Chapter 16 – Success and Failure
Working late into the night, Jekyll completed the new draught of visibility potion in accordance to the new revelations in Griffin's notebook. Skinner had obviously missed one of Griffin's original notebooks when he stole them with the potion. Thank goodness that he had written a summary. It cut out all the jargon that was unnecessary and left him with the basics. The final key must have been in the missing notebook. There was no way, Jekyll though, that he could have completed the visibility potion without it.
The next morning, Jekyll called Bet into his room to try the new potion. She stood over the other side of the room, looking at the absence of her reflection in the mirror. She could see Jekyll sitting on the bed over the other side of the room, where she should have been able to see her head. It was a strange sensation.
"And you're sure that this is gonna work?" Bet asked him, not looking from his reflection in the mirror.
"I see no reason for it not to work," Jekyll replied to her. "I had missed one vital part of the composition of the potion, that I only realised was needed from the summary. That's why it didn't work before." Bet turned around.
"Are you nervous?" she asked him. Jekyll smiled at her.
"A little," he mumbled. "I'm more excited than anything. If this works, it could be a powerful weapon for the League to use in the future." He stood up. "Are you ready yet?" Bet tucked her dress behind her with her gloved hands and sat cross-legged on the floor.
"I don't know." She replied, honestly. "I wanna be visible again. It 'asn't been much fun being invisible you know. I don't know 'ow Skinner does it."
"Well, in that case, what are you waiting for?" Jekyll replied to her. "It's all ready for you to take." Bet fidgeted where she was sitting.
"But if I take it and it works, I'll 'ave to go." She went quiet. "You know I don't wanna go." Jekyll stood from the bed and knelt down beside the grey dress.
"I don't want you to go either," he said plainly. "But don't you want to know whether this works or not? I do!" Bet rolled her eyes.
"Well, I do wanna see if it works," she told him, placing a hand on his knee. "And it will. But if the only way of being able to stay with you for the rest of my life is to stay invisible… I would, you know."
She took his hand and placed it on her cheek. She looked into his eyes, which were focusing behind her. It seemed like an eternity since he had looked straight into her eyes. But she could see how excited he was about the potion. Why shouldn't he be? It would be a great achievement and he had worked so hard for it. She wished that he could feel that way about her. But his work came first. And that's how it should be, she thought. She peeled the two white gloves she was wearing off and threw them to the floor beside her.
"I'm ready now," Bet told him. His eyes lit up and he leapt from the floor. He took the vial off the desk as she stood up. Jekyll turned to face her and held it out towards her. Bet took it and observed it swill around the container.
Jekyll took a step towards her and put his hand out to take hers. She placed her hand in his and he grasped onto it tightly.
"'Ere's to you, Dr Jekyll," she held the vial high in the air. "For sweetness and kindness." He closed his eyes as she drank the whole vial full of visibility potion,
Bet felt a tingling sensation in her fingers. She too closed her eyes and felt the sensation flow up her arms, down her torso and over her face. After a few minutes, she cautiously opened her eyes and looked in the mirror over Jekyll's shoulder.
Two green eyes and a beaming face stared back at her. She screamed with joy and put her arms around Jekyll's shoulder in a firm hug.
Jekyll opened his eyes, but could only see Bet's back in front of him. He pulled her away from him so that he could see her face. She beamed at him and a great smiled played across his face.
"I did it," he whispered slightly shock. "I did it!" he repeated a lot louder. Laughing, he hugged Bet again. He was overjoyed! His visibility potion had worked. His first great success since being able to separate evil from good.
"Oh, Dr Jekyll," Bet enthused. She leant back and looked into Jekyll's eyes. He looked right into them. She grinned broadly. "Oh… that's the first time you ain't looked straight through me in ages!" Jekyll smiled at her, and gave her a quick kiss.
"I did it," he continued, ecstatically. "I don't believe it! This is wonderful!"
He broke away from Bet and started to scribble something down in one of his notebooks. She followed him and hung off the back of his chair as he did so. She loved to see him so excited, so happy. He was very rarely happy. It lifted his whole appearance. Bet smiled inwardly at herself.
Jekyll continued to scratch his pen along the paper of his books. He must record exactly how he felt, how it had succeeded. How Bet had taken the potion and in the matter of two minutes had returned to her normal, visible, self again. How she now had to go back to London. He stopped suddenly and turned to face her. It sunk in.
"That means that you have to go back to London now, doesn't it?" He looked slightly shocked. He was so excited about it succeeding that he had completely forgot about the fact that Bet was now going to leave him. Bet nodded at him slowly.
Unable to say anything, he took her hands and kissed them. Bet could feel tears prickling her eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before Bet fell in to Jekyll's arms for what would be their last embrace.
