Chapter Text
There's always that day. That one singular day where you have to ask yourself, "How did I end up here?"
An awkward grouping, a wrong turn down the street, or that one person you don't know came up to you and started talking your ear off. Those kinds of days where you have no idea how you got here, but you want to leave as soon as possible.
Being stuck in a wall was Thavels.
An unfortunate common occurrence for the Wendigo.
And it all started because she got tunnel vision.
A student had failed a Spanish test, badly. Somehow, they managed to write German words in a Spanish test. That kid wasn't even German; they somehow studied the Germanic language for a Spanish test!
Just thinking about it made Thavel's blood boil even more. If she weren't trapped, she would've torn that kid limb from limb and beat him with it!
Thavel exhaled; it was pointless now. She chased them through the halls, and they turned into an empty classroom. Thavel thought she had them and became focused on the kill, so she lunged.
And they sidestepped out of fear.
Now Thavel is stuck in the wall, too aggravated to change back, and all she could hope for was that someone would come and pull her out.
And unfortunately, depending on the person, she'll have to undergo a humiliating ritual.
Sasha and Demi are out. They do not have the strength to pull her out, and Thavel doesn't trust Demi to keep his hands to himself.
Bloomie is out. Not because she doesn't have the muscle, but because she'll see Thavel in the wall and walk past her. In rare cases, get someone else to do it.
Emily and Grace are out.
Grace would pull her out and tax Thavel for the damage, and let's say she's in a lot of debt to the school and to Grace herself.
And for Emily.
Honestly, Thavel is just terrified of her. She won't say it out loud, nor let anyone know, but Emily has a weird aura around her. She looks and acts nice, but Thavel is sure Emily could rip her in half, and she doesn't want to find out.
So unfortunately, that left one person.
Thavel groaned at the thought that Circle, of all people, could find her. Last time she got stuck in the wall, and Circle found her, she sat on Thavel's back like a park bench and started eating chips loudly. Then wrote a bunch of profanities on her before pulling her out.
The teacher sighed. Nonetheless, she'll have to wait and hope that Circle finds her and not the other, or worse, a-
Thavel's ears perked when the sound of footsteps on the hard floor came. The footsteps' rhythm seemed unsteady, like they were on guard for something. Worst of all, every step sounded light, meaning the sounds belonged to someone young.
"A student." Thavel exhaled. Now she had to deal with a student's mess and blather. They'll either mock her, start asking a hundred questions, or, worst of all, sit there like a lobotomite and not react to anything she says.
But at least she can cross off who's coming. The rhythm wasn't Oliver's, Zip's, or Edward's; it had a more overly confident sound that stomped down the hallway. Claire, Engel, and Bubble's had a softer rhythm. Lana's was erratic, since she kept skipping with every step, while Abbie's rhythm....
"Oh god, it's Abigail."
Thavel's stomach dropped at the thought of Abbie turning the corner and seeing her like this. She didn't know why, but she'd rather take anyone else, even Emily, than let Abbie see her in this embarrassing situation.
She tried to pull herself out, but Thavel's waist was stuck firmly in there.
"God damn it!" Thavel mouthed as she flailed in aggravation before stopping and trying to calm herself down. If she could transform back, Thavel could slip out of the hole before Abbie could see her in this state.
All she needed to do was calm down. Simply still her mind. Take a deep breath. Think of the snow-covered forest of home. And she'll be out in no-
"Miss Thavel?"
Thavel shot her eyes open and snapped her attention to the dark-haired boy who was standing before her with a raised brow. "Abigail! W-What are you doing in the halls a-at this hour!?"
"Sorry, Miss Thavel! I was going to the nurse's office, but she was absent, so I started wandering the halls."
The English teacher mentally groans. Of course the nurse is absent. She's always gone. Thavel doesn't even know why Grace hired her, considering she never turns up.
"Sorry for saying this, Miss Thavel, but…uh…why are you stuck in a wall?"
Thavel opened her mouth but quickly closed it. What is she supposed to tell him? That she was chasing a student down the hall to rip them apart and eat them. He'd get freaked, probably look at her with the same fear in their eyes.
She'll be alone again.
Thavel snapped herself out of the thought. She shouldn't care about what Abbie thinks; hell, she shouldn't care what anyone thinks. She's a wendigo. She consumes flesh with bestial hunger and aggression. She has a reputation as a harsh, cruel, and violent teacher.
And yet, when the Wendigo moved her mouth, her stomach twisted at the thought of telling the truth. "I was chasing a fat rat that somehow got into the school. Must've been Petunia's pet, you know, she's a rat and brought a rat in here which is against school rules, of course."
"Petunia doesn't like rats, and isn't she a rabbit?"
"Rat, rabbit, it doesn't matter, she's still the critter that got me stuck in this hole!"
"Sorry!" Abbie recoiled at Thavel's rising pitch, "Is there any way to help? I c-could try to pull you out or-"
"No."
Thavel's words came out much harsher than she intended. Abbie looked down, not meeting the teacher's piercing gaze.
Thavel shut her eyes and cursed under her breath. She took a deep breath before speaking, her gruff voice becoming softer, "I mean no. I'd rather not have a student try to pull me out. You might hurt yourself anyway."
Abbie nodded, "I understand. I just wanted to help."
"If you want to help, go find Circle and tell her about my situation."
Abbie's face paled as his voice grew smaller than usual. "Miss Circle?"
"Yes, her. As much as I hate to admit it, she's the only one who can pull me out without cutting my pay or breaking my arm."
"I-I'll get h-her then. I-It's just that Miss Circle..."
