Chapter 4: Morning Encounters

After practice, I headed to the locker room to change. The judgmental looks everyone had given me before had turned into ones of respect after I'd shown what I could do on the field. As I made my way to my locker, I noticed a tall guy with light brown eyes and short brown hair standing nearby. He seemed laid-back, so I decided to strike up a conversation to pass the

"Hey, I'm Lucian Aldric. What's your name?" I asked, tossing my gear into the locker.

"It's Danny Mahealani," he replied with a nod. "And yeah, I know who you are. The whole team's been talking about you. You killed it out there."

"Thanks. I just tried to give it my best," I said, careful not to come off as arrogant.

"What really surprised me was Scott, though," Danny continued. "He blocked every shot we took. I don't remember him being that good. If he was, Coach would've put him on defense ages ago, not left him warming the bench."

"Wait, so he wasn't always this good? You think he's juicing?" I asked, glancing at Danny with a hint of suspicion.

"I don't think so. I've seen guys on steroids, and Scott just looks… lost, not amped up. If someone was juicing, they'd be acting way more confident, right?" Danny said, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, but maybe this is his first time, and he didn't know how intense it would be," I suggested, still unsure.

"Could be, but Scott doesn't seem like the type who'd mess around with that stuff," Danny replied, shaking his head.

We finished changing and headed out of the locker room together. Outside, I spotted Hope waiting for me near my car. She saw us coming and walked up, a bright smile on her face.

"You were a natural out there," she said, her voice full of pride.

"Thanks," I replied, trying to keep it cool. "I just tried my best."

"So, aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?" Hope asked, glancing at Danny.

"Oh, right! Hope, this is Danny. Danny, meet Hope," I said, gesturing between them.

"Nice to meet you, Danny," Hope said warmly.

"Same here," Danny replied with a smile.

"Anyway, we should get going, Hope. The moving company should be here soon. See you around, Danny," I said as I unlocked my car—my trusty Bumblebee. If you're a true car guy, you've got to name your ride; otherwise, you're not a real man. The same rule applies to guns, in my book.

On our way home, Hope and I chatted about the practice, Scott's strange behavior, and her conversation with Lydia. When we pulled up to the house, the moving truck was already there. With the movers' help and Hope's eye for detail, we managed to get everything set up. The house really started to feel like home. Later, we sat down to a hearty meal I whipped up with the groceries we grabbed on the way back. After that, it wasn't long before we both crashed, ready to take on whatever tomorrow would bring

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I woke up the next morning, the sunlight piercing through the curtains, dragging me out of sleep. This time, no weird dreams of wolves, but something else lingered—a memory maybe? Screams, shouts, and the sharp smell of iron. It was all too fuzzy to make sense of, so I shook it off and got out of bed.

I headed to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the warm water wake me up. After that, I threw on a white shirt and black jeans, something simple. I ran a hand through my hair, not really caring if it looked perfect, then went to wake up Hope.

I knocked on her door and opened it slightly. She was still out cold, buried under her blankets. "Hope, time to get up," I said, giving her a gentle shake. She groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. I couldn't help but laugh.

"C'mon, we can't be late again," I said, a bit louder this time.

She finally peeked out, her eyes half-open. "Alright, alright, I'm up," she mumbled.

"Breakfast in ten," I called as I left her room.

In the kitchen, I whipped up some scrambled eggs and toast. Nothing fancy, just enough to get us going. Hope shuffled in a few minutes later, still looking half-asleep. I handed her a plate, and we ate in silence, the only sound being the clinking of forks against plates.

Once we finished, I checked the time. "We should head out."

Hope nodded, grabbing her bag. We stepped outside, the morning air cool against our faces. The sun was already climbing, and I couldn't help but think back to that weird dream or memory—whatever it was. But I pushed it out of my mind as we got into the car. We had another day to get through, and that was enough to focus on.

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We got to school early, but there were already plenty of people around. As we made our way through the crowd, I spotted Scott and Stiles, caught up in one of their usual loud conversations.

