The school bell rang, and that was the moment I knew I was doomed. Students flew, galloped, and ran on all fours in every direction, so I struggled to maintain my balance. At one point, a satyr accidentally stomped on my foot with his hoof, and the pain was unreal.
"Owww! Geez!" I hopped up and down on one foot and sat down on a nearby bench. The red mark of a horseshoe formed on my skin.
"Hey!" a familiar perky voice called out to me.
Still wincing in pain, I looked up and saw Herb in a leprechaun hoodie. He darted through the crowd with ease and looked down at me with big green eyes.
"Woah, are you okay?"
"No, a goat stepped on my foot," I mumbled.
"Yeah, that happened to me on the first day, too."
"Shouldn't they be outside or something? Like, in a pasture?"
"Don't say that out loud. They're pretty sensitive. And so are the werewolves, even though they act tough."
I rolled my eyes. "Well, anyway, my name's Millie. Sorry for passing out yesterday."
He then sat down beside me. "It's alright. I can't imagine how shocked you were. Honestly, I thought you were some kind of transfer student or something."
"Well, I was supposed to go to Frostlake High, but I coded in the wrong school ID. It's a long story," I sighed. "Anyway, I need to get to class. I'll be late."
"You won't get in trouble for being a little late. You are new. And human," he laughed. "But anyway, what's your first class?
"I don't know. Paranormal History or something."
"Oh, yeah. I'll show you the way. C'mon." He hopped up, and his feet left the ground as he began to hover down the hallway like a butterfly.
I still couldn't believe this was happening, but I followed him while trying to keep the weight off my sore foot. Along the way, we passed portraits of what looked like every headmaster before Headmaster Lupus. The oldest painting depicted a pale man in a lavish suit with a silken ascot. His hair was darker than a moonless night, and his eyes glowed with an icy sheen. Also, I could have sworn that he had fangs . . . just like a vampire.
Before I knew it, Herb stopped at a door, so I quickly copied to avoid knocking into him.
"Here's your class," he mentioned. "I'll be across the hall in math. If you need any help, just tell me."
I smiled, grateful to have someone who was so helpful. "Thank you."
"No problem." He then zoomed away at the speed of a hummingbird.
Thankfully, the lecture hadn't begun yet, so I shyly ambled into the room. Of course, I was the last one to arrive—so every single eye was boring into me. The attention made me feel uncomfortable, so I shifted my gaze.
The class was full of werewolves, fairies, satyrs, and . . . really scary teenagers with a ghostly complexion. They had skin as shiny as a porcelain doll, and their eyes were about as creepy as the hobo clown figurines that my aunt collected for fun. Most of them were dressed in black, so they must have been the goth kids. But they didn't have wings, or hooves, or tails. And they looked way too freaky to be human.
"Alright, class," the small, wrinkly teacher rasped. He leaned on a rickety cane and had shriveled moth wings. "We got a new student. Just make sure nobody bites her, okay? Now, as you may know, 'dis girl collapsed from pure shock last night. So, do be gentle with 'dis one. She's human."
Wow, what a great introduction! I can't believe he said that about me.
"Now, 'lil lady. Why don't you introduce yerself to yer fellow classmates?" he garbled as he extended a bony hand.
My face was probably beet-red, but I sucked up the embarrassment and faced the class. "Hi, my name's Millie Brown, and I'm from Nebraska."
"A girl?!" a werewolf murmured.
"A human girl!" his friend cheered.
"Yes! Our prayers have been answered!"
"Now, boys," the teacher cut in. "'Dis human did not come here fer a boyfriend. She came for an education. Back in my day, women didn't even go to school, so it's a miracle she's here now. So, do me a favor and don't scare her off. She's already been to the infirmary."
Ugh, this was so humiliating!
"We get it!" a gruff voice yelled from the back. "Now, leave her alone and let her sit down."
In the back of the room was a guy with messy blonde hair that fell in front of his forehead. Two fluffy wolf ears poked through his mop.
Without a word, I hurried to the back of the class so I could hide from the world. The only seat left in the room was next to a tall ghostly guy in a black Edwardian overcoat complete with lacy ascot. For some reason, he felt the urge to wear a top hat this morning, and it sat perfectly on his head of long platinum hair. He was more still than a statue, staring ahead with a piercing gaze that could have burned a hole into the chalkboard.
