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I chuckle along with him.
“The next one is in a couple of weeks—you should come with us.”
“Yeah, I think I will.” This time, I don’t agonize over the decision; I simply do what Iwantto do for a change.
Louis is nothing but friendly as we stand and chat, waiting for the cab. “Well, I hope we didn’t scare you off tonight,” he jokes when headlights light up the parking lot.
“Not at all.” I laugh. “I had a great time and really enjoyed meeting you all.”
“I think you’ll fit in here fine, Emilia. Welcome to the team.” He pulls me in for a quick hug before I jump in the cab, giving him a finger wave through the window as the car pulls away from the curb.
* * *
The next morning,there's a skip in my step as I make my way through Burney Hall. Despite Mel breathing down my neck, life has never been better. For the first time in years, I feel like I belong. Like I’ve found somewhere I can call home and be truly happy.
It’s ironic that I had to lose myself to find myself again, but I’m beginning to think it was a necessary evil.
I’m still floating on my morning high when I walk into my classroom. My steps slow as my gaze falls on the desk. My good mood is swiftly snuffed out when I spot a rectangular wooden box sitting there.
With measured steps and trepidation beating an irregular rhythm against my chest, I approach the table until I’m standing over the wooden box.
My gaze roams over the engraved pattern. It looks deceptively innocent, yet its mysterious appearance says otherwise.
With a lump in my throat, I cautiously lift the lid. A gasp falls from my lips, the cover falling shut as my hand claps over my mouth, smothering any further noise. I’ve been here before—in this exact scenario.
It wasn’t all that fun the first time, and it’s no different now. Although I’m proud to say I manage to keep my cool this time.
Digging deep for courage, I haltingly reach out and pry the lid open.Yup, definitely didn’t imagine it the first time.Two eyeballs are literally staring back at me. There’s an eerie blue tinge to the whole eye; the pupils are unnaturally wide and cloudy with death.
A strange numbness envelops me, distorting my sense of reality and making all of this feel like some weird dream. That detachment enables me to think more clearly than I did the last time I was confronted with a body part, and my voice comes out eerily calm when I call Kai.
He answers on the first ring. “What’s wrong?” he barks, but I can hear a tinge of panic in his voice.
“Mel sent me a new gift,” I state in a monotone voice.
“What is it this time?”
“Eyes.”
There’s a moment of silence before a stunned, “What?”
“There are a set of, uh, eyes on my desk.”
“Jesus, fuck,” Kai mutters. “Do you know who they belong to?”
I scoff, but it comes out unhinged sounding. “No. Can you just please come get rid of it?”
He sighs heavily. “I can’t. Mel will be watching.”
Hysteria starts to settle in as I ask in a high-pitched voice, “What am I supposed to do with it then?”
“Put it in your desk drawer for now. Bring it home with you tonight.”
“You expect me to teach all day with a pair of eyeballs in my desk?”
“I could get one of the plants to pick it up this afternoon,” he suggests.
“No, it’s fine,” I grumble, unable to comprehend how it somehow manages to surpass my expectations every time I think life can’t get any worse.
