The Phantom Crystal

Professor Winters

"Well, good morning, everyone," Ian greets, his bassy voice projecting just fine through the amplified space. "I hope everyone enjoyed their winter break. And seeing that many of you have shown up for class, it wasn't too harsh on any of you." Ian folds his hands behind his back as he paces a few steps. "And since I know that this is the first class of the day for many of you, let me welcome all of you to 'Paranormal 101'. I am your professor, Ian Winters. I have spent a good portion of my life researching the paranormal and supernatural. Doing my best to help answer any unexplained phenomenon and see if what we are dealing with are actually paranormal findings or merely something that science can explain away." Ian pulls out a small black remote and points it at the screen behind him, a PowerPoint with the words 'Paranormal 101' written across it in large block letters. Ian smiles at us. "While I don't expect all of you to be believers in the line of work that I do, I do expect all of you to be open-minded while also skeptical." Ian shrugs. "Honestly, if you don't believe in this line of work and won't even try to understand it, I don't know why you bothered to take this class. You're not going to gain anything from this class and I can already tell you that you're not going to be receiving an easy A in this class. And if you can't handle that, then I suggest you leave now." Ian pauses and I duck my head as his eyes sweep across all of us. Nobody stands.

Ian nods and changes the slide. 

"Good, now, participation is going to be a key chunk of your grade, which will mostly consist of all of you watching videos that I send you via D2L. A 1-page essay, double spaced, 12 point font in Times New Roman will be expected to be turned in by the next class period. You can turn it in through the dropbox or you can turn in a physical copy at the start of class. All you have to do is bring it up to this podium here and lay it on there, face down. I don't take late work unless discussed beforehand or I have a doctor's note, so don't think that 'Oh, I'll just do it all at the end of the semester and turn all of them in.'" Ian shakes his head. "Nope, not gonna work in this level 100 class. Your bosses in the real world are going to expect you to turn all of your work in on time, and so will I." Ian turns toward his PowerPoint and clicks to the next slide. 'Attendance' is written in large bold blue letters and is the only thing on the slide.

"Now, attendance. I understand that this is rather an early class, heck, it's even early for me," Ian says, shrugging with a smirk. "I chugged a large coffee before coming down here and I plan on buying another one right after this class today. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a night owl. Always have, always will be. However, all of you signed up for this class, all of you are PAYING for this class. If I can make it in, then so can all of you. Attendance will affect your grade. You miss more than three classes without a note or my okay to do so, then don't expect to get anything higher than a C in this class. Dedication is very important in this line of work. If you're not dedicated, then how do you expect people to take you seriously? Spoiler, they won't," Ian states flatly. "I do, however, understand that sick days and mental days are needed. But at least email me BEFORE class starts that you won't be here. I don't care if it's 3 am in the morning. 9 times out of 10, I'm still awake and I will see the email. I might not respond, but I will see it. After 3 absences, I will ask for you to bring me a doctor's note the next time you're in class. Prove to me that you're taking this seriously and I will also take you seriously. College is hard. Life, in general, is hard. You need a day to yourself? Very well. Mental health is just as important as physical health. And if you think that you might need a little more help with that? I am more than willing to provide resources for you. But you've got to reach out to me. I'm not a mindreader."

I snort softly to myself as I jot the rules down. He could have fooled me. Ian always seems to know what to say and what Rae or I want before we even say it. It really does seem like he has some sort of mind-reading powers, or Ian is just REALLY good about reading people. I twirl my pen as I look back up just as Ian grabs his tablet.

"I will verbally take attendance 5 minutes into each class session, all I need from you is a lifted hand or a verbal 'Here'. Nothing more, nothing less. If I know that you won't be here there, I will merely skip your name, so if you do end up showing for class for any reason, just come up to me afterward and I'll fix it. Now, let's test it," Ian states, tapping away on his tablet.

I slide down in my seat as Ian starts reading off names. Oh no. My name is going to be right near the top. I really, really hope he just brushes it off like and doesn't do something to embarrass me. He's worse than Dad was at my sporting events as if he thrives off of embarrassing me and Rae at all times. I mean, he doesn't have his own kids to embarrass, so I guess we're the next best thing.

The moment Ian pauses in speaking I know that he's reached my name. Instantly, Ian lifts his eyes, a slow smirk forming on his lips, which only widens when his gaze lands on me. 

