by Jared Stone
The professor cast his steely gaze toward her. “An interesting evaluation from someone who is just barely passing my class,” he countered coldly.
“That’s just cuz I refuse to write what you want to hear,” Willow snapped back.
Schuntz took a calming breath in before continuing. “It is truly lamentable that your brazen ways and poor attitude reflect so negatively on your otherwise honorable family, Ms. Foster,” he scolded. “Your father is a great and respectable man. You would be wise to put in more of an effort to uphold his legacy and display your deference for your family and ancestors. Particularly when the situation calls for appropriate gratitude toward the individual who just saved your life….”
“I don’t ever want to be like my family…,” Willow mumbled in disgust. “But, yeah, thanks,” she added bitingly, clearly expressing none of the sincerity of the word.
“Ms. Foster, it is as if you value nothing in this world,” the professor said with a hint of pity.
“No,” Willow insisted in return. “I just value very different things.”
An extended period of silence followed as the two adversaries stared at one another. Lucian stood uncomfortably to the side, and it seemed to him that both the girl and the professor each sought to kill the other solely with the power of a condemning stare.
“Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz stated suddenly, seemingly gathering his wits about him again and breaking eye contact with Willow to face the boy. “You will no longer be required to attend my lectures or complete my assignments. I am of the opinion that you have significantly more pressing matters at hand, and you will very likely learn far more about religion and spirituality from your struggles than you ever could while sitting in a class. As the masters say, learning without application is foolish; the true test of your knowledge will be your ability to utilize it in the world. The draugr appeared to be targeting either you or Ms. Foster for some unknown reason, and I am certain that such attacks will not cease until the root cause is addressed and eliminated. You will automatically receive a B for the semester in order to provide you with ample time to make finding this necromancer your top priority….”
Lucian briefly thought that he might die of shock. Never had he expected his strict professor to be so understanding of what he had been going through. Though, given Schuntz’s recently-divulged past, Lucian considered that perhaps the professor had once found himself in a similar situation. While Lucian, a straight-A student in high school, was not particularly fond of the idea of only receiving a B, he reasoned that that was probably the best grade he could expect from this professor anyway.
“Th-Thank you, sir!” Lucian said gleefully.
“What about me?” Willow asked. Her tone betrayed the fact that she realized this was most likely a foolishly delusional hope.
“Ms. Foster, I can think of no student who more seriously requires my instruction,” Schuntz asserted firmly.
The girl’s face contorted into a scowl, and she looked away, biting her lower lip as if it was a precarious dam holding back a flood of obscenities.
“How did you know that we were in trouble tonight, anyway?” Lucian then asked, assuming that the professor’s perfect timing had to do with more than chance.
Schuntz reached into the collar of his white dress shirt and withdrew a clear crystal hanging from a golden chain. “I told you that they were more than mere trinkets, Mr. Aarden,” he said with a knowing half-grin. “You should simply consider yourself fortunate that I located mine at the appropriate time to sense your predicament. I am not certain that either of you would have fared well against the draugr’s supernatural strength.”
“How come I still don’t sense anything from mine, though?” Lucian said disappointedly, looking down at the crystal hanging from his own neck.
“The crystals do not emit a constant stream of updates on every Kílán in the world, Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz said. “Think of the mental turmoil that would ensue! No, the wearer must specifically focus his thoughts on the particular individual in question in order to determine one’s location and emotional state. In this way, a Kílán is able to send and receive a sort of telepathic message with one or a few others at a time.”
“I guess I’ll need to learn how to use mine…,” Lucian said, rolling the clear crystal around between his forefinger and thumb. Unfortunately, the only present or former Kílán he knew other than Gus was professor Schuntz, and he couldn’t imagine staying up late into the night sending telepathic messages back and forth with the humorless professor. The only other possibility was the immortal priestess Dareia, whom he had met on his trip to Rome with Gus earlier that month. Yet, he wasn’t even positive that Dareia was officially considered a Kílán at all, and he certainly hadn’t seen a crystal around her neck while he was there. Regardless, the ability to at least signal for help from the professor in times of trouble would be greatly advantageous, given his recently treacherous lifestyle.
“All one must do is hold the crystal between his fingers and direct his thoughts toward another crystal bearer,” Schuntz instructed. “The recipient of the message will experience the sensation of the sender’s desire to connect and will also be able to transmit responses in a similar fashion.”
Lucian wasn’t at all confident that it would be as simple as the professor made it seem, but he replied with a “Gotcha.”
“Why not give it a try, Mr. Aarden?” Schuntz then suggested.
“What? Like, right now?” Lucian asked.
“I can think of no more opportune time, with me standing right next to you in a safe, sealed off room,” Schuntz asserted, as if it should have been obvious.
