Born Between Two Worlds

The New Girl

Chapter Two

The moment the boy stepped into the classroom, something changed.

It wasn't loud. No one announced his arrival, and the teacher didn't stop what she was doing. Yet somehow, the room that had been filled with whispers only moments ago became unusually quiet.

I noticed it immediately.

I glanced around, confused by the sudden change in atmosphere. Even the students who had been talking across their desks seemed to suddenly find their books extremely interesting.

My eyes returned to the boy.

He wasn't particularly intimidating at first glance. He had dark hair, sharp features, and an effortless confidence in the way he carried himself. There was something familiar about his presence, though I couldn't explain what it was.

He walked toward the empty seat behind Nina and dropped his bag beside the desk.

I leaned slightly toward Nina.

"Why is everyone so quiet?"

Nina looked at me as though I'd asked a strange question.

Then she followed my gaze.

"Who?" she whispered.

I raised an eyebrow.

"The boy who just came in."

Nina's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh. Him."

"Yes. Him."

Nina lowered her voice even more.

"That's Adrian Voss."

I waited.

"And?"

Nina stared at me for a second before realizing I genuinely had no idea who he was.

"He's the son of the Beta of the Blackwood Pack."

My eyebrows lifted.

"The Beta?"

Nina nodded.

"And he's friends with Kael Blackwood."

The name meant nothing to me yet, but judging by Nina's expression, it was clearly important.

"Who's Kael?"

Nina blinked.

"You really don't know anything about this place, do you?"

I gave her a small shrug.

"I told you. I'm new."

Nina sighed softly before continuing.

"Kael Blackwood is the Alpha King's son. He's one year ahead of us."

She paused.

"Adrian and Kael are pretty close, although they're not exactly inseparable. They have almost the same abilities, too."

"Almost?"

"Kael's are stronger."

I glanced toward Adrian again.

For some reason, I found that interesting.

I hadn't expected the students here to have such clearly defined positions. Back home, I'd never had to think about things like Alphas, Betas, packs, or rankings.

Here, it seemed like everyone already knew where they belonged.

And somehow, I was the only person who didn't.

Before I could ask Nina anything else, Adrian pulled out his chair and sat down.

He leaned forward slightly.

"Nina."

She turned around.

"You're finally back."

"Obviously," Nina replied with a grin. "Where else would I be?"

Adrian laughed quietly.

His gaze shifted.

Straight to me.

He studied me for a moment, not rudely, but with obvious curiosity.

"Who's the new girl?"

Nina smiled.

"This is Liora."

Adrian nodded.

"Liora?"

"Yes."

He looked at me.

"Welcome to the class."

There was something surprisingly warm about his voice.

"Thanks," I replied.

A few students nearby had clearly heard the exchange.

One of them whispered something.

Another turned to look at me.

Then another.

I began to notice the strange looks.

Nina leaned closer.

"They're curious."

"About what?"

Nina gave me an amused look.

"You."

"Why?"

"Because you're a vampire."

The word seemed to travel through the classroom faster than it should have.

"Vampire?"

"A vampire?"

"She's a vampire?"

My shoulders stiffened slightly.

I wasn't ashamed of what I was. But being stared at by an entire classroom wasn't exactly comfortable.

Nina noticed.

"Don't worry about them."

"I'm trying not to."

Adrian glanced around at the students.

"Can everyone stop staring?"

The room slowly returned to normal.

I gave him a grateful look.

He simply shrugged as though it hadn't been anything important.

The teacher eventually called everyone's attention back to the lesson, and the rest of the class passed without anything unusual happening.

Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

Not constantly.

Just enough to remind me that I was different.

When the bell finally rang for break, the entire classroom seemed to come alive again.

Students stood, laughed, and rushed toward the door.

Nina grabbed my hand.

"Come on."

"Where?"

"Cafeteria."

I followed.

Adrian joined us a few seconds later.

The cafeteria was much louder than the classroom.

The moment we entered, I was hit by the sound of conversations, laughter, chairs scraping against the floor, and the occasional burst of shouting from students across the room.

Nina led us toward a table.

We sat together, with me beside Nina and Adrian across from us.

For the first time since arriving at the school, I felt myself relax.

I listened as Nina and Adrian argued playfully over something that had happened during their previous class.

"You cheated," Nina accused.

"I didn't."

"You did."

"Prove it."

"I don't have to prove what I already know."

Adrian laughed.

I couldn't help smiling.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

I was still learning where everything was. I didn't know most of the students, didn't understand all the rules, and certainly didn't understand the complicated hierarchy of the werewolf world.

But I had Nina.

And now, apparently, Adrian too.

Then a voice came from somewhere nearby.

"So they allow vampires on this side now?"

The smile disappeared from my face.

I looked toward the voice.

A girl was sitting at another table with two other girls.

I didn't know her name yet.

The girl who had spoken was Bianca.

One of Valeria's closest minions.

Bianca wasn't looking directly at me anymore. She simply turned back to her food as though she'd said nothing important.

The words, however, had already been heard.

Nina's expression tightened.

I looked down at the table.

I'd expected questions.

I'd expected stares.

But somehow, hearing it said aloud made the difference between me and everyone else feel heavier.

Adrian leaned back in his chair.

His eyes moved toward Bianca.

He didn't say anything.

Not yet.

Then Nina whispered, "Ignore her."

I nodded.

"I'm fine."

I wasn't entirely sure that was true.

Adrian placed his hand against the table.

Then—

BANG.

The sound echoed across the cafeteria.

Every conversation around us stopped.

Students turned.

Some froze with food halfway to their mouths.

Others stared openly.

Adrian slowly lifted his eyes.

The silence that followed was almost unsettling.

No one spoke.

No one laughed.

Even Bianca lowered her gaze.

I stared at Adrian.

I hadn't expected that.

He hadn't shouted.

He hadn't threatened anyone.

He had simply hit the table.

And somehow, that had been enough.

A few seconds passed before whispers began again.

"Who does he think he is?"

The voice came from the other side of the cafeteria.

I looked over.

The girl who had spoken sat confidently among her friends.

She had an unmistakable air of self-assurance, the kind that made it obvious she wasn't used to being challenged.

Her name was Valeria Draven.

And unlike Bianca, she didn't look away.

Her eyes remained fixed on Adrian.

Nina noticed where I was looking.

"That's Valeria."

I lowered my voice.

"Who is she?"

Nina hesitated.

"Just... someone you should probably stay away from."

I glanced at Valeria again.

Valeria was still watching Adrian.

There was something in the way she looked at him that I couldn't quite understand.

It wasn't simple anger.

There was history there.

Something deeper.

But I'd only been at the school for a few hours.

I wasn't about to start asking questions.

Instead, I turned back toward Nina.

Adrian finally broke the silence.

"Let's eat."

Nina nodded.

I looked down at my food.

Around us, the cafeteria slowly returned to normal.

Conversations resumed.

Laughter returned.

Chairs scraped against the floor

.

But something had changed.

I could feel it.

My first day hadn't even truly begun, and already I'd learned one important thing.

This school had rules I didn't understand.

It had people I didn't know.

It had secrets hiding behind ordinary conversations.

And somehow, I had a feeling I'd just stepped into the middle of something much bigger than myself.

I just didn't know it yet.