Obscure

thirty six

SOPHIE STARED at the wall, hollow inside.

The Headmaster sat in front of her, a very grim expression on his face. He seemed focused on her face, watching for her reaction. The contestants around her shifted in discomfort. Cameras swirled around the massive table so the message wouldn't have to be relayed twice.

Headmaster turned toward a camera and smiled sadly. "As some of you may be aware already, Redstone Academy has recently lost two very precious members of the Night Class. We are doing all that we can to prevent any more incidents, but I do ask that you actively partake in the newest rules regarding safety."

Then the Headmaster seemed to brace himself. "Unfortunately, I will also have to call an end to this year's Mating Games."

The collective gasps of horror that resounded around Sophie made her want to throw a table at someone. She clenched her jaw and glared at the wall. Fresh tears pooled in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over.

Headmaster was watching her again. "Eli Jane was a fantastic prize, and I do not wish to take that position away from him. He deserved it, and so much more."

Sophie heard soft cries. Her gaze followed the sound, toward Margret, who was huddled against the back of her chair like a small child. She wiped at her eyes and sniffled, her gaze glued to the Headmaster. Sophie noticed that none of the other girls were crying --instead, both members of the Night Class just wore very somber expressions. Aubrey wasn't in the room either, Sophie noticed.

"Today's classes are canceled," the Headmaster continued. Sophie's gaze dropped to the table as she listened. "If you feel as though you need to talk to someone, please don't hesitate to talk to a member of our guidence counselor staff."

Then the cameras vanished. Sophie looked up and around. Headmaster nodded at her, his expression still grim. "You will be escorted back to your original dorms. Thank you all for participating this year."

The contestants around her stood. Several started toward the door, toward two teachers who Sophie couldn't name. Margret sobbed openly now and ran toward the door.

Sophie almost felt sorry for her.

"Miss Sophie," a gentle voice rang out as she started to stand. She hesitated and looked toward the Headmaster. "Please wait a moment," he asked kindly.

Her stomach started to churn.

The room cleared, and Sophie watched as Headmaster walked closer. "Take a walk with me, my dear Sophie," he said as he approached. He smiled and gestured toward the door.

She nodded, despite the wary alarms that blared inside her head. Ever since the incident, Sophie found that she was too numb to feel anything --including her original panic and unease that she felt around the Headmaster.

He led her out into the hallway, where there wasn't a soul in sight. She shoved her hands into the pocket of her hoodie and stared at the ground as she walked. Silence ticked along as they continued down the hallway. Sophie wasn't sure what to do. He was the one who had wanted to talk.

"What do you remember of last night?" he asked finally.

Sophie didn't look up. "I told you," she said, her voice incredibly hoarse. "I don't remember much. Just being attacked."

"Do you remember what the attacker looked like?"

"Not really, no," she said. It was the fifth time she had been interrogated that day, and she was so tired of it. "Just that he was a lot bigger than me."

Sophie really didn't remember much about the night before. And whatever she could remember, she really wanted to forget.

The ugly dark bruises around her throat were a glaring reminder. She couldn't look in a mirror for longer than ten seconds because of it. Her leg had also been an important reminder. It was broken but, thanks to her vampire-side, she had apparently healed enough to where she could walk on it without destroying the fractured bone. She still limped though, and it hurt. A lot.

But it wasn't anywhere near as bad as her memories.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the glazed, distant look in Eli's mismatched eyes.

"I see," the Headmaster said. His voice wrenched her out of her thoughts. "I shouldn't be telling you this," he murmured. "But there was hair found at the scene of the crime, along with the body. A certain kind of hair and footprints."

Sophie didn't bother to look at him. "Then why are you telling me?"

She could feel his gaze focused on the side of her face. "Because, my dear sweet Sophie. Eli was very near and dear to my heart. And I know that you were all of his."

He stopped walking and turned to face her. Sophie tried her best not to break down into a puddle of tears. "And you are a victim as well, my dear. You have the right to know the progress of the case."

"What kind of hair and footprints was it?" she asked.

"I understand that Eli told you what you...partially are. And I'm sure that you are aware that vampires are not the only supernatural beings out there."

Sophie nodded, somewhat exasperated.

"Our investigators found werewolf tracks and fur," the Headmaster explained softly. His gaze had softened with a mixture of pity and remorse.

She met his gaze for the first time since she'd stopped crying. "I don't understand," she said. "What's wrong with that? It obviously belongs to that weirdo that attacked us."

He frowned. "We've tested the DNA, and it does not match that of your attacker's."

"Okay," she said. Her eyebrows crinkled with confusion, and another burst of numbness quieted her internal alarms. "What does that mean then?"

"The DNA results matched a member of our staff," he explained slowly. His expression remained guarded. "And there is only one member of our staff who is of werewolf descent."

Sophie paused. "You don't mean..."

The Headmaster nodded. He reached out and gently touched her shoulder. "We have reason to believe that one of your teachers, Mr. Kei Wolfe, had something to do and-or orchestrated the attacks."

"That's impossible," she whispered. A small part of her just knew that it was. Even if a werewolf wasn't comfortable around vampires...

He wouldn't be stupid enough to kill two while surrounded by an army of them.

fun fact: this chapter was posted in celebration, as Obscure/TMG reached #4 in the Vampire Category. At the time, it was the highest any of my stories had ever been ranked on Wattpad. I still get excited butterflies when I see my stories ranking on Wattpad's hot lists ♡