Lost In Purple
Chapter 88: Otherwordly Verdict
Johnny's POV
Those screams make me feel so alive. The ones that come straight from the gut, the ones that break the sound barrier, the ones that devolve into false chord fueled mayhem…they all fan the flames to my soon-to-be newly set record. I know it will happen soon, everyone in the scaring industry knows it will happen, the scare boards know it will happen, even Melanie knows it will happen. With every door I come out of alive, she's there looking at me like I'm the hero of a long and hard-fought war.
"Attention scarers! The amazing Johnny Worthington the Third has just hit 6000 total scares, making him closer to achieving the 'Record For Most Scares Completed Within A Year!'" Professor King shouts to everyone on Scare Floor 25.
Applause from all the Scaring Assistants echoes off the cave-like walls and drowns the room. Some of them even cheer for me, so I point at them and give them my appreciation with my signature winks and verbal gratitude. The one I appreciate the most, however, is Melanie. She basically jumps into my arms before grabbing the right and left of my jaw and examining me for any injuries. A kiss is then planted firmly against my lips, but before I even get the chance to enjoy it, she ends it.
"Oh we're so proud of yoooooou! Still doing alright? Do you need water? A cold towel? Or perhaps a break? You've been going non-stop since I started working here last month," Melanie beams.
"Me? Water? A break? Now why would I do that?" I respond, bombarding her back with questions and smirking.
"Because I'm worried that you're tiring yourself out," She answers after placing her hands on my chest.
My hands move onto my hips as I puff out my chest. "Ah, but that's where you misunderstand. If I were to stop, then that means all the attention goes to the others. Your attention especially. Your worries and excitement will just shift on over to someone that doesn't deserve it. I can't have that," I retort playfully.
Melanie scoffs. "Do you really think I would do that to you?"
"I sure hope not! There wouldn't be anyone to praise me if you did…and I like your praise…a lot," I growl rather seductively.
Melanie's ears lower in embarrassment which only makes me want to continue, but Professor King raises his voice once more as the applause and cheers die down. "Yes yes, it's a grand achievement! However, scarers…please note that Sir Ronan Everett and Sir Chip Goff are right behind him with 4500 and 4200, while the rest of you are not even reaching 2,000! I think it's about time to pick up the pace and close that gap!"
"Hey hey hey! What's the big idea, King?" I chuckle for everyone to hear, "Can't you let us enjoy our time on top of the leaderboard for a little while?"
Some of the scarers laugh at my jab while others sit idly feeling unamused with their hands on their heads. I can't blame them; I would feel the same way if I were getting walloped as badly as they were in terms of scare totals.
"No sir! If you want to stay at the top, you've got to work for it! As for everyone else, if you wish to be in the spotlight, then you had better get it together. We're up against Monsters Inc after all!" Professor King shouts, "But that will have to wait until after lunch!"
The door I just exited glides along the railway and disappears into the cave it came from, returning to the factory's door warehouse. Chip and Ronan, elated with their performance, begin speaking with their assistants as if they had been friends for an eternity. The other scaring assistants, however, are not so lucky. They're either neutrally directed to continue their work or directed to work harder and faster. It seems like we've raised the bar for scarers after only getting serious within the last month. Serves them right; For all of us Fear Co employees to be the best, we've all got to work for it.
Melanie sighs as she scratches the underside of my jaw with her enticingly sharp claws. "Why are you so…competitive? Can't you find satisfaction from scaring itself?"
"Oh Mel, you have so much to learn!" I laugh, picking her up and swinging her from side to side.
"No I don't," Melanie counters while letting her limp body fling from side to side. Her tail and legs curve perfectly into arches, all while looking like she's not interested in what I have to say.
"Mmm, you say that, but don't understand why it is that we need the competition. We need it so that enough energy can be produced. If we weren't fighting for the top spots, getting all sorts of rewards and benefits, then what would be the point for anyone to work as hard as we are?" I refute.
She looks off to the side, not giving me a single answer; There isn't even a singular groan or squeak that escapes her mouth, which lets me know that I've won yet another thing. If only there was an award for that; I would gladly accept it.
"Heh, trust me, it's part of the environment. Signing up for scaring means signing up for competition," I add, "And it also means having a surplus of recognition and validation from the general public, but that's not important."
"Was that last part supposed to be sarcastic?" Melanie asks, looking like she's already had enough of me.
"Eh, not really. You're probably the only monster that would never want that in your life, which is just wild to think about. I mean, all that power you could have, all that recognition and validation you could get from the public… that's what I like about you though. You only care about me giving you recognition and validation, and you only care about having power over the best and most legendary scarer to step foot on a scare floor. It's attractive, you know," I proclaim.
"J-Johnny, you don't need to say those things…We're in public," Melanie whispers.
"Oh hush. I know you like it when I praise you. Just look at that beautiful, flustered face of yours," I purr.
Melanie attempts to escape from my powerful grasp but is unsuccessful. The most she can do is push her upper body away from me while relentlessly kicking her legs back and forth. She also lets out these adorable whines here and there, but they're not the kinds that insinuate injury which is a good thing. She also tries her best to hide her face, but why would I let her do that? If I could have that gorgeous face of hers burned into my retinas, I wouldn't complain.
"Oh my god, oh my god, let me go before I murder you, pleasesomeonehelpmehelpmehelpmehelpme," Melanie blathers, finally being able to twist her body enough for her side to be up against my chest.
