Werewolf High School

Part 1: The First Day of School (Monday)

My alarm went off at 5 AM as usual, and I started the day with my morning run, but there was something different about this day. It was my first day of high school. I was sixteen, and I was going to start my junior year at Groover High. I was certainly not looking forward to it, but I was supposed to show a good example for the pack as Alpha's daughter or at least not complain about it. From a very young age, I had to learn that whether I liked it or not, there were just always going to be some days when I had to put my big girl's pants on. That usually meant a big smile and to keep the spirits high for the rest of our pack. 

What sucked about our particular school was that it was located between two packs, so it consisted of students from both packs and humans who hadn't got the slightest clue about werewolves. What sucked even more was that the two packs were rivals for hundreds of years and pack members hated each other's guts. My pack was called Dragon Claw, and our neighbor rivals were called Knight's Blood. They were about the same size, which made the rivalry between the two even more severe. The fights between students were inevitable, and I couldn't even begin to imagine how the teachers could cope with angry hormonal wolves daily. 

After my morning run, I took a shower and put on my new school uniform. It consisted of a knee-length dark blue checkered skirt, a white shirt, and a dark blue blazer with embroidered school logo. I combed my hazelnut-colored hair and let the soft waves hang loose. I applied some mascara to eyelashes over my sky blue eyes, and when I looked in the mirror, I was happy with my appearance. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad, I kept repeating to myself, wanting to believe it was going to be a great day. 

By the time I arrived at school, my friends Gina and Lara were already waiting for me at the entrance. "Morning Julianna, are you ready for this?" Gina asked me. "I was born ready. Let's go," I answered with a smile, even though I didn't feel ready at all. 

After we made our way inside, there were more pack members following behind us. Since childhood, the two girls were my friends, and they both seemed to be excited about our first day in the new school. Gina was the daughter of our third in command, and Lara was training to be a tracker. They were the complete opposite of each other. Gina was tall, blonde, and usually serious, while Lara was shorter, muscular, black-haired, and always joked around. But we were all good friends and got along pretty well. I was delighted that we were the same age and that they were there with me on this day. 

As soon as we set foot in the school, something weird about it caught my attention. I just couldn't put my finger on what it was, but I felt unsettled by it since the first minute I arrived. I tried to shrug it off since it was probably just because of my first day in the new school with a bunch of strange wolves. 

The first period was history, and I sat in the first row with a few girls and boys from my pack. I learned fast how to recognize the rival pack members by their scent. In the classrooms, humans and members from both packs usually stuck to their own groups. Hostilities between both packs were frequent, and I could feel the tension in the air since my first class. There were no severe escalations, but they did laugh while each of our members made an introduction. I was sure they were communicating through their mind link that wolves of the same pack could use to communicate to each other. They must have been making some stupid comments about us because whenever I looked back to scowl at them, they would laugh even harder, so I eventually stopped looking at them. 

The first three periods went by in a similar manner. Teachers were just introducing their subjects, and we didn't get any homework on that day. As we changed classrooms, I noticed that the unsettling feeling was stronger in certain hallway areas. It wasn't unpleasant at all, but I hated not knowing what it was. At a certain point I almost fainted, and I was lucky Lara caught my hand just in time to steady me. "Easy girl, no rush!" "Are you alright?" Gina worriedly asked. "Thanks! All fine here, just got a bit dizzy for a moment. I'm sure I will feel better after lunch!" I didn't want to give them any reason to worry about me. I was pretty sure it was nothing anyway.