Werewolves and Mermaids Don't Mix

Chapter 2

I stepped out of the jeep and into the frigid air, almost immediately freezing to death as the arctic wind whistled against my bare thighs. Jeff had somehow managed to remove all my suitcases  and shopping from the Jeep and placed them all on the hotel trolley waiting next to the car before I had even coerced my stiff limbs into shutting the car door.

I'd had half the mind to stay in the car as a form of protest and lock myself in it once we had arrived but one look at Jeff and his frail limbs (as well as the sight of a poorly placed Yves Saint Laurent bag at the very pinnacle of the mountain of shopping inhabiting the trolley)was enough to change my mind. 

"What do you think?" Jeff asked from beside me, his wrinkly hand on my shoulder sending a wave of comfort through me as he adopted the same pose I was in with his head tilted up towards the sky. "The architect did a really good job at designing this place."

"It's pretty," I admitted begrudgingly as my eyes traced the gothic spires twisting through the stars and into the night sky, "I like the spires."

From the corner of my eye I saw Jeff smile and shake his head at my sentence before he grabbed the luggage trolley and started to wheel it towards the front doors. "Come on kid," he called from over his shoulder as he pushed my bags towards the front door, "I haven't got all night."

Looking around the dimly lit courtyard, I took in the mossy brick walls and impeccably trimmed bushes lining the cobbled pathway leading to the actual entrance of the school before tentatively trailing behind Jeff, my shoes echoing on the hard ground as I struggled to keep up with his brisk walk with my still wobbly legs, all the while keeping my eyes on the slightly swaying stack of shopping bags on the trolley. The closer I got to the entrance, the more worried I became about my rapidly approaching doom.

What if no one likes me?

The moment that thought entered my head I nearly slapped myself. I'm not here to make friends, I reminded myself, heck I don't even want to be here!

But you don't want to be back at home with Marissa either, a little voice whispered from somewhere in the back of my head.

Before I had time to dwell on my thoughts, a loud squeak drew me back to the present and I watched, half in awe and half in terror, as the front door trundled open and a figure emerged out from the darkness. A few seconds later, the figure was finally illuminated by light and I found myself facing the same tall man that had graced most of the pages in the information pamphlet I was given.

Stepping forward, he smiled and extended his large hand in greeting, his light brown eyes almost glowing in the dim light as he mirrored Jeff's previous words with a slight Russian burr. 

"Welcome to Lupine Academy Miss Neptune, I am Principal Volkov. I do hope you will feel right at home here." 

When I made no motion to return his greeting, his smile tightened ever so slightly and he glanced over at Jeff, doing a double-take when he spotted the basically overflowing trolley next to him. After a few seconds of complete silence on my behalf, he ushered us into the medieval foyer, shooting me wary looks every now and then as he led us through the dark building.

***

I was awoken by the calming melodies of lapping waves emitting from my iPhone. I hate to admit this, but the bed was surprisingly comfortable and I found myself somewhat reluctant to leave the warmth of the covers. After a few seconds of weighing up my options, I rolled out of the bed and retrieved my still ringing phone. After switching it off, I slowly planted my feet on the floor and rose up from the bed, preparing my sore legs for a day of walking.