TW: talk about death, blood, panic.
Lupita wasn't sure what was more annoying, the teacher speaking in a monotone voice during the entire lesson up until now or the asshole behind her who was throwing papers at her head. She was just about to turn around and rip his head off when the teacher started talking.
"So, can anyone tell me how many packs we have today?" he asked in his normal monotone voice that showed he was just as uninterested in the subject as they were. "Caitlyn."
"There are 7, teacher," the girl in the front said in an annoying know-it-all voice. She had to be the most human-like werewolf Lupita had ever had the misfortune of witnessing, or maybe she was just a spoiled high rank.
"Correct," the teacher said and wrote it down on the blackboard. "Now does anyone know how many there were originally?... Caitlyn?"
"10, sir," she said.
"And what were the names of those three that no longer exist?"
"You have the Eclipse pack, the Harvest wolves, and -"
"The Blood Moon pack?" Lupita interrupted the girl. "But that pack is still out there."
"Have you been living under a rock these past 5 years?" a boy asked from the crowd.
"Now now, settle down," the teacher said and they all went quiet. "Clearly someone hasn't been present these past few years so I'll go over it."
Lupita straightened up, now actually curious.
"So, the ancient packs, (as we call them), were wiped out long ago. They were some of the most powerful packs in history and therefore it is a mystery why they disappeared. We know nothing about how the Harvest wolves disappeared. Some say they went into the mountains or that they all died out one faithful winter. The Eclipse pack was said to disappear after a sun eclipse 100 years ago... And then we have the Blood Moon pack..." the teacher didn't say anything for a while, looking like he was trying to remember.
"They say it was destroyed five years ago; that a monster tore the pack apart and scattered the wolves, making it impossible for them to reunite. The Blood moon wolves were one of the strongest werewolves in existence, they were the main protectors and politicians. Now it is the Blue Moon wolves who are. But, people say... that the monster that killed and destroyed the Blood moon pack is still out there... Just waiting for the next pack or tribe to feast on." He ended his little speech in a low voice, letting all the kids in the room ponder what he said.
Lupita looked down at the table and tried to conceal her expressions. She was the monster he was talking about. She had destroyed her pack that night 5 years ago. But... she didn't think she had killed that many. She didn't think she had destroyed her pack. She only thought they all ran away and hid away from her.
Had she really done all that?
"So!" the teacher said and clapped his hand, making Lupita snap her head up.
"Hey, are you crying?"
Lupita turned to look at Jazmyn as she heard her careful voice and felt a hand on her shoulder.
"No," she said and whipped her eyes, feeling her hand get wet.
The lesson continued, with Lupita doing her best to ignore Jazmyn's concerned gaze. The lesson didn't get any more interesting after the story and the teacher went back to his normal monotone voice much to Lupita's ears displeasure.
When they were dismissed, Lupita walked with Jazmyn in silence.
"What's wrong?" Jazmyn asked and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing," Lupita growled.
"No need to be all wolfie," Jazmyn said and took one of her dreadlocks and began to play with it.
Lupita didn't bother to say anything. She was still in shock after what she learned. She knew her pack was powerful and all that, but they had been a part of the ancient ones? She knew that but it still didn't make any sense. The ancient packs died out years before and had been formed a long time ago. Her old alpha had been very young and most of the ancient packs had old, experienced leaders.
Something wasn't right.
"Ophf!"
Lupita fell to the floor with someone falling on top of her.
"So sorry," the person said and Lupita looked up. It was that girl from before, the one with the funny smell. She was very beautiful up close. High cheekbones, perfectly shaped nose, pale skin, strong jaw, and... grey eyes. So she wasn't a full vampire yet.
"It's fine," Lupita said as the girl crawled off her and got her backpack.
"Let me help you," she said and held out her hand.
"I don't need your help, vampire," Lupita said and got up.
"That was... rude but ok," the girl said and let her hand fall to her side. She had an adorable little frown on her face and Lupita did her best not to smirk.
"You won't survive if you are nice to everyone, baby," Lupita said and leaned down ever so slightly to be at her level, which didn't work since they were the same height so she just ended up leaning closer to the vampire's face. She did not use 'baby' in the flirty way and knew the newborn vampire knew too as her frown deepened. "Why the frown baby?"
In a second, Lupita went down on all fours with her nose bleeding.
Blood?
Lupita looked down and saw the blood dripping down on the ground.
Screams.
Lupita closed her eyes but felt the dreaded substance run down her face.
Blood.
She began to breathe rapidly as the panic set in. Everything came back. That night with the pack. All the death. The fire. The blood. She felt like she had to throw up.
"Hey," a soft voice said as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Where is the nearest bathroom?" Lupita asked in a strained voice. She could feel her wolf try to pry herself out of her skin and it was taking all her power to hold it back.
"Come," the soft voice said, lifting her arm and throwing it over their shoulder before pulling her up to her feet.
Lupita followed blindly as she kept her eyes closed and tried to control her rapid breathing and the urge to throw up. They finally reached something and Lupita was helped to lean over something. In the next moment, water was splashed in her face.
"What are you doing?" Lupita asked while trying to stop her urge of throwing up.
"Cleaning up the blood, you clearly don't like the sight of it," the voice said and Lupita finally recognized it as Jazmyn's voice.
"...Thank you," Lupita said and took a deep breath as she felt Jazmyn keep cleaning her face.
"There," she finally said and then Lupita felt something else on her face.
Lupita cautiously opened her eyes and stared into a mirror. There was no blood left and she breathed out in relief while gripping the sink to the point her knuckles turned white.
"Is it like... a phobia?" Jazmyn asked while helping her sit down, which Lupita did after a little arguing.
