There was a knock at the door. “Enter,” Capt. Timmons called.
With guards all around him, Dad shuffled into the room. I gasped in horror. He was in shackles. Mom covered her mouth in shock as well. The guards took Dad by the biceps. His legs folded under him and he knelt down. I couldn’t tell if the guards were forcing him to kneel or helping him as he got down on his knees. Damien rose and went to stand over him.
“Well?” he asked with a smirk.
“I’m sorry for striking you with a mop. Please forgive me,” Dad said. His face pointed at the floor.
I wanted to protest again, but my jaw was locked. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I felt like I was dreaming.
Damien turned to look at me. His smile widened. I couldn’t look at him. My eyes dropped to Dad, bowed to the floor. Tears began to burn my eyes.
With an irritated sigh, Damien waved his hand. “Fine. You can let him go.”
“Are you sure, sir?” Capt. Timmons asked. I turned incredulous eyes to the head of security. How could he think my dad deserved this?
“Do I have to repeat myself?” Damien said with an edge of steel to his voice.
“No, sir.”
The guards pulled Dad up and turned him to leave.
“Where are you taking him?” I protested.
“We have to process him out. Mrs. Smith, you may go with them.”
Mom nodded. I moved to follow, but she stopped me. “Go back to class, dear. Everything’s okay.”
“Nothing is okay!”
Mother’s face turned to steel again. “Go back to class.”
I wanted to protest, but she turned her back to me and left the room. I stared at her retreating back. Dad would be okay. Mom would take care of him. I really couldn’t do anything to help and maybe Dad wouldn’t want me around right now. This had been such a crazy mess.
Damien lightly coughed to my left.
I turned and my eyes widened, finding he’d standing beside me. I hadn’t noticed him come closer. I moved back in fear.
“Sarah, could you show Damien to his classroom?” Capt. Timmons asked.
“Can’t one of the guards?” I protested.
Mom and Dad were gone. And by the way Capt. Timmons deferred to Damien, I was practically alone with the psychotic teen. We may have been in the security office, but I feared that if he pulled his knife on me again, no one would lift a finger to stop him. They might even hold me still for him.
“Come on, gorgeous. I promise I won’t bite.” Damien flashed his teeth at me again.
I turned to Capt. Timmons. He mutely stared back at me.
“Really?” I asked him.
Capt. Timmons looked down at the paperwork on his desk. Damien stepped closer to me and whispered into my ear, “We made an agreement. If you play nice, I drop the charges. Your father goes free and even keeps his job. You should thank me.”
My hand shot out and slammed into his face. I’d closed it into a fist this time.
Capt. Timmons leapt up. Damien held up a hand to keep him back. He turned and smiled madly at me again. His lip was split from my punch.
“You’re gonna be fun to break.”
My eyes flew to Capt. Timmons, but he was staring at the top of his desk once again.
Damien grabbed my wrist and strode out of the office. He pulled me along through Security HQ and out to the central courtyard. I tried to shake off his hand, but his grip was too strong.
“Let me go!” I protested.
“No, no, no. We have to go to class. Come along,” Damien said in a sing-song voice.
I continued to struggle but to no avail. I finally looked around in confusion. Damien had dragged me through a side entrance into the gym and science corridor. “What class do you have now?” I asked in confusion.
“What class do you have now?” he countered.
“English.”
“What a coincidence. So do I!”
I somehow doubted that. I pulled on his hand. “Then we should go that way,” I said, indicating the left. The west corridor was where the English and Foreign Language classes were.
Damien paused and peered down the corridor suspiciously. I rolled my eyes and tugged again. “Come on,” I muttered.
I was now in the lead. Damien’s hold seemed to tighten on me more as we continued walking. I was going to have a hand-shaped bruise on my arm.
Second period was more than half over. There wasn’t much point in going in, but if it meant getting rid of Damien, I was bursting in, no matter what.
“Is your teacher Prof. Engler, too?” I asked.
“Yep,” Damien answered. I looked at him. I still thought he was lying, but I didn’t know why he would.
We came to the classroom door. I knocked this time, feeling it was only polite since we were so late.
“Enter,” Prof. Engler called in surprise. I opened the door and suddenly found myself flying in from the push Damien gave me. I fell over a desk.
“Hey!” the girl sitting there protested.
I pushed myself upright. “Sorry,” I apologized in embarrassment, but then I realized Damien had let me go. I was free of him. I stood up in relief and bowed to Prof. Engler. “Sorry for being late, professor.”
“And why are you?” she asked. She sounded a touch cross, which made me wince. Prof. Engler was one of the few instructors I honestly liked. She was a little forgetful and scatterbrained, but she’d always had a smile and a greeting for me and my parents. Most of the faculty pretended we didn’t exist when they didn’t need something from us.
I suddenly found Damien’s arm around my neck. “We were making out,” he said and then licked my cheek.
I pushed him away with a wordless shout of revulsion. He stumbled back with that maniacal grin back on his face.
He was insane. Certifiably insane. Why wasn’t he institutionalized? Surely money couldn’t cover up all of this? The room had erupted into giggles at his antics. I turned and looked around. A few of the guys were slapping each other on the arm and pointing at my chest. I looked down and recalled the button Damien had cut off it. The front of my bra peeked through. I pulled my blazer closed to hide it.
“Students, settle down. Mr. West, Ms. Smith, please take seats for what is left of the class.”
My face blazing hot, I went to an empty seat and huddled in it. Desks were in pairs. The other desk had a girl with glasses. She looked harmless and only gave me an embarrassed glance. Damien came over and pulled her chair out from under her. She fell to the floor with a squeak. It was lucky she didn’t crack her head on the desk when she went down.
I jumped up in shock. “What the hell is your problem?” I shouted at Damien. The girl picked herself up and backed away from us.
“Ms. Smith, please sit down,” Prof. Engler ordered.
I turned in disbelief to her. She had to have seen what Damien had just done. Damien turned the chair around and straddled it. He reached back and pulled my chair under me. “Sit, Sarah. Prof. Engler wishes to continue class.”
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