I hope she knows that she's lucky. Her father has noticed her not-so-serious distress and has the inevitable strength to stomp over to us. I cautiously set her down before letting her go and watch her run behind Ronan.
"Geez, you two are hyper today," Ronan states before reaching slightly behind his back to make sure she's alright, "May I ask what's got the both of you so worked up?"
I place my hands on my hips again and grin from ear to ear. "Oh the usual. I compliment her and she can't handle it."
"You know there's more to it than that!" Melanie whines.
"Oh? Lying to me are we?" Ronan portends.
I shake my head and laugh. "No no no. I-I apologize to the both of you. I was just having some fun and took it too far."
"Heh, good," Ronan chuckles back, probably thinking back to all the other times this has happened in the past month. I just can't help it; Whenever she blushes because of me it makes my heart flutter.
Ronan then reaches further back to grab Melanie's wrist and pulls her in front of him. "He was simply trying to make you feel good, Moondrop."
"Like I said, that's not all that he was talking about!" Melanie pouts while gritting her teeth.
"Then spit it out!" Ronan chuckles.
She crosses her arms and pouts. "He said that I don't know what I'm talking about when I do, and he's doing that thing where he makes himself seem superior to everyone else."
Ronan looks up to me in confusion. I just smile, cross my own arms and switch my attention back to Melanie.
"I mean he's right. He also has the right to act that way; It's part of the environment, Moondrop," Ronan responds.
I love it when I'm right.
Before Melanie can continue her emotional tirade, I jump in for one last explanation of my own. "It should be known that I only said those things to impress you."
Her mouth hangs open, letting me know that I truly was about to be cut off but stopped her in time. Her mouth then closes, and she scowls. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air. It stinks of betrayal in here."
Melanie's hair flies lusciously into the air as does her tail, leaving the two of us behind. Her claws click against the cement floor and a whiff of her gentle and fruity perfume soars into my nostrils. I'll never understand how she can be so beautiful even when she's stomping away from me in anger. It's funny how she's completely blending in with the rest of the scare floor too. Professor King's statement earlier seems to have left them all in a sour mood.
"She'll be fine when we come back. I've had similar conversations about you with her plenty of times before," Ronan states.
"I know. She tells me everything," I reply feeling…happy.
A strong force pushes itself against my shoulder-blade. When I look over to see Ronan placing his hand on me with a smile, I know for certain that everything is ok. He's been a great future father-in-law, and I couldn't have asked for anyone better to work with... aside from Chip that is.
"How about we head up to the café today? I'm feeling like getting an iced coffee," Ronan suggests.
I look back to Chip and see if he's willing to join us, but it looks like he's already made plans with his Scaring Assistant. I guess that's one less person to worry about. "Uhhh, I'll admit that I've never been up there before, but maybe I'll get something alongside a grilled cheese or some sort of sandwich."
"Please just take some time for yourself, Jonathan. Melody is right, you have been going non-stop for a while now and I think it would be good for you and her to spend some time together outside of work," Ronan growls as we sit at the Fear Co café, "I mean, she's been practically begging Mr. King to let that happen for two weeks now."
"No, I'm not doing that! Everyone knows who we are now, a-and now that we rookies are putting record breaking numbers on the leaderboards… How can I possibly take a break?!" I rave, "You already know that I want to impress Melanie, but…I also want to blow everyone's expectations even further out the water now!"
"Johnny, look, I understand that you're excited. I'm excited to finally be in this position as well, but you must understand that scaring isn't about fame nor is it about proving yourself to be better than everyone else. It's about fulfilling our aspirations, building our identities as monsters and improving the quality of life for all. You can't do that if you become too exhausted to speak or stand after weeks of non-stop scaring," Ronan replies, shaking his head and crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair.
His blue fur is illuminated by the sun's rays that are brightly shining through the buildings glass walls. Even then, the light doesn't make him any less intimidating. His expression remains serious, and now that I know what he's truly capable of, it's not a look that I simply cast aside and ignore.
Ronan's body rises slightly and then deflates, letting out a massive sigh. "Again, I know you're excited but… Melody is worried. She's told me that you're not eating as much as you should and you're not giving yourself enough time to rest."
"I understand the concern, but…How can I stop when I'm exactly where I want to be? My scare totals and scream averages put veterans to shame, monsters look at me like I'm their hero, and monsters are finally recognizing my scaring abilities and bravery and…all sorts of things. I'm not seen as that kid that will ruin your life due to a mild inconvenience anymore… I'm that amazing scarer who transcends normality and I want to ride that high for as long as I can," I explain.
I really mean that. Ever since the public eye fell onto Melanie and I after we were put on Monstropolitan News, everyone's treated me differently. I'm a role model now; A monster that gives people hope and inspires them to be something greater than they're meant to be. They don't run away or cower whenever I'm in the same room anymore. They instead call out to me, ask for pointers or autographs, thank me for everything I've done, and they talk to me like I'm an old friend of theirs. It's the polar opposite of before.
"I'm happy you feel that way, Jonathan. But Melody's concerns should concern you. That high should be felt for the rest of your career, not for just the next week or so. You'll burn yourself out and end up in King's care like all the rest. Or maybe you'll end up in a dark place like your dad where personal achievement means everything, and work overshadows family. I get that you're doing all of this for Melody, but…seriously, you need balance to be happy," Ronan counters.
