Three Idiots

Dahlia's POV

Hunger will make you do dumb things, like sneaking out of your dorm at midnight while your new roommate sleeps with her mouth open, snoring like a happy baby hippo.

I checked on her and found that Soraya was still drooling. Good. I slid on my hoodie, shoved my feet into my sneakers, and crept out like a prison escapee who had watched too many bad movies.

The halls were dead quiet. I had expected to see one or two students loitering, but it seemed to be my lucky day, because there was no one. Even the patrols weren't out on duty. Maybe they had been given the night off. I was alone with the hum of my stomach, which was writing its own sad soundtrack.

I knew exactly where I was going. The kitchen had this one guy, Gary. That wasn't his real name, but the name seemed to fit him, so that was what I called him in my head. Gary was a solid dude. He had seen me being bullied every time I tried to eat in the cafeteria, so he had decided to help by keeping food for me whenever I missed a meal.

I slipped in through the back and knocked twice. Gary opened the door with his eyebrows raised, as if to say, Really? Again? I shrugged. He handed me a food pack: bread, some meat, and a drink. It wasn't much, but at least it wasn't the stale chips from my backpack.

“Thanks, as always,” I said, even though he wasn't expecting it. Our only connection was the food, and I wasn't in the mood to pretend we were in some wholesome after-school special.

I left quickly. The last thing I wanted was to be caught in the open with food, since the wolves here could smell crumbs from fifty feet away.

I chose a deeper place to hide. I couldn't go back to my room because of Soraya. She would ask enough questions for four generations in one sitting, and I wasn't ready for that. I went past the lights, past the “safe” area, to a bare clearing under the moon. No one came here, and that was why I liked it.

I unwrapped the bread and took slow bites, chewing as though each piece were gold. I drank some water, took a deep breath, and leaned against the tree behind me.

That was when I felt the glow under my skin again, flickering as though it were alive and desperate to break free. I ignored it and pretended it was nothing. Then I heard something crack behind me. I snapped my head around and saw Kyren, Mr. Alpha Prince. The most popular guy on campus, out here in the dark? What the heck?

He was looking right at me, not saying a word, and I didn't speak either. Then he walked closer and sat down beside me as if we had planned a picnic. Suddenly his eyes changed. He looked as if he had seen something strange, or remembered something he wasn't supposed to.

That was enough drama for me, so I ran, still holding the half-eaten bread like it was my emotional support. I ran straight to my dorm, locked the door, and pressed my back against it for a while to calm my nerves before sliding under my duvet.

Morning came very fast.

“Dahlia! Wake up!” It was Soraya's loud, cheerful voice. I cracked one eye open and saw her standing over me, bouncing as though she had just drunk five energy drinks.

“Big news! The Howling Wolf event is coming up! You know, the biggest event in the school? Everyone's talking about it!”

“Congratulations,” I groaned.

She ignored my lack of spirit. “It's like an event. Music, challenges, the moon blessing… Everyone dresses up. It's magical.”

Magical, right? In my head I thought, Yeah, except I'm not a wolf. I don't have glowing eyes, I can't howl, and there are no magical fireworks for me. But I didn't say it out loud, because I didn't want to burst her bubble.

I stood up lazily, and we got dressed for school. Soraya was already planning her outfit for the event, her hair, and how her glow would look in the moonlight. She talked nonstop all the way to class.

Meanwhile, my brain was in another dimension. Why had Kyren's eyes gone wide last night? What had he seen in me?

Was it the black glow?

Or… was it the system?

The question dug into me like a thorn that wouldn't let go.

The class we were taking was Moon Phase Combat Strategies. A combined subject for juniors and seniors. Basically, it teaches how to fight better depending on how big or moody the moon feels that night, because apparently werewolves are just walking lunar calendars with anger issues.

Soraya and I walked in and found seats at the back. The teacher wasn't in class yet. He was probably out there charging his mystical moon battery or whatever.

Soraya leaned in and whispered, “Why do people here stare so much? It's creepy. Like, eye contact is one thing, but this is… stalker energy.”

I smirked. “They're not staring at you because you're mysterious. They're staring because they can't figure out why you're friends with me, the school's favorite punchline.”

Her face fell. “That's stupid.”

“Yeah, welcome to Northmont High,” I said, leaning back. 

He walked in right after my last sentence. Kyren, the Alpha Prince. Tall, quiet, dressed as though he had stepped out of an expensive brooding catalogue. He didn't even look around; he came straight to my row and sat down next to me, as if there weren't twenty other seats in the room.

Soraya's eyes flicked back and forth between us like she wandered onto the live set of a romance drama.

Meanwhile, I was busy trying not to burst into flames, because why the hell would he choose to sit with me out of all the seats in the class? Neither of us spoke throughout the lesson, but I caught him glancing at me every now and then.

Have you ever tried to focus on something while a six-foot problem is breathing next to you and occasionally looking at you as if he's trying to solve the world's hardest riddle? Yeah. Now you get the gist, and it's definitely not fun.

Of course, his actions didn't go unnoticed. In the third row above ours sat the star girl.

Lunara. The Academy's crowned queen of perfect hair and fake niceness. Her smile could make Lycans buy her lunch, and her glare could curdle milk. She had been aiming that perfect little smile at Kyren for a long time, and here he was, sitting next to me.

Lunara's eyes cut across the room, slicing through me like butter. If looks could kill, I would have been dead already.

The lecture ended, and people started filing out. That was when I saw Lunara lean against her desk, pull out her phone, and tap out a message.

Her crew, three guys who thought they were God's gift to intimidation, were lounging by the door. She handed one of them something thick enough to say, I want her bones broken, but make it fashionable.

I didn't need a mind link to know who “her” was.

By the time I made it out of the building, the guys were already behind me, keeping just enough distance to pretend they were going their own way.

[HOSTILES DETECTED. SYSTEM RECOMMENDS DIVERSION TO LOW-VISIBILITY TERRAIN.]

I translated the system's advice as: Lead these idiots into the woods.

Fine.

I adjusted my bag, turned down a side path, and headed toward the dark tree line as if I were taking the scenic route home.

Their footsteps followed.