Hayley's POV
Rick and I stepped out of the car and made our way toward the school building, where a grumpy-looking woman stood at the entrance, arms crossed like she was guarding a fortress.
The moment we crossed the threshold, my senses flared. Dozens of heartbeats pulsed from inside the building, uneven and loud. The air was thick with sweat, cheap perfume, deodorant and beneath it all, the metallic pull of blood running just under fragile skin.
Humans. Disgusting, fragile… and yet tempting. Every pulse I heard was like a drumbeat calling to me, every warm body a reminder of what I really craved. My fangs pressed against my gums, aching to break through. I had to lock my jaw and steady my breathing to keep myself intact. Feeding here, even once, would expose me. And if I slipped—even for a second—it wouldn't just be my secret destroyed. The whole clan was counting on Rick and me to blend in, to keep our cover, to survive.
Then another trace cut through the noise. Faint, sharp, and burning at the back of my throat. Werewolves. Their stink clung to the air, lingering like rot. My stomach curled instantly. Great. Humans and wolves. Could this place get any worse?
"Why are you this late? Classes started over an hour ago," the woman snapped, her sharp tone pulling me from my thoughts.
I bristled. The way she spoke, like she had control over us, it made me want to rip her head off.
Rick, sensing my temper boiling, stepped in smoothly. "Sorry, we didn't mean to come late. We're new here, and we got lost." He forced a smile, lying as easily as breathing.
"Well, don't make that mistake again," she said flatly. "Next time, I won't be taking excuses. I'll be giving detention."
Detention? I had no clue what that was, but from her tone, it didn't sound pleasant. "Like he said, it won't happen again," I muttered, unable to keep the edge out of my voice.
"Very well, then. Run along." She waved us inside, already dismissing us like she didn't hear my tone or didn't care.
We walked deeper into the school until Rick and I realized we had no idea where we were going. "What class are we supposed to be having?" I whispered.
The woman rolled her eyes. "You really are lost, then," she muttered under her breath. Too bad for her, our hearing was sharper than she realized.
Still, she motioned us to follow her. Being bossed around by someone so much younger than us was irritating, but if we wanted to blend in, for the clan, we had no choice.
She stopped at a door marked PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE.
"The principal isn't in yet," she said, slipping behind the desk. "I'm the Vice Principal. I'll pull up your records and class schedules."
For a second, my chest tightened. What if she found nothing? Then I remembered: Mum had arranged for someone to hack the school system and insert us and a few clan members who will also be attending this school as official students. I forced myself to relax.
"Name and grade?" she asked briskly.
Mum had warned us what to say: 11th and 12th grade. She didn't know much about human schooling, but she knew high school lasted four years.
"My name is Rick Davidson. I'm in 12th grade. This is my sister, Hayley Davidson, and she's in 11th grade," Rick said smoothly before I could hesitate.
It was a good thing Dad had once been human. Thanks to him, we had a surname: Davidson. Vampires didn't use surnames; we went by clan names. Ours was Dragon Clan, named for our fierceness and strength.
"Junior and Senior," she muttered while typing. I had no clue what those words meant, but clearly she expected us to.
Finally, she looked up. "Rick, you have Geometry. Hayley, you have Biology."
I didn't know what those were either, but I doubted I'd like them. Studying had never been my thing, even during clan lessons. But Mum was the Maestra, and when it came to me, her expectations were suffocating.
"Do you mind directing us to our classes?" Rick asked politely.
"Of course," she replied, her tone softening. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. Maybe I wouldn't rip her head off… yet.
She walked me to my class first. The teacher was already in the middle of a lecture when she knocked on the door.
"Mr. Richard, sorry to disturb you, but I'd like to introduce Hayley. She's new. Please make her feel welcome."
"Bye," Rick whispered quickly, peeling away with the Vice Principal.
I stepped inside, and the sensory wave slammed into me all over again. Heartbeats thudded against my ears, every rhythm pounding like a call I had to ignore. The sour stink of sweat, perfume, and nerves clung to the air. Blood sang beneath fragile skin, taunting me. My fangs ached, sharper now, and I forced them down, burying the urge to feed.
And worse, the wolf scent was here too. Faint, but undeniable. It clung to the walls, the floor, even some of the students. My stomach twisted. This wasn't just a classroom full of prey. It was crawling with enemies.
"Hayley, would you mind telling us a little about yourself?" Mr. Richard asked kindly, trying to break the tension.
"I'm not interested in doing that," I muttered, sliding into the nearest seat without looking at him.
His smile faltered. "Well… okay, then. Since Hayley isn't much of a talker, let's continue with the lesson." His voice carried a hint of offense, but I didn't care.
Still, the stares didn't stop. Their eyes clung to me like leeches. It was torture. My fangs ached just beneath the surface. The urge to sink them into warm flesh was unbearable.
But I couldn't. I wouldn't.
Mum had prepared us for this. Before the move, she'd hired a witch to brew a masking potion that cloaked our scent from humans, wolves, and even other vampires. To them, we smelled like nothing more than ordinary teenagers. Without it, the stink of predator would've given us away instantly.
But the potion did nothing to dull my own heightened senses. The classroom reeked of humanity: their sweat, their blood pumping just beneath fragile skin. The stench clung to the air like rotting fruit, sour and irresistible all at once. My throat burned. My fangs pressed even harder against my gums, desperate to pierce.
I gripped the edge of my desk, nails digging into the wood until it cracked faintly beneath my fingers. Feeding here wasn't an option. If I slipped, if I exposed myself, I wouldn't just ruin things for me. I'd destroy everything the clan had built. They were counting on Rick and me to blend in. Failure wasn't possible.
So I sat there, body rigid, forcing my jaw to stay shut while Mr. Richard droned on about something I didn't understand. The lesson blurred into meaningless noise. My only focus was holding myself together.
And then I felt it—eyes. Not the curious, fleeting stares of the others. No, this gaze lingered. Heavy. Probing. Almost like it could peel back my skin and see what I really was beneath.
I turned slowly, scanning the room until I found them. A pair of eyes, sharp and unrelenting, locked on me. They weren't just staring. They were studying. Searching. Almost like they knew.
My chest tightened. The potion should've masked me. It should've kept me hidden. But that look… it was dangerous.
Human? Maybe. Werewolf? I prayed not. Vampire? Impossible or at least it should've been.
Whoever they were, their eyes told me one thing for certain.
They weren't fooled.
And if they weren't fooled… I was already in trouble.