The day had been packed with so much fun that the trip left me feeling a little tired. Rusty cruised back to Specter Heights, and the smooth ride lulled me into a light catnap. By the time I opened my eyes again, we were already parked in front of the school gate. Amber shards of sunlight flickered through the treetops and glinted against the wrought iron.
Herb and Asher left to go back to their dorms, but Rusty stayed with me and helped me out of the jeep. He carried the pink shopping bag while I held on to the plastic bag of cookies and candy. After locking the car, he walked me back to my dark tower on the northernmost side of campus.
I let out a content sigh as we strolled down the sidewalk. "I had so much fun today."
"Yeah, me, too."
"We should do it again sometime," I suggested. "But maybe without the others. I didn't realize they were gonna separate."
"Yeah, and frankly, listening to that boy flirt with his mushrooms gave me the creeps."
I snorted into my hand. "I seriously doubt he was flirting with them."
"Yeah, whatever. Who else caresses a plant and whispers to it?"
Well, he got me there. But before I could respond, we had already reached the arched hickory door to my "dorm," so I jiggled my key through the scratchy keyhole. He carried the pink bag up the spiral staircase and placed it at the foot of my bed.
"Now, let's see what my new bedspread looks like." I pulled out the pink and blue butterfly comforter and tore off the plastic wrapping. Finally, I was able to get rid of the emojis once and for all.
My new butterfly-themed bed looked absolutely adorable. While I was busy replacing the pillowcases, Rusty stood on a stool and fit the tension rod between the window frames. The rosy curtains fell over the diamond-lead glass, and the orange sunlight beamed through the delicate sheer.
Now, my tower looked much more delightful. I didn't feel like such a prisoner anymore!
I clasped my hands together. "Yay! Thanks a lot, Rusty."
He scratched the back of his fluffy wolf ear. "No problem."
Smiling, I reached into the plastic bag on my end table. "Oh, before you go. Here." I unwrapped a peanut butter cup and handed it to him. "Try it."
He gave it a curious sniff and then popped the chocolate into his mouth. As soon as the flavor sank into his tastebuds, his eyes beamed with excitement.
"Woah, that's great." He unwrapped another and stuffed his mouth, causing me to giggle.
Honestly, I would probably make another trip sometime and get a matching rug to soften the hardwood floor. But for now, I liked my cute bedspread and curtains. Maybe one day, this place could actually look pretty cozy.
•❤•
The rest of the weekend consisted of hanging out with my friends, studying at the café, and listening to Rusty and Asher's banter. But before I knew it, it was Monday morning—the start of my second week at Specter High. Honestly, I was surprised I had even made it this far. But . . . it was only because of Rusty. If it weren't for him, I probably would have run for the hills long ago.
As always, I headed to the cafeteria for breakfast, but along the way, I sensed a new energy among the students. Girls were giggling to each other in small clusters, and guys were groaning and banging their heads against their lockers.
At first, I was confused, but then I noticed two fairies pinning a glitzy purple banner against the wall while hovering midair. They both pulled away from the big silvery words:
Specter High's
✩
Mystic Moon Ball
September 29
A ball? Was this their version of prom? That sounded like so much fun! And it was only a month away. I couldn't wait to tell the others, so I skipped through the hallway leading to the cafeteria.
"Oh, Miss Brown!" a chirpy voice forced me to screech to a halt.
Ms. Milky emerged from her office and pushed up her violet cat-eye glasses. Her hooves were a lovely shade of pink today.
"There's something I need to discuss with you," she cheeped.
Discuss? Hopefully, she wasn't mad at me or anything, so I nervously shuffled into her flowery office. She clopped to her pink rococo chair and took a seat.
"Sorry for bringing you here on such short notice, but I wanted to talk to you about your options of extracurricular activities—if you're interested. The teachers are very surprised to see you excelling so quickly."
"Oh, really? Thanks. So, what kind of activities?"
"Well, since you didn't have the chance to sign up for an elective class before enrollment, I wanted to present you the opportunity now. Taking one would deeply enrich your education."
I grinned. "That sounds fun. What are the classes?"
