unfortunate mix-ups." He placed the vial in her hands and moved over to the bed to sit down. If this did work, it could be a very powerful tool. Having a simple way of switching from being visible, to invisible and back again meant that each member of the League would be able to use it freely. And that would mean that Skinner was no longer a necessary member of the League. He could go back to England and continue fooling about without having to disturb Jekyll ever again. Jekyll always knew that Skinner wasn't an angel, but after finding out about the way he was using Bet… He felt that he could never think of him in the same way again.
Bet watched the potion in the vial. It was amazing, she thought, that such a plain looking liquid could be so amazing.
"Do I drink this one as well?" She asked Jekyll, turning to face him. He looked very solemn, as if in deep though. "Dr Jekyll?" She spoke again. Still there was no response. She placed the vial back on the table and dashed over to him. She reached for his hand and shook his arm. "Are you alright?" Jekyll came out of his trance and looked up at Bet.
"Yes, sorry." He apologised. "What was it you said?" Bet paused for a moment.
"Do I 'ave to drink this potion too?" she asked. Jekyll nodded.
"Yes, yes." She smiled at him and walked back over to the desk to grab the vial once more. In one swift moment she swallowed the contents. Moving to the mirror, she started to watch her reflection. Jekyll held his breath.
A few minutes passed and still nothing had happened. Bet was fidgeting and Jekyll was getting very nervous.
"'Ow long is it meant to take?" Bet asked, very quietly, not turning from the mirror. "Shouldn't it 'ave 'appened by now?" Jekyll stayed silent. What was wrong? He was sure that he had got it right. Everything fitted correctly. He rethought the finer points of the potion and could see no reason why this shouldn't work.
"It may take a while," Jekyll murmured, not really being sure how long it should take. A grave feeling sank in his stomach. It wasn't working. It wasn't going to work. Bet was going to be stuck invisible, just as Skinner was. Poor Bet, Jekyll thought. He felt terrible that it was his fault.
Bet started to move slowly from the mirror. All the energy she had twisting and turning a while ago had drained away from her.
"I…" she started. "I think I'll go and wait in my room. Then, maybe…" She fled from the room, sobbing. Jekyll leapt up to follow her, but as he reached the door he stopped. Bet needed to be alone.
He turned and collapsed onto the bed. He had made a huge mistake. He didn't care so much about not solving the problem, but he was devastated that Bet would now have to stay invisible, maybe even permanently. Bet had become special to him, and that never should have happened. He cursed himself. You should never experiment on anything that is dear to you. Many scientists before him had got attached to their lab rats, giving them names and such. They were then unable to test on them, as they didn't want to hurt them. Jekyll had always forbidden himself from doing that very thing.
There was a knock. Jekyll rose quickly and scurried to the door. Bet must have come back. He wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be all right. A voice came through the door.
"Jekyll, are you there?" It was Skinner. "What's wrong with Bet? She's in her room crying." Jekyll's face dropped. The last person he wanted to speak to now was Skinner. Reluctantly, he opened the door and let Skinner in.
"Wow," Bet exclaimed. She had walked over to the mirror, and was looking at her reflection. It was shocking. All she could see was her dress moving in the same way it would have done if she were wearing it. "Oh, Dr Jekyll, this is amazing!"
Bet started to dance and twirl around the room to see what it looked like in the mirror. Jekyll watched as the grey dress fluttered and twisted as it was danced around the room. It was strange, as the only time Jekyll had seen clothes floating in the air was when Skinner was wearing them. Jekyll imagined Skinner wearing Bet's dress and tried hard to stifle a snigger.
"What you laughing at?" Bet asked him. Jekyll blushed slightly.
"Oh, nothing." Bet continued to spin and twirl around the room. Jekyll stood up as she twirled past him, knocking his leg. She wasn't the most graceful person he'd met; Jekyll thought, just she spun into the bookcase.
"Oh!" Bet exclaimed as she tripped to the floor, a book falling into her lap. Jekyll rolled his eyes.
"Allow me," He walked over to where she was sprawled on the floor. Leaning down he grabbed out to where he though her arm was, missing completely. He felt her grab hold of his wrist and pull herself up. She gave the book back to Jekyll.
