George
I should start looking for Jared today.
I look at my reflection in the mirror as I wear my cape. I fix the pins tucking my bangs.
Where are you, Jared?
"Let's go?" Clarkson asks when I get my bow.
I nod at him and smile.
"Bye, Tuna!" I look at the cat and wave at him.
"Meow," the cat replies while his tail sways.
Clarkson opens the door for me and gives me a soft smile.
"Bye," Clarkson says, "Tuna," he continues and closes the door.
We walk outside.
This place.
My gaze roams around the village. Behind these organized and disciplined citizens are the higher-ranking officials allying with their enemies. I thought this place was perfect. But it is far from an ideal village. There are so many tangled and overlapping cases.
My mother tried to seek the truth. But she is in the dungeon after seeking that truth.
I've been staying here in less than a month but it seems like a year already. The citizens here welcomed me. But now I'm labeled as a daughter of a traitor.
Despite all of this, I realized...
Our Alpha hasn't yet.
He never welcomed me.
"Saufe!" a little girl greets and waves at me.
"Saufe," I softly reply.
I wonder why.
Is it because I'm a half-blood?
I'm from mortals?
"What's wrong?" Clarkson asks and squeezes my cheek.
"Mm?" I raise my eyebrows. "Just... thinking of something."
"There is a serious problem going on," Elis begins while checking each student.
The whole class forms a huge platoon formation.
"There are werewolves who stole chickens in the farm," he says.
"How immature," he spits. "Stealing chickens? Are you serious?"
"Surprisingly, no one surrendered and none got caught," Elis says.
"Are you sure none of you knows the thief!" Elis yells which startles the student in front of him.
"Yes, Sir!" we yell.
"Again!?" he yells.
"Yes, Sir!" we yell louder.
"Why am I not feeling any liars among you?" he asks, genuinely confused. "No one is hiding anything either?"
He walks to our line still frowning.
"So many things happened the moment you entered this village," he whispers in gritted teeth as he walks in front of me, locking his gaze with mine.
"We have no classes today," Elis says. I'll be participating in the investigation about this silly chicken thief," he says and leaves.
"So many things to investigate," he growls.
We also walk back to the village. Some remove their capes. Some loosen their elbow pads. Some undo their braids.
"Oh, by the way," Elis stops walking and faces us. The whole class including me, hurriedly go back to the formation.
I bit my lip to suppress a laugh seeing one of our classmates standing in front of me hurriedly tie the bottom of his cape around his neck. I look at my side and see my classmate wearing the elbow pad on her knees in panic.
"Pft," I close my eyes and look away.
"How about we play?" Elis says and smiles, for the first time. "If you find out who those thieves are, you'll increase you're ranking in this training five times higher."
We waited for him to fully leave the class. Once Elis is gone the search for the chicken thief starts.
"What are you doing? Clarkson asks.
"Transforming, I say while my eyes are closed.
I open my eyes. Everyone is walking past each other. They might be looking for the thieves.
"Did you steal those chickens?"
"Hey, is that you!"
Perks of having a built-in lie detector. You just have to ask your suspect. Maybe we should be a judge in the court of mortals.
"Everyone wants the rank increase except you," Clarkson says and sits beside me.
"I don't need the rank promotion I say and close my eyes again.
"Honestly, you need a rank promotion, George," he says while scratching the back of his neck.
I look at him and glare.
"I mean, look. You can use this as an opportunity to use your abilities. The lie detector. What if you found out who is it, right?"
Oh, wait.
I might find that Jared is one of these villagers.
"You're right. I can use this opportunity to use my ability," I say before marching to the heart of the village.
"Hey! Do you know Anastasia?" I ask one of the werewolves.
"We don't have Anastasia here " he replies in a frown. "Did you steal the chickens?" he asks me.
"No," I say in an offended voice.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he says.
"Hey, do you know Anastasia?" I ask another werewolf.
I run around the village and try to look for Jared. But no one knows Stacey here.
"I'm sorry. Is Anastasia a new friend?"
Jared.
Where are you?
Stacey says you are here.
How well did you hide yourself?
"I'm sorry I just want to ask if you have any idea about this chicken case?" someone asks me randomly.
"No, sorry," I reply.
Everyone is desperate for the promotion.
But I'm desperate to look for him.
"Okay, so what is this meeting all about?" Cayden asks.
"Why did you steal my car?" Saber asks, leaning on the wall beside the bed.
"We're done with your car, Saber," Cayden says.
"We haven't figured out why she did that," Saber says.
"We have to share our thoughts on what is really happening underneath these stuffs occurring," I say and sit on the bed.
"Mmm... Hmm," Clarkson nods and sits beside me as I write in my journal.
"The only thing I know is that there are spies everywhere. It could be anyone," I add.
"Well, they have a hunch that they are high-ranking officers.
Saber frowns. "That can't be."
