A/N TRIGGER WARNING FOR DESCRIPTIONS OF ART DEPICTING SEXUAL ABUSE. This chapter's title was inspired by the song Monster sung by Skillet. Please read, review, and let me know what you think!

"Often called the first of the expressionists, Munch left an indelible mark on the history of art." The classroom full of students was diligently quiet as Solas finished his lecture on the creator of the famous painting, The Scream. It seemed he had captured every one of his students' interest with his lesson on the peculiar artist; everyone's except Elyssa's. She had spent the entire class focused on her sketchbook, rarely even looking at him. Solas couldn't help but wonder if he had done something to upset the young elf.

In the few weeks that passed, she had come to his classroom every day for lunch. Every day she claimed to have forgotten her lunch. The way she always refused to meet his eyes and spoke so softly about the subject, Solas knew this was not the case. Unsure of how to approach the topic with why she never had lunch, he did the only thing he could think of to help her. He had gotten in the habit of bringing a ham sandwich and piece of fruit for her in addition to his lunch. Elyssa was always hesitant to accept at first but her hunger eventually persuaded her to take the food as well as the tea she seemed to enjoy.

Once they were past the issue of lunch, they had pleasant conversations in which he had learned her favorite color was blue, she had two younger sisters, she had a cat, of which she preferred to dogs, and she preferred the cool breeze of fall to the humid warmth of summer. Elyssa had also taken to sitting at the desk right in front of his own. Though she had turned it so he could never quite see what she was drawing in the sketchbook she always had, he was happy that she was comfortable enough with him to sit so closely. He enjoyed being able to watch her laugh and smile at the witty banter they exchanged. He found that he also enjoyed the quiet moments when they were both too absorbed in their work to converse. The way her brows furrowed as she concentrated on the paper in front of her spoke volumes of her indomitable focus. He admired the way she didn't seem to care about the grey smudges of the graphite pencil she used upon the edge of her hand. It was encouraging to see a student take so passionately to art.

Which was why he found it surprising that his best student had paid so little attention to his lesson. He had thought she in particular would enjoy the lesson on the expressionist. Her previous artwork had been similar before he had confronted her on it. He deeply regretted the approach he had used. The young woman was an enigma of mystery and secrets he wished to unravel. If he wished to find out what troubled the young woman, he needed her to see him as more than just an authority figure. She needed to realize on her own that he wasn't trying to hurt her, he was trying to help her.

Solas cleared his mind of the puzzle that was Elyssa. For now, he needed to give the class their assignment for the weekend. "While you're all home this weekend, I want you to think of the things that make you want to scream. Whether it be homework, needles, or broccoli. It doesn't matter as long as it's personal. I'll tell you Monday what we'll be doing with these things," Solas noticed Elyssa's shoulders tense. He had been worried about the dark nature of her previous works. Now here he was, asking her to think of things that make her want to scream. It wasn't like she knew he had this lesson planned out specifically for All Souls Day before the school year had even officially begun. He must seem very confusing to her. "If there is anyone uncomfortable with this assignment, you may see me after class. We can work out a different project to be done in the spirit of All Soul's Day." He focused on the young elven girl sitting in the desk closest to his. She gave no further indication that she wasn't happy with the assignment. He would just have to wait and see if she approached him about it.

The bell rang, causing the students to hurriedly gather their backpacks and scurry out of the classroom. Solas used the time to erase the whiteboard he had written on during his lecture. Once the class had filed out of the room, Solas turned to look at the one student who had stayed behind. Elyssa stood at his desk with her back to him. Solas approached the other side of his desk slowly. Was she truly uncomfortable with the assignment? Would she let him know why or would it be another mystery he couldn't solve?

"Elyssa?" he asked softly. In one word he asked a million questions. Was she okay? Could he help her? Would she let him in her head just a little?

