Chapter 5

The day was excessively bright and I wondered if it had something to do with the weird meetings that would be taking place today.

Yesterday, I slept off without Evelyn and when I woke up this morning she was gone. She was avoiding me. 

Is it a crime to be normal? I asked myself and shrugged it off. 

I groomed myself and tried to get settled. When it was about 1 pm, I left the dorm and decided to take a stroll around. 

Not long after I had ventured out, I realized that I made the wrong choice. The whole citadel was in a frenzy. Students trooped out en masse from their dorms, they were in a mad rush. I guess their meetings start at 1 pm.

From where I stood, I sighted a large court in the yonder and I maneuvered my way down. 

When I got to the court, I realized that it was a football court. I retired therein and tried to maintain my cool.

I had just spent a few minutes in the court when I heard my name, "Pearl Shelby, you are summoned to Mrs. Hopkins's office."

I turned around to fix the direction of the voice. It was an announcement from a loudspeaker.

When I couldn't detect where the voice was coming from, I gave up and did as instructed. I wondered if I was being watched.

I knocked carefully and made my way into Mrs. Hopkins's office.

"You were not at the dining hall for breakfast," Mrs. Hopkins said, dissuading my greetings.

"I wasn't hungry," I responded.

"I saw you loitering around the football court, why weren't you engaged?" She asked and I looked at her blatantly. Isn't it obvious? What am I supposed to do?

"Yea, you are a normin but since I paired you up with the wolves you should join them," Mrs. Hopkins said bluntly.

"But…I am not like them," I stuttered.

"No buts!" Mrs Hopkins yelled and I flinched.

"Now get going," she ordered and I bolted out of the office angrily.

I stood at the walkway, not knowing where to turn. There was no student in sight, the mad rush had stopped. I sighed in frustration and gave up.

Just as I turned around to return to my dorm, Mrs. Hopinks' voice came out strong again.

"Pearl Shelby, you are going to the Hall of the big Cats, turn right." 

I jumped as I was startled at the suddenness of the voice. How was she doing this? I had checked earlier, there was no single camera on the premises. Well, the answer wasn't far-fetched, she is leading this pack of crazy aberrations, she can't be normal.

I followed her direction and soon I was standing in front of a hall with the inscription, 'The Hall Of The Big Cats.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I walked in. It was like a large classroom. A man whom I presumed to be a lecturer was standing on the raised platform in front of the class.

"Why do we have an uninvited guest, she seemed wolfless!" The man said. He adjusted his glasses and continued to look at me while I bowed slightly.

The students turned around to look at me. "She isn't only wolfless, she is a normin," one of the students yelled.

"A normin!? No way! We don't want an outcast! Be gone from us!" They yelled in unison and began to throw things at me.

"I…I…" I stuttered endlessly not knowing what to say.

They arose one after the other and closed in on me. They jeered me here and there and tried to push me out.

 I yelled in panic but my voice was drowned in their cries. I lost my balance and fell. Afraid of being trampled, I tried to rise to my feet but I couldn't. Instead, I squatted and raised my arms up in defense.

They pressed against me and hit me hard while I continued to yell.

"Stop!!!" Someone yelled and bolted out of the group. 

I felt an arm around me and then the other arm drew me in. I was shielded from the batterings by another body. 

"Stop!" The voice ordered again. 

To my uttermost surprise, the hitting and battering ceased. The crowd thronged backwards and mumbling continued, "We don't want a normin!"

"Are you okay?" The one who held me against his hard chest asked.

I was too shocked to speak but I muttered incoherently, "Mrs Hopkins told me to join the class… the.. big cats…I" 

"It's alright now," he said and tilted my chin up.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to look into his but at that moment, every movement stopped. Time froze and my visions stole in.

 I saw an inferno and right beside it was a man, his face was hidden and I couldn't identify him. He had a strange similitude about him. His eyes were blood red and his teeth were long. Two of his front teeth were overy long, I think they looked like fangs. He held a woman bound and dug his fangs into her neck. Few minutes later, he yelled in ecstasy as he cleaned the blood on his lips and dumped the woman's lifeless body into the fire.

He walked away and sat on a throne. "Bring her to me!" He yelled.

 Two people yielded his command, they dragged a woman forward. At a closer look, I realized that I was the one who was being dragged.

The vision cleared away and time resumed its course.

 I blinked hard and took in my immediate surroundings. I was still in the classroom at Hopkins, right in my savior's arms.

I must have passed out during the visions as my savior was shaking me vigorously.

"I am fine," I managed to sound un-startled and tried to wiggle my way out of his hold but he did not let me go.

 He sniffled my scent repeatedly and muttered, "Bloody human."

 He flared his nostrils just like the guy in my vision. While I considered his actions, my visions took over again. This time, I saw the same guy I had seen in my previous vision. He sniffled my scent and buried his head in my neck. He made some guttural noises and buried his fang in my neck. He was sucking away my blood when the vision cleared away.

Time resumed and I realized that I was still held in the arms of my savior. His face was buried in my neck and he was sniffing my scent. I pushed out of his hold but he did not budge.

"Mrs. Hopkins sent her, we should allow her to stay," he declared and finally let me go.

"Why must we harbor a normin? There are other faculties." The students murmured as they returned slowly to their seats.

"Easy!" My savior whispered as he pulled me up. Once I was on my feet, I jerked my hands from his hold and I flinched.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he directed me towards a seat.

He took his seat beside me and I froze. His touch had elicited my visions. Although I couldn't figure out the man in my vision, I am sure that he was the one. 

 My visions are always about the one who elicited it. And what was that? A blood-sucking monster and I am one of his targets? I reasoned.

"Are you listening?" He said and I jumped on my feet.

"Oh… I mean I am sorry…I mean, I am still startled…" I replied and focused on the projections on the board.

"It's understandable," he said gently whilst I ignored him and fixed my gaze on the board.

The class was still rowdy as the students were yet to quiet down. None of the terms that were displayed on the board made sense to me but one caught my attention, 'The Moon Goddess'.