Rodwood Academy

Chapter 11: Unexpected Help

"Shall I get rid of them now?" James's words rang through her ears.

Frozen as her eyes stayed fixated on one page specifically in the folder, Lain shook her head. "No. I can help." She said softly.

"What?"

"I said I can help." She threw the folder down onto the concrete floor before looking determined at James.

"But why?"

"Because...I just have a good feeling about this class. Besides it would be a shame to put them all down before we've seen what they're capable of."

"What they're capable of?" He scoffed. "Did you not see their percentages? They're doing horribly. If anything were better off without them." He was taken aback by the woman's persistence.

"It's my call James. And I said we're not going to kill them."

"What do you want me to do then? They don't listen to me." He said frustrated as the claws on his hands extended out longer.

"I'll help you. I-um-I'll take some of the pressure off of your hands. I can take over."

"You're going to take over? Lain, I appreciate the offer, but do you really think teaching Bloodlet's who you frightened beyond reason is a good idea?"

"Yeah. Why not? I think I can do it." She said confidently as a droplet of sweat dripped down her face.

But James knew her better than that.

He could see behind her confident facade. Watching as her shaky eyes kept glancing towards the back of the room, he could now smell the reason behind her persistence.

Smirking as Lain continued looking between him and the Bloodlet's, James roughly cleared his throat as he pulled the woman in closely to his side. "I know what you're doing." He said before pulling away.

"What're you talking about? I'm not doing anything."

"Don't lie Lain. It doesn't look good on you." He said as he paced around the front of the room briefly with his hand to his forehead. "I can sense your attachment from a mile away. I'm surprised it took me this long to realize it."

"What?! Attachment?! I don't know what you're talking about?!" She jumped in place as her eyes darted all around the room.

But just as James's had predicted, she finally landed her fast moving eyes closely on the group of Bloodlet's in the back of the room huddled together again. However, while her glare was directed at them, James could see the way her eyes sparkled as they locked onto someone in particular.

"You know it's against the rules." He whispered to her dismay.

"But-"

"You know our laws Lain. If a Bloodlet fails this class then they're sentenced to death. It's what we've always followed. And this is no exception."

Realizing that her brother-in-law indeed knew more than she thought, Lain wasn't going to go down without a fight. "But this will be different. The rule says that Bloodlet's who fail the class will die. There isn't one that says someone other than you can't teach them...or...or...that they can't learn outside of the classroom."

With his knowledge of knowing all of their rules like they were written out in the palm of his hand, James sighed.

She was right.

"What is Mallix going to say about it?"

"We'll find out." She shrugged. While her husbands opinion mattered to her, Lain couldn't focus. She couldn't get her mind out of the sky as the same lingering thought played in her head. "What do you say James? You know I've never asked something of you before. This is the one time I will. Just let me take her out, take her home, I'll show her our ways. She'll learn everything she needs."