by Tara Brown
He squeezed her hand once before letting go, “Don’t worry, we wont let anyone hurt you.”
He walked from the room.
She whispered, “Can you stop me from hurting anyone?”
Chapter Four: Mithter Marcuth
She changed into the jeans and the sweater Roland had left her. He had even bought her the very clogs she had wanted from the shoe store at the mall. She frowned wondering about him and put them on. She waited for the mysterious Marcus Dragomir to enter her room.
She remembered the face she had given him in her dreams, she wondered what he would look like.
She felt him before she saw him, the room grew cold and her heart rate quickened. Suddenly a slight breeze lifted her hair. She smelled a dark amber incense fill the air and she looked at the entrance of the room, knowing somehow, he would walk through.
He stepped in looking exactly as she had dreamt, only his clothes were different. He wore dark jeans tailored to fit him perfectly and a pea coat.
“Hello love.” His dark voice filled her with thoughts she hadn’t known her brain could muster. Well except when reading her aunts trashy novels about Scottish lords and young helpless maidens.
“Hello Mr. Dragomir.” She wanted to seem more mature, but her voice cracked under the pressure and she slightly lisped the Mr. part of his name.
He smiled, “Marcus, please call me Marcus. Are you well?” His English accent was completely intact. It was as if he hadn’t lived in the US for very long.
She smiled back, feeling lost for a small moment, “Fine Marcus, I’m fine.”
He clasped his hands together, “Then shall we be off?”
She stood from her bed and walked behind him. He paused at the door letting her go through first. They walked until they came upon her doctor.
Marcus smiled extending his hand to him, “We are leaving.”
The doctor smiled at Hanna, “You're a very lucky girl, Dr. Dragomir doesn’t usually take patients on. I hope your memories come back to you.”
She looked confusedly at the Dr. and the supposed Dr. and nodded slowly, “Yeah thanks, me too.”
Marcus put his hand out for the doctor, “It was nice seeing you again Frank. Happy Thanksgiving.”
He smiled and shook his hand, “You too. Take care Hanna.”
“Thanks.” She felt more lost than ever. They walked to the elevator.
She stepped in shaking her head as the doors closed, “Doctor?”
He laughed looking at her, “Eternity is a long time love. I have several doctorates.”
She frowned, “Is one in psychology?”
He nodded, “It is indeed.” He stood rigidly at the entrance not looking at her. She watched him like a tiger would watch a hare. She couldn’t bear the smell of him, it made her want to spin him around and kiss him passionately.
The elevator dinged for the ground floor, waking her from the visions she was having.
He turned smiling at her, “Sorry I’m a bit like Santa would be for little kids, its not intentional.” She blushed realizing he could hear her panting as she imagined ripping his clothes off and licking up his throat.
She bit her lips, “How can I make it stop?”
He shrugged, “Not sure but I know women have grown to detest me so intensely they learned to hate the scent.” He stepped off the elevator holding the door for her, “Perhaps you will be one of those lucky ones.”
She nodded wishing it as well, she hated not controlling her feelings around him. She didn’t even know what he was. Not like she knew what she was either.
She made it as far as the black car waiting for them at the front of the hospital. An older driver opened the door for them. She climbed in first, feeling her head clear of her feelings for him, until he got into the car. The smell filled the car putting her into a trance. She opened the window as the driver started the car and put her head out.
Marcus laughed, “Its not that bad is it?”
She groaned, “It's making me car sick is all.” She lied. His smell was making her insane, she wanted to destroy him. She wanted to sink her teeth into his skin, hearing him moan in pain and pleasure simultaneously.
“Who are you?” she asked out the window.
He chuckled, “All in due time love.”
“Its Hanna, not love.”
“Hanna isn’t actually your name.”
She pulled her head in the window giving him a look of absurdity, “What?”
He shook his head, “No your real name is Maria Hanna Jekyll.”
She burst into laughter, “Jekyll, no it's Holland”
He put his hands in the air, “Its true your father changed his name several times in his life. But your real last name is Jekyll. Your first named came from his mother, an Italian woman who married a Scottish man named Jekyll.”
“In the seventeen hundreds right?”
He grinned mischievously, “You’ve read the journals.”
She nodded as the car made its way into the night traffic downtown, "It's too bizarre to understand."
He leaned into her, “There is much for you to understand Hanna.” His breath swept softly across her face increasing her heartbeats. Her breath became ragged as he leaned against her speaking slowly, “I’ve always wondered about you. I was forbidden to make contact while he was alive."
She looked into his dark blue eyes, so dark they appeared to be black from a distance. Up close they were crystal clear and navy. The darkest longest lashes she had ever seen, framed his beautiful eyes. His skin was olive and smooth, as if no beard grew on his face but up close she could see the stubble very faintly. His dark hair sat perfectly coifed on his head, as if a stylist had readied him to come and see her. He had a slight faux hawk with his hair being pulled forward and not one strand out of place. His face was strong with chiseled cheekbones and jaw line. His lips were as sensual as she recalled. They moved with his breath, that was apparently as ragged as her own. He examined her as she did him. She noticed how his upper lip twitched as if he wanted to say something.
