Familiar Face

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Fort had already been in contact with Frey, and the reporter assured her that it would not happen again. He seemed even more upset by the development than she did.

'Frey better not blame himself for someone else's stupidity.'

Pushing aside the other thoughts, Noble got mentally prepared for the day. There was a lot to do!

However, Noble's entry to the Academy gates was slowed by a large crowd of people. They were all filled with anticipation.

At first Noble wondered if a famous Legacy was gracing the Academy with their presence. Perhaps the young scion of a clan was due to arrive at any moment.

But then one of the loiterers turned her face and locked eyes with Noble. Her face lit up.

"Professor Noble!" she called out. 

Noble barely had time to register that the woman was a former student when the rest of the people suddenly rushed toward her in an avalanche.

Only none of them were calling her Professor. 

"Queen Bee, what's it like to have fallen through a gate?" 

"Queen Bee! What are your Dreamscape plans now that you have become a Master?" 

"Queen Bee! Queen Bee! Do you have any comment on the ongoing struggle in Antarctica?" 

On and on the questions pelted her. After a week of relative quiet, the overwhelming noise, attention, and emotions nearly sent Noble into a panic. 

But as a warrior both inside and out of the Dreamscape, the woman remained calm. She floated through the crowd, ignoring the questions and comments of those around her. 

Only one of the crowd dared to get close enough to touch her. But before Noble could react, an Awakened guard at the gate grabbed him and pulled his hands behind his back.

The man wearing sunglasses and a dark wig struggled against the restraint. "I just want an autograph and a moment of the Queen's time! Get off of me!" 

The rest of the guards quickly formed a shield around the professor until she had made it into the Academy's walls. Then they sealed the entrance while the crowd continued to try to get her attention. 

When she was out of view, Noble heaved a sigh of relief. 

'Next time I will fly over the wall from the side,' she promised herself.

The thought had crossed her mind when the crowd descended on her, but the professor did not want to show them any sign of weakness. She was confused and a little overwhelmed, but not afraid of them. 

Noble hurried across the Academy grounds, her mind deep in thought. 

'That was a lot of reporters and fans.'

How had they known she would come in today after a week of being gone? 

Or had they been waiting at the doors of the Academy all week? That would explain the extra guards at the entrance. 

'Then why didn't any of them try to come to the house? Or contact me on my communicator?' 

Suddenly the quiet week became oddly suspicious. In the moment, Noble had been quite happy that the world had left them alone, but now her senses told her that it had been more than luck.

Pieces started to fall into place in her mind. 

Pulling out her communicator, Noble called her husband. From the background noise, he was not yet at work. 

"Hello, My Love! Miss me already?" 

"Yes, but that is not why I called." Noble suppressed her urge to grin. She needed answers! "Those maintenance men working on the street all week. They weren't maintenance men, were they?" 

She heard Fort cough. He hesitated. "Why do you ask?" 

"Why are you avoiding the question?" The professor persisted. 

"I didn't want to worry you or the neighbors. They have been keeping watch over the house to make sure that no one tried to harass Queen Bee." The man's tone was unapologetic. 

"And my communicator?" Noble pressed. 

Inhaling deeply, Fort answered in a measured tone. "All calls have been routed through Teddy except for those already in your contact list. Same for messages. Before you ask, she volunteered. She enjoys telling people no." 

"I see." Noble processed the information silently for a moment. 

"I can remove it all now. I just wanted you to have the rest you deserved," Fort explained. 

"No," the professor answered quickly. "I saw the hornets' nest waiting for me outside of the Academy. Now that they know I won't interact with them at my place of work, they may try even harder to reach me in other ways. I don't want the kids to be affected. In fact..." 

"I already have their school's staff on alert. I might have also called in a few favors..." Fort's voice trailed off. 

"The less I know, the better," Noble decided. "Thank you for watching out for us. I love you." 

There was the temptation to be angry that Fort had coddled her. But the results spoke for themselves. She was rested and ready to face the world again. 

He hadn't been able to save her from the ordeal in the Nightmare, but he had done everything to make her transition from the trauma smooth and peaceful. 

"I love you too, Bee. Now please be careful today. Those comments...I believe that might be more than idle words." Fort must have arrived at the Gate for work because Noble could hear Praised's usual strange banter. 

"A wolf in sheep's clothing is just a wolf in need of a haircut."

"Did you just get called a wolf?" The professor teased. 

"Possibly." Fort tried not to give the gatekeeper's words too much thought. "Anyway, remember what I said. I've got to go. I'll see you this evening." 

Noble put away her communicator and quickened her pace. She could feel people's eyes on her and heard the occasional whisper as she passed. But since most of the people on the campus were teenage Sleepers, they thought twice about approaching a Master and kept a safe distance.

Having been gone for months in the Dream Realm and then helping with the evacuation effort part-time before that, Noble didn't recognize almost any of the faces of the students she passed. Normally by now, she would know most of them by sight and many by name. 

The lack of connection made her a little sad. 

'It's fine. That just makes today that much more important. I have to make a difference with the little time that is left. The Solstice is barely six weeks away.' 

Noble tried to think of the positive. With all the experience she had gained from her recent adventures, she would be able to add a whole new level of applications to Memory use for her students. 

And it wasn't like she had wanted to be away from the Academy. Noble loved her job and knew after years of helping sleepers that her training made a difference. 

Yet seeing so many fresh faces and not knowing any of them made Noble melancholy. 

Most of her knew that the absence was unavoidable, but a small part of her felt like she had failed them by not being around. She cared about these people's future success. 

Something stirred inside Noble as she felt compassion for the sleepers.

But before she could register exactly what was happening, a deep voice called out her name.

"Master Noble!"

Turning, Noble smiled.

'Finally, a familiar face!'