Briar Preparatory Academy

A Bitter World

Lockharte POV

Paper. Pounds of paper. Paper on my desk, paper in the chairs, paper on the floor. I wish it would all just disappear.

A knock at my door. "Come in." I say, pushing away my ink pen and adjusting my glasses on the bridge of my nose. I steal a quick glance up as Colleen sidles in. I lean back in my chair and restrain the sigh desperate to escape. Please, not right now.

Colleen pulls up one of the chairs from the middle of the room, ignoring the unpleasant noise it makes. "We need to talk, Robert."

"I've told you upon multiple occasions to not refer to me that way, Mrs. McCleary."

"I'm resigning." She says, ignoring my remark. I raise my eyebrows.

"Already? It has only been two weeks."

"I have my reasons."

"All of which you believe are acceptable, I presume."

Colleen's eyes darken. "I was never going to stay here in the first place. You know that."

"I know," I tip my head towards the ceiling; "I just wish that you never chose the path that you chose. You were an incredible student here. One of the best."

"That doesn't matter now. That was over twelve years ago."

I gaze back at the woman across from me. I observe the hard features and the tight lines that make up her features. There is no remnant of who she used to be. The almost copper eyes have dulled over time to an almost black color. The smile that would light up the room when she walked in has disappeared, never to appear again. Her posture is rigid like a statue. She was free and happy. She isn't anymore.

"Time travels, does it not?" I say, almost to myself. I then lean forward and push all my intent towards her. "Why are you leaving, Colleen? And don't lie."

Colleen shakes her head, smiles. "I've never been able to lie to you. You've always known. I learned that the hard way."

"Why are you leaving?"

Colleen hesitates. For a moment, I glimpse the vulnerability. "I can't stay here. He wouldn't let me. He won't... I can't do anything that would make him angry."

I narrow my eyes at her and let out a sigh. "Why did you do it, Colleen? Why did you set the library on fire? You knew that Miss Jane was in there, and you still moved forward. The Colleen I know would've never done that, under any circumstances." I say to her. Colleen snaps her head at me and grips her chair, her knuckles turning white.

"You think I did this by choice, Robert? You think that this was my idea in the first place?" She pauses and stares at me, her eyes wide and desperate. Before I can speak, she continues. "Everything I have done, everything, was for him. Because it was all part of his plan. He said that he was doing good, that no lives would go to waste."

I shake my head. "And you believed him?"

Colleen presses her lips together and looks away. "I had no one else to turn to. No one but him. He was there. Always."

"He wasn't the only one. Yes, Jasper seems to be a constant factor in your life, but that's just because he loves you."

"Which is exactly why I went to him when I had nowhere else to go."

"Colleen..." I whisper, shaking my head. "You don't understand how lost you are."

She stares at the fireplace, her head slightly moving back and forth. "I have to leave, Robert. I can't stay."