A Monster Inside - Book of the Amulet - ITV's Jekyll and Hyde

4 - Miss Jekyll-Hyde

"Could you please state your full name", Hannigan said, cutting through Olalla's rather disinterested daydream. They had pretty much welcomed her with open arms, and they were now in one of the grand meeting rooms. It was located on a long corridor, with different activities in each of its rooms. Olalla had noted a firing squad target practice and other various undertakings by the employees. It was beautiful, well, for a meeting room. It had wine red walls bordered with silver and gold, floors made from laquered, mahogany wood, and a similarly coloured décor to match. She sat opposite Hannigan, a short, fawn-haired man with a heavy Scottish accent and stubble across his chin. Alongside him was Sackler, who sat rather nervously with his favourite shotgun resting on his knee.

"Olalla", she answered, only really hearing the 'name' part of his sentence.

"Your full name", he emphasised, and Olalla huffed slightly. She was here on her own accord anyway, why did they need to know her full name?

"Olalla Eveline Jekyll-Hyde", she replied, and he began to write down something on parchment in messy, shorthand writing.

"You take both of your...selves' names?"

"Yes", she answered, eyebrows raised at his self-evident question. "Ah, I see. You're frightened. Is that why I'm in chains?" She lifted her hand, showing the metal handcuff on her wrist tethering her to the chair. "I just thought you were teasing me, Mr Hannigan".

"Flirting will not make this process go any quicker, Miss Jekyll", he answered bluntly, cutting her off. "Date of birth?"

"Thirtieth of September 1989", she answered, and a thought sprung to her mind. "You found Lottie yet, 'Tom'?" she asked Sackler, but he didn't answer. A couple of minutes of silence later, there was a knock at the door, and whoever was outside was invited in by Hannigan. First of all came a guard with a black gas mask covering his whole face. He wore a fitted grey suit and held a rifle by his side.

"Was this what you were after, H?" he said, though his speech was muffled by the heavy garment. She could hear something in the corridor... hissing. Through the door then came what looked like a hooded man, but underneath his face was tinged a dark green around his eyes, and was scaled, like a reptile. He slid along the floor, sibilating, which sent a horrible shiver down Olalla's back.

"Ah, yes. It's time you met my... friend", he said, smiling from underneath his thick moustache. "This is Ophidian, and he can tell when you are lying to me".

"And what happens if I do?" she enquired, trying to not look at the creature's rather piercing, gold eyes.

"Then I'll bleed the truth out of you". Olalla just laughed.

"Might take you a while, mate!" she chuckled. "No, no, I shouldn't laugh. You've probably got 'black monocane' and I'm absolutely terrified of that". Ophidian hissed loudly at her, flicking out a long, forked tongue, and Olalla abruptly stopped laughing.

"May I begin?"

"Sure; go on. Knock yourself out".

"Do you still have connections with the organisation known as Tenebrae?"

"No", she answered, and Ophidian screeched.

"You lie", it whistled. "You have feelings for it".

"Dance?" Hannigan murmured, pondering something. "Do you have feelings for Captain Dance?"

"So what if I do?", she asked. "He was basically a father to me. I was four years old and my own dad abandoned me. Dance raised me, her taught me things that I should have been taught by my father. So, it's only natural that I actually like him".

"He is a monster, you do know that. He is an ancient monster who has seen stars being born and then die, he has seen Hell sink to the centre of the Earth and Heaven rise above the clouds. You think you could love a man like that?"

"You think I couldn't?" she retorted slightly. "Dance may be your enemy, but he is not mine. Nor is he my ally, but I will not be bullied into suddenly giving up my feelings for him because of you".

"I am not bullying you into anything. I am just...advising you".

"Then stop now. If you want my help, then you are not doing a very good job of convincing me to".

"This is not about us. We know nothing about having feelings for monsters, I am saying that in the end, he will end up... killing you".

"And I might end up killing him, who cares?", she retaliated. "And as for 'knowing nothing about having feelings for monsters', you may have to rethink your staff list if that's what you believe in".

"Excuse me?"

"Mr Sackler here. In love with my sister. The monster".

"Is this true Sackler?" Hannigan asked him.

"Yes", he murmured quietly. "Yes, I am. I've fallen in love with her. And if you want to sack me, please go ahead. At least I'll be with her". Hannigan huffed slightly, not going back to the subject. Sackler just looked rather pleased at himself for actually keeping his job.

"Do you know of Robert Jekyll-Hyde's so-called 'Bloodlusted' state?"

"Of course I do", she answered, trying to put her arms on the table, but remembered she couldn't actually move her right arm that far. "He's my brother".

"Well, you haven't known him for long according to the records", he replied, and Olalla could feel a rise of anger in her stomach, just at this man's... arrogance. "It wouldn't surprise me if you didn't know a lot about him".

"I know more about him than you ever will", she snapped.

"Miss Jeky-"

"Miss Hyde", she interrupted.

"I thought you said you took both of your selves' names".

"Well, let's just say after chaining me to a chair, bringing snake nest in a dress to my party and now saying I know nothing about my brother, I'm rather peeved. So yeah, I'm Hyde. Deal with it". Hannigan was rather taken aback by her outburst, and so leaned back in his chair, face twisted into silence.

"Is there any information you can give us on it?" Sackler asked, taking over from him.

"The Bloodlusted state is an...experiment conducted on my brother by Tenebrae. It makes him irrational, forgetful..."

"He becomes a monster?"

"You could say that. This state, it's like Hyde. But the defining factor really is that he forgets everything he knows, all the good morals installed in him by his family, everyone who has ever shown him affection. He becomes everything Jekyll fought for him to not become. He becomes... not my brother".

"What will he do?"

"Something unbelievably stupid probably".

"Then you will help us find him, and we will help you become Jekyll again".

"If I say yes, will you unchain me and get Rumplesnakeskin out of my face?" she asked, and Sackler nodded with a smile.

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