Obliterate

six

A SINGLE RUMOR washed through the academy like a tidal wave and it wasn't long before it reached Sophie's classroom. As she sat in front of her laptop, staring at the screen and pretending to work, she listened. Her students chatted amongst themselves, their textbooks spread out in front of them. She'd given them the class period to solve several short-answer questions concerning the actions that needed to take place should a human die during feeding. It kept them busy and granted her the freedom to mull over last night's events.

"So did you hear the news? A student went missing last night," one student hissed under their breath, sparking a flurry of hushed questions. Several other students leaned in closer.

"What happened?" one asked.

"Who was it?" another pressed.

"Were they kidnapped or something?"

The first student shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really know. It was some freshman who had just transferred to school. I just heard that his roommates reported him missing this morning when they woke up and couldn't find him."

Another student leaned in. "I heard that he was another vampire, like us."

"Maybe he decided that he didn't like it here and just went back home," yet another student piped in.

"It was Robby Wallace," the quiet girl in the back of the class mumbled. "I talked to him several times. I don't think that he would go home –his parents weren't very nice. He also told me that he really liked it here so far."

Sophie's stomach knotted with each word said. She had never taught Robby Wallace, but she'd seen his image a few times. With each addition to the school, pictures were passed around to the faculty. She remembered all the faces of the next generation vampires. His had stood out some in that instead of appearing nervous, or simply smiling, his picture showcased a very devious smirk. Robby's image had been flagged with a red banner –meaning that he'd become a ward of the state and was always in some sort of trouble. Faculty had been advised to keep a special eye on him during his transition into the new school.

As she tried to push the mental image of his wiry smirk from her head, her laptop dinged. The notification flashed at the corner of her screen. It was an email from Eli. She shook her mouse back to life and clicked on the email. As she skimmed through it, her heart sank even further.

Did you hear the news? Robby Wallace went missing last night. There's no trace of him, at all. Not even your mother or security knows what happened. I know that there will be a mandatory faculty meeting later this afternoon about it. Aelia is going to send out an email soon.

And then, added in another quick email, he said: I mean, this kid was in my first class. I keep getting asked so many questions about what happened. We literally know nothing about it. I just don't know how to explain it to my students...

Her lips pressed together and her fingers hovered over her keyboard. She didn't know exactly how to respond to that. Her gaze lifted and scanned over her students. Nobody seemed particularly depressed or upset. Most of the emotions displayed had to do with different variations of shock and the usual deviousness of gossip. Seconds later, another email notification flashed at the corner of her screen.

All Faculty and Staff: Report to the dining hall after classes today. There will be a mandatory meeting.

Sophie stared at her hands. Just hours earlier, her skin had been stained with rust-colored blood. She almost swore that, though she'd spent a while scrubbing every crevice, there was still small specks of blood hidden beneath her fingernails. Its invisible presence mocked her, and made her stomach twist into tighter knots.

Her fingers blurred over the keyboard as she typed a quick response to Eli. She apologized, and asked if there was anything she could do to help. She asked about the kid, explaining that she didn't know much about him. She typed whatever made her sound like a concerned, loving girlfriend whose boyfriend had just lost a student.

She hesitated before she pressed send. The last sentence stood out the most. It detailed the blood on her hands. A part of her still wanted to tell him about it. Except...

The blood on her hands, her faulty memory, and a missing student did not mix well together. It created an overwhelming amount of incriminating evidence against her. Eli was her boyfriend. She knew that he would always be there for her. But this wasn't just a small detail that effected their relationship. This was a possible murder. There was no telling how he would react to finding out that his girlfriend could have possibly murdered a student. His student.

Most sane people would go to the police, or try to encourage her to talk to them herself. Most sane people would examine the evidence presented and make their judgements based on that.

The war had changed Eli a lot, especially when it came to his views on others. Eli made it very clear how he felt about death. At least once a week, his students were granted a heavy lecture about the importance of every individual life. Each human had the right to live their life, just as much as any other species.

A strong feeling in her gut told her that telling Eli wouldn't be the best idea.

Sophie quickly erased the sentence and sent the email. If it happened again, she'd tell him and just hope for the best. But only if it happened again. At this point she had no clue whether or not it would.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and Sophie lifted her gaze. Most of her students bid her a hasty goodbye as they scurried out of her room. She smiled back at them. Once the room was clear, she shut down her laptop and gathered her things.

Eli met her at the door. His expression was downcast. "Are you ready for this meeting?"