Robb
My classes aggravate me. If it weren’t for the whole curse thing, I might actually enjoy them, and that only sets me off all the more. Professor Louis and I can talk for hours, and I might’ve thought about asking him about demons, but I never do. I almost feel like that would ruin the friendship we’ve built. There’s trust there, given that we hardly ever end up talking about history. We talk about the state of the human world, of the fighting between werewolf and vampires and what it might take to get that to end once and for all. Neither of us thinks that’s possible in our lifetimes. Too many feel like Nia does and want all vampires to die just because they’re not completely dead dead.
Professor Darrow isn’t the nicest of teachers, but he’s sharp, and his vision is unparalleled. I almost wonder if his lack of Mystic Twilight is some of the reason why he’s able to see details that I still can’t yet. Maybe I’ll never be able to see what he can. It’s almost freaky that I can start to almost see through walls now when I try hard enough. X-Ray vision? No, not nearly, but I can see so much more.
Physically. I can’t see emotions, and I can’t sense auras. Professor Darrow once mentioned that Bellanore and some demons can see auras around a person, and I wonder if that’s how she’s able to deduce if a person is lying or not. I can’t really say.
Zoolingualism is my favorite. Sterling hates me, and I think the rest of the birds do too, but Otso loves me almost as much as he does Professor Hyde. We spend the entire time he’s teaching the class I’m to be in together. The bear cub is still small yet, and I can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen to him once he grows. A fully grown bear can’t stay in the professor’s office forever. And he’s far too tamed to live out in the wild. Maybe Professor Hyde shouldn’t have taken the cub in, but unless the cub found a momma bear to take him in, he might’ve died.
Even bears have packs to some extent. Otso’s new pack consists of Professor Hyde and me. Too bad that won’t help the wolf in me.
I almost want to see how Otso will react to my wolf. Not that I’m certain I even can transform into my wolf, and maybe I shouldn’t. What if one of these times, I transform into my wolf and then can’t return to human form? I don’t want to live the rest of my short life as a wolf. Don’t get me wrong. Being a wolf is entirely freeing, but I want my mind. I want my body.
I want to be able to feel Bellanore touch my face, even my scar, and I want to kiss her again.
Even if it’s just a kiss goodbye.
It’s time for me to head on over to Professor Hyde’s office. He’s figured out that I don’t want any of the students around ever, so he knows I show up before his class starts to take over. On a few occasions, like today, I can hardly get up. Those days, I’m late, and he’ll lock Otso in his office so he can’t escape. Yes, that means I have a key to get in.
As I hurry through the deserted campus, I put a hand in my pocket. The key feels unusually heavy, and for some reason, even my legs feel heavy. It’s as if I’m walking in slow motion. For whatever reason, today, I just feel burned out. I feel like I can’t even try to be myself.
I’m stuck in a terrible loop of some kind, and I can’t break free.
Or maybe my mind is going. I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s going on with my body anymore, but it almost doesn’t feel like it’s mine anymore. It’s just… It’s a body, but it doesn’t always do what I want.
It’s a prison, that’s what it is, and death will release me from the fleshy prison, but to what end? I won’t be free of torment even then. No, I’ll be sentenced to Hell and be separated from my family for all time, or else I’ll go to Heaven and be potentially separated from Bellanore for all time. Is Heaven a possibility for her given that she’s a half-demon? She’s not evil. She even loves her demonic father.
My thoughts are all twisted up in knots, just like my heart, and I stagger, nearly tripping over a rock concealed by the tall grass.
A low chuckling has me whirling around, and I have to hold out my arms to steady myself so I don’t fall down anyhow.
Roald Jagger is heading my way. Trailing him are Decker Winds and Elliot Snowball. The leader and Elliot both wear matching smirks. Decker’s gaze is on the ground as if he doesn’t want to be here.
If he doesn’t want to be here, why not leave? He doesn’t have to listen to Roald. Decker has his mind, and his body isn’t a prison. He can do whatever he wants.
But Roald—and Nia for that matter—like to prey on the outcasts, the misfits, the ones who don’t feel like they fit in. A new pack. Bah. Roald couldn’t be an alpha. He’s too weak, too needy. He needs to have people look up to him, and that alone is reason enough for him to not be alpha. A true alpha has everyone else’s interests above his or her own. All Roald cares about is himself.
