Outcast Among Wolves

Barbara's Pov

The students clustered together in circles too tight for a newcomer to enter, their eyes dark and quick as they darted over me.

It was as though they could see down into the panicked fluttering of my heart. To me, it seemed that they all looked alike, not in any obvious way but in their shared perfection.

Every girl’s hair shone, whether worn down in a cascade past her shoulders or tied back in a prim, sleek bun. Every guy looked self-assured and strong.

Everybody wore the uniform, with the sweaters and skirts and blazers and trousers in all the acceptable variations: gray, red, plaid, black. The SilverMoon crest marked them all, and they wore the symbol as though they owned it. Confidence radiated from them, and superiority, and disdain. I could feel the heat leaching from me as I stood on the outskirts of the room, shifting from foot to foot. Nobody said hello.

The murmuring welled up again within an instant. Apparently gawky new girls weren’t worth more than a few moments of interest. My cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, because obviously I’d already done something wrong, even if I couldn’t guess what. Or did they already sense as I did that I didn’t really belong here?

An itch started under my skin and spread along my hands. My breathing deepened and my step turned forceful as old memories filtered back in.

“Poor thing.”

“Did you hear she's an orphan?”

“I heard she’s a charity case by her aunt and uncle.”

I shook those voices away and forged through. This time, I was determined to blend in. No one here knew that I was an Orphan, and unless they specifically searched me, they wouldn’t know.

Barbara Wilson was a new person.

“Everyone!”

The voice rang out, instantly shattering the noise into silence.

We all turned as one to the far end of the hallway, where Mr. Rivers, the headmaster, had stepped upon the podium.

He was a tall man, with thick dark hair he styled like someone from the 90’s. I couldn’t begin to guess his age.

As I saw him instantly, effortlessly claim command over this roomful of people, the same people who had shut me out by mutual, silent accord before I could even think what to say, I realized for the first time that Mr. Rivers had power. Not just the kind that came with being headmaster but real power, the sort that rises from within.

“Welcome to SilverMoon Academy.” He held out his hands. His nails were long and translucent. “Some of you have been with us before. Others will have heard about SilverMoon Academy for years, perhaps from your Packs and wondered if you would ever join our school. And we have other new students this year—the result of a change in our admissions policy. We think it’s time for our students to meet a wider range of people, from more varied backgrounds, to better prepare them for the world outside the school’s walls. Everyone here has much to learn from the other students, and I trust that you will all treat one another with respect.”

He might as well have spray-painted, in giant red letters, SOME OF YOU DON’T REALLY BELONG. I was part of the new policy — the unelite folks. In other words, I was an outcast.

“At SilverMoon, we do not treat students as children.” Mr. Rivers didn’t look at any one of us in particular; he seemed to look just over us, a distant kind of gaze that nonetheless took in everything within her field of view. “You have come here to learn how to function as adults in a twenty-first-century world, and that is how you will be expected to behave. That does not mean that SilverMoon Academy has no rules. Our position in this area requires that we maintain the strictest discipline. We expect a lot from you.”

He didn’t say what the repercussions would be for failure, but somehow I thought detention would be only the beginning.

My palms felt sweaty. My cheeks were getting flushed, and I probably stood out like a signal flare. I’d promised myself that I’d be strong and that I wouldn’t let the crowd get to me, but so much for promises. The high ceiling and walls of the great hall seemed to be closing in around me. It still felt like I couldn’t quite breathe.

Mr. Rivers concluded, “Classes will begin tomorrow. For today, get settled into your rooms. Meet new classmates. Learn your way around. We will expect you to be ready. We are glad to have you, and we hope that you will make the most of your time at SilverMoon Academy.”

Applause filled the room, and Mr. Rivers acknowledged it by smiling slightly. Then conversation rose up, even louder than before. There was only one person I wanted to talk to; just as well, since it looked like only one person might possibly be interested in talking to me.

I spotted a student who was avoiding the crowd by sneaking her way along the side pathway leading to the huge double doors. I noticed her because I was also contemplating the same path.

While I’d love to fit in, crowds caused that familiar itch to rise under my skin.

The loner’s skirt was bigger than mine. She was on the thick side but had the roundest, cutest features I’d seen on a girl my age. With her huge rounded eyes, plump lips and braided long brown hair, she almost looked like a child. And she was the first presence in this school that didn’t give me the ‘untouchable’ vibe.

I caught up to her and matched her fast-walking pace. “Good morning.”

Her head snapped my way, but she soon stared at her feet and tightened her grip on the strap of her messenger bag.

“I’m sorry.” I offered my most welcoming smile. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Perhaps she’s one of the new kids here, too, and felt intimidated.

“You shouldn’t be talking to me,” she whispered under her breath.

“Why not?”

She stared at me for the first time with eyes so green, they nearly sparkled like a tropical sea. “Wow. You have beautiful eyes.”

“T-thanks.” Her lips curved into a tentative smile as if she shouldn’t be doing the smiling thing. She kicked imaginary rocks as she spoke. “You’re too pretty, you shouldn’t be talking to the school’s outcast.”

“Outcast?” I echoed. If anyone here was an outcast, it was me. I was the only human in a school full of werewolves.

“There’s no such thing as an outcast. If I want to talk to you, I will.” I added with a smile. “Are you new here, too?”

She shook her head. “I’m a Sophomore.”

“Oh.”

Considering how she wasn’t in a horde of people, I assumed she was new. Perhaps her friends hadn’t arrived yet.

“Do you want me to show you around?” she asked in a tentative, small voice.

Aunt, Uncle, and I came for a tour during the summer, but I won’t refuse a chance to bond with my first potential friend.

“I'd appreciate that.” I interlinked my arm with hers and allowed her to begin the tour.