Chapter Ten

Hey Bre, you didn't really tell me there were vampires in our college?!" I asked, a bit of lividness coating my tone. I had finished my classes for the day and met up with Bre at Madonna's cafe, a few miles down south of campus where Bre had literally caved me into coming.

Having nothing to do than sorting through my textbooks, I ambled my way with the frolicsome blonde who kept chattering with everyone who came her way. The dropping of the mug containing the cappuccino which I ordered earlier on, startled me breaking my glare at Brenda who didn't seem to care, gnawing at the chocolate chip cookies she ordered along with a cream latte.

"So that's what bothering you? That's why you didn't sit with me during class?"

"Thank you." I told the waiter who had gone away to the counter. "Sorry, just feeling a bit squeamish. I didn't feel like myself all day."

" Hmmm, I noticed. That's why I brought you here. The coffee here is great." Bre exclaimed, stretching her arms.

"I guess," I agreed, bringing down the mug from my lips. "Now about the vampires." I said, narrowing my eyes to tell her I meant business.

" You look cute when you are trying to get angry." She snickered.

"Bre!"

"Alright,"She took a sip of her latte. "Wait, what do you wanna know? It's not like I'm friends with them or something."

I rolled my eyes at her facade. " Oh come on Bre, you know everyone on campus."

"No, I don't." Bre disagreed, throwing one of her hermits into her mouth.

A guy who breezed through the cafe, made the bells gingle, making my eyes turn to him. He was human with chestnut brown hair, dressed casually and came towards our table at the far end of the cafe, ruffling Bre's hair as he lurched down into the seat next to me.

"What's up, Renda?" He asked with a smirk I didn't quite appreciate.

"I've told you to stop calling me that. Geez kid, can't you get that in your fucking skull?"

"Ouch," He placed a hand on his chest, faking hurt. "Language, Renda."

" Asshole." Bre muttered, rolling her eyes as she took a sip of her latte. "So, who's your pretty friend? I haven't seen her around before." He asked, his brown eyes moving to me as he tried to snake his hand around my neck. I quickly knocked his arm off, narrowing my eyes.

"Cute. I like her already. She's pretty."

Goddess! I instantaneously mentally facepalmed myself.

" That's because she's new, idiot." Bre continued, a tad bit of lividness broaching her tone.

"In the middle of the semester? That's weird."

He looked over to me while I looked straight ahead, avoiding his lucid stare. His fingers reached over to my chin to turn my face to meet his. I knocked his fingers off, focusing on my coffee. This human was awfully annoying. Clio was just as annoyed.

"Renda, your friend doesn't speak?" Brenda rolled her eyes in response.

" Hey, I'm Miles." He stretched his hand for a handshake.

Still didn't budge. I remained silent.

"Well you are one tough one, aren't you? I don't give up either." He whispered into my ears, smirking.

"You know what Miles, just get the hell outta here. And quit flirting with her, she's already engaged." I raised my head, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. Then she winked and it registered.

Derek. I flushed.

"So that's your cue. She's blushing which means she likes someone else not you. Now leave, shoo, get the hell out!" Brenda said, kicking his leg under the table. He winced, holding his leg in pain. "Renda, you kick so hard... but you know what? Screw you!" He retorted, turning to face me with a determined glint in his eyes.

'Oh come on dude, leave already.' I whined within me, wanting to get into this talk with Bre.

Vampires. Such sadistic, nocturnal creatures. They fascinated me.

"Hey Miles!" A girl screamed, making our heads turn to her. A black haired girl who sat in the table at the middle of the cafe along with three other girls waved at him. The other girls were chattering lazily, not bothered by her screaming which had gone up to 20 decibels, echoing all over the place.

Brenda smirked, a blitheful one at that. "Your girlfriend is over there." She said with sarcasm dripping from her words.

" Shut up." He said in between gritted teeth, glowering at her. I flinched at his sudden change in tone. Clio, being the catty wolf she was, snapped at my reaction.

He leaned in, coming closer while I went backward, hoping to break through the wall to his awkward stare. I mean I could but I didn't really want attention but on a second thought, I didn't want to ruin my outfit. " I'll see you later, beautiful."

He got off the table while Bre burst into laughter, earning her a smack on the head from Miles. We watched him as he took a seat next to the black haired girl who had a victorious smirk on her face. Looking closer, I noticed the ends of her hair were dyed purple.

