There's a knock on the door. I open my eyes and blink around me in the dim light of the morning. It's still early. The only person I can imagine who would be up right now is Professor Grabiner. Did something happen? Does he need to talk to me? I tiptoe my way past a sleeping Ellen and Virginia and make my way to the doorway, peeking out. It's Tommy.
"Go away," I hiss.
"No, Tori, I need to talk to you." He grabs the door, and I put my knee up against it to keep him from getting in.
"Well, I don't want to talk to you."
"Look, I made a mistake that day," he says. "I came on too strong, you weren't ready, and I'm sorry. But you don't have to keep avoiding me. I miss you."
"I told you I didn't want to," I whisper.
"And I said I made a mistake," he whispers, a little bit louder. There's something dark and angry in his voice, and it scares me.
"And I'm saying I don't really care." I try to push the door shut, but he holds it in place.
"Oh I see how it is," he whispers. "He makes a mistake and you instantly forgive him, but I make a mistake and that's the end of us?"
"He-?" I hesitate at the implication. How could he possibly know? "Goodbye Thomas." I use push magic to push the door shut, and it does so with a slam. Ellen and Virginia stir behind me.
"Tori?" Ellen asks. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, go back to bed," I snap, darting back under the covers. I pull my knees to my chest and pull the blankets tighter around me.
I wish he had left me alone after that, but he didn't. He started following me back and forth to class, always hanging a few feet behind me in the halls and then following me back to my dorm. I only went to get food if Ellen or Virginia happened to come with me; otherwise, I just stayed in my room all day and all night. I knew I should tell someone about what was going on, but I didn't know who to talk to. Ellen and Virginia didn't understand what I was going through, I couldn't tell Professor Potsdam about it because I felt like she would just tell me to ignore him, and I couldn't tell Professor Grabiner because…well, because of how I felt about him. Maybe it was just better to keep everything to myself.
But at the beginning of March, I started to show up to Grabiner's class every day. I didn't really pay attention, and I didn't really look at him. I didn't talk to him before or after class, but I was always the last one to show up and the first one to leave. I didn't know why I was going there every day. I wasn't learning anything new, but at the same time, I just felt safer being near him. Even watching him yell and snap at people made me feel better than I had in ages. It was like I missed him in a way I couldn't possibly describe, and just being able to get near him, even for a few brief hours in the morning, was enough to fill that feeling of emptiness inside of me, at least temporarily. Eventually, though, he clued into the fact that something was wrong and approached me after class.
"You've been avoiding me," he notices.
"Not avoiding," I reply, avoiding his eyes. "I just, I've been going through some stuff. I didn't want to drag you into it." He contemplates this for a moment. "Really, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." I take a breath in and out. "I'm not a child. I can figure this out on my own."
"Are you trying to prove that you're an adult by not asking for help when you need it?" he asks. "Because that tends to imply the opposite."
"It's not that simple," I murmur, turning away from him.
"Tori, tell me what's wrong. Did I…" he hesitates. "…do something?"
I blink at him. "No," I shake my head. "No, it's not you. It's…" I wave my hand into the air, and he raises his eyebrows expectantly. I sigh. I'm going to have to get this out sooner or later. "Thomas has been following me. Everywhere. Well, I mean, really just to class in the morning. After class I usually just stay in my room all day and lock the door so he can't get in."
"Tori, this is serious," he frowns. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"Because, what does it have to do with you?" I ask. "Really?"
"Because it's my duty to protect you," he responds.
"Why?" I ask. "Because you're my teacher? Or because-?" I blush with the implication.
"This isn't any easier for me," he says quietly, and I realize our fingers are touching. "I'm going to protect you."
A smile touches the corners of my lips as I look up to meet his eyes. "Is it bad that I always feel really safe whenever I'm with you?"
He smiles back and looks away. "I'll make sure that boy doesn't bother you anymore," he says as he starts to walk out of the room.
"Are you going to kill him?" I ask lightly.
He snickers. "Only if he gives me a reason to."
It works. After that, Thomas stops following me around. I don't know what Professor Grabiner said to him, or how he threatened him, but it did the trick. I do feel a little better. I even pass another test, earning a full ten merits from Professor Grabiner, which feels like a triumph in itself. But as I get back from the test, I notice a note sitting on my bed in Ellen's neat handwriting.
Tori, I need to talk to you. It's important. Please come visit me in the gym at midnight tonight. Don't tell any of the teachers. I don't want to get expelled. It's really important that you see this though. See you tonight.
I stare at the note. Something about it doesn't feel right. Is Ellen in some sort of trouble? She did ask me not to tell anyone, but would it be safe telling Professor Grabiner? I sigh. Maybe I can ask her what this note is all about when she gets back from wherever she is. I wait all afternoon, but Ellen doesn't come back. Neither does Virginia.
I pace the room, watching as the hours tick by. I don't want Ellen to get in trouble, but I have a bad feeling about this. As midnight approaches, I switch out of my robes and throw on jeans and a hoodie, clutching the stone around my neck to get closer to him. As soon as I can feel his heartbeat, I start to cast Far Speak.
Hieronymous, listen to me. I don't know if you can hear me. Ellen wants me to meet her in the gym, but I think something's wrong. She told me not to tell anyone in case she might get expelled…but I don't know, I have a bad feeling about this and I just wanted to tell you. I know you'd probably tell me to stay put and keep myself out of danger but she's my friend. I have to do this. It's probably nothing but…I just wanted you to know.
I don't know what else to say. I feel like I should close it off with something dramatic like, "In case I don't make it back-" but surely it's not that serious, right? But what could Ellen have found that she doesn't want any of the teachers to know about? Why has she and Virginia not been back all day?
As I step outside and lock the door behind me, I can't help but notice that the campus feels too quiet. The wind blows ominously and I feel as though there is a storm coming on as I make my way towards the gym. If Ellen wanted to make this any more mysterious, she has picked a perfect setting for it. I walk into a gym, my heart jumping into my throat as the door slides shut behind me.
"Ellen?" I ask, walking into the center of the room. My sneakers echo and squeak against the gym floor. "Ellen, I'm here. What's going on?"
The gym is dark and I pull up a ball of light in front of me. I can see a shadow move out of the corner of my eye and make my way towards the person standing there. "Ellen?" I ask tentatively.
I can see the light settle on someone's face.
It's not Ellen.