Abnormal

Seven

They were staring at her.

She could feel it. It was uncomfortable and Suki kept petting her arm as though to comfort her. It was wierd and not helpful at all. It had been an awfully awkward morning. She'd had a long insistent text conversation with Suki proposing the idea of Michael not being outside of her room when she tries to leave it - she had won thankfully but it had been a concern. She wasn't sure what part of last night was real and what part was not, but the events seemed to stir something up inside her - like a persistent itch that she couldn't quite reach and scratch.

"Liv?" Suki whispered so as not to disturb the new teacher. The girl responded by tipping her head slightly as to show she had her attention.

"Michael really does love you..." She mumbled tilting her head down so she could look up at Liv. Who in response shoved her chair back in anger and stood up.

"What, did he ask you to say that to me? He can't! He really can't! WHY DON'T YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND!" She yelled.

"Miss Burrows, please remain in your seat." Their teacher ordered, his back to them as he carried on writing logarithms onto the board, ignored the irritating - why can't the power of x just be left to do it's thing?

"I hate it! I hate how I don't just still like him, because this isn't 'like' dammit! I don't like him! This feeling isn't like anymore!" Olivia cried out as Suki stood up besides her and nodded, "It's love." She smiled up at the other girl, saying the words Olivia had denied to herself after Michael had left, insisting that she was wrong so that she could try to get over him.

Olivia shook her head, her soft, short, ginger hair bouncing side to side. Suki frowned at her, holding onto Liv's arm, gently.

"Please, sit back down. Maths is important, even if you can find a job without it, you may need SOHCAHTOA in the fore-see-able future." Suki stresses pulling gently at Liv to sit down, only in the manner of suggesting and not forcing. Olivia was trembling softly in tension and Suki felt a smile tug on her face as it reminded her of Michael. Liv was like a baby Michael, like a small baby trying to mimic a baby puppy.

It took a moment but Olivia sat back down.

"Thank you Miss Burrows." The teacher said, finally turning around after the words left his mouth, "Now who can tell me x in relation to y? Miss Tsui?"

"42," Suki laughed

-0-

"Oh, my dearest elder brother - what brings you here to our little corner of this cafeteria? Also, since you're over here Uncle Kobe said 'hi'." Suki smiled, her naturally white teeth showing through her open lips.

"Michael sent me." Olivia stiffened as the words left Calum's mouth, but Suki put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh Bear Bear? I haven't spoken to him in ages! Has he gotten a girlfriend?" He adds

"It's been three years, and he's engaged now!" Suki squealed, Olivia had heard a lot about this uncle who was only 4 years older than Suki, two years older than Calum, and so was like a brother to them - as Suki had said.

"What did Michal want?" Liv asked, softly, unsure whether she really wanted to know or not. Suki's expression turned serious, but Calum just kept staring at Suki, lifting one eyebrow. Both Suki's brows raised momentarily in response.

"So he was listening. Go on then, tell her." Suki sighed, twirling her spaghetti on the cheap plastic fork the school provided after she nodded towards Olivia.

"I don't... I think you should tell her. You more or less did once." Calum said over Olivia's, "Tell me what?"

Suki frowned and they sat in silence for a long while, Grace and Dakayla having been using their phone through the whole exchange.

"Do you like fairytales?" Dakayla asked, not glancing up from her phone. Liv looked confused.

"Yes...?"

"And mythology?"

"Yes, though it's really fucking dark."

"It's all true." Dakayla murmured, glancing up from her phone for a short moment, before turning back down. Suki sighed at her and Calum pursed his lips and Grace carried on as she was.

Olivia started laughing.

"Seriously though what are you talking about?" Liv asks, shaking her head, as though in disbelief.

"That..." Suki stared but paused, as though unsure how to come about what she was saying, "That was it..."

Olivia frowned.

"It's not funny anymore." She declared, now seeming unimpressed.

"Why do you think my eyes glow red? What kind of a human has glowing red eyes?" Suki questioned, her brows scrunched at Olivia's obliviousness, "You know what-" She trails off as she yanks her beanie off.

Olivia could see the two lumps on Suki's head again, but now she realised that rather than a strange and focused case of bed-hair, Suki had black animal ears, similar to those of her husky's. Her mouth dropped open.

"I..." Olivia starts but stops as she noticed Suki's ears moving subtly. "What about your human ears? How do you have two sets of ears?" Oliva asked, curiously.

"I can't hear anything out of the human ears, they are legit just there like the third eye thing on the inner corners of our eyes: in generations past it had a use, but now it doesn't." Suki explained.

"But that has no relevance, there is more to what you see than what you think; you need to know that mythological creatures exists even if you never knew before. Michael is a pack alpha of one of the three werewolf packs here in RahsiaVille. You are Michael's Mate."

"What's a' mate'? Isn't that, like, a really informal term for a friend?" Dakayla laughed at Olivia's response, tugging her own hat off to reveal two blondish ears, and from how much pointier they look compared to Suki's, Olivia presumed they were cat ears.

"No no," Suki started, shaking her head, "It's like..." She paused trying to grab at an analogy. "Ah- do you know the Greek myth about how humans used to be?" She asks, getting excited.

"Yes- the one where humans used to have four arms, four legs and two heads, right? But Zeus feared their power and split them into two leaving them to wonder the Earth in search of their other hal-" Oliva starts, but Suki cut her off in her unsubdued excitement.

"Yes - No - Kinda; it was said that there were three types of humans in the past: The children of the Sun - who were two men adjoined, the children of the Moon - who were two woman adjoined, the children of the Earth -who were man and woman adjoined, and the children of the dirt - who were male and female as they are now. It's said that most humans are the descendants of the children of the dirt as there were so many children of the dirt.

"The children of the dirt were very unfortunate and unhappy because they were so alone. On the other hand, the children of the Sun, Moon and Earth where very happy as they were never lonely. Zeus grew jealous of their happiness and separated them so they would wonder the Earth in search of each other, but Zeus, seeing how unhappy the children of the dirt were left them alone." Suki explained.

"And I'm a... child of the dirt?" Grace laughed at Olivia this time, clutching at her stomach. Suki frowned at her and Dakayla who was trying to stifle a grin before speaking again.

"No Liv. You and Michael are children of the Earth."