Students troop inside the school premises and the clock ticks by my side, I pick it up and I notice it is 8am already. Today is Monday, January 10. I still have few friends I should wish an happy new year. You are one of them – happy new year to you.
“Martha, you should be up now. It’s time for school.” Anna taps Martha. I DIDN’T even know she is awake.
“Hi Anna. Good morning. Today is the day of resumption. I’m both happy and scared.” I tell her, my voice breaking.
“No, you don’t have to be scared. It’s a day of joy and besides, you’ll get your mate this semester. The first one and a half month for the teaching and other stuff should be a time for you think about who will be your mate.”
“How would I know their attitude and conduct since they are not living here with me. They aren’t attending this high school as well.” I tell her and she chuckles softly.
“No, Sophia. Ben still has a year to complete in high school, he’s not in college yet. Jude has a year to complete as well. Only Maxwell is done with high school.” She replies.
Now I remember when I first got to this school, Ben called Maxwell to lead me into my room and that was where I got to know Maxwell. He told me that day that he has completed his high school days. It’s a wow. Good one for him.
“Well, um, yeah.” I reply, and go inside the bath room. They’ve got no bath tub in this school.
“Sophia… you lost your 200 dollars.” Anna calls me and I stare back at her.
“Oh, okay. Thank you.” I appreciate, and retrieve the money from her.
The assembly bell rings and all students gather themselves together, waiting for a lecturer to coordinate them. We are 454 in my level. We have been split though into 65 each.
“Hey, babes. Get ready. All students have resumed.” Jessica barges into this room, half dressed.
“Are you even ready?” Anna retorts.
“No, I’m not attending this high school any more.” She smiles, and retorts.
“Whatttt…” I drop the towel I took, and stare at her. “You don’t mean it?”
“Sure, I do. I mean it. I’m done with high school. But don’t worry, I’ll be here to guide you. I’ll be off to college by September, I still have a long way to go. By the way, Rose has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital.”
“Such a sad life. I hope she gets better.” I tell her and go inside to bathe quickly. In few minutes, I’m back and I’m both glad and surprised to see Anna fully dressed too.
We both clutch our bags onto our backs as we dart towards the assembled students. Crowd.
After we are all gathered and everyone is silent though whispering to one another how their holiday went, Robert mounts the podium and picks up the microphone.
“Hello, Students!” He screams and the micro phone gives a louder noise. “Hey, Students of Happy Kids High School! You are happy, aren’t you?”
“We are!” The students hail, and he hits the pulpit with his hand and they all come back to order.
“Well, for the last year students, we advise you to start getting serious. This is day one. There would be nothing like cheating or mal-practicing during your exams after you have returned from the game reserve, picnic, and all other stuff. Lectures start with immediate effect!” He instructs.
“Well, don’t go yet. There’s an important notice and i implore to be all ears.” He says and i become more attentive than ever. My heart leaps as my thought tries to connect with Robert’s speech.
“Someone joined the terminal class today.” He says, and a man waves at him from behind.
“No, two. You know one of them but you don’t know the other. One of them is Ben who claimed Sophia to be his mate.* My heart starts to leap, who is the second person?
“Jude.” He clips. “Let’s welcome him to this high school. He is the Alpha of the SplitMoon pack. I don’t know if he would also he interested in competing for an Alpha of moonstruck pack.” He says, and all the students jam their palms together. Then, Ben ans Jude mount the pulpit and the students clap as they walk majestically till they reach the center.
“Hi, folks. I am Jude Peters.” Jude speaks first, and Ben follows.
“Hi, I’m Ben…” he scratches the back of his neck and Robert quickly comes in. Wait, he doesn’t remember his full name? The fuck!
“These are the two great students. Respect them. I am not telling you to be a servant but make sure you respect them.”
“A wolf or a vampire?” A student in the third grade asks.
“We are both vampires.” Ben replies and everyone becomes silent.
“So, he will be in class with you.” Robert concludes. “You can now go.”
