Saving Professor (Part 12)

Back at the office, Petra had finished her work so fast that she finished the next day’s history assignments and Mr. Murphy had gone home three hours early.
Now that he was gone, she had nothing to do.
She tried reading the books on the shelves, but they were boring.
She then decided to explore the building again. Once she got to the elevator, she pressed the ‘close’ button twice, and the elevator shot her back up to Professor’s office.
He had given Petra and Collier permission to go there whenever they wanted, because they had been bright enough to find it on their own.
Petra wondered where she would be if they hadn’t found his office.
She knocked in his door; he didn’t open it. She peeked through the small window. A small lamp on his desk was shining a warm, glowing light. She slowly opened the door and stepped in.
Professor was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered that he was teaching at the Boarding School.
Petra wandered over to his mini refrigerator and retrieved her grape juice bottle that she had left there on her last visit. Then she slumped down on a chair and pulled the footrest up. She selected a magazine from the coffee table.
It was titled ‘AAW—Agents Around the World.’
Petra took a sip out of the bottle and flipped to the middle of the magazine.
It was a page full of ads. She skimmed over them, uninterested. But one caught her eye— “Young child needed for special training. Must be from eight to twelve years old. Boy or girl. Contact Asher Alexander.”
Petra thought it was interesting that Alexander hadn’t put his phone number. Maybe he only wanted a kid that was in contact with someone Alexander already knew.
Petra stared at the ad.
Then she realized that she didn’t want to read a magazine at all. At least not after she had seen the ad.
The door opened. In came the man that Professor had talked to on the first day Petra and Collier came to the office.
The man that specifically told Professor not to show the kids his office.
Petra froze as the man scanned the room.
She was about to sigh of relief when his eyes landed on her.
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?”
The man strode over to Petra.
“Could it be Professor Stein’s daughter?”
Petra stared blankly at him. She didn’t know whether or not to say yes or no. Professor had told the man that they were his kids. He meant that they were his kids as in students, but he knew the man would think that they were his biological kids.
“Too afraid to answer?” the man continued. “Is that because you are in a place that you are not allowed to be in?”
“No,” Petra answered in a voice she hoped was brave. “I’m allowed in here.”
“Oh, really? And who told you that?”
“Professor.”
Then Petra caught herself. She had called Professor “Professor.” She hoped the man wouldn’t notice.
He did.
“Oh. So you call your father ‘Professor’? Now isn’t that an interesting fact?”
“Well, you see, I used to go to the Boarding School that he taught at. When I had his class I wasn’t allowed to call him “Dad” so he just told me to call him ‘Professor.’”
Petra was glad that she had so easily come up with a reasonable explanation. But another part of her felt guilty of lying.
She watched the man’s expressions. He looked like he was thinking.
“Okay,” he finally said. “That sounds respectable. But you do know that he wasn’t supposed to show you this office, did you?”
“Oh, no,” Petra cut in, trying to defend Professor. “He didn’t show it to me. I found it.”
“And why were you roaming around in the building? Why weren’t you under adult supervision?”
“I found it because I was going to go from my room to the first floor. I pushed the close button on the elevator, but it was going so slowly I decided to press it again. Then it brought me down here.”
“Then why did you come in? You know intruding on another person’s office isn’t exactly respect. And you yourself had said that you respect Professor.”
Petra was about to point out that she had never said that she showed respect for Professor. But she decided not to tell the man. It would only make him angry.
“He let me in. I didn’t come in the first time I found this floor.”
“And does he know that he wasn’t supposed to let you in?”
“It’s his office,” Petra replied, standing up. “Shouldn’t he be in charge of his own space?” Petra began walking away. “And he’s the vice president of this place, you know.” She reached the door and opened it. She stopped and turned around. “And I bet you’re not even close.”
Anger flashed in the man’s eyes. He stood up and glared at Petra menacingly.
“If you must know, little child,” he growled in a low voice. “I am the president of this company.”
Petra’s eyes grew wide with realization. Then she did the only thing she could do, the only choice she had.
She spun around and ran.