A Thief In The Night

Student Body

Bill

Most Mondays, I had three World History classes. One at ten, another at one, and the final lecture was at three. Even if students enrolled in an earlier session, they had three chances to catch the same lecture, or well, almost the same lecture. The students were the variables in the class.

I waited for everyone to take a seat in the first lecture. Before I began, I discreetly called Izabella's number. A single phone vibrated rather loudly, and I smiled.

"If you would all kindly silence your phones, it's appreciated. I know history can be boring, but I'll try to not make it too much of a snooze fest today."

The class gave a collective chuckle, and I noticed one blond-haired woman with a pair of owl sized sunglasses answer then silence her phone.

I sent the text: 'Got you.'

The reply: 'Clever, clever.'

I headed to my office after my first lecture. Shelby stopped by to see if I wanted to have lunch. I agreed, especially since she was offering to buy. In the back of my mind, I wondered what Izabella would do for the next period. From what I caught of the first disguise, it seemed there was some magical element to it.

Shelby and I sat at the deli counter and ate quietly for a few minutes. She had ordered turkey and avocado, and I had the pastrami.

"Someone made a large donation to my favorite women's charity in my name. I also got a box of my very favorite chocolates from Europe and one of the largest bouquets of tulips I've ever seen delivered to my office this morning," she said. "Are you trying to thank me for something?"

"Well, yes. It's a rather large thank you for Friday night."

"Oh?"

"And Saturday, and Sunday, and possibly today, but the jury is still out." I gave Shelby a grin, and she returned a look that was a combination of curious, smug, and impressed.

"Spill it, Billy. What have you been up to?"

I gave her the highlights without the sordid details and was amused at all of the facial expressions Shelby gave me. I did leave out the part where Izabella tried to steal an artifact. No point in raising Shelby's watcher instincts. Not that she would have turned Izabella in. Watchers are drawn to people that upset the status quo because that's where the history happens, and not all change agents come in the form of politicians or activists.

"So the two of you have these bets going, which you're not going to describe to me, which is fine. I don't need the details, I can probably guess. And so far, you're on a winning streak?"

"Well, yes. If you want to look at it that way. Izabella is very clever. At some point, I will lose. Which I don't think I will mind in the least."

"Careful, Billy, it sounds like you're developing feelings."

I laughed. "I'd do just about anything to keep seeing her, Shelby. She's about the most interesting person I've been around in a very long time. Except you."

"Oh good. For a minute there, I thought you were going to toss out all the goodwill you created earlier with your presents."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Besides, I would have left some time ago if it wasn't for you. Too many things reminded me of Nathan. At one point, I thought about moving somewhere else and changing completely, but that takes up a lot of energy." The look of concern and understanding on Shelby's face was why we were friends to begin with. She always empathized to some degree, and I found that very reassuring.

"Well, I, for one, am glad you stayed." Shelby gave me one of her brilliant smiles. I felt grateful that we were friends.

"Me too," I said. We finished lunch and headed back to campus. I spent the next hour or so grading papers until the next class started.

In the second lecture, I waited until the class was well underway until I took a peek at the magic levels in the room. Oh, what a major mistake that was as the visual coalesced into a headache just behind my eyes. I hadn't realized how many of my students were some kind of magical being or heavy magic-user.

I did manage to focus on one that looked different from the other magic users. The magical aura they had was layered over another aura, like two beings were present in the same space. It effectively dampened both auras even more than the students that had little to no magic.

The kid with the duel auras was looking down most of the time, supposedly taking notes. I never was able to make eye contact. Nondescript shirt, jeans, and shoes. With blond hair and light skin.

I texted right at the end of class as students were filing out: 'Third row, fifth seat.'

Izabella's reply: 'Did you cheat?'

'Of course not. You never said anything about looking at magic in auras.'

'That's like cheating.'

'I didn't read anyone's mind.'

'Okay, for the last class, no reading anyone's aura either.'

"Oh, someone's trying to change the rules," I said to an empty classroom. I replied. 'Fine. No reading auras. Anything else?'

'Nope.'

Now that I knew she was using some kind of magic, I was sure I could spot it when she came to the next class.

For the third lecture, I switched tactics and started walking around the classroom. Once I spotted it, I recognized it immediately. Izabella was disguised as someone who presented as masculine, was in his early twenties, with dark brown hair, a TU t-shirt, sneakers, and jeans. He had a backpack, notebook, pens, and a copy of the textbook on his desk. I was impressed.

As I finished the lecture, I stopped at the row she was sitting in, leaned over, and asked her to stay after class. All of the guys around her chuckled. I even heard a "tough luck bro..." from someone.

Izabella, still in her student guise, walked into my office, and I closed the door behind us.