The Otherling Read online

  Chapter Six

  Sebastian and Annaleah

  The teacher's quarters were separated into two main wings, one for the male faculty, and the other for the female. The apartments in each were set in accordance of tenure, with the faculty having been there the longest and held in the greatest esteem receiving the more spacious apartments on the top floor. The building was used mostly for those teachers who wanted to be close to their classrooms and worked overtime during the school year, but was occasionally used as full time residences. Annaleah wondered where Professor Bainbridge's apartment would be. Guessing that he held a higher tenure, she headed for the top floor of the male teacher's wing, holding her breath most of the way. She didn't even know what she was going to say. Would he still be angry? Would he resent her even trying to talk to him?

  She paused in the hallway and closed her eyes, trying to stop the furious beating of her heart. Why was she so frightened by him? What did she think he was going to do, throw her out of a window? Really, if he did get angry with her, was that truly so terrible? It would reflect badly on him, not her. True, classes would be difficult to teach in such a situation, but there was nothing he could do that warranted such dread in her.

  Taking a deep breath, Annaleah opened her eyes, and almost fell against the wall in shock. Standing before her, dressed impeccably in a black suit with dark blue piping stood Professor Bainbridge. He was looking at her with one of his eyebrows cocked and his lips drawn together. His gaze seemed to wash over her as he peered at her, a slow steady energy that radiated curiosity. He obviously hadn’t expected to see her here.

  Fighting for composure, Annaleah stood as tall as she could, upset at herself for having been caught off guard. "I'm sorry Professor Bainbridge; I didn't see or hear you arrive. I was just looking for you. I was wondering if we could have a word."

  "Forgive me for spoiling your reverie," the Professor said in his low, smooth voice. "I didn't mean to startle you." His face remained stoic and his voice calm. Neither of them moved for a moment, each regarding the other. "I was just going to my quarters, Miss Grace. We can have a word in there."

  Once again, he seemed to glide as he moved, his steps graceful and fluid. The breath Annaleah was unaware she had been holding left her body in a whoosh as he stopped beside her to unlock a door. He led her inside his apartment, and Annaleah took a moment to look around. The energy within his apartment was powerful and masculine, without a hint of a womanly touch. It was all beautiful and meticulously maintained.

  The wallpaper was gorgeous, boasting a shiny black background with silver embossed fluer-de-lis patterns. Several classical paintings were hung on his wall, and she recognized The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli. It was her all-time favorite painting, in fact, she had done her High School final on it for her Humanities class. She was a bit surprised to see her favorite painting in his apartment, and found herself gasping at the coincidence.

  Annaleah wondered briefly if she should comment on the painting, and decided against it when she saw Sebastian looking at her with a sour expression. Time to get on with it.

  “Before we begin, please, have a seat.” He said politely, gesturing at a beautiful cobalt blue wing back chair.

  After Annaleah seated herself, he too sat, steepling his fingers and looking at her.

  After settling into the chair, she tried not to fiddle nervously. She told herself to breathe normally, and to look him in the eye so he would not see she felt like a ten-year-old girl being sent to the principal’s office.

  She met his gaze. His eyes studied her as if he was and insect he was trying to pin down on a display board. It was as if he were trying to make her submit to him.

  She had to admit that although beautiful, his eyes were also radiating a quiet sense of power, a pulsing energy that permeated everything in the room. Growing and building on itself, it made her feel slightly drunk, even hypnotized, as if she were disassociating from herself. She began to feel even more strange, as an odd pressure began to build up in the center of her forehead, where her third eye was supposed to be located. It wasn’t a normal tension headache, the pressure felt more like someone was trying to probe into her thoughts, as if he was trying to control her. The thought that he may not even be human entered her mind. How else could he be doing this?

  Subtly, Annaleah began to shield herself with a protective bubble of white light, but she found that maintaining the bubble while meeting the professor’s gaze was more than she could do. Instead, she gently sent out her own energy, probing him to sense his intentions. She was met with his own protective shield, though her intuition told her he meant her no true harm. Perhaps he was just as intimidated as she was? Maybe he was showing off for her.

  She looked away, breaking eye contact. She knew she was showing him that she was intimidated by him, which she hated, but she was unable to help herself. Even looking away from him she still felt slightly hypnotized. The feeling grew until she felt slightly woozy, as if the room had begun to spin.

  Was he bewitching her? If so, he was more versed in occultism than she had thought. Should she reach inside the collar of her shirt and grab her pentacle? Maybe whisper a counter enchantment under her breath? No, she decided, she could counter his actions later, but here she couldn’t let on she knew what he was doing. It would let him know she was on to him, and then he would likely try to intensify his effect.

  Steeling herself to look at him once more, she noticed he had lowered the intensity of his eyes somewhat, though the mesmerizing, powerful energy was still there. His eyes were the darkest eyes she had ever seen. Looking into them, she almost forgot why she was there. It was as if something had taken over, and all that existed were his deep brown, almost black eyes.

  "I hope you don’t take offense Miss Grace, but I find it rather bold of you to come seeking me, and in my personal quarters at that. Please, tell me why you have come."

