The Devil's Student Mate

TWO | ■ MEPHISTOPHELES ■ |

TWO | ■ MEPHISTOPHELES ■ |

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"You don't remember me, do you, Mabel?"

A torrential flood of thoughts crossed my sweltering mind at maximum speed and I found myself gaping as I processed everything that was happening. His chilling blood red eyes did not falter, his unblinking gazed was fixated on me, like he wanted to burrow straight to my soul and much to my dismay, I could not divert my eyes away from his, nor could I get my body to move. It was as though he had me trapped in some trance, otherwise I would have taken to the hills immediately, without turning back when those red, round beams at the centre of his eyes went on.

Glowing, red eyes are inhuman.

This is a dream, right?

This has to be dream.

Just one, a small drop, in the endless sea of the bizarre, inexplicable dreams I have been having my entire Life.

I felt so enfeebled by my stupid desires when he drew my face closer and his inched in and he slowly covered the minimal distance between our lips, but I was not brain dead, I was not immune to the guilt and my conscience took a chunky bite out of me when Dominique's face suddenly flashed in my mind.

Dominique!

Dom!

I have a boyfriend, what would he think if he saw me in this position?!

This is definitely not something to shrug off, I know what this looks like, anyone with well functioning eyes and a brain would undoubtedly presume that we are in an entanglement. But we are not. We only are in my head. This has crossed the borders of my imagination.

I can't do this to him.

My eyes flew open and I amassed just enough strength to clutch at his wrists, but I could not push his hands away. My mind was telling me one thing, was yelling for me to do the right thing and recede, but then again, this imperious voice deep within me, the voice of desire whispered all the things my body wanted to hear, reminded me of just how much I have always wanted this man and prompted me to cave in and let my fantasies manifest into reality. Call it lust, call it thirst, whatever that drawing feeling was, it was powerful enough to incite defiance from my body. My skin, my blood, my bones, every single fibre, stretch of my being was calling for him and there was this unbearable gravitational force that pulled me to him and urged me to surrender all will to him.

But Dominique.

My mind did not relent and I had garnered so much frustration at my unwillingness to at least fake displeasure, that I felt like crawling out of my skin and screaming into the void. I can't do this to Dom. I can't. Those words kept iterating in my head, but as I fought an internal battle, I saw a flare of rage set his luminous eyes ablaze and he suddenly held my face tighter and pressed his body into me, consequently pushing me into the edge of the desk, albeit gently. I felt trapped, and that did not bother me as much as it should have.

"Love, you better end things with that boy and erase him from your mind, because you are mine." He laid his words calmly, but his meek tone was refuted by the sinister, acrimonious expression etched on his immaculate face.

I gulped, swallowing a phantom lump which I believed was throttling my voice, but that was not the case. Shock had rendered me speechless and I could not concentrate chiefly on formulating the right words to perfectly mirror my muddled mind, with so many detracting thoughts revolving around my mind. Like how I really wanted to kiss those luscious lips and wondered how they would feel molded into my own.

"What?" That one word flew out of me, the rest remained at the tip of my tongue.

I tried to process what he had said despite all the factors limiting my thinking capacity and absorbing my intellect like a sponge imbibes water. I could not tell if I heard him correctly or my ears had deceived me.

I was inclined to the latter.

There was no way Sir Steed had ordered me to break up with my boyfriend!

No, he did not just claim that I am his!

My mind made it all up, weaved the illusion.

His eyes softened and his lips twitched and curved up to a half repressed, mirthful smile, as though something had amused him. "I will be coming for you soon, and once I mark you, there is no going back." I felt my insides shift as his grimly serious voice slithered into my eardrums in strumming waves.

I heard him clearly, but it was as though every word he articulated was captured by my ears as English, but relayed to my mind in some indissoluble foreign language.

What was he saying?

He was going to come for me? Come for me where? But I am right in front of him…

Why would he need to come for me?

And what does he mean once he marks me? As in once he marks my script? Wait… but he has not given us any work that is yet to be marked…

As I sank deeper and deeper into confusion, I was further bemused when I blinked once, just once, for a third of a second and he was no longer holding me, but he was behind his desk, picking up a magenta piece of paper, a clipboard note. I blinked again and he was right in front of me, holding up the paper to my face. I squinted my eyes and tried to make out the faintly scribbled words and I managed to get a read, after getting though the herculean task of guessing which alphabet is which.