"Good book?" she asked. He looked at it. The book read 'The Carew Murder Case – Utterson.' Jekyll shuddered, and placed it back on the bookshelf.
"I've read better." He mumbled. "Are you ready to try the visibility potion yet?" Jekyll asked her.
"Oh, Dr Jekyll, can I please stay like this for a little bit?" Jekyll was taken aback. Wasn't she as excited as he was to see if his potion worked?
"Try the visibility potion first," Jekyll told her. "And then you can turn back for a bit if you really want." Bet walked towards him.
"Yeah, of course." She said. "You wanna find out if it works, don't you?" Jekyll nodded. She smiled at him. "It will work, you know. It 'as to. You did it!" Jekyll laughed, awkwardly.
"Well, we'll just have to wait and see won't we." He turned to his desk and picked up the second potion. He held it in the air and watched it swirl within the vial. Bet crept up behind him and looked over his shoulder.
"Is that dyed too, or is it normally green?" she asked, curiously. Jekyll replied to her.
"It's naturally green. It's a good job this wasn't blue like the invisibility potion, or there could be some unfortunate mix-ups." He placed the vial in her hands and moved over to the bed to sit down. If this did work, it could be a very powerful tool. Having a simple way of switching from being visible, to invisible and back again meant that each member of the League would be able to use it freely. And that would mean that Skinner was no longer a necessary member of the League. He could go back to England and continue fooling about without having to disturb Jekyll ever again. Jekyll always knew that Skinner wasn't an angel, but after finding out about the way he was using Bet… He felt that he could never think of him in the same way again.
Bet watched the potion in the vial. It was amazing, she thought, that such a plain looking liquid could be so amazing.
"Do I drink this one as well?" She asked Jekyll, turning to face him. He looked very solemn, as if in deep though. "Dr Jekyll?" She spoke again. Still there was no response. She placed the vial back on the table and dashed over to him. She reached for his hand and shook his arm. "Are you alright?" Jekyll came out of his trance and looked up at Bet.
"Yes, sorry." He apologised. "What was it you said?" Bet paused for a moment.
"Do I 'ave to drink this potion too?" she asked. Jekyll nodded.
"Yes, yes." She smiled at him and walked back over to the desk to grab the vial once more. In one swift moment she swallowed the contents. Moving to the mirror, she started to watch her reflection. Jekyll held his breath.
A few minutes passed and still nothing had happened. Bet was fidgeting and Jekyll was getting very nervous.
"'Ow long is it meant to take?" Bet asked, very quietly, not turning from the mirror. "Shouldn't it 'ave 'appened by now?" Jekyll stayed silent. What was wrong? He was sure that he had got it right. Everything fitted correctly. He rethought the finer points of the potion and could see no reason why this shouldn't work.
"It may take a while," Jekyll murmured, not really being sure how long it should take. A grave feeling sank in his stomach. It wasn't working. It wasn't going to work. Bet was going to be stuck invisible, just as Skinner was. Poor Bet, Jekyll thought. He felt terrible that it was his fault.
Bet started to move slowly from the mirror. All the energy she had twisting and turning a while ago had drained away from her.
"I…" she started. "I think I'll go and wait in my room. Then, maybe…" She fled from the room, sobbing. Jekyll leapt up to follow her, but as he reached the door he stopped. Bet needed to be alone.
He turned and collapsed onto the bed. He had made a huge mistake. He didn't care so much about not solving the problem, but he was devastated that Bet would now have to stay invisible, maybe even permanently. Bet had become special to him, and that never should have happened. He cursed himself. You should never experiment on anything that is dear to you. Many scientists before him had got attached to their lab rats, giving them names and such. They were then unable to test on them, as they didn't want to hurt them. Jekyll had always forbidden himself from doing that very thing.
There was a knock. Jekyll rose quickly and scurried to the door. Bet must have come back. He wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be all right. A voice came through the door.
"Jekyll, are you there?" It was Skinner. "What's wrong with Bet? She's in her room crying." Jekyll's face dropped. The last person he wanted to speak to now was Skinner. Reluctantly, he opened the door and let Skinner in.