“What a day!” Sharon sighed as she walked into the student council office at six thirty in the evening. She had been collecting funds and attending meetings before the first period had begun. The seven periods of classes that ensued her busy morning didn’t improve her mood much. Being the president of the student council could be exhausting at times, despite the privileges of the respect from other kids.
“You can say that again,” grumbled Maisy, the social chairperson. “The prom fundraiser thing was an absolute disaster. Not a single ticket sold today.”
“Well, that’s something we’re going to have to work out,” said Sharon.
“Some days I feel like quitting,” Maisy went on venting. “I went to the seventh and tenth-grade classrooms yesterday to give out this survey on the theme of the dance. Those kids, they’ve had their mind set on vexing me. Just look at these stupid answers!”
Sharon squinted at the sloppy handwriting on some random student’s questionnaire. One of the fill-in-the-blank questions was: What activities should we include in the dance? The student had written: a hot tub for skinny-dipping. Another student wrote: a zipline starting from the bleachers, past the dance floor, and all the way up to the stage.
“Ha, that’s a good one!” Sharon said, cracking up. “You’ve got to admit these kids have a great sense of humor.”
Maisy groaned and buried her head in her arms. “It’s not funny at all! For goodness’ sake, what was I thinking in the first place, signing up to be the social chairperson? Murder me, Sharon.”
“Hey, be positive. Your attitude dictates your life.” Grinning, Sharon skipped back to her seat and started packing her backpack, ready to leave school.
Everything had been dandy and harmonious since the day Sharon started living life as a mortal. It seemed to her as if it were only yesterday she’d relocated to the mortal world with her friends, but in fact, six months had whooshed by like wind. Sharon had been worried about them being misfits among the mortals, but surprisingly, they all got accustomed to the brand-new lifestyle soon. Safe and sound every day, they never had to worry about unexpected attacks, losing their friends any second, the invasion of dark magic, or hostile beasts lurking in dark corners. All they had to do was to complete their homework, attend classes, and focus on important projects during student council meetings. Sharon relished her new role as an ordinary high school student, and because of her competence, she got elected president of the student council two months ago. To cap it all, she and her companions remained as bosom friends. There were occasional quarrels, but their camaraderie was too strong to be severed by pointless little arguments. The eight of them had also befriended two fellow students—Clyde Andrews and Cynthia White. Clyde was a blond, athletic senior who had been in Misthills long before their arrival. He was also the secretary of the student council. Cynthia, on the other hand, was a pretty junior who had enrolled a few weeks ago. Sharon had math and English with her. Noticing her gift with numbers and outstanding logic, she invited her to be their treasurer. Because of that, the two of them formed a strong bond.
Everyone and everything in Sharon’s life was more than perfect. The days, smoother than silk, passed on without any unusual interludes.
While Sharon was immersing herself in those sweet memories, she registered a figure standing by her table, tightening her bushy auburn ponytail.
“Hey, Cynthia. I thought you were still in your homeroom.”
“Sharon.” Cynthia’s expression was solemn, and her ice-blue eyes were filled with trepidation. She was wringing her hands absentmindedly.
“What’s wrong? Why are you looking so...strange?”
“Sharon, I know who you are,” Cynthia whispered.
“What? You came all the way here to tell me you know who I am?” Sharon remembered today was April first, and a laugh escaped her lips. “Are you playing an April Fool’s Day joke on me?”
“You’re an enchantress, aren’t you? And you’re not the only one here.”
Sharon’s heart almost stopped. “Well—”
“Listen, Chelvicerra needs your help.”
“Chelvicerra—”
“Shh, not so loud.” Cynthia swiveled around to see if anyone was watching. Sure enough, Clyde cast a quick glance at the two of them.
“Listen, it’s not safe to talk about that here. Come.”
Dragging Sharon behind her, Cynthia strode out of the office.
“Look, the thing is—”
“Hey guys, I just remembered I had an appointment at the dentist,” Clyde announced to Maisy and a few others from inside the office. “See you!”
Cursing, Cynthia dragged Sharon down a flight of stairs and into the school courtyard.
“Here, behind this bush,” Cynthia said, stooping while advising Sharon to do the same.
“Cynthia, what are you—?”
“We need to talk. And by that, I mean somewhere Clyde is out of earshot.”
“What? Why?”
“Can’t you see he’s after us? He just left the office in pursuit of me. He’s a Vanquisher, an apprentice of—”
“Achoo!”
Sharon and Cynthia jumped, only to spot Clyde taking refuge behind a fat tree trunk.
“I thought you had an appointment?” Cynthia questioned.
“Yeah. I...I was...searching for my car keys.” Clyde stammered, scratching his head.
“Quite a peculiar place to be looking for your keys. Janitor Smith doesn’t like us walking around in the courtyard. I thought you knew that.”
“Yes, I do,” replied Clyde, having no intention of leaving. “And I could say the same for you. Just what in the world are you two doing here?”
