Blood Wolf - Chapter 1
Okay so I figured I might as well put in the first chapter for now. I’m onto the sixth chapter as of 6/11/18, so I’ve had this done a while. Also It’s a bit of a draft.
Screaming.
A blood-curdling, dream-shattering scream.
Evangeline Tanner lept from her bed, eyes wide and tensed for a fight. The screaming was coming from her roommate, Dominique Nguyen. Her sleep-heavy legs brought her to Dominique’s bedside.
“Dom! Dom! Wake up!” Evangeline shouted, pressing onto Dom’s shoulders and shaking. “Dom!”
“Eva!” Dom shouted, bolting upright, eyes wide and forehead slick with sweat. She was breathing hard, facing forward as if she was staring at a ghost. A few moments passed, as her breathing slowed.
“Dominique…” Eva muttered, her hand running up and down Dom’s back. Dom looked down, her knuckles clenched white into the thin blanket of her bed. She breathed out slowly, her eyes slipping closed as she relaxed her muscles. After a few moments of silence, but for the sound of Eva running her hand up and down the cotton fabric of Dom’s sleepwear, Dom looked up, a smile replacing the horror-stricken expression she woke up with.
“Good morning!” Dom greeted. A fond smile drifted onto Eva’s face.
“Good morning,” she greeted, leaning back from Dom and standing. “You alright?”
Dom nods, more somber. She stretches and pops her neck. “Yup!” Eva chuckled for a moment, striding over to her side of the dresser that held their clothes.
“That’s good… You ready for the survival test today?” Eva asked. Opening her drawer to take out the regulation jumpsuit.
“‘Course. Hell can only affect me so much,” Dom grinned, flinging her legs over the edge of her bed. Eva could see her legs wobble for a moment before Dom steadied herself.
They dressed in silence. Eva thought back to yesterday, when Dom was caught listening in on her teachers’ conversation. Unauthorized use of her abilities plus disobedience. The latter offense was only there because there wasn’t a strict rule against snooping into their professors’ love lives. It wasn’t as if Dom wanted to know that Mrs. Archie and Mr. Samus were having an affair. She just wanted the answers to the survival test today.
With a sigh, Eva zipped up the front of her jumpsuit, wondering idly what it was Dom saw in her dreams. She had been in Hell, the nickname for the nightmare-world that administration would send students for breaking the school’s rules. For her “crimes”, Dom was sentenced to spend time in Hell in her dreams. Eva was a frequent flyer, so she understood why Dom wouldn’t want to talk about the experience. Glancing Dom’s way, Eva decided to change the subject.
“Any new gossip?” Eva tried. Dom grinned, stepping into her suit.
“Yeah, actually. New students. Brothers, I think,” Dom said. Eva nodded walking back towards her bed to find her hair tie that must have fallen off her wrist in her sleep.
“Yeah? How old are they?” Eva asked.
“18 and 20.”
“That’s a little old. Woulda thought they would be sent to a different facility,” Eva said, pulling her unruly hair into a slightly-less unruly ponytail. Dom shrugged, zipping her own suit.
“I dunno. You’ll meet the older brother today. I don’t know their names yet. They didn’t seem beat up when they got here though…”
“...So they came in quietly?” Eva inquired, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice.
“Dunno,” Dom shrugged. “I just know they weren’t on stretchers.”
Eva frowned, glancing at the clock. If they weren’t beat up, then they willingly enrolled in this school, “Academy for Reformed Canines” or ARC. The academy had been making fake propaganda videos for years, outlining the advanced curriculum and happiness of students in each. They never really worked, though, especially not with grown wolves. After all, if you grow up on the outside, you know that being a student in ARC meant being a prisoner to your own mind, cursed with nightmares until you fall in line.
Eva gave a grunt in acknowledgement, then slung her bag over her shoulder - another regulation sack with the ARC insignia on it. She cocked an eyebrow at Dom, who was running her fingers through her bone-straight hair. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah,” Dom said, picking up her bag from the foot of her bed. The pair of students walked down the hallway. Their neighbors - Martha and Asha, Eva’s mind supplied - glanced at Dom from across the narrow hallway, their door open. Eva waited a moment while Dom waved at the two before starting down the hallway, out of the dormitories and towards the classrooms.
