Lana opened her eyes and blinked the sunlight out. She realized now she should have closed her curtains the night before. She looked at her watch and it was seven thirty in the morning. She had woken up early again. Instead of pounding on Christian's door, she hastily closed her curtains and tried to go back to sleep. She had just begun to drift into sleep when suddenly she heard a loud thump. She ignored it and tried to go back to sleep. It continued, however in her half-awake state she didn't know what it was. Though once it continued she opened her eyes and looked around. She then realized that her door was making the sound. She told herself that doors don't make thumping sounds and so she tried to go back to sleep. Then much to her dismay the door started saying her name. She quickly reassured herself that doors can't speak. However it wouldn't stop. So she shook her head and sat up.
Upon sitting up she realized that someone was knocking at the door. She was aghast at her stupidity and proceeded to slap her forehead three times. She opened the door to reveal Christian. She was quite surprised to see him, and he looked very different.
"It's 8:16, lessons begin at 8. You're late." He said with a smirk on his face.
"…but" was all Lana could get out groggily. Before she knew it the door was shut on her face and she was still confused. As she threw on some clothes she wondered what was so different about Christian and why he had awoken so early.
She looked at her watch as she was about to knock on his door. It read 8:25. She was kinda afraid of Christian still and she didn't know what to expect of her first lesson. She decided to just leave her inhibitions at the door and knock. With held breath she waited until a voice from inside said "come in."
Lana was aghast at the sight before her eyes. The dingy apartment full of junk was gone. It was now clean and organized. He had a large rectangular table in the middle of the room with two chairs around it. The old curtains to the main room had been removed letting light in for what seemed to be the first time in a millennia. His cupboards were all back on their hinges and seemed to be dusted. She could even peer into his bedroom which had assumed this new change. Then her eyes met Christian, which she realized why she had been confused about his appearance before. He too was now clean. He had shaven and was wearing a white shirt that appeared to be new as it wasn't stained at all.
"Ahem. You will regard me as 'Professor' during our lesson time. Lessons begin promptly at 8 am every weekday morning and will end when I decide we are done for that day. Writing is indeed a difficult art, not one that you can master in a single day. However it is entirely possible that we will become stuck during each day. Once I feel I can do no more with you that day, you will be released. Once I feel I can do no more with you in general, you will be asked to leave promptly. I will not pay room and board for an unwilling student. I will also not pay for a late student. Today you will not be punished as you were not given instructions beforehand. However, now I expect much more of you. Also as my student, I expect you to shop for yourself on your own. You will receive, I hesitate to call it this, an "allowance" until you are able to get a stable income of your own. You will expect to get one by next week. Even if you do not, you will be expected to pay for everything besides food and supplies for classes. So if you want anything else, you are expected to earn it on your own. The only reason you are even being given food and board isn't due to my offer, but an advance made by your parents. Once that runs out and they do not send any more money, I will be forced to make you pay for your own food and board yourself." Christian was pacing. Lana just leaned against the table taking this in. Clearly he had no only cleaned his apartment since yesterday, but had written this speech. He also seemed to have forgotten what else he wanted to say, as he had taken a long pause after his last sentence. Lana felt this was the time to jump in
"Uh….how much have my parents given you? For room and board.."
"They gave me enough for 5 months. They said that I should send for more whenever you are in need of funds. I am however leaving this decision up to you. You are almost 20 years old, you can either: not work, and leave more time for your writing; or you could get off their income and provide your own. It is your decision and I personally do not care what you do."
"alright…" Lana said unsurely, she could see pluses to both, she decided to decide later when the time came to it.
"Sit." Christian said and pointed her towards the seat at the table. "You brought your own typewriter, did you not?" Lana merely nodded, upon seeing this Christian continued, "We will be doing a lot of compositions in this class. I expect you to type many of your assignments, I will provide paper and ink for your typewriter. I am also going to give you a notebook in which I expect you to take notes on my daily lectures. Also I am giving you a journal. You are expected to write in it every day and turn it in at the end of the week. This isn't a personal journal, I don't want to hear any of your secrets, or read about your lovers, or anything. This is mainly just to keep you writing everyday. You are expected to write at least two pages each day. One page will solely be on a topic of my choice and the other will be on anything. Please mark the topic at the top of the page, or that it is your free-writing page. You can write about anything on that page, about elephants for all I care."
"uh…."Lana raised her hand a bit like she had always had to in her school in London.
"What?" Christian asked tartly.
"Do you want each page to be front and back or just front?" She asked meekly.
"Just front is fine for each page. Although if I find that your handwriting is excessively large, I will be forced to up it.
"Now I just want to lay down a few rules. If I ever feel I cannot deal with you anymore, you will just be discharged. I've never taken a student before, and if it's not to my liking, I will get rid of you. Once you are discharged, I never want to see you again. So don't piss me off. My other rule, is that if I don't want to talk about it, or if I don't want to have a lesson; don't push me. It is my choice whether or not to teach you, you do not get a choice in it. Also do not come barging into here. Just because it is lesson time does not give you the right to walk right in here. I expect you to knock, if there is no answer after you have knocked; lessons for the day are cancelled. Next rule, if you for any reason get yourself kicked out of this building, I will not be paying board for you anywhere else. Fourth rule, what I say goes. If we are working still and you want to go to bed, deal with it. I am not going to just release you due to your conflicts. Finally, I expect you to never ask me about my first book."
Lana was quite confused about his last request, but decided not to challenge it. She instead just nodded.
"Good good." Christian said with a small smile on his face. "Now, let us get started. Your first journal entry will be about your thoughts on Paris" He was writing on a clipboard he had as he talked. "Now I assume you brought your typewriter with you today…"
"uh….well…Christian…" Lana hesitated as she clearly had not brought her typewriter with her. "I'll just run next door and grab it quickly"
"During lessons you will refer to me as Professor, Ms. Matthews. You will not be returning quickly. You are released for today. I have no use for a student who doesn't come prepared."
"but…" Lana stammered as she continued to sit down at the table.
"I said go. You will be expected to return here tomorrow on time at 8 o'clock with all the supplies needed. Now take your supplies I just gave you and go." With that Christian turned his back on her walked out of the room. She had nothing more to do than get up and leave. Once he heard the door slam Christian exhaled a sigh of relief. He was very afraid of his lesson. The rules and regulations were his lesson. He had planned that she would forget her typewriter, in fact he was hoping she would because he didn't actually know what to do with her. He was making everything up as he went along. However he had decided the best way to reach her was with discipline. That's why he had made up a whole plot of rules for her. He also knew he needed to command respect from her. That was another reason behind his harshness about her forgetting her typewriter. He was glad that was over and was just past him. He was still scared that he was wrong for being harsh, however he decided it truly was the best way. Mainly he just wanted to stress his last rule. His greatest fear of this whole apprenticeship was the questions about his first work. The last thing he wanted to talk about with this girl was Satine. Even after 20 years he was still afraid to say her name to anyone.