Crimson

Chapter 20: Too Many Questions

"So when do you think she's coming back?"

"Beats me. I heard she looked pretty bad-"

"My buddy told me a buddy of his saw her body-"

"I bet she's missing class on purpose."

The hype surrounding Sophia hadn't eased up over the weekend. In a time where everyone involved was filled with dread, to now, it became apparent that most of your class didn't take Sophia as much more than a topic to be gossiped about. And a hot topic she was.

With a sigh, you glanced at Eleanor, carelessly spinning a pen between his fingers.

"Eleanor."

The boy's pen hit the floor with a *clink.*

"Hm?" He murmured, ducking underneath the desk.

"We should go to the hospital to check up on Sophia," you suggested quietly, "...maybe get some answers."

Your water bottle and pencil case fell down at the loud thud that struck from underneath the desk.

"Ow..." Eleanor emerged, rubbing his head in agony.

"Bit early for that, don't you think?" Asked Theodore with a wink. The redhead retrieved your things and had a seat next to Eleanor on the other side.

"Yeah... what were you saying y/n?" Eleanor asked as he adjusted his glasses.

You glanced around with a sigh as the rest of the class slowly began to fill in. A familiar curtain of inky black hair made her way to the seat beside you.

"I was saying, we should go to the hospital at lunch or something." You told them.

"Whatever happened to that Sophia girl is not the worst thing to happen here, y/n." Simone said without looking at you.

"What do you mean?" You asked.

Simone opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a confident Sylabil, striding into the classroom. She was like Cadere in a way- the attention of everyone was immediately grabbed. Only no one was afraid of her.

However, the buzz surrounding the mysterious attack had garnered the influence of the teacher just a little bit, and the brunette had to hold up her arms to get everyone to stop gossiping.

"Attention, please." She demanded calmly. The room was quiet and attentive.

"I know you're all worried about... the state of things." Sylabil sighed with furrowed brows. "But know that we- Cadere, Lady Petrikov and I- are doing everything we can to ensure a safe, and rewarding school year."

The clock continued ticking.

"But with that being said," continued Sylabil, "there are certain precautions you can take to ensure things are as secure as possible."

You and the others exchanged glances while everyone murmured as though you were in a courtroom.

"Please," Sylabil said for the second time. "We want to prevent any further incidents, and you can all do your part. The faculty and I expect you to follow curfew, with the exception of the night patrol. And as animals are less likely to attack if you're in groups, I suggest walking with a friend, especially at night. What happened was unfortunate but these things do happen, and taking extra measures can't hurt."

"What kind of animal do you think it was?" Eleanor suddenly asked from beside you. Heads turned his way.

"We can't be sure of that as of yet," Sylabil answered calmly. "But right now, it seems likely to have been a coyote or wolf."