Moon Shadow (Mount Henley Trilogy Book 1) Page 9

  I made it through the next two classes without seeing hide nor hair of Jillian. Right. I couldn’t believe I was making werewolf jokes now. I was either handling this really well or still in a little bit of shock. Probably the latter, but again, every time I started to freak out about the wolf thing, I felt … I didn’t know how to describe it. It was actually a source of calm, that inner wolf. I had already met her, so I was less afraid of her, I guessed. Anyhow, that was as close as I could get to understanding it. I had plenty of time to mull it over in French class, since everything else in that class went right over my head.

  Jillian was in History, but we were on opposite sides of the room, so she was easy to ignore. I sat next to a tall girl with short, copper hair and bright blue eyes. She was either scowling or had a serious case of resting bitch face, but she still looked friendlier than Jillian, who was doing her best impression of a smoldering volcano in the corner.

  I smiled shyly at the girl as I slid into the seat beside her. “Hey,” I tried.

  She blinked in surprise, then looked up over at me. I realized she must have been deep in thought. She smiled politely. “Hi, I’m Sara. Sara Brusse.”

  “Hi, Sara. Nice to meet you. I’m Alice.”

  Sara’s eyes crinkled. “I know.”

  Just then, Professor Wells entered the room, and Sara turned back to face the front. She picked up her pencil and held it poised over her notebook, ready to get to business. I smiled at her dedication and had to admit to myself I was most curious about this class.

  “Welcome back, everyone.” Professor Wells smiled at me, but I was glad he elected not to single me out. “Now, we left off on the joining of the Great Pack. Who can tell me when the first overseas wolves joined the Pack?”

  Sara’s hand shot into the air. Professor Wells called on her, and she recited, “The Royal Clan Balewa of Nigeria joined the Great Pack in 1870, quickly followed by the Royal Clan O’Cleirigh from Ireland later that same year.”

  “Very good, Miss Brusse,” commended the teacher. “Now, who can tell me when the latest foreign nation joined the Great Pack? Anyone?” He had turned away from us and hadn’t noticed Sara’s hand skyrocket out of her lap before the “anyone” had left his lips. Turning back, he smiled and nodded to Sara.

  “The Royal Clan Ivanov from Eurasia was the last foreign noble clan to join the Great Pack in 1969. However, the most recent family to take a seat on the high council is the Reynolds family from America who, um, took a seat on the council in 1984.”

  Professor Wells cleared his throat and darted a glance to Jillian in the back of the room. “Yes. Very thorough, Miss Brusse. Well done. Moving on.”

  Professor Wells went on to lecture for a bit, while I frantically tried to keep up. I broke my second pencil with a barely muffed curse. Sara kindly slid an extra pencil my way, not taking her eyes off of the board or ceasing to scribble her own lightning-quick notes.

  The bell rang, and we were told to review last week’s notes for the next day’s not-so-pop pop quiz. I groaned quietly, but Sara noticed and paused.

  “Hey, do you want to study with me later? You can copy my notes from last week,” she offered.

  “Thanks! That’d be great.” I smiled warmly, arranged to meet Sara after dinner, then gathered up my things to go.

  I hoped to book out the door and avoid Jillian if I could. I almost made it around the corner, when I somehow picked her voice out of the crowd down the hall behind me.

  “Yeah, she caught me off guard with a little scrape or two, but at the end, she was so lucky her puppy Jack saved her…”

  I felt my cheeks grow hot. Now she was making fun of Jack, too? What a liar! I kept going, not wanting her to see my anger. Another few feet, and her voice faded into the din.

  I met up with Shea, and we loaded up our trays and headed over to the outdoor eating area behind the boys’ dorm. On the way, I told her about what I’d overheard Jillian saying. Shea confirmed my suspicions that Jillian had been spreading her version of the truth around school that morning.

  “Ugh,” I groaned. “I can’t believe I even heard her! It’s like her voice made a beeline to my ear.”

  “Yeah, that’s the werewolf hearing thing. It starts to amplify as we get closer to the full moon. Plus, I imagine you see Jillian as a threat now, so you will naturally tune in to your allies’ and enemies’ voices,” Shea explained.