"Well, due to the confusion last week, you'll have to catch up on the studies that you missed, but that shouldn't be too big of an issue. So, if you want to take an elective, you should decide now so you don't get too much further behind." She then typed on her computer and cleared her throat. "Anyway, here's what we offer: Vampiric Literature, Satyr Anthropology, Fairy Dust Management, and Lycanthropic Lore."
I had no idea what "anthropology" meant. And frankly, I was a little scared of what kind of "vampiric literature" was being taught. Where I was from, that word didn't have a good connotation. Nevertheless, I thought it was a great opportunity to get to know more about werewolves. For one thing, I'd probably pass with flying colors because I've read tons of werewolf fanfiction. So, I was already prepared.
Plus, it would help me understand Rusty a little better, so I decided, "Lycanthropic Lore sounds interesting."
"Somehow, I had a feeling you'd pick that class," she giggled.
Her words confused me, but she typed on the keyboard with her long, polished nails. "Alrighty, then! You'll have your first class today at 3:45 PM."
"Great."
"Oh, and here's your human breakfast." She handed a greasy paper bag with the Squishy Burger logo—which was a picture of a green slime humanoid holding a thick cheeseburger.
Once that was settled, I excused myself and hurried to the cafeteria for a healthy breakfast of cold Squishy Burger chicken nuggets. After a week of eating nothing but fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—I was already starting to feel a little dead inside. But that morning, my stomach retaliated by tying into a knot.
"Millie, what's wrong? You look sick," Rusty worried as he sat down in front of me with his canned dogfood burrito. The reek only worsened my suffering.
He then took a whiff of the soggy paper bag. "Ugh! What are you eating?"
"Squishy Burger Snazzy Meal," I groaned while clutching my stomach.
"Snazzy? And you say my food's bad."
"I don't like Squishy Burger! But it's all they have to give me."
"Yeah, right. While they're eatin' high on the hog."
We both glanced over and saw the teachers eating Belgian waffles, poached eggs, crispy bacon, and dainty cups of cubed cantaloupe. They even sipped from delicate bone china teacups.
"I think I need to see the nurse again," I whimpered.
"Well, stop eatin' it."
"If I don't, I'll starve."
"C'mon." He stood up, grabbed my hand, and left the cafeteria.
"Where're we going?"
"To get some real food. Fido has a secret stash."
Secret stash? I wasn't sure what he meant until he yelled his cousin's name.
"Yo, Fido! Get over here."
Fido, who was sitting at a table with three other wolf boys, perked up and scurried to our side. A backwards baseball cap rested on his red mop of hair. "Hey, cuz! What's up?"
"We need food. The real kind. They're servin' her slop."
"Oh, so human food?" His mangy tail wagged. "Don't worry. I got just the thing."
Several minutes later, we were standing behind the school as Fido dug into the earth with his bare hands. I could see why he had fleas. But then his hand thumped against something, and his tail wagged fiercely. To my shock, he pulled a mini blue cooler out of the soil and popped open the lid, revealing the goods.
"Okay, Millie, just get what'cha want." Fido grinned assuringly. "Don't worry, I refill this thing every couple 'a days."
Wow. It was actually a pretty clever idea, so I investigated the food inside of the dirt cooler. Fido had everything from Pop-Tarts to turkey sandwiches wrapped in plastic, along with cans of soda. At this point, food that had been buried under the earth sounded better than Squishy Burger, so I took a turkey sandwich, string cheese, and a cream soda.
"Thanks, Fido! That's actually pretty smart."
He blushed and wagged his tail. "I can bring more. I got another cooler behind my dorm. I can plant one near your tower if you'd like."
"I don't think I'd have the strength to dig it up, but thanks."
"Well, just find me. I'll dig it up for ya. Here's my number."
"I know where to find you! Just—thanks. Go on," Rusty interrupted with a sneer. "Here's your tip." He tossed a milk bone to him, which Fido caught with his mouth.
"Awesome! Your mom's homemade kind. They're the best!" He grinned like a maniac, kicked the dirt back over the cooler with his hind legs, and dashed away on all fours.
Rusty turned to me with a smirk. "They're not really homemade. I just told 'em that when we were kids, and he's believed it ever since."
I giggled. "That's so wrong."
"What? It makes him a lot more tolerable. If that boy had his way, he'd be in wolf form all the time. It's sad really."
