Obscure

three

FOR TWO HORRIFYINGLY long seconds, they were nothing but a tangled mess of limbs in the middle of the floor. Sophie stared at his painfully beautiful face, entranced by his glistening azure orbs. It was around the time she figured out how to close her mouth that his face twisted with annoyance and she was abruptly shoved off his person.

"Watch it," he hissed, eyes flashing angrily.

Sophie's eyes popped out of her head as she watched the pretty man collect himself and stand. He sent her one last look of disgust, and reached down. His hands curled around her arms and she was pulled upwards, onto her feet. She stood almost a foot shorter than he. He loomed over her like death.

The air in her lungs froze. It became so rock hard that it hurt. Sophie couldn't tear her gaze away from the startling man in front of her. His dark hair was short, but several tapered strands fell around his chin. It framed his slender features and stood out against his pale ivory skin. He wore a simple button-up, colored a pale blue, with his sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm and black slacks. Unconsciously, Sophie tugged at her shorts. She'd felt under dressed before, but that was nothing compared to what she felt now.

He bent down again and gathered a stack of papers --the papers were written on, and looked almost like graded quizzes. Then he stood and turned on his heel, disappearing around the corner.

She gaped after him.

"Hey," a familiar voice called from the opposite end of the hall, and Sophie barely managed to turn to look at Aubrey. "Don't keep me waiting," the model said, looking cross.

Sophie bent and collected her suitcase. A sharp pinch pulled in her wrist --which she disdainfully realized must have been sprained when she'd collided with the mysterious man. Careful not to use it, Sophie tugged her suitcase down the hallway toward Aubrey. Aubrey's foot tapped impatiently on the floor as she waited for Sophie to approach, and when she did, the blond whirled around and started walking.

"Come on." Aubrey's voice was clipped and cold. "I'll show you around the school."

Sophie remained quiet, trotting along beside Aubrey like a loyal dog. Whatever had been bothering her earlier was still obviously in her mind, and it wasn't until they exited the hallway that Aubrey broke the silence.

"This is the main foyer," Aubrey said. She gestured to the large room they'd entered through earlier with a dramatic sweep of her hand. Ms. Liza looked up and smiled again at them--which Aubrey ignored. The model clicked her way toward the massive double staircase and Sophie had to pick up her suitcase when they started up it.

When they reached the level where both staircases met and stretched into two long hallways opposite of each other, Aubrey motioned toward the one to their far left. "That wing leads to the classes, whereas this one leads toward the dorms." She pointed to the hallway to their right.

Sophie nodded, and Aubrey started into the right hallway. "Welcome to the dorm wing," Aubrey said with a sigh.

The hallway morphed into a room, which held several more hallways and a different staircase. When prompted, Aubrey told Sophie that the upper level belonged to the Night Class, and that the Day Class wasn't permitted entry unless specifically invited. The teachers also took residency up there, near the back of the upper wing, but they used an elevator to get down to the main level.