"Stacey says Jared has a problem inside the vampire city," I say. My gaze lands on Cayden sitting on the floor with his arms hugging his knees.
"Joaquin says werewolves are attending a meeting. He says he can not pinpoint them since they are nameless. When the vampires figure out that Joaquin has an alliance with the next Alpha's mother he is captured," I say and write everything in my journal.
Should I tell them about Jared?
"So we have to find out where the spies are, who are they are what is their motive," Clarkson says.
Maybe next time, George.
Tell them about him when you find him. He's hiding for a reason.
"Yeah. Anyone suspicious?" I ask.
"No one. But I'll pay more attention to them now," Cayden says.
"I'll be more exposed to high rankings now. I'll tell you if I find someone suspicious," Saber says.
"Do you... know any new werewolves around the village...?" I hesitantly ask.
"We know everyone here," Cayden says.
"Especially him," Saber says, pointing at Cayden. "Why did you ask?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking, we should look if there are outsiders that enter the village." I swallow and wet my lips. "Well, we should gather if we have new information about these spies, okay?" I say and fold my journal.
"You're hiding something," Saber says to me.
"By the way, congrats to your rank promotion," I say to Saber.
I walk outside. Clarkson follows.
"Do you know where the chickens are?" I ask Clarkson.
"Yeah, my parents live there," he says.
I follow him.
"Isn't it strange that they never felt the presence of the thief?" I ask as I look around.
Once we get there, the werewolves are there too.
"Well," Clarkson pauses. " Maybe the thief isn't that suspicious."
"They didn't even hear him?" I ask. " The chickens as well?"
"They heard the chickens but there's no trace of who the thief is."
"This is ridiculous. A chicken thief?" I hear Sophia say searching through every square inch of the farm.
"They're all guarding the farm," I say.
Most of our classmates are here. I'm shocked that even Sophia is here too. She is a top student already. She doesn't have to go here. She doesn't have to prove herself.
She's also another problem I have to solve. Why is she mad at me? It's fine if she's mad not only to me. But no. It's only I who she's attacking.
I walk to the barn. Everyone is guarding a spot.
"Don't we have a curfew?" I ask.
"For now, we don't," Clarkson says.
I walk past the barn. I pull out my phone a turn on the flashlight.
"I don't think the thief will show up," I whisper. " Maybe he heard that he's the villagers' most wanted werewolf now."
"What are you doing?" Clarkson asks whispering as well.
"Scanning the area," I whisper back.
"Okay, I'll stay here," Clarkson says.
My senses become hypersensitive because of the extreme silence.
I feel something.
Is it danger? Is it the thief?
The sound of the sole of my slippers hitting the soft soil became loud in the middle of this silence. The tall grass made me realize I'm getting far from the barn.
"There's nothing here," I whisper.
A growl.
My sense of hearing becomes more sensitive.
I look around.
"Who's there?" I say.
I hear a soft rustling sound behind the tall grass coming from my left. I take big steps to find who it is.
"Someone's here!" I yell and wave my phone.
I can't believe I'll have a promotion! I won't be in the bottom ten anymore!
"Who's that?"
"Miss George!"
"Where is she?"
The werewolves' murmurs reach my ears despite being far away.
"I'm here! Behind the barn!" I yell.
"Shit" I hear a curse from the werewolf I'm catching.
The trail of tall grasses ends.
"Hey!" I yell and give all my strength.
I felt my hands and thighs aching as well as my jaw.
"Stop!"
"Damn, she's stronger now. Why now?" the thief mumbles in an exhausted sigh. One of his hands is carrying a chicken by its neck.
"The thief is here! The thief is here!" I yell.
I become near him. I jump on his back and grab his neck. With all of my strength, I push the thief's chest and he lies on the ground.
"Hah!" I kneel one of my knees on his chest, "You thought you could get away from me, huh?" I put the flashlight on his face.
"Who are youâ" I gasp when I see familiar mismatched eyes.
"Jared?" I say while panting.
"Wow, you're a real werewolf now," he says. He smiles. My heart skips a beat. I ignore the blood at the corners of his mouth and touch his face.
I look at my arms and see red fur covering my skin. I exhale and inhale deeply.
I cannot contain everything that is happening. I transformed. Jared is here. I touch his cheeks. He leans on it and closes his eyes.
"Hi," he whispers.
"George!" Clarkson's voice echoes on the farm.
"You stole the chicken?" I whisper.
He didn't answer.
"How did you get here?" I ask.
The werewolves' steps become more audible as they get nearer and nearer.
"I'm sorry," Jared pushes me off him which makes me hit my back on the ground.
"HeyâOuch!" I cry in pain.
"George" Clarkson says once he sees me.
"It's just her cat," Sophia says in annoyance.
I shift my gaze to the side and see Mr. Tuna cleaning his paws casually.
"Tuna?" I ask in disbelief.
He looks at me and says, " Meow?"
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