Eva glanced at the writing on the back of her hand.
Period 1: Strategy
Period 2: Physical Education
Period 3: History
Period 4: Physical Education
Lunch
Period 5: English
Period 6: Survival
Period 7: Physical Education
Eva pursed her lips. Physical Education was usually only taken for one period. She supposed Science and Mathematics were a bit redundant now. It wasn’t like they were taught anything too important now. The only science she was taught were vital points for attack, and she wouldn’t need advanced math when she’s fighting. So now she was stuck with three class periods of Phys Ed.
“See you in history,” Dom said, turning down a hallway. Eva raised a hand in goodbye and stomped up to her first class.
“Mr. Crane - Strategy” read the door, in red letters. As Eva opened the door, she wondered if she did her homework for this class. Something about Genghis Khan and his bows. She finished it in class yesterday, she remembered, her eyes scanning over the seats. A few were filled. James Copper sat in front, slouching and half-asleep. Mr. Crane wasn’t in yet, which was typical. Dom’s Hell adventure did wake them up about a half an hour early.
Eva slouched in her seat, pulling a notebook from her bag. The notes were scribbled, messy and nearly unreadable. Doodles littered her margins and she idly shaded an image of Ms. Lemier in a pool of blood as she waited for class to begin. Kids trickled into the classroom slowly, until the room was abuzz before Mr. Crane walked in.
“He has to have dyed his hair.”
“No way they’re brothers.”
“He glared at me for no reason.”
“They’re still unmated.”
“Not for long, I’m sure.”
“What are their names again?”
Eva wished she could ignore the whispers. She wasn’t much of a fan of gossip. Mr. Crane was human - all the teachers were, so he didn’t quite hear all of the chatter. He also looked more tired than usual, more indifferent towards the whispers before class. The bell rang as the last person piled in. It sounded like a normal bell, but about 10 feet underwater. Eva loathed the sound.
“Alright, class, quiet, quiet…” Mr. Crane droned, the authority in his voice barely there. The class quieted nonetheless. “Now pull out your homework…”
Eva sat through the class period in relative silence. There were several students who seemed excited about the new arrivals. After all, it wasn’t like there was much entertainment around here. No one talked to her. She wasn’t known for her gossip, or her interest in others. Her Alpha status prevented most students from approaching, let alone speaking to her. Although it was technically against the rules, Eva listened to the whispers when she heard her own name mixed in.
“The older one’s aura rivals Eva’s.”
“Jesus. That bad?”
“Yeah. His brother’s is bad too, but at least he’s nice.”
“Yeah, I guess they’re, like, really strong. The younger one said that it was some new dart that caught them by surprise and that’s why they aren’t hurt.”
“When do they have Phys Ed?”
“I don’t know but I hope they have it with Eva.”
Mr. Crane was droning on about medieval tactics and how they can be applied to our lives. (They can’t.) Eva leaned back in her seat, listening more intently.
“Do you think they have a chance?”
“You know how brutal she is. The older one might have a chance though.”
Eva frowned. So the newbie might be more of a rival, then? She turned her head slightly, making eye contact with the girl who suggested the older brother may have a chance with her. Her name was Brisseida, and she was talking to Marcos. The second she saw Eva, she paled, turning away from Marcos, head bowed and looking studious. Marcos turned to see Eva, whose expression was neutral, yet knowing. Marcos’ eyes widened and he, too, looked away and ceased his gossip. When Eva turned back to the board, which was was laden with battle diagrams, she wondered idly whether these new brothers would be a problem even before she knew their names.
Dom, a few halls in a different direction, was discovering that the new students weren’t the worst. At least, the younger brother seemed fine.
“Nicholas Richards,” Mr. Lassiter’s voice rang out. Dom, who had previously been reading ahead in their anatomy chapter, looked up to find the younger Richards brother looking very guilty. He held an Erlenmeyer flask that was honestly more for show than for function. The older canines didn’t learn much chemistry.
“Yes, sir?” Nick responded, slowly setting down the flask. Mr. Lassiter looked exasperated. He wasn’t particularly strict, but he didn’t enjoy rowdy students.
