Surviving a Dark College Romance, page 6
If that's the truth, then there's no need for Neel to avoid her. “Then why are you running away from my questions?”
“It seems as though you have formed an opinion about me.” His nostrils flare as he steps closer to her, towering over her head. “You can't accuse me without evidence. If you want me to confess, come back with a proof.”
Without further argument, he strides and walks out of the corridor. Zhuri stands still, unable to process Neel's words. On one hand he is accusing her of baseless allegations while simultaneously almost confessing he attacked Professor Santh. She needs more clearance on his statement.
Running across the corridor, she exits the building. She scans the area in search of Neel. A couple of students roam the campus but none of them is Neel. With the kind of speed he has, it's possible that he must be out of college by now. She runs towards the gate, looking around every free second to see if he's still around.
The busy road outside stops her from running further. She stops and glances on either side of the path. There's no sign of Neel. She will have to talk to him tomorrow and make sure he doesn't run away.
The back of her neck burns as she spins around. She grabs her nape and strolls towards her hostel. From the outside, her neck looks fine or at least that's what Yasmin said. Zhuri can't find anything odd on her skin either, but it keeps burning every now and then. She'll have to show it to a doctor.
Hospital. Her lips part. Apart from Neel, there are other people who can answer her. She's not related to Professor Santh, that's the reason the police won't be much help as they don't reveal such information to the general public. The doctors on the other hand can give her some details about Professor Santh's wounds, and they might allow her to meet him. He's in ICU, so it may be difficult to see him, but if she gets to talk to him, then he can tell her who attacked him. All she needs is the name of the hospital.
Chapter 9
AFTER TALKING TO NEEL it's obvious that he did something to Professor Santh, but she is not sure. To confirm she needs to talk to him. She has chosen afternoon hours to see him because Neel must be at college at this time. Talking to the Professor is more important to her than the lectures. She's not learning anything about the story in the classes anyway. Leaving the campus might benefit her.
Yasmin has been helpful in locating the hospital in which Professor Santh is admitted. Zhuri walks inside the waiting room. The young receptionist on the left doesn't even look at her as she gets closer to her. “Excuse me,” she says.
“Yes,” the receptionist answers, without looking at her. Her eyes stay glued to the screen in front of her as she types something.
“Can you tell me where Professor Santh is admitted?”
She looks at Zhuri and fixes her glasses. “Are you related to the patient?”
Zhuri doesn't need to lie to her. She can tell the truth and no one will ask her if she's close to the professor. “I'm his student,” she says. “He was attacked by some kind of animal two days ago, and I am told he's admitted to the ICU here.”
“ICU visiting hours are between nine to ten in the morning and five to six in the evening.”
Zhuri glances at the clock behind the receptionist’s head. It's almost four. At five the college will end and Neel might come searching for her. She looks back at the receptionist. “Can you make an exception?” she asks. “I've to be somewhere.”
“No. But you can talk to the security or nurses of the ICU for that. They might help you.”
She looks around at the white walls, not knowing where to go. “Where's ICU?”
“First floor north end,” the receptionist answers, and goes back to typing.
Zhuri turns and walks to the stairs at the end of the room. She rides up, thinking about how she'll interact with Professor Santh's relatives. Someone must be there by his side, and they'll ask questions about her presence. Reaching the floor she strides up to the ICU door in the corner.
The guard notices her. His moustache twitches as he gets up from his chair. “Meeting hour is at five,” he says, without her asking.
By his flaring nostrils it's obvious he's already annoyed. She doesn't want to argue with him. “Can you tell me Professor Santh's bed number?”
He pulls out a paper from his back pocket. “There's no one by that name.”
Zhuri remembers the hospital correctly. She is not in the wrong building, maybe in the wrong room. “He was admitted here two days ago for animal attack.”
“Oh.” The guard looks up at her. “The patient of animal attack was shifted to the ward this morning.”
Great. If he's outside the ICU, then she won't have to wait for the next hour to see him. “Can you tell me where he is?”
“Enquiry at the reception on the second floor.”
Meeting Professor Santh may not take as long as finding him. She twists and walks at the end of the corridor. Riding up the stairs, she reaches the second tier. To the left, a young woman sits behind the bench. As Zhuri approaches her, she sees a man in an apron walking out of room number twelve. A woman in her forties follows him out.
“Right now, he's stable,” the middle-aged doctor says. “He has some deep claw wounds, but he'll recover from it. Don't worry, just get the medicine I've prescribed.”
Claws! There can be more than one person with animal attack but Zhuri has a good feeling about it.
“Yes, doctor,” the woman says, and moves towards the stairs.
As she walks past Zhuri, Zhuri takes a good look at her face. She's around Professor Santh's she. It's possible she could be his wife. If that's the case, it'll save her the trouble of asking the receptionist again.
Zhuri strolls towards room eleven. In case she finds someone else inside, she'll let them know she's a student. She pushes the blue door open, to find a bald man covered in bandages in the bed.