What a quirky boy. I then unwrapped my sandwich and took a big bite of the fluffy white bread and cold turkey. The creamy American cheese tasted much better than anything Squishy Burger could offer. Rusty walked me back to the cafeteria while I happily munched on my new snack. But once we passed the banner advertising the Mystic Moon Ball, I felt the urge to ask him something weird.
"Hey, Rusty, can you dance?"
His eyes widened. "Huh? What kinda question is that?"
"Just asking," I teasingly replied.
He sighed. "Dancing isn't a werewolf thing."
"Really? Well, I could show you the basics."
His ears perked up. "So, what? You wanna go to the dance together or something?"
"It'd be fun! We can just go as friends."
"Friends, huh? Yeah, we could do that . . ." His swishing tail flopped dejectedly. "I mean, do you got your eye on somebody back home? Or here?"
My face warmed up. "Maybe."
"Really? Oh. So, you gonna tell me who it is?"
I mischievously grinned. "Not yet!"
"Well, tell ya what, if he asks you to the dance, it's okay if you bail on me."
He really was clueless. Maybe I shouldn't tease him so much, but it wasn't like I was gonna just throw myself at him! But I was having a harder and harder time thinking of anything else that wasn't Rusty. Thankfully, by the time we got back, he finished his dogfood burrito before the school bell rang.
We both headed to our first class of the day: Paranormal History. Rusty carried my textbook for me, and we talked casually, but the moment I walked into the room . . . my body froze in terror. Duran—who I thought had been expelled—was sitting at the same desk next to mine with a sinister look in his eyes—that were now as pale as ice.
Rusty snarled through gritted teeth. And although I struggled to breathe normally, I mustered the last of my courage and walked toward my desk.
"Miss me?" he hissed with a malicious lilt to his words.
Rusty pushed himself in front of me. "Get outta here, you parasite!"
"Oh, testy. It seems the stray has grown fond of the human. But don't worry, Millie, although you are starting to absorb his . . . scent." His pointy nose wrinkled. "I won't hold it against you if you leave him now. But the longer you delay, I can't guarantee I'll be as forgiving of it later."
Rusty's ears pinned back, and he started to hunch over. "Keep talkin' and there won't be a later!"
"It's okay," I whispered, touching his shoulder. "He's only in this class. Just ignore him."
Rusty relaxed at the touch of my hand, so he begrudgingly flumped in his chair—still glaring at Duran the entire time. I finally took a seat and stared straight forward. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the creep checking me out. He was probably admiring my neck or something!
The next forty-five minutes felt absolutely dreadful. Duran was obviously gawking at me the entire time, but I had to ignore his penetrating gaze and focus instead on the lesson. Rusty's ears were pinned back the entire time, and he snarled under his breath. Honestly, I thought about faking an injury—like fainting so I could be taken to the infirmary. But I didn't want to show any weakness, so I sat there as stiff as a board.
When the school bell rang, Rusty grabbed my hand and my backpack before booking it out of the room. He almost seemed more unnerved than me, which was saying a lot. Finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief. There were a few times I thought he'd lunge for my neck.
"Are you okay?" Rusty worried.
I shakily nodded. "Yeah, let's just get to class."
We both grabbed our math textbooks from our lockers and headed to the end of the corridor. But as soon as I headed to my desk . . . Duran was there, sitting at the one next to mine. This wasn't his second class! Did he change his schedule or something?! But this class was already packed. A nerdy goat boy had been sitting there only last week!
"It's about time you showed up. You're late," he creepily remarked.
"Class hasn't started yet," I countered.
"What are you doing here?!" Rusty demanded. "You're not in this class."
"A detail that's easily changed when you have the right connections."
"I don't care who your connections are," he spat. "Say one more word to Millie—or even look at her—and the whole pack will be down on you. So, back off!"
"I'm not scared of you or your pack of mutts," he casually shot back. "I'm bored with this conversation now. But Millie, if you know what's good for you, you would quit wallowing in the filth with those flea-infested mongrels."
My skin crawled. Honestly, I just wanted to get out of here and hide.
"Millie, switch seats with me," Rusty commanded.