“It seems you can’t be left to yourself,” Mr. Lassiter commented, smoothing down his wiry salt-and-pepper eyebrows. He turned to Dom, frowning. “Ms. Nguyen, would you mind preventing Mr. Richards from touching any more equipment during a lecture?”
Dom offered a kind, and very fake, smile before gathering her items and abandoning her previous lab partner for the new kid. When she set her book down, Nick leaned over.
“Hi,” he whispered, grinning. He seemed friendly enough, but Mr. Lassiter already seemed annoyed that he was whispering during class, so she offered him a patient smile before turning back to the teacher. Now she would have to listen to the stupid lecture, when she could have been reading instead. When Mr. Lassiter was on the other side of the large classroom, Nick subtly took a pencil from his bag and a slip of paper. Dom raised an eyebrow as he scribbled onto it. Without looking at her, he slipped it in her direction.
Dom glanced down at it.
Sorry I interrupted your reading.
Okay, now she couldn’t be mad at him. She quickly scribbled a response, making an effort to keep her chicken scratch legible.
It’s alright. The book wasn’t that good anyway. No dragons.
She slipped it back to him. There was no room for a response on the small slips of paper, but the blinding grin Dom received seemed enough. She decided that Nick was adorable, if bad at concentrating.
The smothered bell rang loud and the canines students filed out of their classrooms. The Alpha of the school gathered her belongings from her Strategy class, mentally running over Genghis Khan’s tactics. The man was brilliant. As Eva recounted the Battle of Yehuling, she made her way to Ms. Lemier’s gym. The halls were still abuzz with gossip, yet it mostly quieted as Eva walked past. A heavy frown set on her face at the quieting hallways. What were these students talking about that they didn’t want her to hear? Were the brothers threatening her? Had they tried asserting their dominance? By the time she reached the locker room to switch into her - again, regulation - gym shorts and t-shirt, she worked herself up enough to make everyone give her a wide berth.
Who the hell did these idiots think they were? Eva’s been Alpha for the school since she got here when she was twelve, defeating even the most practiced student. Even at that time, she only sustained a few wounds. Now that she’d grown up, she’d barely been given a bruise for the last two years. What made them think they could surpass her?
A grimace set on her face, Eva stalked into the gym. The students chatted quietly, though thankfully, no one spoke of the new kids. It seemed they didn’t have this class. A whistle sounded across the gym and all the students heads raised attentively.
“Alright, trainees, we’re doing sparring today! Warm up!” Ms. Lemier’s voice rang out. Eva couldn’t help but grin when the last unpartnered students nervously shuffled over to her.
“Do you have a partner?” he asked. She could see he was chewing the inside of his lip.
“Not yet. Partners?” she responded. He nodded nervously. Eva began walking over to an empty mat at one end of the gym, away from the other students. The kid swallowed nervously as they stood opposite each other. “Ready?”
The guy - Arthur, she remembered - nodded, bending down to lower his center of gravity. Eva attacked, though not close to full power. After all, this was only warm-ups; she didn’t want to kill the boy. Before he cold blink, Arthur was on his ass, the wind knocked out of him. His eyes were wide as he looked up at Eva standing over him.
“You good?” Eva asked, knowing he was. She really only pushed him over. He nodded quickly and scrambled to his feet. “Now, attack me.”
Arthur’s eyes widened considerably, but he nodded. He rushed forward, slower than Eva, but not quite slow enough for her to be disappointed. He pulled a fist at his side, readying it to swing at her midsection. Eva could see it coming from a mile away and dropped, lifting her forearm to guard her body. Arthur kicked out with his legs, aiming to topple her, but when Arthur’s fist hit her forearm, she grabbed his wrist with his other hand and jumped over him, still holding Arthur’s arm. She twisted it around and pressed into his back. Arthur cried out in surprise and the pair received a few worried looks, but she knew he wasn’t hurt badly.
“Don’t swing around. Hit the center of their body, not the side,” Eva advised, pushing Arthur forward where he stumbled and fell on the mat. Eva may be intimidating, and by far the most strongest in the school, but she was still an Alpha, and she wanted her pack - the student body - to be strong.
