Wolfblood

Chapter 9

Alysha was up first and moving around, digging through her bag for clothes to wear. The creak of the floor boards startled her and she whipped her head around, relaxing at the sight of Maddy.

Maddy rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, "You can borrow one of my uniforms and we'll get you your own a bit later."

"Hold on, hold on. Uniforms? Are you kidding me?" Alysha scoffed.

"I am not. They aren't horrible though, could be worse, c'mon." Maddy said leaving Alysha's room and heading back to her own.

Maddy pulled two sets of clothes out of her closet, one for herself and one for Alysha, consisting of the dark colored pants, green the, and collared shirt.

"No skirts?"

"They're optional."

Alisha sighed and mumbled under her breath while she gathered the clothes in her arms, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Maddy said walking out of her room. There was a small cabinet in the wall of the hallway filled with towels and soap, "Go shower, you smell like the woods. Meet me at school, don't be late, and now you can thank me."

"Thank you, Maddy." Alysha chuckled leaving to go to bathroom.

When she got out of the shower and dressed herself the house was empty. Alysha walked back into her new room sliding on her rugged, worn combat boots that had been slowly shifting away from their original bright black color towards the now duller and dustier black. She grabbed her jacket and backpack taking the stairs two at a time, her eyes were drawn to the dining room table that was cleared off except for a set of keys and a note.

"Here are your keys. Lock the door behind you and school starts at 7:45. —Maddy." Alysha read the small sticky note under her breath and then checked the watch on her wrist. "Great. 7:28."

Alysha walked out of the door and locked it, taking a deep breathe in and letting it out before she sprinted into the woods running as fast as she could. She stopped just on the edge of the clearing, her chest heaving as she panted. Her eyes had started to change while she was running as she walked the line between transformations.

Alysha left the tree line smoothing her hair and clothes down. She pulled the tie from around her next and stuffed it into her back pocket. She could smell Maddy inside the school and only Maddy sincd Rhydian was set on skipping with Grayson. She barely noticed the looks of what was left of the uniform Maddy gave her got her as she followed Maddy's scent through the hallways. The scent faltered at a door and she paused listening in. When she heard Maddy's voice she grabbed the handle pushing it open.

"Hey, Maddy. Can you come with me to the principal's offices?" She asked.

"Oh, of course." She smiled snapping her head up because she didn't hear her come in, "This is Shannon and Tom."

They were staring wearily at her, still shocked from this morning, "Hey." She waved and pulled Maddy out of the room.

"So are you excited?"

"No, I haven't been to an actual school with like real teachers in years. I didn't miss it." Alysha chuckled.

Maddy laughed, "I guess the uniforms don't help then? It's part of the deal, you've gotta go school if you stay with us, trust me I've tried."

Maddy and Alysha kept talking and walking through the hallways.

"What happened to the tie and stuff?" Maddy asked looking her over.

"I made an executive decision to alter it a bit, by the way you're really short." Alysha said adjusting her clothes.

She pulled her old leather jacket back up onto her shoulders, it was a brown one that fit with the green in the uniform that she'd had since she was a pup. It hung down to past her waist and stopped just past her hips

She pulled the tie from her pocket and handed it to her, "Yeah, I'm not doing the tie thing."

"Okay at least you showed up, I was thinking you were going to skip."

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"Don't think of that, we're here now." Maddy chastised.

The principal sent them on a wild goose chase going from person to person to make sure that Alysha had everything that she needed.

"You were homeschooled correct?"

"Yes sir."

"You'll have to take a placement test to determine you classes."

Alysha nodded and followed the woman who showed up at the door. Maddy recognizes her as one of the science teachers. Maddy left the office as well having a set outside and waited for Alysha to be done. When she came out she had a packet of papers in her hands with red ink scribbled over them.

"Ooh, let me see what you made!" Maddy chuckled grabbing the papers.

Alysha smiled to herself slinging her backpack over her shoulder, "So what do you think?"

"You cheated?"

"No. How dare you?" Alysha chuckled, snatching them from her, "I never said that we didn't have teachers in the pack, just not like teachers who still taught in schools."

"Rhydian made like a forty on this test." Maddy said, "How'd you make a eighty-two? I couldn't even make an eighty-two."

"It would've been higher, but math sucks."

"Agreed." Maddy said.

They went back to the principal's office and handed him her papers. He didn't say anything leaving them standing in silence for a minute.

"The secretary will give you your own uniforms and a schedule." He said giving them the test back and dismissing them.

"Is it lunch time yet?" Alysha asked throwing her head back as the left the front office, her caring the large box and Maddy reading over her schedule.

They stopped at the dark room from earlier, "Almost. You can put your clothes in there we'll get them after school."

"How much longer until food?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I didn't eat breakfast and then ran here!"

"Two periods," Maddy said rounding the corner.

"Hey, Alysha, Maddy! What's going on?" Rhydian chuckled dressed in his school clothes.

"I thought you were skipping?" Maddy asked raising her eyebrows at him.

"We got bored and I needed school stuff," Grayson shrugged.

"Is that her schedule?" Rhydian asked.

Maddy nodded and switched papers with him reading over Grayson's schedule.

"Alysha and Grayson have the same classes."

"How'd you make high scores like that on the placement test?" Rhydian asked.

"Wait, Grayson, what'd you make?" Alysha said, turning back into the conversation.

"Eighty-seven."

"Shut up!" Maddy growled.

"Alysha, come with me. We have Art class now."

"Grayson, we have English together," Maddy said, heading towards the stairs.

Alysha followed Rhydian upstairs and Grayson followed Maddy downstairs.