  “Great.” I’d said it sarcastically, but actually, the whole super hearing thing was kind of a cool bonus. It would help me avoid Jillian, at least. Huh. Survival instinct, I guess. I must have snorted out loud.

  “What?” asked Shea, a knowing lilt in her voice.

  “Well, you tell me? Is it weird that I’m being stalked by a schizophrenic bitch—oh, yeah, and that I happen to be one, too?” I was joking when I’d started the thought, but by the time it had left my mouth, I really wanted to know.

  Shea’s head tilted in sympathy and her keen eyes held mine. “Aww … honey, it gets better. And you know in your blood the wolf in you is you. It just … is,” she finished lamely. But we both laughed. I knew what she meant. Somehow, there was a thrumming under my breastbone that I hadn’t noticed or maybe just hadn’t named until I had turned into my wolf, my true self.

  “I’m just so glad I turned before I had to do it publicly.” I scrunched my nose, and Shea laughed more.

  “Girl, don’t be squeamish. You’ll do fine.”

  “Whatchya squeamish about?” a voice suddenly asked, and we both screamed. Adam had jumped out from behind the hedge and was now laughing that he’d gotten the better of us.

  Shea smiled good-naturedly and shrugged off the question. “You know, full moon.” She raised her eyes meaningfully in my direction.

  “First time is nerve-racking no matter how long you know it’s going to happen, but then it’s just awesome.” Adam had a million-watt smile when he’d said it, and we got the full blast. In fact, Shea looked a little stunned. I took it as a blessing that he hadn’t overheard the first part of our conversation; my secret was still tightly guarded.

  Whatever response I’d intended was lost when Logan came round the corner and headed toward us on the path. I tried not to look at him, but as I not-so-casually scanned the scenery, I felt my cheeks blush.

  He stopped and fist-bumped Adam. “What’s up, man?”

  “Not much. Let’s walk before we got to go back to class. I get antsy in those seats all day.” He wiggled theatrically, and we laughed. Trust Adam to dispel the tension.

  We started down the path toward the orchard, and in a moment or two, I noticed Adam fall into step with Shea. Hmmm, I thought that was suspicious. I heard a snort to my right and looked to see Logan shake his dark blond head.

  He caught my eye and grinned. “I think we’re being set up.”

  I smiled back at him, genuinely glad he realized I was as clueless as he’d been about Adam and Shea’s intentions. It was nice anyway, walking through the trees and seeing Shea light up at Adam’s attention. I hope it works out.

  Logan’s voice rumbled softly nearby. “Yeah, they’re kind of cute together.”

  “Ha! Cute! I’m so going to use that against you!” I trilled.

  “Don’t you dare,” he returned mock-threateningly, but there was humor in his green eyes. I forgot for a moment that this was the guy to avoid, and instead, enjoyed the light banter. He was easy to be around, and I let my guard down. I wanted desperately to just be a normal girl taking a walk with a normal boy. But something sent a warning chill through me, and his smile turned down. “Are you okay?” he asked, his green eyes pouring into mine, searching for unease. He was close to me, and his arm reached toward me but stilled just shy of my own arm. It annoyed me.

  I shrugged, the easy humor having passed. “Yeah, fine. We should head back.”

  I wanted to see the disappointment in his eyes, so I couldn’t assume it was real. He didn’t even want to touch me. I couldn’t imagine that meant he cared if he was in my
presence any longer.

  “I suppose you’re right.” He gave a laborious sigh, trying to rouse the lighter mood from a few moments ago. I grinned, not wanting to seem petty. I wanted to be taken at face value, so that’s what I was going to do for him, rumors be damned. He called ahead to the others that we should head back, then turned and bowed, lifting his arms to point the way. I smiled away his chivalry and swept past with my imperious nose in the air, affecting my best Jillian Reynolds. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw him cover his guffaw, sure he recognized my parody. I then dropped the act, though, not wanting to tread on perilous ground at so tenuous a stage of friendship, if that’s what this became.

  “It is too lovely to be indoors, though, that’s for sure.” The day was perfect, with that crisp autumn nip in the air and a high, bright sun.

