Take The Bait
#12 of Human Enough
Author's Note: Happy New Year, everyone. I hope this year brings all of you a lot of love, health, and prosperity. I will say with regards to this story, we are closer to the end than beginning. That's not to say this is the last chapter or that the end will be the last you hear from me. Just preparing you. Until then, I hope you enjoy the ride. Comments, Rates, and Favorites are always apprediated. Hope this latest installment meets your expectations.- AK
Christmas came and went, as did the coming of a new year. I was so happy that everyone enjoyed their gifts, especially Michelle and Lisa. Michelle told me that Lisa ate half of her chocolate in one night. Lisa gave me a huge hug when I saw her next. Overall, everyone in the house seemed happier. This lasted up until New Year's Day. I guessed that Mr. Harding was putting the screws to my dad so to speak. While the Holiday brightened my father's mood, Mr. Harding's efforts seemed to drag him down lower than before.
"I wish I knew what was going on." I said to Michelle as watched some stupid movie one night when everyone was asleep. "Harding is going to drive him to drink."
"Or worse." Michelle said as she ran her fingers through my hair. "I haven't seen him this bad since you left for college."
"He was bad then?"
"For a couple of days, yeah. But this is far worse. What do you think Harding would want with your Dad?"
"Beats me. I mean, I'd understand if he was a politician or something, but he's not. He just runs a semi-large company. He's not the wealthiest of the wealthy, so it makes no sense."
I tried to calm down and watch the movie. This would be my last night of freedom, as class started in the morning. I was somewhat looking forward to the Anthro class I'd be taking, but still everything here worried me, not to mention the normal nerves that came with starting a new school. I was confident I'd like it more than the last place at the very least.
I must have fallen asleep before the end of the movie because the next thing I remember was hearing my phone's alarm go off. When I opened my eyes, I could see "Little Michelle" tucked in with me. I smiled and took off the covers of my bed and jumped in the shower. I put on some jeans and nice looking t-shirt and went out of my bathroom. Michelle was waiting for me with breakfast.
"Good Morning." She said as she gave me a hug and a kiss. "Excited for the big day?"
"I guess." I said. "I'll let you know how good it is when I get back."
"Just remember to play nice with the other kids."
"No promises. You know playing nice isn't my strength."
Michelle giggled and gave me another kiss. I would have held the kiss longer, but a knock on the door broke it up quickly.
"Come in."
It was my dad with a steaming mug of coffee. He had a smile on his face, the first one I'd seen since the holidays passed.
"I see Michelle has just brought you breakfast." He said as he stepped into my room. "Michelle, go down to the kitchen. I'd like to talk to Andy in private for a moment."
Michelle nodded and walked out. My dad sat down on my bed.
"Eat. You wouldn't want to be late."
I sat next to him and bit into a piece of toast.
"I just wanted to wish you the best of luck today. I hope everything works out for you."
"Thanks." I said.
"Oh and I figured you might need a little help with transportation so I figure I could give you these."
My dad reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring. I recognized the keys pretty quickly. It was to a fairly new Chevy my dad bought on an impulse one day. He called the "emergency car." It was the only one I was allowed to drive. Of course, I didn't use it much. Most of the places that I wanted to go were within walking distance of my house and the exercise felt good. But for school, walking wouldn't be enough.
"Use it as you see fit." My dad said. "Go out with friends, get to class, go on a date or two. It's yours now."
"Wow." I said. "This is...are...you're serious right?"
"Yes. Now, I have to be off to work. Finish your breakfast before it gets cold, and I'll see you tonight."
My dad gave me a pat on the back before he left the room. Before I knew it I had wolfed down my breakfast and was heading for the garage to get my car. The thought was still somewhat of a strange one, but I had to admit I liked having it. After a few moments of playing with the seat and adjusting the mirrors, I was ready to go. I started the engine, turned on the radio to one of my favorite stations, and I drove off to school.