“Don’t worry about us,” snapped Cynthia. “I’m incredibly sorry for delaying you. Why don’t you hurry along and go to your dentist instead of wasting time on unimportant people like me and Sharon?”
Clyde narrowed his eyes at Cynthia, attempting to detect the slightest hint of sarcasm. “Fine.” He walked away with his head held high. Sharon and Cynthia watched him drive away, his car blending into one with the mist in the distance.
Sharon felt puzzled. Although Cynthia and Clyde weren’t that close, they had always been on friendly terms with each other. Their meaningless quarrel baffled and bothered her. Sharon wondered what Cynthia had been trying to communicate to her all along.
“Now, down to business,” announced Cynthia. “With him gone, I’d better make an announcement back there with everyone present. Come.”
Taking the stairs two at a time, Cynthia sped across the corridor and breezed into the office. Gasping and panting, Sharon managed to catch up with her speed.
“Cynthia, what are you doing?” Sidney, who was flipping through a book, asked.
“Listen, everyone,” she said, locking the door and sliding the windows shut. “Something’s wrong.”
Maisy, Eva, Marcus, and Felicia looked up.
“Hmm. Where have the others gone?”
“Samuel left school an hour ago, and Stephen’s representing us in a meeting with the teachers,” answered Eva. “What’s wrong?”
Cynthia sighed. “Chelvicerra’s gone wrong, that’s what. For some reason, all the tribes are getting restless. The Snow Giant’s son, this vengeful fairy called Icarus Bones, is planning a regicide on the human rulers because of their rivalry in history.” Cynthia flicked a knowing look at Felicia, who nodded. “Now the werewolves and giants want to help the humans fight back, but they’re afraid of getting on the fairies’ bad side. The humans have no idea what’s going on. To make a long story short, world war three will be on the horizon if we don’t do something fast.”
A hush fell upon the room. As if nobody had understood, the audience gaped at Cynthia, at a loss for words. Marcus crossed his arms and muttered, “Oh, brother.” Sidney blinked slowly as if having trouble comprehending her words. Eva pushed her glasses into place and frowned. Felicia developed a sudden interest in her shoes.
She’s joking, thought Sharon, who was stunned. However, Cynthia had no means to alleviate her concern.
Sharon let out a groan. She could not and would not believe that after all those disasters they’d been through, they’d never be able to escape the shadows of Chelvicerra. Already she sensed the familiar tang of trouble permeating the air.
“So?” Maisy shattered the silence with her one-word question.
Sidney opened his mouth slowly and began, “But what does that have to do with us? And who are you?”
“I, like every one of you, am from Chelvicerra. And I think it’s time we stop an imminent war from happening.”
Sharon snorted as quietly as possible at her words. “Cynthia, you know why we’ve come to the mortal world in the first place, don’t you? We don’t want to have anything to do with Chelvicerra anymore. It’s too dangerous there, and we’re done with being the heroes. It’s all in the past. Just let it go.”
“You’re wrong. The past makes us who we are. You may have forgotten your true identity, but the Snow Giant’s son hasn’t, and that makes all the difference. He wants all the humans dead. I don’t think you’d be naive enough to assume he won’t come straight to Misthills and wipe us all out. Or worse, destroy the school and have everyone here, student or teacher, killed. Is this what you want?”
“Come on, why would he want to kill these mortals? This is getting ridiculous. Is this some kind of joke?” Marcus eyed Cynthia with a half-amused, half-exasperated expression.
She glared daggers at him. “And why would a maniac extremist care about who his victims are? Are you coming with me or not?”
“Where to?” asked Sharon, though the answer was already in her mind.
“Chelvicerra,” Cynthia confirmed her assumption.
“I don’t want to risk losing any of us,” Sharon said, gazing at the others for support as they nodded in agreement.
“Fine,” replied Cynthia, apathetic. “As long as you’re okay with seeing your hometown ravaged by war, I’ve got no objection.” Sharon and Eva exchanged looks of uneasiness as Cynthia plowed on. “You see, I am not requesting assistance for my tribe. On the contrary, I’m asking you to do a favor for your conscience. You’ll regret your decision ten years from now if you choose to prize your own happiness over justice.”
“All right,” Felicia said in a low voice.
“All right, what?” Marcus asked.
“All right, I’m going with Cynthia. When are we leaving?”
“You must be insane!” exclaimed Maisy, slapping a hand to her forehead. “Surely none of you others—?”
“I’m not leaving Felicia no matter what,” Eva declared. “I’m in, too.”
“Hmm,” said Sidney, stroking the stubbles on his chin in mock thoughtfulness. “Saving the world? Sounds like a fun challenge. No more classes, no more homework.”
“Yeah, count us in,” Marcus agreed.
Cynthia looked expectantly at Sharon, who bit her lip, and Maisy, whose eyebrows were knitted into a line.
“Cynthia’s right,” admitted Sharon. “Let’s do this.” Her stomach churning as many unpleasant what-ifs formed and replicated in her mind, refusing to leave her alone.