Working late into the night, Jekyll completed the new draught of visibility potion in accordance to the new revelations in Griffin's notebook. Skinner had obviously missed one of Griffin's original notebooks when he stole them with the potion. Thank goodness that he had written a summary. It cut out all the jargon that was unnecessary and left him with the basics. The final key must have been in the missing notebook. There was no way, Jekyll though, that he could have completed the visibility potion without it.
The next morning, Jekyll called Bet into his room to try the new potion. She stood over the other side of the room, looking at the absence of her reflection in the mirror. She could see Jekyll sitting on the bed over the other side of the room, where she should have been able to see her head. It was a strange sensation.
"And you're sure that this is gonna work?" Bet asked him, not looking from his reflection in the mirror.
"I see no reason for it not to work," Jekyll replied to her. "I had missed one vital part of the composition of the potion, that I only realised was needed from the summary. That's why it didn't work before." Bet turned around.
"Are you nervous?" she asked him. Jekyll smiled at her.
"A little," he mumbled. "I'm more excited than anything. If this works, it could be a powerful weapon for the League to use in the future." He stood up. "Are you ready yet?" Bet tucked her dress behind her with her gloved hands and sat cross-legged on the floor.
"I don't know." She replied, honestly. "I wanna be visible again. It 'asn't been much fun being invisible you know. I don't know 'ow Skinner does it."
"Well, in that case, what are you waiting for?" Jekyll replied to her. "It's all ready for you to take." Bet fidgeted where she was sitting.
"But if I take it and it works, I'll 'ave to go." She went quiet. "You know I don't wanna go." Jekyll stood from the bed and knelt down beside the grey dress.
"I don't want you to go either," he said plainly. "But don't you want to know whether this works or not? I do!" Bet rolled her eyes.
"Well, I do wanna see if it works," she told him, placing a hand on his knee. "And it will. But if the only way of being able to stay with you for the rest of my life is to stay invisible… I would, you know."
She took his hand and placed it on her cheek. She looked into his eyes, which were focusing behind her. It seemed like an eternity since he had looked straight into her eyes. But she could see how excited he was about the potion. Why shouldn't he be? It would be a great achievement and he had worked so hard for it. She wished that he could feel that way about her. But his work came first. And that's how it should be, she thought. She peeled the two white gloves she was wearing off and threw them to the floor beside her.
"I'm ready now," Bet told him. His eyes lit up and he leapt from the floor. He took the vial off the desk as she stood up. Jekyll turned to face her and held it out towards her. Bet took it and observed it swill around the container.
Jekyll took a step towards her and put his hand out to take hers. She placed her hand in his and he grasped onto it tightly.
"'Ere's to you, Dr Jekyll," she held the vial high in the air. "For sweetness and kindness." He closed his eyes as she drank the whole vial full of visibility potion,
Bet felt a tingling sensation in her fingers. She too closed her eyes and felt the sensation flow up her arms, down her torso and over her face. After a few minutes, she cautiously opened her eyes and looked in the mirror over Jekyll's shoulder.
Two green eyes and a beaming face stared back at her. She screamed with joy and put her arms around Jekyll's shoulder in a firm hug.
Jekyll opened his eyes, but could only see Bet's back in front of him. He pulled her away from him so that he could see her face. She beamed at him and a great smiled played across his face.
"I did it," he whispered slightly shock. "I did it!" he repeated a lot louder. Laughing, he hugged Bet again. He was overjoyed! His visibility potion had worked. His first great success since being able to separate evil from good.
"Oh, Dr Jekyll," Bet enthused. She leant back and looked into Jekyll's eyes. He looked right into them. She grinned broadly. "Oh… that's the first time you ain't looked straight through me in ages!" Jekyll smiled at her, and gave her a quick kiss.
"I did it," he continued, ecstatically. "I don't believe it! This is wonderful!"
He broke away from Bet and started to scribble something down in one of his notebooks. She followed him and hung off the back of his chair as he did so. She loved to see him so excited, so happy. He was very rarely happy. It lifted his whole appearance. Bet smiled inwardly at herself.
Jekyll continued to scratch his pen along the paper of his books. He must record exactly how he felt, how it had succeeded. How Bet had taken the potion and in the matter of two minutes had returned to her normal, visible, self again. How she now had to go back to London. He stopped suddenly and turned to face her. It sunk in.
"That means that you have to go back to London now, doesn't it?" He looked slightly shocked. He was so excited about it succeeding that he had completely forgot about the fact that Bet was now going to leave him. Bet nodded at him slowly.
Unable to say anything, he took her hands and kissed them. Bet could feel tears prickling her eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before Bet fell in to Jekyll's arms for what would be their last embrace.