"Hey, boys." Reagan greets Ethan and Benny at their lockers. "Apparently, we have a sub for Mr. G. I saw him in the nurse's office."
As the three made their way to class, they talked about the sub. "Maybe we'll have a sub who doesn't give out work," Benny says, wrapping his arm around Reagan's shoulder.
"I think we'll have the 'be-quiet-no-talking' sub, for sure." Reagan laughs. Once they entered the classroom, Ethan and Benny stopped in their tracks.
"What--" Reagan cuts herself off as she turned to see what they were staring at and it was their new substitute for the day. She was holding a glass skull in her hands and smirked at the boys.
"Welcome, my young warriors." She says to Ethan and Benny. "I am Lucia."
"Guys, I heard we have a sub in for Mr. G," Rory says as he enters the classroom, standing in front of the three. "What prank do we pull first? Alien fire drill or sub in a bucket?"
The boys turn Rory around and he sees Lucia holding the skill. "Woah..."
"Hottest. Sub. Ever." The three boys say while Reagan stares in disbelief. Reagan then scoffs as she pushes them to their seats. But when she tried to sit down, Lucia stopped her.
"You, maiden!" Lucia points at Reagan. "You are not apart of this class!"
"Excuse you?" Reagan eyes the sub. "This is history. I must be here." Lucia doesn't say anything as she glares at the girl, waiting for her to leave. Reagan tries to look at the boys for help, but they were too bust gawking at Lucia. Reagan scoffs as she grips her bag before making her way out the door, her magic slamming the door behind her.
As the class went on, Reagan watched through the glass. Lucia was writing Egyptian letters and symbols on the chalkboard. Inside the classroom, Ethan leans over to Benny.
"What is she saying?" He whispers.
Rory, who was sitting in front of them, shushes him. "I'm trying to concentrate."
"You understand her?" Benny leans forward, asking Rory. "She's talking? I didn't notice."
As Reagan continued looking through the glass, Erica and Sarah walk up behind her. "Why are you spying on your own class? Shouldn't you be in there?"
Reagan sighs as she turns to the girls. "We have a sub for Mr. G and she kicked me out. All I want to do is blow off that smirk on her lips." She snarls, not realizing that her hands were glowing red.
Sarah quickly pushes down Reagan's hands. "Maybe it's best if we see what's going on." She pushes Reagan behind her and Erica, the two knocking on the glass window of the door. Ethan walks up to answer it.
"What's going on in there?" Reagan questions. "She is so nice," Ethan tells the three girls with a grin on his face.
"Right. Anyway, do you still have any of those little wooden-stake darts?" Erica asks him. "You mean pencils? Yeah, why?"
"Some vampire jerk stood her up. She wants to make a point, but I--" Sarah was cut off with her explanation until Lucia came to the door and shoves it open.
"All warriors must get to work. The hour of judgment approaches." Ethan nods and smiles as he goes back to his seat. Lucia turns to the three girls.
"Uh, so where are the girl warriors?" Erica questions.
"Banished. Maidens have no use but to serve their queen when the hour is at hand." Lucia says before shutting the door at their face. Once again, Reagan's hand flickered red due to anger. Sarah and Erica quickly grab each of her hands, calming her down.
"Makes me want to turn that sub into a sandwich." Erica comments before the three walked down the hall.
*
"What did Ms. Lucia mean by 'hour of judgment'?" Ethan asks Benny and Rory as they sat in their seats. "She's talking about a test."
"Yes. You will all be tested." Lucia tells the classroom full of boys.
"Test me first," Benny says as he raised his hand. "Is the question, 'Are you pretty?' Answer: Yeah." Ethan smacks the back of Benny's head.
"Benny! You can't do that when you're with--"
"Now, who will help me?" All the boys in the classroom had their hands shoot into the air. "You have no idea yet what I ask."
"Pick me! I have even less an idea." Lucia steps toward Rory as he smiles at her.
"We must make an altar on which to heap offerings to the light," Lucia explains. When Rory started to disagree, Lucia stares into his eyes, and he stands from his seat. "Your altar shall be most awesome.
"How lame was that--"
"I'm in, too!" Benny shouts as he stands from his seat. The rest of the guys in the class walked up to Lucia's desk while Ethan remained at his seat.
*
"This is the weirdest homework ever," Ethan says as he and Benny walk down the steps of the school, reading the piece of paper.
"What part of 'sacred list of offerings to please the heavens' don't you understand?" Benny asks him.