"I wanted to give you this," she whispered, "I'm sorry if it didn't seem like I was paying attention today. I just wanted to finish this in time," In her small hands was a piece of paper from her sketchbook. She held it close to her chest, preventing Solas from seeing its contents.

"In time for what?" he asked curiously. She extended one of her sleeve covered arms to him, offering him the paper. He turned the paper over to see a drawing of himself. She had captured his likeness perfectly. The slight slant of his eyes, the dimple in his chin, the smooth expansion of his bald head, and the curve of his lips as he smiled. She had drawn him with a warmth that touched his heart more than he cared to admit.

"Happy Birthday, Solas," her soft voice wrapped around him like a comforting embrace. He looked up at his favorite pupil with appreciation. Her jade green eyes were lit with warmth, her pale skin was kissed with the pink tones of a small blush, her rose petal colored lips were turned up at the corners in a smile. Not only had she remembered his birthday, but she had also hand-drawn a picture of him as a present.

"This is amazing Elyssa," he smiled warmly at the young woman, "no one's ever given me a picture of myself before. Of course, I don't think anyone can do as well as you have at it either." He could hear the embarrassed shuffling of her feet at his praise.

"Well… you have a nice smile," she admitted shyly, "I thought you'd like to see it for yourself,"

"Thank you," Solas chuckled, an unusual warmth in his cheeks, "that's very kind of you,"

"Of course," she said as if she couldn't believe he hadn't heard such a compliment. She glanced at the clock on the wall near them. "I have to get going,"

"Before you leave," he stopped her, "are you okay with this assignment? I'd already had it in my curriculum for All Souls Day… "

"I'll complete the assignment as instructed," she whispered. She left no further room for discussion. Solas watched the young girl exit, worry seething in his stomach.

Something that made her scream? Several things made Elyssa scream, all worse than the last. Which should she pick? Was it safe to pick any of them? Solas had already seen the hidden depth of her artwork once. Now he was asking for them to draw their fears. Yes, most of her classmates were likely afraid of spiders, needles, or things of that nature. Not her though. She would gladly take something as simple as arachnophobia if it would rid her of the things she did fear. Could she do the assignment honestly without revealing too much to her teacher? Would it be so bad if she did? Could he be the one to help her?

"Solas?" He looked up from his book to look at the elf that had called his name. Elyssa hadn't said much since sitting down for lunch. She had accepted the sandwich and tea he offered her with very little hesitation for once. He took that as a positive step in their relationship. Hopefully, with time, she would open up to him.

"Yes?" He was curious as to what she had called his attention for. He was curious about a lot of things involving the young girl.

"What-are-we-doing-with-the-assignment-from-Friday?" Her words were strung together in a rush to get them out. Solas didn't understand the question. Her shoulders heaved with deep breaths as if she were having a hard time talking about it.

"I'm sorry, Elyssa," he apologized, "could you repeat that? Perhaps a little slower and after you take a deep breath or two," He tried to make his words light and calming. Elyssa did as he suggested, taking two slow, deep breaths before repeating what she had been trying to say.

"Our assignment from Friday - the one where we have to think of things that make us scream - what are we going to be doing with those things?" She asked, her voice breaking slightly.

"You'll be painting those things in the same style of Munch's The Scream," he answered, "abstract, but very expressive,"

"Will you be the only one seeing these paintings?" Elyssa asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Solas answered without hesitation, "no one but the artist and I see each project unless I have their permission to share it. I thought I was clear on this when the semester first began,"

"You promise that no one else will see the painting I do?" Elyssa wouldn't look at him. She toyed with the edges of her long sleeves.

"Elyssa, I promise no one else will see the painting unless you want them to," He tried to appear confident and comforting for her, but inside his stomach and mind churned with worry. Why was she so worried about who would see her painting? He had never shared artwork without a student's permission before, and he didn't intend to start now. Was she worried about someone picking on her for whatever she was afraid of? He hoped that his students were more mature than that, but there was always someone that liked to tease the others. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here," he offered gently, "no matter what it is, I'll listen without judgment, Elyssa."