"Detention!" I scrunched up my face to a displeased frown, appealing to the eyes at first glance as a whiny brat sullen over nonsense. "Sir, I really have somewhere important to be, please reconsider and… and what did I do wrong?" It was unfair, why was he giving me three hours detention?! I was the best student in his class and a first time offender if he gave me detention because I was not concentrating in his class, because I was very occupied with fantasising about him eating out my p***y like it is the last meal on Earth.

Okay maybe it was not that one time. The erotic daydreams are a frequent occurrence, so of course he has had to snap be back to reality more than once or twice or thrice. But that is not enough to earn me three hours of imprinting my ass into the hard chair and getting bored out of my mind. And I did not trust myself to be alone in one, vacant classroom with him without humiliating myself.

"Sir Steed, please, okay, how about I seat for detention tomorrow? The matter is a pressing one." I negotiated, suddenly noticing how pallid, ghastly pale his face looked. All the life seemed to have been drained from his face and his features appeared to be made from cement. I studied him intently, trying to see if he would blink or if his eyes would twitch even just slightly.

"Mabel." He called out my name and I whipped my neck back, where his voice had sounded to come from, before I remembered that he was right in front of me.

"Mabel?" He called out again, but his lips remained pressed into each other. What was going on?

"Mabel?"

"Mabel?"

"Mabel!"

My eyes fluttered before peeling open as jerked up and woke up to the sight of Mrs Romper, my Geography teacher shaking me. A string of saliva dangled from my lips as I lifted my head from the desk and I quickly swiped it away with the back of my hand.

What is going on?

So that was just a dream? Like the whole thing? Did I ever even make it to the Physics class?

"I think it is time for you to head home sweetie, the guards are going to close up soon." Mrs Romper notified me in her sweet, cavity inducing, endearing voice. I quickly peered over my shoulder and was shocked to see that it was bit dark outside.

How long was I out?

Seriously, how and when did I even get here?

Mrs Romper must have stumbled upon me as she strutted down the hallway and decided to come and wake me up. I nodded my head and stretched my still lethargic limbs and stood up right after she exited the classroom.

I withdrew my phone from my pocket and checked for the time. It was half past six and school knocks off at three, meaning I had conked out for three and a half hours.

How is that possible?

Addled to exhaustion, I scuffed out of the classroom and right into the eerily silent hallway. The ceiling lights were all on and the whole building was seemingly void of life. I had never been at school this late, and something about the unruffled quietitude was deeply unsettling and fear was brewing in the pit of the stomach with every step I took. The somber ambiance became even more chilling and uninviting when so suddenly, the lights started to flicker repeatedly and some even went off and never went on again. I was beginning to feel like I was starring in a horror film with tacky visual effects and I was about to fall victim to an unspeakable horror.

I swallowed my fear and increased my pace. I am very easily spooked, because of my childhood traumas. I have experienced some paranormal activities growing up and I am so cynical, that I fully, staunchly believe that there is something after me, which has been haunting me, chasing me down since I was about six years old. So do I believe in specters, apparitions, phantoms and malicious spirits? Yes, and trust me, if you went through the caprice, the perplexing, uncanny bunch I have went through, you would believe in paranormal beings as well.

Speaking of which… speaking of paranormal beings… My mind has engendered yet another illusion. I have allowed my fears to get the better of me. I am pretty sure those echoing, heavy footsteps sounding from behind me are not real. The footsteps persisted, sounding nearer and nearer by the second and as if things could not get any worse, the lights were getting dimmer and dimmer. My heartbeat accelerated and I endeavored not to take off running like a lunatic. I took the corner and stepped into a higher intensity of dimness and that thing followed me. I looked cool, calm and collected on the exterior, but inside I was panicking, I was a hyperventilating mess.

I retrieved my phone from my pocket yet again and pressed the power button after it did not respond to my fingerprint, but the screen remained dark and blank. It was off and I was dead sure that the battery was not flat.

The universe was against me, I had never felt so exorbitantly unfortunate. My phone slipped from my hand and fell down and I stopped in my tracks to pick it up. Big mistake. As soon as I straightened my back and took more upright stance, I felt something breath down my neck, before cold lips brushed into my earlobe and I heard a fluctuating, hollow, feminine voice whisper,

"Mabel. Come home, my child."

