Palace of Wolves

Chapter 9 St. Jude High

The next few days where a blur; before I knew it I was walking up to St. Jude High School. The building looked no more than a few years old and was a combination of pale bricks and white painted concrete. I was dressed in my old school uniform minus the tie and distinctive maroon cardigan. In the knee length skirt, woollen tights and stiff collared shirt I was quite the Marks and Spencer’s poster girl. As I walked into the building I was instantly greeted by a bunch of other children as lost as I was. The difference was they all looked about twelve. They must be the new first years on their first day of high school. I knew that in some countries high school started further along but here in Scotland they put pre-pubescent children and the almost adults plus everyone in between in the one building.  Once I pushed through the crowds of youngsters, locating the office was easy. I reached the front of the queue at the window to be greeted by a curly haired receptionist.

“Excuse me; it’s my first day here. My name’s Sandra Forrester can I get a school tie and my timetable?”

“Just go to the assembly after the bell with the rest of the first years.”

“I’m not first year, I’m fifth year. I’ve just moved school.”

“Oh yes. The new student, here you go.” She raked through the papers on the desk to issue me my timetable and handed me what looked like a pre-used tie.  “I’ll get another pupil to show you round. Oh look there’s Dora.” She then spoke to the girl she directed to. “Dora, can you be this new student’s tour guide.”

“Yessiree Miss.” Said the girl, who, looked like she was probably over-caffinated.

Seriously who used words like "Yessiree" to their friends, much less a teacher? Dora's caffeination seemed to leak into her sense of style. If she had gone to Sandra's old school she would have been sent home to change for sure with the frayed black denim shorts, the neon pink tights. The low necked My Chemical Romance t-shirt was definitely not a school policy vest. Added to that the dozen bracelets on the one wrist and the spiky necklace it was a wonder her uniform passed the policies of this --seemingly more lenient-- school. The thing that stood out the most though was her hair --bright blue and roughly chopped with pink parts at the front separated into two braids.

"Hi!" She grinned at me. I wasn't sure if it was overcompensation or not wanting to do this, or caffeine. "I guess you know I'm Dora, what's your name?"

"Sandra." I did up my new tie which was solid maroon. It was never going to be another colour, what was it about schools and maroon? Once it was tied I removed the silver badge from my shirt and attached it to the bottom. Dora obviously noticed this move.

"You're one of us! I never knew there was someone else coming."

I was confused then I looked at Dora shirt, she had the same badge.

"How many are there in this school?”

"A bit less than a dozen, all are in fifth year. There used to be more but a few others left school before summer and there's some in other schools. All in all there's around thirty-five in the city."

I never expected there to be so many. Was there a whole secret werewolf underworld?

"Where is it you've came from?" she continued, "Obviously down south since there's no centres further north but you sound like you’re from the north east of Scotland.”

“I am.”

She looked me up and down, taking in the spare pair of glasses on my nose and the bleached hair –neither of which I would have in a couple of weeks time.

“Shit, it’s just happened to you.”

I nodded

“Then you’re in for a rough time. Sorry, I’m just giving it like it is.”