by C. S Luis
You fear the truth.
“I fear nothing,” my voiced whispered.
And I knew it was he, but how? How had I known it was he?
Just as I had sensed him in Chicago; just as I had led the team into the abandoned school building, I sensed him now. I wanted to deny that I did. Just as I had denied it then; even when I denied it to Bryce.
You fear the truth.
Did he sense me as I sensed it? Impossible, and why so hastily did I want to deny that perhaps it was possible.
Because I’m not some kind of freak; he’s fucking with me.
I walked into the hallway, the watch was silent with the crystal blinking and glowing on my palm. Turning colors, first a pale yellow, then a pale blue, but the colors were growing darker with each of my steps. I now stood in the same area where I had first planted the devices; two each side were different hallways leading in different directions. In front of me was the other hall which had the stairwell that led into the hall between the cafeteria and the main office. The crystal was now a dark shade of blue. I had never known the crystal’s purpose; all I knew was that it was some kind of road map, a guide if you will let it. I moved to my left but the crystal seemed to fade slightly. I came back in the other direction and the crystal darkened. It was only when I kept moving towards the opposite direction that it began to fade again. So, if left or right wasn’t the way, then the hallway facing me was the correct direction.
I came back to stand at the entrance of the stairwell facing the hallway before me. At once, I felt it. A source of feelings engulfed me, hitting me right in the center of the chest. I lost my hold of the crystal as I fell back against on the wall. I know it sounded crazy, but now, as I stood here, I felt that same attraction that these feelings and these sensations weren’t foreign to me at all. But how could that be?
It wasn’t the mere feeling but the strength and overall overwhelming feeling of a connection. Yes, that was the feeling I had felt when I first met Miss Belle, the feeling of having known her before I had ever met her. But not only to have known her, but also to feel her, to be connected to her in some strange manner, as I was connected to this other.
As I tried to regain my composure, I reached to retrieve the crystal from the ground, at once, it flew across the marble floor away from my hand. As I looked up, a hand grabbed my throat and pushed me against the locker walls before lifting me slightly, a few inches off the ground.
Two dark eyes pierced through my soul from the pale face of a young man, dressed in a leather scaly uniform. For a brief moment, I couldn’t move, merely paralyzed by the dark swirls in his eyes.
“Project X!” I merely uttered, unable to move, in fact, he had me in a strong grip and I couldn’t move a single muscle.
“What are you?” he hissed, staring at me strangely like I was something foreign to him. He examined me like a child examined a new toy.
“And why do I feel you----as I feel my dear Patricia?”
Who was Patricia---and why did it sound more like he was saying Pet-tricia?
“Who are you!” he yelled dropping me to the ground. I fell hard on the floor, but immediately got up and grabbed for the crystal a distance from me, only to realize I was alone.
What the fuck? I said as I stumbled forward with the crystal held tightly in my grip. The hallway seemed darker at this end, only the crystal now seemed to light my way but its color had turned a blood red. Ahead, the dimming sunlight penetrated out of the door window, creating a path in the hall.
I hurried forward hearing sounds coming from the classroom ahead, and rushing forward, I grabbed at the door handle and flung the door open and stood at the doorway staring at an empty classroom except for a student and a teacher who was seated at a desk. He slowly turned to look at me narrowing his large round eyes over at me, removing his glasses and dropping them on the center of his desk.
“Can I help you?” he asked. I gasped, and at that point, I meant to say all that was wrong here. Why hadn’t anyone come out to see if something was happening? Hadn’t they heard Project X’s penetrating voice in the hallway? But I just stood there taking in all that I was seeing. The kid, a young girl with floppy curls and square-framed glasses stared briefly back at me, chewing a piece of gum while she wrote something in a notebook. She smirked and swung her feet underneath her like a young child.
The crystal’s color turned pale and noticing this, I dropped it into my pocket.
“Dr. John Black, I presume?” The teacher said as he came forward offering me his hand, and we shook hands.
“Working late, Mr.?”
“Peterson.” He offered. “Yes,” he smirked wrinkling a brow then looking over his shoulder at the student who was scribbling in her notebook.
“Detention, sir.”
“I see.” I said looking over at the girl who seemed to be around Miss Belle’s age. Now, why did she come into my thoughts so suddenly?
“I see you are doing the same this evening, Dr. Black. Anything I can help you with? Or are you just checking up on us?” he simply said; which wouldn’t have sounded strange except for the last sentence and the tone of his voice.
“No, I was just walking around. Didn’t realize there were still any teachers left in the building at this hour.” I merely said, no insult intended.
“Well, unlike the administrators, Dr. Black, teachers are far more devoted. So, we do tend to stay a little past closing hours”—he grinned, then spun his head back.
“I hope you are concentrating on finishing that assignment and not concentrating on eavesdropping Ms. Watkins.” The girl gasped, then rolled her eyes and turned back to the notebook in front of her.
“Well, if there’s nothing else, Dr. Black. I have to be getting back to work.” He said and simply closed the door in my face. Okay, that was new, I was usually the one closing doors on others.
