6. The bully

LUCAS

 

Considering that Woodhidge-High was my sixth school, I was kinda not very good in mixing up. The hardest thing about starting a new school wasn't ever anything relating to the main reason of schooling—which I guess is learning. No matter how hard studying can be, the hardest past, without a doubt, was socialising and fixing yourself as ‘part' of the school. It was a concept one couldn't explain to anyone who didn't go to school, or at least the modern day school. This, however, was my opinion. 

 

One of the perks of being a new student was having the time to observe everyone around, if you wanted to, and this observation was more impartial because you know nobody. And since I was going to a supernatural school that had multiple magical beings in it, no one needed to tell me it was in my best interest to to do a little observing before jumping in with the wrong people. 

 

From what I noticed, my mother was wrong when she said about half of the population of the town were werewolves. In the little time I stayed in the school and the town in general, I felt it was more like 90% of the town. Maybe more. At some point in school, it began to feel like every single person was a werewolf. I got to learn that the seers, mindreaders, witches, altogether, had a population of just sixty—and that was including my mum and me. The vampires were only three in number...and there was only one weredragon. Made one wonder whether all of the supernatural world wouldn't be extinct in a few years. 

 

Humans were just over fifty—unsuspecting fellows who wandered into the wrong town.

 

If I was being entirely honest, Woodhidge-High wasn't a bad school at all, and even more importantly, it didn't strike me as a ‘boring school'. The teachers all seemed particularly interested interested in all the Supernaturals seeing themselves as one. And the school was kinda friendly, if you ask me. Its facilities were ‘topnotch' compared to the public school you would see in other towns. I felt it was because a lot of Supernatural never failed to pull their resources to fervently support the school. They knew quite well that the survival of the school was entirely dependent on their support. 

 

Well, like most public schools or schools in general, the issue of bullying was a disturbing factor. The annoying fact was that bullying didn't end in elementary school alone. And in Woodhidge high, the bullies seemed to be the werewolves. Most of them weren't ‘violent' but were bullies nonetheless. And in Woodhidge-high, the most notorious bully was Clenk. 

 

Clenk Harris was a seventeen year old werewolf whose parents were quite rich. He was by miles, the strongest werewolf—his age—in town. His strength was just a gift to him, he wasn't a leader of any sort, yet he was an Alpha. He was born an alpha. Alphas generally get their level of authority and power after they have invested in leading a particular pack or killing another alpha werewolf. However, there aren't many alphas anymore because there wasn't any pack to rule. Over time, the werewolf culture has been forced to go through changes and series of phases because of the intimidating ever-growing nature of the humans. While, werewolves still exist and their number were more than any other supernatural being, their organization has been nonexistent. Everyone seems to be on the look of his own interest, and the beauty of belonging to a pack has been long forgotten and replaced by the natural instinct to stay in the hiding and do what every species under the sun strive to keep doing—survive. 

 

Clenk Harris was that kid no one really wanted, even his parents would happily testify to that and on countless occasions, have attested to it. Clenk was capable of doing every bad thing possible and would do so with a smile on his face. Unlike most bullies, Clenk wasn't a dumb student at all, he was quite studious and even put a lot of efforts towards his studies. He had one outstanding problem, and that was simply him being a very mean person. His other vices all came from that. He wasn't the kind of a bully that had friends around him, I guess he was just too mean to find someone like him. 

 

People did their best to avoid him because it would always be in the best of your interest to do so. It didn't matter if you were young or old, staying away from Clenk Harris was always a necessity. Unfortunately for me, I hadn't gotten that much information about Clenk—though I would have done what I did anyway. 

 

Just as I headed home that Thursday, I picked up a sound, like muffled crying of a teenage boy. At a lonely corner few blocks from the school, was Clenk hammering on Alex—the boy who had brought us bread as welcome gift. 

 

“Ok, that's enough.” I said, doing my best to act tough. I didn't do a very good job.

 

Clenk slowly stood from on top of Alex, who had received some blows on his face already. Clenk stared at me, and grinned, it was almost as if he couldn't decide how he would beat me.

 

“You must think you are tough, you little bastard.” He said as licking his lips so hard that one would wonder if he planned to peel his skin.

 

I remained unmoved and refused to say one a word—for some reason, my brain told me I'll look tough if I remained mute. It felt stupid and though he acted like someone who didn't live in this world, I doubted if he would actually hit me. Nah, he wouldn't.

 

Well, I was wrong.

 

Clenk launched at me so quickly I didn't know when I landed on the ground. I began to wonder whether it was my own fear or the hard blow I got on my chest. Whatever it was, it got me to the ground real quick.

 

In a flash, I was on my feet and, well, back to the ground again as he kicked me in the nuts. I yelled.

 

“I don't know you but you are pathetic.”

 

Now that feeling came. Like a wind from a distance, it hit me and the feeling was weirdly familiar. It wasn't unusual for me to feel this way. It was something that had always happened to me when I was angry or nervous. It seemed like a part of me was hidden and I was feeling it....but then like sand covering the little ray of light that snuck into a rabbit's hole, it would go. And I would always feel empty.

 

The only difference was I also had to endure the punches I received from Clenk with the emptiness.

 

“Oh, what is this? Some sort of joke? You are pathetic.” Clenk ranted as he held my wrist firmly and examined my bracelet that shone brightly.

 

“Take it off or I will take it off myself...along with your stupid arm.” Clenk threatened as he pulled he tried to pull the bracelet in vain, only succeeding in bruising my arm.

 

“You little piece of trash.” Alex, who had finally gotten to his feet, yelled furiously as he charged at Clenk.

 

Well, it was a cute act and his ten seconds of bravery lasted till he got to Clenk. And had his face nose broken with one quick blow to his nose. It was so annoying watching Clenk enjoy himself. What was even more annoying was the fact that people saw what was happening and no one seemed to care.

 

It was beyond being absurd. People in Woodhidge were very different. Very. It was quite funny the way they took the ‘minding your business' policy through all the levels. People passed and only a few bothered to even look at us at all. There was an open case of bullying happening before their faces and no one seemed to care. This was just one more indication that Woodhidge wasn't your ordinary town.

 

“Uh, look at you both, all tired and exhausted. I'm almost feeling sad because I haven't even started.”

 

“I'm afraid fun time is over, run along before it gets embarrassing for you.” A guy my age said as he walked towards where we being bullied by Clenk.

 

“It would be a rainy day in hell before I let anyone push me around.” Clenk yelled, though fear was obviously in his voice.

 

“I guess it's pouring down in hell because you are walking away like the scumbag you are.”

 

“Who do you think you are? You being the last of your kind doesn't mean anything.”

 

“Get out!” The mystery guy yelled and his both of his eye balls glowed of fire....no, they became blames.

 

“None of you morons are worth my time anyway.” Clenk boasted as he walked away, earnestly convincing his little mind that he didn't just have a taste of his own medicine.

 

The guy whose eyes had turned to flames helped us both to out feet, and we thanked him for helping. Yeah, it was weird moment but that was okay, we were in a weird town.

 

“No, it's nothing, I try to stop him anytime I can, especially since the whole of this town care about nothing.” The weredragon who had saved me from a beating said.

 

“Thought I was the only one who noticed that.”

 

We spoke and then went our respective ways. I didn't know whether I should see it as a bad thing or not, but throughout the time I spoke with him, my bracelet kept glowing...more brightly than it had ever done before.