And all Nia cares about is killing vampires and convincing other werewolves to do the same.
So far, almost this entire second year, I’ve been able to avoid Roald and his cronies. I haven’t forgotten that I made him bleed, and I still have the scar he gave me on my chest. I’ve been doing the assignments and projects just to avoid seeing them, and now they’re here. Why? Just a bad day on my part? Can my luck get any worse?
“Where’s Nia?” I ask.
“She’s probably being a good little werewolf and attending class,” Elliot says. He starts to laugh.
Not sure what’s so funny, but then I’ve never liked Elliot. He’s an idiot.
Decker’s the one who disappoints me, though. Maybe he senses that because he won’t look at me.
Roald clears his throat and stops at the base of the slight hill I’m standing on. “You haven’t been a good werewolf at all then. You never go to class.”
“I’ve been attending. I still go here.” I shrug, trying not to let my hackles raise. The last thing I want is a fight. Three versus one? No thanks. At least last time, Roald and I had been the only ones to go at it. I have a feeling Roald doesn’t like that I drew blood, and he wants to return the favor.
No thank you.
“You aren’t welcome here,” Roald says with a low hiss.
“You welcomed me when I first came here. What’s changed, Roald? Don’t’ like that I don’t bow down to you? You aren’t my alpha, and I’m not going to ever consider you as anything but worthless.”
“Your opinion doesn’t mean anything,” Elliot snaps. “You wish you could have an alpha like Roald.”
I burst out laughing. “Elliot, you’re a fool. Roald’s no alpha, and he might talk a big talk, but he doesn’t know how to walk, and he sure doesn’t know how to fight.”
“I don’t know how to fight?” Roald stalks toward me, only stopping when he’s slightly upper up on the hill than I am. He bumps his chest into mine. “I do believe I gave you another scar. Want me to give you another? Maybe have your eyes match? Cut off an ear?”
“Just don’t send it to your girlfriend,” I jest.
“What’s he talking about?” Elliot asks Decker.
Decker smirks at me. “Roald doesn’t paint.”
Roald glances at him. “The hell you going on about? I can paint. I’ll paint with Robb’s blood. How does that sound?”
“You don’t want to do this,” I warn Roald.
“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong.” Roald clangs his canines together. “The guards won’t let us out anymore. I haven’t been able to fight a vampire in two days, and I’m itching for a fight. You’ll do.”
I don’t. I don’t want anything to do with them, and I wish I could teleport and be anywhere else but here.
My heart begins to flutter, picking up. Blood thunders in my ears, and I can’t hear what Roald is saying. His lips are moving, but I can’t make out even one word, and then he punches me hard in the gut.
I block his next blow, but Elliot—I assume it’s Elliot—slams his fist into my kidney. I jerk to the side, wincing, and try to grab Roald’s shoulder to knock him off balance, but Elliot grabs my arms. I think he’s shouting something. I can feel his breath against my ear. Maybe he’s trying to find out why Decker’s not helping.
As much as I can, I struggle to break free of Elliot’s hold. I can’t, though. He has my arms out, his curled around mine up around my shoulders, his hands locked behind my head. I go to throw my head back to hopefully headbutt him hard enough to loosen his grip so I can break free, but Roald is starting to pummel me with jabs and crosses to my chest and midsection. I can’t block any of them, but the moment Roald winds up to give me a hook punch to the head, he leaves his stomach and chest wide open.
Using Elliot to balance me, I bring up my leg and kick Roald as hard as I can. My boot connects with his gut, and he starts to go down, and I kick again, his face meeting my foot. Blood gushes everywhere, spewing from his nose, but Roald just stares me down. He holds up his hand.
His fingers are claws.
Claws he rakes down my chest.
Claws he brings down again and again.
Claws he slices my clothes and skin with.
I can hardly breathe as blood rains down onto the grass. Decker is yanking on Roald’s arm, and Elliot drops me. I’m not sure who kicks my back or who steps on me, but I can feel the vibrations in the earth as they race away.
Decker didn’t do me any favors. He might not have hit me himself, but he left me to die just like the others.
Bellanore won’t have to worry about her dad anymore.
He’ll be fine.
She won’t have to worry about me either.
I’ll be dead.