"Max, keep them out," you say. If it is a werewolf, it's probably best that Max handles it rather than a vampire. "Sonia and I need to block the next doors."
Max grins, stepping forward. "Leave that to me," he says. "You make sure that those other doors are shut. There should only be two."
"Try to keep them here for as long as possible," you tell him, following Sonia back down the corridor. "Give us as much time as you can."
If Max hears you, he doesn't give you any indication. He's already striding forward, his hands balled into giant fists. Sonia tugs on your arm, making you go faster.
From behind you, you hear the sound of snarling, then a yelp, followed by thuds and impacts. It certainly sounds as though Max has managed to waylay the invader.
You and Sonia break into a run, darting down the corridor as more yelps sound behind you. As the corridor splits in two, Sonia shoves you down the left fork. "Go to the end, and then to the right!" she calls after you. "And make sure the door's locked!"
Stumbling slightly, you sprint down the hallway, practically running into the large door in front of you. In your mind, you can hear paws pattering over the ground towards the door from the other side, and you throw yourself forward, slamming your shoulder into the door and holding it shut, frantically shooting the bolt home.
Breathing hard, you turn around, jogging back up the corridor. Sonia is already heading towards the foyer, and you go a little faster, managing to catch up with her.
"Door's locked," you report.
"Good," Sonia says. "Hopefully the furball managed to hold up his end too."
And when you arrive back in the corridor, Max is indeed leaning against the pair of locked double doors, his breathing just a little heavier than normal. "Ah," he says, straightening up. "What took you so long?"
The three of you move quickly back down to rejoin Matron and the others, neither Max nor Sonia speaking to each other. Before too long, you're pushing your way through the doors, slightly ahead of the other two.
Val, Romilly, and Michelle turn, looking at the doorway, followed a moment later by Fritz.
As the blond vampire's eyes settle on you, a slight yet sudden movement draws your eye: Val tugging her hand out of Fritz's grip. At the same moment, her face broadcasts a single instant of alarm, wiped away less than a second later, replaced by an expression of frantic pleading.
That one moment and what you've seen in it tells you all you need to know about what's truly between Val and Fritz, and the look on Val's face is proof enough that neither Max nor Sonia is aware of it. It's hardly surprising: with the relationship between vampires and werewolves in the state that it's in, you can't imagine anything that would inflame tensions more.
"Did you get the doors locked?" Romilly asks. You turn to look at her, finally moving aside to make way for Max and Sonia, as Val's face shifts into an attitude of innocent curiosity.
You nod. "Give or take a werewolf. We managed, though."
As you speak, Renault descends through the ceiling, looking at you. "No sign of any of the other students. There was a vampire sniffing around, though. I think they're keeping an eye on us."
There's a group exchange of glances. All of you, you're sure, are wondering what it could mean.
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