" Who's she?" The words slipped out subconsciously.

"Avery Hamilton. The humanoid diva of our campus. I loathe her though, I mean who doesn't? She always has her way cause her uncle is the vice-chancellor. She never studies, behaving like she's still in high school and still bullies people into doing her projects and assignments. Goes to all the damn parties in the campus."

I arched an eyebrow at her. Did she study?

"Yeah, I know what you are probably thinking. I do study not just all the time like some geek and I was damn serious when I told you I want to be a fashion designer." She said, narrowing her eyes to prove her point, slurping the rest of her latte down her oesophagus.

I shook my head." And you said you didn't know everyone around here.Pathetic."

"Look who's talking, you are the recluse around here. Why didn't you talk to Miles?"

I sighed, her question making me cringe. "Well let's say, I agree with you. He is a really annoying human. And he's too loud."

"Hermit." Bre muttered loud enough for me to hear. Her lips pulled up into a smile as she bit into the last cookie on her plate.

"Shut up."

She burst into another fit of laughter. " You and Miles crack me up." She continued her guffaws, earning looks from everyone around us. I rolled my eyes, smacking her on the head. "Gee, what's with you guys and my hair today?" She said,patting her hair ruffles down.

" Are you done?

She glowered at me for a while before continuing. " There are seven top studs of Cercarve falls. Three of them are vampires and the other four are just old boring plain humans whom other weird girls adore for their personalities and non - existent charms, you know just like Miles. He's one of the top seven, the sixth one at that."

" Hmmm.....no wonder he is so cocky." Clio muttered, rolling her eyes, her tail wagging as Bre continued her tale.

" The tradition around here is something these top seven take pride.... mostly to pump girls up with semen..... some kind of competition which takes place every year.... the guys sleep around with the girls just for the fun of it and who ever sleeps with the last virgin of the year emerges as the winner."

I rolled my eyes at her. "That's so high school. So you are telling me one of these guys have entered your pants...... you are so dead if Derek finds out."

"Uhmm.... first of all, rude!! I'm not some damn slut who open her legs for any dick just to get laid. Secondly...." She slouched down her chair with a dreamy sigh."I just want this one guy though I've gotten many offers."

"Who's the guy?"

" The guy whom every girl wants in this campus. The one and only Axel Evans." She enunciated, raising her hands for dramatic effect. " You know the advantage of this toxic competition for us girls is getting the guy we want no matter how unattractive the girl is. But Xavier is so picky, spending time with only a few human girls and lounges around with other vampire bitches who cling unto him like his second skin."

" There are other vampires?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, a few of them. Seeing as you are so interested in these nocturnal creatures, I'll tell you the names of the top three.......who by the way are vampires. The first is Axel, the second's Tristan and the third's Jasper."

I sighed taking all this in. So if there are vampires this means that there are other werewolves like us?"

" Of course, do you leave under a rock or something?" Bre questioned incredulously. I pouted, obviously overwhelmed by the number of supernaturals in just one campus.

"- but you know what? I wonder how Axel being a red head is so handsome and sexy. I never thought of red heads as sexy, just juvenile creatures whose faces are set in a tight grimace and clumsiness is written on every freckle of theirs....."

" Xavier is the red head?"

"Yup, the vampire that came in late in Professor Jacob's class. Why, didn't think he would be so sexy?" She said, smirking cockily." Or what? My brother isn't that cute anymore?"

" Get that shit out of your head. I don't like Derek." I retorted, my gaze fixed to the ground, betraying my words.

"Oh really?"

"Just thought Axel would be a name belonging to a blonde, that's all."

'He was cute though....' Clio mumbled dreamily.

- but still a vampire." The ever mulish wolf concluded with a desultory tone.

"We've got to leave, I need to take you shopping. I'll text Derek to meet us in the mall. I don't think he would come though cause he had this urgent meeting he was talking about with mum."

A pang of disappointment pricked at me but I quickly waved it off....after all I wasn't into Derek, right?

" Waiter!" I hollered, waving my hand. "Cheque, please."

*******

The rest of the day after shopping was spent with Bre lazing around my room, unpacking my clothes and taking care of the room's decor and designing while chattering through it all. What a chatterbox! A minute here, she's sprawled all her fashion designs, looking for the best one for some project and the other, she's up smoking shit, leaving the air supply of the room in shambles.