  “Yeah, soon we’ll get out for harvest.” Logan commented on the ripening apples we were passing on our way back to the school. With so many fruiting trees, it was all hands on deck come harvest time. Apparently, the entire school helped out, as well as many of the werewolves from Dryden.

  He stopped and ducked into a row of trees. I waited on the path, glancing behind at the figures of Shea and Adam a-ways behind us. Logan jogged back easily and tossed a ripe pear to me. I caught it neatly and bit into the sweet green skin. The juice ran down my chin and my “Yummm” hummed through the fruit.

  Logan laughed and bit into his own pear, also dripping juice off his chin. We laughed, eating the sticky fruit, then tossed our cores into the ground cover. We kept on, but at a more leisurely pace, our conversation flowing smoothly about life at Mt. Henley. We must have slowed quite a bit, because Shea and Adam caught up to us where the garden path split. We said our goodbyes, and Shea and I headed back to the Artemis side of the gardens.

  I wanted to tease her about Adam, but she looked so thoughtful, I couldn’t bear to break the spell. When we got to the main building entrance, I gave her a little nudge and a knowing grin. She smiled, but looked away. Yep, it was definitely a conversation for later.

  I was excited for my afternoon classes. Now that I was in the know about the whole werewolf thing, I should be allowed to attend the regular sophomore afternoon training. A sharp whistle to the left turned my head, and I saw Jack leaning casually against the marble portico. Kulani was beside him, dressed in a flowing green and purple sarong and loose white blouse. She waved me over casually. Losing Shea in the push of the crowd, I weaved my way through the other students toward them.

  Kicking off the wall, Jack stood at attention and bowed formally to me. “Princess,” he greeted.

  I felt myself blush and gave an awkward nod of acknowledgement. I didn’t dare look back at the crowd to see who’d witnessed the exchange. I sternly reminded myself that I was respecting Jack’s wishes to treat me formally in public, and in return, I could be more casual in private. Still I rolled my eyes, and Jack almost smiled.

  “Aloha, Your Majesty.” Kulani embraced me and kissed my cheeks. “We have a surprise for you.”

  The crowd was thinning at the doors, and I knew I was missing class. As if in response, Jack said, “Yeah, sorry about that, but we’ve been given permission by Headmaster Giovanni to continue mentoring you in the afternoons until you make your first change at the full moon.” He winked at that and went on, “Because it’s only a few days away, the other students are working on changing without the help of the full moon energy. Most won’t be able to do it this young, and some may never master it. We aren’t sure why, exactly, but some werewolves have an easier time changing than others. For some it is very painful and difficult. For others, there is little humanity left when they change; they are the most dangerous,” he cautioned. We walked away from the busy arena and headed down the path to the woods.

  I was starting to feel glad I could get this information in private, rather than having others in-the-know witness my reaction to these revelations. “I had no idea there was such a spectrum,” I murmured more to myself.

  Kulani smiled. “That’s a good way to put it.”

  She kicked at some leaves on the ground like a little kid delighting in the nature around her.

  “Yeah,” Jack continued, “our graduates and post-docs are researching the genetics and animal behavior science to figure out what may trigger the range of ability. They’d love to get their hands on you.” He’d said the last line a little darkly.

  “Am I in danger of that?” I was nervous about the rules of this new society I’d so recently joined.

  Jack tried to smile away my concern, but I saw a shadow in his eyes. “You are the Lost Princess Luna. You are in precarious political standing, and you will always be in danger in some respects.”

  “Jack, don’t scare her,” scolded Kulani. She grabbed his hand and matching her steps to his, began swinging their linked arms wildly. “You are the rightful queen, and everyone knows it,” she declared.

  I raised an eyebrow at her.

  “And we’re here to protect you,” she added firmly, suddenly looking every bit the warrior. I felt a knot at my brow ease.

  Taking the opportunity to wriggle out of Kulani’s grip, Jack released her hand and wrapped his arm around her. They continued to walk in sync, though I marveled that neither tripped up the other. Jack resumed a more optimistic portrayal of the werewolf science and research development. “Almost all of us submit to a blood draw for the genetic research conducted in the college buildings in the valley beyond the high school.” He pointed northeast, and I turned to look beyond the orchard to the peaking rooftops of more large marble buildings beyond. “It’s not a big deal, and our researchers are working on decoding our genome. We’re trying to figure out why we are werewolves. Sometimes, I think that’s why we have such a self-sustaining community here, to observe us having children and watch them grow.”