"Jack Baggins," Ian says out loud, mirth dancing in his tone causing me to wince. I slowly lift my hand, smiling weakly as a few students suddenly start whispering to one another, shooting me glances over their shoulders. Ian c***s his hip out to the side, his gaze never leaving mine. He taps on his tablet without looking before continuing on to the next name. 

I feel Olivia's eyes on me as I pull my hat further down. Ugh. Why? Why did he have to make it so weird? Ian could have just read my name like everyone else's, but no, he had to make it weird, and now everyone is talking. Movement to my right catches my attention and I glance at Olivia. She at some point took out her textbook and is now pointing at the cover, her eyes questioning. My eyes land on what she's pointing at. The authors' names. I wince.

Skip and Ken Baggins. 

We're using one of my parents' textbooks that they have written. 'Understanding the Paranormal and the Supernatural', volume 4. The most updated version to date. A book I already have.

Lifting my gaze, I make eye contact with Olivia.

"Olivia Griffin?"

"Here," she says out loud before mouthing; 'Parents?' 

I nod weakly and an astonished look crosses Olivia's face as she stares down at the textbook. My gaze quickly returns to Ian as I suddenly shiver. Huffing, I pull my jacket back on, leaving my arms free as I wait for Ian to continue his introduction to the course. I have a feeling after this PowerPoint, Ian is just going to let us go.

Ian claps his hands causing me to jump and my jacket nearly falls off my shoulders. He points the remote over his shoulder and moves onto the next slide. Ian beams at all of us, his eyes flickering up to me briefly.

"Well, I have a feeling this is going to be the first and last time that everyone showed up to class. So, I'm going to savor it a little bit right now." Ian rests his hip against his desk. "Now, I'm going to require all of you to get 2 textbooks for this course. 'Understanding the Paranormal and the Supernatural' by Skip and Ken Baggins, the fourth volume." Ian's eyes land on me as he speaks. "The Baggins are the leading forces in the paranormal investigations. They have debunked and proven some of the toughest cases that even the leading scientists couldn't prove, all the while USING science to back up their evidence. This will be the main textbook that we use in this course and one that I want you to always have on hand for class. I will permit digital copies but please only use your laptops or tablets for your textbook and not for anything else. You'll have before class and after class for the personal use of your devices." Ian finally drops his gaze from me and looks back over at the PowerPoint. "Now, for the second book, I want you to get by next week is 'Paranormal Myths and Legends' by L.E. Warren. This is a book that you will most certainly need for your end-of-the-semester project. The project will be outlined in your syllabus, which you can find on D2L, but you will choose one of these myths or legends and I want you to write a 5-page essay on it while using this textbook and two other sources to explain whether or not that myth or legend could have, or does, exist. This book is quite popular, so let me know if you have difficulty locating it. I will start going into some of the contents on Wednesday but it won't require you to need the book just yet. So use your upcoming 3-day weekend to get it."

Again, I already owned this book. Well, I didn't, but my parents did. They were nice enough for me to borrow their copy but I'm not allowed to highlight inside of it. Maybe I'll just purchase my own copy before the end of the semester so that I can have a copy to write in for my final project. I draw a little snowflake on my paper, biting my lip as another shiver courses through me. I haven't read 'Paranormal Myths and Legends' in a long time, probably since middle school so I might spend tonight before bed reading some of the chapters. I pause in my doodling as Ian turns to the last slide.

"And here is all of my information," Ian states, crossing his arms. "You can find all of this on the syllabus, but honestly, don't know how many of you are actually going to read it until the final project, so I might as well have all of you write it down on your first page of notes. I am most likely going to respond to an email much faster than I am a voicemail, so I'd recommend trying email first, then if I don't respond within 24 hours, try my office landline." Ian waves a general hand toward the PowerPoint. "This is my only class on Fridays, so usually, I'm gone about three hours after this class ends. So, if you absolutely need to talk to me on a Friday but you can't do so during that timeframe, please contact me and I will see what I can do. I spend most of my weekends doing investigations down in the cities or out of state, so please be patient with my responses during that time." 

My sister's godfather pauses in his speech as the sound of scratching on paper fills the room. I place my pen down and glance down at Ian. My heart leaps into my throat as I realize that Ian has been staring at me. He lifts an eyebrow at me and I smile weakly, shrugging. A smile reaches his own lips as Ian turns away.

