More than Appearances

by KidatHeart5

Prologue

Author's Note:

This is the first fanfiction I adapted from an R-rated film. If you know me well, I write more kid-friendly stuff than mature stuff…oftentimes. I toned down much of the violence and left out the gore the 1994 movie had. As for the time period of the story, I decided to change it to mainly the 1860’s. I promise there will be some shout-outs involving Frankenstein characters.

The Arctic Sea 1863

Somewhere on the turbulent Arctic Sea, a ship had become marooned amidst a sheet of ice that had frozen for miles around the stuck vessel. Captain Dayton’s crew was working endlessly to chop up the ice and free the ship.

Dayton shouted to the men, “Put your backs into it, men! Let’s go!”

His first mate came up to him and said, “Captain, this is useless. The ice stretches for miles.”

“What do you suggest we do? Lay down and die?”

“The men are exhausted, sir. They can’t go on, man.”

“I tell you, I have not come this far to give up now. They knew the risk when they signed on. And we’re gonna chop our way to the North Pole if we have to.”

“Then you run the risk of mutiny, Captain.”

Dayton stopped in his tracks and turned to his first mate, “Did you say ‘mutiny’?”

“Yes, I did, sir.”

The captain’s eyes slit as he enunciated, “We proceed north…as…planned.”

“At the cost of how many more lives?”

“As many as it takes!”

The first mate’s eyes then widened and he pointed to behind Dayton as he said in alarm, “There’s something out there.”

The captain turned around to see a strange figure emerging from the fog. The crew noticed this as well and rushed to the captain’s side. Some even aimed their guns at the silhouette. To their surprise, the figure lifted the hood of the parka and revealed her weary face. The men were surprised to discover that the traveler was a woman, especially one so far from the mainland.

One crewmember whispered, “Is she a siren?”

Another hissed at him, “You ninny! Sirens don’t wear coats!”

A third asked, “Could she be a demon?”

A fourth panicked in a hushed tone, “It’s the devil come for the captain!”

A fifth said, “She has red hair! She must be the devil!”

The woman then asked, “Who is your captain?”

Dayton replied, “I am. Who the devil are you?”

“I am Eliza Geneve of Lavenza.”

Some of the crewmembers now wore surprised expressions because they knew who she was.

A crewmember chastised his gun-toting colleague as he pushed down the latter’s rifle, “Put that down, man! Do you not know who she is?!”

Dayton explained to the two, “I know fully well who she is. The question is…why has she come all the way here to the Arctic Sea?”

Eliza began, “I was whisked to the North Pole by –“ Before she could say anything else, she gave a groan and fell to the ice.

The crew huddled around her in concern and lifted her up. Dayton ordered, “Bring her to my cabin. I would like to speak to her alone.”

Soon after Eliza was put on the couch in Dayton’s quarters, she was left alone with the captain. She explained, “I’m afraid I don’t have much time left. When my family finds me, I might not be able to greet them. I’ll tell you everything so you can recognize them if they come your way.”

Dayton said, “Madam, we are on a very important expedition here. We are heading to the North Pole to search for the legendary Frost Flowers. I have spent six years planning this. My entire fortune. I will not let you or any members of your family impede me.”

Eliza gave a wry chuckle, “Funny. You remind me of two people I knew. One of them is the reason I got this.” She unzipped her parka and pulled down her shirt to reveal white bandages wrapped around her chest and shoulders.

The captain’s eyes were wide with surprise as he breathed, “What happened to you?”

“You might say it’s a long story. One that goes way back to when I first met my husband…”

---

Lavenza 1836

Elizabeth and her sister were taking a walk in the woods near their manor in Lavenza when suddenly, a mysterious streak of light descended from the sky.

Katherine, the older of the sisters, asked in concern, “Eliza, what’s that?”

Eliza replied in uncertainty, “It could be a meteorite.”

Just then, the ball of light crashed into a nearby hill and created a strong gust of wind that blew briefly through the trees.

Katie asked, “Do meteorites do that?”

Eliza said, “I don’t know.”

Using super-speed, the sisters ran to the hill. To their shock, they found a silvery vessel of some sort.

Eliza asked, “What do you suppose it is?”

Katie said as she inspected it, “It looks like a carriage, only kind of egg-shaped and…without wheels.”

“Or they might’ve flown off when the vessel was falling from the sky.”

When Eliza touched the foggy viewport, it hissed open, causing both sisters to yelp. When the smoke cleared, the girls were shocked to see a man with sea green skin and light periwinkle hair inside. Even though he was unconscious in his seat, the very strangeness of him frightened the girls.