Arthur was breathing hard as he recovered. “Offense or defense?” Eva asked.
Arthur frowned as he stood, looking Eva up and down. “Offense.” Eva nodded. Arthur attacked again, quicker this time. This pattern repeated, with Arthur either attacking or defending, and Eva thwarted his attempts until the whistle rang out again.
“Alright, kids, switch partners! And shift!” Ms. Lemier shouted from the chair she always sat in at the other end of the gymnasium. Arthur hurriedly changed partners. Again, Eva was left with a nervous student who couldn’t find a partner.
“Do you have a partner?” Eva tried, since the girl looked scared out of her wits. She shook her head. “Neither do I. Partners?”
The girl nodded, slightly less nervous. Eva didn’t recognize her, and quite possibly had never been partnered with her before. They were only a few weeks into the new semester anyway. “What’s your name?” Eva tried, walking to the mats again.
“Carla. And you’re Eva,” the girl said. Eva flashed a grin at her, and the girl’s shoulders seemed to lose some of their tension.
“Now shift!” Ms. Lemier shouted, signalling for each of the students to switch to their canine form. Eva did so, the t-shirt and shorts stretching to accommodate her new shape. Carla did as well, her form more dog than wolf, and much smaller than Eva’s. Carla’s canine looked roughly like an oversized boxer. Eva watched her for a moment, before she pulled up her lips in irritation.
Attack, damnit!
Carla did, running forward and moving to nip at Eva’s front leg.
Too slow.
Eva lifted her paw and brought it down on Carla’s muzzle, effectively stopping the attack. To prove her point, she knelt over Carla’s much smaller form, her sharp white canine around Carla’s throat. The Boxer dog whimpered in fear and Eva released her, leaping to the other side of the mat. Carla stood, her eyes more feverish now. Eva didn’t wait to long before she leapt forward, feigning left but attacking right. Carla may suck at attacking, but she managed to nip in Eva’s direction before Eva bit into her elbow. She didn’t bite deeply, but there was only so much Eva could hold back her wolf when attacking. Carla yelped and moved to bite Eva, but was too slow. Eva was back the the other end of the mat. Carla was bleeding and Eva was untouched. By the end of the hour, Carla had a nipped ear and her back left thigh had a decent enough scrape on it, where Eva had pulled up hair. But she would be healed within twenty minutes, so Eva wasn’t worried.
Eva felt satisfied she had taught the girl something. Each student shifted and returned to the locker rooms, likely sore from sparring. The bell rang as Eva pulled up the zipper on her jumpsuit. Lifting her knapsack, she glanced towards Carla, who had mostly healed, though she seemed sore from Eva’s bite. Eva left the gym and headed towards her history class. God, Mr. Samus was next. At least she had Dom. While Dom may not talk as often to Eva as she may talk to the other students, at least she would talk to Eva at all.
As Eva tried to recall what they were to learn today in history, she noticed she was in fact, not walking towards her history class. She was walking quickly down another hallway, where the math classes were. Cocking an eyebrow at her own behavior, she smelled the air. There was nothing that would have led her here, but some faint scent.
Go.
The fierce order she was given from her canine side startled her. Why the hell was she acting up? She just got let out. Turning on her heel, Eva walked to Mr. Samus’ classroom, determined to avoid the niggling scent in the back of her head.
When Eva entered the classroom, the bell rang. With a nod to Dom, Eva slouched in her seat, unable to get her other side to calm herself.
We have Phys Ed right after this. Then you can fight.
Eva knew her canine side often got antsy, but she hasn’t been so bad this year, what with all the Phys Ed classes she gets to run around in. Dom sent her a look of worry, which Eva responded to with a nonchalant shrug.
“Alright, class…” Mr. Samus began, but Eva wasn’t listening. A powerpoint was projected onto a screen and Eva couldn’t find it in her to care. History sucked. While Eva was counting the roof tiles, she heard Mr. Samus’ voice say her name, and snapped to attention.
“Eva?” he asked, an expecting look on his face. Eva stared at him blankly.
“Yes?” Eva replied.