At the doorway, I watched Mr. Peterson take his seat behind his desk then, only when he looked back up at the doorway, did I decide to move on my way. What a rude little man. If I had the time, I would give him a piece of my mind but as I looked at my watch, I realized I was late for dinner.
How can you think of dinner now, especially after what we had just witnessed?
Perhaps, it is because I’m playing a role.
I wandered to the first floor after retrieving the briefcase I had left by the stairwell and headed to the cafeteria. There, I planted the remaining devices and then headed to my car.
Inside Mr. Peterson’s classroom, Tina sat up, looking straight ahead at Mr. Peterson, who was now sitting himself up straight but with his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His head flopped back then forward as Tina began to giggle behind the palm of her hand.
At last, Mr. Peterson’s head fell forward and hit the desk hard, with that, he lifted his head and opened his mouth wide. A black vaporous cloud of smoke emerged from his mouth. The cloud floated over the desk then to the other end.
Tina was over joyous as the vapor formed a figure before the teacher’s collapsed form. Tina rose and kneeled before the figure. The clouded vapors formed the well-defined features of a youthful yet handsome man, with matted dark locks of hair and a white complexion dressed in a scaly leather uniform.
“It’s time to reveal myself to her.” The figure said. “It’s time I reunited with my wife.”
22
Dr. John Black
After what had just happened, I was surprised I could think of nothing else but the dinner I had so quickly accepted at Mr. McClellan’s house. Running into Project X so fast into the mission seemed reassuring. But perhaps the best clue was his words. The name Patricia, that had sounded more like Pet-tricia. Now I was intrigued, find her and I get him. But who was she, and what did he want with her? Bryce had never mentioned anything about another, let alone someone named Pet-tricia?
I looked into the mirror and brushed back a few strands of my hair.
I have a date, I said to the handsome man in the mirror with bright gre
en eyes.
But that wasn’t the truth, of course. I had dinner plans with Michael and Claudia, so maybe perhaps there was some truth to it, but not a date as I had very much wanted it to be. I took off the suit jacket and tie; it was a casual dinner, not a romantic table for two, despite what I wanted.
John, stop it. I was finding it harder to stop.
You look handsome, Mr. Slater, I mean, Dr. Black. I wished Claudia would say that to me. I made her nervous, and with other women I knew why. Was it for the same reason with her? I must have embarrassed her the last time.
I can’t just talk to her like that. What the hell was I thinking? God, but it was so hard to control my emotions now, to control what I was feeling, especially after the incident with Project X. But why? And I couldn’t deny them, especially as they had come out in full force.
But she’s not one of your whores, John. You can’t talk to her like that.
Before leaving, I grabbed my keys from the table near the entrance, and I pulled off the ADA ring from my finger and dropped it into the drawer by the table. I had to stop wearing it, at least for the majority of the mission. I couldn’t make a mistake in anyone seeing it. There would be questions and perhaps a few I wouldn’t be able to answer. Let’s just say it didn’t look like any class ring.
After one last look in the mirror by the door, I was off. I decided to stop by the store for a nice bottle of red wine of Concannon Crimson & Clover, one of my favorite red wines. It would only be polite to bring something to dinner. How disappointing she couldn’t join me for a glass. I wanted to share all my likes with her. I was torturing myself again and again with these thoughts.
I drove up the street and found the house fairly easily. The neighborhood, I must say, was very nice and family-like, a place you would like to raise your children. Kids, I hadn’t ever given them much of a thought until now as I saw families walking their dogs in the early hours of the evening.
They looked peaceful; a couple walked past my car holding hands and walking their German shepherd. Their kids were not far behind, playing and following their parents. It was a family outing, I assumed. Could I see myself doing that someday? Perhaps with the right woman. I had dreamed once of a family, but I was never able to picture it clearly, not until now. I turned to the house. It was a modest two-story little house with a well-kept lawn and large bushes at each side of the stairs leading to the doorway.
There was no picket white fence, just a nice little trail leading to the front door of the entrance. I jumped out of the car, taking the bottle of red wine from the front seat. I removed it from the paper bag and looked over my jacket for any noticeable flaws.
“Perfect,” I uttered to myself and began to walk slowly along the trail and up the steps until I was standing on the porch of the house, facing the door. There were plots of beautiful daisies decorating the windows; the house was painted in a pastel green with white trimmings. The large windows had no curtains that I could see from the outside, but instead, wooden white blinds covered half of the windows; these allowed an abundance of natural light inside.
It sure was a beautiful house. I would have been glad to have raise children in it. Slater with children? I thought, as I grinned and pushed the doorbell. A few seconds passed, and I rang it again. Of course, children with the right girl wouldn’t be so…
I saw Miss Belle through the glass of the door and waved, but she merely gazed at me as she very slowly dragged herself to the entrance of the house.
The door opened, and Claudia stood there, her dark brown eyes staring up at me.
23
Claudia
I was in my bedroom when I heard the doorbell ring. I still couldn’t believe Michael had invited Dr. Black over to dinner. I figured I’d stay in my room and hide at least for a while. But then the doorbell rang.