Clutching my backpack, I scurried to his desk and let Rusty sit between me and the stalker. For the rest of the lesson, I resisted the urge to cry, so I couldn't even pay attention to the teacher. Why was he acting so obsessive all of a sudden?!
Once again, another nerve-wracking class slowly ticked by. I couldn't even focus on my textbook. When the bell finally rang, I rushed into the hallway and had a mental breakdown. The tears poured down my cheeks until I sniffled uncontrollably.
"Huh? Guys! Millie's crying!" Fido yelled for the whole school to hear.
Suddenly, werewolves came running into the hallway on all fours. It was as if he had alerted the entire pack with his voice alone. They all crowded around me and sprung to their feet, barking question after question.
"Millie?! Are you hurt?"
"What happened?!"
"I'll protect you!"
"No, I'll protect her!"
"Wait, this is Rusty's fault!"
"Hey!" Rusty roared. "Quit crowdin' her!"
The wolf boys finally backed away, much to my relief.
"So, what's wrong?" Fido asked with a puppy dog look in his eyes.
I whimpered and wiped my tears away. "That creepy vampire's stalking me . . . he's in all my classes now!"
The werewolves bared their fangs and scowled in disgust.
"What a creep!"
"I just wanna go back to my tower," I mumbled.
"No, if anyone's leavin', it's gonna be him!" Fido declared. "Sparky, we're gonna need you to smuggle some 'vampire repellent,' if ya know what I mean."
His friend Sparky, who had silver ears and a tail, nodded resolutely.
"He may be a vampire, but he's got weaknesses. And we'll just exploit 'em," Fido assured.
"What kind of vampire repellant?" I murmured.
A wicked grin crossed his face. "Concentrated garlic juice."
From that day forward, the werewolves had declared war. The next time Rusty and I went to class, Duran was there—of course—sitting next to my desk. He gawked at me with a menacing smirk as if tempting me to take a seat. Of course, I did and tried to ignore him.
A cool breeze wafted through the open windows, but the chill of the vampire's icy stare made me shiver inside.
"How fun it is to have a familiar face in every class," he hissed in delight.
Just hearing him speak made me want to jump out of my skin.
Sizzzz.
A small sizzling noise interrupted my train of thought. I looked over and saw Fido crouching outside the window with a magnifying glass pointed in Duran's direction. The reflecting sunlight streaked into the room and pierced his cold, ghostly skin.
"Ugh!" Duran slapped his cheek with his gloved hand. "What's the meaning of this?" He whipped his head in the direction of the window, but Fido was already gone. When the vampire shifted his creepy gaze, three other werewolves reappeared with their deadly magnifying glasses.
Duran's skin sizzled as smoke emitted from his cheek. The smell of burnt rubber made me pinch my nose. He frantically rubbed his face and tried to remain classy and dignified.
"Alright, class. Today, we'll be watching a documentary on how real human families interact in their own households," our social studies teacher, Mr. Sanguine (who was a vampire), announced. He was a bald, pointy-eared gentleman with sharp snaggleteeth and bug eyes. "While I was at the human market, I found this 'reality television show' called The Osbournes. This will give us a glimpse into the natural habitat of a regular human family."
He had to be kidding. But I was too distracted by the sizzling flesh of the vampire sitting next to me. His pale skin was starting to crackle. And every time he looked at the window, the werewolves would duck before he could notice and then resumed their little game.
"I can't be near this filth!" Duran cried out as he shot up from his desk. He hurried out of the room just as Mr. Sanguine inserted the DVD into his computer.
"Well, there's nothing I can teach you that's new to you anyway, so carry on!" he encouraged without breaking his gaze off his laptop (that he struggled to figure out).
What was that supposed to mean? Of course, Duran was probably the teacher's pet of every vampire working at this school. The rest of the class consisted of Mr. Sanguine trying to figure out how to use the projector and connect it to his computer. So, we didn't get to watch The Osbournes that day.
The rest of the day consisted of Duran getting singed in every class he attended and then running out of the room. But after lunchtime, I passed the door to my English class and caught a glimpse of Sparky brushing a desk with a suspicious liquid. He appeared to be holding a dark bottle with a garlic sticker on the glass. He then threw his duffle bag over his shoulder and jumped out the window before anyone could catch him.
