Running From A Wolf

Chapter 6.

A week passed by after that incident. I stood outside the exam hall, drinking from a cup of warm milk.

Since I hadn't heard from Aaron so far, I treated the whole fiasco as an embarrassing nightmare. It was easier to believe due to the lack of contact from Kristine, who was too busy studying for her final evaluation exams. I breezed my way through them, as usual. Academic intellect was highly valued in my family, and I had been tutored as a child in ways to absorb information verbatim.

I breathed in the calmness of Whitefish, our beautiful hometown. Lakes, valleys and mountains, you name it, and we had it all. During this period, right before the arrival of winter, the air was intoxicatingly fresh.

And Bluedale was a large dwelling of sorts in Whitefish. To make things clearer, Bluedale referred to the hidden realm of Whitefish where we, the beings from human myths and legends, existed.

While the city was mostly peaceful, the population was dominated by shifters, although there were a few faeries, vampires, and other creatures thrown into the mix. There were ten major shifter species, while a few rare ones popped up occasionally. But we coexisted with humans on a less than general level, so the necessity for damage control was pretty low.

It was a form of simultaneous parallel universe operated specifically by the shifter leaders. Every residence, university and office in Whitefish had two versions. One set was for the humans, the second was for us, the shifters. Bluedale was accessible by humans, but it was guarded against them.

Of course, most of the working industries could be joined by shifters and humans alike, such as the entertainment and fashion industry. After all, there was no need to differentiate between the two races in such fields.

Kristine and I, like all aspiring shifters, applied to Bluedale University. The education curriculum was, as the adults called it, 'shifter-friendly'.

In other words, they taught the students everything needed for both, the human world as well as the shifter world. It was a knowledge centre where 'fictional' folks like us didn't need to hide our primal nature.

My admission was approved right after I wrote my first exam, secretly dominating the score board. Kristine, meanwhile, didn't have a photographic memory like I did, so she had to go through the general process and pass all the allocated exams.

I was opting for Bluedale Academy of Business Administration, while Kristine chose to study in Bluedale Film Academy. I heard that Alpha Aaron would join the university too, but none of us knew which course he might take up.

A majority of shifter graduates, regardless of their courses and qualifications, took up jobs or businesses relating to physical activity. With our gifted genes, we shifters were physically superior in a way that humans could never catch up to. In fact, there hasn't been a human who is even half as strong as an average shifter.

Was it something to be proud of? Yes. Was it something that made us look down on humans generally? Also, yes.

The world's toughest mercenaries, fastest athletes, strongest soldiers and diligent on-field agents are shifters. Some shifters, if trained with expert guidance, could even be among the smartest and most intelligent creatures on earth.

The best example was Aaron Thorne. The most powerful business tycoon among the shifters. And he was just twenty four.

The lack of definite limits in our world was a bit scary at times. But that was the advantage that mother nature had gifted us with, and we go deny our superiority was an insult.

A shrill ring echoed between the grey buildings. The parents, who were scattered around the gate, straightened themselves. Brimming with anticipation, they looked at the crowd of emerging students.

I wasn't all that worried about Kristine. She did study a bit better than the others, so her getting into the university through the exams was predicted. The real trouble would start once we entered our classrooms. We'd be in different courses, and I worried about the distance that would inevitably build up between us.

I tilted my head up to the soft sunshine. The day was warm and the wind was cool. I felt an urge to run away for a day, perhaps have a spontaneous picnic in an isolated valley.

"Hey!" Kristine rushed over on her high wedges and grabbed me in a tight hug. "I think I did it!"

"You didn't just do it, you rocked it," I grinned, grabbing her bag as she bounced in elation. We turned to head to the parking lot. "If you were qualified to write this exam, it means you've already passed the requirement. How else would we have our orientation at the University today?"

"I know!" She beamed. "The results of this exam won't be considered for the time being, so they approved our admissions already. And you, of course, don't have to do anything."

"All brains and some brawn, baby," I winked.

I flung her bag into the backseat of her ride and we soon headed to Bluedale Arena, a stadium used exclusively by shifters for sports and the occasional party events.

"The last five questions were a bit tough. They were too practical and each time I had to ask myself: what would Kelsie have done? And I tried to answer in the most instinctive way possible, just like you!" Her excitement was palpable.

"As long as you don't actually do what I do in real life." I gently nudged her shoulder. "So... Prepared for the orientation?"

Immediately Kristine's smile darkened. Oppressive pressure filled the car. Her canines began to protrude. I grimaced, well aware that her foul mood was not for herself, but out of concern for me.

I sighed heavily and placed my hand on hers. "You knew that you couldn't back me up forever, right?"

