Secrets Secrets

Prologue 1: Welcome to Cherryton

Stepping out from the streets of the Black Market was Mikaru's favorite part of the night. Her nose cleared of the sickening smell of herbivore meat and her head once again cleared. She pulled her coat closer to her body to cover her outfit from that night's session. Stripping at a Black Market club wasn't exactly something she was proud of, but it was the only way to keep her parents business from going under. It was all they had so, she had to protect them any means necessary. And stripping was any means.

She turned the corner and loosened up replacing her medical mask with a hat. Depending on which part of her body she covered, she could pass as herbivore or carnivore; just one of the perks to being a hybrid. She wasn't fond of being arrested so she covered her distinct fox ears and revealed her doe-like snout. In this world, you've got to learn how to adapt to your surroundings or you die. Those were the rules, ones she lived by.

This would be her last weekday at the club. changing to only working weekends to accommodate her school schedule. She decided that she would need some time to get settled in her new school. Not to mention students aren't allowed to leave the premises during the week. She would have a major cut back on hours and defiantly needed to figure out a way to combat that, but now was not the time to think about that. She just needed to get home alive and in one piece first.

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"So why do you wear that mask? Are you sick or something?"

The students of Cherryton High were a bit more curious and intrusive than I originally thought. Every time I met a new group of people one of them was bound to ask about the mask. It wasn't uncommon for someone to wear one if they had a minor airborne sickness and usually people don't ask about it. But since it was my first day I guess they wanted to know. I had given them the standard response of...

"Nope I'm not sick," I said to the group of canines sitting in front of me.

The red fox who asked looked at her black lab friend in confusion after having waited for me to say more. I never did. People usually had enough sense to not keep at it after I gave them that answer. Thankfully the rest of them shrugged their shoulders and I continued to sit while they ate.

To full my mask up would reveal myself as a hybrid. I something I didn't want going around. People were not that open-minded when it came to inter-species relationships. My parent told me many times. They informed me that Highschool would be even worse than other grades and the outside world in general. So since my first year, I'd been wearing a medical mask to cover my snout. After a while, people would stop asking.

"Hey, what kinds of clubs would you recommend?" I asked.

"Oh, well you said you liked to paint so the Art Department and Stage Crew might be a good fit." another fox, whose name I think is Yumi, said. She gave her friends a sly look before giggling "If you joined that club or the Drama club you would get to be close to Louis!"

I cocked my head. "Who is he?"

"Only the future Beastar and the hottest buck ever!" Squealed the Black Lab named Mai. "But you do have to audition to be a part of the Drama and or dancing club, it is kind of hard to get in." She looked dejected like she had definitely been unsuccessful in that.

"I like dancing! Oh-but I've never been good in front of people. I think that the Art Department would be a better fit."

They sent me to Dom but left before I could even ask what kind of animal he was. They did seem like a nice group but gave me the impression that they thought another fox position in the group was not needed.

No matter, I'll just ask around.

I got up from my empty table and looked around for anyone who could help, but the grumble in my stomach said I had more pressing matters to attend to. I walked up to the cafeteria counter, hoping no one would hear when I requested the herbivore special.

"Much better," I said to myself. I found a nice quiet spot to enjoy my food alone. No one to see my herbivore mouth and no one to see my herbivore food. "I can always find this Dom fellow after lunch."

"You're looking for Dom?"

I yelped, pulling my mask up and seeing who just spoke. To my right, a handsome-looking deer had just come into the courtyard. He was tall, his strong, shiny-looking antlers making him appear even more so.

"Yes, are you him?" I asked meekly.

The deer gave a little chuckle and shook his head. "No, I'm Louis, in the Drama Club." He said but didn't look me in the eyes choosing to instead stare directly at my mask.

My posture closed in, hoping he hadn't seen anything. "Well hello Louis, I'm Mikaru." I held out my hand "Do you mind taking me to Dom? I want to join the Art Department."

Long, perfect fingers reached out for mine, giving me a light handshake. "Sure I can take you right now." And with that, he turned around and walked away. Leaving me to scurry after him.

He walked silently back into the building and down the hall. Anyone who might look upon us would think I was just following him without his knowledge. But once we got to a hall with marked club rooms he finally spoke.

"Why the Art Club?"

"Um..I like to paint." I said

"Hm." He again kept his eyes on my mask making me squirm. "Well Dom is in there."

"Thank you, Louis."

"I hope you get situated comfortably in that club... just be careful." He said, but this time his golden eyes met mine.

My fur spiked up. "Why's that?"

"There is a number of large male carnivores and carnivores in general in both the Arts and Drama club..." His eyes stayed glued to my face and I remained helplessly mesmerized by his gaze. So much so that I didn't see or feel a slender hand pulling down my mask. "Wouldn't want another herbivore devouring, now would we...little deer." He tapped my nose, and I jumped.

I swatted his hands away to pull up the mask on my exposed face. I wanted to tell him off, try to convince him I was a full carnivore or to make him promise not to tell. But he turned around and walked away completely ignoring me. I was left to hope and pray that my secret was safe with the most popular guy in cherryton as I entered the club room. This was the one that Louis wanted me to go in, but it was the Drama and Dance room. How strange.

I opened the door, instantly realizing the lights were out. I walked in, my hands on the wall to switch on the light. It didn't work.

"That's weird...um hello?" I called out into the darkness.

A spotlight flipped on, aimed directly at me. On the other side of it was not a peacock, but a very, very large grey wolf.