The School

Chapter 7

When I wake and look at the clock on my nightstand it's 6:30 in the morning. 

I hop out of bed and get dressed in a thin, black, long sleeve shirt and grey sweatpants. I decide to leave my hair down after combing out all of the knots. 

I head down the hallway to brush my teeth, passing a few girls also getting ready for the day.

When I get back to the room, Paige is still buried under her covers, snoring softly. 

I roll my eyes and tap on the leg hanging slightly out over the bed frame. 

She groans but opens her eyes and sits up, yawning. "Come on, Laura, it's so early.."

"Get up or I'll go get Vincent, wherever he is."

It's her turn to roll her eyes, "He wouldn't even be up this early" Paige says sarcastically, "Good luck"

I shoot her a glare as I walk out of the room, but she only laughs as I shut the door. She's probably going back to bed, and I huff. 

Despite the mountain of food I ate the night before, I'm hungry again and could eat just as much this morning.

I head to the dining hall and see it packed with people. 

I hurry over to one of the lines and grab a plate. I pile it high with eggs, sausages, bacon, hash browns, and pancakes, drizzled with maple syrup. 

In my rush to find a table and sit down, I knock into someone, sending both of our plates flying. 

The person I bumped into turns around, his green eyes immediately lock onto my own and he growls harshly. 

"Watch it" His low voice grounds out, the smokiness of his tone falls over my ears.

I hardly have a chance to apologize when he pushes past me, eyes blazing, causing me to stumble backwards.

I let out a soft growl from deep in my throat from his rudeness, what a jerk, I think.

I bend down to start picking up the plates and the food that scattered. Warren walks in and rushes over to me.

"What happened?" He says worriedly.

"Nothing, I bumped into someone" I mumbled. 

I really wasn't in the mood to eat anymore and just picked up the mess in silence next to Warren. 

After that, Warren and I walk to our first class of the day. A sort of instruction class. It's in the meeting room from the day before. 

We walk in and find our seats. An elderly lady with greying, light brown hair addresses every student in the room. 

"Your first official step in controlling your new wolf side is to shift!" Despite her soft appearance, her voice booms in the large room. 

"Now before any of you start up about it, shifting is taking the form of your animal. All of you are now part wolf, whether you like it or not, and shifting is something that everyone will experience."

"Where is she going with this?" I whisper into Warren's ear. 

His breathing deepens and his eyes darken, he turns his head and our noses are barely touching. My breath hitches and I'm sure my own eyes mirror his black ones.

I feel a sharp poke in my mind and I gasp, swiftly putting space between us. Warren looks away and his eyes go back to normal. I look down and notice the boy with green eyes glaring at me with fire in his gaze. I narrow my eyes at him and look away, not waiting for a reaction.

"You're all going to be placed into groups and sent into the woods with an upperclassman as a guide and type of supervisor. Your goal is to survive for a week without any modern appliances or adult intervention." The woman goes on.

"Now, the goal with this is to coax your wolves to feel the need to present themselves to better aid in your survival and shift. It is a painful process but it is meant to be completed alone. Your wolf is in an extremely vulnerable state right after the shift. Everything and anything can threaten your wolf. With that being said, get back to your rooms, pack, and check the camp groups on the list outside of the meeting room door."

"Oh finally!" Warren sighs and I chuckle, standing up.

He walks me to the main hall before splitting and heading towards the boys' dormitories. I watch him go and then turn and walk back to my own room.

When I get there Paige is already packing a duffel bag with clothes and a separate backpack with necessities (bags of snacks). 

I grab my own duffel bag out of the closet and mention, "Hey, I didn't see you in the meeting room, Paige."

She shrugs her shoulders, "Vincent and I got there late and had to find seats on the other side" 

I only laugh and keep packing. I stuff jeans and leggings into my bag and then a couple of flannels and mostly long sleeve shirts because of the autumn chill. I'm gonna be eating crap for a week in the woods, I don't need to be cold too. 

I pack my hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, my shower loofah, a bottle of 3 in 1 wash, and a bunch of hair ties in a small travel bag. 

Maybe thirty minutes later, both Paige and I are ready to go and check the camp lists.

We walk through the halls together, just talking with each other. It was nice, this entire situation has been wild and different and Paige is something familiar in a world of change. Of course Warren and Vincent are constants too, but it's different with them. I feel close to Paige because she's like a sister to me, even more now. 

We get to the meeting hall and have to push through the people crowding the list. There's a couple of growls here and there from some entitled few that we ignore.

Paige sees the list before I do and her mouth drops. Her eyes darken and she stomps off towards a group of adults that I have to assume are the higher-ups that work at the school. 

I step forward and read down the lists. I nod my head when I see why Paige was angry, she and Vincent are not in the same camping group. 

I roll my eyes in disbelief at her ridiculousness and look for my name. I find it right under Warren's and despite finding Paige's reaction crazy, I'm wildly relieved that I'll be with Warren. 

I scan the top of the list and our upperclassman is someone named Elian Forge, we're all        Camp 7.

I wander my way back to the main hallway with the grand chandelier and find a fuming Paige standing off to the side with Vincent standing behind her looking just as mad but rubbing soothing circles on her shoulders. Something tells me she's still not camping with him.

A teacher asks me what camp I'm with and she directs me to where Warren is already standing. 

Just past him, talking with someone I've seen in the meeting hall, is the boy with green eyes.

He's our guide.

I have to spend a week in the forest with him and he hates me. 

Elian Forge.