Two monsters heading to the café counter pass us by, greeting me. I greet them back before thinking this over. It's true that I'm doing this for Melanie. I want to build my own reputation and save as much money as possible for her so that she can live a life a literal luxury…but that means I don't get to spend as much time as I want with her anymore. A thought like that scares me actually. Making her think I've forgotten about her or that she's not as important as my job is the last thing I want. Ronan is also correct. Forcing myself to overperform will only cause me to eventually hate this job at some point.
"Jonathan, it's not that deep. It's just one or two days out of your normal schedule. And if working overtime means that much to you then I implore you to talk to King about changing your work week to be at least one day less than it is…For Melody's sake," Ronan adds.
"Fine, you win," I chuckle lightly, "Besides, I wouldn't want her to shatter my ribcage."
"Hm? What does that mean?" Ronan asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, have you ever been punched by her before? Probably not since you're her father," I respond.
Ronan closes his eyes and shakes his head, not wanting for me to describe something he already understands. "Ah, I see. I haven't been punched by her specifically, but Evelyn does the exact same thing. She must have inherited her mother's super strength."
"Do you think she could get a high score on one of those arcade boxing machines?" I joke.
Ronan snickers before bringing one hand up to his head. "Why would you say that?"
"Ok here, let me set the scene for you," I say while standing up, clapping once, reaching out in front of me and crouching as if I'm about to perform a scare, "We kidnap Melanie and bring her to every arcade in the city. We then scout the place, find the boxing machines and wait for our unsuspecting victims to play it. The overwhelming noise and epilepsy inducing colors flashing all around the building will keep us from being discovered, at least until we see them scoring under a 500. We then shout out to them and make bets on who is stronger, making them believe it's us they're facing. However, it's actually Melanie we send in. She winds up her fist and sends it into the bag, creating the next big bang, and boom…We become millionaires."
Ronan looks like he couldn't possibly comprehend what I just said, but gives me a massive grin. "I never expected you to be so imaginative."
I'm left standing there, arms held out and wanting his thoughts on this. I totally think she could out punch any monster in the world, especially since she's the only one to ever actually hurt me with their punches.
Ronan takes a deep breath and lets his thoughts finally flood out. "Ok so there's multiple things wrong with this. For starters, you would have to convince Melanie to do this, and I'll tell you right now that she won't; Her morals will keep her from doing something like that. You would then have to convince her to actually go to all these public spaces, which she hates. You'll then have to figure out how to make monsters actually want to make that bet with you. I don't know if you know this, but you're three times bigger than most monsters and obviously have way more strength from them; Only idiots would accept a bet like that. And lastly, you would have to find a way to make Melody actually hit the punching bag with full force. Her nerves would get to her, and she would just lightly graze it."
I don't move a single muscle. My mouth is agape. My arms remain outwards. My dreams are crushed. What's the point of moving on?
"You alright?" Ronan asks with a smile.
"Oh, uh…yeah," I mumble while returning to my normal standing stance and smiling back, "I just wasn't expecting you to blow holes in my plan so quickly."
"Well I'm sorry to ruin your fun," Ronan laughs, "But in all seriousness, no I don't think she would get high scores on those machines nor would she even want to touch them."
"True. The only thing she would ever punch with such ferocity is me," I chortle while sitting back down at the cafe table.
"Which is a good thing. We can't have you pulling off all those schemes of yours without supervision. That's another good reason for you to take a day or two off," Ronan mentions.
"Schemes? What am I, a super villain?" I ask.
"Oh don't start with me, Jonathan!" He banters, "I'm the supercomputer of knowledge between you and Melody! I know everything you've done since last year. Your rather bold dates, your crazy parties, your attempts at disobeying your dad, your attempts at keeping secrets…everything. I even know of your completely illegal outing to Fear Tech all those months ago, of which I'm very proud of by the way."
"Uuuuh, I mean I appreciate you taking an interest in me, but that's a little creepy, isn't it?" I state.
"Jonathan, I'm literally the son of a stereotypical mafia boss. I have ways of getting information," Ronan says staring at me with an unamused expression.
"Oh don't worry, I didn't forget. In fact, I planned on going to you in case I wanted to delve into some fast money-making opportunities in the future" I smile, proceeding to cross my legs.
"Yeah, um, good joke, but no…It's never simple with you. You're not a normal person that stays out of trouble. So yes, you're like a super villain that always has something up his sleeve," Ronan adds.
I could say the same to him, but that would be somewhat of a low blow. His reason for hiding everything was understandable and I would have done the exact same thing if I were in his shoes.
Ronan brings his coffee up to his lips, so that he can take a sip. Once he places it back down, he says, "We're getting off topic again though. You're taking a day off and that's final. I'll drag you out of the factory myself if I have to, or better yet, I'll get King to pull you into his office."
"Mmm, I'd rather not," I murmur.
"Hey, Melody is the one you should be wary of. That girl has turned into a near copy of her mother and that's a very terrifying thing to think about," Ronan forewarns.
"Why is that?" I ask.
Ronan leans forward onto the café table and lifts his arm up to show me his fist. He then raises his fingers each time he lists off his reasons, "No food, no bed, no fun. It happened several times when Melody was younger and holy mother of God did I suffer."
No fun? Meh, that's pretty much my whole life. No bed? That's a problem. If I don't sleep, then my general well-being will decline. I'll have bags and I'll feel weak, so I can't have that. But no food?! No juicy and tender meat dishes?! No scrumptious desserts of divine quality? No perfectly balanced diets composed of fruits?! No no no no no, that can't possibly happen! What would be the point in living if I can't be told through the medium of cuisine that somebody loves me?! Ok…ok…let's be smart about this and just listen to Ronan. My judgement couldn't possibly bring a way to please both parties.
