The Perks of Being a Scientist - Chapter 2

Ding dong!

“Oh, thank God, you got out of your home!” Cecil Lockhart’s butler, Maurice O'Brien, answered the door. Penelope and Frost snickered while Benedict gritted his teeth.

“Don’t tell me Cecil told you.” he hissed quietly.

“Master Lockhart merely told me how you haven’t come out of your house in a week.”

“Ten days, to be exact.” Penelope corrected.

“Penelope...” Benedict growled.

“Come in!” said Maurice, opening the door wider to let them come through. “Master Lockhart wishes to see you in the library.”

“Ooh!” said Frost with excitement. “A library!” Penelope and Frost skipped inside, and Benedict slowly followed. He loved to look around Cecil’s mansion, it was very Victorian and large. He was the kind of person who would pay close attention to detail, especially in large houses such as Cecil Lockhart’s. Cecil was a very rich man, the owner of a bank. Penelope’s father worked for him. All of them walked into the large library and saw Cecil. He motioning to the armchairs that circled a small table with glasses of wine on coasters. As they sat down, Cecil raised his eyebrows.

“Is that you, Frost?” he asked. When Frost nodded, Cecil looked at Benedict. “How did you manage to keep her from being seen?”

“We were just quick to your house.” Benedict replied, smiling.

“And I see you aren’t hungover.” Cecil joked. Benedict tried to laugh, but Cecil’s comment stung slightly. Cecil remembered. “...What did you see?” he asked. Penelope and Frost’s eyes flicked towards Benedict as he felt the color drain from his face. He sat there silently. After a few moments, he brought the wineglass to his lips with his shaking hands. Benedict knew he could tell them anything, but would always hesitate as if he couldn’t.

“...I don’t mean to stay locked up for days on end...” said Benedict. “I’m just afraid I could go into criminal insanity--”

“Do not ever think like that, Doctor Holloway!” Penelope grew angry at his words.

“Penelope’s right, Benedict!” Frost spoke up as well. “That’s never gonna happen!”

“I wish I could treat my own sch--”Benedict stopped as he noticed the painting that was on the wall a few feet behind Cecil’s chair...
That wasn’t there before. There was a man in the painting, he looked similar to Benedict. His eyes were closed...

And then they opened. The man’s lips curled into a terrible sneer, and spoke.

You swore on a dead crow.

Next thing Benedict knew, he was on the floor, yelling and writhing in pain.

“BENEDICT! BENEDICT!” Cecil’s muffled shouting was barely heard by Benedict. All three of his friends were on top of him, expressions
of terror on their faces. Eventually he came to his senses and sat up quickly, panting.

“...I’m sorry... I’m...” he struggled to get the final word out... “...S-Schizophrenic...”

“You can’t help it, Benedict!” said Cecil, offering him a glass of wine. The terrified doctor snatched it out of his friend’s hand and swigged it.

“I fine it strange that you can be cured from your panic attacks through alcohol...” Frost commented quietly.

“What did you see?!” Penelope squeaked. Benedict fell silent again. After a moment, he looked up to where the painting was...
It was gone. The wall was always bare in that spot.

“...A painting.” Cecil and Frost followed the path of his gaze and saw the bare wall. But they understood.

Ding dong!

“I’ll be right back...” They four friends forgot that Maurice was in the room, and he left in a hurry. Benedict had never really liked Cecil’s butler. His three friends helped him into his armchair.

“Is there a Doctor Holloway in here?” A gentle voice was heard by the library door.
“Felicia!” Cecil raised his eyebrows and walked over to where the voice was coming from. Benedict craned his neck and his eyes widened.

There by the door stood a girl, and she was very pretty. She was a ginger, had lavender eyes, and was very pale...

Too pale. Benedict’s doctor senses went off as he noticed this.

“Benedict?” Cecil asked, motioning to the doctor. “He’s over here.” She smiled.

“Doctor Holloway!” she hurried over to him.

“How may I help you, miss...?”

“Sterling.” she said. “Felicia Sterling.”

“Miss Sterling.” Benedict replied, smiling. “How may I help you?” Felicia was about to reply when her face froze over with a painful expression. She snatched a rag out of her pocket and let out a loud, wet cough. The rag was covered in blood.

“Oh... My...” Benedict had no idea what to say.

“I have gone to five other doctors,” she said, slowly taking the rag away from her mouth. “Not one of them were helpful in any way.” Benedict thought for moment.

“...Next time you feel a cough coming, tell me.” he said. “By the way, what have the other doctors said about this?”

“They claimed that it was internal bleeding...”

“Every one of them?”

“Yes.”

“If you have already been diagnosed, why have you come to me?”

“None of them were able to treat it.” Felicia’s eyes moved away from Benedict’s gaze. Sadness fell upon him. Felicia’s face froze over again, Benedict pulled out a stethoscope from a medical bag he carried around with him. He put it to her chest as she let out another loud cough into her blood-stained rag. Benedict listened intently, gathering information from the sounds. When she was done, tears streamed down her face.

“Miss Sterling,” said Benedict, standing. “May I take that cloth?”

“...Why?” Felicia asked.

“I’ll need it for research. Here...” he pulled out his own handkerchief and gave it to her. “You may take mine.” He pulled out a card from his medical bag and handed it to Felicia. “Call me in a few days and I’ll have some information.”

“Thank you, Doctor...” Felicia stood, smiling bashfully. “I must go...” As soon as she left the room, Benedict felt his face go extremely hot.

“Are you blushing, Benedict?” Penelope giggled.

“NO!” he said angrily, covering his reddening cheeks with his hands. He could tell that they all thought he liked Felicia. He looked down at the blood-stained cloth. “I’m going home, I’m going to run some tests...”