Calypso immediately braced herself, tensing so much that it was a struggle for her to keep her jaw clinched maintaining such duress.
Funny that. She was a person that was drenched in the macabre that she often thought about her death, at length and envisioning how it would transpire. And here she was, hoping against despair that it wouldn’t be so painful.
Mrs. Moses wheeled herself next to Calypso’s side of the bed, where the machinery wasn’t. “And what does killing you now possibly serve me, Ms. Grimes?”
As if a weight suddenly rocketed away from her chest, Calypso couldn’t answer that immediately. She was too busy gasping for the air she didn’t have for what felt like eras.
“D—Iuh-Fhn—” Calypso then coughed out, trying to collect herself.
“Please, for the sake of your dignity, breathe…” Mrs. Moses was slowly massaging her entire forehead, letting her glasses hang so low from her lowered, exhausted face. “We both know that you’re a master wordsmith. Please help me in not thinking that this was all a farce of my own creation—”
“EXACTLY THAT--!” Calypso spat out so fast, she managed to make herself more scared. “I’m a loose-end to you, it makes so much sense to get rid of me now—silently as well, me passing from what they presume from a stabbing is the perfect cover up!”
Calypso’s professor just adjusted her glasses, focused her gaze with a cocked head with such a nonplussed expression, the poor monster girl found it somehow more terrifying than murderous glee or sociopathic indifference.
“How can you know my intentions so thoroughly when you haven’t even know what or why am I disappointed in you for…?”
“…” With that, Calypso settled back into her bed, completely embarrassed, and allowed for her professor to talk.
Mrs. Moses shook her head. “This is what counts for pragmatism these days? Shooting first and passing that off as intelligent proficiency…? And they ask me why I devoted myself to education in the end, I’m concerned for our future, with ideals being so misrepresented like this…”
The stringy-haired woman adjusted her glasses and rested her hands own her own lap. “Simply put: I’ve seen one of your victims earlier this morning and his condition is still gruesome. Your disappearances from school is steadily accruing. And to top it all off, your family is in danger due to your incredible sloppiness.”
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“Wait, what--?” Calypso’s face was etched in worry.
“—And yet,” Mrs. Moses continued on. Despite her voice being so airy and thin, it was pure inflection that gave her words the needed swiftness and strength to them. “Not one council with me. Not one question, nor ask for help. Killing you for not doing this? Don’t make me laugh. This is ultimately why I’m not killing you. You’re going to reap what you’ve sewn. Death is merely an absolution that you do not at all deserve.”
“Okay, yes, I need your help, sure—” Calypso was panicked, looking to her senior with trembling eyes. “Wha—is—are they safe? What’s happened--?”
“It’s more what’s going to happen, or currently,” Mrs. Moses answered. “And I might add, I’m so glad that you’ve clearly learned your lesson and truly absorbed what I’ve told you. Now I’m more than confident that you’d pick and choose my lessons for your own means as well.”
“No! You listen, right now!” Calypso’s anger was nostalgic, as it was subtly frightening to her. It reminded her so much of Alice.
“I am. And from what I’ve been absorbing so far, I get why your self-centeredness caused one of your family members slowly becoming corrupted due to your influences and mistakes. That’s what’s happening. Your choices leaving way too many messes in their wake—and you need to actually listen to me and take the lesson I’m giving you—”
Calypso didn’t quite understand how she got to this point. But her entire arm was transformed, and her claws were wrapped around Mrs. Moses now-currently-garroted neck.
It was the ambience of her heart-rate monitor’s pulsating, monotone beeps, cradled within the tense silence. So that she could fully take in the facts: that she was leaned forward, on her knees, her thighs against the bars of her hospital bed. How her normal hand was gripping said bar until her knuckles were flush with white. How she felt her face, still stiffened. Petrified in said sociopathic indifference, with a hint of killing intent.
Mrs. Moses was hanging in the air, off her seat. But she merely stared back, with her void eyes that had green light shining intensely from them.
“I’m going… To ask you this once, Calypso. Let go of me. Please.”
Calypso was shaking, staring back with her own black, yet amber eyes. And she felt the tears of crimson run down her face.
And without warning, Mrs. Moses’ hand struggled but gently caressed her student’s face. Her thumb stopped trembling, just to try and wipe the tears away.
The gesture alone was too much.
Calypso jerked her transformed claws back, letting Mrs. Moses fall flat onto her chair as her gasping filled the room.
Immediate struggle. The monster girl had to tense, ball her claws into a fist, fighting her anger from the inside as the arm tried its damnest to act in her best interests. During this mental tug-o-war, Calypso remembered what Richard said: the fates granted her what she exactly wanted. He literally told her to be fucking careful and yet here she was.
And yet she’s such a smart, bright girl. Funny, that.
…Then it occurred to her.