3

Seraphina's perspective

Two days later

"Tring tring!" Ugh. Stupid alarm. I groaned, blindly reaching out to turn it off. The shrill sound was enough to make me want to throw it across the room. Monday. Again. I buried my face deeper into my pillow, hoping that maybe, just maybe....if I ignored reality long enough, it would go away. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen. I sighed, rolling onto my back as I stared at the ceiling. I could already feel the exhaustion settling into my bones. The weekend had flown by too fast, and it hadn't even been exciting. Apart from Friday night, when I sent a bloodsucker straight to hell, I didn’t have much to celebrate. And Olivia....ugh, Olivia. She had the nerve to text me that she was leaving with the bouncer and that I should "find someone to bang." Like, seriously? That woman had no filter. I had just killed a vampire, and she wanted me to go flirt with some random guy? I groaned again at the memory.

Dragging myself out of bed felt like a battle. It must have been at least half an hour before I finally got the willpower to move. I stumbled into the bathroom, eyes barely open as I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto my face. That helped a little. After brushing my teeth, I pulled off my clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash away the sleepiness clinging to my body. As much as I loved hunting, I had to admit, some days, I just wanted a break. But there was no rest for someone like me. I had to keep going. The shower helped clear my mind a little, but as I stood under the spray, I found myself thinking about my job. Teaching seniors wasn’t the worst thing in the world. At least I had my own office. But today, I had something planned, a surprise test. Let’s see how they handle that. By the time I finished showering, nearly half an hour had passed. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked back to my room, quickly throwing on a pair of black jeans and a fitted blouse. Nothing fancy, just something professional.

After drying my hair, I grabbed my breakfast, a simple coffee, and toast before heading out the door. As I stepped onto the sidewalk, I waved down a cab. I really needed to get my own car. For how long was I going to rely on cabs? It was starting to get annoying. But I pushed the thought aside as I slid into the backseat and told the driver my destination. The ride took about thirty minutes, mostly spent staring out the window, lost in thought. When we finally arrived, I paid the driver and stepped out. The high school loomed in front of me, the same as always. I made my way inside, heading straight for my office. The perks of teaching seniors? I had my own space. I placed my bag on the desk and settled into my chair, grabbing the files I needed for today. My mind went back to the test. The students had to show progress. Their exams were approaching, and if they hadn’t learned anything, well… they were in for a rough time.

Just as I was deep in thought, a sudden knock on my door snapped me back to reality. "Come in," I called out. The door opened, and a peon stepped inside. "Miss Ashford, the principal is calling you for a meeting," he stated. I frowned, glancing at the clock. My class wasn’t due to start for another hour. A meeting at this time? That was unusual. "This early?" I asked. "Yes, ma’am. He’s waiting for you in the meeting room with the rest of the staff." Just great. Another morning meeting. I sighed and stood up, grabbing a notepad just in case. With a nod, I followed him out of my office and made my way down the hallway. As I entered the meeting room, I saw several male and female professors already seated, chatting amongst themselves. The principal hadn’t arrived yet. I took a seat and greeted a few of my colleagues. "Do you know what this meeting is about?" I asked the woman sitting beside me. She shook her head. "No idea. They didn’t tell us anything." I hummed in response, leaning back in my chair.

I tapped my fingers against the table, staring blankly at the door as we all waited for the principal to arrive. The meeting room was filled with murmurs from my fellow professors, some discussing their lesson plans while others complained about the early morning meeting. I, on the other hand, was struggling to stay awake. Just when I thought I might actually fall asleep, the door finally swung open, and the principal walked in. We all stood up as a form of respect before sitting back down. "Good morning, everyone," the principal began, adjusting his glasses as he scanned the room. "The purpose of today's meeting is to discuss the final year projects. I would like to hear from each of you about what you're planning to offer your students." I sighed internally. This was going to be a long and painfully boring discussion.

One by one, the professors started sharing their ideas.

"I believe students should conduct a research paper on economic changes in the past decade," Professor Williams suggested. "I was thinking of assigning them a case study on historical events and their impacts," Professor Lane added. "I will be asking my students to create a business model and analyze market trends," Professor Dawson chimed in. I stifled a yawn. Were they seriously going with the same dull and repetitive projects again? I actually felt bad for the students. No wonder they always seemed half-dead in their classes. The lack of creativity was painful to witness. As the discussion continued, I tuned most of it out, absentmindedly tapping my pen against my notepad. That was until I heard my name. "Miss Ashford," the principal called, looking at me expectantly. "What about you?" I straightened up, setting my pen down. "I want something different," I stated firmly.

