The Teacher's Pet

Chapter Twenty-Seven

James Levine:
Never in my life have I driven faster, if the cops caught me driving this fast, I would go straight to prison. Good thing they didn't stop me.
Rick told me it would be a simple 30 minute drive, not many turns or roundabouts. That 30 minute drive, became a 10 minute drive for me.
My heart is in my throat as I stand in front of the building Kat is in right now.
It has been 28 hours since she went missing, 28 hours without sleep for me. I can't imagine what she must be going through with my father.
For the hundredths time I punish myself for not thinking about the fact my dad might show up. For not being careful enough with Kat's safety. She is on my society's 'do not kill list', but there are more society's than just the one I'm in, and for them, she is a price. Because multiple people know that we're together, the word spread around the city quite fast since I used to be her teacher.
I'm sure multiple society's downtown got a hold of it too, and for my society, I am one of the stronger men. If they take Kat down, I'll be so emotionally broken that I'll be out of the run for a while, they know. That's the dangerous thing.
Dante warned me multiple times not to start a romantic relationship because it is dangerous, it wasn't as dangerous for him and my mother, because my mother has been in the society since birth and people respect her. I have been a member since birth too, but I have also killed other people from other society's-because they did things wrong obviously-this means I lost most of my respect from other society's. They would rather see me dead than alive.
I shake my head to get all my thoughts out, and to focus purely on the building in front of me, more important, the people inside of it.
The building is old, vines are growing at the sides, this used to be a beautiful mansion, now it has became a hell hole.
While running, I pass a fountain full of green water, I run until I'm at the front doors. Two big brown doors, double the size of me.
Knocking on these doors won't do anything, it would just echo through the building, but if my father and Kat are on the other side of the house. The doors are too high and heavy to break into.
A groan escapes from my body and I scan around for more options to get it, I won't give up this easily.
A window next to the door catches my eye, it's a small window but it would be just big enough for me to fit through.
With my bare fists I smash in the window, the noise sounds loud through the whole house, there is no way he didn't hear this. I have to be quick. Get Kat, and run out, get Kat, and run out, I repeat a million more times as I crawl through the tight space. My shoulder gets stuck at the edges of the window, the slight glass edges.
Blood gushes out from cuts on my shoulders and waist, the pain does nothing to me, from the adrenaline.
"Kat?!" The dark scream yells through the large hallways.
I have no idea where to begin looking for her.
"James?" The tone is soft but just loud enough to hear if I fall completely silent, the voice sounds like it comes from a book in the back of the hallway, so that's where I'm running to, leaving a trail of blood behind.
The sound of gunshots stop me from running and has me ducking flat to the ground. Out of the waistband of my jeans, I grab my own gun and roll over. Above me, is my father, standing tall over me. His gun pointed right at my heart.
"How the hell did you get here?!"
"Remember Cedar? I am your son, right? You really thought I couldn't figure out where you were?"
He lets out a low growl, his eyebrows cover most of his eyes, frowning. The eyes that are too much like mine, the deepest shade of brown, I wish I could carve my own eyes out.
"Hand over the gun James."
"Now I'm not your son anymore, am I?"
A sigh comes from his lips, the dirty breath falling upon my skin. "It's not the time to play games, Felone."
The nickname sends rage all throughout my veins, the rage boils up all the way to my head. I spit right at his face. For a second his eyes are full of shock, before the sound of another gun shot fills the room. Right at my shoulder. Blood streams out faster than the blood from the cuts. I would guess that I have lost half a liter of blood already.
My father's face becomes blurry, almost like I need glasses. I try to focus my eyes on the hallway instead, but everything is blurry, the black ceiling, the dirty white walls.
With the last bit of energy left in my arm, I lift up the gun, I have to use my other hand to pull the trigger, with shaking hands. Right at his heart. For the last time in both of out life's, he looks me in the eyes.
"We are not finished yet." Are his lost words, before he drops to the floor. I have to roll away-on the shoulder that hasn't been shot,-so he doesn't fall right on top of me.
Feelings, I have too much of them right now. From pain, to worry, to anger and right back to the burning pain in my shoulder. Pain that Kat might be in crosses my mind too. This makes me crawl on my hands and knees. A few more feet until the door.
To my surprise there are no guards in front of her door, no other people in this mansion. Would my father really be that dumb to work alone? It wouldn't surprise me with his ego.
"Kat? Are you in here?" Before kicking this door down, I call her name, just to be sure I have the right door.
"James, is that you?"
"Yes baby, I'm right here, things will be okay." There are so many words I want to say to her, but these are the ones I choose to say.
I try opening the door by the handle, locked, of course.
"Your father has the key," I stare at my fathers dead body, at the blood rushing out from his chest, it does nothing to me. Not a single feeling comes up in me as I look at him. If there is anyone who deserves to die, it's my father, and tonight, he did.
Using the last bit of strength in my legs, I stand up and walk towards my father.
The key is all I need. I rip off his jacket, only to get disappointed, then I check all the pockets of his jeans. In the last one I check, I find the key.
Tears stain my eyes, as I fall to my knees and turn the key a final time.
All the energy has been drained from my body, so I am not the one who opens the door.
"Oh my God James," Her gorgeous green eyes first go to me and all my wounds, than to my dad laying in the hallway, spread out in his own puddle of blood.
My vision still blurry, I look at her, still through teary eyes she is the most beautiful girl in the world.
Kat's arms around me is the only thing keeping me from falling, her beauty is the only thing that keeps me from fainting.
"James, stay with me, don't close your eyes." I try my best to focus on her voice and not the void trying to suck me away.
"Please... I don't know what to do."
Tears fall down her cheeks, I want to lift up my hand and wipe them away, but the void overwins. Slowly her beautiful face, morphs into nothingness.

