The Greyback Manor

Chapter eight

There was no need for me to ask about why he also got locked downstairs. Still, it might have become common knowledge to always have questions in this scenario. Yet somehow, I ended up with even more when Hyde mentioned the pieces and objects.  

"What pieces? They are just from a book. There's nothing special about them," I said. This made Hyde laugh again, and he handed me the few pieces of paper.  

"Are you sure? Look again." He had a sly smile on his face. I looked down and only saw normal paper, until I noticed something. The pieces of papers formed the frame of Alexandria's knife with the word “hunter” under it. A realization came to me as I recognized the paper.  

“Wait, this is a page from the red book, at least when I first saw it. Every character had their name and an object with them," I responded. If only I had paid more attention to what the objects were, I could have recalled them.  

"Thats because you have a gift, Clara. Only you and one other person can read the pages of the red book," he said. The other person came to me instantly from my vision of her.  

“Wait, I think I get it. So everyone at the table had a page in the book. If Alexandria's was the hunter, then Marina is the professor, because her last name is Moriarty, like Jim Moriarty," I responded. Somehow in one moment it all just clicked in my head. If that red book was magic, then of course everyone in it would have a page. Maybe I even had a page in it, which was why I was here. 

Hyde helped himself to some whiskey before I heard his response.  

“Okay, I have no idea who this Jim Moriarty is, but I am glad you finally see what I'm saying," he said. At first I looked at him in confusion but decided not to question him.  

"You look terrible, by the way," I blurted out before I could stop myself. He raised an eyebrow at me while I covered my mouth. The longer the silence dragged on, the more embarrassed I felt, and Hyde simply took another sip. Which did nothing for the pale complexion or his thin cheeks.  

"So I've heard that's what my niece and nephew said when I saw them," he said. 

I cleared my throat to hide the color in my cheeks and took a seat next to him.  

"I didn't mean it that way. All I meant was that this whole thing with Jekyll siding with Dracula to kill people and becoming a..." I began but was interrupted by the look on Hyde's face.  

"Don't say the word. It has been hell. The thirst for blood is a hunger I can't satisfy; however, I refuse to drink anymore human blood," he stated. It was a bold statement for sure, and I probably wasn't helping, sitting next to him like a steak dangling in front of a lion. Everything he had been through, all I wanted to do was help him.  

"You don't deserve to starve yourself, Hyde. You have a family," I reminded him. My words affected him, as his shoulders tensed up and wouldn't meet my gaze.  

"Yeah and what if I do? What makes you the expert? There is nothing I can do to make up for the pain I've caused in my life," Hyde responded.  

"Everyone's done bad things. It doesn't mean you have to stop fighting and give up. Your family needs you,” I said.  

“Clara, nobody needs me," he responded. 

His tone firm and full of sadness as it reminded me of myself whenever I said the same thing. A few tears fell from my eyes, and I grabbed his hand.  

"I know you don't mean that. A part of you feels like that will solve everything and no one will miss you, but you are wrong," I said. "Even when everything has come crashing down, you can't stop fighting for them." Hyde set his drink down and looked at me in shock. In the few days I had known him, he never had given me that expression to this extent. He tried to protect against me, but I refused to let him give up.