Obliterate

twenty nine

SOPHIE DID NOT know how to respond. She stared at Finn, her brow wrinkled. A mixture of worry and confusion flooded through her. "I'm not sure," she murmured. Her gaze focused on the needles attached to his arm. "You need to rest."

Finn waved his hands dismissively. "I will have plenty of time to rest later." 

"I'm not sure," she said with a growing frown. 

His hand lifted, fingers curling around the needle in his arm. A grimace crossed his expression as he moved his injured shoulder. Sophie was at his side instantly, moving faster than he could blink. Her hands grabbed his and pulled it away from the needle. "Stop that," she chided him. "Don't hurt yourself. You don't need to move right now."

He gazed up at her. "Not moving isn't fun," he said, his lips twisting into a hint of a pout. 

She shuffled a few steps backwards. Her arms crossed over her chest. "Well sometimes, we have to suck it up and do things that aren't so fun," she told him. Her expression and tone remained stern. 

His pout increased.

Sophie returned to her chair and sat down, watching him with hawk-like eyes. The last thing that she needed to deal with was a runaway patient. "Just relax for a bit. Moving around won't help your shoulder heal."

Finn heaved a resigned sigh and slumped down in his bed, his eyes falling shut. 

A blanket of silence fell over the room. Sophie pursued her lips, her mind running rampant with a tornado of thoughts. She wasn't sure whether Aubrey would be okay with entertaining Finn's wishes. It might cause Wolfe even more stress. 

"Why do you think my mark scared it off?" she asked quietly, after some time had passed. Her fingertips lightly brushed over the scarf that covered the night-light-worthy glowing skin of her neck. 

Finn opened his eyes and studied her. 

"I am honestly not sure," he admitted. His brow furrowed and he slumped backwards, his pillows almost collapsing beneath his sudden weight. "I really don't know what it means. But we may be able to use it."

Sophie frowned at him. "What do you mean?" 

"Well, it seems as though these creatures have an aversion to it," he said. "Considering you were able to chase it away when it attacked me."

A chuckle escaped him. "And I strongly doubt that a creature of its nature was frightened by such a small, pretty little vampire. So it had to have been the mark on your neck."

Sophie parked up a bit. "Do you think it is the light?" she interjected. "It did not appear to race until the scarf came off and the glow of the mark was exposed."

He paused, his expression thoughtful. "Possibly. I'm not sure. There really is no way to be certain without running some experiments."

Finn chuckled darkly and added, "Though I assume your mother will not be willing to attempt any of those."

"There might be a place and a time for it," she responded. Her mind was spinning with the possibilities. If the creatures did have a strong aversion to light, it might explain why they only curated to hunt at night. Like a traditional vampire commonly found in fictional literature.

"Not if it puts you at risk," Finn said sharply.

Sophie grimaced. She hadn't meant using herself specifically. The idea of facing off with one of those creatures again caused a sour note to form at the back of her throat. If the creatures had an aversion to light, it might be worth creating more light around campus. The light might deter the creatures. 

Sophie did not bother to respond. She leaned back in her chair, watching the face of a nearby clock. The hands moved slowly, dancing around the center in an endless dance. 

It wasn't long before Aelia returned. She immediately thanked Sophie profusely for staying with Finn, a somewhat relieved smile on her face. "Also," she added with a knowing smile, "Eli is waiting in the lobby for you. He was on his way back, but I told him that I'd relieve your post and send you out."

"Thank you," Sophie said with a grin.

She bid Finn a goodbye and rushed out of the room. Weaving through the halls, it wasn't long before she found the lobby. Eli stood in the center, his arms crossed over his chest. His entire face brightened when he spotted Sophie.

They walked quickly through the darkened halls of the academy. Both were alert and listening, waiting to happen across anything out of the ordinary. Once they reached their home, Sophie turned on every light. 

"What are you doing?" Eli asked, his brow furrowed with confusion.

"I'm not sure," she answered him absently. "I'm just testing a theory."

He stared at her for a moment. "Is that so?"

She eased down onto the couch and smiled at him. He walked over a picked up her favorite blanket — an decorative piece of fabric with frayed edges. He draped it over her. She grinned at him and said, "I'm not quite sure yet. I think that light might have scared the Revenant away. But I'm not totally positive yet."

Eli frowned at her. He glanced around at all the lights. "I hope that you're right," he said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Her smile grew. 

He sunk down onto the couch beside her. A sigh escaped him. "There has been no change with Wolfe. I made sure that Aubrey ate though."

"Finn asked about seeing Wolfe," Sophie told him. She fiddled with the frayed edges of her blanket, twisting the small strands of fabric around her fingers. She watched Eli's reaction warily.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He heard you and Aelia mention his name and asked. I explained what happened, how the old Headmaster had brainwashed him. He thinks that he can help."

Eli stared at her. He seemed to consider her words for a moment. "I definitely think that we should talk to Aubrey first," he said slowly. "I don't want to make any rush decisions without her."

His eyes locked with Sophie's for a moment. "But honestly," he added. "At this point, what could it hurt?"

~

I hope that you are having an amazing week so far! ❤