Author's Note- Okay, I couldn't keep it from you guys for too long. I was going to hold this chapter until I got my orders and use it to hold you guys over while I moved back to the States. But, really, that could be a week from now, three weeks from now, or two months from now, and I've been waiting to drop this bomb for a very, VERY, long time. :)

Oooh, I can't wait to hear what you guys think. Enjoy!

Forbidden

Shattered

I glanced behind me to see if Nate was still nearby. I could just make out his ginger hair passing through the door, leaving the classroom without so much as a See you later, Chloe.

Hesitantly, I turned back towards Professor Banks who was leaning against his office door off left stage, arms crossed over his lean chest, a strangely displeased look taking his features.

"U-um, I'm a-actually supposed to m-meet someone, so-" I lied, praying he didn't catch on to my damned stutter.

"This will only take a few minutes." He replied, look stern.

Again, I hesitated. When I couldn't rack my brain for a liable excuse, I mumbled something about sending a quick text to 'the person who was waiting for me' and pulled out my phone. I cursed under my breath when I saw that it was dead, but still pretended to send the text for show. That way he would understand that someone was really waiting in case something were to happen-

What did I think was going to happen? So a teacher wanted to have a conversation with one of his students, probably about the midterm project we had just finished… Only this teacher was Professor Banks. A man in which I was physically and psychologically aware of during his class as if he were a breath on the back of my neck. A man in which I could sense a danger lurking beneath the cool, bad-guy façade he gave off.

A man in which Derek himself confirmed as bad news.

So yeah, I was wary of something happening. What, exactly, well, I shoved those thoughts into the back recesses of my mind and approached Professor Banks with my shoulders squared and my head held high. I didn't put it past the man to sense anxiety and feed off of it.

"Have a seat, Chloe." He said as he led me into his office. I took note of how his tone didn't have its usual smarmy sound as he spoke. Instead it seemed grave and wary. And that threw me off.

I awkwardly sat on the edge of the chair opposite of his while his desk separated us. Atop his desk was a computer and the standard clutter you saw on any teacher's desk. Only, he also had a pile of charcoal sketches he seemed to be evaluating and grading for one of his other art classes. He took his seat and I saw that his tone met his dark eyes. Hesitant and weirdly disappointed.

"I assume you already know why I'm asking to speak with you." He stated, all manner of the Professor Banks I knew gone.

I shook my head.

He sighed, again, sounding disappointed. My stomach churned uncomfortably.

"Very well. Since you want to go about this the hard way, I'll just get right to the point." A pause, like something I would add to a script for a dramatic effect. "I know about your relationship with Professor Souza."

I tensed, but tried to hide it. I don't think I did very well, for when I nodded in agreement and replied, "Right, well, Professor Souza is my tutor-" Professor Banks shook his head, a hint of frustration touching his eyes.

"Not your professional relationship, Chloe. Your personal relationship."

"I don't know what you-"

"You can keep pretending; it makes no difference to me. I don't have proof. Only word of mouth. So I can't report him. However, as your teacher, I feel I should warn you about Professor Souza, in case you did have a close, personal relationship with him."

What on earth did he mean by 'word of mouth'? Who could have possibly told Professor Banks about Derek and I? The only people who knew were me, Liz, Derek, and his family. Those inquiries were stifled by the tickle I felt towards his last statement, though. He had his own warnings about you as well, I thought to myself. However, there was no question on which of the two professors I trusted.

As if he could read my thoughts, he shook his head in distaste. "I'm sure you've heard your fill about me from him, haven't you? Derek and his father have been spewing lies and pointing fingers in my direction ever since the trial-"

When my eyes bugged in reaction to the word 'trial' Professor Banks stopped talking, giving me a perplexed, speculative look. Damn it. Where were my acting skills when I needed them? After a minute's assessment, his eyes dawned in realization.

"He didn't tell you, did he?"

I didn't answer. I wanted to believe that I remained silent because I was still trying to feign the fact that I didn't know what Professor Banks was going on about. But, deep down, I was revisiting all those red flags over the past few months in relation to Derek and his actions and I was afraid. I was afraid of what I knew was being intentionally kept from me. Suddenly, Professor Banks' eyes dimmed with a confirmation of what looked like dread.

"I knew it. I knew he was playing you. Just like the other girls."

I barely had time to even register those words before Professor Banks was opening a drawer to his desk and pulling out a thick manila envelope. He held it for a moment, giving it one look before bringing his eyes back to me.

"What I'm about to say- I'm doing this to protect you, Chloe. And if you don't believe me because of whatever bullshit Souza has said about me, then maybe you'll believe this."

