Phytology

My mouth parts in shock, and Teodora frowns in my direction when she sees the look of pure astonishment in my face.

"Don't lie to the poor girl, Professor Florentino," she says seriously while I try to work my jaw enough to close it again. I think it hit the floor at some point. "She looks terrified," she adds.

"Are you scared, Bambi?" he asks me.

I bristle and my anger immediately spikes at the use of that damn nickname again. "Bambi?" I spit in response.

"You look like you fumble around a lot and get spooked easily. Reminds me of Bambi, that deer was always the pathetic type that would make easy prey".

Red starts to creep in from the edges of my vision as I slowly make my way to stand. My gaze flickers past the professor for a moment, and when I see Calvin I freeze my movements. I blink once before dropping my butt back in the seat and scrambling to grab my bag. Seeing Calvin and his argyle socks immediately reminded me of the lilax tea. My hand grasps the top of the jar, and I hurriedly take a huge swig of the contents while glaring at the professor over the lid.

While chugging the tea, my hand quickly darts out and I point towards Calvin before turning my gesture into a thumbs up. Calvin startles at the sudden attention, and I realize that man and his lilax tea are my new favorite things.

The professor stands there and stares as I slam the empty jar down on the desk before me and give a whoop of excitement.

"Teo's right," Professor Florentini mutters with a roll of his eyes. "And apparently, she likes to ruin my fun. The existence of Hades has not been confirmed, but his name has been passed down through lore. No one alive today, or in many of the generations before, have seen this God. However, we do know the Underworld exists, and when the Furies aren't pursuing retribution for the wronged, they are found there."

I still feel a little queasy at that revelation, but decide not to let it show on my face. A memory pops into my head of Ryker mentioning something about hellfire…

I lean back in my seat and inspect my nails to be the perfect picture of calm."What else is found in the Underworld?"

"That is a discussion for another day, Bam-" he cuts off from uttering that horrid nickname again when I bare my teeth at him. His eyes dance with amusement and it's almost adorable when he cracks a grin that he can't seem to wipe away.

"Fine, what's your name?" Florentino asks me.

I lift my chin and narrow my eyes at him. "Layla Gibbous".

He looks down to my arm and his eyes pause at the sight of my C-shaped silver scar. I hardly notice his reaction though, when I feel the pressing weight of several other looks flickering in my direction. I glance around to see that nearly all of the students are staring at me.

Florentino clears his throat nervously.

"You've wasted enough of my time today, class dismissed," the professor says as he turns around and walks back to his desk.

I take a moment to pack up my things and I hear a pair of footsteps coming closer.

"I heard that was a nasty bite." Teodora with her arms crossed over her chest and one eyebrow raised and entirely confusing me in the process.

"You heard?" I parrot, lost as to why she would know of me.

"Yeah, just like nearly everyone else at this school. It's been the talk of the academy - an unbalanced nipper forcing the werewolf mutation onto his girlfriend".

I cringe at the description. I'm still riding the pleasant calm from the lilax tea and luckily don't feel like wringing her neck at the reminder of that notable moment.

"Ex-girlfriend…" I lamely tell her, as if that is the most important part of the story.

She gives me a smirk and pops a hip out. "Well, I certainly hope so," her eyes dance with delight, seemingly receptive of my statement.

"I never really thought of it as a mutation before," I say, my thought caught up with the renewed perspective. "But that makes sense," I add.

She nods her head sympathetically at me and sticks out her hand in greeting. "Teodora," she says as I shake her hand. "Or Teo for short".

"Oh, so that wasn't a completely baseless and demeaning nickname Florentino chose for you then?" I ask, trying to mask my bitterness since it should be aimed at the ornery and pompous turd waffle I have the displeasure of calling my professor.

Her smirk widens, letting me know I didn't hide my bitterness as well as I hoped.

"Don't worry about that old flea-bag," she quips. I put my bag over one shoulder and she walks with me out of the classroom. On the way out, I make sure to look over at the fountain that Ryker pointed out previously. The shadow has changed, now depicting the likeness of a horse with a fish tail. Noting to ask Ryker about that creature later, I look back to Teodora at my side.

"I have Phytology next, how about you?" I ask her, taking her in. She has hair that is dyed blond with blue streaks and has the top half of her hair knotted in a bun. Her blue eyes are thinly rimmed in oversized glasses that I notice are now firmly back on her face. She's really quite beautiful.

