Page 1 of A Lesson in Obedience
1
Riley
Chancellor Fowler breathed heavily as he hovered over me, letting his words hit me all at once. There was a sinking feeling in my gut and the air in the room tasted stale as I tried to breath.
“Y-you’re what?” I stuttered, finding it hard to swallow.
His previous look of insanity morphed into one of what anyone not in this situation would call a caring expression. His tone was almost soft. “I’m your father, Riley.”
“That can’t be true! I am not your daughter. You killed the only man who gets to call me that.” I spat at him, my eyes flicking over his shoulder to Grayson, whose expression looked confused and defeated. I had no sympathy for his feelings on the matter; I currently had no sympathy for his feelings onanything.
Chancellor Fowler chuckled, releasing my arms. My biceps felt hot and I looked down, noticing red handprints that were raised and looked painful to the touch. He casually moved his hand towards mywounds. “I’m truly sorry about that. I never want to hurt you. You’re my daughter. I’ve just missed you, and it frustrates me that you were so misled.”
I shot up from the couch and pushed him away from me. Vertigo set in with my sudden movement and I stumbled backwards, colliding with the arm of the couch. I reached out for it, digging my fingernails into the fabric. “You’re lying!”
Chancellor Fowler slid his hands down his black jacket and sighed. “I am not. I knew this would be difficult, but this is why I wanted to have a chat. I think it is well within my rights to know my own daughter, my successor.”
“Your…your what?” I waved my hands in front of my face, stepping even further away. I swung my head towards Grayson. “Did you know this?!”
Grayson raised his head to look at me as if he just knew I wanted his attention. “Riley, of course not. You really think I would have done any of this?—”
Chancellor Fowler tsked. “Don’t blame the poor boy. He doesn’t matter at the moment, so please refocus on the here and now. We are together and now we can get to know one another.”
I took another step back and nearly tripped backwards. I caught myself, looking down at what it was. The bile that had settled in my stomach started to rise again when I saw Marianne’s body. I held my hand to my chest and the tears that had stopped minutes ago were back.
Her blonde hair was now soaked in blood and her once lively aura that never faltered was nowhere to be felt or seen. There was so much blood and I noticed shoe marks where I stood, telling me I had stepped in it. I had stepped in my best friend’s blood. My best friend who didn’t think twice about why I was at Mystic Riegan and just made the best out of a fucked-up situation.
I fell to the floor, letting my jeans get soaked in her blood, reaching out to fan her hair out of her face. It was like I didn’t recognize this person lying lifeless in front of me. I ran my knuckle overher cheek and her skin still had some warmth in it, but not much. I tentatively touched where some glass pieces were lodged in her neck and her blood coated my fingers.
My hand shook when I pulled it back. Tears ran down my cheeks, but my breath caught in my throat when a hand gripped my shoulder. I don’t know if it was meant to be comforting but it just felt cold. I slowly turned my head up to see Chancellor Fowler with one of his hands in his pockets, looking down at me.
“I am sorry about your friend.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. It unnerved me that I was starting to see the resemblance. In the tiny moments that I wasn’t just viewing him as a monster, I could see the things that certified our relation to one another. I didn’twantto believe him, but there were some things I couldn’t just decide were false. Resemblance could fuck off. He wasn’t my father.
“Fuck off,” I said, shrugging roughly so he would quit touching me.
He sighed deeply. “This attitude will get you nowhere. You do understand that, right?”
“My attitude?” I spoke through gritted teeth as I stared down at the lifeless body before me.
Chancellor Fowler cleared his throat. “Yes. Your attitude. Death is a part of life, Riley. You should let this unfortunate event make you stronger. I assure you that you’ll need focus and strength…”
I pushed away from the ground and whirled around so I could face him. His eyebrows shot up, surprised. “Unfortunate event?! You are insane! You murdered someone! She was someone I cared about and you think that will be something I can just get past! You think that will make me want to fucking talk to you?!” I shoved my hands against his chest, getting blood on his jacket.
I shoved him again and again. I could hear myself screaming, but it sounded like an echo. I already felt like a shell of my former self. My hands turned to fists and I was ramming them into his chest over and over. Hands folded around my biceps, pulling me back.
“Riley, stop. Please calm down.” Grayson’s voice was in my ear, pleading.
The voice that could usually soothe me, now only pained me. I quickly turned around, ripping myself away from him. “Don’t touch me!”
“Riley, I’m so sorry. I promise you, I knew nothing about this. I was just…” I slapped him across the face before he could finish.
“I. Don’t. Care.” I could hear the hurt in my voice and the tears were threatening to fall again.
Chancellor Fowler whistled, adjusting his jacket and running his fingertips over the blood stains I’d graced it with. “So feisty. You are your mother’s daughter.”
I narrowed my eyes at him but said nothing.
