Suspicious New Professor

Late-Night Revelations

7

The hum of Jenissa’s laptop filled her dimly lit room, casting a soft glow on the walls adorned with posters of programming languages and computer science concepts. It was well past midnight, and while the rest of her family was asleep, Jenissa found herself wide awake, consumed by the unease that had been building since Professor Elias Noir had entered her life.

She stared at the screen, her fingers hesitating above the keyboard as she considered her next search query. After dinner, her mind had been a whirlwind of thoughts and suspicions. Elias’s clumsiness, while amusing to many, felt orchestrated to her. Each slip and mishap seemed to serve a purpose—drawing attention to himself while cleverly diverting it away from something darker.

Am I just overthinking? she wondered, fighting against the creeping doubt that plagued her. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding something beneath that charming facade.

Taking a deep breath, she typed “Elias Noir background” into the search engine, hoping to uncover any clues about the man who had suddenly taken over her life in the classroom. The results were sparse; Elias had only recently arrived at Lille National Institute of Advanced Technologies, and there wasn’t much publicly available about his past. A few scattered mentions in academic journals highlighted his expertise in computer graphics but lacked personal details.

“Great, just great,” she muttered under her breath, leaning back in her chair in frustration. Just as she was about to abandon her search, a link caught her eye. It was an article titled Controversial Appointments in Academia: The Case of Professor Elias Noir. Intrigued, she clicked on it.

The article detailed Elias’s rapid rise in the academic world, highlighting his impressive qualifications. However, it also mentioned some controversy surrounding his previous position at a different university. Whispers of abrupt changes and a few disgruntled colleagues hinted at a possible darker side to his charm. The piece ended abruptly, leaving Jenissa with more questions than answers.

Why would a professor with such a promising career just up and leave? she wondered, jotting down notes in a small notebook she kept beside her. The clumsiness, the whispers of discontent—there was a thread connecting everything, and she was determined to pull at it until it unraveled.

Suddenly, a notification pinged on her phone, jolting her from her thoughts. It was a message from Emile: "Hey, you okay? Heard you were up late. Remember, DSU and DBMS are coming up, focus!"

Jenissa chuckled lightly, knowing he was right but feeling the weight of her own curiosity pressing against her. She replied, "I’m fine, just a little side project. Don’t worry!"

Moments later, Emile’s response came through: "Just make sure you’re not getting too distracted. You know how you get."

She appreciated his concern but couldn’t help but feel a sense of irritation. Why did everyone think she was overreacting? Emile had always been her grounding force, reminding her of the importance of focus. But this was different. This was about her safety and the safety of her classmates.

Just then, the sound of her younger brother, Jerrik, stirring in the next room broke her concentration. She stood up, walking to the door, pausing as she listened to him mumble something in his sleep. Her heart swelled with affection for her siblings, reminding her of why she needed to stay vigilant—not just for herself but for them as well.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Jenissa returned to her laptop. She opened a new tab and began searching for the previous professor, Levrentia Bergman. Her research had to connect the dots between her mysterious new professor and the one who had left under questionable circumstances.