Good Morning

Lyra's POV

My alarm went off at six a.m. on the dot. You'd think, after years of training with us, waking up at 5:30 a.m. to run and do calisthenics, I'd be a morning person. The truth of the matter is, I hate the morning; no matter how much coffee I drink, I still feel like a zombie.

Rolling out of bed, I go to the very small ensuite bathroom and turn the water on to warm up. I take my clothes off, put them in my basket of dirty clothes, and wonder whether I'll ever come back to wash them or if they'll be donated to the next girl who needs them.

Testing the water temperature, I was pleased to know I had hot water for at least the next few minutes. Jumping in, I rubbed myself down head to toe with my washcloth and the tea tree oil soap. Tea tree oil was one of the few things we still had an excess of, and since it was a natural antibacterial, we used it for everything from tinctures, soaps, and shampoos to reduce the risk of or spread of infections.

Finally feeling clean, I step out, grab a towel, and walk back to my bed. Drying off, I grabbed my underwear and sports bra and pulled them on. Both were white, the mandatory color of undergarments in Aurelia.

Reaching back over to my dresser, where I had laid out the night before, a long-sleeve heather grey t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. Hastily pulling those on, I grab my boots and a pair of socks I forgot to lay out.

Before I could even finish tying my shoelaces, Rowan burst in.

No knock, No nothing.

That was Rowan.

He was dressed in blue jeans and a grey t-shirt, with a leather jacket on top. Sigh, he's my best friend, and if we survived this mission, he would be a great husband and make beautiful babies.

Fighting off a blush, I look up at him, "It seems someone is excited to tag along."

Laughing, he threw himself on the bed next to me, giving me a big side hug, "You'd really think I would let you go without me?"

I didn't even answer him because I knew from when we were young that we'd be inseparable.

"Do you think they'll separate us at the Academy? Would us being seen together constantly be suspicious?"

His face fell as did mine.

We don't know what's going to happen on this mission, but the one thing we know is that it has to be accomplished.

"Enough of this shit, Rowan." I stand up, grab a hair band, and begin to put my hair up in a high bun, making sure every inch of my hair is tucked away.

He was studying me; I could feel his emerald eyes staring straight through me. He knows me better than anyone in this world. He reached over and grabbed my hand.

"Fuck it, Lyra. Let's get this show on the road. If we don't leave now, we can't get chow before we have to leave."

Rule number one in Aurelia: never miss a meal.

He picked up both our duffel bags, throwing them over his shoulders, and with his other hand grabbed mine, walking out the door for who knows might be the last time.

The kitchens were located two buildings away, in a massive stone structure large enough to hold all its citizens. It's more of a community kitchen that serves everyone at least one meal a day. Enough to keep the average person hopefully from starving.

Even with the one meal a day, if the average citizen misses a day of bread or grain, I've seen them fade away from existence.

Stepping in with Rowan, we placed our duffels under our table and headed to the line. Grabbing a tray, we waited like everyone else, step by step, getting closer to the front of the line.

Reaching the front of the line, I grabbed a cranberry juice, which was my favorite, while Rowan grabbed orange juice; he could be so basic sometimes.

The exhausted-looking lady serving the food glared at me as if I were just another person in a sea of bodies. "What do you want? Oatmeal or Eggs?"

Like, that's even a real question, no one likes the powdered eggs they've been serving, "Oatmeal please with brown sugar."

"We don't have brown sugar today, just a squirt of honey."

Trying not to be too irritated, I accept the bowl and continue down the line.

At the end of the line, I scan the ration card we all carry and start heading to the table. Rowan was close behind me, and looking at his plate, he chose to get the nasty, throw-up-looking eggs.

How is that even edible?

Taking a bite of the oatmeal slightly sweetened with honey, I took pleasure in the slight sweetness awakening my taste buds. Most of the food we got was super bland, so any time a spice or different flavor was introduced, it was like a day of celebration. Even those of us in our circle still never got any special treatment.

Looking over at Rowan, he was like a pig shoveling the eggs in his mouth, laughing at him, "How can you eat that quickly?"

Winking at me, he took his last bite, shoving his tray to the middle, where all the dirty trays were stacked and would be collected later.

Looking at the clock on the wall, it read 6:45 a.m., it was time to meet the Commander and start our new assumed lives.

We were going to be human exchange students, trying to bridge the gap between werewolves and humans, as if that would really erase the years of hatred between the two species.

What concerned me the most, from what I heard at this school, is that there are sparring matches. How can I pretend to be weak when I've spent my whole life trying to be strong and to fight?

Whatever acting skills I had, I really needed to pull it together to make this work. If our cover gets blown, especially because of me, we're going to be fucked, and honestly, we both know that was a major understatement.

Looking at him, we both nodded and proceeded to pick up our duffels and head out to the main gate, where we knew the Commander would be waiting for us.

Reaching the main gate, we both stopped in our tracks. There before us, none other than the head bitch in council, I mean Councilwoman Seraphine Vale.

She had to be in her mid-fifties, if not sixty, by now, with a sharp nose, whitish blonde hair, and eyes so dark brown they looked black.

Noticing us, she began to walk over, not even trying to hide the malicious smirk on her face.

“Well, well, children,” the words falling out of her mouth like poison while her fingers slid over Rowan’s shirt, “I see you're off on your mission. Just know that if you fail, the only place left for both of you is in the ground. But do enjoy your stay at Alpha Academy."

Winking at us, she turned and began sashaying her hips back towards the main compound building.

Visibly shuttering Rowan and I shook off that interaction. Sadly, it had been one of many over the years; she never particularly liked us.

I never understood whether she thought of us as a threat or whether our existence, in general, threatened her so much that our lives were bargaining chips.

Focusing my attention back on the main gate, there stood the armored car in all its glory. It was nothing like what Rowan and I had ridden in all those years ago.

It wasn't flimsy or barely held together; this was a thing of beauty.

Ignoring the Commander's attempts to get my attention, I run my fingers over the thick pieces of silver welded onto the truck's frame. Where the headlights were, it had the option to collapse and release a noxious gas full of wolfsbane—enough wolfsbane to take out at least five or six werewolves. I never hid the fact that these features were the only reason I ever got back into it, and I'm sure Rowan felt the same.

Turning my attention back towards Commander Rourke, his face looked as bright as his hair. Oops, he was mad mad. Trying to throw on my best charm,

"Commander, you know how I love these updated machines," I carried on. "After Vale spoke to me, I got distracted."

"Lyra, please, not today. Don't bullshit a bullshitter," he said while reaching out and grabbing me by the shoulders and marching me to the armored car or truck, whatever people wanted to call it these days.

Once inside, I set my duffel under the seat and buckled my seat belt. Feeling movement next to me, Rowan plopped down with a grin on his face.

Bursting out laughing, he punched me in the arm, "He just led you in here like a three-year-old. Haven't seen him do that in a long time."

Glaring at him like looks could kill, "Shut up, you know that bitch grinds my nerves every time I see her. She insists on using that weird mumble-jumble, riddle-type shit. It weirds me out."

He couldn't say anything else to that; he knew the bitch was weird from the first day we met her at six years old.

Commander Rourke finally came in holding a few folders in his hands. Sitting down in the seat facing towards us, he buckled his seat belt and seemed to get comfortable.

Looking up at us, I could tell he turned mission mode on, "Ok, kids," he gloated, "It's time to go to werewolf school."

Passing a folder to each of us, I sat back and realized that there's no turning back from here.

Looking out the window, the world began to move, giving me the last few glances I might ever have of Aurelia again.