The Whimper(Part 3)

"Norman?" Lucas called out a name as he approached the male student whom had been standing in front of the door motionless for a while now. It's indeed Norman from the senior co-ed class; it was a new privilege that was introduced by the principle to gather high-grade student from a co-ed school to further their studies in this all-girl's high school.

"Ah, Mr. Lucas... I was just…"

"What are you doing here, Norman? Aren't senior student were not supposed to be out of the class at this hour?" Lucas was always being alert about male students roaming around the school ground carelessly; since it's still an all-girl's school.

"Ah… that's… I was just wondering about Katherine… did you by any chance, spoke to her?"

"Kate? " He becomes anxious as the student call out her name.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I see… Then, I better excuse myself for now."

"Do you by any chance have something to do with her whereabouts?" Lucas grab the student's arm as he was about to leave.

Lucas drag the young student into the music room before shutting the door behind them. He place a seat for him before sitting opposite the now stutter student.

"I… I don't understand what you are saying, Mr. Lucas. I really need to excuse myself for now; sorry…" again; he was about to leave but was stopped by his teacher.

"Answer me, Norman! When was the last time you saw her?"

"…."

"Norman!"

"It… It was the night before her disappearances. But I swear; I got nothing to do with it! I don't know how it happened… I never saw her since then."

"Tell me what exactly happen before she was out of your sight; and make sure it's the truth." There's tense in his tone as he gives Norman a sharp stare; making the student sit still for a while before beginning to spoke.

"It was already late when we met up that night; she insist on meeting that time. We have a short talk before I leave her; I swear, that's it… nothing more."

"What was that you're talking about at that time?"

"That's…"

"Just tell me!"

"She told me… she likes me and that she wants to be in a relationship with me; but I said no and she starts to cry. Then, I just left… I swear, that's it."

"Are you sure you didn't leave anything out?" instead of answering, Norman just nodded silently.

The earlier conversation he had with Norman really bothers Lucas for the whole day. He can't focus as he kept wondering what actually happen to Kate that night; and where she was.

"…and that's all for today, class dismiss…" he ends his class earlier than usual as he decides to take a look in the back room of his music room later. He never got the guts to do that before since it was forbidden for any teachers in the school; especially a practical. As he watches all of his students left the room, Lucas eyes were already focus on the back room.

Before he could get close to it, a glimpse of a figure appeared in front of the front door caught his attention.

"Kate!"

Somehow Kate got back to school that evening but with a really different feel; than her old self. Lucas takes a seat opposite her as she looks pale and expressionless.

"Kate… where have you been for these past two weeks? Everyone was really worried about you; your grandmother and mom…"

"It was him. Help me, brother." A shiver runs down his spines as the word 'brother' out by Kate.

"Wait, you knew? And… who is this 'him'? What did he do to you? Tell me, Kate!" rather than answering him; Kate just sat there motionless before starts weeping nonstop.

"Huh? Kate… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you… please stop crying…"

"Please… Help me brother…" As she lifts her face; bloody tears running down her cheeks and her weeps beginning to get louder for every second until it gets too loud for Lucas to handle it; the man puts his both of his hands on his ears and shut his eyes tightly.

"Kate.. please stop! I'm begging you, Kate!" as he open up his eyes again, Kate was already gone and it was already beginning to get dark outside.

"Kate? Kate!" he tried to call out to her as looking for her in the room; there was no respond or sight of her.

'What just happened? What was that? What happen to her?' He holds his head as he gazes to the back room.

"Lucas?" A voice from the door wakes him from his daze; one of the office clerk; Paul came into the room as a messenger for the principle.

"Huh?"

"You were needed by the principle this instant; seems like the old man wasn't in a good mood today, Lucas."

"Uh… Okay. I'll be right there. I just need to tidy things up a little bit."

"Are you okay, Lucas? You seem to look a bit paler than usual…"

"Nah… I'm okay; I was just tired from the nonstop working."

