The Protector (Complete)

Chapter 6

"Patrick," Greta said more sharply this time. "You need to stop talking while I'm talking. You need to follow my directions and start your homework." Once she was sure each of the students had started his work, she picked up the warm coffee cup and took a sip of the still hot liquid. Her second year of teaching, she had splurged big time on a very expensive coffee cup that said it guaranteed to keep the liquid warm for hours at a time. Hours. The very promise of hours made Greta jump at the cup. Usually her coffee would stay warm for ten, maybe twenty, minutes. Now, she had until her lunch break before she would have to reheat her coffee.

"Miss Klassen?"

Greta focused a stare on Patrick. "Patrick, I've told you not to say my name. I can see your hand. Put your hand in the air and then I can help you."

Immediately Patrick's hand shot up.

"Yes, Patrick?"

"I forgot how to conjugate umbra."

Umbra was question number one. Greta wasn't surprised to find out that in the last five minutes, Patrick had managed no more than to write his name and date on the paper. "Umbra is a noun. You conjugate verbs. You decline nouns. Turn to page 26 in your book," she spoke without looking at the book. She had the numbers memorized. "Follow that chart."

Patrick's eyes grew wide as he opened the closed Latin book on his desk. "How did you know it was on page 26?"

"I know everything, Patrick," Greta said, giving the standard answer that seemed to pacify the students when it came to the knowledge that filled Greta's head.

For a while a lull rested over the classroom. Most students furiously worked, hoping to complete the assignment before the bell announced the end of the day. Despite being the end of the week, Fridays were the busiest days for the students. None of them wanted to have homework on the weekends, so they spent all of their free time writing and studying instead of talking.

Greta was fine with Fridays. Normally she looked forward to the weekend and the free time she would have, but not this time. She had a rather annoying protector/benefactor that wasn't leaving her alone.

For two nights she had stayed at the rather fancy hotel he had put her up in. Thursday and Friday morning had been horrible to try to get up. The bed had been the most comfortable she had ever slept on. It was a king-size bed with more pillows than she had room for. She felt as if she had been transplanted into the life of a princess. Unfortunately she had to work. Work meant not sleeping in.

She took another sip of her coffee to ward off the fringes of fatigue. She had to be alert so she could leave school without her protector following her every move.

"Miss Klassen," Patrick said with a half-smile on his face.

Greta couldn't help but smile. Every once in a while, Patrick's goofy grin managed to make her forget the fact that he usually irritated her. "What is it, Patrick?"

Instead of responding, he looked at the door.

Greta found her eyes following the same path as Patrick. She kept her face neutral, but felt a mixture of annoyance and impulse fill her body.

Apparently Alexander had figured she would decide to leave without telling him where she was going. Because, instead of waiting for her at the end of the day in the lobby of the school, he was now outside her classroom door.

She had hoped that Alexander wouldn't have been aware that it was only a half day at the school. Greta's goal had been to hurry back to the hotel, uproot herself from the too expensive hotel, and move to a different weekly-rate motel.