These kids are going to be the death of me. No, don’t get me wrong, they’re not mine; they’re all my students. My name is Jacob Hutch, and I’m a professor at SFU. I’m teaching the introductory chemistry course that most of them are failing. I believe that students should be graded based on whether they understand the material or not, so instead of just standardized testing, I give them free reign to demonstrate that they have grasped the current material. For example, one of my students, Thomas, made his own soap from sodium hydroxide (lye) and chicken fat, which was pretty neat. On the other hand, those who are just here for a grade, or just don’t care, can take the written test on the chapter.

One particular group of my students, three boys: Shaun, Jake, and Germain, are part of the latter group, and just don’t care. They accomplish the bare minimum to not fail. Not only that, but they antagonize anyone who shows enthusiasm for the class.

I know those little snots are bullying Thomas, but I have no evidence, and Thomas won’t talk about it. Today I had to pardon Thomas from the class because I could see that he was visibly shaken, and I caught glimpses of soap and suds in his teeth when he was giving his demonstration.

“Well, I can’t do anything about it now, I’ll just finish grading these last few tests and call it a night,” I muttered to myself as I clicked on the lamp from my desk.

The overall score for the tests weren’t bad, even without a curve, except for three, of course. It looks like they all shared answers; unfortunately, they shared all the wrong answers. Each of them scored a 17%.

“Ha!”

They’re all going to fail my class now. Oh good lord, I hope I don’t have them as students again.

“Oh, so you were in here professor.”

“Yes, I’m just finishing up with grading your exams, Shaun.” I said getting up from my seat behind the desk.

“Good, then that makes this simple. I need a good grade on that test.”

“Why the sudden interest in-“

“You know DAMN well why since you failed me on last chapter!”

“That’s because you were trying to piggyback off of another student’s demonstration and I had already told you that anyone who chooses that method for assessment has to demonstrate that they understand the material individually even if they are in a group. Not only that, but I also stated that each student is taking a risk when choosing that method as it’s entirely based on my personal judgment on whether you understand the material, or not.”

“THAT’S A LOAD OF BULLSHIT! If, I don’t pass this class, then I will be expelled for failing a class while on academic probation and my dad will take my car and make me work in plumbing with him.”

“That’s not my fault, nor is it my problem. You should have tried harder in my class.”

“Professor Hutch is right, Shaun…” Thomas’ voice eked out from the doorway. Shaun’s face was priceless. It was pure, unadulterated surprise written out on his face. At first his eyebrows shot up and apart, his eyes opened completely, his pupils dilated, and his mouth slightly agape, but then it changed. As soon as he realized who had said it, his lips pursed together, eyebrows drew in and down making short vertical lines appear on his brow. It was rage. His facial expression was screaming violence.

“Haven’t you learned your lesson yet dumbass, or should Germain, Jake, and I teach you again?” Shaun said as he turned his head towards Thomas.

“With your scores, I don’t think you should be teaching anybody anythi-” I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t be provoking a student that’s already this mad.

Shaun walked up to me slowly, I assumed that he was going to put on a show to try and regain his pride, but I didn’t expect him to hit me. It was a swift right hook to my left side that stole my breath. I heard an audible crack as a few of my ribs gave way. Wasn’t he taking Taekwondo in his free time?

Gasping, for air, as my punctured lung filled with blood, I shouted out to Thomas, “Run! Don’t stop until you get a hold of the cops. Go!”

Shaun tried to turn and run at Thomas, but I hurriedly grabbed his leg and tripped him up.

“Let me go old man!”

“N- Can’t… –urt Th-mas…!”

I was doing all I could to give Thomas a good head start, but I couldn’t over power this kid less than a third of my age. Then I felt a sharp pain in my left again, but this time a warm, wet, feeling crept over the area. I opened my eyes and Shaun kicked away from me.

“You made me do it old man… you made me do it!”

I’d been stabbed, and he was panicking as he continued to drag himself away from me. Shit, how did I even get into this position? Aren’t I supposed to be a teacher? Why did this idiot think it was a good idea to stab me? I couldn’t see very clearly because my glasses had flown across the room, and the blood loss was starting to affect me, but I could tell that I was covered in my own blood. It must have splattered too, because it had gotten on my face and graying hair.

As I continued to have my little internal monologue, I saw the gears click into place in Shaun’s head as his eyes snapped to the door. Oh god, he’s remembered that Thomas witnessed the whole thing. I tried to reach for him, but I felt so heavy. Every move I made towards him hastened the blackness encroaching on my vision, but I had to reach Shaun before he got up.

Moments before reaching him, he shot up and backed away from me, terrified, but still raging inside. He wasn’t done.

“No, -haun. You don’t have to do this.” But it was already too late. He turned on his heels and sprinted to the door as my consciousness started to fade. No, this can’t be it. My student is in danger, and I can’t do anything to prevent it. It made me furious at myself. I clung onto that anger, that heat, until everything went black.

Suddenly, it got very bright, like a light was being shown in my face with my eyes closed. I tried screaming in anger, but I couldn’t make a sound come out. I couldn’t feel my body, I must be paralyzed from when I was stabbed. I could make out two figures because they were standing in front of the light, and they were murmuring something, but I could barely hear what they were saying.

“I need him in order to prevent a calamity”

“That’s perfect, because if he stays like this, he will cause an imbalance, so he can’t stay here.”

“So, is it okay if I move him over here?”

