Sigma's
1781 Words
"That's something you have to accept," Zach said.
"Being an anomaly? Why?"
"Because that's who you are."
Zach continued walking down the hallway, ignoring the confusion on my face.
I had no choice but to follow him, trying to swallow the hurt and frustration of being called an "anomaly. Honestly, even being called an alien would have been more acceptable.
Was any of this even real? Were they all werewolves? Then why was I brought here? What's the reason?
These questions kept spinning in my head.
We passed through a set of tightly closed double doors with a nameplate above them that read "Delta." Inside, I could hear a chorus of happy voices—girls chatting and laughing.
But we didn't stop there. We kept walking until we passed another door marked "" Phi." Finally, at the far end of the hallway, we stopped at an open door marked "Sigma."
Why did this place feel like the rest of the dorm? The unwanted section.
"Get inside. Bernice. Everything you need is ready. Get changed and meet us in the courtyard," Zach ordered.
So that's it? No more explanation? Just take it and be done with it?
Zach turned and left me standing in the doorway.
I guess I didn't get any answers from him.
I stepped cautiously into the room, dimly lit by a warm yellow lamp. It looked like a common room - couches, bookshelves, a fireplace, even a computer desk in the corner. Doors lined the walls—bedrooms, probably.
Three girls about my age were sitting on one of the couches. They noticed me and looked at me curiously.
I went over, swallowing hard. What was I supposed to say to these girls?
"Wow, this is new. What are you, anyway?" one of the girls squinted. "You smell different."
Reflexively, I sniffed myself. "I took a shower and changed."
They exchanged glances and giggled.
"You don't smell like a hybrid," the girl with the short curly hair said. Then she pointed to the girl with straight black shoulder-length hair next to her, who was glued to her phone. "Or a bastard child. Like her."
I winced. "Bastard?"
She laughed. "Yes. There's a bastard here, an overachieving Omega, and a hybrid. You? I have no idea what you are."
"And I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied, confused.
"Oh, stop it, Omega! Enough with the jokes."
The voice came from the tall, slim blonde with long, wavy hair. She stood up and walked over to me, smiling warmly and reaching out her hand.
"Paige. Nice to meet you."
I shook her hand. "Bernice."
"She's Aggy—her parents are Omegas, but she's smart as hell."
The curly-haired girl—Aggy—added, "If I don't charm an Alpha here, I'll be an Omega for life. Period."
Paige continued, "Piper's dad is an Alpha, and her mom is an Omega. So yeah, bastard child." Piper waved. "And I'm a hybrid. Alpha dad, witch—well, human—mom."
Okay, this is getting weird. Have they all been brainwashed or something?
"And you?" Paige asked. "What are you?"
"I'm human," I said firmly. "My mom is a single mother. I'm her only daughter."
They gasped, literally staring at me, wide-eyed.
"Human? No way. You don't smell like one."
Tears burned at the back of my eyes. Why did everyone keep saying the same thing about me? Different. Anomaly. What's the difference?
"You should get dressed, Bernice," Paige said, gently changing the subject. "We'll be gathering in the courtyard soon. Our room is the first. There's an extra bed if you want to stay with us."
I looked at the other rooms. "What about the rest?"
"Empty. It's just the four of us. But if you'd rather have your own room, that's fine."
"No, I don't want to be alone. I'll stay with you," I said quickly.
"Then hurry! We have to go!" Aggy said.
I nodded and went into the bedroom. It was spacious, with two bunk beds on either side and four closets. Three already had names on them—my roommates'.
I opened mine to find uniforms and pajamas neatly folded. Wow, awesome.
I quickly changed and stepped out. The girls were waiting for me at the door.
"Come on, Bernice! This is going to be a fun year!" Piper cheered.
I actually felt a bit lucky. My roommates seemed cool, at least for now. I hoped it would last until I graduated from this academy.
I wondered what Sara would say if she knew I'd made friends here. Would she be proud of me?
Aggy touched my shoulder. "Bernice? Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I guess."
"I feel sadness in your vibe. Sorry for calling you differently. But hey, we're all different, just like you! Don't worry. You'll be fine."
I wasn't sure if I believed her.
When we entered the courtyard, girls from other dorms turned and stared—and laughed. There was no way it was just a coincidence. They were definitely laughing at us. Now it made sense why Sigma only had four girls. Delta and Phi had dozens.
We lined up at the end and watched the boys' dorm move in. They came in groups, each in their own group. Suddenly, I noticed Aggy tense up, her face going pale.
"Aggy?" I whispered.
"Jasher..."
