Lord Liverchester

Chapter 2

Professor Pierce Waters stood over me, looking into my eyes with a small light. I no longer felt alive. If that's what feeling dead is like, I would rather be hit by a train and live.

"Well, two incidents in one afternoon. If you suffer another, I hate to say, I don't think you'll make it."

I rolled my eyes into the back of my head, not wanting to believe that. I sat up too quickly, falling right back down with dizziness. A white strand of hair fell into my eyes, going cross-eyed to look at it. That strand of hair had slowly become whiter and wider in time, but just that one piece in the front. The rest of it remained shades of orange and red, with undertones of brown. I'd been described as autumn personified, and I took that as a compliment. It was better than being called Hell personified; that's what I get for being a redhead.

Professor Waters stared at me, giving me another once over. I could feel him judging me, his eyes lingering for far too long. I was uncomfortable, shifting in the soft chair and eventually throwing my legs over the side. The professor was an older gentleman, set in his own ways. I knew he was casting his judgment upon me, though the words never left his mouth. There were other things too, far past judging me; I didn't like it. The tension in the room was closing in around me, making me more tense as a result. My chest still hurt but over time it started fading, making me wonder if the professor told me I was dying just to scare me. It worked at first, but I was starting to relax, the storm far above me and just out of earshot. Everything else faded too, and I realized I had been drugged. There was no other explanation. I couldn't feel any part of my body anymore, and it was amazing. I was handed some kind of red drink in a glass, and I sipped on it. It was unlike anything I'd ever drank, further putting me at ease. It was like being drunk but without the taste of alcohol. It was sweet, a light cherry flavor. I swirled it in the glass, gripping it like a fancy person. Professor Waters knelt beside me and I looked down at him, a smirk on my face. I asked him what he wanted.

"Mr. Liverchester," he started, "its medicine. Please just drink it."

I laughed, feeling drunk as a skunk. Slurring, I told him I was fine, feeling like everything was absolutely magnificent. He shook his head at me and stood, still watching me. My eyes followed him to his desk, and I continued drinking the stuff as instructed, just like a king in his throne room. I blinked slowly and asked him my most prying questions. I had several, in quick succession.

"When are we getting out of here?" I started with.

Before he could answer, I asked the rest.

"Where is my book? And who was that lovely girl I ran into upstairs?"

Professor Waters' glasses were on the tip of his nose, and he was looking at me strangely. He was hesitating to answer any of my questions. I know I talk a lot, and it was a lot for one man to handle. He took his time, taking a deep breath and folding his hands on the table.

"With any luck, you and Artois can find the book at this address I dug up. I think you should wait out the storm, and maybe even stay the night here. I hate to make you do that, since we're on borrowed time, but in your condition now I'm afraid for you both."

I nodded, motioning with the glass for him to continue. He didn't, totally disregarding my question about the woman. I needed to know her name, so I pried some more. I made sure Waters knew just how important this information was. Still, he just stared at me with those steel eyes. I saw a strange sort of burning behind his eyes, not like I had. It was the opposite of what I felt. I was feeling a deep love, a passion. Waters looked like he'd just stepped on a rat that was spat out 4 weeks ago by a sick cat. Surely that beautiful woman wasn't worth a reaction such as that. I could still feel her warmth, and it filled me with the most intense burning desire. I wanted to blow that popsicle stand immediately and throw myself into her arms. But no such luck; I couldn't leave yet. Finally I got my answer after an intense stare-down.