A Forever Loner

‘Always remain silent and never interact.’

These words were rules.

Rules for clover in the mortal world, never to be broken in any form.

From the young age of ten, her father, under the persuasion of her step-mother sent her off to the mortal world for her education.

Actually, as a werewolf, she should have been sent off to the academy at the age of five. It was a tradition in the Werewolf society for young pups at the age of five to be sent over to the academy for training.

Regardless of the status in the werewolf society, it was a compulsory measure for all.

But….she, clover was an exception.

A werewolf with a curse fate from birth and a beast of a runt. Who would ever want an anomaly like herself to be in the academy?

*Ding*

The long dragging sound of the electric bell echoed in the hallway of lockers, pulling clover out from her thoughts of the past back to the reality. Blinking her eyes in confused manner, clover took a faint deep breath, noticing that she was in school and her classes for the day were about start.

‘’What’s happening to me today…..’’ In a hushed tone, she bit her lower lips, stacking the books that she had for the day into her arms. Why was she suddenly getting all these thoughts of the past? Her nightmares were getting worse as well.

Shutting her locker, clover turned, her feet moving and her body blending in the large crowd of high-school students going for their classes. Though her steps were soft and cautious, trying not to bump to another student and make an unnecessary scene.

She didn’t want to apologize to anyone, and she wanted no one to apologize to her. If that were to happen, from there, an interaction would begin, then a relationship and soon enough, she would have people as friends among the humans.

And…if by mistake, one would catch her beast form…..Clover didn’t even want to have scenario of that in her head.

*murmur*

*murmur*

As quiet as ever, clover stepped into the noisy classroom clustered with students from different homes. Young males and females, all talking and laughing with one another. Some boys were jamming to music with their headphones, and some girls were discussing over their fixed nails. Some were trying to finish up their assignments, and some begged others to save them with their assignments.

All in all, it was a packed classroom with different students of different characters. For someone like clover who was the top of her classmates, and also the top of the entire science and engineering students, one would have expected a nerd like her to sit at the front of the class.

Clover was not someone who fancied sitting at the front. Her seat from the very beginning she began to mingle among the humans in the mortal world, was at the back, on the last seat.

Any action that could reduce her existence among the humans, clover never failed in achieving them.

Eyes lowered to the ground, head facing down, and shoulders sagging low, resembling the likes of a quiet mouse, clover maneuvered her way to her backseat around the classroom.

‘’Look at this...a moonwalk is definitely like this.’’ Pointing out to his friends, a random boy shuffled his feet backward. His steps backsliding on the ground without stop, smooth and swift, almost synchronizing like a normal walk, albeit in a backward manner.

As he was showing his moonwalk to his friends, clover was making her way towards his direction. His proud smile and laugh attracted attention from students apart from his group of friends, and clover still kept her head lowered, calmly avoiding people’s touch and nearing her backseat. Their distance shortened little by little, until a small gap remained between then.

‘’Haha…’’ Not in the least aware of someone behind him, the boy continued his moonwalk with a proud chest, pleased to have attracted attention, especially from the females. Clover continued walking with her head lowered to the ground.

However…..those eyes that remained on the ground, glanced up to the boy’s back. The glance was very brief…so short that no one would have noticed her staring at someone.

The gap between boy and clover narrowed to an inch. Some students who were watching the boy, finally caught the sight of clover near him. Though her face was not so visible to them and it was too late for them to say anything as the damage was already done.

But…was it?

Just as clover and the boy were about clash….something mysterious and phenomenal happened during the almost clash. Clover and the boy were obviously deemed to clash. Nothing could have stopped them from hitting themselves or else if another student was quick to react faster than time.

‘’…..Uh?’’ As though something purposefully tripped him, the boy’s moon walk was bit out of rhythm and his feet tangled up before his head kissed the ground. The class was silent for a moment. All eyes focused on the boy groaning on the ground, before the noise gradually came up.

‘’Hahaha…Dude, are you okay?’’

‘’Ben, are you alright?’’

‘’That’s gonna hurt a bit.’’

‘’Hey…did anyone see someone behind ben?’’

‘’Now that you mention…I did see someone…’’

‘’I think I saw someone too!’’

‘’……’’ Seated on her backseat, clover silently arranged her books, her eyes shifting over to the students who said to have seen her.

Well…they did see her….but a shadow of her, because she was in their sight. Normally they wouldn’t have, unless she was in their sight which she had never been fully, and would never allow.

Though clover’s life was tragic due to her poor circumstances, it had never changed the fact that she was born with the bloodline of a werewolf, even if she was a runt.

