It was the last class of the day, and I was counting down the minutes to the clinging of the dismissal bell. Five minutes to go. I thought giddily, throwing a glance at my watch. I was deathly hungry. After I had left the principal’s office, there had been no time to get to the cafeteria. I had returned to class hungry. It became crazier whenever I remembered the detention—a delay to having Laura’s food. “Well, it seems someone is in a hurry to go somewhere.” I withheld a visible flinch, somehow knowing that the lady lecturing us on magic and music was talking about me. I expected a frown on her face, but I saw a smile on her lips rather; a soft smile, as if I reminded her of someone interesting, someone that she cared about. I forced a smile on my lips too, and hers widened. She shook her head, and gathered her supplies on the table. “I will see you all on Thursday. Make sure to get your assignment ready by then. No excuses.” Assignment? She had given an assignment? I felt m
I should be in the classroom reserved for detention but I was back at the bleak place again. That place thrummed with filth and despair, just like before.I sighed when a woman's despairing cry echoed in my soul, tearing at me, reprimanding me, drawing me back from the edge of a great precipice. Had I fallen asleep during detention?It was just as before.Every cell in my body craved food and something else, something I could lay my finger on, mostly because I had rehearsed the dream by now. Blood.The hunger raked at me with merciless claws until a red haze covered my sight and my pulse hammered with the need for immediate sustenance. Desperate, I scanned the area above my resting place for the presence of enemies and, finding none, burst through the rich layers of soil, into the air, my heart thundering in my ears, my mind screaming. I landed in a crouch in the midst of dense shrubbery and thick vegetation, and took a slow, careful look around me, not in the least concerned abo
It took me three hours to finish detention. Three hours of trying to fight my worst fears. Three hours spent cursing professor Bulock. How could such a cruel thing be used as detention? How could such a cruel method be utilized? I remembered his last words to me in class this morning, his last words that had sent a chill down my back. ‘No way for her to learn about our ways, for her to learn about respect and discipline in class if not through that.’ ‘That’ meaning detention. It would explain the reason why I had been the only one in detention. No one wanted their worst fears thrown at them. No wonder the sheer decorum in school.The bullying had only continued because of who the bully was. But I was sure that Rachel would repent if she was subjected to her fears. Three hours of living with them, and I knew that I wouldn’t disrespect Professor Bulock in his class again, so far as he let me be too. You are still giving conditions? My mind taunted me and I shrugged my shoulders.
Expectation?I didn’t really have one for her, only that she stays true to herself and to me, just as Naomi had done.At least I had a new friend. Hopefully it will be enough to convince Laura to sleep tonight without scolding me. I was sure that the news of today had reached her ears. Peter’s too. “Thanks so much, Levina. You are a lifesaver.” I finally responded, piquing my eyebrows when she chuckled at my statement, when she loosened my hands from her waist, and turned aside to look at me. “I think there is a misplacement of some sorts. You are the lifesaver, Dora. It is because of you that I will be able to have a better school and social life; my life actually as a whole. I should be the one showing the appreciation.” She said with a beautiful laugh, her eyes sparkling under the board of moonlight, a sharp contrast to the first time I had actually noticed her. In the cafeteria, her eyes had been empty, totally void of feelings. She had been totally lost. I felt happy again th
Peter and Laura had said nothing when I came into the house, choosing only to stare at me or rather to peruse my entire self as if looking for hurt on my body. Their eyes had been like lasers, scrutinizing every inch of me as if they could see through my skin to the very core of my being. I had offered them a tentative greeting and shifted uneasily on my feet, feeling like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Finally, Laura had broken the silence. “Go and freshen up, and take dinner. We can talk later.”Relief had flooded through me, though I knew it was only temporary. I had taken my time in the bath, letting the hot water soothe my nerves and wash away the grime and stress of the day. Each minute spent under the warm spray was another minute delaying the inevitable scolding. I had lingered even longer at dinner, chewing each bite slowly and deliberately, trying to stretch the meal as far as I could. But eventually, the plate was empty, and I could no longer delay.N
At my question about the Queen’s vigilante beasts, Laura jerked and glanced at Peter, who in turn looked at Diana before finally landing his gaze on me. “How do you know about the beasts?”He asked, his tone taking a stern quality.I knew that it was on the tip of his tongue to ask if I had seen them, but then that was impossible, so he didn’t. Yet, it showed that Peter assumed anything was possible when it came to me, showed that I had a penchant for being at places or doing things quite spectacular. I could read that at least in his eyes.“Levina told me all about it when we had left the school’s premises. According to her, the beasts are being deployed as vigilantes in the community. Have any of you seen them?”Laura shook her head. “Levina must have told you that already. So, I don’t know why you would ask that…” She paused, probably seeing the slanting of my mouth in a smirk. “Quench that curiosity, Maya. Nothing good will come out of it this time around. The beasts aren’t Pro