“Would you tell me why World War I began?” he asked. Eva thought for a moment desperately trying to remember what Dom mentioned the night before.
“Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, and because of various alliances, countries were pulled into the war to defend their allies,” she said. Mr. Samus looked annoyed, but not surprised. He didn’t respond, only returned to his powerpoint. Eva moved on to counting floor tiles.
The bell rang, startling Eva out of her stupor. Mr. Samus’ class often left her more on edge than normal, so it was nice to have a Phys Ed class to go to afterwards. Eva gripped her bag tighter and waved to Dom before walking back to the gym. A new batch of students were there, including one new face.
“God, is Mrs. Archie always like that? Damn she is the worst,” the new guy said. Eva meet his gaze on her way to the locker room. He paused, watching her curiously. Eva decided to introduce herself, so she made her way over to the circle of guys that contained the new kid.
“Hey,” Eva greeted, her tone plain. Still, a few of the guys inched away from her, awkward. She smiled, trying to remain friendly despite the rumors surrounding the brothers that set her on edge. The guy cocked an eyebrow.
“And who might you be?” he asked, his tone laced with intent. Intent to do what, she wasn’t sure.
“Eva. Eva Tanner. And you are?” Eva asked, putting out a hand and flashing a grin that was more predatory than friendly. The new guy grinned back at her, not matching her intimidation. He shook her hand as he answered.
“Nicholas Richards, at your service, but call me Nick. I’m new here,” he said, his grip firm but not crushing.
“I know,” Eva said, pulling her hand back. “Your brother is, too, I hear. You the older one?”
Nick shook his head. “Unfortunately, he came before me. His name’s Trent. You met him yet?”
Now Eva shook her head and spoke nonchalantly. “No. Heard he’s an Alpha, though.”
The group went stock still. They may have been a tad tense before, but at the mention of Alphas, they seemed uncomfortable, afraid of being in the middle of an altercation. Nick held her eye contact, his grin still present, but non-threatening. He nodded, slowly.
“He is, as it happens. I’m sure you’ll kick his ass, though, if the rumors I hear are true.”
Eva relaxed slightly. “You two aren’t close?”
Nick’s grin faltered for a split-second. “No. We’re half-brothers, raised apart until recently.”
Eva nodded, gripping the strap to her bag. “Well I’m off to change.” Eva raised a hand in acknowledgement at the other guys in the group. “The class is sparring today, by the way.”
“Thanks!” Nick called to her retreating form. Eva raised a hand over to her shoulder in acknowledgement. After changing, Ms. Lemier called out to the class again, ordering them into pairs. Nick paired with one of his guy friends, Eva noted, before partnering up with yet another nervous left over student.
Eva treated this student the same as she did Arthur. The boy’s name was Ricardo, and he had partnered with Eva before, so he knew the drill. He would be sore, but he would learn. After ten or twenty minutes of human form sparring, Ms. Lemier ordered the students to switch partners and shift. Eva did so, expecting another left over with no friends in the class. Instead, Nick bound over to her.
“Hey! Wanna be partners?” he asked. Eva couldn’t help a small grin on her lips. No one had asked to be her partner in a while. And judging by the glances Nick got, the other students were surprised too.
“Sure. Have you sparred before?” Eva asked. Nick grinned wider, cocky. “Then I won’t hold back.”
As Nick shifted into his canine - a wolf, like hers, but grey in color - Eva knew she would hold back, if only a bit. Nick’s stance was all off. He even stopped to nod at his friends across the gym in his new form. Several of the other students examined the new canine, as if assessing. Most found him attractive, judging by the female canines that cocked their heads at him. He was big, Eva noted, possible bigger than her, if it weren’t for her unruly fur that made her looked huge. But she only cared about his fighting skill. She could only stand so much showing off before she attacked.
Nick was unprepared, off-balance, and slow. But damn, was he large. Eva bit into his front shoulder and he jerked in surprise. He hadn’t even been watching her when she attacked. His canine yelped and he swung out his front paw, grazing Eva’s hind. She released him and backed off for a moment, tasting blood on her tongue. Nick’s canine looked more focused now, watching her intently. He cocked his head to the side as if saying, “So that’s how we’re playing this?” Eva made no move in response.