“Yes, I'll send him over, but on the condition that you do not contact him. Until he calms down, he will cause many things to go wrong over on this end.”

Excuse me. I can hear you assholes. What kind of hospital is this? Take care of your patients! I got more frustrated and tried to scream again, but lost consciousness, and everything went dim.

Waking up, yet again, but this time to a much dimmer light, and I was still furious. I have to know if Thomas is okay.

“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

I tried screaming again, but what I heard was not my voice. It was coming from me, I could feel it reverberate in my body, but it was muffled and too high pitched.

“UuuuWAAAAAAAAAAA!”

I try screaming again to confirm, and it’s the same voice. Are my ears messed up, because his voice sounded normal?

“He’s breathing! It was a success. Congratulations.”

Yes, I’m breathing. Thanks for letting me know Doc. Whatever, it’s really cold in this hospital, I feel wet, and I can’t open my eyes. Then I felt something warm cover me and I felt sleep beginning to creep up on me again, so I starting kicking and screaming to try and stave it off, but it was no use. Sleep eventually overtook me.

Before I could really settle into my sleep, I was shaken awake. ‘God, can’t you let a guy get some sleep? I was just stabbed.’

It seems like they’re moving me to another hospital again. This ambulance needs to have its suspension swapped out. Eventually, we came to a complete stop, and being unable to open my eyes, I strain my ears against the blackness. Everything was muffled, but it sounded like I was outside of an IMAX theater showing some sort of Michael Bay film; in other words, lots of muffled explosions and screaming. It got quiet just as soon as it started, and the ambulance shook a bit. I supposed I’m finally being moved again.

Just be gentle when you move me’ I thought, as I drifted back off to sleep, but that thought was cut short as the ambulance tipped over, but I wasn’t hurt.

“…!”

‘Whose voice is that?’

“……!”

Then, I realize that my eyes are open as they adjust to the darkness, and I realize that I’m not in an ambulance. It looks more like the inside of a train cabin, but more rustic. The gilded wooden roof had been torn off to reveal the night sky, and my eyes went wide in surprise…

‘Two moons…?’

Reflected in my eyes was a sky very unfamiliar to me. I couldn’t see Orion’s Belt, the Big Dipper, the North Star, Beetlejeuce, or any of the regular constellations for that matter, but the most noticeable difference, was the two enormous celestial bodies resting over me. One just slightly larger than the other, and both a beautiful pale blue. Then I noticed the woman just in front of me. Her face was illuminated by the pale light from the moons, and she was beautiful, but something seemed off. Her lustrous brown hair, parted to the side, fell on her shoulder and down her bosom. Her eyes, a more deep and passionate blue than the moons themselves, spoke silent words of compassion and pity that could pierce the heart of any man. Her lips, a subtle pink, overflowing with youth that didn’t betray her age which must have been late twenties at most. She was speaking, but in a tongue that I couldn’t understand. I was captivated by her so I instinctively tried to reach out a hand to caress her cheek, but only a baby’s hand came into view. I tried to bring the hand closer to my face and, with a little delay, it obeyed. That was my hand, but how? Before I had a chance to think about anything further, the young woman lightly grasped my hands, and I saw in her eyes a look one see’s only once in a lifetime. It’s the same look my late wife gave my daughter when she was born. A look of hope; the inaudible promise that you will be loved and protected for as many years as we have in this world. A look that betrays all the potential and dreams of infinite possibility only a child can have.

I looked at my hand again, and it was the same tiny hand as before, moving as I command it. I couldn’t be sure, but I think I’m this woman’s child. This is too vivid to be a dream, but how can it be anything except that? I looked at the woman, but her eyes were losing their light. Worried, I looked down and saw that she was cleanly cut in two from the waist down. She was dying and, in her last moments of life, she tried to bestow all the well-wishes and hope a mother can to her child before they go. It was truly a piteous sight that I could resonate with, for my wife had given the same look to our daughter on her death-bed.

Through my grasped hand, I could feel a subtle warmth, like a rush of blood through my fingertips that coursed its way to my center. It was bright and felt like a weightless blanket that stole the discomfort from my body. It shone brightly with a flame whose color was a bleached blue as frost is upon the window of a cold morning sky. The more the flame danced, the more I could feel the fatigue washing off of my body.

I remembered the feeling in my hand, of the warm flame and, to the woman’s surprise, the flame whirled around on the palm of my hand as if it listened to my every whim. A gentle smile overtook her face as the light in her eyes paled further.

As I wondered just how many more seconds she had left in this world, a lanky man stepped through the debris of the cabin. He wore his dark hair back in a bun, and his narrowed eyes scanned around what now appears to be a carriage. His eyes flew wide in surprise at the sight before him; a young woman and a baby enveloped in azure flame. As his expression changes to panic, I recall Shaun’s expression and realize exactly what he’s going to do. I raise my hands towards him as he readies a sword over his head.

This is a gentle fire, so it won’t work. I need a fast and hot fire that leaves nothing behind. I closed my eyes and thought to gather all the fire in the area; anything that felt like this weightless warmth, and condense it into my hand. Then I let it turn white hot as I wished the fire to change its intention, and then I shot it like quicksilver as his blade swung down. The woman pushed herself over me as everything was drowned in a blinding white followed quickly by a ‘crack’ that reverberated the world around us, threatening to blow away even the light that now impedes its path suffused into the air around us.