No human would have caught her speed in avoiding that bump. Her abilities as a werewolf was also her weapon in surviving in the mortal world.

If clover was human, she wouldn’t have pulled such move. Also, her existence wouldn’t be so small for a human amongst humans.

From elementary school, clover had learned to put her abilities as a werewolf to use in the mortal world. It was an advantage since she never wanted to expose her beast form in the mortal world….again.

‘The teacher’s here….’ Clover thought to herself, bending a bit to bring out her pencil case from her bag pack on the floor. The classroom still remained noisy as if none of the students noticed the teacher that clover thought was around….well, there was no sign of teacher yet.

As if to justify her baseless thoughts, the door opened and a middle aged man entered the noisy classroom. His face was familiar to all the students.

‘’The teacher’s here.’’

‘’Hey cut it out! The teacher’s here.’’

‘’Shit…what subject are supposed to have this morning?’’

One by one whispers travelled round the classroom. The students went to settled on their respective desks and the noise dwindled until it was non-existent. All eyes faced forward waiting for the middle-aged man to begin the class.

_____

‘’In second newton’s law of motion, the mass and acceleration……’’

A very dry voice leaking of boredom explained to the entire class of high school students. Even if ninety percent of the students were not paying attention to the teachings, the middle-aged man different from the one who started classes, continued regardless of their attitudes.

Behind all the rebellious students, clover diligently took notes. Her gaze focused without giving glances to the distracting students.

‘So this is how that question is done….’ In her organized and colorful notes, clover used her red highlighter to circle some rough calculations before picking back up her black pen to resume her jottings. Just as she was about take more notes, her gaze behind the glasses shifted to the side, particularly to the door.

‘Someone’s coming…’

Again….as if to justify her baseless thought, someone indeed opened the door and walked into the classroom. The heels of the young lady in her prompt outfit clicked all the way to the middle-aged man who halted his teachings, and they dwelled in a short conversation with some students throwing curious glances here and there.

‘’Clover Smiths?’’ The young lady faced the students, calling out her name.

‘’……’’ Wordlessly, clover rose her hand, indicating herself with pursed lips, clearly showing how uncomfortable she was with herself in the center of attention.

‘’Ah…so you are the one. Please follow me, dear. Mr Walker, she will be back in a minute.’’ The young lady nodded respectfully to the middle man before going on her way out of the classroom.

Clover also followed after her, walking through the path between the rows of seated students. Their eyes focused on her figure and whispers escaping their lips.

‘’Clover Smiths?’’

‘’So there’s a Smiths in our class?’’

‘’We have a student like her in school?”’

‘’Who’s she?’’

‘’I thought I was the only one who didn’t notice her.’’

‘’Dude…her seat is close to you.’’

‘’Hey! Don’t laugh! It’s not my fault that I didn’t notice someone like her.’’

‘’Clover smiths…oh right, I think she’s the one who always placed first in our class.’’

‘’Don’t forget in our entire year too.’’

‘’So, she’s a nerd….’’

‘’Ah! I remember who she is now, she’s the loner nerd.’’

‘’You mean the nerdy loner….’’

‘’whatever….’’

‘’More like an invisible one.’’

‘’Haha…’’

Not showing any reaction the words thrown at herself, clover walked outside of her classroom and shut the door.

Breathing a relieved sigh, she adjusted her black glasses, her fingers also brushing her ear.

Born with werewolf blood running through her veins was good….but sometimes, it was very troublesome if she couldn’t keep the abilities under control.

Like now….

‘’The sickle cell….’’

‘’I hope everyone…’’

‘’Sodium and calcium…’’

‘’I can’t wait for lunchbreak…’’

‘’When is the bell going to ring?’’

‘’In college….’’

‘’Stop…we can’t do it here...’’

Different voices of many people, either from a close distance or a far one, flowed through her ears all at once. As a werewolf, the ears of the beast form was very powerful, when it comes to catching sounds or listening.

This was how clover had known that someone was indeed outside her classroom.

Every step, every inhale and exhale, every subtle movement, every whisper could never be invisible to the ears of a werewolf, especially in the beast form.

‘’Miss smiths?’’

‘’Y-Yes!’’ Snapping out of her thoughts, clover turned head to the side, her gaze colliding the confused eyes of the young woman who was at a short distance from herself in the empty hallway.

Right. She was called out of her classroom for something and it had something to do with her scholarship according to what she heard in the classroom.

Taking a deep breath, clover tried her best to tune out of the unwanted voices. She started to close the distance between herself and the waiting young woman, her steps lighter than before when all eyes were on her figure.

Especially when it had to do with her scholarship.