The Dark Side (Improved)

Hidden Secrets

"The things you try the hardest to hide are the things that are clearer to see" - Anonymous

Surprisingly he never approached me again after that, it was as if he forgot about our whole "discussion". But I knew this wasn't the last time, he was going to come again and maybe with evidence this time. But I wasn't just gonna sit around and wait for death I'm going to this fight with everything I got.

School became just another day, and just another chalk mark on my cell wall. The days went by smoothly, no hitches, no bumps it was almost perfect. But it's perfection became it's flaw. The days began looking mapped out, as if without my knowledge someone was pulling the strings and speaking through every face that marred these hallways. A shadow ventriloquist.

In class when our eyes meet, for that split second when the white of his eye is as visible as day, I see recognition. A goal to find whatever dirty deed I've done in the past. To dig up every secret I buried beneath the very ground we walk. And when that moments over, all that's left is disinterest. To him I became a face without a face but that split moment gave the whole story and in it I am no extra but the whole show, popcorn, fireworks and that damn cherry on the top.

The thought put me on ice every time I walked through the corridors of this school, a step was no longer just a step but a another secret I would bury under these very floors. Gossip was no longer flippant chatter that once would have escaped my knowledge, it became possible info on the working of the school and clues to the move of my opponent. If Xavier wanted to shove his nose in all my dirt to find truffles, the only thing he's gonna find is the pile of disappointment I left after lunch this morning. If he wants a fight he's gonna get one.

I became so caught up with my surrounding, I reacted to anything suspicious near and far that I didn't realize the tall, burly man that blocked the passage way with his towering and oppressive physique. The crowd didn't miss his presence too because soon enough the once flamboyant and exuberant behavior that once lingered became a silence that spoke louder than a thousand words. As my body ran against the Berlin wall that obstructed my path I looked up and saw a familiar face with details I never failed to remember since that first night. My mind hummed with the sound of an engine as I recalled the same thoughts I thought that night: a man fully matured in age probably between 50 to 55......wide shoulders and a face that many would call handsome if he was twenty years younger. Nelson, Nelson Mcgreggor.

The silence around me transformed into low swarming whispers of confusion. But in that mixture of confusion a phrase directly caught my attention. Somewhere in the midst of this agitated swarm I was able to hear " Dean Mcgreggor". So he's a dean, I thought to myself, and I couldn't help but smile at the blasted thought. This smile whipped across my face from ear to ear that I looked like the Joker's bride. Maybe to them you are a joke. 

"Why are you laughing?!" came a beastly voice that silenced the swarm instantly. His voice sounded different from what I first heard in that room. Maybe it was because he was serenading a sweet lady, I guess in his eyes I ain't so sweet. The thought almost caused me to laugh out loud but I suppressed it soon enough.

"Dean....huh? well I didn't think that I needed a reason to be happy" His eyes twitched at the response and it only reminded me more of who he was. I knew his type. Greedy bastards willing to kill their own mother just for a little more.... a little more of what you ask? It changes depending on the person and for this man it was power the greed was shining so bright in his eyes that it could blind a blind man.

"Get out of my way!, you've already wasted enough of my time". Of course this wasn't my battle to fight so  I moved out of his way allowing him to walk solely on this red carpet that lined this hallway floor. And as I turned back to look at him the ground turned into a sea of blood and seemed to swallow him whole. This man is a cold-blooded murderer and probably one of the most dangerous men I have ever seen. 

The whispers became frighteningly loud and their words were filled with thoughts of me. Nothing good of course, the insults were harsh and brutal but I remained unfazed, after all I've heard worse. 

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I became more and more confused at the sudden revelation, I expected him to be a regular teacher, nothing special or of any significant importance but this new information made things a lot more complicated. Now the real question is who was the woman he was with.

Classes were finished for the day and I trudged along to my room keenly listening for any form of information regarding the dean's possible mistress. But nothing showed up. It was like some unknown force tied down those loose tongues that usually let things slip, maybe it was their saving grace, because we all know never to say what we see, but it sure didn't satisfy my curiosity or the lingering sense that this affair was more than just casual sex.

As I approached my room I slid of all the clothes I wore and watched as it hit the floor. Suddenly remembering who I ran into I picked up the fallen shirt and smelled it.  Different smells caressed the cavity of my nostril. My scent was no longer present, it was overpowered by a strong rustic cologne that seemed to devour the shirt whole. But faintly in the midst of the cannibalistic barbarism called his scent, was the faint aroma of a rose.

The scent was feminine, almost sweet but the devious heart that it tried so hard to hide rose to the top and bore fruit. The face of Mcgreggor came to my mind again but this time the faint familiarity that I first saw became more apparent. My mind searched its hidden seams to discover this memory until suddenly, as if the earth lost her spin it came back rushing at a colossal speed. 

First came the shock, then came the sound of the clothes that I once held tightly in my hands as it hit the floor.