Academy of Blood and Magic

16🖤

Schools were closed for the next two weeks, including East Haven. Everyone was scared, humans and supernaturals. It was all over the news that there was a murderer prowling the streets and mutilating their victims. After five killings that took place in this city and near Arlington and East Haven, it was confirmed that there was a serial killer. Basically, the whole city was almost on lockdown due to this.

We resorted to doing our homework online while we stayed home as the police did their investigation. No one felt safe going to school at the moment and the school administration completely agreed that it would be best if students decided to do their work online.

Mom and Dad cast a protection spell around the house to ward off anyone who might seem dangerous. The ward cast a faint red glow that illuminated around our house, causing more than a few passerbyers to pause and stare. Mom and Dad never cast anything that would be in plain sight for others to see, but they were too worried about the murderer and wanted to make sure we were all safe to care.

My friends were staying home with their families. Brandon was staying around his family to watch over them and didn't want to leave them alone. He kept checking in on me every ten minutes despite me reassuring him over and over that I was fine. Besides, I was cooped up in the house. Nowhere I could go any way. My parents were keeping me here even though I was eighteen but I had zero desire to leave the house so I didn't complain.

I managed to get all of my homework and assignments are done ahead of their due dates with all of the free time that I had. I was trying to keep myself busy, trying to forget about what Brandon and I saw at the school, especially Shelbee's reaction.

After I'd gotten done heaving, Shelbee had arrived and seen Nick. She started screaming and sobbing heavily, her body shaking violently to the point I thought she was having a seizure. Tristan ran up to her and attempted to console her, but she shoved him away and tried to run over to Nick's body but a police officer restrained her. She fought against him, still trying to get to Nick. She started pummeling the officer holding her and another one had to help restrain her. They pinned her arms and legs and held her down onto the ground to try to calm her but she kept getting even more hysterical to the point they had an ambulance drive down and have someone sedate her.

Shelbee's reaction to seeing her dead boyfriend had been even harder to see than Nick mutilated like that. Despite what had happened between her and me, my heart still went out to her and I hoped she was okay.

I had thought about calling her, to check and make sure she was doing okay, but I was hesitating. Of course, she wasn't going to be okay, she just saw her boyfriend's insides out on the ground around him, and she was heartbroken and devastated, and she more than likely didn't want to speak to me right now.

I stared down at my phone, nibbling my lip, the debate about calling her or not running through my head like a broken record. I was inexplicably nervous; I had no idea how she would react to me calling her, and if it was even appropriate to call her or not.

Finally, I picked up my phone and dialed her number before I lost my nerve. She may or may not pick up, I told myself. If she doesn't, just leave it alone. And she could've possibly blocked me.

To my surprise, she picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Uh, hey, Shelbee," I said, suddenly unsure of myself. Maybe it was a mistake calling her. "I wanted to check on you, to see if there's anything I can do to help."

She was silent for so long I wondered if she hung up. Then she said, "Why are you calling me?"

"I just wanted to check on you. I'm really sorry about what happened to -"