~Alex~
It is my first day at this new school. I was expelled from my last one for getting into some... okay, a lot of trouble. I got into a huge fight with at least 10 people and the school saw that as unacceptable.
So here I am at Wolf Creek High School. Restarting Sophomore year in the middle of September when I should be a junior.
I'm a werewolf. An alpha. I love getting attention, I'm not going to lie. That's why I love playing sports and showing everyone who's the boss. I can't help it. It's in my nature. So when that group of guys tried to pull something on me, I wasn't going to let that slide. I was taught to fight, not to surrender. In the end, I got a bad scolding from all the adults. The kids at school thought I was amazing and terrifying all at once.
My mom was disappointed in me and my dad was livid. I was grounded ever since I was expelled, up until today. I wasn't allowed to leave the house. It was a living hell. I couldn't step out to take a run or talk to anyone. I might as well have been a prisoner.
They said that an Alpha wolf should be smart enough to know that wolves shouldn't fight with humans unless it was necessary.
My mom drives me through the woods to school. She talks cheerfully the whole way. It's almost as if my expulsion didn't happen.
"Hm, I wonder is Belladonna's son goes to this high school. You guys were so close when you were kids. You haven't seen him since you were in 7th grade, so almost 5 years by now." She talks on and on about this kid.
We were pretty close friends. He was like a little brother to me. He would always follow my lead. He had brains and always told me when something was dumb, or that we should do something in a different way. I don't know why, but I wanted to stay near him, protect him. Then around the start of 7th grade, he stopped coming over completely. I wonder what happened to him.
He forgot about you, obviously. A crappy alpha that can't even act mature isn't worth remembering. We all know he had more talent than you. My wolf mutters in my head. The sad thing is that I can't really deny it.
"I wonder what happened to Belladonna, Charlie, and Nico-- we haven't seen them in so long. I hope they are alright. Maybe she got into some trouble... no, no, I think our pack would know if something were to happen." Mom fights back and forth about whether Belladonna, Nico's mom, is okay. She seems tense about the safety of the family, and I can't blame her, Belladonna is like a sister to her. And Nico was my best friend.
***
Mom pulls into the drop-off section of the school. She pats my cheek. "Don't you dare start any trouble this year, or we'll drop your position as the heir and give it to someone else." Her eyes flash gold. She said it sweetly enough, but her words are heavy.
She forces me out of the car and quickly drives off. All I can do is stare at the retreating form of the car in shock. If I cause one more big scandal like the last one, I was out. I would probably be demoted to omega rank. I shudder at the mere thought. All my fellow Alphas would jump on the chance to make my life a living hell if I were an Omega, because that's an Omega's position; the bottom. And those at the bottom get treated like trash.
I shoulder my backpack as I try to wrap my head around the enormity of what could happen. I open a random door and walk into the school building. I see a line of lockers on the left of me. They are painted bright red. I walk down the hallway, not knowing where in the world to go.
My ears prick up. I hear raised voices. I look down the hall to see two people standing close to each other, both guys. It looks like they are about to fight. One guy has brown hair, he is looking intently at the other boy, trying to convince him of something. I can't see the front of the other boy, but he is shorter than the other guy and has black hair. This isn't going to be an even fight.
"Let. Me. Go!" The smaller boy demands.
Something pulls me toward him. I can't let this guy get hurt. I'm right behind them in an instant. I glare down at the brunette. He lifts his eyes to me. He seems annoyed with my sudden appearance. I notice the black-haired person's back stiffens.
"Hey, what's going on here?" I say. I glare at the brunette for whatever excuse he was about to make.
The black-haired kid turns around. I am met with stunning blue eyes that tug at something in my head. He stutters and looks... utterly afraid of me?
"Nothing's going on, so you can mind your own business." The other guy says. I glare at him, this guy is starting to get really annoying.
"Well, this guy here was just screaming. I think you should let go of his hand now." I say pointedly.
They pull their hands apart, looking embarrassed. This just irks me more.
The kid with blue eyes backs up with big steps as soon as he is free to move. He moves away from me, I notice, and not the other guy. Why is this kid so afraid of me?
"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask, voicing my thoughts.
The kid just swallows and stutters out something. He can barely talk to me. He looks like an animal that has just been cornered. I sniff the air. He smells unusual. He smells human, but something else is mixed in.
The bell rings just then and they both escape before I can do anything. I curse under my breath as I try to find my first class. I stop a student and ask him if he knows where so-and-so's classroom is. He points me in the right direction and I make it to class, surprisingly, before the bell rings.
