The day went by slowly as I'd chosen to sit in the far back of the classroom. Mr. Harris continued his unison monologue until the bell rang and nearly made me jump out of my seat. I hurried to leave.
"Miss Bennett, may I see you for a moment?"
I wanted to say no. But my legs worked against me.
"Yes, Mr. Harris?"
"Have you chosen your thesis yet?"
"Yes, I've centered on Darwinism."
"You've shown quite the perspective on the theory of evolution. I know you'll do just fine on this paper. Just try not to stress yourself with the allotted time."
"I'll do my best."
"Good to hear it."
I let out a heavy breath upon leaving the room. The weight on my shoulders had been somewhat lifted and I felt better. Relief flooded though me.
I made my way to the cafeteria for an afternoon snack and proceeded to an empty table so I could work on getting my paper started. Taking my notebook out, I made bullet point notes.
Point one; Charles Darwin was the first to bring forth the idea of evolution. Point two, evolution is the most logical explanation for mankind's place on earth.
"A befitting topic with a touch of ironic."
I turned to look at who was speaking directly into my ear, but no one was there. I panned the room; there was no one within ear shot of me.
"Did I scare you?"
"No."
From another perspective, someone could look over and think I'm a crazy person for talking to myself. I thought of it myself until I heard it again.
"Claire."
A chill crawled down my spine. Sylar.
"Go away."
I muttered under my breath hoping no one noticed.
"Please, just put your cell phone to your ear."
Why I was listening to him and indulging him was stupid, but I still did it and let out an annoyed breath.
"What?"
"I just want to talk, if you'll let me."
"Why should I listen to anything you have to say?"
"I did what I thought was right. I'm sorry."
"Wow. The monster apologizes. You really think that justifies what you've done? God, you're sick!"
"Have you ever done something to prove a point, and then have it thrown back in your face just because no one wanted to believe it?"
For once he was right.
"My father had put me in that position before. I didn't like it."
"Of course, because Noah has no problem lying to you."
It was a painful truth. My father has done nothing but lie to me all these years simply so he could protect me, but he knew what I could do.
"Claire, may I meet you in your dorm room?"
"Hell no."
"I understand. You must feel safer here around people. Then I'll come to you."
I'd put my phone away, and held onto my pen tightly just in case.
Sylar was here, and now he'd taken the seat next to me. My hands turned white from the grip I held.
"Please refrain from sticking that in my eye. I'm civil. I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep."
I warned him, still holding onto the pen.
"I learned something new. Something you need to see."
He didn't give me much choice. I was tentative to his hand wrapping around mine. Once he had, I wasn't on campus anymore. I was in New York.
The city was empty, there was no one. I blinked and found myself inside a building. Sylar was sitting behind a desk, repairing what looked like an old Rolex.
Peter appeared to bring him back, and for years they remained stuck.
Finally they were standing before a tall brick wall, trying to break through.
"I'm sorry that I killed him, I'm sorry that I took him from you."
"Sorry, you keep saying that! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's not going to bring my brother back! It doesn't change anything!"
"You're right! Nothing changes! We're stuck here forever, you and me."
I blinked again and it was sometime later, still in the alleyway.
"I appreciate you being patient with me, keeping me sane."
"I'm not that guy anymore Peter, you know that."
"I know you're not."
That had been the pivotal moment when he raised the sledge hammer again and the wall began to break. They worked together and broke free. Once the light had shown through, I came back to the present.
Sylar was still here. I tried to look at him differently. But he was still the monster I knew him to be.