Thavel glared at the apple boy; her already rapidly rising stress was about to hit a boiling point. She had forgotten that Abbie was terrified of the math teacher because, of course, he was. With her, Bloomie, and Circle's awful reputation, why wouldn't he be scared?
Thavel bit her bottom lip hard. Had this been any other student, she probably would've yelled a hundred death threats or a thousand curses at them in every language on earth, like Baba Yaga herself.
"...Fine, just stay here."
Abbie looked at Thavel with surprise, fully expecting her to yell or force him to go. Hell, even Thavel was surprised by the word that came out of her mouth.
"Sorry." Abbie whispered as he sat next to the trapped woman.
A long silence took over the hallway. Thavel didn't look at Abbie or respond to his apology. Just a stillness that held a certain tension in the air.
After a while, Thavel exhaled, releasing some of the bottled-up anger. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Abigail. If anything, I should be sorry for taking some of my anger out on you."
Abbie perked up at Thavel's apology, but still avoided looking at her. "That's ok. I'm kind of use to it."
Thavel clicked her tongue. Of course he was used to it, being an easy target for Oliver and his two idiots.
"But still," Abbie continued, "If I wasn't so scared of Ms. Circle, you wouldn't be stuck right now."
Thavel stared at him.
For a moment, she had forgotten about the fact that she was stuck in the wall, her anger, and all the things that led her there. She focused her attention on the shy boy next to her, arms around his legs, staring at anything but her.
"Abigail, why are you scared of Circle?" It was a very dumb question, and Thavel knew it. Of the three, Circle was the worst, especially when it came to weeding out the failures.
Abbie opened his mouth, but no words came out. The English teacher chuckled, amused by Abbie's anxious struggle. "I-I don't want to s-speak ill of her. It's m-mean to do."
"Don't worry about that." Thavel muttered, "We're alone right now and whatever you say will stay with me."
"...You promise?"
Thavel giggled before reaching a clawed hand, ruffling his hair and smiling. "I promise."
Abbie finally looked at Thavel with sparkling eyes before quickly turning away with an embarrassed blush. He was finally allowed to talk about his least favorite teacher in the school without worrying about getting reprimanded.
"Well... Ms. Circle is... scary."
Thavel snickered, "That much is obvious, Abigail."
"I know, but I..." Abbie trailed off before taking a deep breath. "I meant that there are a lot of rumors going on about students going missing. Oliver told me that failing students get killed and eaten. I didn't believe him at first, but..."
"But?"
"...I'm not really good at math. My highest math grade was a D+. So, when Ms. Circle hands my paper back, she gives me a look that makes me wonder if those rumors are true. It's probably nothing to worry about, and it's just a dumb rumor... but it still terrifies me. Those teeth, her anger, just everything screams for me to..."
Thavel stared at Abbie, way longer than she expected. She wanted to say something, but nothing came. So many emotions clashed that it muddled her mind. How should she respond, knowing that rumor held the truth?
There was now a long, uncomfortable silence between the two. Abbie shifted uneasily, waiting for a response while Thavel couldn't even form one.
After what felt like hours, Thavel finally spoke, "Abigail."
"Yes!" Abbie yelped.
"Whatever Oliver told you was just him trying to get under your skin. Take whatever he says with a grain of salt. As for Circle, she's just uncompromising when it comes to math, similar to how I am with English. So no, she's not going to kill and/or eat you."
"I know that but-"
Thavel rubbed Abbie's head. Her voice, though gravely, had a softness she never thought she could express. "It's ok, Abigail. I'm well aware that Circle can be grim and belligerent, but you don't need to be fearful. And if something does happen, just come to me. A teacher should always be there for a student."
Abbie gaped at Thavel, then gave a serene smile. "I will. Thank you, Ms. Thavel."
"Don't mention it, little fawn. A shame I'm stuck in the wall. I would've... would've..."
Thavel stopped when she realized her form had shrunk, her antlers had receded, and her claws became less sharp. She was no longer in her giant wendigo form, much to her shock. She crawled out of the cavity she created and shook off any rubble that clung to her hair and body.
"Huh. Would you look at that. Talking must've released all that anger I had. It seems like you did help me after all, Abigail." She stretched her arms, the popping of her joints becoming audible before he moved down the nearby hall that was lined with windows.
She looked at the shadow cast by the nearby trees and smiled, "Just in time too."
However, when Thavel turned back, she felt her body lock up as arms wrapped around her in a small hug.
She stood stiff as a board while Abbie held her close like a baby deer before instantly moving back and bowing, "I'm so s-sorry! T-That was just an accident s-since you were so nice and-"
"Abigail."
"Y-You remind me of my mom, so I hugged you out of instinct, but it was an accident and-"
"Abigail."
"I thought I was also being polite so I'm so sorry I didn't mean to-"
The boy winced in pain when he felt his cheek being pinched. "Abbie, calm down, I'm not mad."
"Y-You're not?" He said, rubbing the aching spot on his cheek, before she took a knee, meeting him at eye level, and rubbed his head with her massive hand.
"No, I'm not. You just surprised me, is all. However, I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that again. I'm not used to contact."
"R-Right, and again I'm-"
The school bell rang, cutting off the conversation, and the chatter of students grew louder behind each classroom door.
"Yeah, I heard you before. Now get your things. You have my class today, and I'd rather you weren't late."
Abbie straightened up and nodded vigorously, "Y-Yes, Miss Thavel! I promise I won't be late!"
Thavel watched him run off, nearly tripping over himself as he darted back towards the classroom. A smile crept to her face. It was like watching a skittish fawn springing around in the forest.
The thought almost made her laugh from how ridiculous it was.
......
...
"Wait, did Abigail just say I reminded him of his mom?"