February 8th, 2005
TW: mentions of suicide, loss, death, mental health struggles and felonies
Tilly Harper, or Professor Harper, as she is better known, is one of those pragmatic people who manages their time so well you’d assume they’re time traveler with home much they achieve in a day. She never lets anything stop her from completing her goals, and with her trusty planner she can make time for other things while completing it. Even today, when she’s in the process of divorce and going through heartbreak and grief over a failed relationship. Even now she has made time for the inquiries of students in case they want some. She expects at least one student would need some help, guidance or would have some questions every time she makes time for it … She never wrote off any students as unexpected, and was never surprised by all the characters and students that would end up in her office during this time, but there was one student in particular she expected NOT to come. Today at the door stood this very student, awaiting to be called in by her.
“Rowan Huxley!?” She exclaimed! Half of her was happy to see her favorite student again, the other half was shocked he drove all this way form his hometown when his mother just died last week. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in Reno, with your father?” Rowan looked beaten down, tired and like he doesn’t the full reason he drove all the way out here.
He was silent for a while until finally speaking up, but it felt more like a whisper to her because it was silent “Professor, I’m afraid.” Tears started filling up and Matilda said “Oh, you poor boy, sit down and tell me all about it.” This was a very strange situation in itself, with so many traumatic events happening to him in such a short span of time, but … He was also her favorite student and her friend, and she was worried about him and felt her heart breaking for him. She was one of the few people who believed him when he claimed his sister was innocent.
When he sat down she asked him to tell her everything that was on his chest.
“I came all the way here because you were the only person I could confide in … I don’t believe my sister killed herself. I was suspicious form the get go. After she was fired from her waitressing job because of the trial or when most of her friend group stopped hanging out with her, if back then she decided it was too much for her, I wouldn’t question it. But as depressed as she was, as hurt and as isolated … She was getting better. She used to be miserable, and she would spend her time watching TV and not saying anything. She stopped doing her hobbies and said how anything she does just leaves her feeling empty. Then one day she just sat up, looked determined and like she’s had enough … And she just said ‘Let’s go out. Forget about everything.’ She wasn’t her old self yet, but I could see a glimpse of her old personality in her that day. Ever since she’s been focusing on thinking positive and gathering evidence. And then, a mere week later, while she still seemed like she was better, she just kills herself … It doesn’t make any sense.” He said.
She retorted with. "Rowan, what I’m abot to tell you might hurt you, but … Have you ever considered she was pretending to be better, like her old self, to not have to see you and your parents broken and miserable because of her? I’ve never had the chance of meeting Aisling, but you talk so much about her, I’d say it’s right up her alley to care about your well being more than her own. Matilda countered.
[color=#123524]"I’ve been told so before, and I agree, pretending to be better to make us happy would be right up her alley, but … Giving us a sliver of happiness, convincing us she’s getting better and then crushing that hope only a week later is diabolical and I know she would never do that. I think her resolve to prove her innocence might’ve been the reason Jorge would want her gone. Think about it … it was only when she started gathering evidence that she committed suicide. Then only a few weeks after that mom dies of a heart attack. If I’m right about this, my dad or I might be the next victim, I need a way to protect myself.[/color]
She started being worried. She knew what grief and fear made people capable of doing and she hoped that wasn’t where Rowan was heading. ”Rowan, I think I see where this is going, so please elaborate on that last sentence … Protect yourself how?”
”My father or I would be targets next. I know that might be an odd conclusion, but better safe than sorry.. She sighed, still worried. Not knowing exactly what exactly he was pitching to her, she warned him not to do anything violent. She was afraid he would hurt Jorge, believing he was behind Aisling’s death, and making the situation even worse for himself and his parents. ”I don’t understand what you want to do … But I’m worried it’s something violent or bad or both.” She rose up and sat in the chair next to him so she could use a friendlier approach in comforting him. She hoped if she’s comforting and friendly enough, she might persuade him to let grief or anger drive his actions especially if those actions become ones he’d regret. She quoted something to him. ”Put up again thy sword into his place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” He looked at her and said the words that calmed her. ”I’m not trying to take revenge on Jorge, or hurt him, even though he deserves it. I won’t even claim to anybody else what I told you I believed. I know better than to go around accusing Jorge knowing he’ll deflect it with his fame, money and influence and make me look crazy, especially when it’s more like a gut feeling that something is terribly wrong, rather than anything. I can’t blame people based on a feeling, especially not people like Jorge. What I’m afraid of is that the feeling might be true, and if I tell myself it’s nothing and avoid the feeling, assuming it’s just grief or anger like other people would try to tell me … And if it turns out to be true when I or God forbid, my father end up dead next. Just to be on the safe side, I feel the need to disappear and take my father with me, until I can be sure it’s not Jorge who’s behind my sister’s and mother’s deaths.” She was relieved to hear him saying he didn’t plan to do anything she feared, but was sad to hear how paranoid he was. She also hoped by saying ‘I feel the need to disappear and take my father with me’ he just confessed he felt suicidal to her, and how he plans to kill both himself and his father before Jorge could get to them. By this point she was emotionally overwhelmed. The divorce, Rowan’s family tragedy, the fact she might lose him and the stress of teaching while writing a book at the same time … it all got to her eyes glistened with forming. ”Rowan … What do you mean by disappear?” Tears streamed down her face while he took his time answering. She interrupted him. ”Please, just tell me if by disappear you mean … death.”. He shook his head no and she sighed with relief which caused a stream of tears to flow down. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to her. She took it and wiped her tears down.
[color=#123524]”I’m sorry, I … didn’t want to distress you when you’re going through so much already.”[/color]
”Let me stop you there Rowan. Nobody is going through as much as you are right now. If I cry it’s because of you and Abigail and your mother, and all other victims of Jorge Lopez.” She realized she wanted to help him through it, but didn’t know how. While she was still thinking how she could help him, he responded to her previous question. ”I didn’t mean that when I said ‘disappear’. I meant … Something like witness protection, but considering I can’t count on that, I’m thinking to move me and my father somewhere far away and to lay low. Just to be sure, I want to fake my death … It’s not like I’d ever want to be Rowan Huxley ever again. With my sister and my mother dead, and my father the shell of a man he used to be … what’s there left of Rowan Huxley?” She started thinking about it. Getting away, picking up the pieces that were left and attempting to rebuild based on that, and continue living … That’s exactly what she would do, and she was happy to hear he wanted to heal in that way. It seemed healthy to her and she could help him if he chose to do it this way, since that’s how she copes with many things. However, she wasn’t sure about him faking his death. She wanted to tell him not to do it, but was afraid if she said he shouldn’t do it, his paranoia might make him do something worse. ”I’m glad that’s how you want to go about it. The moving away part, laying low until it all blows over … those are all great plans, but … Faking your death? I’m not sold on this. Why don’t you go home, take your father and go somewhere to a secluded part of America far away form here. Rent a cabin far away from people and think about this idea of yours. Come back when you have a formative plan, and we’ll see about it.” Rowan nodded and he slowly got up to leave and she followed him to the door. ”Don’t do anything you might regret. Don’t let grief and anger let you end up the same way your sister did. Goodbye Rowan. She said as she opened the door. ”Goodbye Professor Harper. I knew I could always turn to you. Thank you for being there for me.” At first Tilly Harper didn’t want to help Rowan with faking his death. She would never let him do a felony and she would always advise him something better or more clever. However, in about three weeks time, her mind is about to change on the matter.
@SotaForgotten - Flashback to how the article was created Pt.1