I had almost forgotten how much fun driving was. It felt nice to feel the whipping of the wind through my hair. It was even more fun to sing along to my favorite songs, something I refused to do in front of anyone. My singing voice was horrible. Before I knew it, I was at Smithstown's main Campus.
The Campus was a lot smaller than I was used to, and in many ways I liked that more. There was a sense of intimacy that these smaller colleges had that was lost on the big name schools. I liked feeling that a teacher actually cared about me and what I was working on rather than just caring about the title "professor" and worrying about their own research.
Before I got out of my car, I took a look at the map of the school to see where my first class was. I found it on the map with little difficulty and proceed to look for the building I need to be in. Sadly, my sense of direction is not nearly as good as my map reading abilities. I know that sounds like a bit of a contradiction, but trust me, it's not. I wouldn't say I was lost, but I was definitely...misdirected.
I pulled out my map and took a look at it intently.
"Can I help you?" asked a voice from behind me.
I turned around to see a Fox anthro. He was wearing a brown suit and tie and carrying a briefcase. On the bridge of his nose sat a pair of thin glasses.
"Yes, actually." I said. "I'm trying to find Dillian Hall. It's my first day here."
"Oh, that's where I'm heading now." He said. "Follow me. Are you a freshman?"
"No, I'm a transfer student." I said as we began walking.
"Ah, I see. So what class is up first for you?"
"Intro to Poetry and Drama with a Professor Palmron."
The Fox anthro beamed.
"So you will be in my class. I'm Professor Palmron."
"Oh. It's nice to meet you Professor. My name is Andrew." I said as I offered my hand.
He took it with a smile.
"It is pleasure to meet you Andrew. So where are you from?"
I told him the name of my town. When he heard it, his eyes opened wide.
"Isn't that where Joshua Black has stationed himself these days?"
"Yes." I said kind of sadly.
I didn't enjoy talking about Joshua Black, especially considering how much he hated me for being human. Besides, it also brought questions as to what his role in in the 'conspiracy' was. I had no idea if Professor Palmron was a supporter or not. Speaking of which, what if he found out my family owned Anthros? Internally, I shuddered at the thought.
"Well I hope it hasn't affected you or your family, and if it has, my sympathies." Professor Palmron said. "I hope that things become peaceful soon."
"Yeah." I said. "Me too."
The rest of the walk with Professor Palmron was a pleasant one about the various things I had read. The Professor had deep knowledge about a lot of the authors I mentioned. He seemed delighted to talk about them. I had to admit that as we talked I felt the worries about the conspiracy recently planted in my head vanish into the works of Poe and Arthur Miller. When we finally got to the classroom, I took a seat, pulled out a notebook and pen and listened intently to the lecture.
The class itself was highly enjoyable. Professor Palmron did his best to keep the class entertaining and informative. I felt like when I was packing up, that I had actually learned something about Homer and the Iliad, which is more than I could say about my old school. I always pack up slowly, so I was one of the last to leave. I was lucky that my next class was in the same building, so I didn't have to rush.
"So if I may ask, Andrew," the Professor said when it was only us left in the room, "what other classes are you taking?"
I ran down the list of classes. When I came to Anthro and Human Relations, he cringed.
"Be careful in that class, Andrew." He said. "Professor Williams is good intended but is also very...passionate about her ideals."
"Thanks for the heads up. I'll see you tomorrow." I said.
The Professor nodded and I went to my next class. The rest of the morning was very straight forward and slightly boring. Even so, it was 20 times better than any day I had at the old university. The professors were fairly nice and generally knew what they were talking about. More importantly, they answered every question thrown their way. By the time lunch came around, I was more than happy about transferring.
The food in the School's cafeteria wasn't bad, but it wasn't anywhere close to my old college. That's what money can buy apparently. Still the burger I got was very good. I sat in a corner table alone. I didn't mind too much. I usually ate lunch by myself anyway. Still it would have been nice to share lunch with Michelle. I sighed. As much as I was enjoying this place, I still missed Michelle. Maybe I was feeling a little lonelier than I even knew.
I felt a quick tap on my shoulder and turned around. Riley was standing behind me with a tray of food in his hands.
