Seven world wonders[END]

Paperwork was nothing new to Jacob at this point in his career. One of the first things he learned when he finally got himself a real career, and was no longer being paid to be pretty and talk to women, was that paperwork made up at least forty percent of a career. A friend who was a police officer--and recently promoted to detective--told him as much. Jacob didn't believe him initially. Sure, a teacher had to do worksheets and tests and essays and such, but that was in minority compared to talking to the students and actually teaching. That didn't turn out to be case. He failed to acknowledge the heaps of forms and papers the school would load him down with when he first started, and whenever he requested to do pretty much anything.

It was tough and tedious, but it was just something he had to do. So he was in the Administrative offices turning this form and filling out that form and double checking if so-and-so received whatever he needed to turn in. At least the worst parts were over. Once this was all over with, he could just turn things in and get on with his actual job.

While he made copies of a test, Jacob overheard the tone of an office lady behind him. She sounded a little impatient with whomever she was dealing with at the counter. It was none of his business though. At least until he heard what sounded like running, followed by the sound of the office doors closing. Jacob collected his copies and left as well, passing the office lady.

"Did you say something wrong?"

The woman shrugged and they both went on their way.

Jacob shrugged as well and left into the hallway. That was where the fun began. He was just about to pass a rather lanky-looking young man when said young man burst out with an expletive and a warning regarding calculus to seemingly no one in particular. Jacob nearly dropped his papers and he raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well... I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about calculus, but it's not exactly a threat to most people. You alright?"

The young man's little reply of 'shut up' did not go unnoticed by Jacob. He thought it was a little rude, but he was willing to give Lysander a break because he just did not seem... all there. Even the retort did not seem aimed at Jacob specifically. Who exactly, then, the reply was for still eluded Jacob though. Maybe he had one of those tiny Bluetooth ear pieces and he was talking to someone over the phone and Jacob didn't know it? That was an awkward situation Jacob had found himself in on enough occasions for him to feel embarrassed about it.

Then the young man apologized for his actions, and Jacob immediately smiled back at it. That was polite and he could always appreciate some manners to balance out a little rudeness.

"No problem. You seem to be under a lot of stress, so--"

But then Jacob's smile faded in favor of a raised eyebrow when Lysander actually came out with an explanation for his behavior. Suffice it to say, it was a little out of left field. An angry werewolf. Was in his head. And it was telling him to kill. Normally that would have warranted a trip to the school nurse or something because most people would have said that Lysander was suffering from a serious case of schizophrenia. But given the current setting and circumstances, Jacob had to wonder if he was actually telling the truth. Somehow.

"So... Does this angry werewolf fellow tell you to kill often? Or is it just now for some reason? Because maybe we could go find a nice quiet place and settle down for a moment."

"Every minute... Wow, I can see how that can grate on one's nerves. Is he really telling you to kill?"

Jacob was remarkably nonchalant about the whole situation. Perhaps intrigued was a better word. The young man seemed well enough in control at the moment, and not about to go on a werewolf-induced killing spree, so Jacob felt he had nothing to fear for the time being. Besides, the boy was a little on the skinny side and, barring any kind of werewolf-related super strength or transformation, Jacob could probably defend himself if things got rough.

More importantly, it was a prime opportunity for Jacob to start acquainting himself with the out-of-the-ordinary students he would soon be teaching. Dealing with young men and women in this stage in their lives was something he could do; he had been teaching high school for years now. But the X-factor of all of them having powers a new one to him. Hopefully he could gradually work his tolerance up from schizophrenia/possession to thing like fireballs and laser eyes.

"Yes, you do seem very in control of your faculties. You're at least very articulate. I'm Mr. Cunningham by the way. New math teacher. And you have the honor of being one of the first students I've talked to since my arrival. Heh. I'm curious as to whether all the students here will be as interesting as you."

"Well, I'm glad that you're able to resist his demands. You certainly have some willpower."

Their meeting had started off strangely enough, but it was quickly becoming a much more pleasant experience with every little bit they found out about each other. Having voices in one's head--of the supernatural variety no doubt--was no small hurdle to social acceptance, and Jacob imagined that it was difficult for the student to talk with people without scaring them away. So having a teacher so ready, willing, and eager to accept his little quirk must have been quite the boon. Seeing the young man smile made Jacob beam as well.

Jacob took Lysander's hand and gave it a hearty shake, possibly giving a clear answer to Jacob's stance on teacher-pupil relations.

"Ah ha! A numbers man. Good on you, Lysander. Though I take Mr. Werewolf isn't so fond of the subject, eh?"

That wasn't all that surprising all things considered. Math was a difficult subject for a lot of people, and Jacob assumed that werewolves were no different in that matter.

"Not to my knowledge. But... Six? You have six people in there? I assume they're not all werewolves, and 'Magena' sounds pretty feminine... What exactly is going on in there?"

"Ah, man... That sounds... hectic, to say the least. You have my sympathies."

The more Lysander talked about his little problem, the more Jacob felt a mix of curiosity and pity. Jacob had never had a bunch of other consciousnesses in his head before, but he had dealt with stress and being around a bunch of people that stressed him out to no end. There parallel there was a little weak, but it was the best comparison he could make that could give him any insight into Lysander's everyday. But Jacob also wondered, for example, how he ever got any sleep or if those other six were, possibly, able to use his body like a real possession.

Shifting the papers into one arm, Jacob listened intently to Lysander's recount of events that lead to him getting possessed. It sounded like there was plenty of history to the campus and the students that he needed to catch up on. Necromancy and a far-out Halloween party. It was but a small glimpse into what he could expect while working at the school.

"I hope you're able to keep resisting those requests. For my sake at least. *chuckle* Have you tried getting help from anyone about it? I haven't met most of the faculty yet, but maybe there's someone who can, I dunno, concoct a silencing spell or exorcism to help."