  “We’re not lab rats!” laughed Kulani. “Don’t be so dramatic!”

  “I’m not saying we’re test subjects, but it felt that way when we were trying to have kids.” A shadow crossed his features, and Kulani drew him closer.

  “Children? I haven’t seen any kids.” I wanted to slap my mouth, but figured I’d already stuck my foot in it.

  “Well, there aren’t that many among the staff at Mt. Henley and all of the other kids live in Dryden Village until they’re school-age. It seems that lately it’s pretty difficult for werewolves to conceive and give birth. Our scientists are noticing a steady decline in population, and that scares them. Their fear scares me. That’s one reason I don’t want them to know you changed before the full moon. They may let their fear gloss over some ethics in their quest for an answer to our survival.”

  “Wait, we’re going extinct?” Weird. I felt sad, but I still felt so foreign. I guess it was sinking in slowly, the whole werewolf thing. (I wasn’t even touching the whole princess thing!)

  Jack looked down, toeing the dirt with his shoe. “Let’s say we’re more ‘at risk’ than ‘endangered,’ but we really don’t know all of the factors affecting population decline. Anyway, let’s get moving. I want to show you something.”

  He motioned for me to go on ahead of them, and I realized they needed a moment or two together. I had just met this couple a few days ago, and I already felt like I knew them well. The pain on Jack’s face when he mentioned trying to have kids tore at me. I felt sad for them. I put some distance between us, walking quickly down the path. Glancing back, I saw their bodies pressed together with their heads leaning back, looking deep into each other’s eyes. Their combined silhouette resembled a heart. There was no pain in their expressions now, just pure love and acceptance. Bright yellow, orange, and red leaves were falling through the trees, dancing a bright melody across the branches.

  The path we took skirted the orchards around the north edge and back around toward the east gardens and the training arena. Past the exquisitely groomed gardens rose a large coliseum. We entered the main corridor, and the sound of smacking flesh and cheering crowds
had me reminiscent of Spartacus. The tunnel ended at the floor of the arena, and we moved to the right, into the stands, taking seats away from the rest of the crowd. There were only about forty students in the stands, but by the looks of it, the coliseum could have held at least 10,000. About a dozen more students were on the arena floor. There were four wolves and about six kids who looked like they were having a beard-growing contest. The others just looked bug-eyed and constipated. After a moment, the whistle blew, and the kids in the arena relaxed and headed off to find seats in the stands. Three of the wolves shimmered back into people. Make that … three naked boys—Oh, my God! I gasped and covered my eyes.

  Jack turned and laughed at me good naturedly. “You’ll get used to it,” he chuckled. I socked him in the arm. Kulani reminded me that kids who grow up in the Pack don’t feel embarrassed by nudity since it’s such a natural part of werewolf life. When I looked back at the field, I saw a teacher bending toward the anxious wolf and gently coaxing him to relax.

  “What’s going on there?” I asked.

  Jack looked over and frowned. “Remember I said some have a harder time holding onto their humanity when they change forms? That makes it harder to remember who you are and how to change back. Heightened stress makes changing back even more difficult.”

  I noticed the crowd had quieted to concerned murmurs as everyone watched the agitated wolf snap at the teacher. Backing up, the teacher uncorked a vial and wafted it toward the werewolf. The scent in the vial seemed to calm the animal; his growling slowed, and his eyelids blinked sleepily. The wolf’s tongue flopped out, panting, and he slowly sank back onto the sand, growling once or twice more. A shimmer seemed to shake through his body, and in a moment, a skinny, tired-looking boy was lying on the ground in place of the wolf. The tension broke, and the whole crowd erupted into cheers. I hadn’t realized I was holding my breath until I let out a strangled cheer, myself. The boy lifted his mop of dark curls and grinned at the crowd. The teacher helped him up and out of the arena, while he waved his arms like a champion.