"Sir, I would like permission to arrange an educational trip for my students to Epping Forest. It would be a one-day trip with a night stay, where my students would explore the forest and research its history." The room went silent for a moment. And then, right on cue, the interruption came. "Come on, Miss Seraphina," a voice scoffed. I turned my head to see Mr. Brown leaning back in his chair, arms crossed. "Do you seriously think that at the end of the semester, students have time for this? We all know they’ll be having fun instead of researching history and facts about the area." His tone was dripping with sarcasm, and a few professors chuckled under their breath.

I clenched my jaw, taking a deep breath to control myself before responding. "Mr. Brown, my students aren’t like that," I said, keeping my voice calm but firm. "You know how my class comes first in everything, every single year. And do you know why? Because they enjoy my teaching style. It’s unique and engaging, unlike your boring lectures and endless assignments that put students to sleep." A few gasps were heard around the room, followed by some awkward coughs.

Mr. Brown’s face turned red with embarrassment, and I could see the irritation in his eyes. "Enough," the principal said, cutting off any further argument. His authoritative tone silenced the room. "You’ve all shared your ideas, and I expect to see progress in your respective projects." Then, he turned to me. "And Miss Seraphina, I grant you permission for the trip. It’s a unique idea, but make sure the students perform well." A smirk tugged at my lips. "You don’t have to worry about that, sir." The principal nodded. "Alright then, meeting dismissed. You may all return to your classes." With that, the professors began gathering their things and filing out of the room. I stood up, grabbed my notepad, and made my way to the door. As I passed, Mr. Brown, I couldn’t resist leaning in slightly. "Better luck next time," I whispered with a smirk before walking away. This trip was going to be fun. As I stepped into my classroom, the familiar sound of students chatting filled the room. Some were laughing, some were deep in discussion, and a few were probably complaining about assignments.

The moment they noticed me, they immediately stood up as a sign of respect. "Good morning, students," I greeted with a smile as they sat down. "Welcome to my history class. Are you excited about something new today?"

"Miss Sera, are we going to start a new topic today?" Charlie, one of my bright yet overly curious students, asked eagerly. I shook my head. "No, Charlie. Today, we aren't discussing any topic."

"Then what, Miss Seraphina?" another student chimed in, eyes filled with curiosity. I chuckled at their enthusiasm. "Relax, guys. Let me take attendance first, and then we’ll continue our chit-chat," I said as I made my way to my chair. I logged into the school portal on my computer and started calling out names one by one. As usual, there were a few late responses from students who were too distracted whispering among themselves. I shot them a playful glare, and they quickly straightened up. After finishing the attendance, I stood up again. "Alright, class, now listen to me carefully," I said, my tone gaining a hint of excitement. "As you all know, your term is about to end soon, and our syllabus is almost complete. Now, we have to work on your final year project and your final grades." A loud groan echoed through the room. I laughed, shaking my head. "Oh, come on. Don’t act like I just gave you the worst news ever!"We thought you were going to announce something fun, Miss!" one of the students whined.

"Well, what if I tell you I have something unique planned?" I teased. That immediately grabbed their attention. The groans were replaced with curious looks. I crossed my arms and continued, "We are going on an educational trip to Epping Forest. I will assign you your final project there, and based on your work, I will mark your performance and consider it as your final year project." Gasps and murmurs spread across the room. "It’s going to be a one-day trip with a one-night stay. We will leave tomorrow, so inform your families and pack accordingly. Shuttle service, camping, and food will be provided by the school," I added. The classroom erupted with excitement. "Are we really going on a trip?" one student exclaimed. "Miss Sera, is it true? You’re not joking, right?" another asked, almost jumping out of his seat. I smirked. "Would I joke about something like this?"

"This is the best news ever!" "Finally! A trip that actually sounds fun!"

"What exactly will our project be about, Miss?" Charlie asked, looking intrigued.

I smiled.

"That, my dear students, will be revealed at the right time. For now, just focus on preparing for the trip. Make sure you pack properly, wear comfortable clothes, and don’t forget your essentials." More chatter filled the air as students discussed the trip among themselves. I let them enjoy their moment of excitement before turning toward the board. Grabbing a piece of chalk, I wrote two words in big, bold letters: SURPRISE TEST A collective groan echoed through the room.

"Nooooo!"

"Miss Sera, come on! You just gave us good news. Why ruin it?"

"This is unfair!"

"Miss, can’t we at least get a free period today?" I turned around, smirking at their exaggerated reactions. "Now, now. You didn’t think I’d let you off that easily, did you? You still need to prove that you actually learned something in my class." Some students slumped in their seats, dramatically sighing. Others whispered complaints to their neighbors. "Now, get ready and show me what you’ve learned," I announced, placing the question papers on their desks.

Even though they continued to grumble, I could tell they were still buzzing with excitement about the trip. I just hoped they were as eager to work on their project as they were about going on an adventure.