Chapter One

The library is jam-packed, as it usually is during midterms. But of the hundreds of students in here, only about half are actually studying; the remaining half is split between those snagging a good library sleep and those using the free wifi here for things completely unrelated to studying- like the guy I pass on my way to the shelf typing 'pornhub' on his search bar.

I turn my face away, face involuntarily scrunched up. When I get to the shelves, I grab a few books for my intro to psychology class and go back to my study group table.

Yes, I am part of the studying population.

"So guys, I was thinking it's best to divide and conquer seeing how bulky the course load is-" I say as I drop the textbooks on the table, just to look up and see that all my friends are busy on their phones.

My friends, apparently, aren't part of the studying population.

"Guys" I snap my fingers in front of them to their attention but to no avail. "Hello, earth to y'all"

Still no response.

I reach out and snatch a phone straight out of one of their hands.

"Hey, not cool" the guy, Calum, says and tries to reach out for his phone but I hold it away from his grasp.

"What's not cool is that we came here to study, not watch…" I trail off and look at the phone screen for a few seconds. "the network news?"

Calum uses the opportunity of me being thrown off to grab his phone back. "Yeah, we're watching the breaking headlines" he says

"There was an attack last night" Thea, my bestfriend, says. "At the local farm; all the livestock were brutally murdered, flesh torn and all"

Noah, Thea's boyfriend, speaks up next. "Most people are speculating that it's just a random wild animal attack but there's another crazy theory circulating. With the nature of the attacks and the scratch marks and all, some people believe that-"

"Werewolves are back" Calum finishes the sentence, his voice lowered to sound dark and conspiratorial.

Just as I'm about to respond, someone comes up behind me and places a kiss on my neck before settling down beside me. It is my boyfriend, Jesse.

"What's up, guys?" He says with his signature smile. "I can't help but notice that Eloise is here yet the textbooks are still closed"

"We were just talking about the local farm attack" Thea says

"Oh, yeah, I saw that in the news earlier" Jesse sits up. "What are your theories?"

"I for one think that the whole werewolf thing is completely ridiculous" Thea says. "I mean, there hasn't been a werewolf sighting in years and then what, they just reappear and start killing random animals? Nah"

"But the evidence is there" Calum counters. "Let's be real here, what other creature could have made such claw marks?"

"Uh, I don't know, real wolves?"

"You guys are missing the point here" I cut in, raising my voice above theirs, "point being that they most definitely won't ask us about werewolves during our midterms so if we could please focus and drop our phones" I look pointedly at them one after the other till they give in and drop their phones.

"Thank you" I smile sweetly and open one of the textbooks in front of me. "So as I was saying about dividing and conquering, maybe we'll split it by topic; Thea and Calum should take schools in psychology while Jesse, Noah and I will take-"

"But what if it really was a werewolf attack?" Noah cuts in suddenly. "That would mean werewolves are still living amongst us; that there are werewolves in this school and maybe," he smirks and looks at each of us suspiciously, "there's a werewolf on this table"

"Noah, please let's leave the werewolf tal-" I begin

"If there's a werewolf on this table, it's definitely going to be Calum" Jesse says. "I mean, he's got the hairy and gruff part down"

Calum scratches the stubble on his chin. "Hey, just because I'm a little behind on shaving doesn't make me a monster, I'm not gonna take that accusation lightly, you know" contrary to his words, he is grinning. "If there's a werewolf on this table, it'll most definitely be Eloise: uptight, bossy and oh look, she's twitching, probably hungry for my blood"

I'm indeed twitching, but simply because I'm trying my best to not sucker punch Calum right now.

"Ha ha, very funny" I manage to bite out with a forced smile. "Now, can we please get back to the matter at hand without any more distractions?"

"Okay, alpha wolf" Jesse comments under his breath with a small chuckle and I give him a menacing side glare.

"Sorry, babe" he quickly says, laughter faded out, and pecks mu cheek.

I divide the topics among us and we finally get to study in silence for a while until Calum yawns loudly.

"I can't focus anymore, I'm starving" he says and stretches. "I call for a lunch break"

"You can't call for a lunch break, it's too early" I say

"I'm actually pretty hungry" Thea says. "I wouldn't mind getting something to eat"

"Yeah, same here" Noah says, getting up with Calum and Jesse nods in agreement.

"You should eat something too, El, didn't you skip breakfast?" Thea gets up.

"I'll get something later. Right now, I just want to get past chapter three-"

"Nah, I'll get something for you" Jesse says, getting up. "What do you want?"

I smile gratefully. I haven't eaten because I am short on cash at the moment.

But never would I admit to that.

"An everything bagel with cream cheese and a frappucino, please"

"You got it" he leans down and pecks my lips.

"Ah, so you were hungry," Calum smirks, "I'm not surprised though, werewolves are known to have huge appetites"

I roll my eyes. "Give it a rest, Cal"

He laughs and the four of them walk away, leaving me.

I sigh and organise the textbooks on the table, closing them up after marking the pages.

There's no harm if I take a little break myself.

I think back to the news about the lifestock attack and what it could mean for Krystal City.

I'll have to agree with Thea- it's close to ridiculous to think that werewolves could have done it. I mean, it would've been plausible fifty years ago during the height of the human-werewolf conflict but a lot has changed since then. We won the war. Werewolves were caught and mass executed, save for the few that managed to escape, never to show themselves again. Even if, somehow, there are still some werewolves in Krystal City, they wouldn't dare show themselves by blatantly attacking a farm. And they most definitely won't be hiding in plain sight like Noah thinks; anti-werewolf legislature made sure of that, and from kindergarten, they'd taught us how to identify a werewolf from their physical appearance. It was a simple poem:

'If they have long nails and sharp, pointy teeth,

With long ears and more hair than any human you'll ever meet,

Then it's a big, bad werewolf you see;

Run away before you become its next meal.'

But whatever the cause of the attack was, it doesn't matter. Sure, animals were killed and the farmer suffered a loss, but no human life was lost, so why is everyone making it a big deal?

"You know, when you sit at the group table, you're meant to have a group" a voice says above me, dragging me out of my thoughts.

I look up to see that it's none other than Asher, my…well, basically my archenemy.

Asher and I used to be friends back in elementary and middle school, best friends even, but then high came along and really put a strain on our friendship. We started competing for the same things till the lines blurred and everything became a personal battle. Then, one day during our junior year, he became completely cold towards me and in the blink of an eye, sixteen years of friendship went down the drain.

"You know, when you don't have anything better to say, you shut the fuck up" I retort and stick out my tongue.

"You know, I was just on my way to meet the dean. Now I just have to make him aware that he admitted a child"

"I must be a child prodigy then, since I'm taking most of the same classes with you and getting better grades" I smile sweetly. "But while you're at the dean's, please do make sure to add that fact"

Asher mimics me before walking off.

I roll my eyes and decide that perhaps, I've taken too long a break, so I open one of the textbooks in front of me and pick up my pencil.