NOT A TYPICAL SCHOOL DAY

3 MARCH, WEDNESDAY, MORNING

Today was the day! I mean, I knew it, but it didn't quite hit me until Fluffy and EJ escorted me to the Theater Club's Black Box. We weren't going to class today. The students involved in Winderhill's "big theater production" was supposed to meet at the Black Box to prepare for the show. We were the first there and had to wait outside till Bert came by.

"Hey, what are you kids hanging around here for?" He yelled from afar, but then he recognized my blue flaring hair and tried to speed up his limp, "Oh, it's you gal."

I walked over to him, meaning to save him the trouble, but in the end it looked like he had to walk down the hallway anyway. It was part of his route.

"Yer never know." Bert said, "Vamps liked to slink around these quiet places."

But the vamps weren't in school yet. I kept quiet though. Bert had been working here for years, I was sure he knew what he was doing.

Thanks to Bert, who had masterkey to every room in school, the three of us were let into the Black Box early.

"Thanks, Bert!" I said.

"No problem." Bert brushed it off and turn to continue his painful limping walk through his morning route.

It must have shown on my face, because the next thing I knew, EJ had stuck his face like right in front of mine, "What's wrong Pretty Alpha?"

I stepped back and waved him off. The red head didn't seem to understand personal space. I think ex-fightdogs needed special lessons - like how we had Customs and Culture lessons here at Winderhill. Ex-fightdogs needed to learn basic things like not putting their face so close. I would say, if I could smell your breath, you're too close. Yes, that would be a good rule of thumb.

"Did the old wolf offend you?" Fluffy asked, his usual masked smile in place, but his wolf an evil glint in his eyes now.

Actually, no, I don't think any lesson in school could help these guys. Maybe what they really needed was someone like Mum... that's right! Maybe they just needed a mother to teach them. Wait, wasn't that me? I adopted them right? Oh no. These two were doomed.

I wasn't even a good babysitter, how was I supposed to mother these guys? Okay, Ki turned out fine. Okay, no... most of what Ki turned out to be was from his previous life at the Lorents. I had to work harder for these two, "No, Fluffy. I wasn't offended."

I decided to explain it the way Mum would explain things to me when I was a pup, "I was sad for him because it looked like he was hurting."

"Pretty Alpha has such a soft heart." Fluffy praised.

"Pretty Alpha is a softie!" EJ concluded.

No! That wasn't it! I flared, a good and proper flare, and the two guys laughed.

"That's not it!" I yelled at them, "Stop laughing!"

"But doesn't Pretty Alpha like it when we laugh?" EJ asked. EJ liked to ask stupid things with a wide-eyed innocent look.

What?

Fluffy smiled, "I thought it would cheer you up too."

Huh? Wait, what?

"You mean you two are always clowning around because of me?" I asked very carefully.

"Well yes. But also because it's fun." EJ answered in all honesty.

"Pretty Alpha is the most fun to follow." Fluffy smiled agreeably.

"Who's the least fun?" I grinned, momentarily forgetting that I was supposed to be Mum.

"Luna Bell." EJ answered.

"Scary Beta." Fluffy answered.

"Oh yeah, scary Beta." EJ changed his answer, "I don't like the old Morning Light Gamma either. He's always yelling at me. I don't even know why."

"He yells because you're not following instructions." Fluffy told him.

"There were instructions?" EJ's eyes widened, "Why didn't he just say so?"

I laughed then. I could definitely picture Gamma Endo yelling because a particular red head was just not doing what he ordered.

I changed my mind, I didn't really want either of them to change after all. They were really fun the way they were.

Fluffy pulled out a chair in the audience for me, and we sat down to wait for the others to arrive. But now that I was sitting in the Black Box and staring at the dark empty stage, I realized that in two lesson blocks, I'd be performing on the even larger stage in the hall IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL + VIPs + LNC. I took out my script to review, and then I picked up the script and went up to pace the empty stage as I mentally played out each scene I was at.

I was very into it too, and only realized EJ had been stalking me step for step, up and down the stage the entire time. I think he was rehearsing Nerd? Either that or he was clowning. I hadn't noticed. I hadn't even quite noticed in the darkness that some of the other kids had arrived.

Fluffy had started helping some girls with their make up. Fluffy was very good at doing hair and make up. I remembered he said he used to be a pet dog to a young vampire girl and did everything with her. But looking at what he was able to do, I sometimes suspected that he did everything for her too. He would do every girl's make up and hair, praising anything from the color of their eyes to the smoothness of their skin.

Basically, he was very well trained at pampering and complimenting girls.

My betas had evaluated Fluffy's skill to include reading and translating vampire and lycan languages, even the ancient ones. Did he use to do her homework? The other skills I've noticed included singing and dancing, flirting, styling clothes, serving tea, using throwing knives, turning really hot... He was also a very good student and could mentally calculate all the stuff in our Math textbook - but that seemed more like a newly discovered skill. Oh, and he was very sensitive to fluctuations in my mood. Sometimes I suspected he sensed the shift in my feelings quicker than even Ki.

