I feel I should apologize in advance for how long this chapter is - it took a horrendously long time to type up, so I hope you're all happy! I thought I'd mix it around a bit - so the second half of this chapter is in Myrnin's point of view :D Thanks for all the loverly reviews I've been getting - it's really nice to have all of your support for this :) Keep reviewing! xxxxxx
'Blood, Tears... And A Chicken?'
Claire walked slowly down the road, savouring the feeling of the sun on her skin. She passed the Day house on her way down the alley. Claire remembered the first time she had met Grandma Day, and she warned Claire about the 'trap-door spider'. Now, Claire was going to visit him. She was friends with him.
Grandma Day was sitting on her swing seat on the front porch. She didn't notice Claire go by, and Claire didn't say anything. She knew that Mrs. Day would invite her in for a lemonade and a chat, but Claire didn't want to be held up - no-one knew where she was yet, and she didn't particularly want Eve or Shane Michael to know she'd been to see Myrnin.
She walked down the funnel shaped alley - she always thought of it as a throat now - and eventually came to the small shack that leant against the wall. There was a big, shiny, silver padlock on the door. (Not actual silver, of course.) Claire had managed to get a spare set of keys made for it. She dug them out of her bag, and unlocked it.
She pulled the door open and stepped into the darkness, taking care to shut it after her. Claire fumbled around in the dark for a moment before finding the switch and flicking on the lights at the top of the stairs.
She stood silently for a second, then called down.
"Myrnin?"
A small crash echoed through the lab, followed by a string of curses.
"Claire?" Myrnin's voice drifted up the stairs to her.
He was standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by piles of scrunched up fizzy drink cans and...broken eggs? Oh God. Tell me he didn't drink all those. Myrnin and fizzy was a bad idea. It produced the same effect as giving a five-year-old fizzy drink, and then multiplying the hyper activeness by ten. Claire took one look at the amount of empty cans, and silently sent a prayer to God.
"Hey, Myrnin. Uh...What are you doing?" She asked, gesturing to the mess around him.
"Hm? Oh. Yes. An experiment." He grinned sheepishly. "Several experiments, actually."
"What kind of experiments?" Claire asked suspiciously. Myrnin brushed some imaginary lint off his mustard coloured vest, and shook out the billowy sleeves of his shirt. The collar was starched completely upright, coming right up to his jawlines. A fairly normal outfit, until Claire realised what he had on his head.
"Myrnin...Why are you wearing a kid's cycle helmet?" Not just any helmet. A pink one. With tassels.
He twirled the sparkly ribbons lovingly. "Do you like it? It keeps my brain safe. That's what the young lady in the shop said." He patted himself on the head, and bounced a bit, doing a remarkable impression of an overexcited little girl.
Claire took a steadying breath, and changed the subject. "So what exactly are these experiments, Myrnin?"
"AHA! I'll show you!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands and coming towards her excitedly. Nothing in his manner showed that he even rememebered what had happened between them. It certainly didn't support Oliver's lovetheory. Myrnin was just...mad. "Right. You stand here, and I'll get another egg." Myrnin ran like a lunatic through a portal that was open in the corner, which Claire had failed to notice before. It looked like it led to some kind of storeroom. He returned a few minutes later looking ridiculously depressed.
"They ran out." He was silent for a moment, then brightened up again. "I know where we can get eggs!" Myrnin closed the first portal and opened a new one, disappearing and returning so fast that Claire didn't even have time to register the fact that he was gone. When he reappeared, he was carrying a...chicken. A real live, squawking chicken. Claire pinched the bridge of her nose and attempted to be reasonable with him.
"Why do you need a chicken?" She said calmly. Myrnin looked up in complete surprise.
"For eggs, of course, silly Claire." He said, in the tone of voice that implied she was stupid for not already knowing this. He proceeded to shake the chicken up and down vigorously, then looked confused when no eggs materialised. "Must be defective." He muttered, putting the chicken down. It squawked loudly and ran under Myrnin's chair. "Well, I guess I can't show you after all, Claire." He said, sounding dejected. Claire had the insane urge to comfort him, even though she knew he was overreacting.
"Never mind," She said consolingly. "You can just tell me instead."
"Well, I suppose." Said Myrnin quietly. He removed his pink helmet carefully, and threw it on the couch. Claire took one look at him, and burst out laughing. She saw his brows knit together in confusion, which made her laugh even more.