Nick attacked a moment later, bounding forward. Eva turned her head towards him and he moved to bite her hind leg. Eva dodged the attack, instead moving to the other side of the mat. Nick growled at her, lips raised. Eva returned the gesture. Eva noted that most of the class was watching the match, although some still acted as if they were still fighting to please Ms. Lemier.
Nick attacked again and Eva jumped back, then attacked his shoulder, grazing her teeth over his skin. As she backed up, Nick snapped at her managing a nip on her hair and Eva even felt a few hairs get tugged from her side. But she got a better hit on him. She could feel some of his hair sticking to her jowls. They circled each other for a moment or so more before Eva attacked, moving for his neck but ducking at the last moment to nip his lower front leg. Nick bent his head down and lifted the leg to avoid her teeth, his teeth closer to her neck than she would’ve liked. But he was off-balance now. She heaved her shoulder against him and avoided his muzzle, backing off in order to reach his chest. She stepped on his chest with both her large paws and pressed - hard. Her wolf was growling, asserting her dominance in a way only she could. Eva was sure her Alpha pheromones were suffocating. Nick moved to snap at her, turning his neck in hopes of nipping her. Eva pressed harder.
Something popped and Nick’s wolf stilled for a moment, a surprised yelp escaping his muzzle. Eva leaned closer to his face, jowls raised and nose crinkled. Spit ran down her jowls, making her appear rabid. She still only growled lowly, conscious of the fact that Ms. Lemier dislike loud canines. However, judging by the silence in the room, no one was even sparring anymore. Nick’s jowls were still raised, his hackles up and his hind legs kicking out. When a hind foot hit Eva’s side, Eva snapped at Nick’s face, causing her to push on the likely broken ribs. Nick yelped and went limp, his neck bared. He lifted a leg, displaying his stomach in a submissive gesture. Eva stepped back, head high.
Glancing around the room, she saw that all the canines were frozen. Some of the smaller canines had their necks bared in submission. Others had their heads dipped in acknowledgement. She saw Ms. Lemier looking at Nick in distaste on the mat, likely thinking about how he would have to go to the nurse’s station. Eva stepped back from Nick further, who moved to stand.
“Get back to sparring, mutts!” Ms. Lemier shouted, dropping her phone and striding over to Eva’s and Nick’s mat. She nodded to the two of them. “Shift.”
Eva spotted Nick’s jowls raise for a moment at the command. Eva took a moment or two to collect herself, to subdue her now-cockier wolf before shifting. Nick followed. He was sitting on the map, clutching his side and avoiding moving his bleeding shoulder too much. Eva herself felt rather sympathetic for him, but knew her wolf felt it entirely justified. He tried to challenge the Alpha. He got what he deserved. “A little overkill, dontcha think?” Ms. Lemier said quietly towards Eva, but she seemed pleased at Nick’s state. Sadistic bitch.
“I can take him to the nurse’s, if you want?” Eva offered, stepping closer to Nick. To his credit, he didn’t flinch when Eva knelt beside him. Ms. Lemier cocked an eyebrow at her but waved her off.
“Yeah, yeah. Try not to kill the other one, alright, Eva?” Ms. Lemier said, likely referring to the other brother. The teacher turned to walk back to the chair where she could peruse her phone in peace. Eva looked at Nick, who pursed his lips and furrowed his brows in pain.
“Can I get a hand?” Nick asked, looking at Eva with a friendly grin. At least he wasn’t bitter that Eva beat him. Eva grinned.
“Sure,” Eva stood and held out her hand. He took it and stood, a little wobbly but strong enough to stand. Eva brought his arm around her shoulder for support and they made their way out of the gym, the sparring continuing behind them. A minute or so passed in silence.
“Yeah, I think I’m glad,” Nick said, breaking the silence in the hallway close to the nurse’s office. Eva glanced at him and adjusting his arm slung over her shoulder.
“Yeah? Why?” she inquired.
“Because you’re gonna kill my brother,” he said. Eva felt her chest puff up a bit in pride. There was silence for a few moments until they reached the nurse’s door. Eva opened it and let go of Nick, who slumped into a chair.
