This Broken Wondrous World (6 page)

Then I felt an arm around my waist. Suddenly, I was moving upward fast. Just when I thought I couldn't take another moment, we broke to the surface and air flooded into my lungs.

I coughed and hacked up lake water as I was towed along. Finally, I could feel the bottom beneath me. I tried to stand, staggered, and fell. But strong arms caught me.

“Can't leave you for even a few months without you getting in over your head, can I?” muttered a familiar harsh female British voice.

I turned and blinked my stinging eyes.

“Claire? What . . .” I gasped for air. “What . . . are . . . you . . . doing . . . here?”

Claire Hyde grinned at me, her black, chin-length hair
plastered against her face.

“Apparently, dragging your arse out of the jaws of death. As usual.”

“I'M SO SORRY
about the boat, William,” I said.

Claire and I stood in the foyer, a small pool of water on the tile beneath us as we dried off with the towels Elisa gave us.

“I am just glad you're okay,” he said.

“Right?” Claire grinned. “Wouldn't envy anyone having to explain to the Monster that his only son drowned.”

William smiled briefly. “And, eh, you are . . . ?”

“Oh, sorry,” I said. “This is my girlfriend, Claire.”

“Ah,” said William. He turned to Claire. “You are welcome here, of course.”

“Sorry for the unannounced visit,” she said. “It was all very last minute.”

“Of course,” cut in Elisa, patting her cheek. “You poor dear. I am sure you have been missing him terribly.”

“Exactly.” The way Claire said it, I was pretty sure that wasn't the real reason she was here.

“So what happened, Boy?” asked William. “You said you ran into something? Far from shore?”

“Yeah. I really am sorry. I should have come in sooner. It just got dark a lot quicker than I expected. I couldn't see what it was I hit. You can still see the boat out there half sunk about fifty yards from shore.”

“I wonder what it could have been.” He frowned as he moved to the window. “It must have been terribly big. . . .”

“Well, we can examine this mystery further tomorrow when
it is light,” said Elisa, taking William by the shoulders and guiding him to the stairs. “I am sure Boy and Claire would like to change out of their wet clothes and get some rest.”

“She got the first bit right, anyway,” Claire whispered in my ear as she put her arm around my waist. “Why don't you show me this four-poster bed of yours?”

“We'll probably have to kick Henri out,” I said as we started up the stairs.

“What's he doing in your room?”

“You'll see.”

WHEN WE GOT
to my room, Henri and Vi were making faces at each other.

“Hey, guys,” I said. “Surprise visit from Claire.”

Henri came over and did the cheek-to-cheek thing that his mom did to me. “I am Henri. So great to meet you. Boy has told me all about you.”

“Right, you're the one he spilled to,” she said. “Just keep it to yourself, yeah? I'd hate to have to break that pretty face of yours.”

“Eh . . .” His eyes shifted nervously between Claire and me, like he was looking for a sign that she was joking. “Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

“Glad to hear it.” She patted his back hard enough for him to stumble slightly.

“It's so great to see you again, Claire,” said Vi, her hands clasped together and her big purple eyes glistening.

Claire turned to me. “What's with Pokémon sexpot here?”

“That's Vi,” I said.

Her eyebrow shot up. “Are you taking the piss?”

“No, it's true!” said Vi, stretching her arms out wide. “I have a body so I can learn visual communication. Henri has been designing it for me.”

“Yeah, I'll bet he has,” muttered Claire.

“Okay, we can talk about this some other time,” I said. “Henri? Vi? Would you mind giving us a little . . . privacy?”

“Oh, yes, of course!” said Henri. “Would you mind if I took your laptop into my room so Vi and I can continue working? You caught us right in the middle of redesigning her eyebrows.”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” I said.

Once Henri and Vi were out of the room, Claire rested her arms on my shoulders and smirked. “Some privacy, eh? What's on
your
mind, I wonder?”

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” I said, looking into her dark brown eyes. “But I don't buy your ‘I just really missed my boyfriend' line. That's something I would pull, maybe Sophie. But not you.”

“See now,” she said, her smirk looking a little strained. “This is why I like you. You don't miss a trick.”

“Don't distract me with flattery,” I said. “Something's up. Something bad enough for you to leave LA and travel thousands of miles to see me in person. Tell me I'm wrong.”

She looked at me for a moment, the smirk completely gone, the muscles in her jaw clenching. Then she nodded curtly. “Okay, you got me. So way back when Kemp found us in LA, right after we'd just stopped my half-brother, Robert, from killing me, remember how he turned Robert over to the cops like he was just a regular human?”

“Of course.”

“Yeah, well, a few days ago, Kemp's contact at the LAPD told
him that Robert escaped from prison.”

“What?! Did he say
how
?”

“Apparently, Robert was starting to get even more violent and out of control than usual, so they decided to transfer him to one of those maximum security places. But the transport bus he was on just never showed up.”

“Robert isn't that strong,” I said. “Someone on the outside must have helped him.”

“But who? Robert's pissed off just about everyone he ever met.”