I didn't want to take it from him. I didn't want to listen to him speak anymore. I just wanted to flee this room, meet Derek at his apartment despite his compromise to allow me to have tonight to myself, kiss him and let that kiss take me back to a blissful ignorance. But then I thought about my resolve to figure out what was going on between Derek and Professor Banks forever ago, mentally kicking myself for letting that determination falter over the last two months. I thought about all the times I broached the topic and Derek tiptoed around it. The nagging voice in the back of my head screamed for me to stop fooling around, to stop being an idiot. There was something in that folder that I needed to know. And whether it reflected badly on Derek or Professor Banks, I couldn't avoid it anymore.

I hesitated a moment longer before reaching for the envelope. I tried to contain my body's tremors as I pulled it to me. Then, I opened it and pulled out its contents in one swift movement. Like ripping off a band aid. As I plucked the first newspaper clipping from the top of the pile that read 'College Student a Suspect of University Murder' Professor Banks spoke again.

"During my junior year of college, a student was killed on campus. It was my younger brother, Austin." A strange sadness that I didn't think the man capable of touched his eyes as he stared at the article in my hands. "He was only a freshman and his head was-" Professor Banks paused as if the memory was too gruesome for his stomach and I got the picture. He continued anyway. "-it was bashed in by a dumbbell."

And there I saw one of the evidence photos. On it was a twelve and a half pound silver dumbbell, reddened by blood and bits of- no amount of my favorite horror and zombie movies could keep me from reacting negatively towards this picture. I felt my stomach flop uneasily and I instantly peeled my eyes away.

"Who would do something like that?" It was different reading about it or seeing all those crime-scene investigator shows than knowing that someone was possible of such brutality in real life. I hadn't realized I'd actually voiced my question out loud until Professor Banks answered it.

A flash of pure animosity settled in his eyes and his lip curled as he seethed, "Derek Souza."

If I'd thought my heart was already up in my throat, well, I was wrong.

"N-no. H-he wouldn't-"

"Yeah. I didn't think he was capable of it either." He murmured. "Until they found Souza over my brother's dead body."

I glanced back down at the newspaper article in my hands. The first line read 'Syracuse University's junior, Derek Souza, was taken into custody last night after caught at the scene of Austin Banks' murder.'

I stopped, eyes flitting to the rest of the stack. There were more clippings, all about the trial, the evidence that matched the small stack of pictures, the documents that recorded what was argued for and against the accused…

The arguments against Derek were that he was found late at night at the school's gym where Austin Banks had been murdered. He was found by a custodian who immediately called the police. Witnesses saw Derek visiting the gym on a regular basis, normally at night, either at the track or by the free weights. Mr. Bae- as Derek's lawyer- argued that Derek was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. His prints weren't on the murder weapon and, according to other students, Derek and Austin had been friends.

"All these articles say is that Professor Souza was only found at the scene. There doesn't seem to be any other evidence." I said, voice surprisingly even as I could feel a small inkling of hope squirming in my gut.

Maybe, just maybe, it was all a mistake.

"And I would have thought that too." Professor Banks nodded, expression still hard and angry. "But that all means nothing when I'd received this prior to Austin's death."

Banks reached back into his drawer and pulled out a voice recorder. He clicked play and the voice of a male adolescent came out.

"I know about the girls, Royce. We need to talk. If Derek finds out-"

A pause and a deep breath.

"Just call me back."

"W-what girls?" I asked when the voice message ended. I had this dreadful feeling that, somehow, I knew where this was going.

"Before Austin was killed, within that year, three girls went missing. All from around the university, all of which Souza knew and had different kinds of relations with. Nobody really noticed that until Austin pieced it together. At least, that's what I figured he wanted to talk to me about. That he suspected Souza of kidnapping those girls. When I turned up at the gym where he was at the time I was able to get a hold of him, my brother was being pulled into an ambulance and Souza was in cuffs. I knew then that it was all him. He figured out that Austin was on to him, so he took care of him."

As he spoke he leafed through the case documents, getting closer to the bottom and pulled out another clipping. In summary it read about the new evidence and accusation of Derek being responsible for the missing girls.

"But this says there wasn't any proof and that Professor Souza had airtight alibis, being with his family during each disappearance."

Again, just a glimmer of hope fluttered through me.

"That's when I brought up the idea that Souza's father and brother were involved. They were fighting so hard to take the blame off of him that they started throwing around the insane accusation that I had killed my own brother. The only family I had left and they wanted to frame me for killing him."

He shook his head, disgusted and slumped back into his seat, crossing his arms.

