Friday night

The next Friday sailed by like a breeze. It was your typical day at Moonstone Academy—school lessons till noon, then sports until the day ended. On Friday nights, there'd be movie nights in the auditorium, which got super packed super-fast.

This time, it was a French-themed romance movie about a guy who met a girl who could only speak French, while he could only speak English—or so she thought. Turns out, the guy secretly knew French and understood every time the girl confessed her feelings in French. Everyone was captivated by the film. Well, everyone except Aiva, who was scanning the crowd, trying to spot Adam and Bryce."Who are you looking for?" Stephanie asked, looking puzzled."I can't see Adam. Or Bryce, for that matter," Aiva admitted, sounding a bit worried."I dunno, maybe they're playing basketball or something. You know how boys are," Stephanie dismissed, stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth."Still, I think it's pretty unusual for them," Aiva said as she sat down gloomily. Deep down, she would've loved to have Adam or Bryce sit next to her. What's the point of watching a romance movie if you're not with someone special? It just sucked the romance out of it.Aiva sighed, trying to focus on the movie, but her thoughts kept drifting. She couldn't help but wonder where they were and what they were doing. She missed Adam's goofy comments and Bryce's steady presence. Watching the couple on screen navigating their language barrier made her think about her own feelings and the tangled web of emotions she was caught in. The movie's romance felt hollow without the people she cared about beside her.***Luna was strolling down the hall towards the auditorium, having just come from class. She was tracking the scent of something very dear to her, a scent that led straight to Adam's locker. She paused and stood in front of it for a while, a thousand thoughts rushing in all at once. She had developed a liking for Adam and now found herself in a dilemma. She really wanted to open up to him and tell him the truth about what she was; that would lift a heavy burden from her heart. But that was forbidden. He had no real reason to know anything, and it would be dangerous to tell him.Besides, Adam had expressed multiple times his disbelief and dislike for werewolves in general, so what if telling him the truth would actually make him hate her? She took a deep breath to try and shut these thoughts out. She was a warrior, trained to be a weapon, but deep down she was just a girl, with feelings and hopes like everybody else.She drew closer and put her hand on Adam's locker, almost as if she wanted to open it, but then paused. She sniffed and realized the book wasn't there anymore; he had probably taken it with him. Luna sighed, feeling a mix of relief and anxiety. She leaned against the locker, her mind racing. She didn't have time for this—or at least she was supposed to think that way. But she couldn't help it. She was torn between her duty and her feelings, between the warrior she was trained to be and the girl she was inside.Luna had intentionally left that book where she did so that Adam could find it and maybe read it. In the hope that maybe he'd get a little enlightened and maybe hate werewolves less? Or at least that's what Luna was low-key hoping would happen. She felt dumb rethinking her previous idea. Either way, she needed that book back now. She withdrew from the locker and began heading for the auditorium once more. As she passed by the basketball court, she briefly paused to see what was going on inside.Some of the boys who didn't like watching movies were casually playing basketball. Luna watched as Jayson McLain, the best player at the school, zipped by a couple of defenders. He spun, crossed the ball behind his back, and took a step back as he prepared to shoot. Another player saw this and jumped to block him, but he had fallen for the trap. Jayson faked the shot, turned the other way, and charged into the paint. Luna watched as Jayson jumped magnificently and dunked the ball over some other poor defenders. The other boys were ecstatic, laughing and cheering.Luna giggled before moving on, half-expecting to find Adam there but sadly, reality had other plans. The trail of the scent led all the way to the boys' dormitory house. She could tell from standing in the hallway and looking out the door. She decided to just forget about the book for now and just go watch whatever dumb movie they had on screen.As she opened the door, Luna was met by a security guard who was just coming out of the auditorium. She glanced at him, quickly recognizing the insignia of Hunter Enterprises, a company dedicated to hunting and studying what the normies considered anomalies such as herself. The thought