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I have to go in the back door; if I don’t, I will get stopped by Stella again and I don’t need her to see that I intend to tattle to her father.
Knocking on the wooden door, the Dean tells me to enter.
“What can I do for you today, Mr. Wolf?”
“Well, it’s Stella, sir. She is in my office with lunch ready. I have a class to prep for but with her in there, I won’t get anything done.”
His face falls when I say her name and he shakes his head as I continue.
“I’m sorry about her. I have told her to leave you be, but she is a grown adult and doesn’t always do as I ask. Let me go talk to her. You wait here and I’ll return once your office is empty.” This time, there is more defeat in his tone than annoyance and I feel bad for being the bearer of frustrating news again. If she continues this, he will have no choice but to let her go. Maybe it would not be such a bad thing in the end, she clearly has something more going on behind the front she puts up.
“Thank you, sir.”
He closes his door behind him as he heads off to deal with Stella. I lean on the corner of the bookcase, cringing when the shouting starts.
“But, Daddy, I love him! He loves me, too, he just doesn’t know it yet!”
“Stella,” the Dean states in a stern voice.
It’s only a few more minutes before the Dean returns with a huff. “All taken care of. Thank you for alerting me of her behavior.”
“Thank you, sir. Hopefully, she will get over this crush and we can all move on with our lives.”
“She will, I’m sorry again.”
“You don’t have to apologize, sir. I hate that I have to bug you with this trivial matter. I just don’t want to mislead her that we are anything more than friends. I’ll be off, have to stop at my office and then off to my class.”
“Have a good day.”
“You, too, sir.”
The door clicks behind me as I exit his office. I never thought twice about leaving my office unlocked before, but from now on, locking it will be the way to go.
With careful steps, I enter my office. I know the Dean stated that Stella is gone, but I don’t want to take any chances. I scan the room and quickly decide it is safe then grab what I need. Generally, I do not rush to class, but the thought of remaining in my office longer than necessary simply fills me with unease now.
The scene shifts and I let out a groan. The memories that flip back and forth and suck me in are driving me mad. There’s no rhyme or reason to them, simply forcing me to relive each moment before throwing me back into my own consciousness. It’s hard to keep a grasp on my forced reality when it’s ever shifting and nauseating.
The scent of rosewood hits me and I feel my body drift toward her, shifting through walls and space until I’m standing next to her.
Iris. No. This isn’t Iris. Raven.
She’s beautiful still, though in a very different way. Her hair is darker at the top and the rest painted in a striking blue, yet it’s still just as lovely on her. Iris always stood out among other women and it seems Raven does the same. If my mind wasn’t always forcing me back into confrontations with my past then I’d have a much easier time discerning between the two.
“Professor Wolf?” Her voice is quiet and unsure. She’s not focused on me directly, so I wonder if she truly sees me when I’m here or not. But the moment I step in front of her, those gorgeous hazel eyes lock right onto mine and she grins. “There you are. You look normal now. Weird.”
“It’s Lucien…and what do I normally look like?” I question as I stand in front of her. In these moments, I feel more like myself. My body feels more solid and my mind clearer, like she’s giving me energy. I’m unsure what that could mean but I’m not going to question it, I’d rather take the free moments to enjoy these pockets of peace in a whirlwind of chaos and pain.
She tilts her head to the side as her eyes scan over my face. “Like a burning man. Your skin is charred and veins of embers run through it. Flames lick around your form. Haunting.”
That has a sad smile forming on my face. “It makes sense. That is how I met my end.”
“Can I ask you a question?” she asks. Her teeth gnaw absently at her bottom lip like she’s worried about my reaction. I nod to give her the chance to ask and she blurts it out in such a rush it takes a moment or two to process it. “Who is Stella? Did she hate you? There’s a picture we found and that’s the current lead we’re following.”
“Stella?” I repeat despite hearing her question just fine. Hearing that name falling from her lips is almost blasphemous. Raven is someone Stella had no chance of touching and I didn’t want to ruin that so soon. “Lead?”
Raven launches into a story about the picture they found and everything they’ve dug up so far.
“So, we hit a dead end, but if I can see and talk to you…why not ask?” she finishes and takes a breath finally.
