Tales of Olsen

8

Walking towards the old building to Keith’s’ office must have been what it felt like walking towards the hangman’s noose on execution day.

“Are you sure?” Jordan asked walking beside me with her hands clutched together.

“I’m sure.” I replied, “I turned my location on so if he tries to take me you’ll know where we’re going.”

“What if he tries to take your blood there?” she asked

“If the book says we have to be married in front of the council in Olson then we shouldn’t worry,” I replied

Jordan nodded but I could tell she still didn’t like the idea.

“What will you say to him?” she asked

I had thought about the meeting all night. My request for private consultation with Keith had been answered promptly. Many scenarios played out in my mind, some more gruesome than others but I knew I would make it out of that room. There was no way I would let him hurt me.

“I’ll talk about the class,” I replied, “maybe the thing last night.”

Jordan nodded.

“And if he tried to invite you somewhere?” she asked

“I say that I have a group meeting and they’re waiting on me,” I replied

My mother had always taught me to ensure that if I felt threatened by someone, I should ensure they knew that I had others looking out for me who would miss me if I didn’t show up.

“Good,” Jordan replied

We walked up to the steps of the old building and walked down the hallways to the wing where the private offices were. When we were almost at Keith’s office, Jordan gave me a resigned look and stepped back.

“I can’t go any further,” she replied, “I wouldn’t want him to see me and get suspicious.”

I nodded and gave her a gentle squeeze on the arm. For someone who was timid, it was surprisingly impressive to see her so brave.

“I’ll be fine” I whispered, “just be brave and remember the plan.”

I turned and began walking away but as I did, a sudden fear fell over me and I couldn’t control the icy cold feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“This must be what it feels like walking through the gates of hell,” I whispered to no-one in particular.

“You have no idea.” A voice in my head whispered.

Shrugging off the intrusion, I walked over to Keith’s door and knocked. The door swung open as I was about to make the third knock. I looked up at Keith who was smiling from ear to ear. I tried to look beyond the façade and that’s when I saw the sinister glint in his eyes and I wondered how I could have missed that before.

“You came,” he said giving me a quizzical look

“I have a consultation,” I replied with a shrug

“Yes,” he replied, “Eloise, I’m glad you came.”

The sinister look on his face that I hadn’t seen previously was clear now. It was so subtle that you could only tell if you were looking directly at him.

“Can I come in?” I asked

We were standing at the door staring at each other which felt very awkward.

“Yes, yes,” he said, “please come on in.”

He led me into his office which was much bigger than I thought it would have been.

“Thanks for meeting with me,” I said nervously

The nerves were real, but the shy persona was all an act so that I could see the room without drawing too much attention to myself.

“It was the least I could do for one of my best students.” He replied

I smiled knowing deep down he couldn’t possibly know that considering we only had one class together thus far.

“How can I help?” he asked

“I wanted to know if there was any extra material you could recommend for me to read,” I asked

Keith walked over to his desk and I turned to watch him as he went. My eyes caught the state of his desk which was filled with stacks of paper, tiny sculptures, stationery and what like a child’s skull.

“There isn’t much on folk medicine,” he replied, “but there are a few things I could recommend,”

“Okay great,” I replied, “I really love the course. I think I can get into it.”

“That’s good to know,” he replied,

“So, you look really young,” I began, “how did you even get into this.”

His dark eyes began to focus on me and I marveled at how much different they were from the bright blue they had been the night before.

“I may be young Eloise,” he began, “but I’ve lived for a very long time.”

If that was his cryptic way of saying he was semi-immortal, then he was doing a good job.

“Well I feel the same too,” I replied

“You’re an interesting girl Eloise, I’d love to get to know you a lot more.” He said

“I,” his words hadn’t registered just yet but when they did, it gave me pause, “you do?” I asked

“Yes,” he replied with a sly smile, “you interest me in a way I haven’t been for a very long time.”

Suddenly my discomfort heightened, and I knew I had to find a way to change the subject.

“Thanks,” I replied, “I guess many of your students aren’t as interested in the topic as I am.”

“Well, that’s true.” He replied, “but you know that’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean?” I asked

“I saw you last night.” He replied

Suddenly my heartbeat picked up and I couldn’t think. For all the planning I had done, I didn’t expect him to be this forward.

“I didn’t think you did,” I lied, “what was it all about?”

He stood then, and I saw a flash of color spring to his eyes but in an instant, it was gone.

“Well, I’m glad you came, and I’d love to tell you more about it over drinks maybe?” He said, “why did you leave so early, you missed the best part.”

“Oh, I had some studying to do” I continued, “I didn’t want to interrupt something. It seemed private.”

Keith looked down at me and I could only imagine the tiny scared girl he must see looking up at him.

“It was private,” he replied, “but not for you. You were a specially invited guest.”

I wondered what he meant by that but I didn’t have the heart to ask. There came a knock on the door and we both turned instantly towards it.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone,” he said giving me a light shrug

I held my breath hoping to God that our plan had worked. Keith walked over to the door and opened it.

“Hi Keith,” the woman standing in the doorway said, “I’m being told that they’re towing your car, you should go take care of it.”

Keith’s face twisted, and I knew he was wondering how that could have happened.

“I can wait here until you get back,” I said

He looked between me and the small woman before storming out of the office without another word.

“Will you be alright?” the woman asked looking at me with a repentant smile.

“I’ll be fine” I replied with a vigorous nod.

With a smile, she closed the door and walked away. Adrenaline began pumping through me and I called on whatever force had propelled me to that old park to show me what I needed to find. I walked behind Keith’s desk and began searching through a few drawers. There was nothing!

“The wall” a voice in my head whispered

I was learning how to be more attentive to their desires without losing my mind and it was paying off.

I walked over to the wall and tried to identify what I should be looking for but there was nothing. All I could see was a poster. It then occurred to me that whatever he might be hiding would be there.

I hesitated to wonder if there would be a safe to crack or some imperceptible code to break but as I moved the poster I realized it was only a shelf filled with papers. I took my phone out and began snapping pictures of each sheet of paper so that we could read them later. I hurried and as I took the last picture, my phone buzzed signaling Keith’s return. I stacked the papers back into the nook and went back to the seat. Quickly I grabbed a book from his bookshelf and opened it to something and began reading. Not long after, the door swung open and Keith stepped in.

“That was inconvenient,” he seethed, “it wasn’t my car they were towing.”

I could tell the entire situation had upset him, but he tried his best not to show it. From the look on his face, he seemed surprised to see me with his book.

“You made yourself comfortable.” He said

“I just thought it might be a good read,” I lied

“What do you think?” he asked

“I haven’t read enough to make a good judgment,” I replied

He shrugged and walked over to his desk.

“As I was saying, I expected you last night.” He said

“I didn’t know,” I replied

“I would like you to come again,” he continued without acknowledging anything I had said.

I couldn’t very well tell him no off the bat but I knew that I would not be returning to that place.

“What is it about?” I asked once again wondering if he would tell me.

He walked over to where I sat and closed the book. The way it slammed shut stunned me and I stood quickly.

“I’m afraid it’s time you left.” He said

“Why,” I asked

“Your time is up,” he replied pointing to the clock behind him.

With a sigh of relief, I stepped back and turned away from him.

“Thank you,” I said before walking over to the door.

“No Eloise, thank you.” He said as I opened the door.