"Ok, everyone, line up." Gunther, the big-bellied man from yesterday, sounded. He ushered everyone into a single file line.
"These are your watches." He held up a sleek black watch. "Once you put it on, you will not be able to take it off."
"These will show you your status. They are here to help you keep track of all your money. They can also be used for tracking your other abilities if you so please." He paused, waiting for them to digest the information.
He continued shortly after, "When you get these watches, please go about your business."
Kira was in the middle of the line. She did her best to contain her excitement. She eyes the watches. Slowly, the line moved, inching her closer.
She frowned shortly after. Turning her head, she saw Maniac and Ginger staring at her.
'Little excited, aren't we, little cub.' Once again, Maniac's voice echoed in her mind.
She rolled her eyes. 'Aren't you? You get a bunch of juniors to beat your insecurities into.' She smirked, hearing him growl.
Ginger held him back from jumping over the railing. Kira turned and moved up. It was finally her turn.
'Finally.' She spoke inwardly.
"Good evening, ma'am, I'm Gunther, the weaponsmith in the school. This here is your very own digital watch. Designed by me." He put the watch on her while explaining how it worked.
"If you are interested, my classes are having a deal. 50% off the first three classes." He smiled, handing her a paper.
"Thank you, sir, I'll be sure to stop by." Kira smiled politely.
"Good on." He nodded as she walked away. He continued to the next person.
"Shameless old bastard. Has no problem poaching the newer kids." Ginger grumbled.
"You're just upset you didn't think of it first." Maniac scuffed.
Ginger eye twitch, "Whatever, I got a class to teach." He stormed away.
Kira moved towards the cafeteria. She had skipped dinner last night, walking around now, she was starving. She walked with her eyes glued to the watch.
[Scanning in progress…]
Even though she was not looking, she did move with ease, avoiding everyone.
"Who's the new girl?" A tall boy with one gold earring and a lizard tail asked. He asked a new boy standing next to him.
"Oh, that's Kira Hale. She just joined at the last minute. Don't waste your time, she got the whole loner thing going for her." The boy with bat wings shook his head.
Lizard-tailed boy moved up behind her, trying to get her attention. "Excuse me, beautiful." He finally caught up to her.
She frowned before stopping. Turning around, her eyes landed on the tail behind the boy.
"My name's Jay. I've been here for a couple of years now, so if you need help getting around…." He paused, looking her over. "I don't mind giving you a tour."
She sighed heavily before she could say anything, and a voice sounded behind him. "What the fuck are you doing?" A girl with a tail similar to his strutted over.
Kira rolled her eyes. She turned around and walked away. "Hey, I'm talking to you." The female shouted.
"Congratulations." Kira didn't stop. She didn't have time for their drama.
"Bitch!" She heard from behind her. Still, it wasn't enough to make her stop.
She sighed as she went into the cafeteria. The smell of food wafted around the room.
There were three lines. The two for basic meals, and the last for higher-tier food.
She went to the shorter line. The higher-tier food. She didn't care; even if she wasn't hungry, she would've picked this line.
Some eyed her, others scuffed. She shrugged, ignoring them. "You should be careful." She perked up hearing the boy in front of her.
It was the one she talked to yesterday. "Everyone comes in here a big dog, but none of them are." He looked back at her. He wasn't wearing his glasses today.
"And you?" She eyed him questionably.
"I'm one of the lucky ones who is." He laughed lightly.
She tilted her head, "You acted scared of me yesterday. Like you could wait to get away from me. Why start up a conversation today?"
He furrowed his brows, "You got the wrong guy, cuz I definitely wouldn't run from you."
Kira's nose flared, her eyes narrowed. "You're a Gemini twin." She groaned.
He chuckled. He knew the bad reputation his kind gets. His being two people at once makes it next to impossible for him to live like others. "You say it like it's a bad thing."
"No, disrespect to you or the other one, but I just don't want any problems or headaches," Kira said. It was finally his turn.
"What's your name?" She shook her head, looking at him. "No."
He smiled before picking out his food. He swiped his card. "Mine's Darion, the other one's Marcus, he's a little coward, but he's cool people." He spoke before walking away with a smile.
Kira rolled her eyes before stepping forward. She picked the biggest piece of steak she could find with a side of mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.