Professor Santh doesn't have hair either, but it's not uncommon amongst ageing men. The bandages on his forehead and left side of his neck, along with his swollen face makes it hard to recognise him. She looks at his chest and right arm wrapped in gauze. It sends shivers down her spine.
She knows Neel is a paranormal creature, but she doesn't know what he's capable of and these wounds might just shed light on his abilities. Gulping the fear, she closes the door and moves near the man. His eyes are closed. “Professor,” she calls, hoping he'll listen.
To her surprise, he opens his eyes and looks at her. “You,” he whimpers through busted lips.
After getting attacked, he must be pretty scared. Zhuri doesn't want to add queries to his dismay. “I'm your student.”
“Yes.” He nods a little, wincing at the movement.
“How did this happen?” she asks.
He doesn't reply, probably because talking hurts.
With his limited ability to respond, she needs to be more specific with her questions. Last time Neel took the thief into a dark alley. It's possible he did it in this instance as well. “Did you see what attacked you?”
He nods.
“Was it an animal?” she asks.
He shakes his head in disagreement.
This simple answer makes it clear that Neel is the reason for his wounds. “Was it a person?”
“No.” He huffs.
Neel doesn't look like a human in his real form. She remembers being confused by the glimpse of him. “What was it then?”
Santh doesn't reply. He keeps staring at Zhuri.
It's hard to describe something you haven't seen before. “Did it have red eyes and wings?”
Santh’s breaths turn heavy as he bobs his head aggressively. The monitor next to him starts beeping. “Yes,” he answers.
She looks at the screen to find his heart rate shooting up. Though she wants the truth, she doesn't want him to die telling it. “Calm down, Professor.”
“No one believes me,” he mutters.
“I do.” She touches her chest, looking at the ringing monitor. If his stats don't go back to normal, she'll have to call in help. She faces him. “I know it's real because I've seen it too.”
As she finishes, his breath steadies. The machine goes back to normal beeping. “Where?”
If she tells him in college, he might freak out and that's the last thing she wants. “While I was returning from the mall.”
Santh's eyes water as he keeps looking at her.
He's clearly afraid, but she needs more information to find out what kind of creature she's dealing with. “Professor, if you can tell me more about what it looked like, I can track it down and prevent any further attacks.”
“Big nails,” he answers.
She remembers doctors talking about claw marks. “Like an animal.”
He bobs his head.
“What else?”
“Fangs,” he says.
As far as she remembers, Neel doesn't have fangs but it's not too say he can't grow it during his transformation. “Red eyes, claws, wings, and fangs. Anything else you can remember?”
“Horns,” he answers.
Zhuri hasn't read about any creature with horns in the book. “Where? On its head?”
“Yes.” He nods. “And temples.”
That's an interesting description. If Santh can remember all of these details, then maybe he can tell who did it. “Do you remember the face?”
“Evil.”
Given the details of the creature and what it did, it's obvious it's evil. “Was it male or female?”
“Man,” he answers.
It's Neel or at least it has to be. Most of the features match him and others are somethings Zhuri might not have noticed.
“Who are you?” a woman asks from behind.
Zhuri's heart jumps into her throat as she turns around. The woman, who she assumed was Santh's wife, has returned. Her lips part.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“I'm a student of Professor Santh,” Zhuri says.
The woman glances at Santh, who nods in agreement.
“I heard the news and thought I should see him.”
She looks back at Zhuri. “While I appreciate it, you should know he's in a shock. He needs rest.”
The woman is not wrong. Zhuri has been there for selfish intentions, without thinking about Santh’s mental state. It's also partly because she doesn't think it'll make much difference in his fate in the story. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen. But she should not have risked it. After all, her presence in the book might change any character’s outcome. “I totally understood. I'm sorry, I will leave now.” She looks at Santh. “Get well soon, Professor.”
Her heart calms down a little as she walks out of the room. Visiting Santh has revealed some new details about Neel. She'll have to find out more about it. The books in the college library aren't providing enough information. She'll have to look somewhere else.
As she rides down the stairs, she sees Neel talking to the ICU guard. She gasps and runs back up. It must be past five for him to visit the hospital. There are only two reasons for him to be inside this building, either he's looking for her or he wants to finish off things with Santh. In either case, she needs to hide.
Santh's wife is with him, Neel can't do anything to him when someone is around. Though he's not afraid to attack anyone, he certainly doesn't want to draw attention while doing it else he would have hurt Santh in the class. She runs to the end of the second floor and hides behind the railing wall. From there, she can keep an eye on him while avoiding him simultaneously.
As expected, Neel walks in from the other side. He moves towards the receptionist and asks her something. The receptionist's lips move as well, but Zhuri is unable to capture their conversation. Neel turns around, checking the corridor. Zhuri ducks behind the railing. She wants to talk to him about his actions but not in the hospital. He's not the only anomaly in this world. She doesn't belong there either. If someone gets suspicious, both of them will be in trouble.
