By the end of her third day at Moonridge High, Amanda knew exactly where she stood, beneath everyone. It didn't matter that her new stepfather was practically the richest man in Moonridge. It didn't matter that she wore the same uniform or walked the same polished halls, she sat alone at lunch, everybody avoided her like a plague. To them, she was no one. No, not 'no one', she was worse, she was Skylar Blackthorne's inferior stepsister. The exterior of the school was normal enough, the halls of Moonridge High were far from normal. There were cliques and ranks and, as far as Amanda could tell; those who were from the town and those who weren't, outsiders like her. She might as well have had a target on her back.
As she had her lunch alone again for the third day in a row, surrounded by whispers, Amanda tried to ignore them, focusing on her food. No one approached her that was until she heard footsteps coming in her direction. She looked up and saw a girl, tall, blonde and sharp-eyed, approaching her like she was walking onto a battlefield. She was flanked by two girls, brunette and also pretty in a fun way. Amanda knew who she was, Tessa. She had heard her name whispered around the hallway a lot and, more importantly, she had always seen her lingering around Skylar.
"I figured I'd introduce myself", Tessa said, sitting down across from Amanda without permission.
"Tessa Nightbane, head of the social council and future Luna", she spoke up.
Amanda blinked.
"Wh... what?", she asked.
Tessa arched her brow and looked at her like she was the crazy one.
"Skylar's future Luna, obviously", Tessa repeated.
"Oh, right", Amanda tried to keep her expression neutral, but she was confused as hell.
Tessa leaned forward, her voice dropping just enough to be deadly.
"Let me make this simple for you. You may live in Samuel Blackthorne's house, you may wear our uniform, but you're not one of us. You're just… a charity case with a pretty face", she said the last part as she threw a condescending look at her.
Amanda's lips parted in disbelief.
"And Skylar? He's not your brother, but he's not yours either, so stay away from him", Tessa smiled tightly.
Amanda scoffed; She was beyond shocked.
"He's my stepbrother. I have no interest in-", she began to explain, but Tessa leaned in.
"You smell interested", she said simply.
Amanda opened her mouth, then closed it back again. She had no idea how to respond to that.
"I'll say it only once: stay away from Skylar, for your own safety", she added, and with that, she stood, brushed invisible lint from her skirt and strutted off.
Amanda stared at her back even as she walked further and further away until,
"Don't worry, it's not just you", a voice said from behind her.
Amanda looked up and saw a girl smiling at her. She wore glasses and had her hair in two braids.
"She's like that with everyone", she said as she sat down across from Amanda.
"I'm Stacie", she introduced herself.
"Amanda", Amanda answered softly when she got over the surprise.
"Nice to meet you Amanda, I think we're in the same class, you're new here, right?", Stacie continued to speak.
Amanda smiled softly and was all too happy to engage her.
"Yes, yeah..."
---
Later that afternoon, she spotted Skylar in the outdoor training yard. She wasn't even trying to find him, he was just there, like he always was, carved into every corner of this school whether he spoke or not, but this time, something was wrong. He was standing in the center of the ring, shirt off, chest heaving. Across from him, a tall senior, Logan, was already bleeding from the mouth.
"I said you don't get to dictate who Tessa talks to", Logan spat.
Skylar didn't speak, his jaw was tight, his eyes glinted with restrained fury. Amanda paused near the edge of the yard, half hidden behind a row of bushes. A crowd had gathered, hushed and watchful, no one dared intervene.
Logan lunged but Skylar moved like lightning. In seconds, Logan was slammed to the ground, a growl ripping from Skylar's throat, not fully human. His shoulders hunched forward, muscles rippling as his control slipped. And then, his eyes glowed, bright gold, shimmering. Amanda's breath caught. Skylar's nails lengthened, his entire body trembling, he grabbed Logan forcefully and she was almost sure he was going to kill him but instead, he leaned in and growled something too low to hear, then shoved Logan off and stalked away, shirt in hand, chest glistening with sweat. As he passed, his golden eyes flicked up and locked with hers, just for a second. Her heart slammed against her ribs like it was trying to escape, then he was gone. But for that moment they had locked eyes, Amanda was sure she had seen him, seen what was under his skin, and she couldn't stop thinking about it.
---
That night, the moon rose high over Moonridge. Amanda tossed in bed, her sheets damp with sweat. The moonlight filtered through the curtains like silver threads, too bright, too sharp. Eventually, she drifted off and she dreamt. In her dream she was running, barefoot, wild, through an endless forest. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Her skin was glowing silver beneath the moonlight. A wolf ran beside her, midnight black, eyes like fire, muscles rippling as he moved with deadly grace. They ran together, fast and free, hearts beating in sync. She could feel him, she was part of him. When he turned to look at her, her vision blurred, then sharpened, Skylar.
"Run faster", he said, his voice oddly like thunder.
She tried, but the trees thickened, the air turned red, the moon bled into the sky, then fire, then darkness, then... Pain. The pain was so intense like she had never felt before. She jolted awake with a gasp. Her wrist stung, she looked down and was surprised to see a thin red scratch curved across her skin, like a claw had dragged across it, fresh, real. She blinked hard, she vaguely remembered the dream, she remembered Skylar, she remembered the wolf but dreams didn't leave marks. And yet, the wound stung, as real as the pulse in her throat.
Outside, a wolf howled once, long and low, carried by the wind and in her chest something stirred. The night pressed against her windows like a secret waiting to break. Amanda wrapped her arms around herself and whispered into the silence:
"What are you, Skylar Blackthorne?"