In Love with a Jackal

2.

I banged at the door, screaming for help. I prayed someone was around to come save me from what was clearly a paranormal lunatic.

"ANYONE THERE? HELP! HELP PLEASE!"

Fear stricken, I glanced back at the man. I was scared he would come over, but he just stood there with his arms crossed. Waiting.

My cries for help became more frenzied.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP! LIKE RIGHT NOW!"

My voice hitched and I  heard someone laugh from the other side of the door. My heart jumped; someone had heard, I was saved.

I rattled at the doorknob again, I couldn't be out of here soon enough.

"Please open the door for me!" I begged them, "I don't know why its locked!"

The other person once again laughed.

"Don't play the victim Tina," I then heard them say, "I caught you in the act."

My hand on the doorknob fell still. The voice was smug, deep, british and I knew it all too well. The person it belonged to had been breathing down my neck ever since I'd started this masters program. This was my unofficial mortal enemy, Carlisle.

I cursed everything that was holy, begging him for help was going to be the most degrading thing ever.

"I know its you Carlisle, just open the door!" I pleaded, trying to ignore my pride, "Please I need to get out, there's someone in here with me!"

But instead of opening the door like I had hoped, Carlisle just scoffed at me,

"The whole building knows there's someone in there with you! and I'm keeping the door locked until security knows it too." He mimicked my American accent for his last sentence, "Because whatever you were doing in there, it ain't right!"

The relief I'd felt a moment ago had long vanished. What the hell was he up to now?

"Carlisle please," I repeated, reminding myself that it was more important to get out of here than to argue with him, "Just open door!"

Sadly though, it quickly became evident that Carlisle never had the intention of doing me that favor.

"Hah! Wait until Professor Parpokolos hears about you secretly letting unauthorized people view our artifacts!" he started laughing again, "Or better yet, wait until the entire campus and that imaginary fiancée of yours, hears about your late night liaisons in the university basement!"

My hand balled into a fist and I scoffed; obviously he was only here to stir up trouble.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I said, my voice growing angry, "What liaison? There's not an ounce of truth in what you just said and you know it!"

I couldn't see Carlisle at the moment but I didn't need to, I knew what expression he had on his face right now. He was probably grinning from ear to ear; he sure sounded like he was.

"Well Tina, based on the fact that I'm not in that room with you and the dear professor went home at six, I feel no need to retract my first statement. Your male companion is not from our department and therefore unauthorized." he paused before hammering another nail into my proverbial coffin, "As to the second statement, well, let's just call it creative freedom, if you will."

It finally hit me what his plan was. Carlisle had been trying to sabotage me ever since Professor Parpokolos had said he was looking for a temporary assistant on his next dig. On an academic level me and Carlisle were equally matched, so playing dirty was his last resort.