Enter, Lycans

By the time Hannah and I had found another parking space there was no time to drop my books off at my locker, so, they all ended up coming with me to our start of term assembly. We are late, but we manage to make it to the auditorium just in time for the beginning of our Principal, Mr Hales’ speech.

Principle Hales is an older werewolf, and let’s just say the years haven’t been kind to him. He doesn’t have any Expansion battle scars like most of the Were’s of his age in our pack. No, you can tell he hasn’t got a warrior’s bone in his body. He is a pure academic, dressed head to toe in neutral coloured tweed and corduroy, with a snooty face that has been weathered over the years by nothing more than insolent students. He scowls at us as we enter the hall, an ice-cold glare. So, we creep as quietly as we can up the bleachers and find some free space in the back to sit.

“Good morning, everyone,” Principle Hales begins, clasping his hands together. “I hope you have all had productive summers and are returning to this fine institution prepared and ready for another year full of insightful learning and self-improvement,” his harsh voice booms. “We have some fresh faces in school this year; I’m sure you will all join me in wishing them a warm welcome to United Lands High” he adds with a nod towards the front row somewhere.

There is a buzz of whispering amongst the students at this - everyone has heard the rumours about the Lycans joining school this year and the air is filled with trepidation. It is exciting of course, but there is a certain feeling of anxiety when one realises that we, the werewolves, are no longer the deadliest beings in this school… not by a long shot.

They are here, in this room, somewhere – I can feel it, I expect we can all feel it, even though they are more than likely suppressing their auras. Their presence demands respect, and the intimidating aura they give off is palpable when you’re in the same room as just one Lycan, never mind five.

The principal finishes his speech with talks of the improvements the school has made to facilities over the summer, changes to room numbers, additional funding for projects and such, and finally, a piece about how we are all one family and must treat each other with kindness and respect, always.

Yeah, right. Tell that to The Populars – the group of self-proclaimed most important and desirable wolves at this school, but really, they’re just the offspring of some of the truly important members of our pack. Bridget Marshall is the Beta Female’s daughter, Miarna Frances is the Gamma’s daughter, and Sienna and Callie Harrison are the pack hospital Consultant Physician’s twin daughters. Then you’ve got Darius Rivera, of course, our future Alpha; Mateo Diaz is the Beta Male’s youngest son, Darius best friend and future beta; Aldrick and Willhelm Frances, the Gamma’s sons, Miarna's younger brothers by just 10 months. The Frances twins and the Harrison twins are together, like, together together. I know right? What in the Hills Have Eyes is that all about?

And then finally, you’ve got Brandon Mayers. He is the top male warrior of our age and really is insanely strong considering he doesn’t have ranked blood - he came from the pack I was born in, Redwood Valley, but his mother submitted just like Hannah’s did, for the good of The Expansion. Helen Chan-Jones and Brandon’s mother are friends, and as far as The Populars go, he’s the only one with any decency, in my opinion.

The students around us start to pick up their belongings and head off to their first classes. My eye, however, is captured by the group of very tall and broad students at the front as they stand and talk to the principal. I consider them all for a moment, becoming increasingly amazed by each of their presences before realising that it’s them, the Lycans, and there are five of them.

I try to discern whether Silver-Blues is amongst them, but they all have their back to me, so I survey the backs of their bodies the best I can.

There are two girls and three boys, and they all seem to be very tall and athletic in appearance. The girls are a complete contrast of each other: one warm brown skinned with shoulder-length, dark, wavy hair; the other has light tan skin and off-white blonde hair that travels pin-straight down her back to sit in her waist.

The first boy is the shortest, but still somewhere around 6ft 4in, so not really short at all. He is fair skinned and has his strawberry blonde hair styled up in a man bun. The second has short, light, russet-brown hair, and I can see he has a tattoo creeping up his neck and small spacers in both ears. The third is the tallest, he must be at least 6ft 6in, and has darker, ashy-brown hair. Its shorter at the back and sides and longer on top.

“Is it them?” Hannah whispers to me, suddenly pulling me back to the present.

“Uh, I’m not sure. I need to see their faces,” I mutter back. “I remember one quite clearly, if I could just get a look…” I reply, my mind wandering to the memory of that day at the orphanage.

“Oh really? He must have been handsome, ey!” She says with a wink and a nudge of my arm.

I can’t help it; her suggestion makes me snort with laughter, and some of my books slip from my arms and go tumbling down the bleachers, loudly. The students that are left in the hall all stop and turn to look for the source of the echoing racket. I can feel my cheeks quickly turning pink as I hear some sniggers coming from remaining students as they watch my attempts to fumble around gathering the nearest books as quickly as possible. Hannah helps me, sharing the load of my books whilst I move to go and pick up the ones that fell down to the front.

I look down to the lower level to see my last two books are already in the large, calloused hands of someone else.

My eyes peel up his body: his white t-shirt clings tightly to his strong, muscular chest and the seams are strained against his substantial, flexed biceps as he holds up my books, inspecting them. His face is otherworldly; it is just the most beautifully crafted face I have ever laid eyes on. His bone structure – chiselled. His lips – plump. His eyes – silvery blue iris’ glinting and enveloped in dark, thick lashes.

Wait.

Just as I realise what, or who, I am looking at, his gaze lifts from my books to meet mine. Silver-Blues, meet Forest-Greens.

Moons. It’s him. It’s really him. Silver-Blues is here.

We stay like this for a moment, each just staring at the other transfixed. My mouth is slightly parted in shock and I feel it drying up with anxiety, and yet, I can’t pull my eyes away from his.

Shit. Crap. Pants. What do I do?

I am frozen to the spot. Moons I must look like an idiot.

After what seems like an eternity but almost surely isn’t, he smiles a crooked smile at me, revealing a perfect set of pearly whites with two slightly too long canines. I gasp quietly as a flock of butterflies erupts in my belly and the hairs of my body all stand on end, and as he opens his mouth to say something, I do something truly quite silly.

I panic, and I run.

I hear Hannah call after me as I run out of the main building aimlessly, dodging and barging my way through and around other students.

What on earth am I doing? I have no clue.

All I know is I have never had that feeling before. Even when I was with Samson last year, it was never really anything like that. As if the shock of actually seeing the very Lycan that has been invading my dreams sporadically for nearly half of my life wasn’t enough, he smiled at me, and it caused a feeling I’ve never truly had before. Those butterflies, the goose bumps.

I’m running away for now, but really, I hope I see him again soon.