「 The Professor & I 」VOLUME II

(205) You Should Go

Lynn's POV

Despite the unintentional trauma just before bed, I was glad Charles managed a full night's rest. Waking rather energetically and certainly cheerfully, Charles was seemingly no longer troubled by the dreadful deeds occurring prior and breakfast proceeded, albeit not so usual with the continuous hums of speculating children.

While Charles offered me another seating in his class, I politely declined the chance of observation knowing my presence would only cause him some inevitable distraction.

Instead, I spent most of the fine morning roaming the gardens, rediscovering the beauty of the greenery enclosed within the school's premises. With a simple whirl of my joystick, I admired the boundless terraces, calmly quiet, and pretty much desolated, until the bells rang.

Not yet noon, it was merely a free period some of seniors owned. Through my tinted view, I watched a handful of them lay on the vast lawns, idly chatting away, almost completely absorbed within the absolute joy and candour running through their speech until there was a gentle tap on my shoulder.

"Lynn?" A male voiced from behind me.

I craned my neck around, squinting my eyes at the tall figure as I tried to make out his face backlit with sun rays and apparently realizing my difficulties, the boy crouched down before me, conveniently expediting his recognition.

"Peter? Good morning," I greeted in surprise, swiftly yanking off my shades.

"Please, take a seat," I appealed, gesturing to a nearby bench and he readily complied.

"Good morning, Lynn. I heard about what happened last night. Are you alright?" Peter probed, directing his concerned stare at my camouflaged yet still annoyingly conspicuous wristguard peeping from the end of my sweater.

"I'm fine. Thank you," I affirmed softly, tugging on my sleeves to further conceal the protective gear Charles enforced on me before permitting me out of our room.

"Have you been ill, though? I've not seen you in Kitty's class," I examined innocently.

"Oh, no. The Professor saw that I was doing well and decided to transfer me to the accelerated program so now I'm a few years ahead of her," Peter answered, apparently not too delightful of his own achievements.

"I'm proud of you," I commended, smiling at him genuinely.

"Is everything alright at home?" I enquired, casually assuming his bothered face arose from familial issues.

"Yes, yes. The Professor paid off everything and even settled Illyana to a prestigious private school. They're all safe now. Thank you, Lynn," Peter appreciated sincerely.

"You should thank him," I insisted, shrugging.

"I did," Peter replied plainly, albeit still looking exceptionally disturbed by a dilemma and several more silent moments passed with me scrutinizing his strange expression before he opted to speak again.

"This may be a little late but... I'm truly sorry, Lynn... For everything..." Peter stammered sheepishly, his face essentially drowning in a sea of shame as he gazed towards me.

Unexpectedly struck by recurring waves of memories I was skeptical I wanted to forget totally, I stared at him blankly, unsure how to respond to the sympathetic boy except with a sad smile full of regret.