He must have been a cosplayer, too. I would have introduced myself to him, but he gave a murderous vibe. So, I let him do his own thing.
To my right was the wolf boy who had defended me. But as soon as I saw his fluffy tail, I gasped. It was the same shade as Beanie's golden fur, and it swished gently against the hardwood floor. Unlike the other werewolves, his tail was silky smooth to the touch.
Part of me felt the urge to pet his soft fur, but of course, I clasped my hands in my lap. However, I still gawked at his tail from the corner of my eye. It was just so cute!
"What? Never seen a tail before?" the guy snapped.
Oh, no. He was a basket case, too. "Sorry! I squeaked.
I could have sworn his face turned red. "Oh, my bad. I'm just used to humans starin'. And then wantin' to pet it . . . ah, forget it."
He must have been a little high-strung. Like a Jack Russell Terrier. My cousin Charlotte owned a puppy of that breed, and he didn't like to be stared at.
"Oh, I'm Millie, by the way," I whispered, even though I introduced myself five seconds ago.
He glanced at me briefly with his reddish-brown eyes. "Oh, yeah. Rus. But don't get in my way."
Why was everyone at this school so grumpy? It was like they had a chip on their shoulder. "Well, then," I muttered under my breath.
"Alright, class. I'm Mr. Higginsworth. Since it's the first day of school, you know the drill," the teacher methodically began. "We need to go over some rules and regulations since most of you seem to forget 'em after summer break."
He then picked up a small rulebook and began to read the contents. "Now, we'll start in alphabetical order accordin' to species. Fairies, the followin' acts will result in immediate detention or suspension: flyin' around class, hexin' your classmates, hexin' the toilets, and overall, just bein' a plain nuisance."
Students began to yawn, but Mr. Higginsworth flipped the page and continued to read. "Satyrs, the followin' is strictly prohibited: buckin', bitin', affectionate groomin', disaffectionate groomin', and anything else you think of, just do the exact opposite."
He flipped to the next pages. "Vampires . . ."
Vampires?
"The followin' is strictly prohibited: bitin', neck drinkin', drinkin' from anything at the infirmary, hissin' at classmates—"
"So, basically, you want us all to die," an emo teen interrupted in front of me. He was sketching a seriously disturbing drawing of a severed stick figure with a black crayon. "'Cuz if I have to keep myself from doin' all that, I'll drop dead."
The werewolves cheered in the back at the thought of this vampire boy dropping dead. He then turned around and hissed at them with his sharp fangs.
"Now, Draven, you know hissin' is against the rules," Mr. Higginsworth chided. "I'll let ya off with a warnin' this time."
"Why don't you just kick me out anyway? You know I got UHS," he argued.
"UHS?" I murmured to myself.
To my surprise, the wolf boy next to me threw a wadded piece of paper at me, and I flinched. But I picked it up and looked inside.
Uncontrollable Hiss Syndrome. Ignore them.
I gave him a sidelong glance and mouthed, "Thanks."
"Now, you're a special case. Since you wanna get kicked out, yer best punishment is to be forced to stay. Now, let me finish this list. Anyone else who interrupts will go straight to detention."
"Ugh, we know these rules!" a satyr guy whined. "Just give the human girl a memo! She can't break any of these rules anyway. So, what are the human rules? It's not fair!"
Suddenly, every kid in the classroom turned in their seats to glare at me. I froze in my seat and turned bright red.
"Hmm, yes, I wouldn't mind seeing the human get disciplined," a creepy vampire in a trench coat chuckled.
"Now, boys!" the teacher snapped. "None of this is necessary."
"Well, I say it is! She needs to control herself," another vampire agreed.
The teacher huffed. "Control herself? She's just sittin' there."
"I mean her smell. She's gotta quit smelling so good because it might tempt someone," he explained with a malicious grin.
At that, every werewolf in the room jumped out of their chair and surrounded the vampire. They snarled like a pack of wolves, and goats bleated in terror before falling to the floor.
"Oh, my goodness! They're gonna kill him for real this time!" cried a goat girl with purple glasses.
"Really?! I gotta put this on YouTube!" A fairy boy whipped out his phone.