I tipped over the edge, relinquished the remnants of my sanity and sprinted. I ran and ran, my eyes fogged by fear, I did not even know which direction to take, I could not find my bearings in a building I amble through five days of the week. I was sure I had passed the main entrance and now I was headed for the teacher's staff rooms. I did not once look back, I ran and ran until I crashed into something. Or rather someone.

"S-sorry." I apologized to the janitor I had bulldozed into, my breathing laboured and my voice nothing short of shaky. I offered him my hand and helped him lift himself up from the floor.

"What is wrong? Why were you running like that? You nearly gave me a concussion." Humberto chuckled lightly, not in any manner chiding me, but I was too frightened to stick around long enough to vamp up a convincing lie and I bolted out of the building before I encountered something far more sinister.

Astounding enough, outside, it was not that gloomy, the clear sky had darkened just slightly and was still mostly bright blue. Patting down my fright, I drew in a long draft of air, tried a few breathing exercises before I made my way to the parking lot. I thought of calling Dom, but then discarded that thought and made a mental note to call him and apologize as soon as I get home. I kept glancing over my shoulder after every two seconds to make sure there was nothing behind me until I reached my parking spot.

I absentmindedly unlocked my car before something infuriating caught my attention. I could have screamed and stomped by feet until dents formed on the concrete floor.

Why world?

Why?!

What is wrong with this day?!

Now I want to tuck my head into a shell like a tortoise and cry my eyes out.

Of all days, of all days, I just had to have not one, but two punctures today. Right after I was almost snatched by a ghost or whatever that thing was. What am I going to do with two flat tyres? I groaned in agitation, growled like a mad dog as I crouched down and inspected the deflated rear wheel.

"Is something wrong?" I was startled for the umpteenth time in a short span of time when Sir Steed suddenly spoke from behind me. I flinched so terribly, that I tossed away my keys in the opposite direction.

"Did I scare you?" He asked, I could feel those silver blue eyes drilling holes into the back of my head and my anxiety skyrocketed.

I avoided his eyes as I straightened my body. "N-no, I am just clumsy." I stammered nervously, smiling awkwardly.

I feel insane, fine I do not remember what a normal life is, but today is just overboard capricious. Now I have to question my intelligence, I do not know what is real and what is not.

My leg started to shake and I felt out of balance as I watched him pick up the keys I had chucked before he handed them to me, taking his time to place the item onto my palm while gazing into my eyes and numbing my brain, before he walked over to his own vehicle. It was only then I realized that he had parked right next to me. In fact only my car and his remained in the whole parking lot which spanned for miles. It was huge and suddenly I felt naked. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth, wearing a look of dread as Sir Steed unlocked his car.

I did not want him to leave.

I was going to be left alone and stranded until my torpid mind manufacturers a solution. Maybe I should just call a taxi or ask Quil to come pick me up… yeah why didn't I think of that before?

Oh wait, my phone is dead, agrrrhhh…

Maybe Sir Steed can borrow me his phone. I do not think he would say no, the only challenge now will be asking for it.

"I can do better than offer you my phone," I jolted up from transitory fright when he appeared right in front of me. How fast is this man? "Let me give you a ride home. It is going to rain soon." I could not help but shoot him a perplexed stare.

First of all, did I think out loud or did he just read my mind?

Secondly, why would he say it is going to rain soon? There is not a single pregnant cloud in the sky and I saw the weather forecast this morning and humidity was low, the chances of it raining were very slim, in fact South Ardic City was expected to see clear, sunny skies for the rest of the week.

While I mused, a vicious, resonant clap of thunder suddenly blasted and rattled me so much, I squawked indecently before his piercing gaze silenced me and had me rooted to the ground. His unblinking eyes were fixated on me, on my forehead mostly and he stared at me expectantly until I gave him a wavering response.

"I would really appreciate that, if it won't inconvenience you." I humbled myself, I was not naturally a modest or shy person, but I was very well endowed when it comes to good manners and making a good impression was second nature to me.

And I could not deny that getting a ride from him was incredibly tempting, especially now that the weather has deviated from what the weatherman predicted.

