𝐈 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄 to the sun shining across my face as I roll over onto my side – which is a big mistake – as it causes me to unceremoniously fall off my bed with a thud.

I groan as I untangle myself from my blankets before standing up and brushing myself off.

After I regained consciousness yesterday, Deucalion and Kali questioned me on how the boy escaped. I told them he got out of his chains and knocked me out which is technically the truth so they didn't detect any blips in my heartbeat. Satisfied with my answer, they sent me to sleep early.

I grab my backpack which I've already filled with the required books and stationary before walking over to my closet and pulling out an outfit to wear today. 

Once I'm dressed, I quickly run a comb through my hair and brush my teeth in the small ensuite connected to my room.

    "Wren are you ready?" Aidan yells at me through the door, unnecessarily loudly. Walking over to the door, I throw it open.

    "What took you so long?" Aidan questions with an unimpressed huff.

    "Well I'm sorry but unlike you I actually make an effort to wear nice things," I retort, eyeing his worn leather jacket. Aidan rolls his eyes.

    "Since when?" He questions sarcastically. I simply narrow my eyes at him before grabbing my bag and shoving past him to where Ethan is waiting for me on his motorbike.

~~~

I take a deep breath and smoothen out my plaid skater skirt for the one-hundredth time. 

    "Why are you so nervous? It's just school," Ethan says as he watches my fidgeting.

    "I've been home-schooled my whole life and have only seen what schools are like through movies. What if it's completely different in real life?" 

    "Oh trust me, it's completely different in real life…" Aidan is cut off as Ethan elbows him in his side.

    "Don't worry, you'll be fine," Ethan says right as the bell rings, signalling that we have to get to class.

    "We'll see you at lunch," Ethan calls as he and Aidan walk inside the building. I take another deep breath.

Well, here I go.

Without further ado, I push open the door and walk into the bustling hall.

Now, where would the administration office be? Surely it should be somewhere easy to find?

Apparently not. I search around the building about three times without coming across any sign of a head office. 

    "Do you need help? You look lost." I turn around to see a pretty girl with long, dark brown hair wearing a black skater dress that is cinched at the waist with a leather belt.

    "Uh, yeah. Do you know where the administration office is?" I ask her. She nods.

    "Follow me." I follow her down the hall and through a door which leads to another hallway before we finally stop in front of the office.

    "Thank you," I say with a small smile. She shrugs.

    "No problem. I'll wait here so I can show you to your locker as well. The school can be a bit of a maze at first," she offers.

    "I don't want to keep you from class," I protest, not wanting her to miss it because of me.

    "I have a free first period," she replies before sitting down on the bench outside the door. I nod before pushing open the door.

    "Name?" A woman with grey hair pushed back into a tight bun questions me from her position behind the large front desk.

    "Wren." I answer quickly. She looks up from her computer and at me.

    "Last name?" I hesitate for a moment as I try to remember the fake last name I signed myself up under.

    "Uh…Summers." The woman types it into her computer and waits a moment as the printer starts to print out my schedule and locker number.

She hands the papers over to me before returning to typing at the computer without so much as a smile to spare.

    "Thank you," I say but she just ignores me. Rude.

I leave the office and am greeted by the dark haired girl.

    "So what locker are you?" She inquires. I quickly fumble around with the papers in my hand for a moment.

    "Uh, 107." The girl smiles brightly displaying her dimples.

    "That's right next to mine. I'm Allison, by the way. Alison Argent. " 

    "Wren Summers."

~~~

We stop by my locker where I deposit a portion of my books before Allison shows me to my first class which I've missed more than half of.

    "Good luck," Allison whispers as we stop outside the door of Economics before walking down the hall.

Opening the wooden door of the classroom, I step inside to be met by our teacher who is wearing sports clothing, has crazy hair as if he's never seen a brush in his life and is wearing… a whistle around his neck?

The man, who I assume is my teacher; Coach Finstock spots me and blows his whistle harshly in my face, making my ears ring.

