We ate my birthday cake and I took my presents up to my room, leaving them with the stuff I'd be taking back to school tomorrow night. The alarm beeped on my phone and I cursed. I had to rush to my meeting with Professor Rhodes, and I had yet to tell my parents about it. Oops.

I ran downstairs and kicked my shoes on. I found mom still in the kitchen. "I have to go to a meeting with one of my teachers," I told her. "I'll be back in plenty of time to head over to the Lykos'," I turned to leave, but she stopped me.

"Where is this meeting? Do you need to take one of your brothers?" I tried not to sigh. I didn't need that much protecting.

"It's just at the coffee shop down the street. I don't need an escort that far," I told her, trying not to sound grumpy. She looked worried, but finally consented. I was 15 and should be able to walk a couple of blocks by myself.

"Ok, but be careful,"

"I will, mom," I promised her. I checked my pocket for my phone and rushed out of the house, nearly running so I wouldn't be late. I made it just in time and saw Professor Rhodes already had a table and two coffees in front of her.

I went over to her and sat down at the table. "Sorry for making you wait," I told her, trying to be polite.

"Not at all. I got here early to catch up on grading with coffee," she smiled at me and indicating the stack of homework she had in front of her. "I got you a mocha, they're your favorite, right?" I nodded.

"Thank you, how much do I owe you?" I asked, reaching for my wallet. She shook her head.

"My treat," she replied. She set a container on the table in front of me. "Your vitamins from the school," she explained. "That's part of why I wanted to meet you, to make sure you took them." I took the pills she offered. They were identical to the ones we had to take every day so I swallowed them without complaint. "You also need to spend time around adult vampires until you transition." I nodded. I remembered the warnings that we would reject the change if we didn't spend time around the adult vampires. That's why we had to go to a boarding school after all. "How is your weekend going?"

"Ok..." I hedged a bit uncomfortable with her asking. She was a teacher after all. Was she trying to pry into shifter politics? I realized she was just being friendly when she looked a bit hurt. "We had a big birthday party with the extended family last night." I was careful with my wording so I didn't give away too much information. "And my parents had a small celebration with just my brothers and them this morning. I'm going to visit one of my friends later this afternoon,"

"How are your classes going?" she asked.

"Going well. Though this essay for Apprentice class is kicking my butt." School was a safe subject for discussion, and it seemed obvious that Professor Rhodes had to keep me here for a certain amount of time to be safe.

"Oh? Which essay?" she asked, truly curious and concerned.

"Professor McCullen set us an essay to discuss why vampires should not have friends outside the vampire community," I told her. I hated this essay. Professor Rhodes looked thoughtful.

"And what do you think?" she asked.

"It doesn't make any sense," I complained, the words just falling out of my mouth. "Vampires have different skills than humans and shifters, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends with them, that we can't all help each other,"

"What about immortality?" Professor Rhodes was playing devil's advocate.

"Immortality can be an asset. Older vampires will remember historical events and can be great advisers."

"But won't it hurt to watch your friends age and die while you remain looking like an 18-20 year old forever?" she asked. I thought over that.

"Yeah, that would be a downside..." I still wasn't convinced, though. "But not enough to never form any relationships. I'm a shifter. I can't just abandon my family or my people, and that's what this essay is making it sound like we need to do,"

"Professor McCullen won't take any personal anecdotes in his essays, though. I would recommend sticking to the facts. You don't have to agree with what he's saying. His essay is asking why, theoretically, vampires should not be friends with non-vampires. Stick to the facts on why they should not be friends," Professor Rhodes offered her advice. I nodded and thanked her for her advice. She was helping me get a passing grade on the assignment, even if it wasn't what I agreed with. That's all I needed right now, especially when faced with Professor McCullen.

Professor Rhodes checked the time. "You're all set. I'll see you tomorrow at the same time," she told me. I nodded and headed out so I wouldn't be late to my next appointment.