An alpha scholar wolf... well, that would explain his academic abilities, but wasn't he wasted running around with me? Shouldn't he be studying under someone like the Great Teacher, or at least Mrs Beta? These were the type of wolves who truly benefited from knowledge right?

By the time Mr D got in, most of us were already there. Henry and I were just running through our lines now. We were sprawled on the audience seats and just speaking them, but yeah, it felt good to get this run-through. By this time, I didn't need cue-ins anymore. But Henry said to keep Fluffy online because I was bound to get distracted. That guy! I still hadn't called him out for setting up rehearsals two afternoons in a row. Did he think I had nothing else to do? But that would have to wait till lunchtime. I needed to focus on being Bulliet right now.

Madam Silvia and Ki got in last. They had been held up by slow moving traffic. Mr D started applauding the moment they came in like they were a newly married couple or something. From right behind me, EJ wolf-whistled repeatedly in between applauding.

"Such a beautiful couple." Fluffy remarked from next to me.

Hahahaha... oh these two were so naughty. Weren't they afraid of Charming Beta getting cross with them again?

I was still a little worried for Ki, especially when Madam Silvia had entered very obviously clinging to his arm, but now that I've seen Ki's steely capishe mode, I was a little less worried.

After that, Ki gathered us together and thanked us for the privilege and honor of directing this production. He thanked our producer, Mr Devon for generously giving him this opportunity, our stage manager, Beta Peter for his invaluable partnership, and of course he thanked the beautiful Madam Silvia for guiding him. I watched him dish out the platitudes with his usual charming professional smile. Once done with the adults, Ki turned to us kids and reminded us to stay in character till the curtain call. He was confident in us, we had worked hard, and he would be looking forward to watching the show later.

Of course, after hearing a speech like that, Madam Silvia and Mr Devon also had to take a turn to say a few words too. We patiently sat through it, and eventually, even Mr D ran out of platitudes and Ki told us to give ourselves a clap for coming so far. We clapped and cheered. Some of the seniors at the back counted to three and shouted in unison, "We love you Beta Ki!!!" And then they screamed like giddy school girls - which they were. Well most of them were. There were one or two guys among them too.

The rest of us laughed and clapped. And then they had to shout, "Thank you for your guidance, Madam Silvia!"

Because they were seniors and the students in our senior year were still all pack wolves who were taught such a phrase from young.

And because Mr D looked downright hurt to be left out, we all shouted, "We love you too, Mr D!"

Mr D was so touched he teared.

I felt happy though. This was going to be great no matter what happened out there because if nothing else, it was going into my memory bank as one of my best moments in highschool.

We did our warm ups in the Black Box and then lined up - yes, Mr D made us line up like elementary school kids according to our curtain call, but backwards. So Jasmine had to follow behind the adults with Henry and I behind her, and all the other cast a crew.

"How are you feeling Jasmine?" I asked as we walked along the empty hallways to the back of the assembly hall. It was still lesson time for the other students. We would be there early to put on the last touches of our make up and costumes, and just "reacquaint ourselves with the stage."

"Ooooohhh...." Jasmine squeezed her eyes shut in answer.

Ki glanced back and smiled, but Madam Silver tugged on his arm and he turned his attention back to listen.

"She's so possessive." Someone behind me whispered.

"I heard she tried to kiss him backstage after rehearsals yesterday." Someone else said.

"She's a cougar." Yet another someone chipped in. By now, I think they might have been the same group of seniors who had screamed they loved Ki.

I wanted to turn back to verify my suspicion, but Henry growled lowly next to me, "Leave it, Sam."

He's such a Mr Bossypants!

"Focus, Sam." Mr Bossypants instructed, and then he sighed, "Why do I always feel like I'm dealing with a time-bomb when I'm with you?"

Like the one that went off in my face on Monday morning? Did he want to try it too?

And then Henry smirked because he thought he had a very good idea, "Let's make a deal, Sam. If you can run through the entire play to the curtain call without getting distracted and having your wolf go off, I'll buy you something nice."

Was he bribing me? O,o.

But Dad said an alpha shouldn't take bribes. Maybe this wasn't really a bribe. Alpha James had done the same before too - promising to give me something nice if I were good and stood down and let him handle the wolves who kidnapped his luna. So Boo took a nap and I got some pretty presents after that. That wasn't really a bribe, more like a reward. Rewards should be okay.

"I want a flip knife." I told Henry, "A cool one that's small enough to keep in my pocket when folded, but strong enough to do actual damage in a blade fight."

Yes, I had been giving it some thought.

"What the hell, Sam." Henry smirked, but he agreed, "Alright fine. A flip knife it is."

I guess it must have been cheaper than what he was planning to pay.

Okay, Boo. I was suddenly all fired up. You're gonna run my way today because I WANT THAT FLIP KNIFE.