"O… kay, just don't overwork yourself, will you? It'll be bad if you catch a cold or something."

"Sure… thank you for your concern, Paul. It was really nice of you."

At the principal's office;

"Mr. Lucas, this is the second time I heard complaints about your behaviour in this school. I was really disappointed in you as you're really a talented and the most potential music teacher we ever had in the school." Instead of responding, Lucas just stands there with his head held low.

"I was really against the idea of dismissing you for some petty issues since I really like what you've done to the student's reputations far. But as for this case, I can't really let you go off the hook, Mr. Lucas."

"I apologize if I've offend and disappoint you, Mr. Principle… but, at least let me know what did I do wrong this time." His tone was calm as usual.

"We got a complaint that you're harassing one of our male students since he got in the way with you and your lover. Didn't I tell you to make the rumours about you having a student as your lover stop? What is this, then? Are you really being serious about this job in the very beginning? Or you are just doing this for fun?" The principle seems to look really pisses off with what just happen; he wrongly accuses Lucas just from a complaint he got from a student but didn't really go through any investigation before that.

"Sir, I'll gladly accept your kindness decision as I know you would never make an accusation without any strong evidence or investigate about it first. But for due respect; I want to ask for your kindness to let me keep teaching until the end of this month." Lucas spoke in a sarcastic tone as he lowers his gaze; trying to sound as modest as he can.

"Just until the end of the month. No longer than that." There's an annoyance sound in his tone.

"Thank you sir…"

"You can be dismiss now." Lucas left the room after thanking the principle.

'Norman.' He sighs heavily as keeping his walking pace towards the music room. He never thought the student will cause him to be fired before he even completed a year of teaching there.

'Something is off… what is happening?' Lucas was still focusing on what just happened to him earlier; the encounter he had with Kate. Is it just in his mind or it really does happen?

Instead of heading home, he decides to get to the bottom of it and investigate the room again. His heart was pounding hard as he approaches the back room with the spare keys he got from the security guard; it was hard to get his hands on them at first as Uncle Bie was really strict with the school rules. But with some begging; he finally give in to the new teacher.

'Let's just get over with this…' he exhale hard as determine to look into the room regardless on whatever is waiting for him behind the door. As he was still shaking from being nervous; he unlocks the door before turning the knob. A fault odour fills the air; making him coughs badly before opening a tiny window in the room so the air could be more breathable than before. Lucas explores the room with his torchlight after he fails to turn on the lights.

There, he saw an old metal cupboard that was being block by a broken chair; seems like the chair had fallen in front of the cupboard door by accident. Other than that, there was a few rusty drawers fills with files that was believes to be from the earlier school years besides some music sheets that was scatters all over the floor; for some reason, the sheets didn't look old or dusty like the other stuffs in the room. There were also a few music instruments that were piled up exactly beside the metal cupboard.

'These sheets…' The man picks up the music sheets that were scatter up all over the floor. To his surprise, the music sheets were the same one he had before; he remembered leaving them to Kate a few month ago.

"What are these… doing here?" Like a reflex reaction; Lucas then turn to face the metal cupboard that was still being block by the broken chair. He approaches it as he felt a sudden shiver running down his spine.

He moves the broken chair away from the cupboard door and opens the door by force as it was stuck by something. He backed away and falls to the floor as he was stunned and shock by what he saw in the cupboard before he starts to slowly weep.

The next day, Lucas called out to Norman again; after school. The student was hesitates at first to meet up with his teacher after their first encounter. So he turns up to him with a friend, instead.

"So you came, Norman… and who is this again?"

"This is my friend; John. I hope you don't mind that I bring him along."

"No, it's okay. I truly understand why; since only guilty people gets scared easily by the truth."

"Mr. Lucas, what do you mean by that?"

"Are you sure you want me to explain it in front of your good friend here?" A doubt rises on the young student's face as he glances towards John.

"John, if you don't mind… could you…"

"Ah, yes; sure…." John seems hesitates at first but excuse himself to go out of the room for the moment.