Lessons from Mr. Nashton

Lesson #4: Betrayal

"I said, maybe you should tell Mr. Nashton himself," he repeated when the taller man didn't respond. 

"Well then Edward," Crane hissed. Not wanting to be a part of this, I made a mad dash for the exit. This was a foolish idea, because before I had even gone a yard from my starting point, Crane's arm was back around my neck.  

"Now, you let her go," Mr. Nashton protested.  

"Why should I?" Crane scoffed. "What importance is she to you?"

The question actually seemed to stump him. He, of all people, was confused by a question. He visibly pondered and pondered away at this question, which to any other person would be easily answered, but no, not to him. The tension rose in the hallway as my ability to breathe sank drastically. I choked out a few pleas for air, but none of them were understandable.

"Nash," was all I could say that made any sense. 

"I don't know if you heard me the first time," Crane bellowed. "What importance is she to you?"

This time he didn't hesitate.

"None," he said. My heart sank.  none? I mouthed the word.  It tasted foul. He turned to me with not a hint of remorse in his eyes.

"Then I guess you won't mind it if I took her with me, hm?" Crane reasoned. 

"Do as you please," he said with confidence, though he hesitated at first.  Crane's lithe fingers intertwined with mine. His hands were cold. I tried to pull my hand away, but he tightened his grip. Crane began to pull me along though not without thanking Mr. Nashton first. I turned around, eyeing my tutor until I was dragged out of the door.

"You are a very interesting specimen, my dear," Crane said in his raspy voice. 

"I'm a human, not an experiment," I reminded him, reluctantly walking behind him. His scarf flew back in the wind, hitting me in the face. 

"Oh, but you are," he noted with a sinister smile on his face. "Everyone is an experiment when it comes to fear. You should know this. You're smart, after all."

"I'm a human being and I expect to be treated like one." I said as I stopped walking. He yanked at my hand, sending me stumbling into him. He grabbed my hair and held up my head. With the other hand,he grabbed my cheeks and forced me to look into his eyes.

"You will be obedient," he seethed. "You underestimate me, I can feel it. A fatal mistake, as you will soon find out. I will not stand for this. My research will not be mocked by your failure to behave. Do you understand?"

I spat in his face. He pulled my hair harder, lifting my head closer to his. 

"I said do you understand?" he said through his teeth, his mouth in a crooked smile. His hand moved from my cheeks to my throat. I started choking.

Not being able to speak, I managed to nod. He let go, forcefully pushing me downwards. I hit the pavement below me, my hands breaking my fall. They stung.

"Now, let's move along," he said in a cheery tone. "I've got big plans for you."

* * *

We arrived at his....house, I guess you could call it, though it wasn't much of one. The imperfections of the building were far too many to count. He opened the door and shoved me in the house, sending me staggering forward. I hit a shelf, knocking over some books.

"You're lucky that wasn't anything important."

"Youre the one who pushed me," I said, brushing myself off with my scraped hands.

"That'll be enough out of you," he sent me an stern look. "Get some rest."

"Excuse me?"

"Get some rest. I want you in perfection condition, otherwise the experiments won't work," he said.

"What makes you think I'll let you do anything to me?" I asked, crossing my arms. Crane smiled an awful, awful smile.

"You won't have a choice," he hissed. He began to walk towards me. "I'm much stronger than you are. Any attempts to resist will be useless."

"I don't believe you."

"Of course you don't. They never do," he scoffed. 

"They? How many people have you done this to before?"

"I can't tell you...but only because I've lost track," he grimaced. "Now, you do as you're told and get some rest before I take the liberty of doing it myself."

How can one sleep in a situation like this? But I suppose I had no choice.