MayaToday was my first day at the school’s cafeteria, or rather the second time after I was discovered to be without the wolf gene. The first time, after that life changing event, had been brutal and traumatizing. It was the first time I was bullied.Now, standing before the matron who was dishing my food, I wondered if I had made the right choice, listening to Naomi.Naomi was my only friend. The only one who had remained by my side after the pack doctor’s diagnosis on my sixteenth birthday: the diagnosis that had set my perfect life on fire.Naomi had insisted that I follow her here today. It’s been a year and six months since that fateful first day, yet the memory still had a firm grip on me. I was actually counting the seconds till someone threw me a juice can, or half eaten pizza.“Maya, stop fretting. Mother promised me that the Lycan King has resolved the bullying issue. It’s over finally, best friend. Take a deep breath. Your hands are shaking.”She was right. My hands were s
“What’s going on here?!” A voice suddenly roared in the cafeteria causing the throwing competition to come to an end. Who was that? What had taken them so long? I wondered, unable to open my eyes because they were covered with liquids and food particles that had been thrown on me, more than a hundred times. When Noah had chosen to make me a target for practice, the others in the cafeteria had taken it as a go ahead to replicate the mess. Everyone in the cafeteria, except Naomi, had emptied their lunch packs on me. “Who is that sitting on the floor? Stand up!” The same hoarse voice echoed. Mr Johnson, the principal. I was sure now.It can only mean that Naomi had made the report herself. Her father was an important member of the pack’s council—she couldn’t be ignored by the school’s authorities.I tried obeying the principal’s command, I tried standing up from the floor, but my feet and hands kept slipping on the slippery floor.A hand grabbed me by my arm—certainly Naomi—and hel
At my question about the Queen’s vigilante beasts, Laura jerked and glanced at Peter, who in turn looked at Diana before finally landing his gaze on me. “How do you know about the beasts?”He asked, his tone taking a stern quality.I knew that it was on the tip of his tongue to ask if I had seen them, but then that was impossible, so he didn’t. Yet, it showed that Peter assumed anything was possible when it came to me, showed that I had a penchant for being at places or doing things quite spectacular. I could read that at least in his eyes.“Levina told me all about it when we had left the school’s premises. According to her, the beasts are being deployed as vigilantes in the community. Have any of you seen them?”Laura shook her head. “Levina must have told you that already. So, I don’t know why you would ask that…” She paused, probably seeing the slanting of my mouth in a smirk. “Quench that curiosity, Maya. Nothing good will come out of it this time around. The beasts aren’t Pro
Peter and Laura had said nothing when I came into the house, choosing only to stare at me or rather to peruse my entire self as if looking for hurt on my body. Their eyes had been like lasers, scrutinizing every inch of me as if they could see through my skin to the very core of my being. I had offered them a tentative greeting and shifted uneasily on my feet, feeling like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Finally, Laura had broken the silence. “Go and freshen up, and take dinner. We can talk later.”Relief had flooded through me, though I knew it was only temporary. I had taken my time in the bath, letting the hot water soothe my nerves and wash away the grime and stress of the day. Each minute spent under the warm spray was another minute delaying the inevitable scolding. I had lingered even longer at dinner, chewing each bite slowly and deliberately, trying to stretch the meal as far as I could. But eventually, the plate was empty, and I could no longer delay.N
Expectation?I didn’t really have one for her, only that she stays true to herself and to me, just as Naomi had done.At least I had a new friend. Hopefully it will be enough to convince Laura to sleep tonight without scolding me. I was sure that the news of today had reached her ears. Peter’s too. “Thanks so much, Levina. You are a lifesaver.” I finally responded, piquing my eyebrows when she chuckled at my statement, when she loosened my hands from her waist, and turned aside to look at me. “I think there is a misplacement of some sorts. You are the lifesaver, Dora. It is because of you that I will be able to have a better school and social life; my life actually as a whole. I should be the one showing the appreciation.” She said with a beautiful laugh, her eyes sparkling under the board of moonlight, a sharp contrast to the first time I had actually noticed her. In the cafeteria, her eyes had been empty, totally void of feelings. She had been totally lost. I felt happy again th
It took me three hours to finish detention. Three hours of trying to fight my worst fears. Three hours spent cursing professor Bulock. How could such a cruel thing be used as detention? How could such a cruel method be utilized? I remembered his last words to me in class this morning, his last words that had sent a chill down my back. ‘No way for her to learn about our ways, for her to learn about respect and discipline in class if not through that.’ ‘That’ meaning detention. It would explain the reason why I had been the only one in detention. No one wanted their worst fears thrown at them. No wonder the sheer decorum in school.The bullying had only continued because of who the bully was. But I was sure that Rachel would repent if she was subjected to her fears. Three hours of living with them, and I knew that I wouldn’t disrespect Professor Bulock in his class again, so far as he let me be too. You are still giving conditions? My mind taunted me and I shrugged my shoulders.
