Rejected Under the Moon

Chapter 14

Time glided like a bird on Sunday: morning soon became noon and in the twinkle of an eye the sun set softening it's harsh rays and marking the prelude of the next day.

I had already arranged the little I had brought so I could catch the bus back to school. So after some encouragement from my aunt, I left for Oslow University.

The moment I landed at the gate, my nose started working, picking up all the different smells. I had come back. A lot of students had left for the weekend, so it wasn't surprising that the gate was filled with people. I went through all the screening processes and headed to my dorm.

I met Linda there, with Kira lying on the bed. "Oh hey, Christiana. You're back," Linda remarked, noticing me, while Kira looked out of it with earphones plugged in.

"Yes, I am," I said.

"Brought anything else?" she asked, standing up to help me with my bags.

"No, thank you," I replied. I was touched; being 181cm, Linda was tall and big, so people were often intimidated by her, but she was a real softie – kind, helpful, and very pretty.

Kira took out an earbud and groaned before speaking. "Hey Christy, sorry. I swear inspiration comes and goes for me, so I have to catch it when the feeling comes."

"I get it, no big deal," I said.

Taylor walked in. "I like that – for a fee."

"Of course, there's a friendship discount, but I have to make money too," Kira replied smiling.

Taylor turned to me. "You're back, Christy. Welcome back. What did you bring for us?"

I laughed, and the others joined in. I had brought snacks for them. "Here," I said, distributing specially packaged chin-chin I had made for them. Werewolves value connections, and I guess roommates count too.

We weren't that close yet, but we were civil and polite with each other. Roommates don't have to be friends; it's enough if they can live peacefully together.

"Made them myself; you won't get to see such rich and authentic chin-chin anywhere else," I said.

"Wow," Taylor said, surprise clear on her face. My other roommates' expressions weren't too far off – a mixture of gratitude, amazement, and shock.

"Christy, wow. I was just kidding. Thank you," Linda said, immediately tearing it open and biting a piece. "And they're delicious too. Thanks, Christy."

"You're welcome," I replied.

With that, it was back to school. I had an assessment with my professor the next day, so I couldn't afford to play. Taking my books, I headed to the library, stopping by Mira's dorm on the way.

"Mira?"

"Christy, you're back. Thank goodness; I swear I've been lacking motivation to read. Hopefully, now that you're here, I'll be able to focus."

"How was your stay at home?"

"It was fine. Don't worry, Mira; I've looked through the course; it's nothing much," I said.

She made a sound like a whale's dying moan. "Nothing much!? Is this mockery of us unmotivated and lazy learners? That's it; we're going to the lecture hall right now."

"Calm down, Mira. Here, have some chin-chin," I said.

"Thank you," she said, stretching out to collect it. "Wait for me here; I'm going to get my books. We're going to the class, right now."

"Why not the library, though?"

"Nah, not the library; we'll have to be quiet there. I need to read in a place where I can scream out my frustrations if the course starts to look like a curse."

My laughter rang through the room. Mira was so amusing.

"Okay," I said.

"Give me a minute," she replied. I nodded and sat on her bed, looking through her room. It was organized and colorful, like her.

"Alright, now we can go, Christy," she said. As we headed to the lecture hall, she asked a few questions about my home, my family situation, and my former town. I answered but kept the answers vague, while she offered me so many answers to her questions.

She had three siblings; she was the third child and only daughter, so she was the princess of the house. For her, while home was fun and eventful in her childhood, now they had all grown up and moved to different towns. It was nice having her space to herself, she did, but it was boring too. I could tell that she loved her family and missed them.

Taylor waved. "Oh, isn't that your roommate?" Mira asked looking at her face.

"Yes," I nodded waving and she waved too. Taylor waved back, and we entered the classroom.

We sat down, and she opened her system. "Okay, Social Psychology. Tell me, Christy, what is Social Psychology?"

"Social Psychology is the study of how people think, feel, and behave in social situations, exploring influences, relationships, and group dynamics," I answered.

"Ah! Christy, you've crammed the definition; you sly thing," she moaned, dropping her head on the desk. "Weren't you at home? How did you find time to read? It's not fair."

My laugh couldn't be helped. "Mira..."

"Okay, stop. No laughing; I'm going to read the material now," she said, flipping through the pages. "...thirty... thirty... thirty-one pages. What?! Christy, is this what you called "nothing much? Curse you, Professor; the semester just started."

"Why didn't you call and tell me there were so many pages?"

"You'll be fine, Mira". She might not look it, but Mira was smart; she just struggled with procrastination. Once she read and revised the material, believe me, she'd ace it, and you'd wonder how she did it. It was this gift that allowed her to procrastinate without much fear.

"Yes, okay. I'm dead serious now," she affirmed, reading through the material. I opened mine too and started answering some questions, quizzing myself based on the material.

Two hours later, she remarked, "Okay, I think I'm done. Let's answer questions."

I'd ask, and she'd answer. I'd say if it was correct, and if not, I'd read out the answer. Several questions later, and we were hungry.

"So far, so good. Now it's off to the cafeteria, Christy," she said.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too".

We ate and headed straight to our dorms after that.

Then I did my laundry and sleep came next.

Social Psychology was the first class we had today, so I was a bit tense as I woke up.

Mira, however, had it all planned out. She came to my dorm armed with books. I was a bit surprised, but her attitude showed she was serious. It made me calm down too.

We answered more questions and did well.

"That's it; we've got this, Christy," she said, raising her palm for a high-five. I hit it carefully. "Exactly, Mira. We're coming out with an A."

We walked together and sat down. Twenty minutes later, the test began. It was tricky but not hard, so I guess either an A or a B. Either way, I did well.

As I walked forward to submit, the professor looked at me. "Ms. Haven, see me after the test. Just sit down. You can see your friend after the class."

My heart skipped a beat as I submitted; she had been observing me. I thought about the actions I had displayed when writing the test and in her class generally. Nothing suspicious. I could tell from her scent that she was a hundred percent human.

As the clock showed it was two minutes till the end time of the test, and the last person rose from their seat to submit, I thought even harder. The full Moon was approaching; had I displayed any behavior that caused her to notice something?

I stood up after the last person left. "Professor?"

"Come to my office," she said.

Mira looked at me as I stood up. She had been waiting. She walked forward and whispered, "Are you in trouble?"

"I don't know," I said, and she looked confused. I was confused too, but more than that, I was worried. I thought of any slip-ups I might have made and thought up ways to explain them.

Soon, I was at her office. "Sit," she called out.

"You must be wondering why I called you here," she said. I nodded, being scanty with my words. In situations like this, it's always better to talk less and listen as well as observe more.

"I am a Professor of Psychology, and I have taught Social Psychology for more than seventeen years. I have seen several students, but none of them have been quite like you, Ms. Haven. You don't seem to fit in well. There's a deep alienation between you and all the students of this class; it's subtle but very deep. It's like you are on a different... species."

She had hit the mark, accidentally, or was it not? My heart spiked again. No, she couldn't know; these words were too tame for a human discovering that her student was a werewolf.

"You seem to be going through some challenges; our school has a counseling unit. If you have any trouble, you can meet them. Believe me, your privacy is secured," she said.

"In the meantime, I'll be watching you, Christiana. I can tell you're serious about Psychology, so keep it up."

"Thank you, ma," I said.

She nodded looking down at the scripts. "That's all; you can go."

I walked out, scared. So I hadn't slipped up yet she was already onto me.

Goddess help me