You Are Him

“It was not an accident,”

Ariella heard the police telling their school’s principal. The police had arrived within ten minutes at the scene and they were taking away Professor Jace’s body for investigation. His family had also arrived here and watching their state, Ariella felt her heart had started turning more and more heavy. More tears filled her eyes when she saw Professor Jace’s wife, son and daughter crying their hearts out while holding onto his dead body. It was becoming impossible to hold them back for the police. That scenario was looking extremely heart-drenching.

“We have found severe bruises all over his body. We are suspecting that someone might have beaten him really badly and then threw him from the terrace,”

From a distance, Ariella continued to hear everything the head of the police officer was informing their principal. 

“We have found this bracelet in his hold too and we are sure that it belongs to that person who has killed Mr Jace Frainly,” Ariella saw the officer showing that bracelet of silver beads to the principal which she had also seen in Professor Jace’s hold and from that moment, all of this had started petrifying her more because she knew to whom that bracelet belonged but she didn’t know how to tell anyone regarding this, especially when she was not sure that whether her doubt was right or not. She could not put that terrifying blame on someone so easily. What if she was thinking wrong? What if it was just a coincidence? But deep down, she could feel that it was everything but a coincidence. That bracelet belonged to him.

“We want to know did Mr Frainly have some kind of argument with some staff or student of your school today?” the officer’s word froze Ariella completely. 

“Like did he have some heated up encounter with someone in his class or in school today?”

Ariella’s blood ran cold when she heard the police officer asking that thing to the principal. Heated up argument? Yes, Professor Jace had that angry encounter with her today in his class but how could this even make sense? She had left from there without even saying anything to him and how? What exactly had happened when she left from there? Did Professor Jace have any kind of fight with someone but why would someone go to this extent? And then that bracelet? Where all of this was heading to?

Ariella’s head got occupied by all those questions when suddenly she remembered something. That bandage on his chest. She hurriedly unzipped her school bag and took out that letter from it.

Unfolding that letter, she read it again.

‘I LOVE YOU, ELLA…..’

Her entire existence shivered when she read those words which were written with blood on that paper. Now everything had started making sense to her. That bandage on his chest. This letter, which was written in blood. That bracelet on his wrist with the initial E and now this bracelet in the hold of Professor Jace. Now every single thing had started falling back to a rational track which widened her eyes in shock. It was him who wrote these letters to her. It was him who killed professor Jace because he scolded and humiliated her in front of the entire class. He probably must have kept his eyes on her all the time, that was why he reached outside that bathroom today when no one was present there around her. That was why he gave his shirt to her and that must be the reason he got to know about Professor Jace’s getting angry at her and that was why he took his life. The tears in Ariella’s eyes turned vigorous. 

Tilting her head, she looked at Professor Jace’s family who were looking like they had lost their everything and then she trailed her glossy eyes towards Professor Jace’s dead body. It had somehow happened just because of her. She should have informed her parents the very day she started receiving those letters. If she would have taken the necessary step on time against all of this then that sick minded person would have never succeeded in taking a life just because of her. If she would have never neglected this situation so much then Professor might have been alive today. His children wouldn’t have to lose their father, a wife wouldn’t have to lose her husband ... .if she would have acted on time against that sick monster.

“What are you doing here?” That voice took Ariella out of her thoughts. She turned her head and saw one of the police officers coming towards her. 

“Your principal has told every student to gather in the main hall and then what are you doing here, Ms.?” she heard the officer asking her. She hurriedly wiped her eyes and the police noticed her extremely anxious and terrified demeanour.

“Go to the hall. Your friends must be there,” the officer said to her, believing that this situation had traumatised the poor girl which was quite understandable to him. Any student could feel like this after seeing what had just happened to their professor until and unless that student knew how it had happened or who had done that to their professor.

Ariella nodded at him and then turned around. That police officer saw her walking away but he noticed her legs and hands were shaking a bit. She was looking extremely affected by this situation as compared to the other students.

Ariella was walking towards the main hall with her quivering legs because what she had just discovered, it had started ruining, both her physical and mental health. She was feeling like screaming her heart out or else she would lose it completely. She was walking on that corridor where no one was present as everyone had already gone to the main hall where she was also heading to but suddenly a shadow fell over her which made her take her eyes upward and Ariella’s body froze when she saw him there on the upper floor. He was going somewhere. 

Without thinking about anything further, she decided to confront him before she would tell about all of this to her parents and the police because a part inside her heart was telling her to listen to his side of the story too before she would reach any conclusions as she was still not hundred percent sure that the theory she had made inside her regarding all of this was the truth or not and the only was to find out about it was to confront him. But she was not sure how safe it would be for her to meet him. What if he did something to her? That thought made Ariella take her step back until she roamed her eyes around her surroundings and that was where she took her steps forward and climbed those stairs with her pounding chest and trembling steps.

Ariella reached that floor where she had seen him. Slowly and slowly, she took her steps forward while wandering her eyes everywhere around her. This floor was looking dangerously silent and it was scaring her more and more. Ariella continued to walk and noticed that all the classrooms’ doors on that floor were locked from outside except for that one specific classroom.

Swallowing hard, she strode towards that classroom. Turning her head around, she looked at her behind and then placing her palm over chest, she slowly turned towards that classroom and pushed open its door slowly.

The door opened with a noise of a creak which made her gulp. Clutching her chest, she stepped inside that classroom while scanning everything around her. Words were not enough to describe how terrified she was feeling in that moment. Ariella searched for him everywhere in that classroom but when she could find him there, she turned around to leave but her blood ran cold when she found him standing in front of her. His placidly calm turquoise eyes were already on her, making Ariella immediately take her steps back in pure terror.

“Were you looking for me?” his cavernous throaty voice numbed her heart. Ariella clenched her palms. The tears in her eyes turned aggressive.

“Y…you are h….him….?” That was the only thing which she could manage to say in her stuttering voice. She saw him tilting his head a bit at her question before he shoved his hands inside his pant’s pocket and then he started taking his steps in her direction, numbing her soul.

Ariella tried to back away. She started taking her steps back with every step of his coming closer to her. Terror engulfed her. Her tears turned more harsh and aggressive, especially when she saw him reaching her. Ariella tried to take another step back but her feet twisted. She saw about to fall when she felt him wrapping his arm around her and gently pulling her closer to him. Ariella looked at him, horrified, unable to do anything, even when he pushed his face closer to her ear.

“It has always been me, Ella…..” every inch of her existence froze when she heard him calling her by that name. So, it was him. It had always been him.