"Miss Lucius, this is unacceptable. I actually thought you have come up with something reasonable, but this... Is this a joke to you?" Mr. Silas' voice boomed in the office. It was the next morning and Alita had returned to his office to get his response on the topics she presented the previous day. She was highly taken aback by his response. She now fully believed that the man was hellbent on frustrating her and that he was doing this on purpose.
"What is wrong with the topics?" She yelled at him, losing her patience as the shock immediately turned into anger and the anger in her surged to a height she didn't expect. She had never yelled at any lecturer because she had always told herself to keep her head low and graduate in peace. She had tried as much as possible to avoid calling or attracting trouble to herself, just as she had been instructed. But it seemed that trouble doesn't want to stay away from her. What had she done to this man that he was riling her up to this extent? Had they met before and she didn't remember? She doubted it. Though he had been teaching in this institution since she got admitted, she had never crossed paths with him. This was the very first time she encountered him so what exactly was his problem?
"Did you just yell at me?" Mr. Silas' angry voice rang out. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her like he would swallow her up at that moment. The look in his eyes annoyed Alita and for a second, the thought of just killing him off crossed her mind. However, she quickly discarded the thought. She was no mindless killer who killed without a solid reason. Yes, she had done exactly that – killed mindlessly and without reason – years ago when her powers just activated. Though not intentional as her body naturally reacts negatively to vampires, she had learned to control it as time passed. Now, she was no longer that person and it was hard to kill without a solid reason. 'But isn't this a solid reason to kill this wicked man sitting before her?' She asked herself. She finally dropped the thought, deciding it was time to involve the school authority in the issue.
"I'm... I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to... I'm just..." She struggled to form a proper sentence due to her raging emotions. "I don't understand why you are rejecting these topics. At least one of them should be up to your standard." She argued, hoping against hope that he would see reason with her. How can he reject all three topics? What does he want exactly?
"You can't teach me my job, miss Lucius. I have been lecturing for years before you were born, so you don't tell me which topic I should accept and which one I shouldn't." He lashed out. "Now..." He picked up her file, "...take this trash out of my office and don't return until you have something reasonable to present." He threw the file to the edge of the table closer to her.
Alita shot a fierce glare at him as she willed herself to move her legs. She reached out to collect her file and clenched her fist when the urge to grab the lecturer and end his miserable life came strongly at her again. In a hurry, she left the office before she would do something she would regret.
Her day had been ruined once again. She had gone there with high optimism, hoping that she would receive a positive response and start her project. But her hopes had been dashed once again and now, she was convinced that he would keep rejecting her topics for no tangible reason no matter how many she brings to him.
Throughout that day, Alita's foul mood didn't dissipate. She needed someone to talk to and at the same time, she wanted to be alone. To her surprise, she managed to sit through all her classes. By the time she was done for the day, she texted Kayla – who had left lots of messages for her – telling her that she would be going home immediately. Once the message was sent, she wanted to drop the phone, but she decided to send the reason for her decision because Kayla would not be satisfied until she knew. When that was done, she threw the phone into her bag and went to her house.
"You look troubled." Axel's voice jolted Alita from her thoughts a few hours later. She had been so lost in thoughts, she didn't realize that someone else was present in the room. Her face contorted in anger and she turned to the direction where the voice came from, ready to lash out. What greeted her sight, however, stole all the words from her mouth.
Drop-dead gorgeous couldn't quite describe how he looked in the black tux he was wearing. It felt to her as if she had never truly known the meaning of handsome because all the men she had considered to be handsome would look miserable if they were put side by side with this heavenly creature standing before her. He was the true definition of 'beautifully handsome'. His black hair was sleekly combed back, putting his perfectly carved face on display. His head was slightly tilted to the side as his honey eyes regarded her.
"Are you okay?" His melodious voice rang out, forcing her to tear her eyes off him before she literally starts to drool. It wouldn't look good on her. She would just die of embarrassment if that actually happened.
"I'm fine. You startled me. What happened to using the door?" She asked, annoyed.
"I did knock severally, but you didn't respond so I had to come to check if you were alright," Axel answered, still observing her. "You don't look alright. What's troubling you?" He asked.
"Nothing you should trouble yourself over," Alita answered and stood up. If not for him showing up, she had forgotten that she promised to have dinner with him. Mr. Silas' had ensured that she thought about nothing else but him and his trouble the entire day.
"You can tell me, Alita." He urged and took one step toward her.
At that same moment, a knock on the door echoed throughout the room.
Authors note: Mini mass release tomorrow. Don't forget to vote and leave comments