"Hey hey hey, there's the big man!"
I twist my body to find one of my father's lackeys. I can't remember his name, but I know that he's basically the scream production manager. He's a blocky and scaly orange monster with a bushy mustache and black suit. He's the literal definition of a stereotypical businessman, but he's not a bad guy. There are many other employees that my father works with that could just straight up be fired, but this guy is not one of them.
"Finally taking a legitimate break after months of rigorous work, huh?" The manager asks.
I let out a chuckle before pointing to Ronan, "When the future father-in-law is around, yes sir!"
"Ah, I see! Gotta keep the family happy!" He beams while placing his hand on my shoulder.
"Trying to at least. Doesn't seem like it's working though. Just got another lecture on taking time off for the fiancé," I respond.
The manager looks a little disappointed but keeps his smile from disappearing. "Awwww, that's a shame. I, however, would like you to do what you feel is right! If you wish to continue being our star scarer for a little bit longer, then go for it! Take a break when you're ready for it!"
"Heh, you're very kind, but Melanie is more important to me than numbers on a leaderboard. As for the factory, you guys have another star scarer right here, so there shouldn't be too much of a loss," I reply before gesturing to Ronan again.
"Doh, we're not worried about him," The manager replies, waving his hand in a way that obviously insinuates his disinterest in Ronan, "It's you that we want to cater to, future record holder! You're the current scaring rave and we want you to feel as comfortable as possible! If you're feeling burnt out, we'll give you a day off! If you want a raise, we'll give you a raise! Anything to keep you from slowing down or leaving!"
Mmm…I see why my father keeps him around. He's exactly like him. He doesn't care about those who aren't the next celebrity but will kiss the feet of those who are. I keep up the professional charade of liking his presence and try to steer this conversation to an end. Ronan and I should be getting back to the scare floor anyways.
"It's, uh, nice to know that you're concerned about me, but there's no need to worry. Ronan and I don't plan on leaving Fear Co," I respond in slight annoyance, "And we'll prove that by getting back to the old grind."
"Yes of course, don't let me keep you! Make us proud, son!" The manager shouts while heading to the café like everyone else from before.
Heheheh, yeaaaaaaaaaah… don't ever call me son again you irrelevant loser. The guy drops in for a quick conversation to be disrespectful to Ronan and treats me like 'the son he never had'. That's so odd; I legitimately remember him being a good guy, but maybe my view of him has changed because I've changed.
Ronan grabs his now empty coffee cup and pushes himself to his feet. I do the same as to not be gross and disrespectful. He moves beside me while looking to the floor, and we slowly head to the nearest trash can.
"Way to make me sound like I'm against you there, Johnny Boy," Ronan states.
"Wh-Huh?! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your image," I spout.
We find ourselves next to a trash can and toss our cups into it. Now we're only a short distance away from the back right elevator.
"Heh, I'm joking. You were just having some friendly banter with him…at least until he became rather inconsiderate. I appreciate you picking up on that," Ronan mumbles.
"Ugh, I'd like to just…forget that I even had a that interaction, but that's how Fear Co has always been. The best scarer is the only one worth any kind of attention," I sigh, "It pains me to know that they don't see you as an equally important scarer."
"You flatter me, but again, I've never wanted to be a scarer for fame. I've had way worse interactions with others before and been through a lot worse…Still don't think I'll be talking to him anytime soon though," Ronan replies.
I chuckle. "I'm right there with you."
We spend the next few minutes waiting for the elevator to find its way to the main floor. It's a rather busy time for the factory so it likely transported a countless number of monsters all around the upper floors. When it did reach the main floor, we hopped inside and took it to the Scare Floor level along with several other employees. Ronan and I don't really talk to them because we become focused on Professor King, even when we exit the elevator and walk down the gray, underground hallways.
"Do you think he needs a day off too?" Ronan asks, glaring at the cement floor.
"I'd be lying if I said he doesn't. The poor guy has been on every scare floor, helping every assistant and coaching every scarer. I'm also not even going to mention all the psychiatry and therapy he provides to everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if he's running on fumes," I reply.
I'm greeted by many monsters I've come to know over the last month and acknowledge them before returning my attention to the man who matters the most. His strides match mine, sending a breeze through our fur due to the speed we fly down the hallway.
"He's such a good man," Ronan adds, "And sometimes I worry that he spends too much time worrying about others before worrying about himself."
I think of all the times I've seen him over these months and he doesn't look sleep deprived or depressed or anything. In order to relay that information, I say, "Really? I don't think he's been suffering at all recently."
"That's the problem. People like him, people who help bend the fates of others for the better, tend to hide their true feelings. I would know, I was one of them," Ronan contends.
Well…there's not really an argument against that. Unless he says with genuine honesty that he's not suffering, there's no way of knowing. So maybe we should check up on him since everyone's checking up on me. He has just exited Scare Floor 25, the one we're both scaring in, so let's give it a whirl.
"Hey, Professor!" I shout down the hallway.
His head was originally tilted down so that he could review some documents, but now it's been lifted. Professor King faces Ronan and I, looking rather relieved to see us calmly sauntering towards him. We must have saved him some struggle…I guess having that rather rough conversation with that manager was a good thing.