"All of it," Ethan says before continuing. "Look at this: obsidian, plumeria rumbra. I don't even know what half of this is, let alone where to find it."
"Never questions the orders of a babe, all right? Now if you don't mind, all I need to be a teacher's pet is... bloodstone. Maybe Reagan can--" Benny stops himself before mentally cursing himself. "I've been complimenting that sub the whole day without a thought of Reagan."
"I've been summoned." A voice was heard from behind them. Reagan walks up to them with Erica and Sarah on either side of her. "How's Ms. Lucia?" She asks with annoyance in her tone.
"Reg, I'm sorry." Benny apologizes. "I shouldn't have been calling that sub a babe or hot. I didn't even think about how you would feel."
It did suck that Benny had been pushing Reagan to the side for the sub, but she couldn't stay mad at him forever. "You're lucky that I lo--" She abruptly stops herself. Was she about to say what she thinks she was gonna say? "-- that I care about you." She corrects herself.
Benny didn't seem to notice her slip-up, so he smiles at her before wrapping his arm around her shoulder. But by the look she was receiving from Sarah and Erica, she knew that they knew.
Looks like the three of them are going to talk later.
"You girls have any bloodstone? It sounds vampiry." Benny says to his girlfriend and her friends. Reagan shakes her head while Erica says, "All outta bloodstone. But I can make you bleed with a rock."
"So your freaky sub have you freaky homework? And you're not freaked?" Sarah questions the boys, not understanding the 'Lucia' situation.
"Hot teacher, frozen brain. Done!" Erica chuckles.
As the boys tried to defend themselves, Lucia walks past them. Benny slowly removes his arm from Reagan's shoulder before he and Ethan followed her.
"Am I nuts or did we just get blown off by nerds?" Erica asks.
"Am I nuts or did I just get blown off by my boyfriend?" Reagan asks.
*
Reagan huffs as she slams down her textbook. Benny had ditched her for their study hall session and probably because of the list that Lucia gave him to do. Sarah had informed her about when she and Erica tried to go to class and Principal Hicks was her throne.
Something was definitely off and she didn't like it.
She grabs her phone and dials Ethan's number before placing it on her ear.
"Hey, Reagan. I know you hate missing classwork, but don't worry."
"Not why I'm calling, Eth. Look, forget about the scavenger hunt. Your queen Ms. Lucia is getting weirder. According to Sarah, Principal Hicks was being her throne."
"Reagan, it's no big deal. She's just--"
"Hot?" She finishes. "I get that, but you need to snap out of whatever trance you're in. Something is seriously wrong. Please."
"All right, I'll look into it, okay?"
*
"Praise the Sun King." Was all that Ethan and Reagan heard as they entered Lucia's classroom. When they walked in, they noticed the altar.
"I thought I told you to go, young maiden," Lucia tells Reagan once she saw her enter.
Reagan started to get angry. "Look, I don't know who you think you are, but--"
"Ms. L! I did it! Wildflowers, animal parts, and frog hearts. Bam." Benny yells, entering the classroom.
"You can't beat any of my frog hearts because they are still beating!" Rory interjects as he held up a tank full of tiny frogs.
"You see what I mean?" Reagan whispers to Ethan, who nods. "You're right. This is really messed up."
"The offerings are pleasing. Next, the altar must be made to shine like the Sun." Lucia explains. "No problemo."
"By covering it with the purest gold." Lucia continues. "Uno problemo." Lucia walks up to benny and puts her hand on his shoulder. Reagan noticed that her eyes were flaming as she stared into his eyes.
"Did somebody leave a window open or something?" Benny mumbles. "Excuse me."
"Benny, where are you going?" Reagan says as she tried to reach for his arm. "Don't worry, Reagan. I seek gold for my queen! Oh, and praise the Sun King." Benny walks out of the classroom with Rory following behind.
"Yeah, praise the Sun King."
"You have no offerings, scrawny one?" Lucia asks Ethan. "You must bring me extra gold."
"He's not bringing you anything." Reagan steps in.
"Not for me, angry one. It is for him. My love," She picks up the glass skull. "Bringer of Light."
"Oh, so we have a hot chick who is psycho? That explains everything." Reagan mutters. Lucia ignores the girl as she places her hand on Ethan's shoulder, her eyes turning to flames once again. Ethan smiles. "Praise the Sun King."
He left the room and Reagan glares at the woman before walking out.
What is going on?