I was up for early for a morning class. I had some time so I made a fresh pot of coffee and was looking over the notes from the class before when Nikki stepped into the kitchen carefully. She froze when she saw me but shook it off and continued towards the coffee. She poured herself a glass and came to sit down across from me.
I ignored her and continued to read my notes but I could feel her stare and after a minute I looked up.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"Did you destroy Myrinn's lab?" She said throwing me for a loop. I hadn't even thought about Myrinn, let alone the lab.
"No, it's still there I guess. Why?" Part of me really didn't want to hear the answer but I'd rather be forewarned of the plan.
"We're taking a field trip then."
"I have class in like twenty minutes. Unless this is a really fast field trip it will have to wait until after."
"No, now." She stood up and left without waiting for an argument. I didn't hear the stairs squeak and I knew she was waiting by the door. I sighed and shoved my notes back into my backpack. Maybe I could still make it to class.
I pushed the door of the kitchen open and judging by the scowl on their faces I was judging no classes today. I put my backpack down and grabbed my purse instead. I hadn't missed a single class since the vampire left and suddenly here I skipping out already.
"Morning Claire, are you ready to go?" Grant asked still not looking all that rested. In fact his hair was still covered in ashes and his skin looked a little black.
"Define ready? Because honestly I'm ready for class, not so much a field trip."
"Yeah sorry about that, but we really need to get started on the plan. If we wait much longer the door might crack, and if it opens we'll never get everyone back in."
"Come on Claire, let's go, we don't want to wake up the rest of the house." Nikki said opening the door. Sitting by the curb was a shiny silver Porsche. "Wanna drive?" She smiled and held out the key ring.
"I'd like to, but not with that expensive of a car. Where did you even get that?" I asked rejecting the keys.
"Magic can really do wonders." Grant said sliding into the front seat. Nikki jumped in the drivers chair leaving me alone in the back. As I shut the door I glanced back up at the house and for a second I could have sworn the curtain in Eve's room moved but then it was still and I shook my head. Even if Eve had seen me there wasn't much she could do. Besides I doubted Nikki and Grant would hurt me. Much.
I sat back and watched as the town passed in a blur. Clearly Nikki wasn't worried about speeding, or crashing for that matter. In about five minutes that car skidded to a stop in front of the Day household.
No on was out on the porch and the house seemed pretty dark when I looked as I got out of the car. They were either all still asleep or out of town.
"Claire stop dawdling." Nikki called from the alley. I hadn't been down here since Myrinn had left. Since all the vampires had left. The alley seemed oddly bright, like it knew there was nothing creeping around in the dark anymore.
Grant pushed open the hidden door and descended the stairs. Nikki nudged me forward and I followed her down. I went in and she pulled the door shut behind us. I could hear her heels click on the stairs but the dark was impenetrable.
"Electric's out." Grant's voice echoed around the hall and caused me to stumble. Nikki grabbed my arm and I'm sure I was going to have a bruise tomorrow.
"Find a candle and light it. Claire doesn't have the same eye sight as us." She held me steady and didn't let me take another step until a single flicker of a light appeared. I could just vaguely make out the staircase, but it was enough to slowly make my way down with Nikki's hand still tightly wrapped around my arm.
"Here you go," Grant said handing me the candle. The room was still pretty dark but at least now I could make out the lab table and the all-familiar place that hadn't changed in the past three years.
"So why are we here?" I asked setting the candle down so I didn't spill the wax. I watched as Nikki already started picking up random glassware.
"Do you remember when we told you the story about how we were created with our magic. Different drugs, well those drugs didn't have any magic they were all scientifically made," she said pulling a book off the shelf.
"We plan on recreating the drug is what she's trying to say." Grant said looking at me.
"Why do you need me?" I asked meekly under his scrutiny.
"Well you're smart. I mean we know the basics and we might be able to pull this off, but we don't know what half of these scribbles mean." He pulled a decrepit piece of paper and unfolded it on the table. I looked at it closely and recognized the symbols Myrinn had made me memorize.
"I haven't looked at this in three years. I don't know how much help I'll be." I tired to give them a reason to let me leave. But would they listen…no.
"I'm sure you an do something. Why don't you try to decipher those symbols while Grant and I start working." Nikki suggested pouring some blue liquid into a test tube.
"I thought you didn't know the process." I asked as she started dropping a red dye into the separate test tube.
"The serum takes three different solutions. I know how to make one, Grant can make the second and you'll learn how to make the third as soon as you decipher that."
