Perfect Illusions, Part One

Chapter 8: Ashton Kutcher's Not Here...

A/N: Sorry I've been so MIA. Life has been doing it's job -_- Please enjoy! Oh, and I don't own the quote from The Vampire Diares.

Chapter 8: Ashton Kutcher's Not Here...

My jaw slackened and I could do nothing but stare as Mr. Sammael--or Jase, as Mrs. Willow (sorry, Soraya) had called him--walked around my chair to give her a kiss on the cheek. He, HE was Mrs. Willow’s grandson?! This had to be some sort of joke. My eyes quickly darted around the room to see if Ashton was hiding somewhere, but I knew the truth. Clearing my throat, I attempted to fix my expression into something less horrified, and the glance Mr. Sammael shot my way certainly was not helping.

“Jasey,” Soraya began; my horror was so great I barely smirked at the girlish nickname, “this is the house guest I was telling you about earlier. Her name is--”

“Mizuki Elysian,” he broke in, not taking his eyes away from my face.

A moment of silence passed as my mind went blank except for four words that kept repeating over and over like a broken record: Together. Me. Him. Living. Together. Me. Him. Living. Together.

“Have you two met previously?” Soraya asked, confusion coloring her tone.

Me.

“As a matter of fact,” Mr. Sammael leaned back in his chair and the right corner of his mouth tilted slightly upwards, “we have. We have quite a bit in common .”

Him.

“Well isn’t this wonderful?” she clasped her hands gleefully, and Mr. Sammael eyes, which held my own in place, sparkled with mirth. “It’ll be just like two friends sharing a dorm!”

LIVING?!?!?!

“Ehem,” I cleared my throat, finally breaking free of his gaze, and said, “Actually we just met today. He’s the teacher for two of my classes and I’m his teacher’s aid. As to whether or not we have anything in common,” I shrugged, “well, it’s hard to say since, like I said, we just met.”

I hoped Soraya would notice how I emphasized the word ‘teacher’, but she either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Shouldn’t she be a little bit concerned that her house guest's teacher would be living with her? Granted, I was no longer a minor, but still. It’s stiff and awkward.

“Of course we have things in common Mizu--”

“Don’t call me that.”

He continued on as if I hadn’t spoken. “You’re in my photography class, for one. That means you must savor art in its natural form, just as I do. You enjoy capturing an image in a specific moment in time that otherwise might go unnoticed by the average person, and savor the feel of power you get by peering through a camera lens rather than just looking with your naked eye. Since you want to be a teacher, which I already am, you must also find satisfaction when someone understands something you’ve taught and  happiness when you’re able to turn something that is boring into something simple yet fun that everyone can understand. You have patience when the moment calls for it, but you can also be quite determined and strong-willed when need be.”

My eyes widened as he hit every guess spot on. I do love photography, and I do love teaching and interacting with people. But how did he know those things when we hadn’t even known each other for the span of one day? Why did he have to be so damn right?!

Mr. Sammael smirked slightly, aware of just how correct he was.

“So, now that you know we have things in common, can you still say we can’t find something to discuss?” he asked.