"May I ask what is so funny?" Myrnin asked in a dangerous tone. Claire stopped laughing abruptly, wiping tears from her eyes.
"You-" She spluttered, still trying to control her giggling. "-Have the worst case of helmet hair in the history of helmets!" And he did. It was all sticking up at odd angles, like a messy bird's nest sitting on top of his head.
Myrnin frowned, and checked his reflection in the back of his pocket watch. He shook his head violently and ran his fingers through his hair, then turned to Claire.
"Better?" He asked. It wasn't - he'd just made it all knotted. Claire stepped forwards, reached up and began to gently untangle it, curling her fingers in his hair and carefully pulling out the knots. Myrnin's hair was softer than she had expected, like silk falling through her fingers.
Myrnin stood stock still, eyes closed. The expression on his face was unreadable - he kept it deliberately blank - but she could see him breathing in deeply. Claire let her hand fall down to her side, and just stood there awkwardly.
"Um...That's better." She said quietly. Myrnin's eyes opened, and he smiled softly.
"Yes, I suppose it is." He murmured, looking at the floor. He said it so quietly that at first she thought he was just talking to himself. Maybe he was. Claire shifted slightly, and he glanced up. "Well, I assume there was a reason you came here today?" He said, sounding sad. His earlier craziness had all drained out of him - now he stood there quietly, his shoulders sagged slightly. Claire immediately felt guilty for what she was about to say.
"I-I just wanted to say that-that-" She couldn't say it. She just couldn't. "...I-Uh-wanted to know...when you wanted me to come in this week."
Myrnin looked surprised and a little happy.
"Oh. Well, of course you can come down any day you want. It's not as if I've anything else to do." He flashed a small smile at her.
Damn! Why didn't I just tell him that I don't have feelings for him?
Because you do, said a little voice in the back of her head.
No I don't! That's ridiculous.
How else do you explain what you just did?
Compassion. I didn't want to see him upset.
Because you have feelings for him.
No! I-
"Claire?" Myrnin said loudly, and Claire snapped back to the present, cutting off the babble going on inside her head.
"Sorry." She muttered, still feeling confused. "I was talking to my conscience." Claire bit her lip, suddenly realising how crazy that actually sounded. Still, Myrnin couldn't judge; he'd been the craziest of them all. In fact, he still was. He was probably the world's only bipolar vampire. Claire wondered absently if he'd had a mental illness before he was turned.
Dang! What was wrong with her today? She kept spacing out.
Myrnin was standing in front of her, hands on his hips.
Rather an attractive posture, don't you think? Her conscience seemed to whisper slyly.
Holy God. I did not just think that. It's Myrnin, she thought wildly. Being around him makes me crazy. She dragged herself back to the present again, and smiled at him.
"What were you saying?"
He frowned, looking slightly worried. "I was saying, you can come round whenever you want." He took a couple of steps towards her and she recoiled slightly, not wanting to get close to him in case something happened. He looked hurt, and Claire immediately felt guilty. She took a deliberate step forward, into his personal space, to prove that she trusted him and wasn't afraid.
Their proximity had an immediate effect on the atmosphere in the room, charging the air with tension. A tension that Claire was beginning to recognise. She took a deep, shaky breath.
"Um. Myrnin. I'm gonna leave now." She said, sounding a lot more confident than she felt.
Myrnin nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off her. "Ok."
Neither of them moved. Claire looked at Myrnin's forehead - his eyes did funny things to her. "So - if you could just - take a step back -" He was so close to her. Why the hell did I take such a big step forwards?
Myrnin took a step backwards. Claire let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.
"O-Ok." She paused to regain control of her voice. "Now I'm leaving."
Myrnin said nothing. She forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and head towards the stairs. At the bottom, she stopped and turned around.
Myrnin was still standing where she'd left him, facing away from her. His shoulders were hunched up and his head was drooped, dark curls covering the side of his face. Part of Claire wanted to run to him and fling her arms around his shoulders. But she made herself turn around and keep going.
She burst out into the sunlight and ran down the alley, emerging next to the Day house. The swing seat was now empty, something Claire was glad for. She sat down on the sidewalk, breathing a little heavily.
What was it that she hadn't wanted to do? Lead him on? Yeah, that went well.