"They hate you!" Her teeth gnashed. "They won't let you go if-"

"If you don't come to my rescue, I know," I cut her off.

"You should have applied for the Film Academy with me."

"I'd rather die than pretend to be something in not."

"I just want to protect you!"

"But Kristine, you have your own life to live. I'll be fine."

She glared at the window. "Yeah, right."

I winced. Her sarcasm wasn't completely unfounded. Even I was a bit fearful of spending my next four years surrounded by savages. And I'll be alone this time. I'll be the only cat species among thousands of shifters. Adult shifters.

I usually pretended to be unfazed, not letting my fear get the best of me. I hadn't missed the glances I'd received even while waiting for Kristine, thanks to unpopular rumours in school. But I had stood relaxed, unbothered. Even if my stomach ached with anxiety.

I wished I could go back home. I missed being pampered. Cat shifters were secluded, and rarely interacted with other species, which was why I was the brunt of everyone's disdain. While they morphed into powerful shifters during their first transformation, a feline shifter would remain in the juvenile form until they turned eighteen. And even that didn't guarantee the type of cat I would become. With my luck, I'd shift into a tabby housecat after eighteen. Ugh.

We drove the rest of the way in silence. Dread filled my mind, increasing as we reached the parking lot of the Arena.

Boys and girls of our age and older were hanging out beside the many vehicles. A few held paper cups with alcohol, some held fruit juices, a gang or two were even chomping on meat.

And now, this was kinda scary. We are shifters who eat animals. Does that mean we can eat the animal that we become? Can a wolf shifter eat an actual wolf? It was considered taboo, yet who knew what happened in the dark of the night?

Kristine was dressed in a designer sundress with her hair tied up like an elegant lady on a pair of strapped wedges. Her accessories were a fit made to match her clothing and she looked every part like the rich heiress that she was.

I, disappointingly, wore a pair of baggy jeans, a black shirt that was two sizes too big, a messy short emo wig, worn out shoes and a heavy layer of makeup. I'm pretty sure I looked a little bit deranged, but the disguise was a part of me now, so it didn't bother me much.

The gazes that fell on both of us as we stepped into the stadium couldn't be any more contrasting. Devoted glances flooded Kristine while I was covered with mocks and sneers. But since these groups were only laughing at my facade, I ignored them.

"Kelsie, you are well aware of the fact that they'll eat you alive." Kristine sat on a spot in the centre of the row of seats. The rows ahead and behind us were randomly filled with a bunch of college kids. All shifters. Some from our school, some from others, and most were older, making me suspect that they were students of Bluedale University who were here to enjoy the spectacle.

"Then I might as well learn to add on a little spice," I winked.

"Oh please, do not ever do that again," she said with a roll of her eyes. "It makes you look like you're suffering from an eye crisis."

I shrugged. "Perhaps that'll keep the jerks away. We can say that I have something infectious going on."

"And see you locked in the gym basement just for breathing? Pass."

We laughed together. I held out a box of Oreos. Then we stared at the various charaters around the arena while munching on cookies.

"Until when must you stay this way?" Kristine abruptly asked. "They might, no, they definitely will lose control of their tongues within the first few hours."

"A few hours?" I sneered. "Make it a few minutes."

"Answer my question." She placed her hand gently on the seat beside her. Immediately it crumbled and fell apart like a fragile Lego monument. Her shifter power was strong, and she had just begun to manifest it through her human form, too.

I sighed and contemplated her questions. My head swirled with the thoughts of my family, of the secrets hidden within those marble walls, the danger concealed behind those smiles.

Dark shadows flashed across my vision. I could smell blood, see the detached corpses. The face of the person who had wanted my life, completely hidden under darkness, except for that thin cold smile.

"Kelsie!"

Kristine shook me again, her face masked with worries.

"I'm fine." I gulped.

"No, you're not." She pointed to my fingers with a disturbing frown.

My black nails were elongated and the tips were sharp. Very, very sharp. So sharp that they had pierced through the bag and left four gaping holes behind.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. As my thoughts collected, I felt my nails retract into my fingers.

I was almost an adult. Maybe college was a bad idea. If I accidentally got exposed...

"In less than two months, the real training starts," I muttered with my eyes still closed. "I must not lose control. If I slip..."

"You won't," Kristine cut me off. "At most, we can just skip a few weeks of class." She was trying to be optimistic.

My heart hammered in my chest. A layer of sweat covered my skin immediately. My fingers trembled as the extent of my decisions began to register. I would be watched, assessed. What if somebody figured out my secret and-

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Derek's little angel."

A snobby voice shook me out of my trance. The darkness that seemed to reach for me, retreated right before my eyes as Kristine and I turned to look at the newcomer. .