Outnumbered, Maisy heaved a sigh of frustration. “When shall we depart?” She fired the question at Cynthia like a missile.
“Right now. We mustn’t waste even a moment. Marcus and Sidney, go fetch Stephen and let’s get things started.”
A few minutes later, everyone’s patience was thinning like ice under the sun.
“So why the heck are they taking this long?” Eva tapped her foot, impatient.
“Well, why don’t you go ask them?” said Cynthia in an irritating manner.
“Stop acting like an arrogant know-it-all if you want our help,” snapped Maisy.
Cynthia looked at her as if she had gone insane. “Why would I want your help? I’ve already got a whole army who’s fighting for my side. I only asked you to join because—”
“So why did you bother to ask in the first place?” demanded Maisy. “I’ve got loads of papers to do, tests to study for, and activities to budget. I’m very busy, in case you haven’t noticed!”
“Hey, stop,” interrupted Felicia. “Arguing isn’t going to help us much now.”
“Easy for you to say since you’re the only one who’s dead set on being the hero,” Maisy rounded on her.
“Well, if you’re so keen on being a teacher’s pet, then go!” Cynthia almost shouted. “I’m not stopping you.”
“What? How dare you—”
“Shh!” Sharon raised a hand to silence everyone as the urgent footsteps and voices announced the arrival of Sidney, Marcus, and Stephen.
“Are you going to give me the details?” Stephen, irritated for some reason, demanded. “Are we supposed to fly there or what? Why am I even involved?”
“What do we do next?” said Sidney, ignoring Stephen’s protests.
“Follow me,” she answered. “We have to go to the ecology lane behind the sports field. No time to dawdle.”
Cynthia switched off the lights and unlocked the door, gesturing for the others to follow. They passed a row of classrooms, tiptoed down the stairs, and onto the sports field.
The stars beamed and shone above them, sparkling like diamonds strewn across black velvet. The moon was nowhere to be seen. A few boys sat on the outdoor podium, taking swigs from aluminum cans of soda they had purchased from the school store.
“Wow, looks like the student council’s rehearsing for a parade,” a tall boy with freckles said in a rather sarcastic tone. “How come they’ve got time to parade around the campus but can’t get the dance budget pinned down?”
“Maybe the principal sent them here to keep an eye on us?” a short boy with glasses joined in.
“Humph. Sneaky man, that principal,” a third person, this one a girl with short hair, muttered. She picked up a basketball and got up. “Come on, we’d better get back to our classrooms. I don’t want to be late for the evening studying session.”
Sharon gazed at her fellow students, wondering whether she would come back alive and see them again. It was for the best, she reassured herself. Cynthia was right. Sharon knew she would feel terrible in the future for not saving Chevicerra when she had a chance.
Soon, they passed the monkey bars and reached the gate that led to the ecology lane.
“Good thing it’s unlocked,” Eva remarked as Cynthia pushed it open.
The seven of them trailed behind her and proceeded further along the lane. Dried leaves and twigs cracked under their feet, blending into a series of soft crunches.
“Stop,” Cynthia ordered as the party came across a thicket. She turned on her cellphone, switched it to flashlight mode, and motioned for everyone to do the same. “Do you know what a moonstone is?”
Everyone nodded.
“Good. Find me a white moonstone. Look between tufts of grasses or piles of rocks.”
They searched for about twenty minutes but had no luck. Finally, Sharon came across an ancient-looking stone with transparent spots and handed it to Cynthia.
“This?”
“Good job, Sharon.” A gleaming circle appeared on the moonstone as it made contact with Cynthia’s fingers. “Did you know about the blue moon tonight?”
“The second full moon in April?” Felicia said.
“That’s it.”
“But there’s no moon,” Marcus shook his index finger at the dark sky to make his point.
“Not until I summon it,” Cynthia said with a touch of superiority. She pressed her thumb to the glittering mark on the moonstone and howled at the evening sky. Her skin glittered, emitting a pearly glow.
“Cynthia, what are you—?” Sharon gasped.
Cynthia was no longer herself. She had become a wolf. An Arctic wolf.
“Arh-wooo! Sacred blue moon, grant me the gateway to Chelvicerra!”
A strong gust of wind swept over them as though responding to the werewolf’s command. Mist blossomed from the moonstone and zapped towards the sky, forming a corporeal moon. The silver globe cast blinding streaks of light over them; one of the bright rays dived into the trunk of a nearby tree, carving an arch-shaped door upon it, which led to a pit of darkness.
“Come,” said Cynthia as though nothing had happened.
“Cynthia?” Maisy whispered in shock. She was so flabbergasted that their earlier quarrel had dropped from her mind.
Cynthia’s snow-white fur gleamed under the alabaster moonlight. She flashed a rather devious grin at Maisy, which Sharon later realized was actually her unique way of expressing friendliness.
“That’s right. I am a werewolf. Be glad you have me on your side.”
Then, she sauntered over to the gateway and was engulfed by the darkness.