Emi shuddered, trying to shake off the dream from last night.
Really, those two and their talk of not-human or whatever. It really messed with her head.
She scribbled out a doodle in her notebook, one that kind of looked like a bunch of triangles in a vaguely wing shape, and continued to take notes for the class.
Professor Shelley looked odd when she had come in that morning for homeroom, asking if she was quite alright after what happened yesterday, she seemed awfully ill. Emi had to search back in her memory, vaguely remembered puking, and maybe fainting at one point. She felt—not fine, she was never fine. Perhaps a bit more unsettled than usual, from her dream. She couldn't quite remember it, other than fear and panic and the word "monster."
She didn't feel ill though.
So now she was in her chemistry class, taking notes as her mind refused to focus on anything. Her hands trembled, but it didn't quite feel like fear. It felt more like adrenaline, like a weaker version of the rush she got looking down from the fire escape.
Oh, she missed an explanation for an equation. She scribbled out a note to check it out later on the internet and why was the wind suddenly blowing?
She turned to the side to look out the window, her row being the closest to the wall with windows.
She blinked. Once. Twice.
There was a guy crouching on the ledge of the window.
Said guy was Seth.
This classroom was on the third floor.
What?
"Is there something you need, Mister Gargouille?" Professor Shelley asked.
Emi's head snapped to the professor, back to Seth, then back to Shelley and stayed there. Were they just going to not... acknowledge the guy squatting on the wrong side of the windowsill? And weren't there bars? How did he get up here? And couldn't you only open the windows from the inside?!
"Yup," said Seth, "this is a kidnapping."
"Wha--" Emi started to say, before she was yanked by the collar and out the window.
"Big G says this is an excused absence, by the way!" Seth hollered as Emi screamed. "Ordered by the council!" His arm was wrapped around her waist suddenly and then they were in the air, free falling.
Emi clawed at his arm and shrieked even louder as the ground hurtled towards them. She screwed her eyes shut, bringing her hands up to her head to try and protect it.
Her organs seemed to swoop in her body and suddenly the direction the wind was moving changed. She opened her eyes, only a sliver because the wind was stinging them.
The grey and muted reddish-brown of Cognito raced away beneath them, occasionally cut through a streak of lightning white as they zipped past lights.
Terror and awe fought for control, leaving her mouth open, half in shock and half in a silent scream.
She didn't have much time to decide what emotion, however, as suddenly her body jostled painfully when Seth landed on a platform on a building that just had random platforms jutting out of it.
He dropped her like a sack of potatoes, her palms and knees scraping on the rough concrete.
"You really are rude, you know that?" Azriel stepped forwards, attempting to step on Seth's foot, who promptly dodged.
Emi pushed herself up.
"What," she gasped, "in the ever-loving fuck."
"Emiko Satsujin-Yavuz, you are currently under suspicion due to..." Azriel pulled out a sheet of paper, eyebrows slowly rising as they read down the page "unannounced entry to Cognito, failure to complete entry paperwork, failure to declare your lineage, biological or otherwise, being a minor unaccompanied by an adult while entering Cognito, failure of obtaining a sponsor or guardian during your stay in Cognito, and also parkouring outside of designated areas." Azriel folded up the paper and put it into his pocket. "They say under suspicion, but it's pretty much confirmed at this point. The only thing you're actually under suspicion for is fraud, though they don't know what kind of fraud yet. The Council just voted to not immediately execute you or throw you in the cells, due to your age and what appears to be an altered state of mind. Usually, this rule is used for young vampires who were illegally changed and seek asylum in Cognito, but the law actually doesn't say what species you have to be."