But finally, the Beta, Aiden picked her up around 5:30pm.

So, so glad about that. I needed some solitude.

Dad wasn't around, didn't have an idea where he was and couldn't care less either. Probably, the idea of him sleeping around was just stuck in my head. I didn't want to deal with it anymore.

I couldn't.

I just had to get used to it. Probably this was the reason why my mother left, abandoning me in the most frail moments of my life. I had never seen a picture of her not knowing how she looked. My Dad was a tall, chestnut- coloured haired muscular man, probably in his late hundreds with captivating dark blue eyes and still looked like he was in his early thirties.

Quite the charmer.

Unlike him, the congruent charmer I was a timid, reticent, mediocre brunette with stupid hazel eyes ( because I had always fancied blue eyes), average in height with full, voluptuous curves. Of course I didn't look anything like him. The closest thing I had to a mother was Brielle, James mother and Nana.

I sighed. A tear fell from my eyes. Clio was dampened, not a sign of her stubborn, pompous self was seen. After an hour of listening to music, doing some of my previous projects which I hadn't attended to after lounging away half of the semester, I gave up, obviously what ever I was doing wasn't lifting my spirits in the least bit and I didn't want to end up depressed.

I removed my headphones, letting them hang on my neck, dropped my reading glasses on the bedside drawer. I swung my legs down my bed, walking to my window sill looking at down the fifty floored building, how the humans walked down the streets in small groups, the cars parked at sides of the streets and the diminutive meows of the stray cats near the garbage cans among other myriad of sounds which which whistled past my supernatural ears. The cold fresh night breeze lurched past my face along with the scintillating lights of the numerous buildings in New York city. It was beautiful.

I had never had such a sight from Ciezyn. It was only the pretty moon which smiled at us wherever we laid our dandy eyes to behold her glory. Subconsciously, I tried comparing the shimmering lights of the New York buildings to the full moon whom I stole a glance a few nanoseconds ago. I looked up to the sky..........

Nothing.

And suddenly she emerged from the obsidian clouds, glowing in the sky, her ethereal halo casting over the earth, spreading her beauty among the absent-minded humanoid creatures who couldn't give a damn. I revelled at the sight, feeling Clio wake up within me, acknowledging the beauty of our Goddess, the dysphoria in her completely vanquished.

A howl escaped my throat, ululating throughout the entire neighborhood. But I couldn't care less.

I was howling.

Grabbing a hold on my lips as the clouds passed over again, I realized I had shrunk, crouched on all fours. I shook my torn clothes and headphones off my body, jumping off the window sill. The very sight of the Moon was something so surreal to me, calming my soul in such a way that had never happened before.

But I did.

A smile formed on my lips, I mean snout as I took in my lycan form. My white dazzling fur was phenomenal, its beauty was a sight to bask in. I haven't shifted since when l moved here so probably seeing the Moon today made Clio crawl her way out.

Which meant she was in control for now. We shuffled around the entire apartment which was still not in order. My senses being on high alert followed every scent I picked, following a particular scent leading to a smorgasbord of carton boxes and various furnitures.

I broke down the heap of boxes, my paws all sprawled out looking for what ever got my attention.

A scent from my childhood.

I knocked down the hugest box of them all a huge teddy bear fell down,all dusty and covered in cobwebs sticking out of its enormous hands, luring me to sleep with it as it always did. I picked up a spatula in one of the other boxes, holding unto it by my jowls, picking the cobwebs by twirling them around like when you twirl noodles around your fork, just that this was plain gross. I didn't know what I was doing, just following what ever Clio wanted to do.After playing around for a while, I curled my body against it, my tail wagging behind me, creating a serene environment for me to rest even though it was on the the bare marble floor. I hummed to myself a familiar tone which Nana used to sing to me:

The stars are ever bright,

Twinkling like your eyes,

Glorious like an epiphany of the Moon Goddess herself,

The abyss burns down deeper, swirling....

And there I was, drifting off into the unknown.

********

I woke up earlier because of my Dad who insisted we put the apartment in order before I leave for college, digressing into the fact I slept on the floor worried I might catch hypothermia which was quite sardonic ( being aware of the fact wolves don't get ill), behaving as if he was oblivious to the fact he left without calling or even texting me.

Bre texted me that she couldn't come over, waking up late and had to rush out with Derek. I wondered why she couldn't just take in a room in the dorm instead of stressing herself, driving all the way to Astoria, Queens.

