Alpha: Rising Path

1- A Common Occurrence

Alexus hated mortal schools.

Most people hated school just because they were forced to be there and take classes. Alexus wasn't most people. She hated school because she was forced to be there, but she also hated it due to the fact that it was a combination school. Definition: Students of all kinds were allowed to attend.

"All kinds" certainly had a different meaning to Alexus. For her, it meant werewolves, vampires, demigods, magicians, goblins, monsters in general.

And of course, you couldn't forget the worst part.

Humans.

Not to mention, Alexus had to pretend to be human.

What an amazing birthday gift. Not.

The bell rang, and the crowds in the hallway funneled into their classes, chatting about nothings and gossip that Alexus couldn't care any less about than she already did. She raked her fingers through her long black hair and slammed her locker closed.

To anyone else, Alexus looked like a normal teenager in a simple wardrobe: gray T-shirt underneath a black leather jacket, blue jeans, a dark gray baseball cap stuffed in the right pocket of her jacket, and faded black running shoes. A pair of sunglasses were hidden inside her jacket in case of emergencies, something that tended to happen due to the fact that Alexus was always an irritable soon-to-be alpha. Shoved at the bottom of her backpack was a bag filled with an extra pair of clothes in case of a different emergency, one that had happened multiple times at her old schools.

After tying her hair into a ponytail, Alexus gave one last sigh and headed to her next class.

She sat at the very back of the classroom, something that her brother had specified for all of her classes. The teachers had been informed discreetly about her behavior and had been told of her "certain needs" to be able to be in a learning environment. She was to sit in the back of every class, mostly for the times she had high emotional levels because her gray eyes usually flickered to a burning silver with whatever emotion she didn't control. That's what the sunglasses were for, and she was allowed to wear them in class if needed.

The second bell rang, signaling the start of the class. The teacher began her lesson, and almost immediately Alexus stopped paying attention. She scanned her classmates, something she did every day.

Two students in the front left were vampires, Alexus had learned her first month here after wondering what that scent of vanilla and death had been from. Behind them, one student near the window was a banshee, her claws on display underneath her textbook. The boy she was talking to beside her was a demigod, though Alexus still hadn't figured out who his immortal parent was and what pantheon he was from no matter how much she thought over his lemon-pie scent.

The one that annoyed Alexus to no end was the half-blood who sat in the front corner next to the door. Her scent had annoyed the girl to no end, the smell sticking in her nostrils for hours even after she left the classroom. She smelled of a fresh morning breeze, one mixed with the soft warmth and comfort of a hot chocolate, a hint of pure cinnamon, and pine trees. Such a complex scent meant she was half-human and half something else, but Alexus couldn't hone in on the specific being. Unlike the demigod she couldn't figure out, this black-eyed girl with long brown hair and Hispanic skin tone caught her attention and definitely didn't let go.

Soon enough, the bell rang for the class to be over, and Alexus walked mechanically out the door while still deep in thought. She only hesitated when the heavy scent of expensive perfume invaded her nose, and she turned to see a group of human girls surrounding the half-blood girl who was looking straight at her.

It was a common occurrence. Alexus walks towards the door only to turn around at the arrival of the gossiping rich humans as the other girl locks eyes with her. It always surprised her how a girl could stand strong and yet stare at her with a silent plead in her eyes that always made Alexus want to put those humans in their places.

Just like the other times, the girl looked at her now with a silent cry for help in her black eyes. Alexus vaguely registered the taller human address the girl. "Heey, Zoe. Ready for today's fun?" It always confused her as to why Zoe would want to get away from the humans when they wanted to have fun. If Alexus had been allowed to have friends, she definitely would've snuck out and been around them. Then again, Alexus wasn't the type of girl to have friends and go to parties, so she figured she had no say in the matter.

Her brother's warnings filled her thoughts again just as she was about to stop walking. Stay away from trouble. Just try to be normal. Don't start a fight. His voice annoyed her, but she knew he spoke the truth. This was her seventh school in four years, and she already lasted much longer in this school than she had in her old ones. She knew five months wasn't much of an achievement, but with her track record, it definitely was.

She turned away from the humans and the half-blood, forcing her legs to keep moving. Alexus didn't look back to see the hurt in the girl's eyes or listen to the rest of their conversation. She forced herself to ignore her instincts, blocking out her emotions to keep them under control.

It was a common occurrence, after all. It wasn't the first time she turned her back on people, much less the first time she turned her back on the Zoe girl.

Alexus hated herself every single time she had to look at those pleading eyes and walk away without a word. It was what she had to do to act human, to stay in the same school without causing trouble.

Just like every other time she did, Alexus put on her sunglasses, ignoring the sight of her claws protruding from her fingertips. She placed the cap on her head before closing her hands into fists and stuffing them in her pockets. Staring straight ahead, Alexus walked off school campus and straight into the nearby woods.

She hated pretending to be human. She hated leaving people behind. She hated humans, all of them.

It was a common occurrence.