My eyes followed hers. From the far right entrance, a group of boys entered. One stood out immediately.
Deep black fade haircut, naturally disheveled. Confident stare. Sharp jawline. Yeah, very handsome.
Paige grabbed Aggy's shoulder and whispered something that made me shiver. Suddenly, Aggy snapped out of her daze as if someone had just awakened her.
"You need to learn how to protect yourself from an Alpha's charms," Paige warned.
"Who can resist Jasher?" Aggy sighed.
I frowned. "Alpha's charm?"
We didn't get to finish. Jasher suddenly stopped. He turned and looked directly at our line, which was only a few meters away from us.
"s**t! Jasher's looking at us!" Aggy squeaked.
My mind reeled. Did these students all know each other from before? Were they at the same academy or something? I didn't know a soul here except Zach and Genesis.
Suddenly, the wind shifted—and Jasher was standing right before me.
His charcoal gray eyes stared deep into mine, almost paralyzing me.
"I've never seen you before." His voice was deep and velvety. "What's your name?"
"Bern..." I swallowed hard. "...Bernice."
All eyes were on us, and my heart was pounding. Jasher put a hand on my shoulder and leaned in, pressing his nose against mine. His breath smelled of mint and felt warm on my face.
I closed my eyes, uncomfortable.
"Don't close your eyes, Bernice," he whispered, stroking my eyelid with his fingers. "You won't see me next time if you do."
Then he turned and walked away.
I turned to Aggy, shaken. "What the hell was that? Was he threatening me?"
Aggy grabbed my hand. "That was crazy! Jasher's never done that to a girl before! I think... I think he likes you!"
"What?" I yelped. "No way!"
Piper and Aggy exchanged stunned looks. Only Paige looked calm as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"You didn't feel Jasher's rut?" Piper whispered. "Even I could barely contain myself."
"Yeah, I feel you," Aggy added, nodding quickly.
I turned to Paige. "What's a rut?"
*
I know it's dangerous, but I had no choice. I had to do it. While everyone else was excited about the new semester, I secretly approached the delivery guy who had been coming to the academy for this three days.
Thankfully, he was very kind and agreed to help me send a letter to my mom. He didn't even charge me!
"Got the letter, girl?" the middle-aged man asked when we met near the academy's front door.
I took the letter out of my pocket and handed it to him. Mr. Dave looked at my thin envelope before sliding it into his bag.
I had only written that I was doing fine and told Mom not to worry. I promised her that I would be home soon to explain everything. Most importantly, I apologized for running away, but I had no other choice.
How could I possibly tell her that I was now at a werewolf academy?
I had no idea how Mom would react when she received my letter. One thing was sure: she wouldn't come looking for me because Mr. Dave promised not to include the academy's address on the return label.
"All right then. Stay healthy and keep your spirits up, okay? I'll be off now,” he said.
"Thanks again, Mr. Dave."
I watched Mr. Dave walk away, feeling anxious. I guess sending one letter wouldn't hurt.
I ran as fast as I could toward the main hall, where my friends had already headed. This academy building is enormous. If I were still an ordinary person, I would be exhausted from running around the whole place.
Yes, this…Evencrest Academy.
The advanced academy that werewolves go to before they officially become Alphas, Betas, Lunas, or... something else; I honestly can't remember the rest. It's a three-year program, and most students start at sixteen.
Including my roommates—they've all been here since last year.
The boys' dormitories are divided into Alpha, Beta, and Kappa. For the girls, it's Delta, Phi, and Sigma. It's pretty obvious that the first two dorms—male and female—offer the best opportunities for the students living there.
Whether it's East Bridge or Evencrest, I'm always the underdog.
"Where have you been?" Paige asked when I finally catch up with them.
"Restroom," I said quickly. "So, what happened next? You guys weren't done telling me about the coolest guys around here."
"The most promising Alpha candidates here are Jasher, Genesis, and Zach," Aggy said excitedly as we left morning assembly and headed to the main hall to get our books and schedules.
"Zachary Archer?" I blurted out without meaning to.
Aggy looked at me in surprise. "You know him? Didn't you say you were human, Bern?"
"Well, Zach... he was a new student at my old school. He'd only been there a few months before... something happened... and he brought me here."
A wave of fear washed over me.
I hadn't told them about the weird creature attack—or how that somehow led to me being dragged into the werewolf world because of Zach.
Paige narrowed her eyes. "And on what basis did Zachary bring you here?"
I froze. "It's... I..."
I didn't want to talk about it. Not yet, anyway! But what could I say?
- Writer