"All right, so the only homework I'm giving all of you today is to order these textbooks if you haven't already. Do any of you have any questions for me?"

Silence resounds across the room and I nearly snicker out loud. Honestly. Ian should know better than to ask such an open-ended question. Ian waits for another beat before laughing. 

"All right, all right, I get it. It's early and all of you have other classes to get to, so off you go," Ian dismisses, waving his hand as he walks back over to his briefcase. 

Instantly, the room is filled with murmurs and shuffling papers and fabrics as everyone starts packing up. My shoulders slump as I quickly shove my notebook back into my bag, just dropping my pen into its dark depths. Many students are already standing and exiting the room. Olivia is also shoving her own items back into her own bag. She turns toward me.

"So, do you want--"

"Jack, would you come down here for a second?" Ian suddenly calls out. My heart sinks to my stomach as I glance from Ian to Olivia.

Olivia smiles. 

"Go on. I'll wait for you outside."

Nodding, I shoulder my bag and slowly work my way to the front. A couple of my fellow classmates shoot me a look as I pass but otherwise continue on their way out. I wet my lips as I walk, my stomach rolls as I reach Ian's desk. The older male's ice blue eyes watch me the entire way, lounging easily on the tall chair resting behind the desk. I pause within arm's length of Ian and he smirks at me.

"What? Afraid I'm gonna bite?" Ian teases, twisting in his chair to grab his briefcase. "There's no reason to be so tense, Jackie. I just wanted to chat quickly before you left for your next class."

I chuckle, rubbing my palm on my pants. 

"Oh, uh, actually you're my only morning class today and my only class on Friday. I was just gonna head back to my friend's dorm so that she could talk with her girlfriend before we grabbed some lunch."

"I see, got that easy schedule, huh?" Ian asks, a smirk pulling at his thin lips. I shrug.

"Not really. I'm gonna have a lot of essays to write. I'm taking a creative writing class tonight at 7 and I have to write something every week for that class according to the syllabus."

Ian nods, smirking as he slides off his seat. 

"At least someone reads our syllabi." Ian's blue eyes flickering all over my face before his smile drops a little. "Skip and Ken told me about what happened on Friday at that bar and I just wanted to make sure that you were still okay. Getting thrown by an unseen force can be scary and sometimes can have lingering effects."

A quiet sigh slips through my nose. Of course, Mom and Dad would tell Ian about what happened. He's the only source of 'family' I have up here. Offering the older male a smile, I stare up at him as I fight not to shiver as a wave of cold hits me.

"I'm okay, my shoulder is still a little stiff but besides that," I say, shrugging. "I feel just fine."

Ian straightens, staring down at me, and this time, I don't fight the shiver that hits me but I keep his gaze. His lips purse into a thin line, his eyes narrowing. I'm not entirely sure what Ian's looking for but he must not have found it when he releases a rather heavy sigh.

"All right, I believe you, Jackie," Ian says after a beat. "But I want you to come to me or text me at any time if you think that you might be experiencing something. Got it?"

Oh, well, it's a little late for that, but there is absolutely no way I'm telling him about that weird imp-like creature that attacked me on Saturday. I wet my lips, rubbing my palms on my jeans again. A hand lands on my shoulder pulling me from my thoughts. Jumping, I refocus on Ian and wince at the stormy gaze that he has leveled on me.

"Jack," Ian says, his voice hard. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

I sigh. 

"No, Ian, I'm fine. I was just thinking. But I promise to come to you if I start having issues." I offer the elder a smile. Ian doesn't return it, humming in response instead.

"All right, I believe you, Jackie. You have my number if you need me." Ian drops his hand, finally a ghost of a smile forming but the stormy gaze remains. "That was all I really wanted to talk to you about, so you better go meet up with your friend. And get yourself something warm, I can literally feel the cold from outside still radiating off of you."

My eyes widen at Ian's words, uncertainty forming as I force myself to nod. Ian watches as I turn and I slowly make my way back out of the classroom. The back of my neck prickles and I know that Ian is still watching me but I force myself to not turn around as another shudder hits me. 

Gods. All I want to do is grab a hot chocolate and curl up under my blanket. What a great way to start the school week.