Rue
I woke up with a sharp gasp and in a pool of my own sweat. As I struggled to control my racing heart as I sat up, the details of the dream I just had flashed through my mind again and I quickly flicked the lights on.
In the dream, I was tied up and being dragged on the ground.
My body scratched over stones and sticks and I was bleeding from multiple cuts. However, unexpectedly, my eyes and hair began to glow, till the people dragging me and laughing in my face began to scream and drop to the ground while blood leaked from their nose and ears.
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, reminding myself that none of that was real and it was all a dream. The time on my bedside table said it was almost 7 am, so I decided to not go back to sleep anymore.
I showered fast and got dressed in my uniform. I forgot to put the binder on and groaned as I had to take off my uniform shirt to put it on. After that, I put in my contact lenses and looked at myself in the mirror in my bathroom. The uniform was black and blue. The pants were black, the jacket was mixed with blue stripes, but the tie was black. The inner shirt was black as well. I looked smart, and I liked it. My hair would need some getting used to, and as I turned to the side, I wrinkled my nose at the realization that my butt was obvious through the pants without it being too fitted.
Ugh. This is a time I hate that I'm curvy from the hips down.
After packing my school supplies into my bag, I exited my room and paused in the middle of the hallway leading into three different directions. A kitchen, the second bedroom and a sitting room. I stepped into the kitchen and looked through the fridge just as a voice spoke from behind me, making me jump.
"Those are mine."
I whirled around and gaped at a bare chested boy who was giving me an unimpressed look. He had only his uniform pants on. His hair was shaved low on his head, and he had hazel eyes and thin lips. He also had a mild scent, clearly a beta.
"Oh." I muttered before looking him over again. "Sorry, but who are you?"
He rolled his eyes and sauntered into the kitchen, and I hurriedly inched away as he stopped by the fridge and wrenched it open to fish out a drink which he opened and began to chug down.
"Your roommate, clearly." He said after slamming the fridge shut and I nodded awkwardly while eying him.
Oh yeah, I should have figured that out on my own.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Romeo." I offered and he regarded me like I was joking before bursting out laughing.
"You can't be serious. That's an ass name."
I pursed my lips and glanced away, storing the fact that my roommate was definitely an asshole.
"Aw, don't take it the wrong way, I wasn't being serious. Please don't tell me you're one of those really sensitive dudes." He crooned as he rolled his eyes and moved to the entrance of the kitchen.
I shook my head. "I'm pretty chilled." I muttered even though I was definitely sensitive.
"I think I'll call you Reo. It sounds less lame." He announced, and it wasn't posed as a question.
I nodded and cleared my throat. "And you? What's yours?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Vlad, but people call me V."
I nodded while he nodded in the direction of the fridge.
"You can have a drink from the fridge, I guess. But get your own stuff today." He grumbled and feeling genuinely grateful, I thanked him and retrieved a processed orange juice. Back at home we'd have to squeeze it directly from the fruit if we wanted fruit juice.
"So, you're new, right? Haven't seen you around at all."
I nodded as I sipped on the drink, standing awkwardly in the hallway while my roommate disappeared in his bedroom but didn't bother closing the door, like he expected me to go in there with him. But I didn't. I might be disguising as a boy, but it didn't mean I was magically comfortable around them, not after the amount of cruelty I've experienced at the hands of men.
"From which pack? You transferred here?" He asked as he shrugged his school shirt on, which was rumbled. He didn't bother with a jacket or a bag, he just picked up a book and shoved it underneath his arm then closed his door after him.
"You forgot your jacket. And wouldn't you tuck in your shirt? And what about your school bag?"
He stared at me like I was stuoid, then he laughed and clapped me over the back. The force made me stumble and I quickly hid a wince.
"Aw, new kid. You sound adorable. I'm not the one who's gonna stand out between us. Instead, it's you." He paused and added. "And you had better take off your jacket." He added and I frowned at him.
"What? Why? This is a part of the uniform." I argued and he rolled his eyes while he waved me off. "Suit yourself. You'll see in a bit. But let's head out already. What year are you?"
"Year 10." I responded and he snickered before humming.
"Cool. We're in the same class."
