Soulmates – Chapter 6
The first days went like this: Will Graham entered the classroom praying that Hannibal wasn't there, but every day, in every class, there he was, sitting on the back of the classroom and staring at Will the entire period as a predator.
Every day at lunch time Will was hiding in a different place, because Hannibal also insisted on sitting at the same table in the cafeteria, of course, when Alan was not around. After the team started training, Alan started to have a lot to do in the infirmary, leaving Will alone most of the time. His friend didn't want to leave him alone like that, especially when he knew that Gary was ruthless when it came to Will and that Hannibal was not reliable. Alan always asked Will if everything was okay and Will lied, saying it was. In fact, Will was about to have a nervous breakdown. Apart from having to watch his back because of Gary and his gang, now had to be on alert all the time, because everywhere we went, there was Hannibal peering at him. However, Hannibal had not found the kennel, good, at least Will still had a refuge.
Will didn't want to talk to Hannibal, and when they were alone in his bedroom, he quickly connected his MP3 player, put the headphones on and grabbed one of his books, trying at all costs to pretend he was not there, drowning himself in Bon Jovi and Stephen King until he fall asleep.
But then came the event that was the beginning of everything. If this had not happened, things might not have taken the course they did.
After long hours hiding in the kennel after he hed bumped into Gary after the fifth period, Will was returning to his dorm. He ran up the stairs of the building and stopped in the midlle of the way when he saw Alan coming down the stairs with a suitcase in hand. He was leaving? What happened? Both looked at each other and Will realized that Alan had his face washed with tears.
"Alan? What happened?" Will asked intrigued with the state of his best friend.
"My mom just called me ..." Alan said with a trembling voice. "My father had a car accident ..."
"Oh my God, Alan ..." Will said shocked.
"She did not tell me how he is, she just told me to go home urgently ..." Alan tried to control his crying, but he couldn't.
"He'll be fine." Will said approaching his Friend.
"I have to go ..." Alan said wiping his face with his sleeve "Pricipal Crawford knows and he called me a taxi, it must have arrived.".
Alan leaned over to hug Will, but stopped in mid-gesture because Will had taken a step backwards. Will felt angry with himself at that moment. He was not able to hug his best friend to comfort him in such a situation. Will was an idiot. A hug was all that Alan asked. A fucking hug, and Will just couldn't do it.
"I'm sorry, Alan." That was all Will could say.
"I know." Alan looked away and walked down the stairs and out of sight.
As he climbed the stairs to his floor, Will felt bad for Alan and hoped that his father would be okay. Will come to know Alan's father last year and he was really cool. His friend had talked several times about how much he loved the old man and so he knew how much he must be suffering.
But beyond this, as he was getting close to his bedroom door, the reality of what had just happened hit him like a punch in the face. Alan had left the boarding school, leaving him alone in the lair of the Wolf.
Will was going to the boring geography class, feeling a chill down his spine, because Alan was not there to distract him. Hannibal would be there for sure, creepy stalker as he was. Will had talked to the Principal Crawford when this had began, requesting that his classes were relocated, but Crawford simply smiled and said he could do nothing. Damn.
Like a bull going to the slaughter, Will entered the classroom and his eyes immediately met Hannibal. The blond boy used to walk with no less weird Francis Dolarhyde, a tall, strong man, with a scar on his face because of the cleft lip. He was part of the team because he was big and violent. Another orc, but surprisingly he had never had problems with Will. The boy thought that the friendship between the two would be expected when he began to see the two sitting side by side in the classroom. However, the place next to Hannibal normally occupied by Francis was empty, and the boy with the scar was sitting in another part of the classroom. Will found it odd and thought it best not to think about it as he lowered his head and walked slowly to his seat.
"William!"
Will heard a familiar voice calling him and he prayed that it was a hallucination, but when he lifted his head to see where the call came from, he saw Hannibal waving at him. Then, to his horror, the blond boy pointed to the place next to him. He was calling Will.
