Chapter Fourteen

I make my way down the winding staircase after I shower, ignoring the side glances I receive from passersby. My hope is to get to Talbot's office without any interruptions, yet that appears to be a pipe dream as I note more students either drop their gaze as soon as they see me or nudge their partner. I can only imagine what they have to say as soon as I'm no longer in earshot.

She almost killed Nick.

What a freak.

She really is a monster.

I blow out a breath and attempt to shut down the voices in my head. They'll only lead me to have a panic attack or worse, infuriate me to the point where only one voice is clear, and that one usually demands blood in retribution for my wrath.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, I observe the scenery, noting that the front windows of the building have shifted. I can see the familiar columns flanking the front door of Northgate, the building I had just been in, which means the hallways moved me to Eastbourne. Talbot's office sits a few feet from where I currently stand.

"Thank you," I murmur. Despite that Talbot told me the hallways were "tricky bastards" when I first arrived at Alystair, they've always put me right where I needed to be.

My feet slow as I approach Talbot's office and hear a painfully familiar voice, a voice that has the ability to root me so deeply in place it feels like I've caught Medusa's petrifying gaze.

"I'm sorry, Professor. It won't ever happen again."

Nick's voice is considerably low to be heard through the door, and I realize I unconsciously tapped into my Scylla to eavesdrop.

Talbot's heavy sigh follows. "I don't understand, Nicholas. You spent years controlling that side of you, and were doing so well. You even spend countless hours outside of school training with your aunt. What happened? "

"I'm just…not myself."

He sounds so defeated, my heart nearly caves in on itself.

"The odd thing is, you aren't lying, yet there's obviously more to your behavior than you are letting on." Silence fills the space for a few breaths before Talbot's voice again permeates the air. "Fine, let's move on to something else. Something more concerning: Professor Cicero tells me you disappeared in class today. That ability isn't exactly commonplace, Nicholas, even in our world."

"Well, I'm not completely a part of your world, am I?"

I stifle a gasp at the acid dripping from his tone. What does that mean?

"What the fuck has gotten into you, Cervallos?" Talbot snaps, shocking me further. Professor Talbot hardly ever loses his composure.

Again, silence.

"If you aren't going to answer me," Talbot says in a more tranquil tone, "I'm going to assume you've done something that has initiated a chain of events which allows untapped powers of yours like invisibility to manifest. And if that is the case, you are a danger to yourself and to this school."

Blood rushes from my head as Kassi's words replay themselves, only this time, the ghastly Harbinger usurps the image: he's not what he says he is.

"You're kicking me out?" Nick's voice is without feeling. Even though that's a scenario I should hope for, because it would keep him far away from me, my stomach flips and coils like it harbors venomous snakes.

"Of course not," Talbot answers, and I nearly collapse in relief. "I trust you, Nicholas. I trust what happened in that Combat class is a one-time occurrence, and that you will continue to work diligently on keeping that beast within you under lock and key, as you have done for almost twenty-one years of your life."

"Thank you, Professor. I promise I won't ever let something like that happen again." There's a rustling of footsteps, and I slink around the corner so as not to be caught eavesdropping.

"One more thing, Nicholas," Talbot says. I note a brief pause, and then, "If Ms. Owens is the catalyst for your behavior, then may I suggest you put as much distance between yourself and her as possible. You've come too far to lose everything you've worked so diligently for."

I feel my own unhinged beast trying to claw its way from my chest. Fucking Talbot is telling Nick to stay away from me like I'm the problem? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, though. Hasn't it been the nature of men to blame women for their problems since the dawn of fucking time? Why should modern age be any different?

The door creaks open, and I hear Nick retreat from Talbot's office, thankfully in the opposite direction. I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to hear his response, but perhaps that's for the better. No need to feed my angry beast further.

I wait a few moments before taking a deep breath and approach Professor Talbot's office. His door remains open, and he sits at his large Edwardian desk staring at the Grandfather clock on the wall opposite, his expression a mix of confusion and exhaustion. I clear my throat and tap the door with my knuckles.

He drags his attention to my presence, not in the least bit surprised to see me.

"Come in, Rhi," he says as he straightens in his chair. "Have a seat."

I sit in a brown leather chair across from him.

When I don't speak, Talbot leans back, interlaces his fingers, and places them on his stomach. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Professor. Why do you ask?"

He raises his brows, the gray in his eyes like wisps of smoke. "I'm aware of what transpired earlier. I had planned to speak with you right after I reprimanded Mr. Cervallos."

I resist the urge to scoff. "Oh, you reprimanded him, did you?"

