Chapter 6

• The Prince of Darkness wore a designer suit with a black tie. He marched to the front of the classroom, shook off his tailored jacket, and began writing on the board. I stared at him in surreal disbelief, unable to believe he was actually here, in front of me. He then moved away from the board, revealing his name.
• 'Luc Ashe's'
• "My name is Luc, and it is pronounced Luke, not Luck or Lack. I'm filling in for your seminar tutor until he returns, which I hope is soon. We'll go over the reading you were assigned to do today. "If you have not completed the reading, please raise your hands," he said.
• Several hands hesitantly lifted into the air.
• "If you raised your hand, please leave the seminar, and for future reference, stop wasting your parents' money and do the damn reading," he said curtly.
• Luc waited a few moments as the students who had not completed the reading gathered their belongings and walked out of the classroom in shame. The rest of us remained glued to our seats, feeling as if we were back in high school, under the thumb of a tyrannical teacher.
• Luc prowled around the classroom before abruptly stopping and pointing at a student. As Luc grilled him, the student sat up nervously in his chair.
• "Tell me which scholar played a significant role in shaping the policy mentioned in paragraph five," Luc asked.
• The student froze and started flipping through the pages of his article. Luc sighed and moved on to the next student.
• "What postwar changes is the scholar describing on page 10?"
• Luc moved on to the next student after the second student flailed.
• I sat at my desk, numb, watching the academic massacre. With his nasty questions, Luc was killing these students. It was the polar opposite of the gentle voice I had heard in my head the night before and this morning. I was surprised that Luc could be so cruel.
• "It appears that we really irritated him," Jacques muttered to me in hushed tones.
• "Please excuse me," I said.
• "Mia!" slammed Luc's fist against the white board. Jacques! "Do you have anything you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" He screamed at us.
• Jacques and I both shook our heads, but Luc was unsatisfied. In fact, he was enraged. "Okay Miss Hayden, if you feel that you do not need to listen to my class because you are much cleverer than the rest of us, then you will find these questions easy to answer," he said, pulling a large text book from his bag and standing at the front of the class.
• "Now, Mia, enlighten us on the Neoliberal policies of the late 1970s," he said.
• "But that is outside our set reading list-" I stammered back.
• "Come on, Mia, you're a smart girl. "I'm sure your new boyfriend will be able to assist you." He said this while staring at Jacques.
• "Sure, I can tell you all about the late-neoliberal economic policies," Jacques said protectively, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
• "Stop talking, Jacques!" "And take your hands off Mia!" yelled Luc.
• "Sorry Mia, looks like you're on your own," Jacques said as his arm dropped from his shoulder.
• I sank deeper into my seat, wishing I could just vanish, but Luc wasn't done with me yet. He began asking questions in front of the entire class to which I had no idea what the answers were. As Luc tore me apart, everyone looked on with a sad sympathetic expression.
• I felt so small after Luc had finished with me.
• "Now I want you to write a brief summary of how you could have answered those questions correctly," Luc said to the class.
• Everyone took out their note books and started scribbling.
• I sat at my desk, numb, staring at the years of doodled graffiti.
• This was a nightmare, a horrible dream from which I would awaken at any moment. I felt like I was going to cry when a wave of emotion overtook me.
• ‘Mia?’ Luc's voice spoke softly from inside my head.
• I raised my head and locked my gaze on him. My eyes were now blurred with tears, and I pleaded with him mentally, 'Please stop this.'
• When Luc saw the tears in my eyes, his face softened, and I heard him mutter a curse under his breath.
• "Except for Mia and Jacques, everyone get out now!" Go do your reading, and pray that your seminar tutor is better next week so you don't have to answer to me!" He cursed the other students.
• The other students left the room in less than ten seconds, leaving me, Luc, and Jacques alone. "Well done Romeo, you actually managed to make her cry," Jacques exclaimed after the last student had left.
• Luc moved across the room at such a breakneck pace that I nearly fell out of my chair. "I'm sorry, Mia," he said softly as he knelt beside me. It was never my intent to irritate you."
• I dabbed my eyes with the sleeves of my hoodie, hoping to catch the tears before they made my mascara run. I wasn't going to cry in front of him or anyone else. Luc reached out to touch me, but I quickly resisted.
• Luc's eyes flashed with pain, and he moved away from me, muttering, "Shit- I really messed this up."
• "Come here," Jacques said softly as he opened his arms to embrace me.
• Luc immediately turned on him.
• "I swear to God, Jacques, I'll rip your fucking arms out of their sockets if you touch her again!" Luc screamed.
• Jacques rolled his eyes, "And now you know why they call him the Prince of Darkness," he said, smiling at me, "Luc isn't that bad really. His bark is worse than his bite; he just has temper issues."
• "This can't be happening; it's not real," I murmured.
• Luc studied me and said, "I screwed up, but this," he said pointing to me and himself, "This is not going to go away. As a result, you should get used to it-"
• "Luc, remember that little talk we had about being nice in the car?" Jacques chastised.
• "I'm trying to be nice; she's being difficult!" We're friends, Mia, and we're meant to be. We could move on with our lives if you could accept that." Luc yelled angrily at me.
• "Luc, you're making things worse for yourself buddy, Mia isn't like the girls at court," Jacques groaned. She will not throw herself at you because of your appearance."
• I had finally had enough. "Listen, Luc, I don't know who you are or what you are, but I am telling you now that there is no way in fresh hell I am going to be your mate," I said, standing up. You are an arrogant pig-headed bully, and I will no longer be intimidated by you! Please do me a huge favor and never bother me again!"
• With that, I slid my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the classroom calmly.