Panic forced me out of my chair. All the vampires hopped to their feet and hissed at the werewolves like rabid animals. This was way too much for me to handle! They must have been planning to kill each other!
"Now, pipe down!" The teacher pulled something out of his pocket and blew on a tiny whistle.
When he pressed his lips to the metal, I couldn't hear anything, but the werewolves and vampires covered their ears, wincing at the sound. It must have been some kind of dog whistle. Thankfully, that seemed to do the trick because they all started wobbling and groaning.
This was probably child abuse (or animal abuse), but at least it made them calm down. Thankfully, they flumped back into their chairs without another word.
"Now, I realize werewolves and vampires have never gotten along. And that's what were gonna be studyin' this semester. So, maybe you'll learn sort out yer feelin's toward each other durin' this class."
How could they let vampires into this school?! They should have been in rehab or something! None of this made any sense until I remembered that portrait of the school founder. He must have been a vampire as well, so I guess that was the reason. But still, it was wrong. I had seen plenty of movies to know that being the only human in a school full of vampires was no good.
For the rest of the class, Mr. Higginsworth gave a Socratic lecture about the rivalry between vampires and werewolves while using a fork and a microwave as an analogy. Since this was the first day of school, he was obviously just trying to bypass the time. I couldn't focus on anything he said because honestly, I was just trying to hold back tears.
The bell rang, and I was the first to retreat to my locker. I stuffed my Paranormal History textbook into the small space and wiped my eyes, hoping that no one would notice me. I had to get out of here. This was just not going to work, so I fished my phone out of my purse and tapped my contact list.
If I told my parents anything about this place, they'd probably press charges. I just wanted to leave quietly, so I decided to text Kylie. Maybe this time, Frostlake High would send a bus for me with a sane driver.
"Before ya leave, could you hear me out?"
The words surprised me, and I closed my locker to find Rus—the golden wolf boy who had been sitting beside me. He was a head taller than me, and he wore baggy camo pants with worn out hiking boots, along with a black cargo jacket. This was the first time I had seen a real werewolf up close.
"Look, not gonna lie, the vampires are jerks. And you shouldn't trust them. They'll do everything they can to bite you and intimidate you. Some of them have rabies. 'Course, some of the werewolves do, too."
I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.
"But if you stay, I'll watch your back."
My jaw dropped to the floor. A real-life werewolf was talking to me and saying that he'd watch my back. This couldn't have been happening!
"You mean forever?" I blurted out loud like an idiot.
He turned red and nervously stepped back. "Woah, what? Do you need to be watched forever?"
"Oh, uh—never mind. So, you wanna be friends?"
"You mean like a pack?"
"Huh? Is that wolf lingo?"
"Oh. Sorry." He cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah. Friends."
"Cool!" Gaining a new friend gave me a burst of joy. "Do you know Herb?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Is he a threat to you?"
"Oh, no! He's a jolly fairy."
"Oh. Green boy. Santa's little helper, you mean? Yeah, he's harmless. What'cha see's what'cha get with him."
"Is he, like, famous at this school?"
"You ask too many questions," he sighed. "He's in a bunch of clubs or something. I dunno."
I still couldn't believe that I was talking to a werewolf. I needed to play this cool, especially now that we were friends. But I couldn't help it! So many questions were swirling inside of me.
"So, do you have a pack?" I asked, trying to relate.
"Me? Not really. They tend to get on my nerves."
Before I could question him any longer, the school bell rang. Dang it! I still had so many things to ask him.
"Well, could you help me find my next class?" I asked, pulling out my schedule. "I don't know where anything is."
"Oh, yeah. Lemme see your slip." He took the paper and scanned the text. While he was busy reading, I snuck another look at his fluffy tail.
"Uh, whaddaya doing?" he asked, catching me in the act.
"Oh—just admiring the floor."
He could obviously tell that I was lying. "Y'know, wolves got great ears."
"Really? Which set?"
"Both."
"So, you have four ears?" I gasped.
I noticed that his blonde hair covered his human ears. Was he self-conscious about it or something?
"Anyway, I'll show ya to class." He ignored my question and walked down the hall. "Y'know, there's plenty of books on lycanthropy in the library."
"You mean The Lunar Cycle of Love?"