“Nurse?” Eva called out.
“Fill out the form on the counter!” the nurse’s voice rang out. Eva rolled her eyes and looked for the clipboard. She pushed it towards Nick, who sat at the end of the counter.
“I don’t usually kill my opponents,” Eva said quietly. Nick grinned up at her as she picked up the clipboard.
“Well, you’ll have to kill my brother. That jackass won’t back down no matter what,” Nick said. Eva’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“And neither will I,” Eva said, voice steely with resolve. “And I haven’t lost since I was 12.”
“Yeah well he’s been--” Nick began, but paused and laughed awkwardly, which led to his ribs sparking in pain. He groaned and shielded his side with his arm.
“C’mon this can’t be the worst you’ve had. I’ve bounced back from way worse,” Eva taunted. Nick chuckled, then clutched his side in pain.
“Well, I broke an arm once?” he offered. Eva squinted at him.
“That’s it?” she asked. Nick paused for only a moment, but didn’t respond to her prompt.
“So, you a teacher’s pet or something? Ms. Lemier seemed to like you,” Nick said, still filling out the form on the clipboard, not looking at Eva. She was suspicious of the change in subject, but decided to go along with it.
“Nah. Ms. Lemier likes me, but that’s about it with teachers. She likes that I spar well, and that I’m not afraid to kill my opponents if I need to. But I usually don’t unless there’s a test or something,” Eva responded, sitting in one of the beds along the wall.
“A test? For killing?” Eva looked him, confused.
“Yeah… you know, like, how we’re trained to fight?” She threw a thumb over he shoulder towards the gym. “Subduing isn’t all they’re looking for. They also want killers. That’s why we’re here, for the army,” Eva said, watching Nick’s expression, who seemed instantly like he was hiding something. “Do you--”
“Form filled out yet?” the nurse interjected, walking over to Nick. Nick nodded, handing her the clipboard. The nurse turned and caught sight of Eva. Her eyebrows raised. “Evangeline? Are you hurt?”
Eva stood. “Nah, just helping him get here, Ms. Roberts. I’m just leaving.” Eva walked back to the door and with a curious glance at Nick, who was smiling politely at the nurse. “Huh.”
Next period was lunch, but Eva generally stayed away from the mess hall if she could help it. Caroline usually got her lunch.
Sure enough, after Eva had changed from her Phys Ed clothes, Caroline and Dom were outside the gym, food in hand.
“Hey guys,” Eva greeted, adjusting the thin rope straps of her drawstring bag. Caroline looked up at Eva and grinned. Bright and always full of energy, Caroline was a newer addition to Eva’s lunchtime posse. After arriving in critical care, meaning she fought hard to stay out of this school when she was captured, Eva felt she was resilient enough. And sure enough, Caroline proved non-stop in all aspects of her life. Non-stop fighting. Non-stop arguing. And non-stop Hell visits. But hell if she would let that get to her.
“Eva! Have you met Trent yet?” Caroline asked excitedly, handing Eva the tray of food as the trio walked down the hallway towards the science room.
“Is that the older brother? Or the younger one?” Eva suddenly doubted the name of her most recent sparring partner. He was Nick, right?
“The older one is Trent. The younger one is Nick.” Dom supplied.
“Oh. No, I haven’t met Trent. Sounds like an asshole, though,” Eva said, picking up the slice of pizza on her tray and eating. She kicked open the science room and seated herself at a lab table.
“He’s not that bad,” Dom defended, sitting beside Eva.
“Uh, yeah he is,” Caroline retorted, pulling up a chair to sit opposite them. “That fucking jackass growled at me! For talking!”
Eva could feel herself develop a headache. Sometimes Caroline was too much.
“Well were you talking too much?” Dom asked, pointing the tip of her pizza at Caroline accusingly. Caroline paused for a moment, thinking back to the event.
“Well, okay, I was kind of talking a lot, but not that bad! I was talking like I’m talking now. Normal and not annoying,” Caroline said, opening her too-small juicebox. Dom and Eva glanced at each other, a playful grin on their faces.
“Well, I wouldn’t say not annoying,” Eva teased. Caroline glared at Eva, who rolled her eyes in return.