“Okay…,” Lucian said. He held the crystal between his thumb and forefinger and closed his eyes. He shifted his mind to bring Professor Schuntz to the forefront, focusing on sensing him and establishing a mental connection. With his months of meditation practice, the control over his thoughts to fixate on a singular object was surprisingly easy, and Lucian was pleased that he had developed the skill to such an extent. At first, he only felt foolish and was not confident that he was using it properly. But then, suddenly, the boy could feel the overwhelming sensation of being in two places at once, both where he currently stood and where the professor stood only feet away.
“I think it’s working!” Lucian exclaimed out loud.
“Speak through the crystal,” Schuntz instructed.
Lucian focused on the intention of communicating via crystal.
Schuntz glared at him from across the space between them.
“Cool…,” Lucian mumbled in amazement.
“Do I get one?” Willow chimed in flatly. One could sense that she had mostly given up the hope of being included.
“I am afraid that Mr. Aarden has only procured his own because Argus entrusted it to him,” Schuntz said aloud with more softness than he regularly expressed toward the girl. “Otherwise, an individual must be an initiate of the Kílánór to receive one.”
“I see…,” said Willow, unsurprised and unamused.
“I therefore suggest that the two of you stay close for now,” continued Schuntz, dropping the crystal from between his fingers to once again hang on the chain around his neck, “at least before venturing off into the dark and sparsely-inhabited sections of this campus.”
“Would it be okay for me to stay at your place tonight?” Lucian turned and asked Willow. “The professor is probably right about us not being safe all alone.”
Willow sighed. “Yeah, that’s f
ine,” she said flatly. “Wouldn’t want you to be killed without me present anyway.”
Lucian couldn’t tell if this sentiment arose from her caring for him or simply a morbid curiosity.
“I will escort you there as well,” added Schuntz, “and seal the entrances before you retire. That should at least shield you from uninvited guests for a day or two before the energy fully dissipates. But, outside of the premises, I am afraid that you will be unprotected. So, I advise you to remain vigilant.”
With an affirming nod of Lucian’s head, the three of them walked back over to the office’s entrance. Schuntz grabbed the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open, bringing forth a shimmering veil of red energy as he passed over the threshold. Peering outside and seeing that the hallway was indeed still empty, he waved the students out to join him before walking down the hallway and out into the cold, dark night.
* * *
Monday, November 24th
It was afternoon, which meant that Lucian was already on his way to his World History class in the modern brick building on the other side of campus. It would be his last official history class of the semester, as Thanksgiving Break thankfully started that Wednesday and would lead right into final exams upon his return to the campus. Lucian was anxiously looking forward to finishing. He was alone as he sauntered down the cement walkway, for Willow had decided she would like some time to herself that day. They had spent the entire weekend together after the incident on Saturday, even both sleeping at Willow’s apartment for two nights after, and Willow eventually seemed to grow weary of Lucian’s constant company. Lucian agreed that 48 consecutive hours together was a lot to handle, and it was probably unlikely that anything terribly dangerous would occur in the middle of a Monday. So, while Willow stayed home sipping tea and reading a book on her day off, Lucian spent the afternoon attending his classes.
Lucian entered the classroom building between the two square cement pillars that framed the doorway. Once inside, he walked along the shiny, spotless linoleum to the stairwell, up one level, and out into the hallway of the second floor. Above him, the bright florescent bulbs illuminated door after door made of light wood with long rectangular windows embedded into the sides. The whole building had a sort of sterile feeling to it, as it was still very new and had not yet been worn down and saturated by the scents of thousands of visitors over many years. Lucian was unsure of whether or not he preferred this over the rustic, aged atmosphere of some of his other classrooms. Sure, it was modern and updated with advanced projectors and sound systems; but, at its core, it still seemed to Lucian less conducive to academic study than the old Religion Department’s musty, time-tested chambers.
Arriving at the correct door, Lucian pushed down on the sleek, brushed silver handle and opened it to step inside. Already waiting within were six other students, casually chatting before the beginning of class. There were still about ten minutes before the official start time, and Lucian expected that the number of students would at least triple in size by that point. There were six long, semicircular tables in total, set up in a sloped amphitheater style, and it always felt to Lucian like he was preparing to watch a Greek tragedy rather than the professor teaching class. Lucian walked up a few steps to his usual seat in the second row, three seats in from the right side. He leaned down to his right to reach into his bag and pull out his notebook.
“Excuse me…, is anyone sitting here?” asked a meek female voice from behind him.
Turning, Lucian looked up into the big, bright green eyes of the young girl next to him. She stood there, hugging a collection of textbooks close to her chest, looking bashful and almost apologetic. Her rosy, flushed cheeks stood out on her otherwise white skin, and her bright red hair contrasted nicely with her sensible, pastel purple blouse. She wore very little makeup on her naturally pretty face, and the only noticeable jewelry was a golden cross which hung on a chain over the high collar of her shirt.
“No, I don’t think so,” Lucian responded with a polite smile. He didn’t know many people in the class, even after having attended lectures for close to three months, but he swore he had never seen the girl before. He was actually hoping he hadn’t, for it was that strange time of the year when everyone expected you to know everyone else’s name and would get personally offended if you didn’t.