of it gave her chills as she wondered what they were doing there in the first place.Regardless, she brushed that aside and stepped into the auditorium. Luna was wearing a large black hoodie with a pair of jean shorts. The hood was down, revealing her silver hair tied into a ponytail and her dazzling grey eyes which scanned the hall for an empty seat. Her eyes landed on Aiva, who was eyeing her suspiciously. Luna didn't like her; her attitude didn't help. While naturally, she'd rather punch her in the face until she got a nosebleed, she decided to use kindness instead. She flashed a beaming smile and waved at her.Aiva raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying the friendly act, but she gave a curt nod in return. Luna found a seat a few rows behind Aiva, sinking into it with a sigh. She could feel Aiva's gaze on her back, but she ignored it, trying to focus on the movie.The film was some French-themed romance, and while everyone else seemed captivated, Luna couldn't help but feel restless. She pulled her hoodie tighter around herself, feeling the weight of the secret book Adam had, and the strange encounter with the security guard. Her thoughts kept drifting back to Adam, wondering if he was safe, and if he'd figured out anything from the book yet.She tried to shake off the unease, but it lingered. What were Hunter Enterprises doing at Moonstone Academy? And more importantly, how long until they found out about her? Luna glanced around the auditorium, watching the other students engrossed in the movie, oblivious to the hidden dangers lurking just outside the walls. She took a deep breath, determined to stay vigilant, knowing that she'd need to protect herself and those she cared about from the shadows that were closing in.***Adam and Bryce sat in the dormitory's study/mini library. Adam had called him over to show him the book he had on werewolves. Adam wore blue pajamas and a durag, while Bryce, in his bathrobe, picked a seat at the far corner of the study, and Adam followed.Adam pulled the book out from his backpack and showed it to Bryce. Bryce loved reading books and anything in writing, so this was fun for him. He analyzed its cover and the way it looked at first glance."This is a really old book," he mentioned, "The type you'd find in hidden libraries and stuff. Where did she even get this?""I don't know, man," Adam replied. "She just dropped it earlier, and I decided to hold on to it till I could return it to her."Bryce eyed him suspiciously before smirking and asking, "If that's the case, why are we even reading it right now?"Adam chuckled uncomfortably before admitting, "It has something to do with what Aiva said earlier about these mystical creatures—anomalies being real. I have a strange feeling that this book might not just be some werewolf novel but something deeper than that." He left out the part where he was suspicious that Luna could maybe be a werewolf.Bryce nodded in agreement, and together they decided to see what secrets this book held. Bryce opened the first page and sat agape."What?" Adam gasped as he moved closer to see.Bryce skimmed through the pages once more before landing back on page one. He looked at Adam dreamily. "Bruh, the writing, the texture. This isn't some novel. This is the real deal."Adam turned to see what was on the first page. It looked like a note written in cursive.It read, "For you; Aria-Luna Rivera. to know the secrets of what makes you special, I trust you with this. "Adam's eyes widened. "Aria-Luna Rivera? That's Luna's full name, right?"Bryce nodded slowly. "Yeah, it is. Dude, this isn't just a book. It's like...a message. She's trying to tell you something. You didn't just pick this book up by coincidence."Adam felt a mixture of excitement and fear. "We can't be sure about that, can we?"Bryce shrugged, but his eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Only one way to find out. We need to read more. Let's see what secrets this book holds."Adam agreed, and they delved deeper into the book, turning pages filled with intricate drawings of werewolves, detailed descriptions of their powers, and ancient rituals. The more they read, the more they realized that this book was a key to a hidden world—one that Luna was a part of.As they uncovered more secrets, Adam couldn't shake the feeling that his life had somehow began to spiral into madness. He looked at Bryce, who was equally engrossed in the book. "Luna can't know about this. we should keep this to ourselves for now and just act natural."Bryce nodded. "Yeah, but we need to be careful. If this book is as important as it seems, we can't let just anyone know about it."Adam agreed, feeling the weight of the book in his hands. They had stumbled upon something big, and there was no turning back now.