Obliterate

two

REDSTONE ACADEMY WAS livelier than ever, despite the fact that one fourth of its population was undead vampires. It had changed so much since Sophie had last wandered its halls. The first (and most important, in her opinion) change was a super-sized map framed against almost every wall within the castle. It depicted the layout of the castle, including little indicators to let the viewer know where they stood. It was now impossible to get lost.

Sophie rounded the corner and entered her classroom. It was situated right beside Eli's. The only difference between the two were the signs indicating which subjects were taught inside. Another change within the academy was the subjects it taught. Sophie taught a general understanding of vampire basics, focusing more on mental attributes. It was her job to help each student deal with the sudden onslaught of heightened senses and learn to manage them. Eli taught the more physical side of vampire basics, concerning a fledgling's newfound strength and dexterity. The classes were no longer geared toward combat.

The last major change within the academy was that classes were no longer split between Night and Day. Most of the general core classes, such as Math or English, were mixed throughout. Other classes, like Sophie's, was geared toward an individual supernatural race. Any other creature –humans and werewolves alike—were allowed to take her class as they pleased.

It was an interesting experience attempting to teach a teenage ogre or witch about bloodlust.

Sophie paused and glanced around her classroom. The desks were in order, all facing her own desk at the front of the room. Her nose twitched. She scanned over the minor details –the slightly drooping poster of the academy's event schedule, the metal cup attached to the edge of her whiteboard overflowing with markers. Her gaze settled on the origin of her unease: a thick stack of papers strewn about somewhat haphazardly on her desk.

Her lips pursed. The essays covered a multitude of ways to approach humans and feed. Normally Sophie loved to read...just not when it came to grammar-deficient tweens just discovering their hormones. More often than not, the essays covered various sexual activities, and she was not okay with that. A sigh escaped her.

"If you don't start now, you'll hate yourself forever," a familiar voice sang.

Her lips stretched into a grin and she glanced back over her shoulder. Eli leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. A crooked smile appeared on his face when their gazes met. "Hello, beautiful. How was your day?"

Sophie rolled her eyes and started toward her desk. "Perfect until I saw the amount of homework I have to do," she said.

Eli watched her with an amused expression. Sophie plopped down in her wheeled chair and stared at the papers. She huffed and pushed them all together into a single pile. "I don't want to do them," she whined. "I hate having to assign these. Why does Aelia make me do this?"

"There have been several studies that show students who write their thought processes down are more successful," he recited a passage from Aelia's unpopular "Tips on Teaching" handout. "Therefore at least one essay is required for each semester."

Sophie groaned. "Stop that."

He snickered and shook his head. He moved to one of the desks in front of hers and sat on top of it. "At least you don't have to supervise twenty-something kids as they try to feed for their first time tomorrow. Talk about awkward."

"Hopefully nobody will go overboard this time," she said.

"Yeah, no accidental deaths would be nice," Eli sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, they've got to learn somehow."

He scowled at her. "Don't jinx it."

Sophie grinned. Her attention dropped back down to the papers on her desk, her stomach once again filling with dread. She plucked a red pen from a drawer and started to sort through them. Then she paused and glanced up, an eyebrow raised. "Are you okay?"

Eli's happy façade dissolved.

His shoulders slumped. His gaze dropped to the floor as silence encompassed the room. He scratched at the back of his neck and asked, "Have you tried to get into the hospital wing yet?"

Sophie's pen was gently placed down onto the desk. He looked just as despondent as she felt. "No," she said, "Have you?"

Eli glanced over his shoulder, at posters that covered the windowless walls. His hands clenched and unclenched into tight fists. A grimace twisted across his facial features. "According to the nurses, Aubrey still refuses to leave or allow any visitors. Only Aelia can force her way inside."

It had been almost four months since Sophie and Eli fought in a rebellion against the previous Headmaster of Redstone Academy. When his attempt to build an army of brainwashed vampires failed, the Headmaster released a crazed Wolfe in hopes to squash the rebellion. It didn't work, and now he consistently in and out of the hospital. According to some of the best werewolf neurologists in the world, Wolfe's mind had been shattered from months of desensitizing torture. The only thing that remained was his connection to Aubrey.

"Is there any news on his condition?"

"His progress is slow. The way that they explained it is that, because of the extensive brain damage, his mind has reverted back to that of a two-year-old child. He has to learn to walk again, to talk. He somewhat remembers Aubrey, and identifies that she is a safe person. But he can't handle other people."

Sophie pursed her lips and stared at the mountain of paperwork on her desk. She felt horrible about Wolfe. He had been a major crush of hers, and for a moment they actually had a powerful connection. It had blocked out any other feelings she could possibly harbor, including her love for Eli. As happy as she had been when the imprint faded and she realized the truth, she still wanted Wolfe to be happy too.

"We should try to break in again. Maybe several months locked away from the outside world has made Aubrey softer," she suggested.

"Or more paranoid," Eli grumbled under his breath.

He looked away when Sophie shot him a warning look. "She just doesn't want Wolfe to undergo any more stress than he needs to. It's like you just said –strangers freak him out. Right now, we are strangers to him."

"And when he gets stressed, he starts to revert back," Eli added.

"I wish we could go see him," Sophie said with a small sigh. She fiddled her fingers and clenched her jaw. "Aubrey too. I miss her. And she should be surrounded by family."

Eli made a noise and jokingly suggested, "We could always try to sneak in when its closed. Most of the nurses will have been sent home, so they couldn't help Aubrey."

Sophie hesitated. She glanced up at Eli, lips pursed. 

He caught her expression and immediately stiffened. He pointed a finger at her and sternly said, "No. No ma'am. We are not actually doing that."

Sophie just smiled and started to grade her papers.