"Good to see you two! I figured you guys would have ditched work!" He says, throwing in some sarcasm on that last sentence.
"Oh yes! Cause we aaaaallllways do that!" I respond with some sarcasm of my own.
The Professor chuckles and then continues. "Heh, regardless of the circumstance, it's still good to see you. I was just about to go on a mission to hunt you two down. Some rather important things have come up that I need to talk to you about."
"Would that be you taking a day off as well?" Ronan asks, placing his hands on his hips as we arrive at the entrance to Scare Floor 25.
"Day off?" Professor King inquires.
"Yeah, Ronan's been worried about you; Always dealing with everyone's depression and anger while also dealing with the company at a large scale. He wants you to think about spending some time for yourself," I explain in Ronan's stead.
"Oh pfffft. I know it's a rather dark thing to say, but this is what I enjoy doing. Helping people is what I live for and making sure everyone's happy and comfortable is what I strive for. I'm fine, trust me, I don't need a day off," Professor King laughs.
"Mmm, but can I believe you?" Ronan questions.
The Professor clears his throat. "Ahem, yes. I would not be here if I wasn't doing well, I can assure you of that. But anyways, if I could have the two of you head to your stations, I would appreciate that. I'm going to go track down Chip and Melanie as they need to be here too."
"Oh, I thought Chip was with his scaring assistant… and wasn't Melanie outside?" I ask, feeling myself become protective.
"It was Chip's Assistants birthday, so they went to his quick little party in one of the conference rooms on the upper floors. I feel bad for forgetting his assistant's name, but he's quite literally the only assistant who does his job well enough for me to never see him. You get what you ask for I suppose," Professor King answers.
"We're not all in trouble are we?" Ronan asks, returning to the original topic.
Oh trust me, big guy, we would know if we were in trouble. My father would have us sitting in silence somewhere in the factory and Professor King would be infinitely less interested in talking with us. The weight of unbearably unhappy eyes would be placed on our shoulders and the feeling that your life has officially ended would consume us for every bit of happiness lodged within our heads.
"Oh god no! Imagine the four best employees of Fear Co getting in trouble. It would be the end of the factory," The Professor says, shuddering at the idea.
"Oh man… It's so nice to hear somebody say that," I sigh while opening the Scare Floor door with my keycard.
Professor King turns to head towards the nearest elevator, presumably to go pick up Chip and Melanie. "Eh, you'll become numb to it after another three months. I mean, you've been the best of the best ever since you were born, right?"
"Ok, so now that we're all here, I'm going to give you an update on the situation," Professor King says while wrangling us up in the center of the active Scare Floor.
The other monsters who scare alongside us pay no attention to our activity and continue battling it out. Everyone knows how competitive the scoring is here at Fear Co, but luckily, they're not anywhere close to beating Chip, Ronan or I. The doors rattle as they slide along the rails and the lights are dimmed so that the room can be bathed in the usual pink and red glow.
"The situation being…?" Chip inquires while leaning forward and narrowing his eyes.
"Faust, Baboso and Percy," Professor King answers instantly.
I have Melanie wrapped within my arms and I feel her tense up a little, but not to the point where she freezes up completely.
"Oh, well by all means, continue," Chip replies.
The Professor opens up his phone and turns it so that we can all get somewhat of a good look at what's on it. It seems Fear Co has been in contact with the authorities and that's because they had to get involved with the court. My father, even though he's been an absolute asshat recently, was furious to hear about all the serious problems I've been faced with this past year. Instead of being that disappointed and aggressive father he's always been, he changed into an almighty guardian that just up and forgot everything he's been babbling about. He got everything from lawyers to restraining orders involved. All in all, he tried to get everything taken care of for us, but we still had to go give testimonies. I'm not even going to go into detail about the lecture I was given about that. However, I'm uninterested in the past, and would rather know about what's going to happen for the foreseeable future.
"Since none of you have been able to attend the hearings because of your very important jobs, they've just gone ahead and sent the transcripts of the hearings. Faust has been sentenced to 17 years and 2 months in prison for the various actions he's taken against you and many others. Percy and Baboso were only given 10 years, but that's because they were convicted of less crimes," Professor King states.
Reading through some of the sentences on The Professors phone gives me this indescribable feeling. It's cathartic, but unsettling. I wasn't expecting such a hefty sentence. He didn't murder anybody or anything, but…I guess that's what happens when you stack crimes like he did.
"Is that it?" Ronan asks.
"I-I get that you're furious with him, especially with all he's said and done to your daughter. But yes, that's it. For what I know, he will be serving every bit of that sentence. He'll also be given the opportunity to go through criminal rehabilitation programs, but that's of course up to him on whether or not to take them seriously. All I can say to you, Ronan, is that you should rest easy and let the authorities take over from here. We don't need you poisoning him or…doing whatever it is you wish to do to him," Professor King retorts.
Ronan just rolls his eyes, not completely satisfied with the answer he was given. Although, he's at least backed down and accepted some of it.
Professor King presses the power button on his phone and shoves it back into his suit pocket. "The Monstropolitan Court System also wishes to apologize to you, Melanie. They didn't realize how deeply tied the situation was to you, and didn't understand how hard it was for you to talk about everything that's happened over the past year. They've admitted to Jonathan's father and I that they would have handled this case much differently, and even given you some psychiatric or therapeutic help if they handled the case a bit better."
"Yeesh, it's crazy that they're only realizing this after the case is closed," Chip growls.
