The final lesson of the day was Tracking Knowledge, and this term was being taught by Miss Thorne: a vampire expert. Vampires were almost never hired as agents apart from the occasional mission since they were so rebellious and refused to co-operate with the BPTA.
The sound of chalk screeching against the old blackboard filled the room. "Pop quiz!" Miss Thorne called out as the students took out their books. "I'll ask each of you one question. Get it right, get a sweet!"
Fallon smiled. Bribery worked with everyone, paranormal or not.
"Georgia, you're up first."
Her head popped up and she sighed. "Go for it."
"Woah, calm your enthusiasm," Miss Thorne said sarcastically. She tapped the chalk on her lip, white powder sticking to her lipgloss as she thought about the question. "Vampires cannot go out in the sunlight. True or false?"
"False?"
"Are you asking me or telling me?"
Georgia rolled her eyes and her friends snickered beside her. "Telling you."
"Correct. Now tell me why."
"Um, well.." she wasn't entirely sure. She hated learning about vampires, she didn't even want to be an agent for the BPTA; before she was told she had to train, she was only planning on marrying a nymph from her home world. But that dream was long out of reach.
"Does anyone else know the answer?"
Vincent slowly raised his hand.
"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise. Though Vincent was a smart lad, he never really spoke in lessons. "Yes, go ahead."
"Well vamps are more sensitive to the sun's rays than every other Kind. Sunlight also allows other Kinds and agents to see through their glamours more so than at night or indoors."
Miss Thorne smiled proudly. She was about to start speaking when there was a gentle knock at the door four times. "May I help you?"
The students turned all turned their bodies in sync to get a better look at the visitors.
"Vampires." Melise whispered to herself with a slight smile on her face. Though underneath their attractive glamours with the high cheekbones and chiseled jawline lay a disgusting creature with teeth razor sharp and decaying flesh holding that eerie blue tint, she couldn't help but be smitten as the vampire at the front cleared his throat and began walking to the front of the classroom, straightening his waistcoat as he did so.
"Sorry to interrupt your fascinating lesson," he said with a slightly Welsh accent. "But me and my.. colleagues.. have some business we need to take care of."
"What kind of business?"
The vampire looked at the other two standing in the doorway and flicked his head slightly, signalling them to walk over. As they did, chills went down the spine of the students sitting nearest to them and the air filled with a familiar musky scent.
"My name is Phillip Pierce," the main one said. He then pointed to his colleagues, who each bowed their heads slightly as their names were said. "This is Rosa Prescott and this is Daniel Wilkes."
"We're here to inform everyone of the observation." Rosa said.
"Observation?"
"Yes," Daniel replied, fumbling around in his pocket before producing a tattered, crumpled piece of white paper and handing it to Miss Thorne. "I hope this won't be an issue."
All three of the vampires had a smirk on their faces. Their glamours gave off an air of the times when smoking wasn't seen as dangerous, and women wore bright red lipstick as they became more daring with their fashion. The males looked dapper in their waistcoats with old pocket []watches attached by a golden chain, along with a silk handkerchief neatly folded into their top pocket.
Miss Thorne quickly looked over the paper and began to stutter. "I- I- well I-"
"We've been appointed by the BPTA, I can assure you."
"I'm not doubting that, I'm just wondering why my classes need to be observed?"
"It's not just your classes, it's all of them."
"Plus," Rosa added. "It's the agents in training we need to be observing. We need to see if they are being fully prepared for the nasty world out there."
Phillip's eyes scanned the room and many of the students averted their eyes, feeling uncomfortable at listening in on their conversation; not that they really had a choice. Phillip's eyes locked onto Fallon's. "You there," he said, pointing towards her.
She felt her heart stop for a second. "Me?"
"Yes. How did you get that cut on your lower neck?"
Fallon had almost forgotten about obtaining that wound. "Oh, it was just an accident." she laughed nervously and Melise rolled her eyes.
"I see. What really happened?" he was walking towards her and she felt herself melt into the seat; as if she could hide from this situation!
"I just told you." she didn't know why she was lying, but an observation over all students wasn't exactly a good thing and getting scratched by an angry goblin even after he had been tasered wasn't exactly an achievement.
He looked into her eyes and she couldn't help but admire the eyes that lay beneath the glamour; they were hauntingly beautiful, a dark shade of grey that seemed to just fade into the whites of the eye, no real definition of the iris. Fallon felt compelled to tell the truth now. And she did, the whole story. Phillip nodded as she spoke whilst Daniel scribbled every word down in his notebook.
"Thank you," Phillip said to the teacher. "Daniel will be observing the next lesson."
He snapped his fingers and all three of the vampires strolled out of the room, one behind the other. Miss Thorne and her students were left confused and Fallon had a bad feeling about having admitted to the vampire she had obtained the wound during fieldwork.