The entire meal was $1,467 before the drink and dessert. She sighed and moved away.
The cafeteria was filled. Students filled the tables. Moved unbothered to an empty table and began eating.
"That's bold." Darion sat across from her. She huffed loud enough for him to hear.
"You didn't even look for me. I'm kinda hurt." He looked away and waved at some people. "Guys, I got us a seat here." Her eyes widened seeing a group of people coming over.
"Seriously?" She whispered, annoyed. She picked this table because no one was here.
"What tables are hard to come by with the new people here?" He shrugged, giving her a helpless look.
She ignored them and ate her food.
"Who's she?" They all looked at Kira with furrowed brows.
"This is my new friend." Darion smiled. "I don't know her name."
"She can eat whoever she is." A boy exclaimed, watching her scarf down her food in seconds.
"I'm not his friend, and I was just leaving." She glared before getting up and leaving.
"Bye, new friend," Darion shouted. He waved like a little kid.
[Status now available]
She looked at her watch and smiled. Finally, she clicked on it and opened it up.
[Status
Name: Kira Hale
Age: 19
Race: Werewolf/Witch
Rank: Alpha-Mage
Bank: $16,502]
[Would you like to add abilities and skills? Yes/No
Note: Status will not add preexisting abilities and skills.]
'No.' She said, moving to her first class.
The door was open. "Dear, will you be joining my class today?" A short woman with gray hair smiled seeing Kira.
"Yes, ma'am," She swiped her card and walked in. It was a class filled with over fifty students. They all sat in rows, some watching her walk to an empty seat.
"This is my seat." A girl with long braids and braces walked up to her as soon as she sat down.
"Oh, we have assigned seats?" Kira asked, genuinely.
"No, I just like this seat." She folded her arms.
Kira groaned loudly, looking around. Almost everyone was watching them. She looked past the girl at the nervous-looking Sashi.
Their group was hanging around a few older kids. 'Oh, I see.' She thought inwardly.
Her head tilted. "This was your idea?" She knew they were just trying to impress them.
The girl leaned in, "The best part about being in a group is you have girls who have your back."
Her hands lay flat on the desk as she stared at Kira. "Move." She demanded.
Kira sighed, her eyes locked on hers. "Please just walk away. You would hate where following a cowardice bitch gets you."
She leaned in closer. "Move." Her eyes turned to golden slits. A thick cloud of smoke rushed out of her nose.
'Dragon.' Kira's eyes narrowed. She looked at her with a dull look. "If you plan on making me go ahead, if not, get the fuck out of my face. Respectfully."
The teacher finally closed the door and settled at the front of the class. "Alright, class, let's begin. My name is Ms. Amber…."
She completely ignored them as she started her lecture. Kira faced the woman, forgetting about the girl in front of her. She had never been to a real school before and was somewhat excited to attend.
"Today we will start the English class off with…" She continued.
The girl, seeing Kira ignoring her, looked back. The girls and the older kids were looking at her with a frown. One of the people put a thumbs down.
She frowned and looked at Kira. "Fine, then I'll challenge you for it."
Kira, who was opening her book to the page the teacher asked, paused. The teacher stopped as well and looked their way.
"Challenging someone is a very serious matter here, girl, and not to be taken lightly." Ms. Amber looked at them seriously. She didn't care what they did.
They're the ones who paid to be in her class; whether they listened or not was not her problem.
"I understand." The girl nodded. She turned to Kira. "I, Lena May, challenge you to a match."
Kira looked at her like she was an idiot. She glanced at Lena's watch.
[Bank: $18,976]
She smiled. "Challenge price set at $10,000. Offer up." Lena frowned when she heard this. She had no idea what that meant.
Ms. Amber huffed, "You're so rash to challenge and don't even know the rules." She shook her head. "You set the challenge and not the price, leaving it in your opponent's hands."
Lena looked at Kira with narrowed eyes. Kira shrugged, "You really should have read the rule book."
"Whatever, let's fight." She huffed. Kira stood up and moved back. The students around moved the chairs and desks to either side of the room.
Ginger walked in. He had a look of boredom. "Who challenged?" He asked, looking at the teacher.
