Snippet #2681260

Rosemary perched on the edge of the desk as he gazed at her specimens. It was surreal to see Ben back here, looking so ordinary, yet part of a different life. She smiled as a chill seemed to sweep over him, looking at the maggots. She couldn't blame him. It was human nature to recoil from something that usually signified decay and disease and the Dillinger maggots were particularly unusual with their black skin that caught the light in a multitude of colours. Rosemary had experienced the bite only three times, but she could remember the pain of it -- that deep bone ache as the venom worked its way through your system.

Rosemary tried not to wince at the reference to Dillinger, but she wasn't sure she got away with it. "The dream team," she said, trying to gloss over her obvious discomfort. "I never knew we meant that much to you." She smiled, teasing him, but his voice turned gentle. He must have seen her wince.

"I'm okay," she said, wondering whether it was a lie or not. She was okay, aside from the nightmares. She straightened up at the mention of her research. "Actually, I've been working on a breeding programme with the maggots. Initially, I was working with a genetic engineer to isolate a gene from a species of cleridae beetle that produces a particular chemical in their saliva. We breed it into the Dillingers and it mixes with the venom to produce a better quality. We wanted to get more control over the dream state. But," she made her way around the desk to where Ben was stood near the maggots. "If you look," she pointed through the glass tank, which was perfectly at her eye level. "It enhanced the shine on their skin -- their iridescence. I'm trying to tell if that's a marker to how powerful their venom is." She glanced at Ben, finally falling silent.

He probably hadn't been asking for all that, she realised, and colour rushed into her cheeks. "Sorry." She shrugged before giving him a grin. He'd been off all over the world, probably meeting people and growing wiser, while she had stayed in this lab and not really changed at all. "Have you heard anything from Ginny?" she asked, wondering if the 'dream team' included her. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Beneath the bravo and arrogance, Ginny had been truly talented, but Rosemary just didn't know if she would be safe in a dreamscape anymore.