"It doesn't matter," I snarl to myself, "As long as Melanie is safe."
"She will be. They've made it clear that Faust will be watched for as long as he lives," The Professor soothes, "Speaking of which, I need the four of you to understand Faust's side of the story. This is something that you guys missed, and it actually made the entirety of his actions make sense."
"Oh god, I don't need to hear his sob story," I fume while turning back towards my scaring station, "Can we just leave it here?"
Professor King puts on that serious expression he always had at MU. "No, we can't ju-"
"Professor, I really want to leave this all in the past; In fact, I'm sure we all would. The guy is crazy and I would like to never hear his name again for as long as I live," I argue.
"Johnny, this is serious. Everyone who has had the misfortune of being involved in this case understands how angry you are, but you cannot walk around and act like you know the entirety of the story. Do not let your emotions control you this way," Professor King berates.
I just shake my head and lock my fingers with Melanie's. I wish she had the strength to say something, but I understand how she feels about this topic; She's forever traumatized, at least in a social stance.
Professor King gives me a nasty side eye but doesn't continue arguing with me. "Ok…so…None of what I'm about to tell you is an excuse for Faust's horrible behavior, and I do think he deserves the sentence he got, but I can't help but feel awful for him because of what drove him to act the way he did. Just like the four of you, he's had a unpleasant childhood, however, his is mortifying compared to any of yours. He's had nobody to talk to about it… ever…and that's the foundational reason as to why Faust liked Melanie in the first place. She was the only person who had the capability of understanding him and his situation because of her kindness."
"Ugh, dude what is this? The origin story of the next serial killer? Like seriously, I'm getting serial killer vibes from this," Chip complains.
"Stop," Professor King growls.
Chip raises his hands and takes a few steps back as if he were being personally attacked.
"Anyways… Melanie did you ever meet Faust's parents?" The Professor asks gently.
I look down to Melanie and see her ears lower.
"Y-Yeah. I, um…I thought they were nice," She answers.
"Mmm, interesting. According to Faust, they were anything but a nice couple," Professor King refutes.
"O-oh," Melanie mumbles.
"It's one of the worst cases of child abuse I've ever come across," Professor King adds.
Ronan scoffs and starts pacing back and forth. "I'm so tired of hearing about things like this. Why can't we all have the chance to just be normal?"
The Professor runs to the entrance of the scare floor and pulls out a chair. He swiftly carries it over to Ronan before directing him to sit down in it. He then directs him to breathe slowly and deeply while not leaving his side. "I'm sorry, I know that these kinds of topics set you off."
"GrrrrrRRRRRR…It-It's fine. I'll live," Ronan growls.
Melanie moves to his side and kneels next to him, wrapping her arms around his body.
"Do you need anything, Ronan?" I ask, feeling myself worry just as much as Melanie.
"No no…This is just…shocking. It was my dad, then it was me, and now it's you, Chip, Melanie, and Faust. Like… who else has problems, you know?" Ronan responds while pressing his hands against his head.
"Javier," Chip adds in sorrow, "The guy was living with drug lords and was bullied for being Hexpanic."
"Jesus Christ…," Ronan spouts, "I feel so bad for you kids."
"It's a part of life unfortunately. Some come out stronger, like the four of you, while others don't," Professor King says while standing up, "And that's why I'm here; To keep people from hitting rock bottom. I just wish I had him in my classes; I likely would have realized something was wrong and saved him too."
Ronan let's out a massive sigh and says, "…At least we're in good hands…but please, keep going."
"Ok…uuuhhh, oh yes… Faust's parents were extremely abusive in multiple ways. For as far back as Faust can remember, Faust was unhappy and scared…and I mean really scared. He told the court that his parents had major issues with him due to his dyslexia and dyscalculia, so he's always had trouble reading, writing, comprehending, reasoning, and calculating. Obviously Cormeadow schools are absolutely appalling, so he never got the appropriate help to deal with those learning disorders. Therefore, he was always receiving horrible grades but managed to move on every year as if nothing happened. They happened to be good enough grades because of his fear of his parents. Every time Faust got home from school, he was confronted by his mother who was called by his teachers or principals. They would tell her about his horrible academic performances, so in return, she would refuse to feed him."
"What the fuck?" Chip winces.
"Yeah, iiiiiiiiit gets worse. Faust would literally ask his classmates for food during lunchtime, and nobody noticed that doing something like that wasn't normal. In addition, Faust's father is a raging alcoholic and when he learned about his bad grades, he would beat Faust until he got tired. There were times where he was thrown against walls, dressers, wardrobes…anything. The same thing would happen if Faust got into trouble with his teachers, and that's another thing I need you to realize. Faust was never taught the basics of discipline. His parents repeatedly told him that they never wanted him and that he was a literal mistake; They even told him to his face that he was broken and the definition of a disappointment while proceeding to not teach him right from wrong."
I…I can't say I'm surprised. The guy had everything twisted. Although, I did have my fair share of abuse from my father, but most of it was psychological. Faust was just blatantly abused physically.
"B-But I don't…I don't understand why they seemed so…normal," Melanie chimes in.
"That's because Faust was manipulated into keeping quiet. He said that his parents threatened to kill him on multiple occasions as well as kidnapping him while he was sleeping and throwing him out in the middle of nowhere while tied up. His parents also happened to be very exceptional actors. They were able to fool everyone into thinking that they were a normal family," Professor King elucidates.
"O-Oh," Melanie whines.