She was doing her usual tough act, but I knew better. Her jaw was set and her eyes were just a little too wide. If there was one person in this world she was genuinely afraid of, it was Robert Jekyll. Not because he was superpowerful, but because he was bat-shit crazy. He had somehow figured out how to eliminate his Hyde half, Stephen. Now he was obsessed with removing every last Hyde in the family. Starting with Claire.

“I'm glad you came.” I took her hands in mine. They were strong and nearly as big as mine. “Whatever happens, we'll deal with it.”

“Yeah.” She nodded tersely, not quite meeting my eyes.

“Hey. Together. Okay?”

She looked at me then so intensely her eyes seemed to vibrate. She took a deep breath, squeezing my hands hard enough to hurt. Then she slowly let out her breath, eased off on my hands, and pressed her forehead against mine.

“Thanks,” she whispered. Then her smirk suddenly reappeared. “
Now
can we get naked?”

DIY Family

H
ENRI AND I
sat side by side, facing my laptop.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“Are
you
sure?” I asked.

“I understand there are risks. But I could not possibly pass this up.”

“If you say so,” I said.

“All right, then.” He nodded. “Vi, if you would be so kind.”

“Of course, Henri,” came Vi's voice. She wasn't on the screen right now because we needed the camera for Skype. “Connecting to The Monster now.”

A moment later, my dad's face appeared on the screen. I heard Henri suck in a sharp breath. I'd warned him that my dad wasn't nearly as well made as I was and I think he finally understood what I meant.

“Hey, Dad,” I said.

He looked at me with his watery, mismatched eyes. “How are you, Boy?” he asked in an accent that was way thicker than either William's or Henri's, despite the fact that he'd been living in the States for about fifty years.

“Great, Dad, how about you?”

“I am fine.” He was never very talkative on Skype. Not that he
was ever really that talkative in person, either. But over Skype he was nearly as bad as my mom. His eyes shifted to Henri. “And you must be Henri.”

“Yes, monsieur.”

“And how are you, Henri?”

“Great.”

“So, Dad, there's, uh, some stuff we need to talk about.”

“Yes.”

“Like, I'm sure you're wondering why Henri is here with me.”

“Yes.”

“Uh, so he, uh, he knows everything. About us. About The Show. Everything.”

“I see.” He sounded calm, but the loose patchwork of his massive face began to twitch and fold in strange places. “And . . . why is this?”

“Okay, it wasn't really my fault. There was this dwarf who outed me, and then . . .” I stopped and took a breath. “But you know what, Dad? That doesn't really matter. Because I've been thinking about this a lot and I want to ask you. Are you serious about us all becoming one family?”

“Of course. I would not have sent my only child if I was not serious.”

“Exactly. You sent me here to connect to these people. To learn about them and to bond with them. And I've done what you wanted. I don't know about the rest of the family, honestly, but Henri and I trust each other. We're family. Just like you always wanted.”

“That . . . is good.”

My dad was hard enough to read under any circumstance, but over Skype it was almost impossible. It seemed like he might be softening a little. I hoped so, anyway.

“Yeah, so this was part of that trust. Sure, my hand was kind of forced. But rather than try to cover it up or tell half-truths, I decided to let him into our lives. And . . . I hope you'll do the same.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

I turned to Henri and nodded. It was his turn.

“Ah, yes.” He nodded, and rubbed his thighs nervously. “
Monsieur le Monstre
, may I accompany Boy home to New York for winter break?”

He stared at us for a long time, saying nothing. It went on so long that I started to wonder if maybe the video stream had frozen. But at last he said:

“Boy, you want to bring a human into The Show?”

“That's what I'm trying to say, Dad. He's not just a human. He's family.
Our
family.”

He sighed. “My son, I understand what you are saying. Your heart is good. But . . .” He shook his head. “This has never been done before in the entire history of The Show. I will need to discuss it with Ruthven.”

“Thanks, Dad. That's all I ask.”

“Okay. Good-bye, Boy. Good-bye, Henri.”

The connection ended and Henri let out a breath. “Wow, your dad does not like humans.”

“Are you kidding? He loves humans,” I said. “Just wait till you meet my mom.”

“Do you really think it's going to happen? That I'll get to visit a community of monsters?”

“If there's anyone who can convince Ruthven, it's my dad. So I'd say there's a good chance you'll get in. It's getting you out alive that will be trickier.”

He laughed, but then looked at me. “Wait, are you serious?”

“I told you. There are a lot of monsters there who've had bad experiences with humans. Some of them, like my dad, have moved on. Some of them haven't.”

“Don't worry, Henri!” said Vi, suddenly materializing on the screen in a burst of neon sparkles. “We'll protect you!”

“Speak for yourself,” said Claire from where she'd been lounging on my bed. “I think this is the daftest idea you've ever had, sweetie.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“And you didn't ask him if he knew anything about Robert.”

“You can't overload him with too many questions at once,” I said. “And besides, I think Ruthven's probably the one to ask, anyway. So we might as well wait until we get there.”

“You know, I was looking forward to a nice, temperate holiday in LA.”

