“How do you talk to the huntress?” I asked, trailing after Ariah. She was showing me around and getting me acquainted with everyone. People were mostly friendly, but no one passed an opportunity to ask about my mark. Hopefully, by next week people would have grown used to it and forgotten about it. It was getting tiresome to explain the same thing, over and over again. No one seemed to come to grips with the fact that I had no clue why mine was the way it was. If anything, I’d like some answers too. “You tap into the spiritual realm. It’s quite a process, so I can’t just explain it to you. In separate lessons, you will be taught how to, most likely, since we already covered it at the beginning of the year. They always do that with new pups. Catch them up on the essentials in separate lessons, most of the time, with the headmistress.” “I see.” I didn’t know how I felt about extra classes since, from what I’ve seen, my schedule was going to be packed as it is. “This is the girl’s c
Ariah parted ways with me before lunchtime, informing me she promised one of the teachers she’d help him with something. I agreed to meet up later with her, Nate and Celeste, making my way up a flight of stairs toward the library. I wanted to find the book of the divine, among things, to see if I could learn anything about my mark or the meaning of it. I scarcely rounded the corner where the library was, spotting a sign that said: Be back in an hour. I sighed, falling back against a wall, contemplating what I could do next. I didn’t know how long an hour would be, considering there wasn’t a time stating when it was written. I didn’t want to go back to my room because I have virtually nothing there to keep me occupied. Maybe this would be a good time for me to drop in by June and see what there was that I could use for my side of the room? As I stretched out my arms, yawning and turning back the way I came when low voices behind me drew my attention. “I told you to leave me alone,
Katie’s big silver eyes sparkled as she peered around our table with anticipation. “Elijah says one of you is new here as well?” I offered her a small wave. “That would be me.” She stuck out her hand to me. “Hi, I’m so glad I’m not the only one.” I awkwardly shook it, noticing Nate hiding a smirk behind his palm. “Honestly, I’m glad too. But unfortunately, because of my mark, I stick out like a sore thumb.” “Worse than a sore thumb,” Nate supplied. I sputtered a laugh. “Yeah, thanks.” “Are you born into the club or specially hand-picked from the planet of norm?” Celeste asked. Katie smiled. “Born and bred.” “Born and bred?” Nate wiggled his brows. “No offense to you, but why do they always say born and bred? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?” Celeste choked on her milkshake. “Nate, bred, as in raised, not the other bred you're thinking of.” “You mean produced? Made? Formed—” “Good gracious, Nate, you need to get laid. Your mind is in the gutter,” Ariah snorted.
Elijah didn’t stay much longer after, claiming he had some guardian business to tend. I hoped he’d make better progress regarding finding information about the mark on my neck than I have thus far. It would have helped a great deal if I knew more about this world I now find myself bound to. A sad tug inside my chest was hard to ignore each time I thought of my parents. A big part of me hoped my dad would reason with my mom, or maybe bother to call me, or send a message at the least. I haven't heard a thing from them since Mom dumped me at that train station. I gathered my things, about to leave, when my eyes caught the small sign that said the library was hiring assistants. I remembered Ariah—or was it Celeste?—mentioning it. It was getting hard for me to keep up with everything, but I couldn’t wait to get a job. I needed to take care of myself, even if I was overwhelmed. I stuffed my books into my backpack and headed for the front desk, thinking of how I could confidently phrase
A loud screech tore me from my sleep. A thud sounded beside me, and Ariah cursed. “Oh crap,” she bit out. “Hailey, you awake?” I sat up, blinking at her inky shape in the dark bedroom. “Who can sleep through this noise? What’s going on?” “I have no idea,” she answered, her shape moving toward the wall, and she flicked on the light. I cringed, taking a moment to adjust my eyes to the light. “Sound like some kind of alarm.” Ariah unlocked our bedroom door and poked her head out. “What’s going on?” she asked someone outside. I kicked the covers off from me and threw my legs over the side of the bed. I got up and headed for our shared closet, pulling out a hoodie and pulling it over my head. When I turned, Ariah was grabbing her slippers. “Everyone needs to go to the dining hall, right now.” I blinked. “Why? Did they say what’s up?” She nudged on her slippers, glancing up at me. “No, they didn’t. Just that it was urgent and those who fail to show up will get in trouble.” “Wow, oka
The crowd fell silent when the headmistress appeared, and the gigantic doors slammed shut behind her. The click of her heels echoed through the cavernous room, and every set of eyes traced after her. I felt drowsy and stifled a yawn behind my hand, trying my best to stay upright. I leaned toward Elijah. “What time is it, anyway?” Without taking his eyes of Humphrey, he stuck his hand into the pocket of his sweats and pulled out his cellphone. He waited for the headmistress to focus her attention on one of the teachers before he flicked on the screen and peered down at his phone. “Three-forty-five.” “No wonder I’m this tired,” I muttered. “I probably had like three hours of sleep, if I’m lucky.” He sighed. “You and me both.” I peered at him. “You didn’t sleep either?” “It’s complicated.” I frowned. “You always give me that answer. I’d like to know at some point what is so complicated.” He glanced at me, his brows knitted together, and didn’t say anything. I shifted, offering hi
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