"I've been looking for you all day." He said. "Haven't you got any one of my texts?"
I smiled and shook my head.
"To be honest, I've had my phone off all day. I didn't want it to go off or something."
"Always the conscious student. Mind if I join?"
"By all means."
Riley sat down across from me and we ate together.
"So how's your first day going? Do you like it here?"
"Yeah." I answered. "It's really nice so far. I didn't know you had an Anthro professor teaching here."
"Oh so you got into Palmron's class. Nice luck. Everyone who's taken him said he's really good."
"He seemed like a good guy. But he told me to be careful about Professor Williams."
"That's the Anthro-Human relations teacher right?"
"Yeah. Know anything about her?"
"Not a thing, but I'll find out with you."
"Wait, you mean you took that class?"
Riley shrugged.
"I needed an extra class, and I knew you were gonna be in it so I said, 'what the hell? I'll give it a shot.'"
"Nice. At least this means I'll have someone to cheat off of."
Riley laughed at the two of us finished our lunch. Afterwards, Riley showed me to where the classroom was for Anthro-Human relations. We picked seats next to each other and waited for the class to start. Riley got a lot of attention as various students came into the class. He said hi to all of them and introduced me. I was somewhat amazed how good Riley was with interacting with other people. It's like he was born for it. For me, it was completely alien. I envied him.
Professor Williams entered the room carrying large bag which she placed on the desk in the front of the room. She took out the text book for the class and introduced herself.
"This class is about Anthro and Human relations as you all know. Now, let me just call roll."
The roll call was fairly normal, as it was in every class before this one; at least that was the case until she got to my name.
"Andrew, please tell me you're not related to the CEO of the Naleo group."
"Actually, I am." I said. "He's my father."
Professor Williams gave me a slightly dirty look.
"I'll have you know, that I will not accept any derogatory terms or names for Anthros in this class, do you understand?"
"I wouldn't say any of them." I said.
"Good. Please keep it that way."
As she continued down the roll, I realized what Professor Palmron had meant. Professor Williams was clearly a fan of Anthro Liberation. I had no problem with that at all, believe me. But it looked like she might have a problem with my family owning Anthros.
"So, let's begin." Professor Williams said. "I am sure we are all aware of the plight of Anthros. They are seen by some in this country," she added with a slight glare towards me, "as subhuman monstrosities. However, others prefer to see them as fellow intelligent creatures, albeit with some physical differences between humans."
Professor Williams went on about how Anthros have been found to be just as intelligent and capable as humans are and how their "genetic makeup" led them to be superior in some physical respects.
"However," she continued, "we find that the lives Anthros lead are full of prejudice at the very least and sometimes, much worse. The majority of Anthros sadly are in a form of legalized slavery. In this institution it is not uncommon for an Anthro to be beaten, whipped, even raped and sexually abused by their 'owners' as a form of control."
I am really lucky I can hide my emotions well, if not, I think steam might actually spout from my ears I was so mad. It wasn't about what she was saying about "Pet" owners; that was sadly true. It was the implications she was making that really made me mad. Yes, I know of at least one time for sure my father beat Michelle, and yes it was a horrible thing. But it seemed like Professor Williams was trying to get a rise out of me. Like she wanted me to say something.
She continued to talk about how free anthros are often paid less for the same work. Each time she mentioned something terrible humans would do to Anthros, she would give a slight glance in my direction. Every time she did, it made my skin crawl.
"Now class, have you ever experienced or witnessed a human and Anthro interaction."
Riley's hand shot up in the air.
"Mr....Taylor? Tell us what happened."
"Well, I was out to lunch with one of my friends." Riley started. "We walked out of the place into a rally being conducted by Joshua Black. He blamed us for what's been happening to Anthros. If it wasn't for my friend's girlfriend, who happens to be an Anthro, we could have been killed."
"Now, Mr. Taylor," Professor Williams said, "Joshua Black may use a questionable rhetoric, but I'm sure you were in no danger. Now, how did your friend meet his girlfriend if I may ask?"
