Nocturnal Academy 2 - Teacher's Pet

Alice Dibble has finally made it to the Nocturnal Academy, and is ready to start lessons at the most exclusive private school in Australia. She believes she is about to be trained to become a nocturnal defender of the Earth against the chaotic hordes of the Immaterium, and is ready to face up to this noble challenge.

Unfortunately, when she arrives she discovers that the Nocturnal Academy isn’t really that different from her old school. Lessons are tedious, equipment is old and broken, bats roosting in the rafters keep dropping presents on her notebook - and then there is scullery duty, which involves taking rubbish out to the epic compost heap, known to swallow children whole.

Alice’s new friend Toby, once a popular kid at her primary school, has become an outcast; her old enemy Carla needs help to learn how to change into her new animal form, and a little omniwere boy who can only change into tiny creatures like rats and rabbits has developed a crush on her.

Alice must also learn how to use her new vampire powers responsibly without succumbing to the lure of the darkness.

To make matters worse, Professor Abbacus, a teacher Alice thought liked her, now seems to want to kill her. It is all Alice can do to keep one step ahead of him and all of his devious, convoluted plans to punish her for the destruction of the Holloway Grimoire.

Important Characters

 * Alice Dibble
 * Andre Sauvage
 * Professor Abbacus

Chapter-by-Chapter
"This section contains spoilers."

Chapter 1

 * First day - or night - of school. Various characters are introduced, including Alice Dibble, Carla Hightower, Andre Sauvage, and Toby Thompson.
 * Professor Abbacus teaches them how to use their new computers.
 * "Up close the machine looked very old fashioned, with large metal tubing around the outside, more big brass rivets, and round buttons like old type-writer keys . . . It looked like a computer that had been made during Victorian times."
 * Professor Abbacus briefly talks to Andre.
 * Professor Abbacus gives a presentation on The Immaterium
 * Threatens Alice and Toby after the presentation.

Chapter 2

 * Recess
 * Sebastian Munrow taunts Toby.
 * Alice and Milly turn into mist and float around.
 * Andre reveals that he can only turn into small animals.
 * Professor Florana lectures about various elements and affinities
 * Carla reveals her problems with arrested morphing.
 * Lunch
 * Alice notes that the older vampire girls seem snooty.
 * Professor McDingley gives a lecture that begins with showing how Nightdwellers have influenced Daydweller lives by noting how many historical figures were Nightdwellers.

Chapter 3

 * Lessons finish at 4AM
 * In the dining room
 * On the way there, Milly, Alice, and Nancy bond over problems with the older vampires
 * Madam Nocturna gives a speech
 * Notes that chore roster starts week 2, though year 7 doesn't have to work until term 2
 * She also notes that everybody will need to clean up after themselves. Weres cannot make nests.
 * During dinner, the vampires complain about Professor Abbacus.
 * Desdemona tells them that he's a cyborg.
 * Everybody is creeped out by him
 * Phil brings up the topic of Technomancy.
 * Alice goes to bed.

Chapter 4

 * Alice wakes up early. She takes Luminos, and goes to the common room.
 * Meets Valeria, a fire elemental.
 * Alice and Milly also wander around outside.
 * During breakfast, Madame Nocturna lists off the many clubs that people can join. She also notes that the library and restricted section are now open.
 * Alice attends math (taught by Miss Pearl), English (taught by Mr. Luften), and Science (taught by Professor Abbacus).
 * During science, Professor Abbacus asks many questions. He only chooses Andre to answer questions, and ignores Alice when her hand is the only one raised.
 * Professor Abbacus also forces Carla to remove her hat. She runs off.
 * Alice has to take her to see Professor McDingley. They learn that this is a case of arrested morphing.
 * Lunch happens outside.
 * Alice and Toby talk. He isn't in a good position with the other weres, who go so far as to claim that he made up the Vladrakov incident.
 * They also talk to Milly and Nancy, who had Mr. Coleman for science.

Chapter 5

 * During recess, Alice learns that Andre comes from a line of book collectors. This is why Professor Abbacus favors him so much.
 * Oval Jungle
 * Professor Longenfang, Professor Florana, Miss Eiche, and Professor Abbacus are present.
 * Eventually, everybody but Alice and Carla have escaped the jungle.
 * The teachers realize that change form has been disabled, the difficulty has been set to level 5, and the lethality level was set to 10. This means that the creatures can kill.

