"My mom has always wanted to work with you. She creates life...calls it life science but alchemy is indeed very much a part of it. She has attempted to modernize it a bit with newer technologies to my granddad's disapproval in part, but she has succeeded some. She did not use all of her ideas as my granddad was sure some would not have positive results. In other words, old school is sometimes best."
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Rena felt the panic rising in her chest as she answered Henry's question, hands shaking as they held the phone. Her breath was coming faster beyond her control as she scrolled through the pictures for what she wanted. Leti got up suddenly from her chair and came to stand behind Rena's shoulder to better see the pictures, eyes round and mouth slightly a gape as the images moved across the screen until Rena stopped at one that made the bar maid recoil slightly.
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"What's that un," she breathed.
"Looks scary."
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Rena leaned to show Henry the image to which Leti referred. Grumlatch sat looking at the camera nearly challengingly with his glowing yellow eyes.
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"My mom created him. His name is Grumlatch. He is what she calls her little under the bed monster. He has a lot of bear in im, some dog genetics at my father's suggestion for loyalty, some monkey, and the brain of a 3 year old child so he is smart."
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Leti made a soft sound of horror or perhaps distress but did not move.
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"She didn't kill the kid. It died in a car accident or something. It wasn't ill, though or she'd not have wanted the parts."
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"But such ain't possible, is it," Leti wondered half to Henry and half to herself.
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"Most would agree with you but most don't have the knowledge my mother was born into," Rena said.
"She feels as you do, Henry, that most scientists and doctors are limited. She didn't come up with all this, though. She only improved and expanded upon another man's ideas. The man who created my grandfather to be a more improved human. Smarter, faster, stronger."
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She then moved to the image of Frank and Fredericka smiling with their arms around one another.
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"That's my grand parents...It is a recent picture. They don't age. He is..."
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Rena hesitated then drew in a deep breath. Letting it out slowly she found herself blinking back tears of sudden overwhelming nearly paralyzing panic.
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"Look I know how crazy this is going to sound," she said, words poring from her in a rush.
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"I know how it will sound but you've got to remember that I hold proof in my hands. I wear proof on my body. I can show you not only my eyes but that I am faster and stronger as well. I am not lying to you. There would be no point, but...we may all be in danger so I have to be completely honest even if you aren't ready for it. I mean it's going to be a lot to take in. It is going to be too much to take in and I get that but you need to know and not to tell you could be placing us all in danger."
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Meeting Henry's gaze with a pleading look of panic she added,"I love you more than anything and I can't be a part of anything happening to you. I can't even tell you what I am afraid of! Just that it has abilities that you and I don't so we may be screwed."
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She used her cloak to wipe at her eyes, struggling to get it together. Fuck she never cried.
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"What's screwed," Leti asked, looking nearly as eager and excited as Henry had earlier over the entire situation.
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"Done for or something," Rena said.
"At least extremely inconvenienced."
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Leti thought to herself that Americans had very strange words indeed, but right now more interesting things were going on than?her pondering over language.
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"Leti. You were startled by my clothes. You have every right to be," Rena said.
"I mean a whore would wear far more..."
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She stood and let the cloak fall so that the short, above the knee frilly dress that she felt made her look like a cake topper showed.
"It's not even an undergarment for those are still far longer, right?"
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Leti nodded dumbly.
"Never seen thee like," she managed.
It was scandalous to show legs and Leti could see the dress had been made short intentionally.
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"It isn't torn," she told Henry, gesturing to the insanely high hem line.
"Look it's got stitchin. It's supposed to be?that short."
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Leti shook her head of curly red brown hair incredulously at her own words then moved to her seat once again.
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"Well in 2020 this will be an acceptable fashion," Rena said.
"I prefer to cover my body more but my grandma, who would never wear this, thinks it looks good on me and that I should wear it for him."
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She nodded at Henry before sighing and lifting the cloak to cover herself once again before resuming her own seat.
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While she did, Leti had lifted the unattended phone and, as she had seen Rena do earlier, had begun to scroll through pictures. She gasped, nearly dropping the brightly lit screen thing when she saw Rena sitting on the lap of...something. He dressed a bit like Dr. Henry but had a funny shaped pointed head, a long face with a pointed hooked?nose and chin, wicked eyes, sharp teeth that reminded her of knives, long red claw like nails on his hands and green skin. Rena wore a similar dress and nothing to cover the indecency. The 2 looked very happy.
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"Um...That another creation of your Mum," she asked uneasily.
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Rena did not look pleased that the picture was on the screen. In fact trepidation came across her features as she shot Henry a worried look.
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"No. He...He created himself. Or rather...He chose to look this way," she told Leti.
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I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed.
I get along with the voices inside of my head.
Kat