Myrnin's P.O.V
I placed the last egg carefully on the pin, making sure that it pierced it at exactly ninety degrees. Although I couldn't be sure, because I hadn't measured it. I took a deep breath that I didn't really need, and placed my bare foot on top of it. I tested my weight, leaning forwards slightly. The egg didn't crack, so I took that as a good sign, and stood on it.
It promptly broke, spilling its contents all over the floor to join the others I'd already broken today. The sharp point of the pin sunk into the sole of my foot for the millionth time this morning, and I howled in pain. I lifted my foot up for inspection, hopping on my left. I quickly lost my balance, tripped, and fell, whacking my head on a counter top as I went.
Which, incidentally, didn't hurt half as much as it would have if I wasn't wearing my trusty helmet. I stood up, cursing at the mess I had made.
"Myrnin?" I froze. Was that Claire?
"Claire?" I called, pulling the pin out of my foot. The wound healed up almost instantly.
Claire came down the stairs, surveying the mess I had created disapprovingly.
"Hey, Myrnin. Uh...What are you doing?" She asked, gesturing at all the empty drinks cans and broken eggs. I tried not to laugh at the expression on her face. She was clearly worried that I had drunk all those delicious fizzy drinks. Well I had, but the hyper activeness hadn't lasted long, so there was no reason to tell her that.
"Hm?" I said, forgetting what she'd asked. "Oh. Yes. An experiment. Several experiments, actually."
Claire remained suspicious. "What kind of experiments?"
Brushed some dust off my vest before I answered her, shaking out my sleeves. I saw her expression change as she took in my outfit. Was there something wrong with it? I looked down in panic, but I hadn't even forgotten my pants.
"Myrnin...Why are you wearing a kid's cycle helmet?" Not just any helmet! A pink one. With tassels!
I twirled them lovingly. "Do you like it? It keeps my brain safe. That's what the young lady in the shop said." I patted myself on the head, bouncing a bit in excitement as I remembered the amount of times it had already saved me from goring myself on ridiculously sharp inanimate objects today.
Claire's next question distracted me from my fond memories of the bicycle helmet. "So what exactly are these experiments, Myrnin?"
"AHA!" I cried. I'd almost forgotten about my experiments! "I'll show you!" Yes, Claire could help. She was wearing shoes and is considerably lighter than me. She also looked very pretty, the way her hair was falling into her eyes - No, stop, I thought desperately as my mind tried to wander. I ran quickly through the open portal in the corner, shouting for her to stay there. Keeping up the appearance I was aiming for. She had to believe I was at least a little insane. Amelie had been very clear on that.
I came out in a storeroom for the local supermarket's dairy products, and leant forwards, leaning on my knees and breathing deeply. I couldn't trust myself around Claire anymore. She did strange things to me. I glanced around wildly, but I already knew that they were out of eggs. Damn! I returned to the lab.
"They ran out." Where else can you get eggs in Morganville? Oh! "I know where we can get eggs!" I cried gleefully, quickly rushing through another portal. I came out in the local farm's henhouse. Grabbing the nearest chicken, I ran back to Claire. She blinked in surprise.
"Why do you need a chicken?" She asked wearily. I looked up in surprise. Surely she wasn't that stupid.
"For eggs, of course, silly Claire." I shook the chicken to prove my point. Nothing happened. "Must be defective." I muttered, annoyed that the broken chicken made me look stupid in front of Claire. "Well, I guess I can't show you after all, Claire."
She looked at me. "Never mind." She said consolingly. "You can just tell me instead."
"Well, I suppose." I said quietly, taking my helmet off carefully and throwing it onto the couch. To my surprise, Claire burst out laughing. I frowned in confusion, and she laughed even harder.
"May I ask what is so funny?" I asked, a bit upset. She stopped laughing abruptly at my tone of voice.
"You-" Claire spluttered, still giggling. "-Have the worst case of helmet hair in the history of helmets!"
Helmet hair? What was that girl on about? I took my pocket watch out and checked my reflection in the back. My hair was sticking up at odd angles. Nothing like a helmet, but I could see why she was laughing. I shook my head violently, running my fingers through my hair.
"Better?" I asked her. Claire looked up, then did something that completely shocked me. She stepped forwards and curled her fingers into my hair, gently pulling out the fresh tangles for me. I felt a small thrill at the way her hands were in my hair, and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I could smell her from where I stood. She smelt...intoxicating. I struggled to keep my face expressionless.