“But for real though,” Caroline responded, gesturing for the other two to be on her side. Eva took another bite before responding, talking with her mouth relatively full.
“Alright, calm down,” she swallowed. “I hear he wants to challenge me, so I’ll kick his ass soon anyway.”
Caroline grinned widely. “He wants to challenge you? I’d pay to watch that.”
“Well maybe they don’t have classes together,” Dom suggested, ever the peace-keeper.
“I’ll find him.” Eva responded, resolve making her curt. “I kicked his brother’s ass, I can kick his.”
Dom looked alarmed. “You beat Nick? Is he okay?” Eva raised an eyebrow.
“You’re surprised?” Eva inquired. Dom shook her head, turning from Eva to examine her mixed vegetables, more mush than carrot.
“No! No, I knew you’d win but did he come out alive?” Dom asked. Eva rolled her eyes.
“Relax. Even if I did kill him -- which I didn’t -- I wouldn’t kill him fully.” By killing a canine “fully”, Eva was referring to the permanent death, where the killer had to remove a canine's heart to finish the job. Eva had never done it in ARC, and only done it maybe six times before that. The temporary death, what Dom had referred to, was how official tests were graded. Snapping necks, bleeding out, etc. would result in said canine waking up sore and grumpy a few hours later, but alive. And for some reason, Dom was worried about Nick waking up sore and grumpy. “Why do you care?”
“No reason really. He just seems so innocent,” Dom said. Eva narrowed her eyes at her, but let it go, deciding she agreed with the evaluation.
The rest of lunch passed slowly, with Caroline and Dom asking about Eva’s spar with Nick and a few theories regarding how Trent’s and Eva’s fight would go. When the bell rang, it was too soon.
“See ya in survival,” Eva waved, dumping her tray into the large science room bins before making her way to English. Eva didn’t feel a pull towards the math rooms, so she felt satisfied that her wolf was satisfied.
However, the second she set foot into her English classroom, she was on high alert. There was another Alpha, saturating the classroom with his scent. Eva felt an involuntary growl begin in her throat. There were only about four students in the classroom, three of which were on one side of the room, staring at her with expecting and wide eyes. The other was leaning back in his chair at the front of the room, spraying out his pheromones like a damn cat in heat.
“Hey!” Eva barked. She stalking up to the desk the newbie was sitting in. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Her voice was low, her own pheromones pressing against his own, trying to push away the onslaught of stink. The guy looked up and made eye contact with her, his mouth pressed first and his jaw set, angry.
This motherfucker.
Eva slammed her hand on his desk. “What the hell. Do you think. You’re doing.” Each word was said through gritted teeth. Trent’s lip twitched into a snarl. He stood slowly, his hands on his desk beside hers. He leaned in close.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Trent spoke, mocking. Eva’s vision flickered to red for a moment, until she took the reins from her wolf. Trent’s eye’s too, flashed in anger. Eva wrinkled her nose at the smell of his breath.
“You wanna settle this now, skunk breath?” Eva spat. The two stared at each other. The room was still. A student opened the door to enter, then immediately closed it. The three who had already been in the room were getting up from their seats and inching towards the door, necks bared and eyes hazy with the scent of Alpha clogging their senses.
“Only if you want to,” Trent responded.
“I won’t stand for some Alpha wannabe stinking up my pack. You keep your shit under wraps and you might just make it another day.”
They stared each other down, inches away before Trent’s lip curled up, flashing his teeth. Eva attacked. She flipped the desk they both leaned on and jumped at him. She hadn’t shifted, but with all the animosity in her expression, she might as well have. Trent moved to block her attack, raising an arm in defense. He lifted a knee to stop Eva’s second attack. The area was a flurry of attacks, most of them Eva’s. Eva managed a few hits to Trent’s side, however she herself received a few hits. One to her gut and another to her shin.
Just as Eva felt her wolf pull at the reins, she dropped to her knees, her muscles tense. It seemed Trent was in similar shape, shaking and tense from the two taser probes in his back. Eva only had time to wonder why he hadn’t had his chip implanted, thus removing the need for a taser gun, for a moment, before she saw black.