Three

GRAYSON

I've always had the feeling that things don’t always work the way I want them to, that my entire being was being controlled, and that I couldn't do anything about it. I hated the fact that I had to transfer from my old school to a new one. I was transferred because of an incident in which I had no involvement.

A male student attempted suicide. He didn’t succeed, but he did end up in a coma, and without a proper investigation,  I was accused of pushing him. I was expelled and ordered not to leave the house or travel until it was too late.

It was later discovered that he committed the crime on his own initiative. 

No matter how much they apologized, it was too late to remove the stigma from my name, so I was told to transfer schools or study outside of the country, which I initially declined but later accepted. I had to restart my life, get a new apartment, meet new people, and make new friends, which was difficult for me. Starting from scratch was difficult and I hated it. 

I was so engrossed with my thoughts that I accidentally ran into someone. I opened my mouth to apologize to her but was surprised by what came out of my mouth.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going, loser,” I said as I walked past her without looking back to see if she was okay. I knew I’d made a mistake, but why should I care about a weakling like her who couldn’t even endure a small bump, and what was she thinking not to avoid me when I was approaching? Also, what the hell was that expression on her face when she fell? Was she trying to appear pitiful? 

She was a werewolf, and one fall would not kill her. She was a weakling, and a weakling like her would be entertainment for me during my stay here unless he decides to change everything again.

I had registered for my classes in right on time for the first class, but I didn’t feel like going. Starting over meant enrolling as a freshman, attending the same classes, and learning the same things I had previously learned. I wasn’t in the mood to take those classes again. I decided to walk to a nearby cafe.

“Welcome to Delight Cafe. May I take your order, Sir?” A waitress came over as soon as I sat in a chair near the window.

“Can I get warm blood? Normal temperature.”

“Yes sir, warm blood coming right away,” she said as she wrote my order on her pad and walked away.

I looked out the window and kept thinking about why I quit, why my father had to leave, and why I had accepted. If I had defied his orders and decided to stay, he would have erased all memories by killing everyone who was involved in some way.

I didn’t want to be the cause of a bloodbath. I was repulsed by the sight of blood. I was sick of seeing human and werewolf blood and watching vampires burn to ashes. I had to go through all of that because I was told it would help me get stronger, but it only made me sick and tired.

“Here's your order, sir,” the waitress said, breaking my train of thought.

“Thank you,” I said before sipping from the warm blood. I had almost forgotten everything I had planned when the alarm jolted me to the fact that I was late for school. I wasn’t interested in the classes, but I was interested in the students and seeing who I could make friends with to help me set up my new apartment and settle into this new town called Roseville.

I arrived at class just in time for the next class, and luckily for me, the teacher wasn’t yet there. I quickly adjusted myself and raised my head to check my surroundings and where I would sit when my gaze met hers. Those blue eyes were looking back at me. She had the same expression on her face as when I ran into her. Those eyes were sad, but they were also intriguing. I was drawn in by those eyes. Before I could assess her further, she averted her gaze and began conversing with her friends.

I found her interesting and entertaining to mess with, and I needed to get close to her to do so. I smiled as I put my headphones in my ear and walked to the far end of the class. I chose to listen to my favorite song, ‘Inception’, by the Korean band Ateez. Someone slammed their hands on my table just as it was about to get to my favorite part of the song. I smiled as I detected her pheromones. I had expected to be the one to make the first move, but seeing her do it first made me smile.

‘This will be fun,’ I thought to myself as I took off my headphones and stood up to face her.

“Do you remember me?” She questioned. “From earlier today in the hallway?”

Her angry eyes piqued my interest, and I wanted to see more. I was curious about what else she could do and what she was made of. The best way to achieve this was to aggravate her.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know who you are. Do I have to remember everyone I met in the hallway today? If you expect me to, you must be a clown,” I said with a smile on my face.

“You asshole! You bumped into me earlier without apologizing, and then you dared to insult me and lie about it," she said as she gripped my neck.

I couldn’t stop smiling because she fascinated me. This was the type of girl who piqued my interest, not the weaklings who surrounded me. I needed a challenge, and it appeared she would be the one to provide it.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“That's enough, Chloe. The lecturer will arrive any minute now, and you don’t want to get in trouble on your first day of school. After all, he’s not worth getting into trouble over. He's obviously trouble, so please stop,” said the blonde girl behind her.

“Listen to that little birdie over there.” My eyes turned from brown to red this time. Her anger excited me, and I wanted to devour her.

The entire class had gathered around to watch the event unfold in front of them; some had even brought out their phones to record and take pictures of us.

“Enough, Chloe. If a lecturer walks in, you will be held responsible. Your hands are around his neck, and his hands are by his sides. What happened in the hallway was between the two of you. No lecturers were present, and no one will believe you. So stop it right now,” the guy next to her said.

With that, she removed her hands from my neck and clothes before returning to her seat, murmuring. Because the show was now over, the other students did the same. Before sitting in my chair, I adjusted my shirt and rested my hand on my chin. As I stared at her, I laughed.

“Chloe, Chloe, Chloe. What a lovely name for someone who will make my stay worthwhile. As long as I’m here, I’m going to make her miserable. This will be fun.”

“LET THE FUN BEGIN.”