Suspicious New Professor

Into the Abyss

16

Jenissa couldn’t shake the fear that had gripped her ever since that night when she overheard Elias’s phone conversation. His words echoed in her mind, and as each day passed, her unease only grew. The more she learned, the clearer it became that Elias was not who he claimed to be. And yet, every step forward felt like stepping closer to a precipice, peering into an abyss she couldn’t look away from.

Sitting across from Emile in the dim corner of the university library, Jenissa’s fingers traced a page of notes they’d gathered on Elias Noir. Loose sheets of paper were spread out between them, filled with hastily written bullet points, articles, and reports that they’d pieced together. Emile flipped through one of the papers, his face creased in concentration.

“We’ve got plenty of scattered details, but none of it’s enough to accuse him of anything,” Emile whispered, his gaze scanning a recent article on his laptop screen. “Look here.” He turned the screen towards her, pointing to a headline: Mysterious Disappearances at Local University Raise Concerns Among Students and Staff.

Jenissa leaned in, her eyes widening as she read the first few lines. The article detailed the disappearance of a graduate student named Mariah Lavigne from a university in Brussels. Just like with Alizee, Mariah’s friends described her as a diligent student who suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving behind no clues. A chill ran down Jenissa’s spine. The timing of Mariah’s disappearance matched Elias’s tenure there almost exactly.

“This is his pattern,” Jenissa murmured, glancing up at Emile. “Each institution he worked at has seen a student or two disappear under mysterious circumstances. It’s like… he finds a target, and when things get too risky, he moves on to the next school.”

Emile nodded. “And it’s never enough to raise a huge alarm. No clear pattern or direct evidence. Just a series of strange occurrences and a few missing students, easy to dismiss as coincidences.”

“Until now,” Jenissa added grimly.

Emile tapped the screen, switching to another tab. “I looked up the professor who hired Elias at his last job, Professor Gerald Verlain. He gave Elias a glowing recommendation when he moved here, but get this—Professor Verlain retired only a month later, under ‘unusual circumstances.’ No one knows where he went.”

“Another loose end,” Jenissa muttered. “It’s like Elias is leaving a trail of erased memories. No one willing to speak up, and those who might have… well, they’ve disappeared too.”

They sat in silence, absorbing the weight of what they’d uncovered. The pile of circumstantial evidence was growing, yet it still felt fragile, like a house of cards that could crumble if anyone looked at it too closely. And with each new detail, the stakes climbed higher.

“I think we’re running out of time,” Emile said finally, his voice laced with worry. “Elias’s threats in class, the anonymous warnings—it’s all too calculated. He knows someone’s onto him, and he’s making it clear we should back off.”

Jenissa met his gaze, her eyes hardening with determination. “Backing off isn’t an option. We’re the only ones who see this pattern. If we don’t expose him, who will?”

Emile sighed, but there was a flicker of admiration in his eyes. “Just promise me we’ll be smart about it. We don’t know what he’s capable of.”

---

The following week, Jenissa dove headfirst into research. Whenever she wasn’t attending classes or feigning normalcy around campus, she was buried in the library, combing through archives, looking for any piece of information that could tie Elias Noir directly to the mysterious events at other universities. She was careful, checking out books and pulling documents that wouldn’t raise suspicion if anyone glanced over her shoulder. The only person who knew her full plan was Emile, and even he seemed nervous each time they met to discuss their findings.