I approach the teacher and I ask him where to sit, informing him that I am his new student. He points to a seat in the back. It's next to a kid with black hair... Wait a second! That's the kid that was scared out of his wits in the hall. I thank the teacher and tell him I'll take the seat.
I look around at everyone as I walk to the back of the classroom. They are all looking and whispering about me, some even try to talk to me. I engage them back; I don't want to seem antisocial on my first day of school just because I wanted to concentrate on this person in front of me.
I take my seat and look at the familiar stranger. Something within me pulls all my attention to him. I want to know who he is. I want to know everything about him. Why is he so familiar yet so foreign at the same time?
"Hey, you're that person from just now right?" I decided to just take the most obvious route.
He glares at me, his body is trembling, his face is flushed, eyes hazy, and he's sweating. Is he sick? On drugs? "Y-you," He stammers, "What exactly are you?"
This stops me right in my tracks. What does he mean? He could have meant a lot of things, but he used 'what' instead of 'who.' I decided to voice my thoughts, "What do you mean?"
"Y-you'r-" His face contorts into pain. He puts his hands to his head as if he is having a massive headache.
I watch him in shock, feeling helpless; what is going on with him? "Hey, are you alright?" I ask. I have to know what is going on, how can I help?
When I speak, his eyes clench shut as if my voice is too loud, "Shhh." He hisses. He glares at me, his blue eyes flash a bright blue.
Something in my heart jumps. This person... is a werewolf? Why do they smell so human then? It smells as if he doesn't even have a wolf inside of him. It doesn't matter right now. All I know is that his eyes are glowing blue and that that is a big sign saying something is not right with this kid. I have to get him away from everyone. I don't know what is wrong with him, he might be about to change, or something milder, but I can't risk it happening here in front of all these people.
"Hey," I say in a lower voice than before, "Come with me."
I see his reluctance, he thinks I'm dangerous. But then his face softens for a second as if something convinces him everything will be okay. "O...K." He seethes and gets up shakily from his seat. I grab him by the shoulder and lead him out of the classroom.
I lead him to the only place I could think of, the Nurse's office. He is a sick student and he needs help, is there anywhere more appropriate?
On the way to the nurse's office, it's like the kid becomes a different person. He is still clutching his head, but his eyes are glowing bright blue. His wolf is in control.
"Hey," I say looking at him as we walk, "What's your name." I give the boy a knowing look. I know it isn't actually the boy I'm speaking to.
"Hm, so you are one of us. It's been a long time since I've seen one of our kind. My name is Noctis."
This name was ringing bells in my head, but I don't know why. "That name seems awfully familiar."
"Well, it should. We've met before." A smirk pulls at the boy's lips. He knows something I don't and is teasing me. Damn wolves.
I could feel the wolf in me stir it wanted to meet the other wolf. I ignored him. We have to get this kid to the infirmary. Which is where? I just realized I have no idea where I'm going.
"Ha, you don't even know where to go. I guess, me, the injured person, will lead the way." He starts walking the other way.
I grind my teeth at his infuriating comments. Who is this wolf to talk down to me?
***
After some minutes of walking the hallway, finding the nurse, and getting the boy situated, I sit in a chair by his bedside. It didn't appear as though the boy was going to wake up anytime soon. What should I do?
"Don't you dare start any trouble this year, or we'll drop your position as the heir and give it someone else." My mother's foreboding words echoed in my head. I quickly stand up. I can't afford to skip classes and let my grades slip. I can't even afford for a call going home that I skipped class, even if it was to help a fellow wolf.
With a final, long gaze back at the boy's peaceful, sleeping face, I regretfully return to my class. The teacher ask all sorts of questions. I tell him what happened. He just says, 'poor kid.' Doesn't even mention the guy's name. Not like I cared; I didn't want anything to do with the kid after today. He didn't seem worth all the trouble he has already caused me. After today, I would have nothing to do with him.
***
The rest of school went out normally. I could have swore I heard a few voices whispering about Nico, yet I had no way of knowing whether it was my Nico. My Nico. What the hell was I thinking? Nico wasn't mine. I couldn't even keep him near me.
I shove these thoughts away as I get into my mom's car. She was like my personal chauffeur. She decided to drive me back and forth in my car. The one I got on my birthday. I wasn't allowed to drive for a while. When I would be allowed to drive again, that I don't know.
"Hey, honey," My mom says keeping her eyes on the road, "I was thinking that we could take a detour, before going home, to visit Belladonna's house."
At the thought of being able to see Nico again my heart fluttered with excitement and nervousness. What was up with me?