Chapter 6

 * Alice wakes up in the school's hospital.
 * She learns that Carla rescued her from the compost heap, but she is stuck in her tiger form.
 * Madame Nocturna talks to Alice and the other teachers.
 * They all claim it is impossible.
 * Alice says that she suspects Professor Abbacus, as he has threatened her.
 * Professor Abbacus is suspended.
 * While Alice's popularity skyrockets, she feels guilty for what happened.
 * She's transferred to Professor Coleman's class.
 * The Professor eventually returns.
 * Vampire Studies
 * Learn different techniques, as well as some history.
 * After class, Alice asks about Professor Abbacus being back. She also points out that he wouldn't have tried to get rid of her in such an obvious way.

Chapter 7

 * Andre takes Alice, Toby, and Carla to the restricted section.
 * While they grab a variety of books, Andre uses the computer to access scanned books.
 * The cabinets start to open, and the computer freezes.

Chapter 8

 * Professor Abbacus shows up, and uses Magick to regain control over the books. He is extremely upset with the amount of damage that has been done.
 * They explain what happened to Madame Nocturna.
 * Alice goes on a walk the next morning. When she hears Professors Longenfang and Abbacus talking, she hides behind a bush and listens to their conversation.
 * Professor Longenfang implies that Professor Abbacus is the most probable culprit.
 * Professor Abbacus points out that they were never friends; he had only used him to get information for Madame Nocturna. He is extremely upset, and storms off.
 * Professor Longenfang knows Alice was listening, and calls her out.
 * Professor Abbacus could be suspended.
 * Despite his many faults, he is a good teacher.
 * Janice is at a mental institution.
 * Madame Nocturna goes over the library's events with each of them again.

Chapter 9

 * During the Easter holiday, Alice goes on a camping trip with her mom, Harry (her mom's boyfriend), and Nick (Harry's son).
 * Nick makes it clear that he is not happy with this arrangement.
 * Alice meets a tree spirit named Sammy, who is friends with Nick.
 * By the end of the trip, Nick and Alice are on much better terms.

Chapter 10

 * It's term 2, so the Year 7s start on scullery duty.
 * Alice stays at the academy during the weekend. She regularly talks to Andre.
 * Professor Abbacus tells Andre that he can see his office. When Alice asks what the two of them were talking about, Andre lies to her.

Chapter 11

 * Alice continues to talk to Andre. They hold hands.
 * On Monday, Professor Abbacus lectures Year 7 about the planes.

Chapter 12

 * There continue to be electrical problems.
 * Alice has scullery duty for the second time this term. She is forced to take everything to the compost heap.
 * Grizzer and Toby fight. Carla interferes near the end, helping Toby 'win.'
 * They gain detention.
 * On the way to science, Andre and Alice kiss.
 * Professor Abbacus throws his steel pointer at them.

Chapter 13

 * The Sunfire program runs on Alice's computer. She ends up in the infirmary.
 * Lost almost 70% of her skin, as well as her hair.
 * Professor Abbacus will be fired.
 * Toby stays behind to keep her company during break.

Chapter 14

 * Toby captures one of the cockroaches, and realizes that it was metal. They go to take it to Madam Nocturna's office; they follow as she takes it to Professor Abbacus
 * They hear an explosion, which Madam Nocturna runs off to take care of.
 * Toby has also lost control over himself, and is in werewolf form.
 * Alice walks into Professor Abbacus' office, which is coated in the bugs.
 * She sees Professor Abbacus on the floor, and realizes that he wasn't responsible for anything that had happened.

Chapter 15

 * The Professor directs her to use a bullhorn-like device. The bugs begin to go away. Eventually, the sound it makes starts to destroy them
 * He takes out a much larger spraygun. She continues to help him purge the school.
 * He reveals that Andre must have let them in, who wanted to steal a book
 * Andre is three years older than he claims to be. (Making him 15, not 12).

Chapter 16

 * Over the next couple of days, they continue to purge the school of gremlins.
 * Alice walks outside one morning. Professor Abbacus goes to talk to her.
 * He thanks her for her help with the gremlins, pointing out that they could have killed him. He then says that he hadn't been fair with her this year.
 * They were both hurt by Andre.
 * He offers to let her rejoin his class; she accepts.
 * They bond over name-calling.
 * He also points out that he could have easily killed her.