The Girl Who Cried Wolf.

Chapter 4

-Chapter 4-

I sighed a huge sigh of relief, finally spotting the dining room. I rounded the sloped corner of the the corridor and walked into the huge eating area, where the delicious waft of food hung scrumptiously in the air. I could feel the saliva building in my mouth as I located it on the large table in the middle of the room.

The clattering of plates and scrapes of cutlery stopped as everyone turned to examine at me, the new girl. I turned red, pulling my hood up out of habit as I stumbled towards the table, annoyed that it took me five attempts to find this room. You'd think that being a shifter I would've figure it out, or at least been able to read the scrawny map, but I'm not very good with locating things.

Miss Kingsly was watching me intently, and as I approached I managed to quietly mumble, "Apologies for my lateness, that map was a heap of cr-," I stopped myself  before I could finish my statement, "I mean, the map was hard to follow."

She chuckled slightly, "I know, dear. Don't you worry, just find a seat and tuck in, I think Chrissie saved you one." 

I thanked her, before turning around to see Chrissie eagerly waving me over, a big grin slapped on her face. She looked like something out of a cartoon, it was that big. "Over here, Willa!" She called loudly, as I tucked my head further down and made it over to the seat next to her.

"Thanks." I smiled half-heartedly at her, before she shoved a plate piled with food of all sorts in front of my face. I was beginning to feel the panic and uneasiness build in my stomach at being around so many people, so many strangers.

"For you, I thought I'd save it before fatso here at it all." She giggled, pointing to a boy with shaggy hair next to her. "That's Dougie by the way. One of my friends." 

"Unfortunately." Dougie muttered to himself, and a girl next to him gave him a look, before poking him with her finger. I held back my laugh as Chrissie frowned at him, before turning back to me eagerly.

"He's just bitter because I wouldn't let him eat your food." 

"Am not." He mumbled loudly, narrowing his hazel eyes at her.

"Am too." Chrissie teased back, like two children fighting. The girl on the other side of Dougie sent me an apologetic look.

"Excuse them, they're not too fond of each other." She laughed as Dougie flicked a pea at Chrissie, who looked at in disgust. I had to hold back a chuckle as she squished it bitterly between her small fingers. "I'm Ellie, by the way." The girl smiled, revealing a set of white teeth, "You must be Willa, Chrissie hasn't stopped talking about you all week." She lent over Chrissie and Dougie's argument to shake my hand, which I nervously took for a second, before taking it back and shoving my hand further away under the table.

"I've only been here for a few hours though." I said, watching as her brown eyes crinkled in a friendly smile.

Her laugh rang out, and Dougie seemed to look at her softly, his argument with Chrissie ignore. "That's my point." Ellie smiled, and I let out a half laugh, before looking down at the mountain of food in front of me, aimlessly picking at bits on top and shoving them into my mouth with the fancy cutlery.

As I ate, the others around me turned into a small chatter, and I watched the rest of the long table, examining everybody and seeing where they fit in. There were the nerds at the end which we were nearer to, and then there were the jocks and sluts down the other, with cliches of other people, like goths and emos, jumbled in between.

I looked down to see my new neighbour, the 'cute' boy, sitting, laughing amongst the jocks, who seemed to be checking out one of the girls next to them. I watched him with a strange curiousity, because something about him I could relate to. The way he laughed or smiled.