All students march into their classes, and both Jude and Ben follow us into my class.
“Hey, Ben! What’s new?” I greet him first but he pushes me into the rest room. Jude follows behind and dodge beside a fridge near the restroom.
“Sophia, I have been looking for you all this while. Where have you been?” He says, his voice breaking. “Would you want a stranger, a beast, to get mated to you?”
“Oh, mate issue again? I’m not interested, please. Whoever wants to get mated to me should know by now.” I jerk away his hands and storm out of the room. Jude quickly hides himself but I see him. Idiot.
I walk into the class and Mister Smith enters with a text book in his hand, starting to teach mathematics.
Mind you, it’s not Smith, Anna’s mate.
“Why should we resume school with Mathematics class?” A student protests but Smith gives that a wide berth.
He opens the text book and his lesson note. Then, he starts to lecture us. I listen attentively, to take my attention away from Jude and Ben who are hissing and rolling their eyes at themselves.
“After you do that this way, you do this that way.” This is the only statement I have been hearing Mr Smith say until Mr Robert walks in.
“Hey, students. Don’t frown your faces. I’m not here to teach.” The expression on each 48-students’ change. 17 students are not in class.
“We are going for the competition tomorrow afternoon. If you are still interested and you know you are capable of becoming an Alpha, let me see your hands raised up.” Robert says, and Ben raises his hands up. Three other male students raise their hands up as well.
“Alrighty, meet me in office with immediate effect.” He says, and storms out of the class. Ben hesitates to go meet him since Jude might snatch me away. Instead, he calls me.
“Sophia.” He waves his hands at me but I don’t respond. “Hey, Sophia!”
“What is it?” I suddenly bark at me. He shudders, and speaks on.
“That was creepy. Can you just follow me for a walk… you know,…”
He wants me to be with him, stupid! Just come in. Shoot your fucking shot!
“I have to see Jude.” I say, unexpectedly. Jude becomes surprised. Ben too. I myself am surprised to have said that. He doesn’t have any option, he stands up and goes with the other three who opted in to be an Alpha of the moonstruck team of Happy Kids High School.
“Oh, wow! You didn’t mean that.” Jude says, touching my shoulder. “I really want to see you, Sophia. Can we talk inside the restroom?”
“So you can rape me and make me have no other option than to get mated to you?” I retort, sharply.
“No, not at all. Sophia, moon goddess has revealed to me that you are my mate. Are you trying to reject me?” He says. “I have been looking for you. Ever since. Through the map, through witch wizard and all other fucking power!”
“I wasn’t lost.” I bring his voice down.
“Whatttt…” he scurries. “Well, are you willing to be my mate? I should not start explaining who I am. You know, don’t you?’
“Yes, I do. Surely, I do!” I bark at him. “You are a great…” he shuts my lips but I scratch his hands away.
“Not a great Alpha. I mean, you are a great murderer!” I shriek, and the whole students divert their attention to the scene.
“Please, mind your fucking businesses.” Jude tells them and they obey but with suspicious sighs.
“Jude, you killed my father. Didn’t you? You have been using spells on us all this while so we won’t be harsh on you but now, we know. I know who the fuck you are!!!” He shifts a bit back and starts to sob.
“I didn’t mean to kill your Dad, Sophia.” He sniffles. “I promise, I’ll replace that hole he has left in your heart.”
I chuckle Inwardly, he doesn’t know that I have gotten my dad back from his cage.
“Ben will be back soon. I won’t want him to see me with another person.”
“I don’t understand?” His expression changes.
“You don’t need to. Leave me alone and get back to your seat, please.” He obeys with a cool but sad face. His head gets buried inside his desk for a long time.
Ben enters the class after few minutes with the guys then he calls me.
“Hey, Sophie. Robert needs you in his office.” He beckons to me, and I stand up to meet him. Halfway getting to his office, he pushes me inside a room and there in the room are seven gigantic guys all clad in boxers only.
Ben shuts the door and locks it with a padlock. Then he approaches me and smirks.