I had no idea what the garlic would do, but when the bell rang, Rusty and I casually sat down. Students scattered into the room, but surprisingly, Duran was the last to enter. The shadows under his eyes made his ice-cold glare look terrifying. He did not seem happy. Also, the top hat was gone, so I knew he wasn't playing around.
Oh, no. What if all their pranks only made matters worse? Now, I was really worried about what that garlic would do. He silently made his way to his desk but stopped at the door. His face contorted in disgust, and he slapped his gloved hand over his mouth as if to hold back puke. He then flew back through the hall.
Before I knew it, an alarm beeped throughout the building.
"This is not a drill! Make your way to the nearest exit! Attention! We have a Garlic 129! All vampires, flee to the nearest exit! The rest of you, calmly wait your turn to exit the premises. Do not attempt to get in the way of a vampire! This is not a test! I repeat, this is not a test!"
The message repeated, so I frantically followed the students into the hallway. Panicking vampires were zigzagging in every direction and jumping through the windows. But to my horror, poor Asher hobbled out of class while clutching his stomach. How did it even affect him?
"Uh, I think Sparky went a little too far . . ." I mumbled.
"Ya think? C'mon!" Rusty grabbed my hand and whisked me to the nearest exit.
"Huh? But we're not allergic!" I reminded.
"Yeah, but you'll be trampled by this crowd!" He then swung open the door and led me to the school gate, where all the other teenagers gathered.
Satyrs were bleating in terror, and some fainted with their legs stiffly planted in the air. But worst of all, every vampire was groaning in pain and dry-heaving on the ground. Some were even given oxygen masks by the faculty, and they hid under the shade of an oak tree.
"Why do they need oxygen masks? They can't breathe," Fido crudely asked, even though most of this was his fault. Did he know the garlic would cause such an uproar?
"It's in my lungs!" a teenage boy cried.
"I'm blind! It got in my eyes and everything!"
"I'm suing!" a goth girl with running mascara screamed.
"Fido!" I whispered. "This is serious!"
"What? I didn't think it'd do that! I mean, Sparky only rubbed it on his desk."
"This was an attempt of genocide!" Duran announced for everyone to hear. "I just alerted my father, and he is not happy to hear of such shenanigans! My parents will arrive shortly to investigate the matter."
"That won't be necessary. We have defused the situation," Headmaster Lupus assured. "Apparently, someone rubbed garlic oil on a desk in English. And then the fumes wafted into the air duct and lingered into the other classrooms. Do not worry. We will look into this, so for today, school is dismissed."
"Wait!" Mr. Sanguine waddled over in a hazmat suit. "This was discovered at the scene of the crime!" He held up a plastic bag with a silver tuft of fur. There were at least twelve werewolves with that same color, so they all sheepishly looked away.
"Alas! A filthy mongrel attempted to harm one of our own kind!" Duran bellowed. "Did you hear that, my fledglings?!"
The vampires were too busy puking to even pay attention to his rambling. But then the screeching of a vehicle burning rubber interrupted his monologue. A shiny black Rolls-Royse Sport Phantom with a long, clunky engine from the Roaring Twenties had pulled up in front of the wrought-iron gate. A creepy gargoyle bat hood ornament dazzled in the sunlight, so I immediately knew that it had to be Duran's parents. Either them or Cruella de Vil.
The tiny door swung open, and a vampire in a brocade tailcoat and a silky crimson vest emerged from the car. Just like his son, he also embraced the life of a cosplayer. His flaxen hair fell to his shoulders in a low ponytail, but he sported his own manly parasol.
His wife, who also had fair tresses, donned a black gown with frilly crimson bustle, so she color-coordinated with her husband. Honestly, they looked . . . concerningly similar. And not in a good way. She, too, carried a lacy parasol that shielded her gaunt face from the sunshine.
"Father!" Duran exclaimed. "This was a direct assault on all vampires! A single tuft of silver fur was found at the crime scene!"
"Oh, dear boy, you're giving me a headache," his father monotoned. "Please, stop your ranting. Worry not, I shall get to the bottom of this."
"Man, these guys gotta be on dope or somethin'," a werewolf muttered from behind me.
Headmaster Lupus nervously approached Duran's father. "Mr. Bloodstone! No harm was done. See? The students are getting the best treatment our resources can provide."
