mad hatter // r.s.l.

7 : animals

She couldn't see me, I'm sure of it. I was in the safety and warmth of my car, shielded from the rain. She had entered her house a good 45 minutes ago, drenched. From what I could see, she was fresh out of the shower, in her pyjamas.

I couldn't care less that she was engaged. I was infatuated with her, and I will have her, no matter what it takes.

The second she closed the curtains of her balcony, I stepped out of the car, now caught in the heavy rain. I moved fast, not wanting to get too wet to not draw attention to myself. I climbed up, again saved from the rain.

I was ready to enter the room, when her voice echoed. "Just leave me alone, already!"

For safety precautions, I decided to lay low for another 30 minutes, in which she grew very silent, indicating sleep. I ventured inside.

Brady's room was how I expected it to be; something out of a tumblr blog. Packed with art, photography and music on her walls, fairy lights and a bohemian pattern painted on the wall behind her bed- most likely painted by her.

She laid on her back, her hand underneath her head, the other spread to the side, legs crossed. Even in her sleep, and especially in her sleep, she looked gorgeous and wasn't wearing her boot.

I dared myself, and laid beside her, taking in her beauty. As I did so, her phone buzzed, showing a string of messages from Edward. I remembered her password and typed it in.

His messages were threatening, saying that if she didn't reply, she would regret it deeply. It shocked me. However, my hatred for the bastard deepened as I read his last name.

Edward was a Massey, related to the scumbag who ruined my life.

I typed in a simple 'talk tomorrow' to him and locked her phone again, placing it on her nightstand. My attention then shifted back to her, as she stirred slightly in her sleep.

I tucked a lose piece of her hair behind her ear, leaving a soft kiss on her forehead. "If he dares touch you, I will end him"

+++

I pulled my t-shirt over my head, and then fitted on my glasses. Following that, I tied on my trusty converse, grabbed my bag and headed to my car.

Today was my first day, and I was rather calm. I didn't know anybody in the lab, but I suppose I could make some new friends, especially after Leo ditched me for no apparent reason.

Seconds before I placed the keys in the ignition, my phone buzzed.

From: Brady Carter

good luck today, angel 👼🏼

I smiled at my phone, typing back a response

To : Brady Carter

thank you! lunch today on me?

From: Brady Carter

sounds good to me 😌 g2g mwah x

I put away my phone, hitting the road towards SIED Institute, which stood for Science and Investigation of Evolutionary Development Institute. It was a fancy looking place in downtown LA, the majority of their workers being over 30 from what I saw as I reached the parking lot.

However, I saw a group of people my age walking towards the reception. I chose to ignore them, I wasn't exactly the talkative type.

Slowly but surely (in order to leave a gap between me and the group), I approached the reception, where a middle aged woman sat, typing into the computer as if her life depended on it. She immediately straightened up at the sound of my voice. "Um I start working here today?"

"Name?"

"Ross Lynch"

She looked to the monitor, blinking and clicking a few times. "Ah. Here is your schedule, your locker key and the passwords you'll need for your area"

It was like starting school. With a simple 'thanks', I proceeded. I knew this place like the back of my hand; the moment I left high school, I knew I wanted to work here, so I attended regular open days.

After dropping my things off in the lockers, I walked on to my lab, which was room 203. I typed in the 6-digit password and allowed myself in.

It honestly felt like a pressurised room in here. There were 6 rows of desks to each side, all equipped with the latest microscopes and scientific gear. To the side were lab coats and goggles, which I quickly put on before someone came to me.

"Hi!" A girl with dark purple hair chirped. "You must be Ross. I'm Rebecca, and I'm in charge of showing you around."

"Nice to meet you, Rebecca."

"Great. Now, you know how to run DNA tests, right?"

"Yes! What do you think I'm doing here!" I laughed.

"I'm sorry! I have to check; Miles over there came here without a hell of a clue but he's one of our top scientists in the area." She beckoned me to follow her. "This is your table, I'm directly behind you and in front of you is Gap. Do not ask about the name."

What I expected was something between a punk girl and a shy nerdy girl. I was knocked away to find out she was tall, blonde, and with a perfect set of teeth.

"Hi, I'm Gap!" She smiled, shaking my hand. "You must be Ross, and before you ask about my name, I had gappy teeth as a kid, and the nickname stuck"

I chuckled. "Nice."

Rebecca handed me the samples. "Do your magic, Blonde No.2"

+++

I watched as Katie, another girl who worked at the lab, handled particles of Francium near the sink. As she carried the particles over the sink, I quickly guided her away, startling her slightly. "We don't all want to die just yet!"

"What?"

"Francium" I pointed at the bottle.

"Katie!" Miles exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry! I read it as Fluorine!" She smiled, putting it away. I took the time to check my phone.

From : Brad Carter

I can't meet you for lunch today, my parents asked Edward and I to come home from school for lunch :( I hope you're having a good day though!

"Ditched at the last minute?" Rebecca approached me.

"Sort of."

"Well, we have 15 minutes until our lunch time so maybe you'd like to join us for pizza? We literally have two hours so it's cool if you want to leave us after the food"

"Um sure, it will be nice to see you all without the imminent chance of Katie killing us."

She whined and Gap laughed. I smiled at them both, returning to my area.