As we stepped out of our dorm, the sight of students pushing at each other and screaming at each other caught me off guard. At the end of the hall, two guys were fighting, but no one paid them any attention. My shock was probably very obvious because my roommate laughed as he clapped me on the back.
"Don't look so surprised, that's pretty normal here. Boys loves to fight, you know?" He asked and I gaped at him in horror before shaking my head, already starting to feel uncomfortable as I glanced around me.
"I don't."
He looked me over and shrugged. "Well, you certainly don't look like most of the guys here. You're easily the shortest guy in the school right now." He pointed out and I stiffened as my eyes widened.
"Is that a bad thing?" I whispered and he snorted.
"Of course it is. That makes you an easier target."
He didn't elaborate further. I tried to ask what he meant, but he assured me I'd understand soon. As we rode an elevator together, my heart was in knots and I wasn't sure if I was looking forward to my first day in this school like I once was… because so far, nothing is as I expected it to be and it's making me a little unsure.
"You didn't answer the question before, dude. Which pack are you from? Is it a popular one? And did you transfer from a different school?"
"I'm not in a pack, sadly. After I lost my parents, I was kicked out of my pack. A kind man took me in but he had no pack. And because of that tragedy, I skipped school for about two years. I chose to come here because it seemed like the best choice for me to be able to study in peace and meet like minded students who're only interested in getting better grades."
That's the exact story Landon made me digest last night.
He stared at me for a bit before cocking his head. "Are you sure you're at the right school?"
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Cause I don't think students here care about grades or some other lame shit like that."
I made to respond but the elevator doors opened and we stepped out. I wanted to ask more questions, but they died in my throat at the sight in front of me.
The whole hallway was in utter chaos.
People were fighting left and right, punches and the sounds of bones cracking filled the air while onlookers hooted loudly.
I was frozen in the same spot, unable to breathe as the shock worsened within me. I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't notice a student got flung my way till my roommate roughly jerked me aside while I breathed hard. He gave me an admonishing look.
"You'd have to look out for any kind of danger, otherwise you'd get caught in the middle of it." He said beside me and I nodded numbly while people fought and screamed around me.
The scent of so many species was thick in the air as well, which felt almost too much on my nose.
He was about to say something else when fingers dug into my jacket, wrenching me backward so fast that my head spinned, and as soon as my back collided hard with a locker, I cried out as pain shot through my entire back.
A tall guy loomed over me as he glowered at me. I realized that he was a lycan. My body instantly stiffened because I quickly remembered my last encounter with Lycans, whereby they basically attempted to kill me.
"You're new, right? Didn't anybody tell you the rules around here?" He growled into my face and I flinched hard, fear rattling down my spine.
"I- I don't."
His large hands clamped over my jacket which got wrenched off me in the next moment and I gasped as I tumbled on the ground while people guffawed around me, currently staring at me.
"No jackets in here, stupid. Only the boss is allowed to wear a jacket." He roared and most people cheered loudly, hands in the air. Panic gripped every inch of me as I crawled backwards on the ground, my entire body aching terribly.
How the fuck was i supposed to know that? And who the hell is this boss? Is he also a student?
"Cmon, Jack. The kid is new, he genuinely didn't know the rules." That was Vlad currently speaking to the fucker who took my jacket.
Before Jack could respond to Vlad, from the side of my eyes, I noticed a dude run up from the far end of the hall, then he spoke, eyes wide and filled with panic.
"Guys, guys, guys! The boss is coming!" He screamed and it was like he just flipped a switch, because everyone scattered around, falling over themselves, their scents turning sour and panicked as they disappeared into different classrooms. Some crawled into lockers and slammed the door shut. In a freaking moment, the hallway was completely empty.
I wanted to run after them, to hide, because they were clearly afraid of whoever it was that was approaching. I didn't know who this boss was, but I'm also beyond frightened.
I attempted to get up, but pain shot through my ankle and arm and I collapsed on the ground.
My eyes widened in horror as realization dawned on me.
I couldn't get up.
I couldn't run.
And that means… I'll be the only one out here when this boss shows up.
Oh god.
Why do bad things always happen to me?