Page 20 of Nocturne

Dealing with this gently is going to be tricky. I just know it.

“I’m sorry, but as the professor, I need to ask. Are you perhaps interested in Molecular Genetics?”

A beat passes by, and he looks at me without a change in his expression.

“No.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Listening,”

“Listening to what?”

“Classes.”

“So you are interested in Genetics?” I ask, always the eager rabbit when it comes to my subject

“No.”

I have to resist an inane urge to slap my forehead at his answers.

“I’m afraid I need to ask you to stop this. Even if you are an enrolled student, you need to pass a test to sit in this class.” I say it in my most gentlest tone.

I think it does nothing. I see a flicker of something pass in those beautiful yet dead eyes before he pushes his hands into his pockets. His expensive watch catches the light.

“No.” He declares before he turns towards the door, clearly dismissing me and this conversation

“I wouldn’t ever speak of what I saw, Mr Devlin,” I say to his back.

He halts but doesn’t turn.

“I’m just saying because if you are here, trying to see if I’d be foolish enough to talk about what happened in the warehouse, I want to save you time.”

I don’t see any other reason than that for him to lurk around. It only confuses me further when he doesn’t even turn around as a response. Just slowly walks towards the door. My eyes snap to the hand that’s inside his pocket, the same hand that I shot at. Against my better judgment, I open my stupid mouth.

“How’s your hand?”

I don’t expect any reply. But he shocks me when he stills, his head turns a little to the side

“Better than the sandwich.”

* * *

“So, itisyou.”

A startled scream escapes my mouth as I jump back from the sudden voice to my right, cutting off into a squeak when I spot another grim reaper from that fateful night, chuckling at my reaction.

If I recall right, Eero is his name. He stands in the parking lot, his eyes covered in sunglasses as he tilts his head and gauges me.

“Excuse me?”

He is wearing a fashionably loose dark blue shirt with the top three buttons undone and tucked into his grey pants. He melts into the students with his easygoing smile and young looks, but I know him. Enough that he is nothing like the harmless hand-surrendering gesture he gives me.

Those same hands killed all those men, and he spoke about fun while doing so. Why is he here? Oh god, did I somehow offend his boss, and now he has ordered my kill?

Maybe he could see the fear on my face. Instead of consoling, the man laughs, the sound reverberating from his chest.

“Relax, love. I won’t harm you.”

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