"Ugh! No! Real books written by real wolves." His ears dropped in irritation. "If you wanna survive this school, you need to forget everything you read about in some paranormal romance novel. The vampires will prey on that for sure. Who do ya think writes those books?"
"Werewolves write paranormal romance?" I asked.
"No, the vampires write paranormal vampire romance! And forget romance. If you keep walkin' around with your head in the clouds, you'll never make it. Then you might as well call your mommy and daddy right now. I mean, I said I'd watch your back, but you can't be a lemming. Got it?"
"Uh-huh," was all I could say. I didn't want to tell him I didn't know what a lemming was, but I figured it must be something terrible in the werewolf world.
"Okay, here's math class." He stopped at a polished door and crossed his arms.
"Do you have the same schedule?"
"Why? Do you want the same schedule?"
"Well, how can you watch my back if you're never there?"
"Ugh. I knew you were gonna be trouble," he groaned. "Just come with me." He stormed through another corridor like he was being forced to babysit an idiot.
Before I knew it, we were standing in an office with rosy wooden furniture and vases of sunflowers. The secretary was a satyr lady with soft brown fur and a curly updo tied with a pink bow. A bedazzled pair of cat-eye glasses rested on her button nose. She stuffed a strawberry donut into her mouth and slurped her fingers, too busy typing to notice us. She then giggled to herself.
Rus dug his hands into his pocket. "Uh, Ms. Milky."
The goat lady looked up at us mid-donut. "Oh! The human girl! Mye-e-e-ah!"
She bleated so abruptly; I jumped back. What was wrong with these goat people?! They kept doing that over and over again!
"Oh, sorry. Since you're human, you probably don't know," she sheepishly explained. "Satyrs tend to get startled easily, so we start bleating. Or fall over."
"Fall over?" I questioned.
"Yes, some satyrs suffer from myotonia congenita. But it's nothing serious! If something spooks us, we'll just fall over for a few seconds and go into a state of paralysis. But then we pop right up!"
. . . I guess that made sense. Some of the satyrs had fainted earlier when the other students started to fight.
Rus cleared his throat. "Anyway, we need to be in the same classes together."
Her eyes widened with concern. "Oh, is this about what happened earlier with that dastardly vampire boy?"
"Yeah, he gave me the creeps!" I shivered.
"Yeah, and since you won't kick those creeps outta school, I gotta protect her," he added.
"You know their fathers donate most of their money to the school. How do you think we got that nice teacher lounge last year? You know, the one with the indoor pool."
"Yeah, I don't care, so are you gonna put us in the same class or nah?"
"Since it's the first day of school, I'll excuse your backtalking for now." She clicked her mouse a few times and typed on her computer. "And done. And done. And . . . oh, no!"
"What?" he grumbled.
"Your fifth period is completely full."
"Fine. Put me in her class."
"I'm sorry, but hers is full, too."
"That's fine," I reassured. "I can handle one class alone. What is it?"
She squinted at the screen. "Art."
"Change it!" Rus cut in. "That class is full of freaks."
"Ooh, I love art!" I cooed. "Don't worry, I can handle it."
He let out a sigh. "Well, whatever you say."
"Okay, everything should be fixed by tomorrow. Otherwise, she'll miss two classes, and we wouldn't want that on her first day. I'll print out your new schedules and give them to you later tonight."
"Okay. Thanks." Rus left the room, and I followed him.
Now that I had an actual friend, I felt a lot better about my situation. "Thanks for doing that. I hope I'm not taking you away from your own friends."
"I don't have friends. Just the pack. And they don't talk to me."
I guess that was his way of saying he was a loner. Or a lone wolf.
"Well, here's my number." I reached into my purse and pulled out the pink card that I kept on me at all times. His nose twitched as if he could smell the pineapple-scented marker even from far away.
"Oh, that's what that was." He took the card and stuffed it in his pocket. "Okay, I'll text ya later."
I beamed. "Thanks, Rus. You're really helpful."
"No biggie."
"Well, I guess I gotta get to class. Cya!" I turned around and retraced my steps to the room he had shown me.
"Bye," was the last thing I heard.
Now that I had a friend, maybe things wouldn't be so bad. And he wasn't only interested in talking to me because he wanted my neck blood! So, that was a good thing.