  So, Annaleah thought, he wasn't going to call her by her first name. Was this a sign of respect, or just a way to distance himself from her so he could intimidate her? Quickly, she took a brief moment to call to her Mother Goddess for protection, and for guidance to help her say the right things. She also called out to her higher self to guide her through this meeting.

  After a deep sigh, Annaleah said, "I have come to ask you to give me a chance to show you that I am worthy of teaching beside you, and also worthy of your respect. I may only be a few years older than most of your students, but I assure you I have unique credentials on the subjects that we'll be teaching together. I don’t want either of us to start the year off on a bad note, or with animosity between us. I feel it would be harmful to our student's ability to learn." Annaleah found these words coming from her lips, but it was almost as if she were listening to herself from somewhere far off. She felt mildly sleepy and a somewhat disassociated, but at the same time, she was feeling more confident about herself and what she had to say to the man before her. Curious indeed.

  "I promise you I’m not here to take over your class," she continued. "I understand you have been teaching here for quite some time and are a respected member of the faculty. It is my hope that I can gain your trust, and that we can find a manner of teaching together which suits us both and which the students find conducive to their learning. I will not presume that we will become friends, but I would like for us to try to make each other feel as comfortable as possible in the classroom, so that the students have the best learning atmosphere."

  The silence that followed Annaleah's words seemed to go on forever and the air around her seemed to grow thicker and charged with an energy she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was almost as if it was touching her, undulating and pulsing, trying to throw her off balance. It felt like it were trying to pull her energy up and out of her, and in order to gain it back, she had to follow it. She felt a strong sensation that she wasn’t wanted here, that she was invading his space and privacy. The feeling was urgent and insistent, and it made her heart beat too quickly
in her chest. What in the world, she wondered? Was he trying to hypnotize her with his eyes and make her feel as if she needed to run?

  She continued to look into the professor's eyes, even though she was fairly certain that they were the source of the strange energy. He sat motionless, staring at her. His expression was hard to read, his eyes fathomless and deep. Were she not so uncomfortable in this moment, she might have lost herself in their depths. She realized that even though she felt strange and off kilter gazing into his eyes, she didn’t want to stop. His eyes were gorgeous and captivating. She felt drawn by them, wanting to swim in them as if they were twin oceans she wanted to drown in.

  After what seemed to be quite a long time, the professor said, "Miss Grace, what do you know about coming of age rituals in other religious cultures?"

  The question caught her off guard, and she was slightly flustered. Though she knew a little about the subject, it wasn’t something she was well versed on, and she couldn’t find anything to say, which embarrassed her.

  Before she could answer, the professor reached for a book and handed it to her.

  "I suggest you do some light reading before classes begin. Out of respect for your coming to me, despite your obvious discomfort, I will tell you that this is where I plan on starting my class." He paused for a moment, and cleared his throat. "Our class. Now, if you will excuse me Miss Grace, I have some things which I must attend to."

  Annaleah took the book and rose to her feet, grateful this meeting was at an end. As she walked to the door, she heard him speak behind her. "As for respect, I feel it is a thing which is best earned, on both of our parts.”

  Annaleah felt him close behind her as he walked her to the door, his presence so palpable it overwhelmed her senses. Though he stood behind her now, the feeling of conflicting energies still washed over her. It was almost as though he were trying to seduce her, but behind that it was something deeply secret, as if he was trying to hide something about himself from her. Though he didn’t make any overtures at her, the energy was slightly sexual, as if he exuded sexual power. Maybe that was her own imagination though. Mixed in with all of that was the dizzying sense of being bewitched, toyed with and then discarded.

  If a person could feel another's energy tangibly through the flesh, she felt sure that this man's energy would be the sort that could seep deeply into her skin, burrowing all the way to her soul. It was slightly sexual, though he didn’t make any overtures at her, it felt as if he exuded sexual power. Maybe that was her own imagining though, as even though he remained rather professional and aloof, she felt strongly drawn to him. She could almost feel him on her skin, hot and dangerous.

  As soon as she reached the door and crossed the threshold, she was relieved to find the air felt easier to breathe.

  “I bid you good day Miss Grace,” he said from behind her as he began to close the door. When she was alone in the hallway, she had to fight all her senses not to run for her life. Thunder echoed in her heart as it galloped in her chest. Her breath came too quickly, and she hoped she wasn’t on the verge of a panic attack.

  What had really happened in there?

  Holding the book in her hands, Annaleah walked down the hallway, feeling as if she were a little girl coming out the dragon's cave, having barely survived. Was she going crazy? He had done nothing to threaten her, yet the energy of his eyes still followed her. She still felt lightly intoxicated, the intimidation he focused on her now began to make her skin crawl.

  Trembling slightly, she exited the building, and found herself fighting tears. She was angry that she had been so afraid. Angry that she had let him make her feel so small and insubstantial. Angry that she had let him dominate her. Yet beneath the anger, a subtle thread of pride wove itself around the rage, a small voice within her told her that she should feel proud; at least she had been brave enough to take the initiative to go see him. She was sure not many people would have done that. The emotions fought with each other within her, further confusing her and making her want to cry all the more.