After a few seconds, she peeks through the corner of the wall to see him striding back. She stands and takes a good look to find him riding down the stairs. Neither has he visited Professor Santh, nor is he looking for her. She runs to the other side of the corridor and stares down the stairways.
Neel moves to the waiting room. She runs after him, close enough for her to see him but far enough for him to not notice her. As she reaches the ground floor, he walks out of the hospital. This doesn't make any sense. Aside from talking to the receptionist, he hasn't done anything.
She spins around and rides up the steps to reach the second floor. The hospital receptionist is still there in a chair, typing something on the laptop on the front desk. Zhuri gets closer to her. “Excuse me,” she says.
The young receptionist looks at her but doesn't say anything.
She can't speak to her directly about Neel. It'll be too obvious. “Was there anyone asking for the patient in the eleven number ward?”
“No,” she answers.
That's odd. Neel doesn't have any reason to be there other than meeting Professor Santh. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She sighs. “Are you expecting someone? That boy was also asking the same question.”
Zhuri cocks her head. “What boy?”
“There was a boy here a couple of minutes ago,” she answers. “He also asked the same question.”
It must be Neel. “Are you talking about a tall young man in black shirt?”
“Yes.”
He must be asking for Zhuri. “What did he say?”
“Same thing as you. If there was any girl visiting the patient in ward eleven.”
That means he's looking for Zhuri, not Santh. She shudders. “Did you tell him?”
“Tell him what?” The receptionist shrugs. “No one came here asking for patient eleven.”
Zhuri hasn't asked anyone about Professor Santh. She has directly entered his ward. Not following the rules has helped her in this instance. “Thank you,” she says, and moves towards the stairs.
She can't accuse Neel of something, but she knows it's him. Though it might be too early in the story, she'll have to confront him.
Chapter 10
Zhuri has to confront Neel. There's no point in delaying it and waiting for something worse to happen. If she doesn't ask him, he might hurt more people. After the class, she stands outside the lecture hall. Other students walk past her, without paying attention.
Neel stops next to her. “Where were you yesterday?” he asks. “I didn't see you in the class.”
As much as she wants to confront him, she doesn't want him to know she has been talking to Professor Santh. Neel might hurt him to stop people from knowing his true identity. “I didn't see you in the library,” she says.
“Were you there?” He raises his brows.
It's obvious that Neel might have checked the library in search of her. She shakes her head. “No, but I went there in the evening and didn't see you. Aren't you always reading?”
“Not always.” He chuckles. “Were you looking for me in the library?”
If she says yes, he'll ask why, and she's running out of lies. “No, I was there to get a book.”
“Which one?” he asks.
“Chemistry.”
“Do you need help with that subject?” He opens his arms. “I'm pretty good at it.”
The only thing she wants from him is his true identity. Reading paranormal books has not been fruitful, and she doesn't even know where to look for more answers. Her best option seems to be Neel himself. “Do you know when Professor Santh will return?”
He shrugs. “No.”
Zhuri waits for him to say something else but he doesn't do it. “Who's taking his lectures then?”
“There's a substitute teacher. He took the class yesterday, but you weren't there.”
And it's because of Neel. He won't admit it but she knows. Following him around is not practical. She needs him to confess about his true form and his intentions. “Did you visit Professor Santh at the hospital?”
“No, why would I?”
Technically that's not a lie, but he was there. “He's our teacher.”
Neel chuckles. “He's not a good teacher, is he?”
Zhuri can't attest to that statement, but Neel saying it out loud speaks volumes. He doesn't like Professor Santh. “Why?” she asks.
“Did you forget?” He raises his brows and leans closer to her face. “Two days ago, he kicked you out of the class.”
That's what teachers do sometimes. “It's because I was not paying attention.”
“So you are not upset about it?” he asks.
In the real world she might have felt something, but all of this is fiction. It doesn't affect her. “No.”
“You must be strong.” He punches her arm gently.
After fighting a couple of psychopaths in the previous stories, she can call herself strong, but that's not the point. He's trying to sway her away from the topic. “Was Professor Santh ever rude to you?”
“Why are you asking these questions?”
He knows damn well why yet doesn't want to admit. She can't let him get away without answering this time. “Why are you avoiding them?”
“Because I don't understand your obsession with Professor Santh. He's just another lecturer of the college.”
“I met him,” she blurts.
For a while, Neel keeps staring at her. “How is he doing?”
If Neel is trying to hide his fear, he's doing a wonderful job. She needs to poke him further to get the truth. “He'll live,” she answers.
“That's good.”
“He told me he wasn't attacked by an animal,” she says.
“Then what was it?”
Neel is acting as though he doesn't know. It is possible that there are other creatures like him who hurt Professor Santh, but Neel would not be at the hospital if that were the case. “Something with red eyes and wings.”
He chuckles. “Nothing has red eyes and wings.”
“You do,” she says without thinking much.
A silence surrounds them as they keep looking at each other. She wants him to speak first and maybe he wants the same.
“What do you mean?” he asks.
