Crescent Wolves - G. Bailey Page 0,20
puppy. The fact that I don’t have a uniform yet only makes me feel like more of an outsider as I glance over my shoulder at the campus around me.
As if to confirm my fears, the sound of a female voice over my shoulder makes me turn back around. “You don’t look like you’ve been here more than five minutes.” I look to see a svelte girl with freckles and a mess of blonde curls that bounce around her face when she moves. She has her book bag over her shoulder and her arms are full of school supplies, having just emerged out of the building through the double doors. Her expression is curious but not unkind. “Yikes,” she says, in an accent that might be American, or maybe Canadian, stopping beside me and giving me a once-over with her jade green eyes. “You’ve certainly had a bit of a rough go of it, haven’t you?”
Shrinking a little under her gaze, I reply, “You could say that.”
“So what was it?” she asks, either oblivious to my embarrassment or too brazen to care. “Did you set your house on fire? Attack one of your classmates? One of the girls on my floor nearly drained her sister dry when she first shifted. You know--vampire.” She makes a face and shakes her head. “I’m more into chocolate than blood, personally, but to each their own, I guess.”
“Uh…” I begin, caught off-guard by her willingness to talk to me.
The blonde girl laughs, a tinkling, girlish sound that probably makes every guy she meets fall head over heels for her. “Sorry, sorry,” she says, shaking her head. “This is probably all pretty new to you, right? Let me guess: you didn’t even know shifters existed until, like… now.”
She’s really on my wavelength, I think, and reply, “Damn. You’re reading me like a book.”
The girl waves a dismissive hand at me. “Hardly. I’ve just been there before, that’s all. Just two months ago, actually. When the recruiters tracked me down, I thought I’d completely lost my mind. Thought it was all bullshit.”
“Really?” I raise my eyebrows. “Are you… I mean, do you have parents?” It comes out sounding more insensitive than I intended, and I wince, but she doesn’t seem to notice.
“Oh, I have parents,” the girl replies, “but they’re human, both of them.”
My curiosity is getting the better of me, and I ask, “How is that possible?”
She shrugs. “I think being a shifter is more like a genetic mutation than something hereditary. That’s what they say, anyway… whoever “they” are. It sounds like they still don’t know what causes some people to be born with shifter magic. But I guess that’s why we’re here, right? Sorry,” she adds, going a little red, “I’m rambling. My name’s Hazel, by the way.”
She sticks out her hand, and I shake it. “Millie,” I reply. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Millie. Listen, I’ve got to get to class--I’m already on thin ice with Professor Freemantle. But I’ll catch you later, yeah? Got dinner plans? Of course you don’t. We can eat together, if you want.”
“Okay,” I say, my smile growing. I’m already starting to like this girl. “Sounds good. I’ll see you later.” She nods, grinning, and starts away. “Good luck with that professor,” I call after her, and she raises a hand in acknowledgement.
Feeling a little better after my interaction with this bubbly classmate, I push open the heavy wooden door to the dormitory. I find myself in what looks like a parlor, with couches and ottomans all around. On the opposite side is a fireplace, but given the weather, there’s no fire burning in the hearth. To the left and right are two narrow spiral staircases, disappearing into the upper levels. Aside from hallways leading to washrooms and what looks like a study area in the distance, there’s nowhere else to go. There are a few students around, and some of them shoot me curious glances from their seats around the common area.
There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach when I look around and realize that I don’t know where I’m supposed to go from here. Why the hell didn’t I ask Hazel for directions? The others in the room don’t seem nearly as friendly at first glance, and by now Josie is long gone. Sighing, I take a few steps forward, realizing that there’s nothing for it but to try. The left and right wings of the dormitory aren’t marked, so I