Those gray eyes narrow, darkening to a thundercloud. "Of course, I did."

"Hmm. Will you be reprimanding me, as well? If you know what happened, then you know I almost killed him."

"True, but he provoked you first, did he not? I heard he was quite aggressive with you, something I must say, is completely out of character for him."

I dig my nails into the arms of the chair, forcing my claws to stay put. "Right. Nick has always been such a gentleman. The embodiment of a perfect student, if you ask me. I wonder, what was the catalyst for his change in behavior?"

Talbot's face remains stoic, expressionless, though his eyes darken further, now almost black. He leans forward, steepling his fingers as he rests his elbows on the expansive desk. "Why are you here, Rhi?"

I sit up straighter, pleased that I unruffled him a bit. "I want to see my file."

"Of course," he answers too eagerly, like he can't wait to oblige. "Might I ask why? "

"I just want to see it for myself. Is there some rule against it?"

"No, but if you have questions, I'd like to be able to help you."

"I just want to see my file."

Talbot pauses, as though he might argue, then pushes himself upright and heads toward a filing cabinet on the right wall. He fishes a key from his pocket, unlocks the third drawer and pulls out a manilla folder. He then walks directly over to me and holds it out for my taking.

"Thank you," I say watching his every move as he returns to his desk. Once he sits, I open the folder, my eyes tracking every single word that falls on the pages within it.

I zero in on a single sentence: Blood Type: Scylla; Parentage: Unknown.

I chew on the inside of my cheek as I peruse the rest of my file. It's been updated, that much is clear, now noting my most recent ability of mirror vision, but nowhere does it state that I am anything other than a Scylla.

"What is this really about?"

Lifting my gaze, I find Talbot's intense stare boring into me. I'm fucked because I can't lie, so I have to choose my words carefully .

Just like the time you defended Nick.

I hate my brain right now.

"I'm curious about myself. About these powers. Sometimes it feels like I'm so much more than a Scylla." There. I'm not lying, exactly. Yet, I'm not telling the entire truth, which is the best way to actually lie, blending truth and lies together so discerning one from the other becomes impossible.

Talbot cocks his head and continues to study me. His eyes narrow, and his mouth curls nefariously. "Interesting."

"What?" Cold sweat trickles across the back of my neck.

"I'm unable to tell if you're lying."

What?!

I clamp my mouth closed to keep from dropping my jaw. "It's because I'm not."

His smile widens, but his gray eyes darken to almost black. "I'm not so sure about that." He rises, towering above me menacingly. Of all my other professors, Professor Talbot has been a constant source of reassurance, an unwavering flame. Wilde terrified me the first time I met her, and I hated Cicero almost on sight. Yet now, I can say with utmost confidence that I am fucking frightened of Talbot in this moment.

"You see," he continues, glaring down at me, "my body reacts to a person's speech in the same way yours does. We are flooded with various sensations that give us an inkling to how someone is feeling. In my case, the sensation that discerns truth from lies is simple. The truth is biting, cold. A slap in the face, because sometimes, that's what the truth is. Lies, on the other hand, are fiery and burn. Because, as so often happens, liars are burned by their untruths."

With both palms flat on the desk, Professor Talbot leans forward. The large piece of furniture still creates enough distance between us, but the tension in the air is so oppressive, he might as well be stealing the breath from my lungs. I remain silent, out of fear that anything I say will reveal my uneasiness and dishonesty.

"Do you know what I felt when you just spoke, Rhi?"

I shake my head.

" Nothing. "

"I - I don't understand." I swallow thickly.

Talbot straightens. "Perhaps it is a power of yours you failed to disclose." His tone is completely accusatory, reigniting my anger.

Instead of allowing it to consume me as I did in Combat class, I rein it in and meet Talbot's reproachful stare without cowering .

I lift a shoulder, as though I have no care in the world. "Perhaps you're right, though I was completely unaware of it. You told me once that since I am the first Scylla to appear after the original monster's death, it's impossible to anticipate the extent of my powers, like my ability to regulate my body temperature."

"That ability is curious indeed, but to be able to mask your emotions is…" Talbot cocks his head pensively. "...alarming."

I close the manilla folder. My challenging stare never leaves Talbot's. "Well, as I just confirmed, the only blood that runs through my veins is Scylla's." I stand and toss the folder on his desk. "Perhaps your inability to read me is a problem on your end, not mine." I give Talbot my back after I deliver that last sentence, hopefully getting my point across. I have my hand on the doorknob when his voice rings in my ears.

"I'm not your enemy, Rhi."

I glance over my shoulder. "I hope not, Professor. I have enough as it is."