808 Broadway | The Alienist [Complete]

Chapter Two | Cyrus and Stevie

Aurora's POV:

I woke up extremely early so I could get dressed and have a bite to eat before heading to work. Henry had a much more sleepy start than I had, but I think that's because I was feeling nervous. Nerves can wake a person better than a good cup of coffee sometimes. "I'll see you later.

Try not to burn the place down while I'm gone." I joked. "I'm not making any promises." He replied through a yawn. We said our goodbyes and I headed out into the brisk morning air. A thin fog blanketed the ground. The gas lamps that lined the street were still lit, making my surroundings feel a bit eerie. Due to the early hour, I desperately hoped there was a cab driver near by. I placed my forefinger and thumb into my mouth and whistled.

To my relief, the sound of horse hooves came towards the spot where I was standing."283 East Seventeenth Street, please." I told the cab driver as I climbed aboard. During the ride I was way to occupied with my thoughts to enjoy the misty early morning. All I did was think about the plans I created inside of my head for the day. The cab ride seemed to go quicker than usual but I wasn't at all surprised.

After giving my driver what I owed him I, I headed inside through the back door with the key Dr. Kreizler had given to me yesterday. I quietly opened the door and gently closed it behind me, making sure it was locked before taking my jacket off. Today I wasn't wearing a dress and hoped that the doctor wouldn't mind. I had on a pair of dark green trousers that were being help up by suspenders and a white buttoned down shirt.

I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind and started getting breakfast started. After brewing coffee, I fried steak to go with the eggs I had prepared. There wasn't any bacon or sausage in the ice box they had, so I desperately hoped they weren't saving the steak for some important occasion. A few minutes later a young boy with brown hair walked into the room.

He was tall and skinny. The clothes he was wearing suggested lots of work in the stables. "Who are you? I thought a Miss. Perish was to be the new housekeeper." He said in a confused sounding voice. "I am Miss. Perish." I replied in an amused sort of way. "Oh... oh... I'm sorry for assuming you were a man." He said, blushing in embarrassment. "It's fine, I get mistaken for being a man a lot. I'm fairly use to it now." I replied with a small smile before offering him some coffee.

"I'm Stevie by the way." He said as he poured some of the steaming black liquid into a cup. "It's nice to meet you, Stevie. You may call me Aurora if you'd like." I replied. He nodded and hummed slightly after taking a sip of the coffee. He left the kitchen and headed outside to no doubt tend to the horses. Then the tall black man I met on the day of my interview came into the room. "Good morning, Miss Perish." He said in his deep voice.

"Good morning. Please, call me Aurora." I replied with a small smile. "Well, in that case... call me Cyrus." He said before pouring himself a cup of coffee. After informing me that the Doctor rises at eight o'clock, he too left the kitchen and went outside. I finished cooking and prepared a tray to take to Dr. Kreizler. There were footsteps on the stairs and I assumed they were his, so I waited. I wanted to make sure he was in the dinning room before I went barging in.

I took a deep breath and took the tray with me out into the hall and into the sitting room, which lead into the dinning area. "Good morning Doctor." I said with a small smile as I walked through the doorway. I found him sitting in an armchair putting his shoes on. To be honest, I thought it was a little odd, but I didn't say anything. "Good morning, Miss. Perish. Would you be able to help me button my shoes?" He said with one of his soft smiles. "Of course." I replied. I sat the tray of food on the dinning table before walking over to where he was seated.

I took the metal tool used for buttoning shoes, and crouched down on my knees to do what he asked of me. I wasn't entirely sure why he couldn't do this himself, but I've heard of some wealthy people prefer to be dressed by other people. Buttoning someone's shoes for them was doable; it wasn't like he asked me to put his underwear on for him. I pressed my thoughts to the back of my mind and focused on the task at hand.