Chapter 1 - Troy

This is part one, Troy’s story.

~Troy’s Point of View~

“Here’s your registration, class schedule and house assignment. You are in the Bailey house, it’s out the main door about a quarter mile up the path. Welcome to NASA,” the clerk said, eyeing me with curiosity. Her lip curled a bit and her eyes squinted, not happy with her assessment of me.

I inhaled her foul odor, diet high in fats, sugar and indulgence. I pushed myself to keep a neutral face.

“Thanks, appreciate it,” I said, taking the packet and turning to walk out faster than necessary. I had to consciously think about my movements around others and it was seriously a hard thing to remember to do.

It was a blessing and curse to be able to sense literally everything, I still couldn’t always control my reaction to it. I got outside of the administration building and took a deep breath of fresh air. Literally hundreds of scents, some good, some putrid. I wasn’t used to all this hustle and bustle. 

I quickly took notice of some females jogging past, their ponytails whipping to the sides, their breasts bouncing. Hmm, maybe this place wasn’t so bad. I quickly moved to stop one.

“Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Bailey house,” I asked, giving her my best smile. She smelled like baby powder and cheese, weird combination.

The female turned to look at me and batted her eyelashes, blushing a bit. Didn’t do much for me but I imagined she was cute by normal she-wolf standards. She eyed me curiously, there was the wondering look, trying to figure me out. Unfortunately, she wasn’t perceptive enough to question me on it.

“Sure! I’m not far from there. You’re going to go on that path there, until you see the Madison house. That’s me! Then make a right, you’ll pass the science building then the path goes to the left and you’re a little ways down,” she beamed.

She seemed beyond proud of herself for being able to relay such a complicated directive. I wanted to pat her on the head but I knew I had to work on not being patronizing. She began to eye my tattoos and I knew it was more than time to move on.

“Thanks, enjoy your run,” I said, pointing to the females that hadn’t bothered to wait for her. 

“Hope to see ya around blue eyes,” she said, obviously flirting.

I didn’t bother to answer, I just turned to follow the path. I wasn’t here for pussy, I had to keep that front and center in my thoughts at all times. But man, this place was going to test every possible ounce of my restraint.

I finally found the house and like I normally did before entering an unfamiliar building, I stood outside and tried to take stock of my surroundings. Scents, sounds … how many heartbeats were inside. Hm, none at the moment.

I tried the door and it was unlocked. No scents out of the ordinary, I must have been the first here. I was anxious to know how many others I’d have to share the house with so the first thing I did was count bedrooms. Four. All right, could be worse. Some students had to live in dorms, there was no way in hell I could do that. I was sure once the registrar read my application they knew I couldn’t just live in the normal population. 

There was nothing indicating whose rooms were whose and they all looked around the same. Two on each side of the second floor. I chose the one at the far end of the right side and wheeled my suitcase behind me. I sat on the bed and looked around, and immediately felt caged in. I rarely lived indoors, I didn’t need to. Cold, heat, hurricane, blizzard. None of it phased me.

I threw myself back against the bed, it was soft. Too nice for me. But I had to make this work, I had to suppress the urge to blow out of here. I’d made promises, I’d sworn to do all the right things, go through the motions. An opportunity like this, for someone like me just didn’t come along everyday. I didn’t want to live in the shadows forever but it was what I knew. It was my safety blanket, to ensure everyone around me stayed safe too.

I shot up when I heard a door open. I inhaled deeply, getting a citrusy smell, not too strong, kind of clean. A shifter, but what kind? I wasn't scared, I didn't get scared of anyone else.

There was only one creature on this planet that horrified the shit outta me. I got to my feet and looked in the mirror, the reflection was that of what terrified me down to my bones. I smoothed back my hair a bit and fixed the collar of my button down shirt. You can do this. You don't have a choice.

I opened my door and wandered down the hall. I came to a stop in the common area that overlooked the bottom of the house. I was leaning over the railing as my eyes landed on a male shifter. But there was more. He had a secret, just like me. I blinked and suddenly, he was in front of me. I was a bit stunned but not afraid.

“Hey there mate, I’m Jesse,” he said, dropping his bag and sticking out his hand.

He had a huge smile, and seemed way too chipper. But I grinned, and shook his hand.

“I’m Troy,” I said, still trying to figure him out. Magic, definitely. 

He wasn’t too tall, about five inches shorter than me so just under six feet. He had long blonde hair, obviously spent a lot of time in the sun. He had weird tribal looking tattoos that seemed interesting. He had purple eyes, which I hadn’t even known was possible. But then again, everything about this school was the impossible. 

“Nice pile of bricks here. I guess it’s just us so far,” he asked, looking around. 

“Yeah I didn’t know if there were assigned rooms but I just picked one,” I said, pointing down the hall. 

He was obviously Australian, not that I’d ever met one before. But there was still something else about him, what he radiated I couldn’t figure it out. I’d never felt it before.

“I reckon they’re putting all of us weirdos in the same house. You think that’s smart or a recipe for disaster,” he said, smirking at me.  

Yeah if he was something “other” like I was, he’d know. Did he know what I was?

“Just have to wonder if there’s a female house like ours,” he laughed, turning to go pick a room. 

I shook my head, as I suddenly wondered the same thing. Temptation was something I couldn’t have, I couldn’t give in. I had to stay away from it at all costs. I was here to learn. I stood for a few minutes listening to Jesse mumbling to himself. 

This was going to be the first time I’d lived with humans outside of my parents. While they obviously knew what I was, it was still a delicate balancing act to be normal around them. Say and do all the right things. Act right, by that I mean like a human or even a normal shifter. 

Restraint was a hard lesson they’d almost died trying to knock into me. Now I was going to be under a roof with others like me that maybe didn’t have a level of control, and we all had teenage hormones and tempers too. What could go wrong? 

“Nice place,” I heard from below. 

My whole body froze and a territorial growl erupted from deep within. The kind of guttural warning to anyone around that only one of us was about to be standing. A hand was suddenly on me, Jesse.

“It’s all right mate,” he said quickly.

I flicked his hand off me, no one … no one touches me and lives to tell about it. But we both knew that if he hadn’t done that I’d be slashing the throat of whatever abomination just walked in. 

Death. 

I gripped the railing, nearly crumbling the wood beneath my fingers. The wicked stench of sulfur crept into my nose and suddenly Jesse was beneath me, greeting the creature.

“Ryan,” the thing said, flicking his black eyes up at me. 

He was as tall as me, as mean looking as me for sure. He had short cut black hair and almost reddish skin. He radiated dominance and by the looks of it, could burn this place down with just his eyes.

It was extremely rare for a creature to instantly know what I was, and it often takes one to know one. We weren’t the same but our lifestyles certainly were and that was going to be a big problem to have under the same roof.

“Right then! So that’s Troy up there. Should be one more bloke about, if you wanna take one of the rooms at the left we’ve already taken the right,” Jesse said, trying to lighten the mood. 

“Sure,” Ryan said, moving without taking his eyes off me for a second.

I didn’t move, I couldn’t. My body demands to always know where threats are at all times. Never take your eyes off them for a second. But once he got halfway up the stairs I couldn’t trust myself to be that close and I zipped right down the hall and into my room, instantly shutting the door.

One. Two. Three. Just breathe. Too much is at stake.