I should be in the classroom reserved for detention but I was back at the bleak place again. That place thrummed with filth and despair, just like before.I sighed when a woman's despairing cry echoed in my soul, tearing at me, reprimanding me, drawing me back from the edge of a great precipice. Had I fallen asleep during detention?It was just as before.Every cell in my body craved food and something else, something I could lay my finger on, mostly because I had rehearsed the dream by now. Blood.The hunger raked at me with merciless claws until a red haze covered my sight and my pulse hammered with the need for immediate sustenance. Desperate, I scanned the area above my resting place for the presence of enemies and, finding none, burst through the rich layers of soil, into the air, my heart thundering in my ears, my mind screaming. I landed in a crouch in the midst of dense shrubbery and thick vegetation, and took a slow, careful look around me, not in the least concerned abo
It was the last class of the day, and I was counting down the minutes to the clinging of the dismissal bell. Five minutes to go. I thought giddily, throwing a glance at my watch. I was deathly hungry. After I had left the principal’s office, there had been no time to get to the cafeteria. I had returned to class hungry. It became crazier whenever I remembered the detention—a delay to having Laura’s food. “Well, it seems someone is in a hurry to go somewhere.” I withheld a visible flinch, somehow knowing that the lady lecturing us on magic and music was talking about me. I expected a frown on her face, but I saw a smile on her lips rather; a soft smile, as if I reminded her of someone interesting, someone that she cared about. I forced a smile on my lips too, and hers widened. She shook her head, and gathered her supplies on the table. “I will see you all on Thursday. Make sure to get your assignment ready by then. No excuses.” Assignment? She had given an assignment? I felt m
When we got to the principal’s office, he was in a meeting with someone, and so we had to wait by the door till he was done. We waited for about fifteen minutes before the door opened and Prof. Bulock stepped out of the office. When he saw I and Levina, a still milk-soaked Levina, he piqued his eyebrows, keeping his steely gaze on me. “What did you do to sweet Levina? What did you do this time around?” I snorted. “Does it look like I did anything to her? If your mind was free from prejudice as it should be, you would have noticed that. You would have noticed too, that I was her ally and not a foe. So much for the magic you claim to have for observation. Now, if you will excuse us, Prof Bulock, we have to see Mr Lethon.”Professor Bulock was standing right at the entrance, and his hand clutched the knob tight. Still, he was lucky I had held back from putting the emphasis on the right syllable in his name that would highlight a castrated cow. I wondered what he would do if I ever
“How long has this been happening?” I asked Sinclair immediately we left the cafeteria, enroute to the principal’s office. Levina has refused to say a word since we left, but that was okay. People reacted to situations differently. If I would take a bet, she was contemplating her father’s reaction when he finally heard the news. There was a minute silence, during which I inhaled the strength to shout at him if he chose not to talk about this troubling matter. But then, he started speaking. “For a while now. It’s not regular, but it happens occasionally, sometimes in the cafeteria, sometimes in the training field. Actually since her father had been elected the school’s principal.” I sharply turned to look at him. “And how many years is that?” “Five years.” My tongue tasted something bitter and bland. She has been bullied for five years? How had the father stayed unaware all this time? How had no one thought to slither the piece of information to Mr Lethon? Did they hate him an
There was laughter everywhere in the cafeteria. The matrons serving the food said and did nothing. Sinclair sighed in exasperation. I wasn’t sure of Raul’s reaction to his sister’s bullying. I didn’t look. No. I was already transported in time to the cafeteria back at the pack.I was transported to the past, to the particular time when Noah had poured milk on me; to the time when Daniel had joined them; to the time when the entire student populace, or most, had joined them in throwing food at me; to the time when the matrons had done nothing to help me; until Noami had run and called the principal. My fists clenched, while watching the girl sniff. She was about to cry.I didn’t know when I moved, didn’t care to know how I had gotten in front of Rachel in less than two seconds.I grabbed her by the neck and pulled her out of the chair. “Don’t dare use your magic on me, or you are gone, Rachel.” I said when I saw her hand twitching. It was a gamble. A very risky one, knowing th