I've been thinking about how I want to write the whole split personality thing-it's definitely a concept I want to do. I've been thinking of different ideas left and right. Not really sure. Rough outlines and all, it's still an uncertainty.
The next two months became a slow slog of going through different cases-from murderous jealousy to just mere stupidity, they cracked it. She did say that every case that would come to their doorstep, it would be solved with no problem. It made Lucy proud-she made less errors and the Prof looked at her in joy every time they solved it. She was already showing more promise than she did in the past, something she could easily attribute to the Prof. Where she'd be if she didn't accept the position, she didn't know..
"Good morning Lucy." The Prof greeted her as she stepped into the Mystery Room one Wednesday, prepared already for the feeding with her coat's first two buttons already unbuttoned.
Through and through, as the Prof had promised, she grew to get used to their feedings every other day. No longer did her flesh cry out in misery at his teeth, nor did she or the Prof have episodes of faint. She never saw Hilda again in those two months, nor did she ever see that Justin Lawson he spoke of despite working under the same roof. She supposed it was a good thing-there was a mystery there that she had no hand in, no hand in at all.
"Mornin' Prof! What do we have today? Double homicide? Murder by disappearing weapon? A murder staged?" She questioned her dear mentor, slinging her shoulder bag on the couch she had fed from for the first time. The Prof smiled at her enthusiasm.
"As much as those prospects interest me, there's nothing yet Lucy. I don't suppose you-" before he could even finish his sentence, a burly man in very unappealing striped pants stormed in. Lucy sidestepped towards the window, surprised at the sudden outburst. The Prof, on the other hand, displayed no sense of surprise. Rather, it was as though he had expected it, despite his words, "Lawson. What a surprise."
Lucy looked to the man that burst into their quiet morning. She watched calmly as the two had a bit of a silent conversation for the briefest moment, glares and all. Yet another mystery that Lucy had to file in the back-there was never quite a moment to express interest over the Prof's past.
"Al." Justin glanced over to Lucy, "And Miss Lucy Baker. Justin Lawson of the Serious and Supernatural Crime Squad. It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand that didn't hold the case file and Lucy took it with hesitance. His grip was firm and calm, extruding a sense of uneasiness that Lucy couldn't quite place. Justin let go, turning to her mentor and took great strides towards his desk.
"Supernatural?" Lucy queried, raising an eyebrow. The man adjusted his tie and turned to her. He looked as though he was ready to give a lecture on his department.
"Indeed. Supernatural as they come, though on paper and to anyone not in the Scotland Yard, I'm just a part of the Serious Crime Squad. High profile cases, ones that tend to be higher than the everyday homicide." Justin explained to her, crossing his arms. "Vampires tend to be the supernatural problem, though there's others that crop up sometimes."
"What can I do for you then, Justin?" The Prof asked, the same edge had used with Hilda returning in full form. He must hate both of them-he had been nothing but kind to Lucy. "I assume this isn't a social call." The Prof gestured to the case file under Justin's arm.
"A case. One you might like." He tossed the case over to the Prof, who took it and peered in. It only took a few lines of text for the Prof to slam the file shut and tossed it onto the desk with little interest.
"You know theses cases aren't my specialty or in my interest." The Prof said, tapping on the wood of his desk. Justin's eyebrow twitched.
"On the contrary. I think you might like it if you read more of the file." Justin glanced to Lucy, who looked confused. The Prof never rejected a case. "Al gets like this. He doesn't like cases that are of the supernatural sort, says that they're not his division since he hasn't been one for long. Can't get into the mind of the murderer, he's said before. Uncertainty is his worst enemy."
"I say that because they aren't my interest at all. Also, please refrain from talking about me as though I'm not present." The Prof huffed. This was the most difficult he had ever been in her two months with him. Justin opened some wounds, Lucy could gather as much. "Can't you just swab up some DNA and figure it out yourself? I'm sure Florence can help you figure the murderer with no qualm."
"That's the thing Al, it's not open and shut as you may think." Justin was really trying to reason with him, Lucy could tell. She didn't understand why though-the Prof tended to take any case that came to their doorstep without qualm.
"And that's still supposed to intrigue me?" The Prof wrinkled his nose.
Justin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Al, please cut me some slack. It's more than that. There has been a string of failed attempts to turn children into vampires in more...unconventional manners. If it was an easy, open and shut case, I wouldn't call you to it. I have other people to bother for that."
"Turning children into vampires. Blimey." Lucy muttered to herself, the concept shaking her to the core. Justin nodded to her, grimacing.
