"Go inside." Jude said, before he walked toward the group of guys. It didn't sound like a question but a command, so I could only do what I had to do. Going through the school gate, I turned and walked along the wall to the spot where the group stood outside. Now parted only by the wall, I could hear what they were talking about.
"So you really got her into your bed?" Student A laughed.
"You were the one setting Berny on fire." I recognized the voice of the student who was hit yesterday, Adam. He spoke sure of it, albeit seemingly nervous about saying it to Jude's face.
"That was a shit move, bro; Berny's scarred for life." Student B said with a chuckle, clearly finding the situation fun.
"No, what really was a shit move was hiding like a little girl, getting us implicated." This voice was from one of the two boys who had lighters on them when the fire happened.
"She must have wrung you satisfactorily if you go crazy just cause someone talks about her." Student C said.
I know boys are boys and talk like imbeciles sometimes, but as the topic of their conversation, I wouldn't mind Jude or whoever going violent with them again. I remember their faces, and although I can't really put the voices together with the names, I will deduct their points and figure something out to make them cry endlessly in my lessons.
Teenage boys are the worst, only topped by teenage girls.
"So what if she has? What has it got to do with you?" Jude said languidly, making me raise my eyebrows.
He won't be so deranged as to go and show off with a non-existent affair, would he? If he did, then this little mother-and-son play would be over immediately.
"It got to do with us, the moment we were interrogated and looked at like some criminals!" The lighter owner yelled, clearly enraged by Jude's attitude.
"Aren't you?" Jude's voice was still the calmness itself.
"What?!" There was a rustle after the lighter owner spoke.
"What does that mean?" Adam asked incredulously.
"It wasn't me who set a student on fire; naturally, you were treated as a criminal with a lighter on you. I wasn't even near Bernard when it happened." Jude continued,
"So aren't you the criminals?"
"Wait what? It was you!" The lighter owner paused and then got even louder.
There was a dark chuckle,
"It wasn't me. I would never do such a thing. Instead, I would just punch whoever got me angry."
I felt chills on my back at how smoothly Jude lied, but more importantly, I was relieved that he was so good at it.
"But both times.... it was because of the teacher...." Adam stammered, unsure what to believe.
"I wanted to punch Berny too, but then he caught fire. Can't punch a burning man, can I?" Even I felt somewhat convinced.
"Don't talk yourself out of this; you fuck that blonde bitch and are going nuts because of a bunch of jokes about her." The lighter guy sounded as if he lit a cigarette and took a puff, probably to calm himself.
There was a cold laugh,
"Yeah. I fuck my teacher and then drive in her car to school cause we are both tired of living."
After a pause, Jude began again.
"She is the new woman of my father. He got her the job here to watch over me. Insult her, and you get a punch from me, or, my father going to your parents to talk about it. Choose one."
"Fuck, I prefer a punch then, haha." Student D said laughing.
"Oooh. Sorry for talking shit man." Adam gave in immediately.
A few others also said they understood, and it seemed that this was over. Although the lighter owner still tried to fawn the flames, he was soon going silent, given that Jude had somehow won the rest over.
I was ready to leave, happy that Jude had held his word and hadn't gone punching people again, although they really deserved it. On the other side, it seemed that his acting out yesterday was really planned to have me stay, trying to get me to develop some more of the strange protective instinct I had for him.
Taking a step away, I still halted when I heard someone question Jude.
"So there is really nothing between you and the teacher?"
After a brief moment's silence, Jude laughed again, but it didn't sound as if he had fun; his deep bass voice was taking on a jarring note.
"Wouldn't that be disgusting?"
**********
The Dunken family had reached out to me. They sent me pictures, and when I saw them, I thought they were showing Liliana, your sister.
So similar. So similar. But not identical at all.
While Liliana showed outsiders a smile easily, the girl in the pictures didn't smile. When Liliana always looked perfect, the girl wore a shabby sports suit. Liliana's eyes either shone brightly, making her look like an angel, or were coated in malice and glee; these girls' eyes were clear and rather uninterested in their surroundings.
It was her. The child I had taken to the forest, she was alive.
I have never felt such a relief in my whole life.
I was not a murderer.
She was alive.
The connection to the Dunken family was easily discovered. There was none. Instead, the cousin of Mr. Dunken had worked for my mother, and it seemed she told her own family about the pictures I had left in my old childhood room until they were shown to my now deceased wife, maybe even keeping a few.
They thought they had found out my preference, and after the death of my wife, they sent her pictures to me to get my goodwill (money) in return.
I had long thought about what to do and have sent people to monitor Lesly, but I can't get her out of my head.
Had she really never done what I have done, passing the pain? She was just a normal teacher? Can something that has grown out of you or your sister's ugly genes really bloom so innocently?
I want to see myself.
If she is really innocent, maybe she would make a better candidate for the Lennister heritage than the black-eyed kid would.
Perhaps she can save him from his own ugly genes as well.