Will felt the ground disappear beneath his feet. Does Hannibal was just waiting Alan to leave to start attacking him like all other bullies? Will didn't want to have any more problems, it was too difficult to live with his personal problems, his mild autism and Gary, the Terrible. He did not want a Creepy Count on his heels. Will shook his head and continued toward his place, but he did not avoid Hannibal so easy. The blond boy stood up from his chair and came approaching Will, walking slowly to stop right next to him, and said in a tone that only Will could hear:
"Did you know that it is extremely rude to ignore a person, William?" He said with a smile.
"Sorry." Will said quietly, feeling smaller and smaller. He felt his hands start to shake and Hannibal smiled.
"I saved a place for you, come sit with me." Hannibal said the most natural way.
Will wanted to scream that he didn't want to sit beside him. Will wanted to run away. Will wanted a hole in the ground to open up where he could jump and hide forever.
"I'd rather sit alone, thank you." Will said through his teeth and looked away.
Hannibal grinned and moved closer to the boy who stepped back instinctively.
"I guess you noticed that I did not ask anything. I stated. You will sit there with me."
Hannibal made a gesture pointing to the back of the classroom and gave room for the boy. Will looked away and started walking to the back of the room.
Why? Why? Why did this have to happen? Did Will had a target painted on his back? They found their seats and sat beside each other. Will looked away, not wanting to look at Hannibal's face. Will's hands were shaking. He knew Hannibal would do something terrible, he knew it. When Hannibal had spoken with him with that tone, that was humiliating. Will felt so weak, so frustrated. What had he done so wrong to deserve being persecuted? He was afraid of Hannibal and angry with himself for letting such things happen.
The boy was not well. He was on edge. Will was like a glass full of water and the words of Hannibal was the drop to make the glass overflow. When he realized, tears were falling fron his eyes and he began to hyperventilate, though no one besides Hannibal noticed the state of the boy, since the two were in the back of the classroom.
"You're having a panic attack, William. Breathe." Hannibal said in a firm voice, but not threatening.
Will tried to calm down, but he just couldn't. He kept crying and breathing as if all the air of the world had gone.
"William, look at me." Hannibal commanded and Will not obeyed, he would not look at Hannibal and see the evil grin of Hanibal. The boy was terrified and nobody there seemed to notice what was happening in the back of the classroom. Will then felt the hand of Hannibal touching his chin and he recoiled in terror, but Hannibal held him tight and look in his eyes.
Hannibal was not smiling evilly as Will expected, he actually had a gentle expression.
"Breathe." He said in a soft tone.
Will was confused. How Hannibal could be an Orc in a minute and the next minute talks so gentle? Hannibal was still holding his chin and look into his eyes and all that Will could think about were those scarlet eyes and how Hannibal held his chin firm, but did not hurt him.
The boy began to calm down and breathe properly. Hannibal released his chin and stroked the curls of Will's hair. He flinched once again , but not like the first time.
"Are You alright? Can we talk? "
Will wiped his face with his sleeve and looked away again. He leaned back in his chair and nodded. His headache was getting stronger.
"I noticed that Alan Bloom left school yesterday." Hannibal said not taking his eyes off the boy.
"It is not of your business." He replied sharply.
Hannibal smiled.
"You're always so rude, or just when you're scared?" Hannibal asked not taking his eyes off the boy. Will looked at him for a moment.
"What do you want, Lecter?" He said harsher still.
The blond boy smiled.
"I want to be your friend."
Wow, wait a minute. Hannibal Lecter wanted to be his friend?
"Friend? Why now?" Will was confused.
"Well..." Hannibal smiled in a way that made Will feel goose bumps. "If we become friends, things would be easier for me, and I wouldn't have to peek you anymore."
"Oh, so you admit you were stalking me!"
"It was for a good cause."
"And what would it be?"
Hannibal took a deep breath and looked away.
"I have reasons to want to protect you."
Hannibal turned back to Will who had a suspicious look.
"And may I know what are those reasons?"
"No... yet." Hannibal said seriously. "Someday."
Will looked at Hannibal for a while, absorbing the words. Hannibal wanted to protect him? Why? What had he to do with it? Will had conflicting feelings at that moment: for more that the rational part of him told him that Hannibal was dangerous, a stupid part of his brain could only think of how Hannibal's eyes were ... beautiful.