"I don't know what a phobia is. I just hate the sight of it; it makes me sick. But only if it is blood from a person or if I am unexpectedly met with the color red... It just happens really; I can't control it," Lupita said and played with her fingers.
"A phobia is when you are really scared of something. You can get panicked and it ruins your life," Jazmyn said and sat down beside her.
"Then I don't think it is. I think I just get bad flashbacks," Lupita said and stood back up. She heard Jazmyn sigh and stand up as well.
"Then you might have PTSD," she said and walked behind her as they got out of the bathroom.
"Who was that girl by the way?" Lupita asked as they walked through the halls.
"That was Ambrosia. She was newly turned into a vampire and has gained a lot of popularity. The vampires are all trying to befriend her and whatnot. I really don't understand what vampires do," Jazmyn explained as they entered a new classroom.
"Hm," Lupita hummed and walked over to a desk and sat down while Jazmyn sat down beside her.
"Ever heard of a shower?" Someone said as they passed her seat.
Lupita scowled after them but took a moment to sniff her clothes. She did stink.
"There are showers in the school, I could follow you there now. Mom doesn't care that I miss one navigation class," Jazmyn said and took her things before standing up.
Not bothering to ask, Lupita followed her out of the classroom. They walked for a while, passing students of all races, Lupita was even sure she saw a kid with eagle wings, but they quickly disappeared. This school was weird.
It was a bad idea to mix all of these kids just to separate them into different groups. A lot of magical creatures didn't get along well, vampires, werewolves, and humans were key examples, (humans weren't magical, but still, they didn't get along). Mermaids and fae could easily live together, witches switched easily between the sides, and humans were generally hated by everyone. And Lupita had seen a lot of other creatures here as well. How were they not tearing each other apart?
"Here we are," Jazmyn said, bringing Lupita out of her thoughts.
"Thanks," she said and walked with Jazmyn into a room where there were lockers, benches, and towels. "I have no idea how a shower works," Lupita admitted while walking into a room which had a row of weird long, silver poles with a strange circle at the top with a lot of holes in it. They were all in their own, little separate "stall" with a curtain in front of each. The tiles were all either light blue or white.
"Oh! Well, that can easily be fixed," Jazmyn said after she placed her bag down, walked over to Lupita, and began to explain how a shower works. It wasn't that complicated in the end, you just had to turn on the weird little handles and water would come out. One was warm and the other was cold.
"Ok, thank you," Lupita said and walked out again to put her things away.
"I'll take care of your stuff, just say when you are done and I will hand you a towel," Jazmyn said with a shy smile on her lips.
"Ok," Lupita said and walked into the room full of showers. After taking off her clothes and leaving them outside of the room she turned on the shower. The water felt strange, nothing like the water of the lakes back home and the water her mother would use to clean her in. It was unfamiliar and Lupita didn't like it.
Sucking it up, Lupita began to shower as quickly as possible, making sure that the water didn't hit her face and trying her best to think happy thoughts. She used the shampoo Jazmyn had told her to use and scrubbed, but making sure she wouldn't smell of roses, (or, almonds?) and that she would retain at least a little bit of her normal smell.
"I'm done!" Lupita called out. In a few seconds, a towel was handed to her through the curtains. "Thank you." She quickly dried up and opened the curtains.
"Gods! Cover yourself!" Jazmyn squealed and covered her eyes as Lupita walked out.
"What do you mean?" Lupita asked with a raised eyebrow. In her old pack, it wasn't uncommon to see the occasional naked werewolf making their way back home or relaxing outside. What was this girl's deal? And she was covering herself a little with the towel so why was she freaking out?
"Well, people usually cover themselves when they are naked, or, they cover themselves to not be naked," Jazmyn explained.
Lupita furrowed her brows. The modern world was strange.
"Here," Jazmyn said and handed her a bundle of something that looked like clothes.
"Thanks," Lupita said with a voice that clearly expressed her confusion, but she gratefully took the clothes. While it was normal for werewolves to not wear much, Lupita was a little self-conscious when it came to her scars.
"Was it normal for your pack to walk around naked?" Jazmyn asked once Lupita had pulled the curtains back.
"It wasn't uncommon," Lupita said as she dried and dressed herself.
"Was it like... only men that walked around shirtless?"
"No, anyone could do it if they wanted. They could lounge around on the field on a warm day or walk into the pack territory after a transformation. If not, they would only wear underwear or very minimal clothing. Children would also not wear that much in their young age and it wasn't uncommon to see a pup run away from their parents, not wanting to have a bath," Lupita explained as she came out. She was wearing a big, blue sweater, a pair of grey sweatpants and Jazmyn had also handed her a sports bra. She was tempted to only use that and the pants and underwear.
"And nothing happened?" Jazmyn asked incredulously.
"What would happen?" Lupita asked, not understanding what this girl was getting at.
"No one took advantage of the ones that just strolled around barely wearing anything?"
"What?! No! Most of the pack members were mated and no one crossed a mated wolf! And no one in my pack was sick enough to take someone without their consent!" Lupita shrieked. Were people here really that creepy and gross?
Jazmyn didn't say anything else for a long time looking to be pondering what she said.
"Seems like the perfect pack," she said finally. "Why'd you leave?"
Lupita stiffened and clenched her fists.
"I didn't choose to leave," she said shortly before shoving her way past Jazmyn and walking over to her stuff.
"Do you want me to stop asking you questions about your past?" Jazmyn asked her as they walked out of the room.
"It would be greatly appreciated," Lupita answered as they walked through the halls. "What excruciating, slow subject do we have now?"
"Nothing," Jazmyn cheered as she skipped beside Lupita. "We have Lunch!"
A/N: Ambrosia is 190cm/6'2.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask and if you see any spelling mistakes it would be lovely if you pointed them out.
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