The next day the academy was dead quiet. But unlike the other students, who were fortunate enough to remain in bed and catch up on sleep, the library was open, and I was supposed to start working. We didn’t get back to our rooms until seven. Ariah suggested hanging out in Celeste’s room, but I turned her down so I could take a shower instead. I knew she wasn’t keen on spending time in our room after what I saw. I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping in our room, either. After taking a long, scalding hot shower, I stopped by the cafeteria for a large coffee and two bacon croissants. I finished my food and then headed for the library. I barely rounded the corner of the hallway where the library was located and stopped dead in my tracks, whimpering under my breath. “Not again.” Right there, in the middle of the hallway, stood a giant, ghostly wolf sniffing the air. “Miss Woods?” a sharp tone pierced the silence, and I jerked around, finding Humphrey standing behind
Things went back to normal as they could the following day at a school for wolves. Well, except for me and Ariah, who both hadn’t slept a wink. We kept rolling around in our beds, jumping up for every tiny sound, from a branch scraping against the window to someone moving outside in the hallway. By two, we both gave up sleeping and played cards until the sun came up. By then, we were drowsy, giving in to sleep, only to be jarred awake by our bedside alarm. “We can’t go on like this,” Ariah yawned, stretching out her arms above her head. “We have to do something.” I stifled my yawn, kicking my legs over the side of the bed. “What do you reckon we can do?” “I don’t know,” she sighed. “Can you see her now?” I shook my head. “I hadn’t seen her again since the last time.” “Was it the first time you saw her?” she asked. I had told Ariah about my encounter with Humphrey and that, according to her, I had the ability to see the dead. She thought it was the coolest thing ever. I didn’t. W
Our first physical training class was nothing like I expected. I assumed it would involve tossing each other balls and jogging around the gym. You know, your standard gym class. Never in a million years did I expect what our physical training teacher said next. “Good morning, students.” The teacher, a short, stout lady with long silver hair and gray eyes, sought out Katie and me among the crowd of students. “As you might already be aware, we have two new students in our mists.” She offered us a quick smile. “I’m Mrs. Krane, for all intents and purposes.” Both Katie and I nodded in acknowledgment, and she went on. “Today, is your lucky day. We’ll be practicing the most important aspect of being a child of the moon. How to transform and keep the beast under control whilst doing it.” A few students squealed with excitement, while others groaned out their dismay. Katie’s hand shot up. “Yes, uh?” Mrs. Krane turned her attention on Katie. “Katie,” she replied. “So, you mean how to tur
I kept my eyes closed, painting a picture in my mind’s eye of my wolf form, as instructed by Mrs. Krane. Except, I was having a hard time. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't picture my own wolf, except for the ones I’d already seen. Elijah’s. Or the ghostly wolves I’ve seen roaming the hallways. Apparently, you’re supposed to conjure your wolf from thought. I had not the faintest clue how I was going to pull this off. I wasn’t precisely the imaginative or creative type, and in this lesson, I was starting to think this was an essential quality to have if you ever wanted to make it as a werewolf. Elijah, however, had transformed over ten times already within the past hour while he spent the remaining time focused on me, trying to encourage me. “You know, to turn, you actually need to breathe, Hails.” I snorted a laugh, opening my eyes to find him grinning at me. “Breathe,” he nodded. “You don’t want to pass out. You can’t transform if you’re lying on the floor unconscious.” T
“Katie, are you sure you’re okay? Maybe we should go see the nurse?” Celeste asked by the door of the toilet cubicle, which vacated both Katie and Ariah. Katie hunkered down in front of the toilet and threw up while Ariah sat next to her and rubbed her back. Ariah shot us a concerned look. “This started during physical? Maybe the change is taking a negative toll on her.” “She told me she’s been feeling nauseous since before the class. In English, right, Katie?” Celeste asked. Katie held up her thumb, nodding, then continued to dry-heave over the toilet. The bathroom door flung open, and Nate stepped in, locking the door behind him. “Nate! You’re not supposed to be in here!” Ariah snapped at him. He huffed, dropping his backpack on the counter by the sink, and unzipped it. “None of you have anything I haven’t seen. And it’s not like I’m into girls, so there's that too.” “You’re still not allowed in here.” Celeste snorted. “Whatever. What’s the rush, Nate?” “I’ve got five let
“Perfect!” Celeste’s eyes met mine in the mirror. She was standing behind me, working through my hair with a fine-tooth hairbrush. She had straightened my hair and styled it to hang freely down my back. “It’s shiny,” I replied. “How did you do that?” “If you stick around at the party, I’ll share with you my hair secret. It’s a family recipe.” “I’m definitely interested. My hair has never looked this good before. Thank you, I love it.” She grinned at me. “You’re so welcome.” I reached for the tube of lipstick and applied it. It was a tone lighter than the shade of my lips and had a glossy sheen to it. Followed by dabbing my lashes with black mascara, then I was done. I stood up, giving one final look in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect. I was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a lacy black top, paired with black ballet-style flats—sponsored by Celeste. I’ve never worn nice clothes like this before, and I wasn’t going to lie, I actually felt pretty for once. “I o
Elijah shrugged himself out of Valerie's hold and stepped in beside me. “I wasn’t going to your party,” he replied coldly. “I came over to ask Hailey if she wanted to hang out.” The color drained from Valerie’s face, but her fake, stiff smile didn’t falter. “Oh, really, huh?” When her eyes flicked my way, I couldn't help but gulp nervously, thinking what she plotted next for her revenge. I could almost see my demise unfolding inside her eyes as she glared at me. It took her a long moment to work her mouth, her eyes not moving from me. “Her? But you know I throw the best parties here. Everyone’s going.” “Not everyone,” Elijah replied stiffly. “I’m definitely not going.” “Well, telling from all the poor effort Hailey put into her outfit, she was planning to go.” Valerie’s cold eyes worked their way down my body, then back up. “Looking at her, even if she had money in her reach, she wouldn’t even be able to put a decent outfit together. Poor thing.” “Well, at least she doesn’t look
By the time we wove our way through the tree-cloaked pathway toward the beach, I knew something was really wrong. My heart became loud inside my ears, and my skin was too hot and tight for my body. My throat was dry, and I kept swallowing to keep it moisturized. I was starting to worry that I had breathed in that potion, and I kept checking my arms to see if its effects could be seen on my skin. “Something's wrong with me,” I said to Elijah, who suddenly went ghostly quiet. “Yep.” It was a short reply, his voice so thick it almost sounded like he was choking. I stopped walking, realizing he was the closest to the potion when it crashed to the floor. No doubt, if it had affected me, it must have affected him even more. “Elijah, are you okay?” He stopped walking, remaining dead still as he stared at the beach in the distance. You could see the massive bonfire from here, in the dark, wooded area where we stood. You could hear shouting, laughter, and music, and it almost felt like we