"And if I don't?" I didn't mean to come out as a threat but they both took it that way and Nikki had jumped over the table and held me to the ground in an instant.
"Do you remember the vampires? The terror they held this town in? Do you remember the lockdown that everyone had to do every night so that the vampires wouldn't come in and make a snack of you and your friends? Do you remember when Michael was one of those creatures? Do you remember how that almost destroyed the Glass household, ripped it apart from the inside out! Do you really want that to happen again?"
I was shaking under her but she didn't seem to notice. I recognized the wrath in her and I knew that she still channeled the deadly sin. I heard Grant sigh and then there was a shuffle of paper.
"Enough, Nikki." His voice held the command but she hesitated for a moment still holding me to the ground. Finally she sat back and stood up returning to her test tubes. "Sorry. Wrath is still her weakness. Sometimes she just can't really control what's happening."
"I don't care about excuses anymore. But are you sure this will work?" I got up carefully may body still shaking.
"No, we're not sure, but that's why we're trying everything we can. Here just sit in that car over there. Take this notebook and decipher what you can." He tossed me the notebook with the paper tucked in the front cover. I stood up and grabbed the candle as I went over the chair and practically collapsed. I watched them for a while. They were so comfortable with each other. They seemed at home in a lab. They maneuvered around the table stealing chaste kisses that promised more.
Finally I forced myself to look down and start translating the symbols. I'd been at it for what felt like hours when Grant came over and tapped my shoulder. I looked up and had to blink a few times to get my eyes to focus in the dim light from the small candle that was almost out of wax.
"How's it coming?"
"Okay I guess. I've managed to get most of the symbols, but the equation I've come up with makes no sense so I still have to work on it." I said starting to look back down but Grant reached out and plucked my notes from my lap.
"Enough for today. We have to let the solutions rest for a few hours, or overnight, so we're going to just come back tomorrow."
"I can't. I mean I have class. I can't skip out everyday."
"Fine." Nikki said appearing next to Grant.
"Fine?" Grant asked turning to look at her.
"Yeah, take this with you and go to class. Work on it in your spare time and we'll all come back after your classes tomorrow. We know you get out by one and that shouldn't be to long. It won't compromise the solutions." She took the notebook from Grant and handed it back to me.
"You want to drive home?" She asked as we ascended the stairs. She acted like she hadn't practically strangled me a little while ago, but when we stepped out of the lab I noticed it wasn't a little while ago. Dusk had fully fallen and the street lamps were shining brightly. "Drive?" Nikki asked again.
"No, no. I'm fine." I said going back to the car. Not only had I missed class but I missed work and the whole day had just slipped through my fingers.
"Don't worry, you can blame us for missing whatever you were doing today. I'm sure the right people won't care." Grant commented as Nikki flew from the curb.
Luckily it was darker which meant it was harder to see the blurs passing to fast. I couldn't believe Nikki could remain in control of the car whipping around at this speed but we came to a graceful stop, only inches from the curb at the Glass house.
"Thanks for your help today Claire." Nikki smiled as I got out of the car. They both climbed out after me but as I started up the walkway I didn't hear their footsteps and when I glanced back they were both leaning against the car. Grant was smiling but Nikki had a scowl firmly set.
When I looked back to the house Shane was there pulling the door open. His expression showed his worry and I ran up the stairs and threw myself into his embrace.
"Hey," he breathed into my ear. I relaxed into his embrace and he held me closer. "Where were you today. Michael said you left with Nikki and Grant but they didn't hurt you right?"
"No, at least nothing that will last. She just startled me. But we went to Myrinn's lab to work with some, um chemicals. Let's head inside. It's chilly." He pulled me in and shut the door not even looking back at the car.
He led me into the living room where Michael sat in his chair playing his guitar lightly. Eve sat on the ground leaning against his leg her eyes closed. Shane sat down on the couch and set me down next to him.
"You okay?" Michael asked as his song dripped to a finish.
"I'm fine. I just hope you saved me some dinner because I'm starving!" They all laughed and we went into the kitchen I was the last one to trail in and as I shut the door I saw Nikki and Grant slip in quietly through the front door. Grant started up the stairs, but Nikki saw me peeing through the door and bowed her head once before following Grant.
It was times like that when I almost forgot how crazy and ungrateful Nikki could be.
"Claire, come on." I shut the door and went to my friends were we laughed the night away in hope that tomorrow wouldn't come and I could stay carefree forever. But the morning came and I knew that today was different. I knew that today would be the day the arrival of Grant and Nikki would really cause a problem.