"As for Faust," The Professor continues, "He slowly developed some very concerning symptoms before he hit middle school and met Melanie. Since all he had was himself and his deep-rooted trauma, he started imagining and creating his own friends to talk to at home. Then one day, he couldn't stop imagining those friends of his. They stuck around and allegedly told him all sorts of untrue things, such as his parents loving him."
"…What the fuuuuuuuuuuck…" Chip winces again, but this time more intensely.
"I'm still going, Chip. Save the reactions for the end," Professor King sighs.
"Dude what?!" Chip screams.
Professor King clears his throat. "Ahem…Faust says he knew that none of that was normal, but he couldn't do anything about it, so running away or stay after school for extremely long periods of time became a way from him to stay within the normal world. Eventually, those hallucinations caught on and taught him how to be normal. He learned how to make people like him because of them, and they taught him how to live like a basic person. Those imaginary friends were basically better parents than his actual ones, so he started listening to them after his life turned around in middle school. People started to think he was cool, and he started getting better grades. And then he met Melanie, the monster that apparently made those hallucinations go away. It wasn't until Johnny came into the picture that those friends of his magically returned. He says they screamed and screamed and screamed at him. They said that he needed to get Johnny away from Melanie, and if he didn't then they wouldn't leave. And as you know, he couldn't get Johnny away. Faust became depressed and found that alcohol was the only cure that helped keep him from remembering what he was experiencing."
I…I can't believe what I'm hearing.
"Oh my god, Johnny," Chip says in an old man voice, "We went to school with a literal psychopa-"
"Not a psychopath," Professor King interrupts, "Hallucinations, delusions, depression, and two other symptoms. The JOX all gave the authorities two critical pieces of information that ended up diagnosing Faust with something very serious. Growlahan in particular said that Faust would sometimes be noticeably depressed and then other times be really motivated and weirdly energetic. There were even times he noticed that Faust was completely unpredictable, which explains why he just up and disappeared all the time. These disappearances included the time he stalked you and the many times during the Scare Games that he messed with you. He legitimately thought he was living in a world where he was officially dating Melanie and that she was constantly in danger from other people, which we know wasn't the truth. But anyways… now we've got hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, depression and hypomania…That's known as schizoaffective disorder."
"He's schizophrenic?!" Chip questions.
"No that's something entirely different. Schizophrenia causes monsters to have trouble expressing their emotions whereas schizoaffective disorder causes a person to feel intense emotions," Professor King answers.
"Holy fu- like wh- I don't…Th-this is crazy, this is just crazy," Chip chuckles while suddenly looking to the ceiling.
"Damn…poor kid," Ronan exhales.
I feel like I have to jump in with a comment as well. "Ugh, so basically he was livid with me taking the one person he felt comfortable around away from him and turned my life into a living nightmare without thinking how his actions affected mine."
"Ok, Johnny, can you n-," Professor King says before wiping his eyes with one hand and placing his other on his hip.
Weird, I don't think he was crying at all.
"Johnny, you have to understand that Faust was very unwell and that he quite literally wasn't himself throughout this whole year. Like I'm trying not to get emotional for him because he truly did do horrible things to everyone, but he's literally in a mental asylum right now because his parents failed him so badly," The Professor reproaches.
"Professor ple- GRRRRRR! What am I supposed to say about this?! What am I supposed to feel about this?!" I scream.
"I don't want you to say or feel anything, Johnny!" He shouts powerfully back, "What I want you to do is rethink everything you thought you knew!"
What?! What the hell does that mean?! The guy almost ruined my relationship with Melanie and my career!
"I feel the same way, King," Ronan says in my defense.
"Same here," Chip adds, "The guy put us into some very questionable situations. How are we supposed to feel anything other than malice towards him?"
"Guys, the Faust you knew was not the real Faust," The Professor states while crossing his arms.
We all look at him in confusion.
"What?" I ask.
"If you all would have let me finish, you would understand…He was so depressed and sick that he was drunk the ENTIRE YEAR! There were times when he was more drunk than others because of that resilient liver of his, but he does not remember a single thing he did to you after he lashed out at Melanie. That exact night, he drank till he blacked out and never stopped. The inflated self-esteem and confidence, the extreme and sudden happiness, the unusual aggression, the unusually high-sex drive, the lies, the delusions… all of it… it was the simultaneous symptoms of hypomania and being drunk. The doctors and psychiatrists said that it was as if he woke up from a coma," Professor King concludes.
There's no way to describe how I'm feeling right now. All that suffering Melanie and I went through happened because Faust was so incredibly lost and heartbroken and… it led him to do horrible things. It just sounds like an excuse to me, but I'm being told that it's not. All I can do is crumble and place my hands over my head, blocking my face with my elbows.
"Melanie, do you remember when you went to give them your testimony, and you said that it felt like Faust turned into a completely different monster?" Professor King asks, "This is why. You have to realize that, deep down, Faust was only protecting you; His real reason for doing all of this was because he was scared! The one monster he felt comfortable with, the one monster he thought would treat him the way we wanted, was taken away from someone he feared. He saw you Johnny, someone that has hurt others before, and thought that you would hurt Melanie the same way his parents did to him. Seeing that unravel before his very eyes drove him to enter a depressive delusional reality where he thought he was in the right."
The distress I'm feeling is so unbearable that I don't even know what to say. Melanie is exactly the same, but instead of just sitting there, she's crying. Ronan has pulled her up into his lap and is swaying back and forth to calm her. She's likely feeling responsible for this whole debacle, but we all know she's not. How could she have known something this serious was going on in the background? How would she have fixed something like this?