The whole ride there I could barely sit still. I was about to see Nico after 5 years. What would he look like, would he be taller? Would his hair be as long? Did his face change? Did his personality change? Is Nico still Nico? Those last two thoughts sent a chill of nervous panic down my spine. I hope Nico was still himself. Dark hair, tan skin, blue eyes, lean muscles despite being so young, and his shortness. Always so short.
We turn a corner and drive down a long road. "We're almost there." Mom informs me. I look at her face, it was grim. Seeing her like this made something rise in my throat. My nervous twitching died. I sat stone still as we rounded a bend in the road and we were met with the sight of a white suburban house with a wrap around porch. Everything looked normal except that the huge yard was overgrown as if it hadn't been touched in years. A swing swung sadly from a tree's branch; the rope looked too worn out.
Mom parks the car. We both step out. I have never been to Nico's house, but I could tell this is not what it was supposed to look like. It looked abandoned.
"Should we even bother knocking?" I look over at my mom. She looked shocked.
"I don't think that there's a need." She said, "I should have done something. I should have called. I should have visited. I- I..."
"Mom! What's done is done. There is nothing we can do to reverse what has already happened. No one could have known this would have happened." I tried to calm her.
"We should at least look inside to make sure that there is no bodies or something in there." She said.
I agreed with her. I didn't think that someone would be stupid enough to leave bodies, but I had to know if they moved away or something happened.
Mom walks toward the house, on the gravel path were weeds started growing in between the little rocks. She goes in her pants pocket and pulls out a key. She inserts it into the lock and, with a click, opens the door. She pushes the door, on its creaky hinges, open. It was so quiet it was like the house was haunted or something. We walked through the house. It was still full of furniture. They hadn't taken their things when they left. Mom checks downstairs while I go upstairs and check the rooms.
I open the door closest to me when I go up the stairs. It was the master bedroom. It was neat and clean, aside from the dust that coated every surface. I checked the closet. Clothes hung there, smelling like mothballs. I closed the closet. So, the parents hadn't taken any clothes, or barely any at all. What about Nico's room.
I open more doors on the second floor until I get to a room with walls painted blue. Nico's bedroom. The blue walls were littered here and there with pictures drawn by Nico. There were landscapes, mostly, but the occasional drawings of faces, or poems written by him. I stopped to read a few of those. Everything he created was so good. I looked at the pictures on his desk, dresser, and wall. This room was like a living memory of Nico. Well, maybe not living anymore.
I saw pictures from when he was six. Me and him were side by side. I saw more and more of us together. Maybe I should take these since he's not using them anymore. I realize I don't have any pictures of Nico. I pull a picture out of one of the frames before moving on. I spot photos of his mom, dad, and himself. I picked up a picture of a woman. She looked like she was eighteen years old standing next to Nico. Nico looked like the last time I saw him. 11 years old, and about to go into 6th grade. I wonder who this woman was. His aunt maybe. I put the picture down on the table.
I open Nico's dresser and see that most of the clothes are missing. I open a closet and plenty of clothes remain. He must have thought he was leaving for a few days, or he had to pack light. I could decide which one it was by whether his stuffed animal wolf was around here. I look around his room for any sign of the black and white wolf. I come up empty-handed. So maybe he thought he was leaving for only a few days and decided to bring his stuffed animal with him. I know it was a stupid way to determine whether this was the truth or not, but it was my only lead.
I walk back down the stairs, my shoulders heavy with loss. I could only leave it to my imagination as to what happened to Nico. My steps are slow and heavy as I descend the stairs and walk into the kitchen. Mom stands near the kitchen table, something in her hands. I realize she is reading something. At my approach she looks up from what she is reading.
"Well, I don't know about Belladonna or Charlie, but I think I know where Nico may be." She says, looking down.
My hope flutters for a second, "Where?"
"Here." She hands me the note she was reading.
I look down and read the slip of paper, "Stay at your Uncle Joe's house. He'll take care of you. We'll be gone for a while. Love Mom and Dad."
I look up from the paper, "His uncle, Joe?" I've never heard of this man in my life. I didn't even know that Nico had an uncle named Joe.
"Yep. Maybe it's on his father's side. I know that Bella didn't have a brother."
I slip the piece of paper into my pocket. This was all the clues I had as to the where-abouts of Nico. I had to make use of them.
"OK. Let's go home." My mom starts walking to the front door. We both leave the abandoned house with heavy hearts. We drive the rest of the way home in silence. It was like the family had disappeared without a trace. Well, almost without a trace. This note was my only key to finding Nico. I just hope he was okay.