The Kreizler Institute | The Alienist + Mphfpc [Complete]

Chapter Seven | Getting To Know Them

Jade's POV:

The sound of my alarm going off jolted me awake. I surprisingly slept last night, but it was anything but restful. My dreams were plagued by hollowgasts and dead children. Bits and pieces of my nightmares came flooding back to me as I rubbed the sleep from my tired eyes. Once I was able to see, I got out of bed and started getting changed.

Caleb would be coming by any moment to pick me up, and I didn't want to make him wait. I ended up putting on a plain black shirt, black jeans, and black converse shoes. There wasn't any point to dress in my favorite or best cloths. I'd end up having to change into Victorian clothing in a little while anyways. As I got ready I thought about everything that had happened to me yesterday. None of it seemed real, but I knew it was.

'I should probably take some things with me.' I thought inside of my head. I grabbed my olive green corduroy styled backpack and put a few thing in it such as my diabetic medication, my journal, a new spiral notebook, some pens, and Tales of The Peculiar (The book I had gotten from that second hand book store). After what I had learned I figured that store was run by a peculiar; that book wouldn't have been there otherwise. Then I headed downstairs to find my uncle in the kitchen.

He was drinking a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper. "Hey, are you ready for that writing class Caleb is taking you to?" He asked, and I almost blew the cover story Caleb and I made up last night. "Oh, yeah." I replied with a small smile, one which he returned. I felt guilty about having to lie to my uncle, but he couldn't know anything about what was going on; he probably wouldn't believe what I said if I told him anyway.

The two of us talked about the improving weather and what had been happening in the city. Apparently a couple of kids disappeared last night without a trace or shred of evidence. A chill ran through my body, because I knew it was the hollow. Hearing that more innocent children were being killed made me sick to my stomach. I felt like I was just letting these killings happen when I could do something to prevent them.

But I knew I couldn't do much without fully understand my abilities. Just being able to see the monsters didn't mean I was capable of defeating one. The sound of the doorbell took me out of my though induced daze, and I figured it was Caleb. My writer friend followed Alfius into the room and I started feeling a little nervous. I didn't want to let him down... I didn't want to let anyone down, especially since they need my help.

"Are you ready?" Caleb asked me curiously. "Yeah, I guess so." I replied as I stood up. My uncle told us to be careful and we promised we would. Caleb and I quietly walked down the street like we had done yesterday. People were milling around like always. Some actually had places to go and be, but others didn't. But the panic that had risen from the hollow attacks was obvious now more than ever. I had a feeling that this problem was going to get worse before it got better, and that scared me.

When we entered the cafe that housed the time loop, we took a seat at one of the tables. "I thought we could get something to eat for breakfast before going through." Caleb said as he settled down into his seat. A waitress came over and handed us breakfast menus. I ordered waffles with fresh fruit and a cup of coffee. Caleb got bacon, eggs, toast, and hash browns with a cup of coffee. We ate in silence; the only sounds were coming from the other customers.

I slowly ate my food, wondering what Dr. Kreizler and I would be doing today. Deep down I had a feeling he'd be teaching me the basics of the peculiar world and whatnot. In all honesty, I really wanted to know everything I could. I didn't want to do something wrong and get in some kind of trouble. But I doubted I'd get involved with something illegal... at least I hoped I didn't.

Once we finished eating he paid for the bill and I took my medication. Then we headed into the back of the cafe. The feeling of riding a rollercoaster took over as soon as we entered the storage room. My ears popped from the sudden change in air pressure as well. I looked through the collection of Victorian clothing that was available and picked something out.