"You do not need to forgive him for what he did to you, but I need you to understand and think about his reasoning for doing those things. What would you do if your future, or perhaps the future of someone you love, was in peril? Would you do whatever it took to protect it, or would you accept the inevitable change?"
"I really am sorry for upsetting you, but I wanted you to know that there was much more going on than we all originally thought. He wasn't there to just be mean to you because nothing went his way; There was instead a psychological and neurobiological reason for him to treat you the way he did," Professor King states, "And I don't want you living the rest of your life believing a misunderstanding."
"No, it's ok…" Melanie sniffles while holding my hand, "I-I'm glad you told me. I just wish I knew earlier."
Chip and Ronan have excused themselves as to not delve deeper into this conversation. They've made it clear that they wish to move on and hope for things to get better. They've even gone as far as to give our coworkers someone to talk to as their assistants change out their doors.
The Professor places his hand on his heart. "I'm right there with you, and I wish we could have gotten him some help sooner, but you need to realize that there's no way of knowing what people are going through unless they speak about it. It doesn't help that the two of you grew up in a society where it most likely wasn't ok to open up about these things, and it doesn't help that society in general doesn't teach you about these things. I just want you to know that it's not your fault for anything that happened to him."
"…Is it something that he can be…you know…cured from?" I ask.
"Unfortunately no," Professor King answers melancholically, "He can manage it with medication and psychotherapy. A monster with a disorder like that is unfortunately experiencing something we don't know much about. His brain structure and functionality are also so vastly different compared to ours that managing their symptoms is more of a pressing concern."
"H-how different w-would you say? He's not like…actually 'broken,' is he?" Melanie asks while finally being able to catch her breath and wipe away the last falling tear.
Professor King sighs. "Using the word broken is really unfair and I wish he never heard anyone call him that. Being told something like that might have very well been a cause for him to develop that disorder…but anyways, I would say he's abnormally different. He has much less widespread grey matter in the brain compared to you or me, a major imbalance of dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and glutamate, um…possibly some dysfunction of the thalamus and cerebral cortex; There are many things that are different within his head. It's up to you to decide if he's broken or if he's simply a monster that needs some extra help."
Melanie nods and leans against me.
"But that's…that's in the past. It's time for you and Johnny to move onto a new chapter, and that usually begins with a break. And I swear to God, Johnny, if you start arguing with me," The Professor nags while pointing at my face.
"Woah! Wait! Time out!" I yelp, "I've already talked about it with Ronan, and I agree!"
Professor King's shoulders lower and his body language softens. "Oh well that's good. I'm glad that I don't have to come up with some master plan that keeps you off the scare floor."
"Ok, Professor," I chuckle, "Would it ever hurt you guys to simply just talk to me?"
"Dang, the days must be blurring together. Have you already forgotten about the seven other times I've asked you to take some time off?" The Professor replies with a raised eyebrow.
"SEVEN?" I question with emphasis.
Professor King shrugs as if he doesn't care. "It's whatever, you don't listen. I've known that since I first started teaching you at MU. When it comes to scaring, you're all about it, but when it comes to health or anything else, it's not worth your time. It's what makes you…well…you."
Melanie lets out a weak laugh, which in turn makes me laugh.
"Heh," Professor King laughs as well, "Well…again I'm sorry that this is how it all ended, but I can say with confidence that things will finally get better for the two of you. Aside from all the drama, you two are very smart and capable monsters that have the ability to change the future, and I hope the both of you realize that whether you want to or not."
"Oh don't worry about me, professor. It's this little ghost you have to worry about," I joke while lightly shaking Melanie.
She responds by giving me one of those very hurtful punches to my ribcage, but I'm able to hold back the outburst I usually have and maintain a smile.
"I'll keep that in mind. Although I don't think I have much to worry about her anymore. Her 'in vivo Prolonged Exposure' to social interaction has worked after all," The Professor responds.
I have no idea what he just said and can't help but ask. "Huh?"
"I discussed this with her almost a year ago…only she knows what I'm referring to. For you, Johnny, let's just say that Melanie has changed in the best way she possibly could have…and that's because of you. So continue being there for her, yeah?"
Apparently I'm never going to understand, but that's alright. There have been times where King has said that there are some things in this world that we'll never fully understand, and this happens to be one of them. I just smile and take what he said to heart; I wouldn't dare let her go for any reason.
"Now, I've been given the ok to let the two of you, Chip and Ronan have another hour for lunch since I've taken up quite a bit of it. The four of you can stay here or go out, whichever strikes your fancy. It is expected that you'll all be back at around one o'clock to continue the rest of your shifts. After that, I don't want to see you or Melanie back in the factory until Monday, understand?" Professor King adds seriously.
Within a second, Melanie and I nod profusely.
"Alright…if you two need anything, you know where to find me," Professor King says before turning to the front of the Scare Floor entrance to greet all the scarers returning from lunch.
There's a silence that lasts between Melanie and I. It's a silence that I don't think we've really experienced since we first met each other. We've always had some idea of what to say but…I think we're getting used to our first moments of being free from the events of last year. Faust's verdict was the last thing we were waiting on after all.
"I…I kind of want to stay here," Melanie mumbles, "I think I'd rather stay here to watch you try and impress me again."
Heh…that was the best thing she's said to me all day.