“New York is awesome at Christmastime.” I went over and sat down next to her on the bed. “Besides, with Robert running around out there somewhere, it's the safest place you could possibly be. The sooner we get you there, the better I'll feel.”

“I cannot believe your own brother would want to hurt you,” said Henri.

“Keep up, Frankenstein. He's not my brother, he's Sophie's,” said Claire. Then she turned back to me. “We'd better not be staying in your old tiny bedroom in your parents' apartment, that's all I'm saying. We're adults now with jobs and everything. We should get our own space.” She pulled me down so that her warm body pressed against me. “If we get to be together for the holiday, I plan on making the most of it. If you know what I mean.”

“Cosigned,” I said, and kissed her neck.

She ran her fingers through my hair, then grabbed hard and
pulled me in for a kiss.

“Vi,” I heard Henri say. “I think that's our cue to leave.”

JUST AS I
predicted, Ruthven agreed to let Henri come home with me. But he wasn't allowed to spend the night. Ruthven said it was just too much temptation for the nocturnal predators, so Henri would have to get a hotel room.

I wasn't sure how William and Elisa were going to take the news that Henri was going to spend his winter break with me. But when he told them over dinner that night, their faces lit up.

“Oh, but this is marvelous!” said Elisa. “Henri, you have always wanted to go to New York!”

“I agree!” said William. “What an opportunity! And your parents don't mind?”

“No, they're happy to have him,” I said. That was only a half lie. I was pretty sure that deep down, my dad was happy that a Frankenstein was coming to visit. He'd always wanted to be accepted into the Frankenstein family. But my mom was not happy at all. She'd never been able to forgive humans for what they'd done to her and my dad. I hoped maybe Henri could be the one to get her past that.

“What about you, Claire?” asked Giselle. Months of living here and I'd barely made a dent in Giselle. It had taken Claire all of a day and a half. Giselle followed her around constantly and had even asked her mother if she could get her hair cut shorter. “Are you going home to
your
family for the holiday?”

“Nah, I'll tag along with these lads,” Claire said. “My family isn't real close anymore.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,” said Elisa.

“It's all right. I make my own family, you know? And Boy's family is great. They made me feel welcome right from the start.”

“How wonderful,” said William. “I'm glad Henri will be in such good hands.”

“Can I go, too?” asked Giselle.

“Not this time, my sweet sister,” said Henri.

“You always leave me behind,” she said.

“Someone must remain behind to keep watch for the mermaid,” said Henri. “You wouldn't want her to gobble up Mother and Father while we're out having adventures, would you?”

“No,” said Giselle.

“Really, Henri, you shouldn't encourage her,” said Elisa. “Giselle, you're far too young for such a long trip away from us.”

“But if you do see the mermaid,” I said, “you tell her that I said she better mind her manners.”

Elisa sighed. “The two of you! Impossible!”

Henri and I grinned at each other.

“WE COULD JUST
stay here, you know,” said Claire.

It was the Sunday before our flight. And even though it was nearly noon, Claire and I were still in bed. Her head rested on my bare chest as she looked up at me with searching eyes.

“It's quiet here,” she said.

“It's safer for you in New York,” I said.

“He wouldn't think to look for me here.”

“Not right away. But he found us in the middle of the Mojave desert.”

“With Vi's help.”

“Still, you don't think he could eventually track you down
here?”

“You don't think he could track me to New York?”

“That's just it. I think he could track you anywhere. If he catches you out here in the middle of nowhere, we're in trouble. But if he tries anything at The Show, he's the one who's in trouble. We protect our own.”

“I guess you're right.” Her finger traced the line of stitches that circled my shoulder. “It's just so nice here.”

I smiled. “You're getting used to the luxury faster than I did. You're not going soft on me, are you?”

“Watch it, you.”

“Ooo, is that a threat, Your Majesty?”

“Right, that's it!”

She reached up for me, but then my bedroom door burst open.

“Hey, check this out, I made—my God you're naked!” Henri covered his eyes.

“Way to ruin the mood,” said Claire, pulling the sheets up over herself.

“Yeah, thanks, cuz,” I said. “I thought we'd talked about you not doing that anymore.”

“Sorry! Sorry!” said Henri. “Should I come back?”

“Just give us a second,” I said.

We both pulled some clothes on, then let Henri back into the room.

“So what was so exciting you just had to bust in here like that?” I asked.

He held up a smartphone. “Vi mobile!”

“You're kidding!”

“Check it out.” He handed me the phone.

I looked down at the screen and the anime face we'd all more or less accepted as Vi's looked back at me.

“Hi, Boy!” she said, her eyes closing as she gave me a big smile. “Isn't this exciting?”

“It's pretty awesome,” I agreed.

“Obviously, there's some processing power lost,” said Henri. “But this is so much more portable, and the battery life is amazing. Now she doesn't have to miss out on anything we do.”

“Just your face, then?” asked Claire, peering over my shoulder.

“Oh, no!” said Vi. “It's a three-dimensional design, so it has depth. If I walk away . . .” She demonstrated by walking backward so it appeared that she was moving away from the screen. “You can see all of me!” And there she was in all her short-skirt glory. “What a great idea, huh?”