She looked up at him with watery eyes and a very small smile. "Thank you, Solas." The bell for the end of lunch rang and Elyssa was gone before he could ask the questions that were on his mind. For the next few hours, he twisted the puzzle that was his student. She was so full of laughter one moment, then so full of despair the next. She constantly said and did things that surprised him. Would he ever be able to figure her out?

The next few days came and went without any answers. Elyssa never revealed more as to why she asked him such questions. During class she worked diligently, focusing intently on her project. She was very careful not to let anyone see the painting. Whatever she had chosen as a subject, she didn't want anyone else to know about it. It wasn't until the day the projects were due that Solas was able to sate his curiosity. She decided to turn in her project during lunch instead of waiting for class. No words were spoken as she hesitantly laid the covered canvas on his desk with a shaking hand.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until class to turn it in?" Solas asked, "it's not technically due until the end of today,"

"It's done," was her strained reply. She sat at her desk in front of his. Her entire body was tense, her head turned away from him. It was as if she were afraid of what his reaction would be. Instead of asking about it, he decided to see for himself what scared Elyssa Lavellan.

He removed the cover from the canvas slowly, not wanting to damage the painting. The canvas was covered in the burnt orange color swirled with blue and green similar to that of The Scream. For a moment Solas couldn't tell what the focal point of the painting was. All he noticed at first was a rectangle of dark brown with a small puddle of deep red pooled in the middle. He followed the outline of the rectangle, finding shaky black lines. Slowly he pieced the lines and colors together. Elyssa had painted a bed. A bed that had blood on its brown comforter. Just to the side of the bed was a shadowed figure. It was large and shaped like a man. The figure had no distinguishable features aside from a finger being held to its mouth as if telling someone to keep quiet.

Solas looked up from the picture to the artist. She still sat rigidly, only the movement of her shoulders indicated her quiet breathing. Her fingers knotted in her sleeves. Her long hair covered her face, and Solas could see the wet evidence of tears upon her desk. "Elyssa?" he called hesitantly. He needed answers. He needed her to tell him he wasn't seeing what he thought he was. He needed her to bark at him that he was just reading into her artwork again. He needed her to tell him the thing that made her scream wasn't a man standing over a bed with just a small amount of blood. The small amount that came from a girl losing her innocence. She couldn't be telling him what he thought she was. A girl her age shouldn't be afraid of sex or anything pertaining to it. Not unless she had suffered through an experience that was beyond horrible. Solas needed Elyssa to tell him this wasn't what she meant by this painting. "What is this?" he finally found the courage to ask.

"The thing that makes me scream the most. The thing that scares me the most. The thing that started it all," she answered bitterly.

"Elyssa what are you trying to say? What started it all? All of what?" Each question came out with a desperate rise in his voice. His heart pounded. He couldn't catch his breath. This was wrong, all wrong. Elyssa was too good, too marvelous to have gone through what this painting implied. She didn't deserve that kind of pain. No one deserved that kind of pain, but certainly not this beautifully spirited young girl.

She opened her mouth to answer at the same moment her cell phone rang. She saw the caller ID, her eyes widening in what could only be described as fear. She immediately answered, not greeting the person on the other end. Solas could hear the loud shrill tone of a woman screaming. Elyssa said nothing, instead, she listened in silence as the woman screamed at her. After a few moments, Elyssa spoke so softly that Solas was sure there was no way the screeching woman could hear. "I'm sorry," was all Elyssa said. A few more moments of screeching followed, then Elyssa hung up the phone.

"I'm sorry," Elyssa said again, this time to him, "I have to go." She said nothing else as she hurried out of the classroom, tears streaming down her face. Solas helplessly watched her run from the room. He was more confused than ever by Elyssa. One thing he knew for certain, he had to help her. He had to help the sad elven girl whose worst fear was a man standing over a bed. And he had to do it soon.