I felt her hands drop from my hair, and opened my eyes. She stood in front of me, looking endearingly awkward.
"Um...That's better." She said quietly.
I smiled softly, taking in the way she looked. My eyes skimmed over the curves of her body, and I dropped my gaze guiltily to the floor before she could see. "Yes, I suppose it is." I murmured. She shifted slightly, and I glanced up. "Well, I assume there was a reason you came here today?" I asked, unable to keep the sadness out of my voice. I knew what she'd come here to say. I could see it in her face.
"I-I just wanted to say that-that...I wanted to know...when you want me to come in this week."
I looked at her in surprise. That was not what I had been expecting her to say.
"Oh. Well, of course you can come down any day you want. It's not as if I've anything better to do." I smiled at her. She didn't answer; she seemed lost in thought.
"Claire?" I said softly. No answer. She just stood there gazing into space. "Claire?" I tried again, a little louder this time. She started and looked at me.
"Sorry. I was talking to my conscience." She muttered, then bit her lip, looking embarrassed. I almost snorted. As if I cared if she was insane. She hadn't judged me, even when I was intent on ripping her head off. I was immensely glad that I hadn't killed her now.
I put my hands on my hips, realising that Claire had spaced out again.
She suddenly smiled, and said, "What were you saying?" In a much too innocent voice. I frowned, wondering what she'd been thinking about.
"I was saying, you can come round whenever you want." I took a couple of steps towards her, and she flinched. She didn't even want me to touch her, and that hurt even more than anything she could have said to me.
Claire looked ashamed when she saw the expression on my face, and surprised me for the second time today. She took a big step forwards, right into my personal space. Claire was suddenly there, all of her, so close to me.
I felt the atmosphere in the room change almost instantly, from normal to something a lot more...seductive. From the look on her face, Claire felt it too. She took a deep breath.
"Um. Myrnin, I'm gonna leave now." She said in a clear voice.
I nodded, not trusting myself to move. "Ok."
She didn't move. She looked at my forehead, wisely avoiding meeting my eyes. "So - if you could just - take a step back -" Claire said, a little breathlessly. I obliged, and she sighed in relief.
"O-Ok." Her voice was shaky. Claire paused, visibly relaxing herself, and when she spoke again her voice was stronger. "Now I'm leaving."
I said nothing, so she left.
A long while later, I collapsed, letting my head drop forwards and my shoulders sag. My breath came in silent heaves, and a single tear escaped my eyes, dripping down my face and falling to the floor with a tiny splash.
I realised again that it was never going to happen. Claire was never going to have feelings for me; she loved Shane. I curled my hands into fists, so tight that my nails dug into my palms and pierced the skin there.
How had I managed to convince myself that she wanted me?
I shouted in anger, punching the wall so hard that it cracked and split my knuckles open. I looked down at the blood that trickled out, wiping it away with my other hand. The cut had already healed. For some reason, this infuriated me. It was just another reason Claire would never want me. I'm a vampire.
I cried out in desperation, punching the wall again and again until it was speckled with my blood.
Were I human, my knuckles would be destroyed by now. Instead, they were perfectly healed, and I felt no pain.
I wiped another tear off my cheek with the back of my hand, smearing blood onto my face. I fell to my knees, ripping my jeans on the sharp edge of an empty can. I seized it and slashed at my clothes, ripping through material and flesh.
I don't know how long I continued, growing more frustrated and savage each time I healed, but eventually I became aware of another presence in the room. I dropped the bloody dagger I was holding and whirled around, snarling.
Amelie stood silently at the bottom of the stairs, watching me in shock. The was a long silence, during which the chicken strutted across the room, clucking and pecking at the floor.
"What are you doing, Myrnin?" Amelie whispered in horror.
I glanced around the room, mildly surprised to find that most objects were either broken beyond repair, lying overturned on the floor, or smeared with my blood.
I staggered forwards and fell, grasping onto the arm of the couch for support.
"Amelie." I whispered hoarsely, lowering myself onto the couch. "I-It's not how it looks." I said weakly. My vision was growing dim. How much blood had I lost?
"Myrnin?" The last thing I saw was Amelie coming towards me, looking concerned, before I slipped gratefully into unconsciousness.
Yep, so what did you think of THAT? :D (review so I can find out!) xx