"Those two." She pointed at the two standing in the middle of the room, facing each other.
"Sup, creep." Kira waved. Ginger frowned. His eyes were glowing a bright green.
He pulled out his bank card. It was gold, unlike the students. He handed it to Ms. Amber next to him.
"Now taking bets." She held up the bank card and walked around the room.
"Lena's a baby dragon. Even if Kira is an alpha werewolf, she still can't beat a dragon." Sashi spoke up loudly.
Kira rolled her eyes. 'What it pays to be ignorant.'
They waited two minutes for everyone to cast their bets, if they were going to do so. Not shocking to anyone, almost everyone placed their money on Lena.
Ginger was the most vocal, placing a $100,000 bet on Lena. This swayed most of the class and any strays who came to watch the fun.
"Alright," Ms. Amber poured a shiny substance on the ground.
'Shredded Unicorn horns.' Kira looked at the ground. It wasn't actually unicorn's horns, but a small dust that held magical properties.
Like the barriers that Ms. Amber was using for right now.
"You both may begin." Ms. Amber didn't hold anyone in suspense. Kira respected it.
Lena smirked the moment she got the go signal.
Large claws extended, her body grew larger. Her eyes shifted into golden slits as wings sprouted from behind her back. Red scales covered her body, and a long tail grew out of her back.
Kira was slightly impressed. The shift only took a second. She looked up at the ten-foot dragon in front of her.
Smoke huffed out of her nose as she stared down at Kira.
"Not bad." Kira nodded. A metallic substance flowed out, covering her nails, turning them into sharp claws.
Ginger frowned deeply. He saw the small symbols inscribed on her nails.
Her eyes glowed red as her canines extended. Four on top and two on bottom. She didn't shift into her full form. It wasn't necessary.
Everyone saw her small claws versus the big dragon. They snickered.
She ignored them, bending her knees.
Lena took in a deep breath before blowing out. A wave of fire shot at her.
Kira dodged to the left only to be met with a fireball. Jumping high, she watched the fireball crash into the ground.
A large crater formed. Heat washed out from inside the barrier. The first two rows stepped back.
"If the fireballs don't hurt her, the heat definitely will." Someone commented.
Kira landed on the ground. She looked up at Lena and smiled. Lena furrowed her brows. She took another deep breath.
"I let you have your one hit, now it's my turn." She bent her knees and shot up towards Lena.
Lena panicked; she never expected a werewolf to be that fast. She was like a blue. She flapped her wings trying to ding her.
"You know the worst thing about dragons?" Kira's voice sounded above her.
She looked up, but still couldn't find her. "They are really good at wide-ranging attacks." Her voice sounded once again.
"However, in close spaces, they are really weak and can't use their full strength. Allowing someone like me…." Kira held up her claws, standing on Lena's back.
"To do this." She jumped off, digging her nails into her side as she slid down.
A large gash followed her. "Aaarrrggghhh!" Lena wailed in pain.
She flung her body side to side to knock Kira off, not realizing she was standing in front of her.
She crossed her arms and watched as Lena smacked into the barrier from side to side.
This continued for a minute before she lay on the ground unconscious. She wasn't dead. The wound had already healed, but the pain still lasted. It would for a while.
"This should be a lesson to you all." Ginger stepped forward. "Most of you took into account the fact that Lena was a dragon and Kira was a werewolf; none of you ever stopped to question why Kira herself didn't seem to react to this particular fact."
He looked around the room slowly. "On top of that, some of you followed me and bet on Lena."
Kira smirked. He was just covering himself for taking a faulty bet. "This is why it is important to know thy enemy just as well as it is to know everyone around you."
His gaze stopped at the girls. "For you know not of whose side they truly may be on."
"Enjoy your winnings." He winked at Kira before walking out of the room.
Ms. Amber moved back to the front of the classroom. A medical team carried away Lena, who was now in her human form.
Kira moved her desk back and continued listening to the teacher. Both of them carried on as if nothing had happened.
The day carried on without any more distractions. She got to enjoy her time learning like a real student. She avoided combat class, thinking she had gotten her fill for today, and headed to another class.
Gunther smiled as more people walked inside. He glanced to the side to see Kira standing there waiting for her turn.