"Hey, Scott! Stiles!" I called out, drawing their attention. They both turned, looking surprised that I knew their names.

"You know our names?" Stiles asked, eyebrows raised.

"Of course I do. How else would I let you know when I'm passing the ball to you on the field?" I said with a smirk.

Stiles blinked, still processing. "But we're benchwarmers."

"Yeah, but you never know when you'll get subbed in. Gotta be ready, right? That's how it was when I played basketball. Anyway, see you guys at practice," I said, giving them a nod before Hope and I continued on our way. As we walked off, I overheard Stiles say, "Damn, didn't expect him to be so cool."

"Yeah," Scott muttered in agreement.

As we headed to our lockers, I spotted Allison and walked over. "Morning, Allison," I said, offering a friendly smile. "Did you sleep well?"

She sighed, looking a bit frustrated. "Not really. The bed's still too unfamiliar. I couldn't get comfortable." 

"New places take time to get used to. Maybe tonight will be better," I said, trying to be reassuring.

Allison smiled, appreciating the concern. "Hopefully."

Hope joined us, and the three of us chatted for a bit before heading to our classes. The day was off to a good start, with a few friendly encounters setting a positive tone. It felt like things were starting to come together, and I couldn't help but feel optimistic about what was ahead.

I had biology next, so I headed to class. But it seemed I took too long talking to Allison and ended up being a bit late. By the time I walked in, all the seats were taken except for one at the back. I sighed, making my way to the last row. I set my books down on the table and noticed the girl sitting next to me. She was wearing a hoodie, the hood pulled low over her face, making it hard to see her features. She seemed like the type who preferred to stay unnoticed, but I decided to say hello anyway.

"Hey, how you doing? My name's Lucian Aldric. What's yours?" I asked, keeping my tone casual.

She looked at me in surprise, like she hadn't expected anyone to talk to her. She hesitated, glancing away as if she wanted to ignore me, but I was persistent. I wanted to make more friends here. Hope and Allison were great, but they were always in their own little world, chatting about things that didn't interest me much. Lydia and Jackson? They were a whole different story. And while Scott and Stiles were cool, they had their own quirks that made them a bit... strange. The way I saw it, the more friends I had, the better.

"So, what's your name?" I asked again, trying to sound friendly.

"Erica Reyes," she finally answered, her voice quiet.

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Erica," I said, flashing a smile.

"Same here," she replied, almost shyly.

I could tell she wasn't used to people talking to her, but I figured that just made this more important. Maybe she needed a friend just as much as I did.

"So, how do you like Beacon Hills so far? Since, you know, you just moved here," she asked, surprising me. She seemed more interested in the conversation now, and I realized she might be as eager to make friends as I was.

"Yeah, it's an interesting little town. It's nice. I like it so far. And the woods? They're absolutely breathtaking. I go there every morning for a run," I replied.

"I'm not much of an outdoors person, but yeah, the woods here are nice. Been there a couple of times when I was a kid, but I saw a bug and never went back again," she said with a small smile.

I chuckled at that, glad to see her opening up a bit. "Bugs can be a deal-breaker, I get that."

We continued making small talk, finding out little things about each other. Erica was actually pretty funny once she got comfortable, and I could see she had a lot more to her than just the quiet girl in the back of the class.

Just as we were getting into a good rhythm, the teacher finally arrived, apologizing for being late because of car trouble. The class quieted down, but I couldn't help feeling glad that I'd ended up sitting next to Erica. Maybe this was the start of a new friendship.

Throughout the class, I noticed Erica glancing at me every now and then, like she was still trying to figure me out. I didn't mind. In fact, I found myself wondering more about her too. Who knew? Maybe this biology class would end up being more interesting than I'd expected, and not just because of the subject matter.

As the lesson went on, I couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction. Moving to a new town, starting fresh, making new connections—it all felt like the beginning of something good. And with people like Erica around, maybe Beacon Hills would end up being more than just another stop along the way.

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