"They've known each other for practically their whole lives. They were really good friends and it just kind of grew from there."
"I see. Mr. Taylor, I'm not assuming this is what your friend is doing, but it should be noted that a lot of humans will pursue relationships with Anthros because they are seen as weaker and easier to control."
I had to actually bite my tongue before I said something I'd regret. The very idea that I was trying to control Michelle by dating her was appalling to me. A quick glance to Riley showed he thought the same. The only thing I want for Michelle is for her to be happy. Not a thing more. And for some strange reason, she's happy with me, the son of her owner, who loves her more than anything else in the world.
"Does anyone else have anything to add about Anthro Human relations?" Professor Williams asked with a glance towards me.
I wasn't going to take the bait. I'm not the smartest man in the world, but I am far from stupid. I quietly took notes for the rest of the class, begging for it to be over. When it finally was, it took all of my composure not to yelp for joy. Instead I threw my books into my bag quickly, and walked out the door. I waited in the hallway for Riley, who soon followed.
"I tried to help you in there." Riley said. "I guess it didn't do much good. Did you see the way she was eyeing you?"
"I was hoping it was just me." I said. "I'm lucky I didn't just walk out of the room from the start."
"I don't blame you. I mean, yeah I'm sure some owners have done what she said, but not your family."
A terrifying thought crossed my mind: what if my dad HAD done something to Michelle or Lisa? What if he was just like the other owners? What if Professor Williams was right about my family? The thoughts came over me like a tidal wave. I had to stop in the middle of the hall to compose myself quickly.
"Hey man, you alright?" Riley asked.
"Y...yeah. Fine." I said. "Just shaken up from that class."
"Alright man. You have any more classes?"
"No, no I'm done for the day."
"Ok. I have one more. Take care, man. And don't let it get to you."
I nodded and walked to the parking garage where my car was. No matter what Riley had said, I couldn't help but feel like a broken man. I had always known what my parents were: Anthro owners, yet I always imagined that they were somehow better. Now I was afraid that my family, people I loved, could be just as bad as the people Professor Williams had described.
"Andrew!" said a familiar voice. "On your way home then?"
I turned around to see Mr. Palmron, carrying his briefcase and walking up behind me.
"Uh...yeah. Done for the day."
He looked at me for a second and smiled a gentle smile.
"She got to you, didn't she?"
"Huh?"
"Professor Williams. I warned you. When I saw your last name, I knew you were asking for trouble in her class. On her worst days, she makes Joshua Black look like a pacifist."
"How did you know...?"
"That your family owned Anthros? I follow the news too, Andrew. And your father being the CEO of a very powerful corporation doesn't help matters."
"I'm sorry. I'm not like my parents, I swear. I don't believe in..."
Professor Palmron held up a hand to quiet me.
"You don't need to explain yourself to me. I understand. May I ask what Professor Williams said to you that has you so rattled?"
I told him the whole story. What the professor had said and what Riley added that tipped the scales for me. Professor Palmron listened until I was done.
"Why don't you ask your...err....servants?" he said with difficulty. "Ask them for the truth."
"But what if...?"
"You deal with that if it comes up. And if you need any help, let me know. You have my office number and email. Feel free to use them."
"Thanks. But, why are you doing this for me?"
"Because you are my student. And I believe it is not through violence, but through education that humans and Anthros will learn to coexist. I wish to play my small part in helping that process. Now go home, get some rest, and try not to worry too much."
I thanked Professor Palmron as he walked past the parking garage. When I drove home, I didn't have the radio on. I just wanted silence to prepare myself for the worst. I already knew who I needed to ask, too. I walked through the door. My mother was out and my father wasn't home from work yet. I went straight to the Kitchen. There I saw Lisa and Michelle preparing dinner.
"Your home!" Michelle said as she ran towards me and threw her arms around me.
She looked into my eyes.
"What's wrong? Is everything ok?"
I nodded and took a deep breath.
"Yes. Everything is fine. Do you think I could have a word with your mom alone please? There's something I need to ask her."