"At that point, the court couldn't convict Souza when there was no blood on his hands. They let him go and sealed the case. He was basically an orphaned child, after all. Media was beginning to have a political uproar about the justice system falsely accusing foster adolescents, highlighting prejudice bullshit that had nothing to do with the actual crime. They just couldn't drag it out to find the truth at the risk of the media and people questioning the system. I kept my file, however, and recorded my brother's voicemail before they confiscated and discarded my phone. I knew better."

Banks was so livid his hands were fists against his biceps, knuckles turning white. Where throughout most of what he explained to me, his gaze had been on the file sitting atop the desk between us. Now, though, his dark eyes met mine, snatching me in a paralyzing trance. I listened, mind reeling, trying so desperately to process what was being said, what was happening- only I couldn't. At this point, I don't think I was breathing. Hell, I wasn't even sure if my heart was working properly.

"Souza kidnapped those girls and did God knows what to them." Professor Banks continued, barely speaking through clenched teeth. "My brother found out and Souza killed him too. And now, it's happening all over again."

Suddenly, Professor Banks sat up again, leaning over his desk, getting uncomfortably close as the anger and pain in his eyes almost looked manic. I don't know why I still tried to hide my physical reactions to his movements anymore; I wasn't good at it. Not at this moment. I flinched and tried to lean away, but remained trapped by my chair.

"Do you think it's a coincidence, Chloe? That his tutor student went missing? That girl, Miranda Rivers? And I'm sure Souza knew the diner girl as well. Both young, beautiful girls, starting their lives in college, none the wiser of the monsters that live in this world, just like the three girls before them."

And then, Banks' expression warped from animosity to saddened pain, almost as quickly as Derek switches his moods.

"And, I'm afraid-" A pause. "I'm afraid that you're his next target."

"I-it doesn't make any sense." I sputtered, trying to defend Derek despite what was sitting right in front of me. Why would Derek want to take those girls from before? What could he possibly… what about Rae and Miranda? He never seemed like he cared to even notice girls at all, let alone like that. But then, why had he been so adamant on hiding his past with Professor Banks? About keeping me away from him; because he knew the truth? Why had Derek and I suddenly gotten so close, just as the other girls started disappearing? And now that we were together, it seemed that I was always kept close…

That didn't seem to compute. Nothing about this wanted to click. But was that because I was certain that Professor Banks was wrong, or because I was desperately hoping that he was?

"If Professor Souza really is what you say he is, then how is it that he hasn't already taken me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice level and calm.

"I have a theory." Professor Banks replied slowly. "I suspect that he was targeting you when you told me he was tutoring you. I made sure were in class everyday just to be sure he hadn't made a move, but, before the winter break, I had this strange feeling and I went to visit the math campus. When I spoke to Souza that day, I wanted to remind him that I was still watching and that he and his father would never win this. It was a warning."

"But Souza's a tricky bastard. He's kept you close and whispered things in your ear, changing his pattern. He's using you to keep eyes off of him. Making it seem like he's only got interest in one girl to his disgusting interest in something else entirely."

I sat there, staring at the case file before me, trying so hard to piece it all together despite really not want to. My brain screamed for me to accept this information, that my safety depended on it. But my heart still fought, kicking and screaming, telling me that something about all this wasn't adding up. Or was I imagining it because my heart was so attached to the man in question?

Professor Banks' anger had subsided a bit and he gave me a sympathetic look, as if he were looking at a pitiful, wounded animal and was about to put it out of its misery.

"You needed to know all of this, Chloe. For your own good. But I can see that you still need some time to comprehend it."

He reached over and I felt my gut squirm uncomfortably, as if learning that he was just an angry, sad man who had lost his brother to murder hadn't changed how I felt about him. He only reached for the case stack, however, picking it up and organizing it nicely before sticking it back in to its envelope. Then, he handed it to me.

"I know you don't want to believe it. I didn't either. Derek and I had been friends, all through high school and up until that year. But it's all an act, and I had to learn that the hard way. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you suffered the same fate. Take this if you want to get more information out of it. You can return it to me next week."

I did take it. And before standing to leave I said, "Next week is spring break, Professor Banks."

He didn't seem phased by my statement. In fact, behind the wary clouds in his dark eyes, I thought I could see a hint of that smarmy, dangerous man I'd gown so accustomed to.

"Of course. My mistake."

I swallowed, suddenly more nervous than dazed and stood. I was surprised that I didn't simply collapse back into my chair, considering how much my legs shook. That was definitely from the perception shattering information I had just received. I tried to leave his office as quickly as possible, but was halted when Professor Banks suddenly spoke again.

"One more thing, Chloe. Stay away from Souza." A sudden pleading look touched his eyes. "Please. I don't want you to get hurt."

I didn't say anything. Didn't nod. I just left.

Um… yeah. I LOVE this chapter.

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