"Me too, babe. Looks like you're not getting rid of me yet," She glances at me in the corner of her eye and gives me a wink, causing heartfelt laughter to bubble out of me. She seems like a genuine person, and I could use that after losing my parents, Javier and having to leave my home and friends behind.

My emotions are spiraling, and it seems that the only thing that has been a constant is my rage. It's a whirlwind and catastrophic tornado fueled by contempt. As though my only emotional anchor these days is my rage, which worries me. My control over it has ebbed and flowed, running the risk of me lashing out and doing something I may come to regret. Having an honest friendship may take some of the pressure off. I feel friendly with Ryker as well, but a relationship with him seems to be a bit more complicated.

With Teodora, it already feels simple and natural.

We walk next door to the Phytology classroom, well, perhaps it is more of a lab. I swallow audibly as my heart constricts when I see the all too familiar long, metal desks, bright lights, and a room lined with tools and science equipment.

Teodora pulls me with her, lending support without realizing it, and leads me to a desk with two empty stools. I give her a small smile as we settle into the desk next to each other.

"So, where are you from Teo?" I ask her, curious about her background. This academy is in southern Oregon near the coast, only a few hours north of where I was living in Northern California, but I don't think that is the case for everyone here.

"Chicago," she tells me, taking a sniff of my forgotten mocha latte before downing the rest of the contents and releasing a sigh of contentment. "Mmm, you make a good latte. Even the last few cold sips at the bottom were exquisite," she tells me excitedly with a smack of her lips, before throwing the cup over her shoulder into the trash bin a few rows behind us.

I laugh unexpectedly at the antics. "I wish I could take credit, but it was Ryker who was the mastermind behind that delicious concoction".

She sputters for a moment before her lips latch onto the right words. "R-ryker? Ryker Volksyr?" she asks, with abundant shock written clearly on her face.

I shrug, unworriedly. "Yeah, he's been helpful and welcoming since I arrived yesterday."

She narrows her eyes suspiciously at me. "While helpful is a word that is commonly used to describe Ryker, welcoming is not," she announces, with emphasis on the last word.

I shrug again, not sure where she is going with this. "He seems friendly enough to me."

She cants her head to the side while pondering what I've said. "Ryker...he's typically more aloof than anything, really. He has been primed to become alpha, along with his younger brother, leading to more of his amicable qualities. He's accommodating, sure, but with all of the pressure mounting on his shoulders, he keeps himself detached from emotional entanglements."

I shift uncomfortably. That...is not the impression I had of him at all. "I thought the moon selects who becomes alpha?" I ask her, not wanting to pry too much into Ryker's life without him telling me those details himself.

"It does," she explains. "But there are some bloodlines that are stronger than others, and it is reasonable to assume that an alpha will be revealed from those certain families, especially when they are molded from birth to become the perfect embodiment of what it means to be a capable and pragmatic alpha that protects their pack."

"You seem to know him well," I tap the desk lightly with my fingertips, not looking her in the eyes while I ask that particular question, hoping it's not too intrusive but not being able to tamp down my nosiness.

Teo snorts derisively. "Our families run in the same circles occasionally, but no, we are not close. I'm not sure he is with anyone, really."

"So the whole school knows about what Javier did?" I ask, finally voicing the question that was eating at me.

She waves that off like it shouldn't concern me too much. "Yes, but it wasn't personal, it was about that asshole that is a disgrace to the werewolf species." She nudges my shoulder. "Don't worry babe, not all of us are like that. And I've got your back".

The room goes quiet and I turn my head to see what is going on. An attractive woman with straight, red hair, vivid green eyes and legs for days commands the room's attention as she makes her way to the front of the room and stands behind a large desk.

"Awright students," the professor begins, with a strong scottish accent that piques my interest. I listen closely to make sure I can follow along. "They call me Josephine Frasier. This is yer semester long class in Phytology. Ye'll learn aboot plants, how come they're important 'n' ken their special attributes that ye will find useful".

That familiar pang hits my chest when I realize this is a botany course. As much as I only wanted one person to teach me botany, I know his guidance will go a long way in this course. My attention returns to the professor as I vow to make my dad proud.