  She knew she was going to have to work hard to gain his respect, but for now she had to focus on regaining herself. Still fighting off frustrated tears, she fished a pair of oversized, dark lensed sunglasses out of purse and put them on and began to make her way home.

  Chapter Seven

  After the Meeting

  Outside the campus, Annaleah felt herself coming back to herself. The trees reached out toward the sky, lush and beautiful. She breathed in their scent, letting the power of nature restore her.

  After a few more calming, fortifying breaths, Annaleah took her cellphone from an outer pocket of her purse, and speed dialed Seth. A few rings later, she heard the call connect and instantly felt better.

  "Saint Annaleah!" He said cheerfully, "How did it go?"

  "I’m not really sure," She told him. "I mean, he wasn't outright rude or mean to me or anything like that. In fact, he gave me a book to read to give me a heads up on our first class on Monday." Annaleah felt a knot begin to wind through her stomach, as she recalled the uncomfortable situation with the professor only moments ago. What would the first class be like, she wondered? Though she was excited to be in her dream job at the university, she also dreaded being under the control of his powerful energies.

  "Well, that’s wonderful, sounds like you got through to him. So why is it you sound upset, and why are you unsure as to whether or not it went well?" he asked.

  Being a student of occultism I almost want to say he has some sort of bewitchment going on.” She told him.

  “Even though it made me uncomfortable to look him in the eyes I found myself wanting to do just that, even if it was just to assert that I was his equal. Yet, when I did, I found myself saying what I needed to say, but…” Annaleah was beginning to get flustered again, not knowing what to say. Had the professor done that to her too?

  Annaleah took the phone from her ear and held it out from her, as she tried to find the right words.

  Taking another breath, Annaleah brought the phone back to her ear.

  “Sorry about that Seth, but this situation has really discombobulated me. It was as if politeness was at extreme odds to the energy he was giving off, it totally confused me.”

  “It’s alright Annaleah. I brought your lunch home for you. Meet me at your house and you can talk to both me and Uncle John.”

  “Okay, I’m on my way home right now. See you in a few minutes.”

  Annaleah ended the call and returned her cellphone to her purse as she tried to better understand what had happened between her and the professor. He was a teacher of World Religions, which meant that he would have had to study a bit of mysticism and the occult here and there. He had already shown he had more knowledge than she had thought, given the way that he had impregnated the energy of the room. Maybe he had done some sort of spell, or at least had warded his home against people he didn't want there. That had to be it, wards were known to work that way. His home was his sacred space, and if she had made him feel that she had violated his space, then the ward would have acted to make her feel as uncomfortable as possible so that she would leave. What of his eyes then? She had never heard of anyone warding their eyes before. The warding of his home made sense, but it was something more than that. It was something that she had never come across before, and she planned to find out what it was.

  After her talk with Seth and Uncle John, she planned on doing some reading. Maybe it was time to do a spell of her own. Though she was not altogether lacking in confidence now, she still felt like a small girl when she was around Professor Bainbridge, so she decided to look for another sort of spell. Perhaps she needed to do a deep cleansing from his energy, and then surround herself in a protective bubble of white light.

  Reaching inside her shirt, she lifted the small silver pentacle that hung on a silver chain and brought it to her lips. “Mother, Maiden and Crone, be with me. Help me find the answers which I seek.” She whispered these words very softly, more said
inside her own head than out loud. She had met enigmatic people before, but this professor was something entirely different.

  A small voice inside her whispered to her quietly, but firmly, “Be careful, Annaleah, you could be playing with fire. Watch yourself.”

  Chapter Eight

  Home Again

  Annaleah shook her head, surprised and off put with the firmness of the voice. Fire, she mused? Her heart sank in her chest as she lowered her head, feeling deflated. This was not the sort of news she wanted to hear from her spiritual guides. Was it fire from the professor himself, from the situation of teaching with him, or something completely different she hadn’t considered yet? Her intuition said it was the professor, and it was yet another disconcerting blow added to the events of the day. “Oh Goddess, please, don’t let me have made things worse.” She prayed in earnest, her head still lowered. Tears threatened to flow, but she blinked them back, taking a deep breath and using all the willpower she could muster.

  As confused and upset as she was, she knew one thing for sure. She never wanted to feel the way she had felt in his apartment ever again. If she could dig up enough on him to understand why he was the way he was, then she would be the one in the position of power. Not that she would make him squirm the way he had made her squirm, but at least she wouldn’t feel as if she were some tacky little girl he had been forced to endure.

  Rounding the last corner to her home, she held her head up, the tears now replaced by her own inner strength.

  After reaching her home and hugging Uncle John and greeting Seth, Annaleah took a seat at the kitchen table with the two people she cared for the most in the world.

  “Seth here tells me you had quite a time with your co-teacher, Annaleah,” Uncle John said. “I can’t imagine why he would be cruel to someone as beautiful and sweet as you.” His green eyes smiled as much as his lips, radiating with the love he felt for her.