Around fifteen minutes into the class, an adult Caia didn’t recognize walked into the room and murmured something in the teacher’s ear.
The teacher sighed and turned to them. “Open your books and read the introduction while I deal with this,” she grumbled, leaving the room. The hum of noise rose to an extraordinary level. Not that any of the noise pertained to the book that was being discussed.
“You understand I don’t trust you,” Alexa hissed from beside her.
Startled, Caia turned to the girl, curious as to what she had done to emit such a reaction. “Why?” She shook her head in confusion.
“You’re not like the rest of us, Caia, and that’s plain to everyone, even you.” She sneered. “I bet you think you’re better than us.”
Caia’s eyebrows puckered in confusion. There was that ‘you’re not like us’ stuff again. She felt the heat under her cheeks and hoped to goddess Alexa couldn’t see it. Unused to confrontations of any kind, Caia squirmed uncomfortably. “I don’t think I’m better than anybody. You don’t even know me.”
“Whatever. Just know that I’m watching you. I’m not going to be taken in by your ‘I’m so fragile and innocent’ crap, and I’ll make damn sure Lucien isn’t either. And if you do anything to jeopardize the pack, I’ll be the first one there to gouge a piece out of your hind.”
She was being threatened? Unjustifiably? She felt a flush of what could only be described as white hot heat. It flickered over her skin, up her neck, and into her face. Of a sudden Alexa’s chair was pushed with force away from Caia’s body and into a startled girl, who started batting at Alexa to get off of her. The class was snickering, gazing at Caia like she had done it. Alexa’s eyes flashed on her angrily, half collapsed on the girl, and half draped over the chair that was tilted up at a precarious angle from the crash. She was blazing with fury.
I didn’t do it, Caia thought defensively, why is she mad at me?
“Girls, what on earth is going on over there?” The English teacher queried in annoyance as she re-entered the room.
Alexa got to her feet, glaring at Caia and pushing her chair back beside her. “Nothing,” she replied smoothly, sweetly, not taking her eyes from Caia.
“Just stop the shenanigans.”
“Sorry.” She slid gracefully back into her seat and turned to Caia, whose eyes were still round as saucers with shock.
“You just made a huge mistake.” Alexa smiled evilly. “Kicking my chair with the force of your strength in front of ‘them’,” she whispered, indicating the room of giggling human students, all of whom were still looking at the two of them. “Lucien would not be happy if he knew.”
Caia shook her head rapidly. “I didn’t kick you.”
“Oh cut the innocent bull. Your ass is mine. You better keep me happy, or I will tell Lucien.”
Caia tried to shake what had happened with Alexa, but found it difficult to concentrate on much of her classes before she broke for lunch. The success of last night’s dinner was suddenly overcast with Alexa’s clouds. Lost in her thoughts as she picked up some food for lunch, she only became aware of the whispering as she walked towards the pack. Looking around, she saw human eyes following her, and heard snatches of their conversation. They were discussing how another newbie had been sucked into the ‘weirdo’s’ group.
Maybe they hypnotize pretty people.
Caia almost laughed at that, but was too concerned to make much of an effort. It did look odd, she thought, approaching these gorgeous creatures. Mal didn’t even look like a teenager.
“Hey,” she greeted them as she slid in beside Jaeden. She avoided Alexa’s eyes.
“So, how was the second day thus far?” Jaeden chirped, biting into her sandwich with gusto.
Caia glanced at Alexa whose face was surprisingly smooth. She returned her gaze, but her dark eyes didn’t narrow, and her full lips didn’t pinch. What was she playing at now? “It was fine.”
They began talking among themselves, with Caia barely paying attention. For some reason she was filtering them out and her hyper sensitive ears were filtering the human kids in. They seemed truly disconcerted by the pack.
“Don’t you hear them?” she asked abruptly, and then wished she hadn’t when the pack all narrowed their eyes in confusion at her.
“What?” Mal’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Them.” She subtly nodded her head, gesturing at the rest of the cafeteria.
“What about them?” Jaeden seemed concerned more than confused.
“They’re whispering about us.”
Dana shrugged. “So?”
“So, don’t you think separating ourselves from the rest of them make us look more … conspicuous.”