“Thank you,” the girl answered quietly, pulling out the chair and carefully sitting down with a discreet slide of her skirt underneath her. She laid the pile of books on the desk in front of her and rolled her chair forward slightly so that she could easily reach them. Lucian looked back toward the front of the classroom again and braced himself for the period of uncomfortable silence which would undoubtedly commence between the two of them until the arrival of the professor.
However, out of the corner of his eye, he could see the girl’s head turn and look at him. He suddenly realized that the only thing he wanted less than silence at that point was the expectation to make small talk. It had been a stressful couple of days, and he wasn’t in the most jovial and sociable of moods. Yet, it began….
“What’s your name?” she squeaked shyly.
“Lucian,” the boy answered, reluctantly turning his head to face her as well and forcing out a smile. He hoped that the antipathy for personal interaction he felt wasn’t too apparent on his face.
“Nice to meet you, Lucian,” the girl said with a tiny smile. “My name is Lilly.”
Lucian paused a moment to think of what to say. “I like that name, Lilly,” he finally stated, clumsily.
“Thank you!” the girl replied, displaying a surge of excitement below the surface of her timid exterior. “It’s also my mom’s name. And my nana’s name. Actually, all the women of my family have been named Lilly as far back as history goes!”
Lucian nodded apathetically. “Cool,” he said.
The girl blushed and turned her eyes away slightly. Lucian was hoping that would be the end of the conversation, but….
“I’m actually new here,” the girl continued, gazing at Lucian once again. “I just got here yesterday, and I don’t know anyone yet.”
Lucian furrowed his brow in confusion. “How did that happen?” he asked, somewhat abrasively. “The semester’s almost over!”
Lilly slowly tilted and nodded her head. “Yes, I know,” she admitted, sounding embarrassed. “I was attending another school out in Connecticut before, studying History for my major. Two weeks ago, I got a call from the dean of this school saying that I’d been offered a full scholarship to attend classes here instead. So, I just had to take the opportunity!” She giggled nervously. “It was so funny, though; I don’t even remember applying here originally!”
Lucian nodded. Very few things bothered him more than ditziness, but he would give her some credit for at least being somewhat embarrassed by it. “Well, you were very lucky, then!” he said with a chuckle.
Lilly clasped her hands together. “Not just luck,” she said with a shake of her tilted head. “It was a miracle. God has a plan for me. It was His love and guidance that brought me here!”
And that’s where she promptly lost Lucian. She found one of the only things that bothered him more than ditziness: fervent Christianity. He just kept nodding, fake smile plastered to his face. Though he had been raised in a Catholic household, his parents had never been particularly religious, and he had somehow developed a general aversion to overly pious people… probably as a result of the shower of judgment and condemnation he had experienced from them in the past. This, coupled with his already sour mood, effectively squashed any desire he might have had to continue the conversation further that day.
Eventually, he let out a, “Heh!” before turning back to the table in front of him and rummaging through his notes, pretending to look for something specific. Thankfully, Lilly seemed to take the hint, and she didn’t say another word to him for the remainder of the class, except a quick and quiet goodbye as she left.
* * *
“Oh, stop being
such a wuss, Golden Boy,” Willow said flatly. “You like this guy, don’t you?”
“Yeah…,” Lucian responded bashfully.
“Well then, just call him,” the girl advised with a dismissive flip of her hand.
The two students sat on one of the beds in Lucian’s dorm room that night. In Lucian’s lap, his cell phone was unlocked and ready to call the number displayed on the screen…. Sam’s number.
“But…, what if he’s not actually interested in me like that!?” Lucian stammered fearfully. “Like, I could have been misreading the signs!”
Lucian had admittedly never dated anyone before, and his experience and comfort level regarding the subject were both particularly lacking. Granted, the devilishly attractive, popular, upper classman had shown definite indications of flirting with Lucian before, but it all just seemed too good to be true. And, with Lucian’s naturally low self-esteem, he figured it probably was.
“Only one way to find out,” Willow said with a raise of her black eyebrows that signaled more of a challenge than a simple statement of fact. “What’s the worst that’ll happen? He’ll just say no.”
And the embarrassment might kill me, of course…, Lucian thought to himself melodramatically as he took a deep breath in and exhaled it forcefully. His heart was beating fast, feeling as though it was about to burst from his chest and run out the door. As he continued to breathe to calm himself, he chuckled slightly. Over the past few months, he had vanquished a demon, watched his friend die in his arms, fought the undead, and was now hunting a necromancer; yet, out of it all, this was probably what made him most nervous. He let out another sigh.
“Alright!” he exclaimed, lifting up his phone in his palm. “I’m ready.”
Another quick palpitation of his heart accompanied the connection of his thumb against the “Call” button displayed on the screen. He then lifted it up and held it to his ear. Willow sat there staring at him with the muted enthusiasm of one who is watching a nature documentary, and Lucian realized that he should have made this call alone rather than under the scrutinizing gaze of his friend. But it was too late now.