She smiled, “Where are we going?”
He leaned in pressing his lips against hers softly at first. The taste of his mouth filled hers, the amber incense filled her nostrils. She moaned into the kiss as he pulled her up onto his lap. She met the hunger and passion in his kiss and upped the ante with her fingers sliding through his perfect hair, pulling it slightly. He moaned into her, gripping the pockets of her jeans, grinding her against him. The car stopped bringing her back to reality.
She pulled away breathless looking at him, “What are you?” She whispered.
He frowned, “Nothing. And everything.” He smirked, “Well after you my lady.”
She sighed, “I know what you are.” He looked nervous as she kissed his lips, “You’re trouble.”
He laughed into her kiss, “Without a doubt.”
She climbed off of him feeling ridiculously, as she exited the car door. The strange and silent driver held the door for her. She looked at the older man, “Thank you.” He tipped his hat at her. She knew instantly he was like his boss, like her father, he was old but much older than he seemed.
Marcus climbed from the car and gave her his arm. She took it feeling like Mary in her father's journals suddenly. She looked around realizing she was home.
She looked at him confused, “Why are we at my house?”
“This isn’t your house Hanna, this never was. The Tudor is your home. This is your aunt and uncles home. We are here because it’s the night they never thought would come.”
She rolled her eyes sighing, irritated by the cryptic behavior everyone around her seemed to have.
He laughed, “No I’m serious, they never loved you. Your father and I were friends, I’ve watched you grow up.”
She cringed away from him, “You’re like a creepy uncle then? No wonder he forbid you to make contact with me.”
He laughed again, “No not quite but I guess in some ways I’m the closest thing you
have to family. Well and Roland of course.”
She looked at him disgustedly, “You kissed me, you think of me as family and you kissed me.”
He tilted his head, “I don’t think of you like I’m related to you, I’ve just known you your entire life and you father nearly all of his.”
She looked away seeing the light of her aunt's house from the suburban street where they walked, “Why are we here?”
“I want you to see what they are doing this evening, the night before you return home.”
His voice sounded distant, as if he were already disappointed for her.
She looked up at the two-story house, it was like any house on the block. The lights were on inside making it look warm and homey. They walked from the sidewalk of the quiet empty street to the lawn of the house she had always considered home. They crept along the side of the house to the back porch. He walked first to the kitchen window, crouching so as not to be seen. She glanced around feeling guilty about sneaking around the house like a criminal. She walked slowly to his side and peered in the kitchen window carefully, so as not to let her face be seen from the inside.
Her uncle was at the table mixing something, a white powder into the sugar canister. She looked at Marcus who nodded, “Poison.” He mouthed. She frowned again looking in the window to see him wearing rubber gloves while doing it. He closed the lid and handed it to her aunt, who looked distracted by something she was reading. She put it down on the table in front of him, it was a piece of paper. She couldn’t read it from the distance the table was from the window. She watched as her aunt put the canister on the counter and frowned, “Now bloody well remember not to use the white sugar, tell her you’ve switched to honey.”
He nodded reading the letter, “What if we just asked her for the money?”
Her aunt flew into a rage slamming her hand down on the counter, “YOU IDIOT. YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE TELL HER ABOUT THE MONEY. SHE WILL LEAVE AND TAKE IT ALL WITH HER. SHE WILL FORGET ABOUT US. SHE IS A SELFISH TEENAGER WHO HAS NEVER THANKED US FOR RAISING HER. WE ARE OWED THIS.”
Her rant caused Hanna to wince and shrink down from the window. She looked at Marcus who nodded, “The cookies.” He mouthed.
Her eyes flew wide-open, “The cookies? They killed her?”
He nodded, “She was poisoned, it never got released to the media because you were missing and the culprit was never found.” His whispers were hard to read but she got he point.
“I will kill them both.” She whispered softly not looking at him, "How could they?"
"Money Hanna. You have a lot of it."
Her skin crawled.
She crept back from the window and snuck off the deck into the back yard. She ran into the bushes behind the house. She wanted to scream, she wanted to run until her legs collapsed beneath her. How had the police missed it? How had her father not seen it was a possibility? How had Roland let her feel guilty about Rebecca’s death? How had someone like Marcus known and no one else? How had the beautiful police officer not told her about the poison? What was she? She wanted answers, she knew where to get them but she didn’t know how to get them. She didn’t know what Marcus wanted from her. She didn’t know where she fit into his plan but she could see from what he had done he wanted something. Why else would he have cared enough to show her what he knew about her aunt and uncle?
She screamed when she was deep in the woods nearly to the stream, which was a mile from her house. She stopped running and screamed, she screamed for Rebecca who never got the chance to scream. She screamed for her parents who never got to know her. She screamed for good measure, in case she missed anything she couldn’t put her finger on at that moment.
“You can't kill them, you will be caught.”
She spun to see him standing beside her not out of breath, not sweaty as she was from the run and she screamed at him, “WHAT ARE YOU?”
He laughed, “I am everything and nothing, literally.”
