She muttered, “Mountain ash,” and looked down at the slight remains of it on her hand. “What is he trying to do? What does he think I am?” Her head jerked up at the sounds. “He’s immune to me. I don’t even know how I’m going to get out of this.” Those words were strained. Fear made a pit in her belly, but she squared her shoulders and turned to the boy. “Thank you. You’ve been more help than you realise. I suggest you run now. You might pull the fire alarm on the way out.”
“How you’re gonna—you can start by running or, I don’t know, calling the police—” Isaac’s expression shifts judgmentally in that hello? anybody home? kind of way, and he pushes her none-too-gently into the nearest hallway, the one that leads towards the science labs. “Listen, if he’s the kind of nutjob that poses a threat, we should probably get him off school property. We don’t need another serial killer scare—lure him outside; you can get to the lacrosse field if you go right at the end of that hall and through the locker rooms.”
“Because the police are going to believe that a man is hunting me for an ability nobody believes in,” she spat back over her shoulder. “What makes you think I haven’t tried those things? You’re the first person who knows anything about it to even /try/ to help — pull the fucking fire alarm or I’ll set it off myself. If I accidentally burn this place down I don’t want anyone in it!”
She skidded to a stop at the corner, looking back at Isaac. “Thanks. Stay safe.”