"Evening, dear, will you be joining us today?" He smiled.
She smiled gracefully. "Of course, I did say I'd be here."
"Ho, Ho, then today is a special day." Kira furrowed her brows.
He chuckled lightly, seeing her face. "We never get girls in this classroom."
"But don't you worry, you'll be welcomed here." He moved for her to go in.
She nodded while swiping her card. "Thank you, sir."
The weapon smith's class. The first thing you noticed was the heat. Then the sweaty boys standing in front of the forges.
There were over a hundred guys in the classroom. Most had their shirts off, only being covered by an apron and thick gloves.
They all paused and looked at Kira, who walked in casually. She tied her hair up while standing in front of the only empty forge in the room.
"Ahem, don't stare, everyone," Gunther shouted loudly, getting everyone's attention.
"We have a few new students in the classroom today. Let's treat them all like family and help them if they need it." He clapped.
He kept glancing at Kira to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable with the boys staring. He moved behind his forge.
The forge was a small workspace, a triangle where they stood in the center of it. A small stool sat in the middle.
To the right corner was the fire pit, a workbench attached to it that circled around her in a circle.
"Alright now, as many of you know, I like to teach by doing. So you all will be following along while I explain and show you how to do it." He said, putting on his apron.
Kira followed suit. "Now that all your gear is on. We will get started." He slapped on thick black goggles.
Kira paid close attention to what he said and followed everything to a T. She controlled the fire in the pit, hammering with consistent strength.
For two hours, she worked hard and sweated just like the rest of the boys in class. Gunther would look at her from time to time and was impressed.
"Now, if you all followed along, you should be left with a beautiful fencing sabre." He held up his weapon before looking around.
His eyes naturally went to Kira. His eyebrows raised. 'Not bad.' He nodded at her sword.
He had been a weapon smith his entire life. He could tell from this distance that her sword was one of the best in the class.
He walked around the room giving everyone advice and comments on their swords. They all nodded and accepted it.
"Although still crude, very impressive." He inspected Kira's sword. "Next time, try to hold back your strength a bit more, and your fire could have been a few degrees hotter." He smiled, handing her the sword.
"If you work on it, you have the potential to be a great weapon smith." He nodded.
"Thank you, sir." She smiled proudly.
"Alright, get out! Class over. Don't go stabbing anyone with your new weapons." He shouted, kicking everyone out of the room.
Kira took off her gear and left the room with everyone else.
"Yo, Kira right?" A tall, tan boy stepped in front of her.
"Good job today, your sword is very impressive…" He smiled.
"I'm Chris. and some of the guys." He gestured to a group of guys behind him. "We're going to go to the study hall. We were wondering if you'd like to come with us."
Kira smiled politely, "I'm sorry, but I have something to take care of, maybe next time."
"Alright then." He smiled, disappointed, but still walking away.
"Damn, that's brutal. He asked politely and everything." A voice sounded behind her. She rolled her eyes.
Darion was standing there waving. She turned and walked away. She needed a shower. "I didn't take you for a weapons smith." He moved beside her, keeping pace.
"Did I tell you you could walk beside me?" She frowned.
"No, but you don't really control the hallway so…" He shrugged. "And plus, what would you do to stop me. Challenge me." He mused.
She gave him a sideways glance. "You want me to?"
"Nothing would make me happier." His eyes lit up. "Battle maniac." She rolled her eyes.
"No, just a lover of the arts." He defended himself.
"What about the other one?" He smiled. This one felt genuine to her.
"You know no one ever asks about the 'other one' when either of us is in control. But to answer your question, he's more of a scholar. He deals with the classes, and I deal with the social and fighting." He continued.
"Lucky you then, huh? You get the fun stuff." She moved faster. "Now do something fun for me and go away." She finally made it back to her room.
"What I thought we could study together. I got my books and everything." He smiled, stepping closer.
Kira frowned in disgust. "Step back." Her alpha voice came out full force. Her eyes flashed a deep red.
"I apologize if I upset you. I at least know I was right." He chuckled.
"That I'm an alpha." She frowned.
"Nah, that you're not easy." He gave her a once-over. "I don't like easy." He turned and walked into the room across from hers.
She shook her head 'Unbelievable' she thought, going into her room.