❥𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 • 𝐌𝐉 || ➽─❥ 𝑀𝑂𝐷𝐸𝑅𝑁 𝐴𝑈 • /𝑶𝒏𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈/•

➽─Part Twenty One─❥

"Girl, are you serious?!" Luisa was evidently much too excited about what you had told her regarding your encounter with Michael.

It was the morning after, and though you had awoken early, you hadn't gotten much sleep after you had returned to your room. For some reason, the images of your interaction with Michael had been stuck on replay in your mind, and you were unable to shut it off, no matter how hard you tried.

Some part of you felt as though it was wrong, to be so affected by someone that was supposed to be your teacher, your mentor - but there was something exciting about it, especially after the night before. It was as if seeing him at the bar had put everything into perspective.

"Do I sound like I'm kidding?" you giggled.

"Yeah, actually, because that sounds nothing like you! I can't believe you kissed him, and then teased him like that!"

"I didn't tease him, I-" you stopped, remembering that you couldn't exactly tell her that you had intended to warn him, because that would have posed the risk of revealing everything to her.

And even if it didn't end up revealing the story to her, it would definitely sound suspicious.
Well, the better word to use would have been peculiar.

"Girl, okay, I'm sorry I have to cut this short right now, but Faye is freaking out because she's going to be attending Chelsea's memorial soon, it's today. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." your spirits dampened at the harsh memory, the memory of reality. "Uh....could you ask...Faye to...pass on my condolences for me. I didn't really know her but...." you gulped, not knowing how to complete your sentence.

"Of course girl, don't worry, everyone is shaken by what happened - regardless of whether they knew her or not. I hope they find the bastard that did this,"

"Yeah..." you felt a lump form in your throat. "Hey, I'll let you go now - take care alright?" you spoke softly, almost too lowly for anyone to hear.

With that, you ended the call - tossing your phone to the side of the bed.

A sick feeling bubbled in your stomach as you thought about the night you'd seen Michael and Chelsea - one the hunter, and the other the hunted.

Simultaneously, you remembered Janet's words.

"We're not bad people,"

And you believed it. You believed it because you'd seen it for yourself - but it didn't change the fact that things had happened the way they had happened, and it still lingered in the back of your mind.

Once again, you found yourself in a position where you needed to be anywhere but your dorm room. You needed fresh air again, a place to breathe, and a place to think.

It was a parallel to the night before, except this time you intended to go out on your own. This time you wished to reflect instead of simply distracting yourself.

So, with a heavy sigh, you struggled to your feet, grabbing one of your coats that was strewn closest to you and throwing it on.

After that, you snatched your phone from atop the mattress, shoving it into your pocket before grabbing your keys and walking out.

You hadn't had a specific place in mind, but you were going to go wherever your intuition led you.

︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

After about fifteen minutes of roaming the campus aimlessly, you had decided upon making your way to the east side of the grounds, where there was an open field a little farther from the east lecture halls, bearing close resemblance to that of a country hillside park. Neither the students nor the teachers ever really frequented the east grounds, so you had believed it would be the perfect spot for you to be alone.

You were fairly pleased that you didn't have classes that day, because that was one less thing to worry about as you sat underneath a large tree, leaning back against the solid trunk.

With your eyes peacefully staring at the sky, you paid attention to the finer details of the beautiful scenery, as you found that to be very helpful with mentally organizing your thoughts.

In the sky, delicate birds could be seen flying by in patterns, as if dancing to put their fine skills on show, gliding through the air as if cutting through water.

The white, cotton-like clouds served as the perfect, picturesque background for the stunning birds, the patches of blue sky between the clouds contrasting in an ethereal manner.

You wondered about the possibility of the existence of the afterlife as you lost your focus of vision amongst the clouds, the image of Chelsea entering your mind again. In your memory, you had only ever seen her once before that fateful night, and you recalled how happy she was as a person. You remembered how bubbly she was, and how much she'd had going for her - and the more you thought about how extraordinary her life would have been, the more disheartened you felt.

Suddenly, you heard a pair of footsteps approaching from behind you, and you turned back quickly to observe whom it was.

"Mason..." you broke into half a smile. "Okay, now you have to be following me," you raised an eyebrow as he walked up to sit down next to you.

"I take economics, remember?" he raised an eyebrow back. "The east side of the campus is where us economics students usually are today," he chuckled.

"Oh right," you grimaced before redirecting your attention to the sky once more.

"I saw you sitting here when I finished from the marketing seminar," he stated softly. "Are you...alright?"

There was a long pause as you sat there in thought, eyes still fixated on the serenity of the sky.

"Mason...they say between good and bad, there should be no question about being drawn toward the good," you sighed. "But...have you ever been torn between both? Have you ever wanted to support the good...only to find that your heart can only come alive in the bad?" you shifted your gaze back to him.

He waited for a couple of seconds, pondering on your question before he answered with a deep breath. "No...but my grandmother always used to tell me that you must choose one in life, and never look back. She used to say you can only choose one path, and stand by it. If you find yourself merging onto another path, then that was destiny's plan for you all along, and if you don't - that was destiny's plan too," he shrugged. "But, she always said, destiny cannot help you if you aren't willing to be brave enough to choose. If you spend the rest of your life torn between two things, never making a solid decision, you'll have both everything and nothing," he bit his lip. "And once they cancel themselves out...you're left with...nothing. Having everything and nothing at the same time will inevitably leave you with nothing," he continued. "So that's how I try to live my life - choosing bravely without looking back,"

"Well....what I feel obligated toward is the good, in this situation, and the bad has left my moral compass spinning to no end," you winced.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I am...drawn to something that brings my senses alive, and leaves me giddy with anticipation...but it is also...dark, and soulless,"

Before Mason could say anything in response, a faint sound could be heard from behind the pair of you, alerting you to the presence of another once again.

This time, however, when you turned around, you saw a dreadfully familiar face - and from just a single glance, you knew that he had heard everything you had just uttered.

Michael.

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