Red Riding Hood Meets The Wolf: Book One (and Two) of The Hunted Series. (First Draft)

Red Riding Hood is the New Punching Bag: Chapter 14

The teacher walked in and looked to the end of the line and saw me. “So your first class, on your first day, and you’re the last one in?”

“No, but I figured that everyone has already had a turn with the Grand Master by being in this position, so I took it. I’m not afraid.”

“Alright you want to go new girl?” the girl who took my spot asked. When I saw the teacher’s questioning look I answered.

“She is just upset because I let her take my spot since she was the last one in.” I refused to let fear show on my face, I can and will deal with whatever happens.

“Well, if the way Carmen is reacting is any indicator of what you are saying, then maybe you two wouldn’t mind demonstrating your skill’s in fighting, whoever loses will take the place in the Grand Master’s class at the end of the day.”

“Sounds fair to me, ready to be beat into a pulp newb?” Carmen spat at me. I stood tall, knowing that what she said was true and I was going to the class at the end of the day no matter what.

“Maybe, but at least I will handle the Grand Masters class easily, whereas you were so afraid you had to resort to bullying to get out of it. Face it, inside you are nothing more then a scared little girl crying for momma-” before I could finish I was tackled to the ground and barely had enough time to put my arms up over my face to keep from getting hit in the neck and face, but I was still open to attacks on my abdomen. I looked for openings in her offense and found one, using my knee and jabbing it into her side. She grabbed on tightly and I proceeded to do the same to her other side. I then crawled up and behind her, holding her in a choke hold. She easily got out of it by flipping me over her shoulder and back onto the ground, knocking the air out of me. Carmen kicked my side and I rolled over. The teacher called it to a stop when he realized that Carmen was about to pulverize me if it continued.

“Okay, you put up a good fight, Fence, but you would have died if this were a real fight.”

“Well if it was I would have died from her breath let alone the weight I had placed on me.” Carmen charged but everyone else in the class kept her at bay, knowing that I had done something incredibly stupid. I needed people to hate me enough to ignore me so I could hopefully escape. I didn’t need people noticing me just for being new and I couldn’t see myself making any life long friends in this place.

The class past with no less then a hundred glares from Carmen that promised death, but I made it through, ready for the next class of the day. When I got to the room I was one of the last few into the room, but no one dared talk to me, no doubt news had already spread about what happened in my first class. Maybe I was cut out to be the Grand Master if I was bale to produce fear over the girls in the span of one class period. The thought sent a shiver down my spine because I hated the thought of people being scared of me, that I had power of them. I did not want to be the Grand Master in the slightest, yet here I was controlling them just by the fear they felt because they made me take a place closer to the front of the line instead of third from the back. I walked away from there and took the place at the end of the line, figuring that if I already had to go what was it to me to supposedly show up last to every class. It would save someone else from the horror of it apparently.

The class went into full swing nd I was given a disapproving look from the teacher when he saw me slowly walk to the end of the line from my position on the opposite wall. He decided to grab onto my elbow and drag me to the middle of the classroom to make an example of me. He told me to stand in front of a five foot square metal door that looked like a hatch that opened towards the ceiling. I could hear some snickers from my fellow classmates and prepared for the worst, making sure my outward appearance seemed relaxed and under control, the complete opposite of my true feelings.

The hatch slowly moved upwards and the sound of growling was made audible. She looked at the teacher who held a spear in his hands, taunting her with the possibility of having it, but not giving it to her. She notices another hatch start to open before two wolves suddenly come flying out of them. She manages to dodge as they collide, barely managing to do a tuck and roll, and proceed to do some fighting. There was a large wolf, obviously a male and a smaller wolf, probably a child or a very small female. The male broke the female’s paw and it changed back into a pre-teen girl. She whimpered on the ground, but as I tried to make a move toward her the other wolf came at me. I knew the dangers of those claws and that Aretha would not be able to help me this time. I curled up in a ball, protecting my face, neck and stomach, making sure to lie on my back as well.

The wolf lunged and started scratching at my forearms and legs, leaving semi deep gashes in them that I knew would require medical attention. A strong girl came and threw the wolf off me and pinned him down before catching the spear that the Teacher threw at her, plunging it in his neck. The male wolf was now dead and lying naked on the ground in the room while the pre-teen girl only cried harder. She was taken out of the room to be put back in the cages for training later on. I gave her a sad smile which seemed to give her some hope but it was immediately dashed if the sound of her scream was anything to go by.

The girl who had thrown the large wolf off me came and pulled me up by my collar before yelling at me for ten minutes about how weak I had been to not fight. I dusted myself off as she yelled, making it seem as if I wasn’t perturbed by anything that had happened since the start of the class and just shrugged my shoulders. “Eh, I managed to keep myself from dying by one of those pitiful creatures, so I consider it a success.” I started to walk away but the girl pulled my hair back and threw me to the floor much like the wolf did. She kicked my stomach a few times as I refused to cry out and give her the satisfaction before pulling me up and head butting me, pushing me back a little so I would fall again. The Teacher called her off and dismissed everybody before yelling at me for ten minutes about how I should have used the strength he knows I have as the Grand Master’s heir to force him off and break his neck and not cower in fear, that the creature was just a mindless beast. He only stopped yelling when Aretha came in to drag me off to get some bandage from a storage closet for my legs and arms, taking me back to my room and leaving me to patch up my arms myself.

“You don’t go to the infirmary for minor cuts and bruises, Fence. Now if you’d stop whining like a two year old who fell off her trike and scraped her knee you would stop embarrassing me and yourself. You are pathetic, Fence. Toughen up and maybe I’ll let you out of her in time for dinner.” She slammed the door and the next I saw of anyone was when Aretha came to film that video. I knew she would send it immediately to the pack and that they would look for me even faster. If all went well, they would find me by the time I was forced to become a Huntress, maybe even the day of. I had to get some sort of sign to them to let them know where I am as quickly as possible, but the only sign of daylight in the whole place was the in the roof of The Grand Master’s office. So the main thought on my mind as I walked into the cafeteria for dinner was how on earth I was going to send a sign, but then I saw it. Someone had conveniently left the perfect means for escape lying on a table, all alone, just ready for someone to grab it. I shoved it in the top of my boots and relished the feel of the cool metal against my calf, just waiting to be used.