    "You, why are you late?" He demands as he points his finger at me. 

    "Uh, I'm new here…" I trail off as I start to wonder if this is P.E and not Economics.

    "Oh…well in that case, go take a seat next to Bolan, and don't make this tardiness a habit." Coach Finstock points to an empty chair next to a kid with light brown hair near the back.

    "My name is Nolan…" The kid starts to protest but is cut off.

    "Shut up, Bolan. Now, back to the increases in the stock market…"

I walk to the back of the class and take a seat in the chair next to Nolan. 

    "Is he always so…?" I trail off as I stare at Coach Finstock who has started to jump on his desk as he acts out some sort of explanation for the class.

    "Weird and crazy? Yup," Nolan whispers back. I giggle lightly as I watch him jumping and now also flapping his arms causing Nolan to chuckle lightly as well.

Well I can already tell this will be a very interesting class.

~~~

    "Hey Wren, come sit with us," Allison calls to me from her table once she spots me standing around the bustling cafeteria, searching for a place to sit.

I walk over to her table and sit down opposite her and a girl with strawberry blonde hair.

    "Wren, this is Lydia. Lydia, meet Wren," Allison introduces us. 

    "Did you just move to Beacon Hills?" Lydia questions curiously. I nod.

     "Yeah, my family and I moved here not that long ago," I answer before taking a bite of my apple that I got for lunch.

We continue to talk for a little while as we eat. I learn that Allison and Lydia are both single-children and while Lydia has lived here her whole life, Allison moved here last year.

    "Hey guys," a new voice greets our group. I look up to see two boys sitting down at our table. The boy that talked has short black hair, a slightly crooked jaw and is wearing some sort of military jacket while the other has a shade lighter hair and is wearing a plaid shirt.

    "What happened to your neck?" The boy in plaid questions me as he sits down next to me.

I bring a hand up to the small piece of gauze wrapped around the side of my neck.

    "I…was scratched by a branch when exploring the forest," I quickly answer as I take another bite of my apple.

I notice the guy with the crooked jaw furrowing his eyebrows slightly but is cut off as Allison speaks.

    "So guys this is Wren. She just moved here. Wren, this is Scott and Stiles," Allison says.

I smile kindly at them before noticing Aidan standing by the cafeteria door, motioning for me to come.

    "I've got to go to the bathroom. It was nice meeting you all," I say before quickly standing up and rushing over to the door and into the hallway.

    "Why were you sitting with them?" Aidan questions angrily, his tone surprising me slightly.

    "Well I wasn't aware I had to ask for your permission on who I can and can't sit with," I snap at him. Aidan growls angrily.

    "You do when they're other werewolves and supernaturals," Aidan says. I swallow.

    "Oh. Well, you could've warned me about that!" I exclaim in a hushed whisper, "I can't smell other supernatural like you and Ethan can."

Aidan doesn't say anything as he stares past me at Allison's table, probably using his hearing to listen in on their conversation. 

    "What are they sa-" I'm cut off by Aidan shushing me rather rudely.

The bell suddenly rings, signalling the end of lunch period. I let out a small huff. 

    "Okay, I'm off to class," I tell Aidan as I sling my bag over my shoulder. He doesn't say anything in response and simply walks away.

    "Bye Wren. I hope you have a wonderful day at school, girl I've known for the past 4 and a half years," I mutter under my breath, mimicking Aidan's annoying voice as I walk to my next class.

I stop by my locker quickly and put away my economics and Chemistry books before checking my schedule to see which class I have next. AP English with Ms. Blake apparently. I furrow my brow curiously; that name sounds familiar for some reason.

I walk over to room 154 and quietly enter the class, sitting down at a desk near the middle of the room by the window. 

Opening up my backpack, I pull out my English textbook that I ordered online from the syllabus along with a notebook and a pen.

I doodle mindlessly on the margin of my page as the classroom slowly fills up. I give a small smile to Lydia as she takes the seat behind me.

    "What are you doing in this class, Wren? I thought you were a freshman?" She questions curiously. 

    "This is the AP English class so I guess they just stuck me with an older year group instead of having a dedicated class," I deduct with a shrug of my shoulders. Lydia nods and I turn back around to continue to draw in my book.

The last student files into the class, Allison. She spots me and gives me a slightly confused smile before scanning the room for an empty desk. She lets out a reluctant breath before sitting in front of Scott. Huh, I sense some tension there…

All of a sudden, everyone's phones start to buzz. I look around in confusion as everyone pulls out their phones to read the message. I subtly peer over at Scott's phone to read the text seeing as I don't have a phone.

    "The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds and the tranquil waterway, leading to the outermost ends of the earth flowing sombre under…" Stiles mutters the text aloud but is cut off by a woman's voice.

    "An overcast sky seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." A woman with dark, tied back hair reads out as she walks into the classroom. Her heels clicking against the linoleum floors.

    "This is the last line to the first book we are going to read. It is also the last text you will receive in this class. Phones off, everyone." I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. 

How'd she get everyone's phone numbers? And isn't it illegal for a teacher to have a student's phone number?

Everyone puts away their phones and Ms. Blake begins the lesson.