--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--

"When do you think he will wake up doctor?" A voice echoes in the back of my head. The voice at the end of the tunnel full of bright white light.
"From his condition it's hard to tell, he lost a lot of blood ma'am."
"He has been in this state for 7 whole days! Nothing has changed! Do your fucking job doctor!" The slam of a door sounds way louder than usual.
I want to open my eyes, multiple voices in my head tell me to open my eyes, but something in my body refuses. There is no energy in my body, this voice tells me I've been out for 7 days, then why do I still feel so tired, so exhausted. No muscle has moved in my body for 7 days and I'm completely paralyzed by it.
I want to open my eyes, pull her to my body and kiss every inch of her, feel her tight in my embrace, tell her that everything is going to be okay from now on. I would never let anyone harm her ever again, she has gone through so much, she didn't deserve this.
And I would be lying if I said the thought of breaking up for her sake didn't cross my mind, it did. Many times. But I am simply too selfish for that, I need her more than anything, never will I be able to let her go.
"James, please, you have to wake up, I'm freaking out." There is a pause, filled with heavy breaths and sobs. "I don't know what to without you..."
"Katie, calm down, it will be okay, he will be okay." A different female voice, I can't place it in my mind. If I follow logic, it should be one of her friends, Mary probably.
The bright light hits my bare eyes, the exposure it too much so I close them back again. Tubes are hooked in my mouth and arms, that's why it's so damn hard to move.
This time slower, I open my eyes once more.
"He's awake." The girl in the corner of my eyes screams, her name being Hazel.
In the other side of my eyesight, Kat breaks apart from a hug with Mary. Her hair sticking to the tears on her cheek as she looks at me. Kat's eyes are all puffy and red, it doesn't suit her.
I open my mouth to speak, but am unable to due to the tubes, they drive me insane, I want to rip them out and kiss her.
"They said you weren't breathing on your own, so they..." She can't bear to bring out the words in one full sentence.
"Good evening, ah sir Levine, you're awake, what a relief."
In front of me, is the doctor with on his right hand Dante, Dante who comes to visit me at the hospital, wonders are happening today. After lashing out so bad at him, I didn't expect him to even speak to me as a normal civilian again.
Somewhere deep in his expression Dante seems sad, an emotion I have never seen before on his face, an emotion he just learned and is trying out.
Coughing and choking on the tubes as they get pulled out slowly is the thing that takes over these thoughts about Dante. He grins, sadistic fuck.
"Try to take it easy with your speech and drink enough water, then your throat should be fine in a couple of hours, as for the rest of your condition, we are still discussing that with a couple of more doctors." He said to take it easy with my speech so I nod instead of thanking him.
Dante is the first to break the silence as the doctor leaves. "Are you in pain?"
I check every part of my body but I feel nothing, that is most likely because I'm high on medication. So I shake my head softly, as I do, my neck begins to hurt. My body is not used to laying still for 7 full days.
"James." The girl of my dreams kneels next to my bed, her hands folded over one of mine, the tears haven't stopped streaming down her pale cheeks. There are purple smudges under her eyes, a sign that she hasn't slept a single hour these 7 days.
"James, James, James." She repeats a million more times, every time it becomes more and more heartbreaking, her voice shattering while begging my name.
"Princess." This brings a smile to her face, the smile I missed deeply. "Don't cry over me." These 5 words together, are already too much for my body, I cough until my lungs give out. Exhaustion cripples again.
"I promise, I will always listen to you from now on, I am so sorry, James I'm so sorry, please, please forgive me."
"Stop that." There is a long pause before speaking the next words. "You didn't do... Anything wrong." The bright sunlight coming in through the windows give me a heavy headache. "I... Love you."
The smile my words bring her, pierces through every muscle.
This girl is perfect, the one I want to marry, the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.