Katie breathed, “It looks like a foreigner…from somewhere really far away or…” She looked up at the cloudy sky as she continued, “…from outer space.”

Eliza said, “Even so, we should take him with us to make sure he’s all right.”

Just as Eliza was about to lift him, her sister grabbed her shoulder and said, “Wait, Eliza! We don’t even know whether it’s safe to carry him or not. For all we know, he could be harboring some dangerous disease or something. Do we want to risk taking him back to the house in case he could be a hazard?”

Eliza contemplated the situation for a while, feeling torn between helping the strange man and listening to her sister. Suddenly, the man stirred and groaned. He opened his eyes a little bit as he tried to reach out to the sisters and weakly pleaded, “Help me…Please…You must…”

To the sisters’ shock, his body flickered like a flame before returning to its normal state. Eliza turned to her sister and asked, “Do you think he’s a changeling?”

Katie responded, “I don’t know, but the way he flickered like that…”

The man faintly said as he fingered his right knee, “My gem…I think it’s…cracked…You have to…help me…fix it…” His hand then slid over to reveal a white gem on his right knee. The sisters could see that it had a small crack in the middle.

Eliza said, “That’s it. We’re taking him back to the house.”

Katie sighed, “There’s no way to convince you otherwise.”

The girls used their telekinesis to raise the man from the cockpit and were about to carry him back to the house until Eliza said, “Wait. What about the vessel?”

The man groaned, “Leave it…I don’t…need it anymore…”

Katie said to her sister, “If that’s what he wants.”

In a second, the girls flew from the hill at super-speed.

---

A maid was putting wet clothes on the clothesline when she felt a rush of air behind her back. She turned around to see the sisters descending onto the gravel road that circled in front of the Geneve manor. The maid assumed that they had flown back at super-speed, hence the rush of air.

She turned to the girls and said, “How was your walk, my ladies?” She gave a yelp as soon as she saw the green man they were carrying. She then asked in a frightened tone, “What are you carrying?!”

Eliza explained, “We need to get him inside. He’s injured.”

When he flickered again, the maid gave another yelp and cried, “He is a demon!”

The man groaned, “What’s…a demon?”

Eliza gestured to the stranger and said, “Evidence enough?”

Katie said, “Get Nurse Beaufort and bring her to the foyer with her healing remedies.”

The maid nodded, “Yes, milady.”

Soon after they put the strange man on the couch, Nurse Beaufort was brought into the foyer. By that time, the stone on the man’s right knee had split some more as the crack grew larger.

The nurse inspected him and said, “Hmm. It seems that he is not of this world. I’ve never known anyone with stones on their knees. Come to think of it, I’ve never met anyone with green skin before.”

Eliza asked, “Can you help him?”

The man whispered, “My…gem…Fix my gem…”

Katie said, “I think he means the stone on his knee.”

Eliza said, “He must want you to heal it as you would a regular wound.”

Nurse Beaufort said, “Well, I won’t guarantee anything, but I’ll do my best.” She then chuckled, “Heh. I’ve never even tried to fix a gem before. But…here goes nothing.”

She rubbed a salve between her hands and applied the solution onto the white stone as she chanted in Wiccan language. Fortunately, the crack in the gem disappeared within mere moments. As if he hadn’t been weak and frail moments before, the man sat upright in good health.

He smiled, “Thank you. Thank you so much. No one has been that kind to me except the fusion who helped me escape.”

Eliza asked in confusion, “Fusion?”

“Well, yeah. Her name is Garnet and she helped me escape Homeworld. I’m not like other Alabasters, you know.”

Katie asked, “So, wait. There are more of you?”

His smile faded as he said, “Yep, but I’m not like them. They have gleaming white skin and they’re ruggishly handsome. Or so I’ve been told. I’m a freak compared to them.”

Eliza said, “How do you know that? You’re special in your own way. So why did you escape Homeworld in the first place?”

“The Diamonds said that I was a mistake. They were about to break my gem until the Crystal Gems saved me. Garnet helped me to a small spaceship and told me to head for Earth. But given my bad eyesight, I might’ve accidentally flipped some controls I shouldn’t have. The next thing I knew, I was careening towards the ground and crash-landed very hard. I cracked my gem against the dashboard and lied there barely conscious until you guys came and saved me.”

Eliza asked, “What about your ship? Do we need to grab it, too?”

Alabaster scoffed, “I doubt I’m going to be using it anytime soon. I’m safe here with the rebels. You are rebels, right?”

There was silence until Nurse Beaufort pointed, “Sir, we are not in a war at the moment, so we do not consider ourselves rebels or loyalists.”