Well we all know whose fault that would be.

I grabbed my keys, walking briskly to the elevator. I walked out the reception without sparing anyone a glance. I opened the door of my Red Rolls Royce, breathing in the new car smell, basking in the realization that I was behind the wheel of my new car. For a she-wolf living in the countryside, this was a dream come true.

I had a car.

I smirked to myself. It felt like we were made for each other. My phone beeped and I picked it from my backpack. Another text from Bre.

"I'm in school,where are you?"

I sigh, realization dawning on me. I was freaking late.

Shit.

The drive to college was a terrible 30 minutes drive cause the damned ungodly traffic was cattier than usual. What really freaked me out was the fact I was driving without a driver's license. I was going to get it soon.

My palms were wet from nervousness as I took a spot in the college's parking lot. At least the police didn't catch me. I snickered quietly at my poor jokes. After a while, I scurried off to attend my lectures.

*******

I sat down in the library, my reading glasses perched on my nose as it slid down the bridge of my nose ominously, the liquids of perspiration testing its stance. My petite body frame was trapped between two sinister, more or less obsolescent towers of hard covered texts with pedestals which seemed to gain volition of its own whenever someone seemed to whirl past, shuffling away from the foundation, the books for bricks hovering ominously over me.

Why did I even sit here in the first place?

Oh yeah cause it was at the end of the library since it was away from the the few people around. So far in Cercarve falls, this..... this was the worst place I had been to. The library was the anomality of the college with dead oil paint coming off the walls, the books scattered and dusty like no one has been here for years and don't get me started on the librarian: An old lady with splotches of grey hair amidst her dull black hair with dull green eyes who couldn't give a damn about what happened around her, revelling in what ever joy her knitting pins and wool seemed to give her that made her so occupied.

Wasn't she supposed to be retired?

I pushed all the gibberish thoughts Clio was feeding me, opening an ample text on the course: Anatomy.

'In anatomy,we learn body systems, organs, muscles,bones, tissues, immune system, definitions,functions of certain anatomical structures.

Anatomy,a field in the biological sciences covered with identification and description of the body structures of living things.......'

I felt Clio getting all stirred up, a similar scent which wafted over my nostrils, emitting danger.

'No!' I mentally chided my wolf. 'Two weeks to go for my evaluations! I don't need any dumb wolf disturbing me! Besides, they were every where,why should that disturb me?'

Clio snarled, her anger soaring up. I pushed down her anger and thoughts, trying to control her.

' .........three types of anatomy, gross anatomy, microscopic anatomy....' Clio kept pounding at the back of my head, almost to the point I felt I was going to shift.

"Control...... control...." I kept muttering to myself, trying to calm the internal conflict between me and this ever mulish wolf. Suddenly,Clio stopped her uproar. I could feel her tail falling behind her.

What was wrong? I had never seen her like this.

The overwhelming scent of danger hit my nostrils again, swimming ever closer, alarming me as I watched a whitish blonde guy lurch into the seat next to me, the unsuspecting tower of books crashing down as its pedestal finally gave way.

I stared at him, taking him all in. He had whitish blonde hair which looked inhumanly beautiful as the light which came in through the library huge windows, illuminated it, making his pale skin to glow, icy neon blue eyes which held some kind of intense glow.

" Ooops!" His voice broke through my trance as he bent over, arranging the books in small towers on my table.

"Tristan! What are you doing here?!" The old librarian snapped, making our heads turn to her, the clicking of her knitting pins momentarily paused. " I thought I banned you from my library."

" But ma, that was two months ago." He said in a dulcet voice, as sweet as warm elixir, that it rekindled my interesting in these creatures.

"Any sort of mischief and I will kick you out of this library without a second thought!" The old lady warned with her eyes narrowed, an index finger pointed ominously at where we sat. She turned back to her knitting, the clicking and clacking of her needles reverberating through the whole hall.

My eyes returned to him, and his finally settling on me.

"Uhmm...who are you?" I croaked out

What's wrong? You look so pale." He said in a hushed tone as the librarian's eyes never really left him. She must really have it out for him.

" You....you are a vampire." I finally blurted out.

" And you are a werewolf. A she-wolf to be precise." He whispered, leaning over the table on his elbows. "And a very beautiful one at th

at."