"It is my duty to take care of you, love." Before I could even think of reacting, he placed a hand on the small of my back and I did not resist as he directed me to his lavish SUV.

Wait...

Did he just call me "love"?

He did.

I secretly love it.

I feel ridiculously special, like he is in a way going the extra mile for me.

I wonder if he does the same for all his students…

He opened the door for me and I took the passenger front seat and as soon the door closed, torrents of rain began to pour and in a matter of seconds, it was raining heavily and thunder roared every other second.

How did he know it was going to rain?

Imagine where I would be if I turned down his offer and opted for calling Quil instead.

Unfazed by the sudden change in weather, sir Steed climbed into his side and started the car. His car was so luxurious, I felt cheap, underdressed and felt like I was littering it. Lucius Steed lived a very opulent lifestyle, he was undoubtedly loaded, which is why most of us wondered why he wasted his time teaching just to get remuneration small enough to qualify as his pocket change.

I buckled up my seatbelt and right after he faced me with this unreadable expression adhered to his face, he drove off into the raging rainstorm. The next few minutes were spent in silence, only the patter of the rain pelting the windscreen and the wipers in motion could be heard. I was flustered, I could not believe that I was in sir Steed's car. I have had a huge crush on this man for a steady three months and I have not been this close to him for more than two minutes, until now. My appearance suddenly started to bother me, I did not know how I looked and I did not even freshen up after waking up from that mysterious slumber. I was seduced by an almost irresistible urge to pull down the protective flap and quickly study my reflection on the mirror.

I kept stealing brief, side glances of him because every time my eyes were not on him, I could feel his on me. I could have just imagined it, but the thought made me so nervous. I felt unintelligent, like a simpleton, so I refrained from striking conversation with him. And from the looks of it, he did not seem interested in making small talk. The silence must be enough for him. From what I have observed ( which is a lot), sir Steed is introverted, he likes to keep to himself, he barely interacts with other teachers and he is a man of a few words.

Maybe he does not need to express himself with words, his piercing eyes often say all the words he reserves. And he does not shy away from exercising them, when he stares at you, you feel the shift of dominance in your bones. You will either be enthralled and seduced, or struck by more than enough anxiety to make you wish the ground could split open and swallow you. Most times when he stares at me while teaching, when his eyes effortlessly find my corner and linger on my face, I feel like a criminal for breathing, for existing, I feel like I am doing something wrong, but I also feel like he gazes at me like he would someone he knows, has known for the longest time.

The silence was unbearable, so I distracted my mind by discreetly looking around. My eyes landed on his hand, the one he gripped the steering wheel with, the one without the ring, and I saw these thin blue and purple veins branching out from his wrist to his knuckles and I wondered how that came to be. That looked unhealthy and the hand was a shade paler than the rest of his body. I quickly tore my eyes off his hand when he tilted his head and his eyes went to my thighs and remained there for like two seconds before they returned to the road.

I suddenly felt self-conscious and tried to pull down my pleated, scotched, classic schoolgirl skirt so my thighs would not be so exposed. Following that action, he made a sound, a suppressed growl or something close. Which really took me by surprise, but I oddly loved it.

I did not live that far from school, on a good day, when cars are minimum on the road, it is a fifteen minute drive from school to home and on a bad day, bad depending on the traffic, I can drive for half an hour, or two hours. I realized that I have not given him any directions and was only grateful what we were still on the right track.

"Uhmm… so I live two-" I was not even halfway done when he interjected. Not that I minded.

"I already know where you live."

He does?

I shot him an incredulous stare , "You do?"

"Yes, I pass by there everyday." He told me casually, nonchalantly staring ahead.

That I found very intriguing. I did not know that he passes by my house EVERYDAY, I hope he has not seen me on the lawn in a baggy shirt, looking crusty as hell in the morning.

"I have never seen you in my neighborhood." I mused, trying to recall any instances where I saw anyone pass by who looked like they could have been him. I did not have a single memory of even a car which resembles his going down my street.

"You are always asleep when I visit." He replied promptly, his tone stolid as he turned at the junction to my street and verified his claim.

"Visit?" I asked inquisitively, wanting him to elaborate. So there is a person he knows from my neighborhood he visits during odd hours everyday?

"You should fish deep into your memory and you will remember your destiny."