She started to laugh and cry simultaneously, “You’re god then. Hey, god? Well god what I want for Christmas is a gun.” She laughed harder realizing she was making no sense, but then she felt it. The sweating progressed, the world spun and a scream filled her ears. She looked at Marcus as her world distorted. The last thing she would later recall was his beautiful face laughing at her, but backing away.
Chapter Five: Even grumpy pancakes can't cure that
“Miss Hanna?” Roland’s voice soothingly woke her from her restful slumber. She moaned feeling his warm hand brush against her face, “Oh Miss Hanna I’m so sorry. I thought it would be like your father.” His voice sounded devastated.
She opened one eye feeling the dim light of the room bring on an instant headache. She squinted, “Roland?”
He smiled, “Yes, it happened again.” He looked over his shoulder, “Fortunately Mr. Dragomir was with you.” His voice changed to something she recalled from earlier, when he warned her against the man.
She looked past him to Marcus standing in the entrance to her room. His face was like reading a stone. She wondered if he were worried or disgusted at the hideous monster she no doubt become.
Her throat was raw, “I need some water.”
Roland passed her a glass from her nightstand. She smiled weakly taking it, “Thanks.” The water felt amazing.
Everything from before the change came rushing back, “My aunt and uncle, I need to deal with them.”
Roland nodded, “Yes Mr. Dragomir was kind enough to fill me in on the latest discovery although I dare say he might have known the entire time.” He looked at her deeply, “Forgive me for assuming you had done it.”
She shrugged, “Nothing to forgive, it isn’t exactly impossible I would kill someone when, I uhm change.” She hugged him tightly. She looked past him at Marcus, “What did I look like?”
He raised an eyebrow, “Do you truly want to see?”
She nodded pulling back from Roland whose face grew severe, “Don’t look.” He warned.
She shook her head, “No I need this. I need to see what happens. I can't stand not knowing.”
He closed his eyes and nodded, “Just as your father would have said.”
He stood from her bedside and walked to the doorway, “I will leave you two to it then. I will make you something to eat.” He left the room silently as usual.
Marcus walked to her side pulling out his iphone, “I think I can reasonably say that man doesn’t like me.”
She frowned at him, “No kidding. You don’t exactly inspire trust in people.” She felt as if she had known him an eternity. It was possibly from reading about his life from her father's perspective. To her father he was a savior and true friend. She didn’t quite share her father's beliefs. Something about him bothered her, perhaps the way he made her feel.
He touched the phone several times and then held it to her face. She took it as the video he filmed started. She was in the forest behind her house, she screamed in agony clutching her face. Her knees buckled. She knelt on the forest floor screaming as her face twitched unnaturally. She felt her eyes widen at the sight. She fell back with her legs trapped underneath her. Her skin quivered and twitched as if snakes slid around under it. Suddenly a leg shot out from the forest floor stretching to size of a whole human being. The other leg did the same. Muscles bulged from her veining legs. Her pants and socks ripped revealing her ruddy skin. Her body grew from the waist up, again shedding her clothes, except what seemed to stretch with her. Her head shook back and forth violently.
She turned away from the phone for a moment as the screaming grew to a horrendous level. She sounded as if she were being murdered slowly. Her face seemed to rip as suddenly the screaming stopped. Where she had been, stood something she couldn’t imagine. It was nearly identical to the thing in the movie she had seen of her father.
It was huge and bulging with hideous features. It was a monster of horrifying proportions. It looked around itself, smelling in the air. It looked at the phone and laugh
ed. It charged at Marcus but the video ended suddenly. There was no hair on its head, no feature that looked as if it could be her, except the eyes. They were her honey brown eyes.
She sat still horrified.
She looked at Marcus, “It's true. It's all true. I’m a disgusting freak.”
He laughed, “That’s not you, that is something unnatural Hanna. It’s a part of you that can't be controlled nor helped.”
She sighed, “I need to find my fathers chemist. I need the elixir he was working on, Roland said its something that will control the changes.”
He smirked, “Do you have any idea who it was?”
She tilted her head, “I thought maybe you but really there are so many secrets I haven’t been able to find my way through them all yet.”
He clasped his hands together, “Well you are in luck, I have been helping your father with his work for a couple hundred years. I know of the tincture you’re thinking of and yes the whole point to it was he would be able to control himself while changed. I believe the main feature was that he would control when he changed, change at will so to speak.”
She shivered thinking about the hideous creature she had become, “Why would he want to change?”
He shrugged, “I need to discuss the possibility of a partnership with you.”
She blushed, “What kind of partnership?” She couldn’t help think of the scent of him and the passion in his kiss, as he spoke of partnerships.
He chuckled to himself quietly, “Not the kind your wicked mind is negotiating. No, your father and I had an agreement which required an exchange.”
“What kind of exchange?”
“A simple one. I would need only a few droplets of your blood every now and again in return I would give you what I gave him.”
She nodded, “Help in chemistry.”
He looked puzzled for a fleeting second and smiled, making laugh lines appear around his ancient eyes. He looked older for a passing moment, as if a shadow had cast upon the room. It was lifted as quickly as was set, "Not exactly but yes."