"It's abnormal. Most, if not all vampires know it's common law and practice not to do so-children aren't old enough to understand, let alone handle their feeding needs. They can be groomed to be cold blooded killers, feeding their fill more than necessary because it's what they were taught." Justin explained, grabbing the file that the Prof had haphazardly thrown and gave it to Lucy to look at. "We have enough cases to cause a field day, much so that I've had to call on almost everyone at the Yard."
Lucy opened the file and read the same blurb the Prof had. Twenty-seven children, all surrounding the greater London area have been drained of blood, most likely failed attempts of vampire conversion... The images that were paper clipped to the file sickened her, the pale and drained bodies of boys and girls, between the ages of six and fourteen. Their eyes rolled back, stuck in positions of agony. She closed the folder and closed her eyes for a moment, regaining her composure.
"And remind me what this has to do with me?" The Prof crossed his arms.
"This very much changes the dynamic of what we are, Al." He leaned forward on the desk, glaring at the Prof, "It's one thing to drain out a donor without thinking, crassly. It's another to target children. Innocent children who could have lived. Do you know what the press would say?"
"Damn the press to hell, Justin. It's not in my purview-"
"The press would say, Al, that people like us aren't meant for this society." Justin spoke over him, "To purge the rest of us, sentiments from years past returning. Are you not concerned for your safety? For Lucy's safety? She's a donor on file, there's a contract for God's sake. She can get harmed just as much as you can for associating with us." It was a low blow to bring in her into the argument, she could tell. The Prof stood abruptly, slamming his hands on the desk. She could swear that his hair became more disheveled than it already was, a crimson tint that didn't seem to be there in the past emerging. Justin looked practically perturbed at the sudden change, so much as to step away from the Prof as though he was another criminal.
"Get out of my office, Lawson." He barked with a tone that Lucy had never seen him use on even the vilest of criminals they had faced.
"Al-"
"Now, before I bloody make you!" With a glance to Lucy, Justin nodded and stepped away.
"Prof?" Lucy called to her mentor, who turned away from her and crossed his arms. All that could be heard in their little Mystery Room was the sounds of the cars down the street and their breathing. "Are you alright?" She stepped forward carefully, the tension fragile enough that it could break. He raised a hand, waving her away before she could come any closer.
"Lucy, I'm fine. Got a little too emotional, didn't I? Sorry. Do you mind if you make me a cuppa? I need a moment to breathe. We can feed and look for a case after." He requested of her quietly, massaging his temples.
"Ee, of course Prof. I'll be right back." Sliding the folder under her arm, she slipped away to the hallways, where Justin was still standing with Hilda in a nearby corridor on the way to the break room. She backed herself against the wall, attempting to listen in.
"I don't get him." Justin muttered, the irritation clear in his voice, "He has no right to sound so cold. It's his job to solve this, I don't care if he's so bent on not being a vampire, he damn well signed up for this job. The victims are bloody children!"
"You never will understand him, Justin." Hilda responded, the disappointment leaking from her voice, "I feel sorry for the poor girl that's stuck with him. She doesn't know what she got herself into." Lucy craned her neck in an effort to hear more of their conversation, but they moved to Justin's office before they could reveal anymore. Lucy huffed, the answers just barely out of reach. How she wished she could just know like everyone else who Alfendi Layton was.
"Eavesdropping, eh?" Lucy jumped to the voice, finding herself next to Dustin, the janitor. She exhaled in relief, glad that it wasn't the Commissioner or the Prof that found her loitering for answers.
"Blimey Dustin. Could tap my shoulder or something instead of frightening me." Lucy scratched the back of her head, "Couldn't help it. I don't know anythin' about the Prof even after bein' here for two months. He's still a bit of a stranger."
"Fair enough. They've gotten themselves quite da mouths for tryna be secretive." Dustin grinned, then looked at her in seriousness-an expression that didn't tend to grace his features that often. "I haven't been here for so long, Lucy. I do know that ye gotta be careful with that Al of yours. Ever since he turned, he ain't quite the same."
"What do you mean quite the same?" Lucy questioned, "Everyone's been saying that to me, warning me and the like. I don't get it. He's never harsh with me."
"It's cuz you're no criminal. You're his donor, someone he needs to protect. No need to be aggressive to ya." Dustin clutched onto his broom, "I don't know much Luce, so I can't help ya much, but I'll keep this between us, ta ta." He continued along his merry way and Lucy to her own, still thinking about what everyone had said about her dear mentor since the first day she stood in front of the Mystery Room. From Deputy Chan to even Dustin's warnings, they were too much to ignore.
Just who was her mentor before she came along?