“What? But there is a war going on! How can you not…?” His eyes widened as soon as he realized something. “Oh, no…”

Eliza asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I must have traveled to another dimension!” He said to the group, “Pop quiz: What are the machines used to implant gems in the crust of the earth?”

The women exchanged confused glances with one another before Eliza said, “Um…Machines that implant gems?”

Alabaster stayed silent for a few moments until he said, “So you’re not gems at all?”

Katie shook her head, “Nope. We’re humans.”

“Ah…So I did travel to another dimension.”

Eliza asked, “Is there a way we can contact your friends and let them know you’re safe?”

Al waved his hand in dismissal, “I wouldn’t advise it. I’d be putting you all in danger by trying to reach the Crystal Gems. Homeworld could trace the signal here and try to invade this…Is this place called Earth?”

Katie answered, “Yes.”

“Ah. So there’s more than one Earth. Do you suppose there’s an Earth in every dimension, too?”

Eliza shrugged, “Who knows? I would love to explore that kind of thing someday. But do you think you could tell us about your heritage?”

He then smiled, “Only if I learn about the culture here and maybe get something to fix my eyes.”

“Deal.” After Eliza said that, they shook hands.

---

After Eliza gave Al an adjusted pair of Katie’s glasses, they shared everything they knew about their cultures. As for the spaceship Al crash-landed in, it was eventually discovered and taken to the nearest museum. In fear that curious scientists would accidentally activate the communication hub, Al and the sisters sneaked into the building and disabled the hub just in time. In the case of his appearance, Alabaster had to apply makeup on himself and put his gem underneath a long sock. He also added stuffing to his other knee to avoid any conclusions that there was something wrong with his right knee. Needless to say, people thought he was knock-kneed.

With his eyesight now improved, Alabaster practiced fighting with the warrior members of the Geneve family. His combat skills became so refined that he took up battling foes to the country of Lavenza and eventually the world. Some time after he moved in with the Geneves, he married Eliza and had a daughter named Garnet, whom he named after the Crystal Gem who came to his aid. Even though his main job was combating evil foes and monsters, Al loved to spend time with his family.

One day, Al danced with his daughter in the ballroom while Caroline played the piano and Alphonse – the butler – watched. Al laughed as he spun with his daughter, “Oh, my wonderful girl, Garnet! You are the beautifulest, kindest, cleverest, most wonderfulest girl in the whole world!” He kissed her before falling to the floor with her in his arms and laughing.

Alphonse chastised, “Sir, you will spoil the girl.”

Just then, the doors opened and Eliza stepped inside with a bundle in her arms. When Al and Garnet saw this, they immediately got up from the floor. Eliza then said to the butler, “Would you and Caroline leave us please, Alphonse?”

Alphonse nodded his head and said, “Madam.” He then whispered to the girl at the piano, “Come along, Caroline.”

Once the two servants left the room, Eliza came up to her husband and daughter and showed them the new baby. “Garnet, this is Teardrop. She’s coming to live with us.”

Al put his hand on his toddler’s shoulder and said, “She’s your new sister now.”

As Garnet reached out to touch the baby, Eliza said, “You must look after her, and be kind to her. Always.”

---

A few years later, Al was up in his study reading the literature of this world. His finger moved through the flame over and over again, but he could feel no pain. Just then, a very pregnant Eliza came into the room.

He took notice of her entry and said, “Eliza! How is the imminent arrival?”

Eliza responded as she rubbed her belly, “Oh, a little frisky today.” When she sat down, she said, “When you first came here, you used to chase fireflies in the field.”

He smiled, “Yes, and when I‘d trap them in my jar, they died.”

“Yeah, and do you remember how you cried?”

“Yes.”

“You wanted to keep them glowing by your bedside because of how pretty they were. You were so hungry for knowledge and beauty. Such a curious Gem you were. You’ve become such an earnest person here.” She picked up the journals in which he had written everything about his Gem heritage and the silhouettes he could make out on Homeworld before he had his glasses. “All these strange and ancient books.” She then smiled, “You’ll sure prove those Diamonds and Gem aristocrats wrong. But you know, Al, life shouldn’t be all research. There’s such fun to be had.”

When she grabbed one of his books, Al said, “Give me that back, Lizzie.”

She smiled, “No.”

He laughed as he playfully gave chase, “Give me that back, Lizzie!”

Soon, he, his wife, and their daughters were dancing in the ballroom as Caroline played the piano. Alphonse voiced his concern, “Madam, you mustn’t overexert yourself.”

Al laughed as he spun with his wife, “Don’t worry, Alphonse. The new baby will be a natural dancer.”