“Michael, someone’s at the door," I yelled from inside my bedroom, but Michael didn’t answer. I came to the entrance of my room and poked my head out, looking down the staircase, and I spotted Dr. Black through the glass of our door. I called for Michael again. His bedroom was just at the other end of the hallway. I knocked and called out to him.
“Michael, someone’s at the door,” I repeated. There was no way I was going to get the door. This was Michael’s guest, not mine.
"Claudia, will you get that?" Michael said through the door as my hand stopped midway from knocking a second time. Frowning, I slowly walked over to the top of the stairs, glaring down the staircase in sneered regret.
“Come on,” I heard his voice from behind the doorway. Perhaps he had sensed my dislike or hesitation.
“He’s not gonna bite,” Michael said again; there seemed to be humor in the sound of his voice, and I wrinkled a lip.
“Michael, you owe me,” I shot back, and with a frown, I slowly made my way down the steps.
“I mean it,” I said again as I heard his laughter from behind the doorway. Then he stepped out and gave me a glance; he was adjusting a tie as I turned to look back at him.
"What do you think?" Michael asked regarding the tie.
"Lose the tie," I suggested with a smile. "You’re not going on a date with him, Michael."
He frowned, darting his eyes towards the doorway when the doorbell rang again. Then he took the tie off and headed back into his bedroom.
I dragged myself towards the door, seeing Dr. Black’s face through the glass part of the doorframe. He waved as I tried hard to be on my best behavior.
"Hello, Miss Belle. How are you?” He asked as I opened the door and just stood there, glaring at him in utter silence like he was a salesman trying to sell me a useless vacuum cleaner.
24
Dr. John Black
I gasped as I saw her; she was as lovely as always, wearing a cute purple fitted top, a pair of blue jeans, and plain black dress shoes. Her hair always hung loosely, and a little lip-gloss stained her pretty lips; she wore no other makeup that I could see. But she was beautiful without it. I felt uncomfortable right away, unable to control or identify my connection, my link to her and Project X. What was the meaning of it?
“I hope I’m not late.” I said.
She seemed to try very hard not to look up at me. Of course I wasn’t late, her expression seemed to say when she finally gave me one. Perhaps it was a ridiculous thing to say, but I was so distracted by her that nothing I thought or said seemed to make sense. She managed a half-smile, looking slightly up at me.
“I brought some red wine. I hope it’s appropriate for the dinner.” I said with a smile.
“I guess,” she whispered, sounding uninterested. “I don’t drink, Dr. Black,” she said with a slight frown on her face.
“Of course not,” I politely grinned. “I meant for Michael and I,” I answered again, sounding slightly ridiculous. God, what was wrong with me? She even had me stumbling on my own words like a childish boy.
“Please, call me John,” I offered, wanting to hear my name from her lips.
“Michael!” Claudia yelled towards the upstairs. “Dr. Black is here!” She stared back at me with a defiant expression. Perhaps she wasn’t as submissive as I had thought.
Then she lowered her eyes to me, and I knew that it wasn’t entirely true, but she was merely annoyed by me. I wanted to laugh. I annoyed her? That was a first: John Slater annoys a woman. And it didn’t surprise me that I liked it.
“I really appreciate your invitation to dinner,” I said, just being charming. The honest truth was that I’d been thinking about her all day. I hadn’t planned on it. I didn’t want to but now I couldn’t stop or resist staring into her deep brown eyes.
She seemed to want to object, but instead, she stayed silent, standing speechless at the entry, politely nodding.
“May I come in?” I finally asked, and she moved aside and allowed me in.
25
Claudia
Dr. Black was dressed in a blue suit jacket with a black shirt that opened slightly at the collar and a pair of dark slac
ks and shining shoes. He wasn’t wearing a tie. His honey brown hair was well brushed and groomed, slightly long but pushed back neatly with mousse or some kind of gel.
I hated to admit it, but he looked quite handsome standing there holding a bottle of red wine; it was hard not to feel intimidated by his presence and obvious superiority. I cursed Alex for putting such crazy observations into my head. Now I couldn’t even look at the man without blushing or feeling ill with nerves. Just standing before him was nerve-racking enough.
“Michael should be down shortly,” I said, feeling my lip quivered as we stood together at the entrance in awkward silence.
“Such a large house for just you and Michael,” Dr. Black said in observation, looking around.
“It was my grandfather’s,” I answered, avoiding his eyes.
"I see. So,” he began. "Claudia; let me begin by saying that if I offended you in any way, please know that it wasn’t my intention to do so.”
Oh, why did he have to say that to me? He was making me feel nervous and stupid for assuming he had been insulting me. I slowly gazed up at him with difficulty.
“Please forgive me,” he softly said and I nodded with simplicity, unable to part my lips to speak. “So, how are you doing?” He asked, still holding the bottle of red wine in his hand, not sure where to put it, but he seemed to be too focused on me to worry about much of anything.
“Good," I softly whispered, unable to offer anything else, biting hard on my lip to the point that it actually hurt.
“That’s great. I’m happy to hear that.” He grinned, and I tried to return the smile but failed miserably. The silence deepened, and I prayed Michael would hurry.