His Hyde's Jekyll

Chapter 2. His Jekyll

The cell was about average, as far as cells went. It wasn't nearly damp enough, and there was a disappointing lack of cobwebs, but it served its purpose.

Tyler sat in a chair at the back of the room. He wore a straitjacket with thick metal chains binding his chest and arms. His head raised at the sound of the door, and from his bleary expression it was clear that he had been tranquilized. It appeared that Sheriff Galpin wasn't taking any chances.

Wednesday's pulse quickened at the sight of him, which didn't make much sense. Straitjackets and chains were alright, she supposed, but a bit too mild for her taste. She preferred more...painful methods of restraint. After all, it wasn't fun if the subject wasn't screaming-or at least groaning.

"You shouldn't be here," Tyler said huskily.

His eyes were dull and lifeless, rivaling even her own. Looking into them was almost enough to give her chills. Impressive.

"Why didn't you kill me?" she asked.

His head drooped again. "I tried, but your little wolf friend got in my way."

"No, you hesitated." He stared at her blankly, so she continued. "You had a chance to kill me before Enid arrived, but you didn't. I want to know why."

"How should I know?" he said tiredly. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"I thought not," she replied, "but I have a theory."

"Wednesday-" he began.

"You love me."

Her voice was steady and matter of fact, as if she were stating that the sky was blue, but Tyler jerked abruptly. "What?"

With deft fingers, she flipped to the earmarked page in the diary and held it open for him to see.

"What is this?" he asked, taking in the drawings and scrawling script.

"It's Nathaniel Faulkner's diary. He was renowned for traveling the world and documenting outcast communities. This is his chapter on Hydes." She pointed to a paragraph near the bottom of the page. "Read this."

She was surprised when he obeyed readily-perhaps it was a conditioned response from the Hyde/master relationship.

"The Jekyll," he began. "A Hyde with an established master has no choice but to obey their orders. There is one exception to this, but it is incredibly rare. When a Hyde is connected strongly with someone-most often in a manner of romantic attraction-they may be able to resist their master's orders and learn to control their abilities with this person's aid. This individual is called the Jekyll, as they are able to bring out the human side of the Hyde."

He fell silent as he finished, and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. She tried not to be impatient-being tranquilized tended to slow one's cognitive function, after all.

She had learned that through a great deal of experimentation, most often with Pugsley serving as her faithful test subject.

"So you're saying that you're my...Jekyll?" Tyler said at last.

"Correct."

He shook his head in disbelief. "That's crazy. You're basing all this on-what? Something you think you saw happen in the woods? I was going to kill you, Wednesday, just like I killed all those other people. I'm a monster, ok? Of all people, you'd be the last one I'd expect to try and redeem me."

"If you don't believe me, why don't we test my theory?" she said evenly.

His eyes widened as she took a step towards him. "Wednesday, don't-"