Meanwhile, vampires were wheezing on the grass under the shade.
"A prank by a poor misguided misfit should not result in an investigation. He clearly did not know what he was doing," he chuckled.
"I know what happened!" a nosy fairy girl piped up. It was the same fangirl that had threatened me on the first day for talking to Lance von Fae! "It's 'cuz of that new girl. She told the werewolves to do it!"
I gasped in horror.
"Well, that is a strong accusation, indeed," the Headmaster chuckled.
"Oh?" Mr. Bloodstone pierced his dead eyes into mine. "Is that a human I smell? She must be questioned. Come along, then. Take a seat in my horseless carriage, young lady, and I shall see to it."
At that, every wolf boy circled around me and snarled at the vampire.
"Hey! No phasing on the schoolgrounds, except during the full moon!" Ms. Milky cried.
"Actually, kidnapping's against the law, and if she doesn't go willingly, every human is protected by their law," Asher reasoned.
Mr. Bloodstone let out a sigh. "Ah, such troublesome overseers. Fine, but if these shenanigans continue, I shall have no choice but to sue. Or . . ." He hissed. "Take the law into my own hands." He then turned to his bratty son. "Duran, be a dear and come visit your mother this weekend. She's suffering greatly at missing her firstborn."
"But she's right there," I whispered to Rusty.
"Don't you get it? She's too dead inside to have a voice of her own," he snarked.
"I heard that!" Mr. Bloodstone huffed. "My ears are tuned in to sarcasm and sick humor."
Sparky scoffed. "Well, then I hope your eyes are tuned in to this."
He then raised a hand gesture I couldn't repeat while Duran's mother swooned in utter horror. Mr. Bloodstone gasped in disgust while taking his wife as far from the scene of the crime as possible. Hoots and hollers were heard all around as the demon spawn car rolled back into the woods.
"Alright, students, hurry off to your dorms," Headmaster Lupus ordered. "As for the ones feeling ill, please visit the hospice if any symptoms are worsening."
Wow. I couldn't believe garlic could do that much damage. But before leaving, I asked Asher, "Hey, are you feeling okay?"
"No. This whole thing stinks." He crossed his arms. "They threaten you in public and get away with it all the time."
"It's because of that Olympic-sized pool," Herb explained. "His dad paid over four-hundred grand to build that thing."
"Well, they obviously just did it to use as leverage," Rusty grumbled.
Meanwhile, I knew that everyone was probably staring at me—thinking that I was some horrible human being. The vampires probably all hated me by now, especially Duran's parents. How could that annoying fangirl say something so untrue in front of everyone? I didn't want to cry in front of my friends, so I slipped away from the conversation and headed back to my tower.
Maybe it was better for me to drop out now before any more damage was done. Besides, I couldn't stand the thought of going to school with that creep every day for the rest of the year. And obviously, he wouldn't get in trouble for anything. Ever.
By the time I saw my tower in the distance, Rusty caught up with me.
"Millie! What's wrong?"
I stopped, trying to hold back tears. "Everything. The vampires hate me, and everyone thinks I tried to poison them. Including his millionaire parents."
"Screw them! It doesn't matter what they think. They're powerless or they woulda done somethin' long ago."
I bowed my head. ". . . I just think I need to leave."
His eyes softened with a pleading look, and he took my hand, forcing me to face him. "Don't go, Millie. Forget what they think. They're pathetic losers. But . . . I'd miss ya too much if you left." He then squeezed my hand. "But If you leave, I'm goin' with you."
His response shocked me. "You can't do that. You'd get sent off to Area 51 for lab testing."
"I don't care as long as you're safe."
My heart skipped a beat. He was willing to go to Area 51 for me?
"Besides, if you go, it doesn't mean that creep will stop botherin' you," he added.
He had a point. At least the werewolves had my back . . . and Rusty. Suddenly, I remembered that he was still holding my hand. My face warmed up.
"Anyway, if you want . . . I'd like to take you to see my family this weekend," he mentioned, taking me by surprise.
My face lit up. "Really?
"Yeah. Let's just get away for a while."
The idea granted me a sense of relief. At least Rusty was by my side. And that was enough to help me get through the semester.