Behind Locked Doors

Chapter Ten: Hidden Talents

I am slowly falling apart.

I wish you’d take a walk in my shoes for a start.

And you might think it’s easy being me.

You just stand still, look pretty.

Dakota's POV:

    My mind was made up; it was time to talk to Professor Marcs. I entered his classroom quietly and closed the door behind me. Telling Mr. Marcs that I was a konrope wasn’t a part of my plan, but I had other ideas. Charlie's classroom was quite a bit larger than the others, but it was dark and dank all the same. Strangely enough, I was actually becoming accustomed to the feeling that made my stomach lurch.

"Miss Harris, what are you doing here?" Mr. Marcs asked looking up from the large amount of paperwork on his desk.

"I have a question."

"About today's lesson? I thought I made it pretty clear, but if you would like to go over it again I have time," he said kindly smiling so that his dimples showed.

"No, it's not about that. It's more along the lines of Rebels in general." He glanced at me over the frame of his glasses, his brows furrowing as he did.

"The library has plenty of books on them. I'm sure you'll be able to find what you're looking for there," Mr. Marcs stated dismissively. He should know that getting rid of me wouldn’t be that easy.

"I'm not much of a reader," I explained casually moving closer to his desk. "Figured it'd be easier just to come to the expert himself."

"Teaching the subject hardly makes me an expert, Dakota."

"You and I both know that you don't just teach the subject, Charlie."

"I-," Professor Marcs started.

"Look, Justin told me that I should talk to you," I said abruptly, "so can we skip the I don't know what you're talking about game?"

Mr. Marcs stood up from his desk, his eyes staring at me purposefully yet sternly. He paused before quickly ushering me into the small closet behind his desk; my guess was that there were no cameras in the closet. This turned out to be a good thing in Charlie's case, because where I would have thought to find books and other teaching tools, I found old Union newspapers and a various supply of weapons. I was clueless as to what most of this stuff did, but it looked important. 

"What did Justin tell you?" Professor Marcs asked carefully.

"Nothing that I didn't already know, but that's why I came to you. I need answers, Mr. Marcs." He remained brutally silent, and I could almost feel the tension start to enter the small area. I wasn’t sure what to say next. When I had practiced my speech in front of the mirror, it had gone a lot smoother. Darn Rebels, they made everything difficult. 

"But obviously I won't be getting what I want unless you gain some knowledge in return. Isn't that how you Rebels play?"

"Please, continue," Charlie said in a low tone.

"Okay, you tell me everything about Rebels, everything, and I'll give you the answer to the question you've been asking yourself since the first time you saw me. What am I?"

"You're not human," he said curtly.

"No, but that doesn't narrow it down much does it?"

"Right then, what are you?" Mr. Marcs inquired.

"Whoa, hold on. Why do I have to spill the beans first?" I frowned. The tension grew as he stared at me silently waiting for my next move. It was apparent that this conversation wouldn’t be going anywhere until one of us confessed, and evidently he wasn’t planning on going first. I exhaled. "I'm a konrope."