Pure-sue \ pər-ˈsü , -ˈsyü \

FIVE

LEX

I.

We were not able to pass our report to Mr. Carnis regarding our answer to the question "why are you here?" as the situation made us unable to. Well, Im not that grade conscious anyway but for the sake of Psyche and Anima, who, I think, are having a hard time, I must submit it.

Welp, so I tried to look for Mr. Carnis in the faculty but he's no where to be found. Where the fudge did he get into? I hissed. Okay Lex, control yourself.

What is really happening with me lately? I did all sorts of things which are unlikely of me. Well, everything passes through this - things are changing at that. But i really didnt expect this abrupt change in me. I protested.

And there you go...I'm losing my cool. Lex, close your eyes, inhale, exhale. I repeated trying to calm myself down.

While trying to collect my thoughts, I was shocked at to whoever suddenly appeared in front of me. My heart almost skipped at that actually. My hands almost flew in the air and my feet were froze.

"Peek-a-boo!" Sophia tried to mutter kicking.

S-sophia! I whined as i stutter. I made quite a sound so i caught some attention from other students. They are looking at me strangely and confusedly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Well, I'm going with you" she huffed.

I could not hide my confusion as to what she just uttered. "Where do you think I'm going? I asked while challenging her.

"Arent you going to Mr. Carnis?" She mindlessly said.

Again, whenever I meet Sophia, I was actually and consistently dumbfounded.

"Dont wonder anymore as to how i knew it," she said. She might have---

"Lex!" A famliar voice is coming...and true enough, it was from Psyche.

"H-hi" I waived my hand as i stuttered.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Ah, to Mr. Carnis, together with Sophia." I tried not to look nervous on that.

"Ahh, really?" She gasped. She couldn't hide the momentary shock in her voice and reaction.

"Hi" she pleasantly greet Sophia. I think, they would create a good friendship.

"Shall I come with you? What are we going to do there anyway?" She asked.

"I'm going to pass our report to him." I mumbled.

Psyche is really looking at me pretty weird. I dont know, but she seems to have something to say.

Reluctantly, I asked her "what's with the weird look?"

"Ahh nothing" she said and pulled her gaze away from me.

Soon enough, we've reached our destination - a 30-minute walk at that. Mr. Carnis is renting a studio type apartment. It was the only gray-colored building among the other houses there. We looked around the neighborhood and there seems to be no one. Is he living alone in this neighborhood? Evident to say, the houses are actually pretty empty. I dont know why though.

Its a little bit creepy though its still four in the afternoon and the sun is still out. We approached the door bell and rang it. Am still wondering why Mr. Carnis hasn't attended any of his class today.

I rang the door bell thrice at that before Mr. Carnis opened the gate for us. He is sweaty as hell. He seemed pretty weird, there are bags under his eyes. All in all, he looked haggard.

"What brought you here?" He huffed. He opened the gate and lets us enter.

"Ah--we've brought our report sir. We were not able to pass it to you last time." I apologized.

I tried to hand him the envelope when i saw bloodstain under his car. I think, those are fresh. His car is parked on the side which seemed to be newly washed. I got goosebumps at that.

I looked at Mr. Carnis, trying to look clueless while searching for any trace of wounds in his body. He seemed fine, I mean his body seemed fine.

He must have noticed my internal conflict so he offered to show us inside his apartment. I looked at Psyche, and she might also have seen the bloodstain based from the look on her face.

The inside is ash black colored, normally it should look elegant, but not with this atmosphere. It creeps me out. The paintings hanging on the wall have, I assumed, blood as their medium. And the subjects...they are terrifying. Imagine a painting of a hand squeezing a heart until it spurts out blood. The blood there seemed like a genuine blood. Scary af.

Psyche and Sophia who are at my side are looking horrified by the looks of it.

"Have a seat," Mr. Carnis offered. I saw him gave a cynical smile. "Feel at home" he muttered as he went to get us drinks.

"You have quite a taste sir" I called out.

"Ahhh...yeah, I made the paintings, apart from philosophy I was also fascinated wierdily with black arts" he chuckled.

I stood from the sofa and looked nearer the painting. Just as I am about to touch it--

"Dont touch that! Mr. Carnis hissed. He put so much warning on his voice that i could feel it. And so I immediatetly sit down. He puts down the drink. There were only two glasses prepared. So I guessed I might just offer the drinks to the girls.

"That was newly painted so Im afraid it might get smudge out" he explains.

"By the way, how was Anima? I heard you visited her the other day" he asked while looking at Psyche trying to look concerned.

"Uh--she was doing fine sir." She tried not to look nervous on that.

"By the way sir, its getting late so we gotta go first. Thank you for accommodating us" I bowed down to him.

"Sure, come visit anytime" he smiled. I dont know but I could not look at his smile as the same before. "Take care on your way home" he said.

And so we waived goodbye.

The three of us, horrified as we seem, walk silently. Until we reached the school and went our separate ways.