The parents then watched their daughters, two and four years old at the time, finish their dance. The adults clapped for the girls as the young ones bowed. Suddenly, Eliza groaned.

Al asked in concern, “Eliza? What’s wrong, honey?”

His wife moaned, “I think…the baby’s coming.”

At that moment, a thud was felt throughout the ballroom. Al looked all around and muttered, “The baby’s not the only one coming.”

That night, chaos took place inside and outside the manor. Alabaster was fighting a ferocious ogre while Eliza labored in her bed. She groaned and gasped, “Oh, I hope Al’s okay.”

A maid assisting her said, “I’m sure he’ll be all right, ma’am. There’s nothing Alabaster can’t face.”

“Even so…I can’t shake the feeling that something’s going to go horribly wrong.” She then gave a loud groan when another contraction came on.

Downstairs in the foyer, another maid was watching the little girls. Whenever the children heard a loud noise, they rushed to the window in worry for their father. The maid always led them away from it so the girls didn’t see anything horrific.

She told the girls, “He’ll be all right. Your father’s the finest fighter in Lavenza.”

All of a sudden, they saw a bright flash of lightning and all of them looked out the window. There was Alabaster, on top of the ogre’s bumpy head as he telekinetically plunged his now-electrified blade through the beast’s skull. In that one moment, the ogre exploded and Alabaster disappeared from sight. The girls were filled with shock and anxiety. In a panic, the children ran upstairs as they repeatedly shouted, “Mommy!”

A maid that was just coming downstairs asked the girls, “Whatever’s the matter, little girls?”

Garnet explained in a frantic tone, “It’s Daddy! He’s in trouble!”

Teardrop added, “He needs help!”

The girls ran up the rest of the stairs and hysterically called for their mother.

Minutes later, a maid helped a groaning Alabaster into the bedroom. His blade was shattered in the explosion and the tip wedged itself into Al’s gem, therefore cracking it. Eliza saw the injury he obtained and gasped.

Al’s wife said in concern, “Al, your gem!”

Al groaned after he flickered for a few moments, “There’s nothing you can do. The tip’s stuck in there tight. If you try to pull it out, I might die sooner. If it’s left in there, it’ll buy me more time. I just want to see my new kid before I go.”

Garnet wept as she and her sister raced towards their father, “Daddy…”

Nurse Beaufort said, “Be careful of his knee, girls.”

Alabaster leaned towards Eliza as far as he could. He was taken with the blue-haired baby in her arms.

Eliza said in a voice thick with emotion, “It’s a girl.”

“In that case…let’s give her the name ‘Juno’.”

She chuckled sadly, “You and your fascination in Roman gods.”

“And as a bonus…” He groaned before he continued, “Juno did inspire the name of the month of June, when we got married.”

She nodded, “Good point. Good point.”

Al sat on the edge of the bed and helped Teardrop onto the bed as well. He told Eliza in a soft voice, “Remember what we talked about in case this happened?”

She answered, “Yeah. Only we’re lucky to have you around for a bit longer.”

He sighed, “It’s a shame I won’t get to see the girls grow up. All of them.”

“Hey, when you were baptized in the church, I bet God gave you a soul then and there. He wouldn’t have sent you here without a reason.”

“Are you sure God works in other dimensions, too?”

Eliza shrugged, “One can only wonder.”

“I’m glad I lived a good life. I consider myself luckier than other Gems, especially those with my stone. I’m very lucky to have been your husband.” He kissed his wife before he turned to the girls and said, “And I’m really lucky to have been your father.”

Teardrop sniffled as she hugged her dad tightly, “Daddy, don’t go.”

Garnet agreed, “We love you too much.”

Al sighed sadly, “Girls, I know how hard this is for you, but the sad truth is that everyone dies, some earlier than others. I’m sorry it had to be this soon.” He embraced his family tearfully and told them, “I love you so much.”

Eliza sniffled with a tear sliding down her cheek, “We love you, too.”

Alabaster kissed the girls’ heads before he came to Juno and said, “Hey, baby girl. I’m sorry I couldn’t watch you grow up. I bet you’re going to be as pretty and smart as your mom and sisters someday.” He kissed the baby’s forehead before telling Eliza, “Remember, Eliza. I will be with you and the girls forevermore. Find happiness and I will be at peace.”

Eliza nodded, “Okay.”

After the couple kissed, the family embraced each other before Al disappeared in a myriad of sparkles, leaving only a broken alabaster stone and the tip of a blade behind.

Comments

[Tracelander]

Frankenstein was a very good book and I am excited to see your story based off of it.