She stood in front of the grave, umbrella shielding her from the early morning sunrise. She knelt down to inspect it more closely, but found no difference. It looked exactly the same. But how had it managed to stay so well preserved? There had been frosts, storms, anything you could have possibly thought of, and yet it never changed. The mere thought perplexed her. She turned, partially in disappointment; partially in disgust, and made her way back to the path that led out of the graveyard. The only sound that could be heard was her heels hitting the ground as she walked.
She made it back to her home and sighed as she folded the umbrella back up and placed it back in its spot near the front door. None of the servants had arrived yet to begin the day. Lovely; splendid really. She made her way into the library and pulled the same book off of the shelf that she had been looking at for years. It wasn't a book per se, but rather a photo album. It was worn and tattered, but that made no difference to her. The memories inside still remained in perfect condition. She missed him terribly, she truly did, and seeing his smile just brought back all the positive thoughts she once had. It didn't make it all better, but it certainly helped. She glanced over the glossy photos, bringing mixed tears of happiness and mourning to the corners of her eyes. He didn't deserve to die. It wasn't fair in the least. She quickly dabbed at her eyes and slid the album back onto the shelf. She walked down the hallway to the back room; just letting her hand drag along the wall.
In this back room lay a secret; many secrets. Secrets of severity and great concern. She had become obsessed with the absence of her devoted lover. She had invited many friends over, friends of high intelligence and scientific background, to discuss matters of alchemy and if the practice ever truly existed in a possible way. They'd brought her books and studies, hundreds of them, all of them fueling her fire even more. It was her mission to resurrect this fallen angel of hers, she was willing to give anything at this point. She had waited patiently, her time spent on reading, studying, and lectures, all in effort to be able to bring him back from the dead.
She closed the door tightly behind her and locked it. She still had a few minutes from what she calculated, and she intended to use every second she had. Along the walls of the room were large bookcases. Stacked on the bookcases were glass jars filled of several different liquids, powders, poisons, medicines, and tools, such as syringes and pliers. In the center of the room was large metal table. She moved to the side of the room, pulling a ratty piece of faded paper out from between the bookcases. She unfolded it and laid it across the table, admiring it as she stood with her hand on her cheek. This was going to be perfect. They could be together forever. Across the top of this paper was a list of the elements that composed the human body; oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and such. In the center of the paper lay a hand sketched diagram of the human body, intricately labeled and carefully constructed. She had spent quite some time in designing the layout. It had been critiqued and corrected many times over, but now it was finally ready to be used. She had made many little scratch notes down along the sides, just as reminders. She would not receive help with this project. She'd been livid when she found out that although she'd been granted resources and know how, they refused to take part in it, just for the sheer danger and uncertainty of the outcome. She'd reassured them time and time again that everything would be fine, but still they refused. She brushed it off after a while; she could be independent if need be.
She moved to the shelves, pulling various containers and tools down and bringing them to the table. It was time to convert knowledge into action. She sighed in contentment before slipping out of the room, making sure to lock the door behind herself. Now she had to be careful, it was that time of the morning when the servants would be in and bustling about. She heard the front door being pushed open heavily, the butler stepping in behind it. He was a kind old man, though rather beaten down and fragile. He always had a joke to make about everything and always seemed to stay on the more positive side of things. It was a nice change from the typical cynical mood that the house seemed to have adopted. "Good morning dear, you're up awfully early, what have you been up to?
She flashed a smile. "Oh, nothing much really. I just couldn't sleep; I've been wandering aimlessly about."
"Well," He chuckled, "A cup of tea might do you good, come in here and sit down." He hobbled off into the kitchen, still chattering away.
She pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "Why are you always so bright?"
"Ah... I knew you'd ask eventually. The thing is my dear, I don't really have a reason not to be. It just comes to me naturally."
"Well some luck you have then. I could never manage it." She rapped her fingernails against the table.
"Here you are, that ought to help." He set a saucer and teacup down in front of her and smiled. "I hope you don't mind, dear, but I have a lot of important work to be getting to. It seems procrastination has caught up with me once again."
"How unfortunate. Oh well." She took a sip and sighed. She watched him walk away and disappear behind the door frame. If only he knew what she was capable of. She'd come to the conclusion that now was the time to act, and tonight would be her first step towards piecing her shattered life back together.