~~~

I only half listen as Ms. Blake drones on about metaphors and different speech tools, my mind drifting off as I stare out the window and listen to the gossiping whispers around me.

    "Psst." 

    "Pssssst!" I turn my head slightly to see Stiles trying to get Lydia's attention not-so-subtly.

    "What?" Lydia hisses back.

    "How'd you get that? Was it from the accident?" Stiles questions. I wonder what he's talking about. Lydia huffs.

    "No. Prada bit me." 

    "Your dog?" Stiles exclaims, not even whispering at this point.

    "No, my designer handbag," I let out a small snicker which I cover with my hand as Stiles glares.

    "Yes, Stiles. My dog." I turn my attention back to the front of the class room and jot down a couple of notes from the blackboard before turning my attention back to whatever I was doodling.

I furrow my eyebrows in concern as I carefully inspect my drawing. It's of a crow, dozens of them. Lying at unnatural angles with the necks snapped.

I let out a choked gasp and slam my notebook shut harshly but the sound is drowned out by a much louder thud. 

The whole class turns to look out the windows to see a streak of red blood left by a dead crow. I swallow hard and clench my fists as another crow slams into the window, causing a small crack to form in the glass.

A girl near the front of the classroom lets out a scream as a black cloud appears, moving and contorting as it comes closer and closer.

    "Everyone get down!" Ms. Blake yells from the front of the class as the murder of crows break through the glass. 

I scramble out of my chair and fall under my desk, my cheek and forehead burning from where broken glass has sliced it. 

I close my eyes tightly and cover my head with my arms to protect it from the onslaught of sharp beaks that peck every inch of unprotected skin.

After three minutes, the cawing of crows stops and the whole room becomes deathly silent.

I slowly open my eyes to see all the crows have killed themselves, just like in my drawing…

I let out a small shudder and stand up, brushing some loose blood covered feathers off of my shirt as everyone else around the room does the same. I quickly pack up my notebook and textbook; gathering that the lesson is now obviously over. 

    "Hey, are you okay?" I look up as Stiles and Lydia walk over to me, both also in various states of disarray.

    "I'm fine, thanks," I reassure them with a small smile, ignoring the stinging pain in my head.

    "Are you so sure? That's a pretty bad cut on your forehead," Lydia points out. I shrug it off; I've had worse from Kali.

    "I'll stop by the nurses office before my next lesson. See you guys around." I offer a small smile and wave before slinging my bag over my shoulder and heading out of the class, brushing past the Sheriff as he walks over to Stiles and Lydia.

~~~

I skip the nurses office and instead find myself in the girls bathroom where I use a couple of wet paper towels to clean off the dried blood on my face and arms. 

I know the nurse would try to call my parents only to find out I gave the number for Pizza Hut in the application form.

Once I deem myself presentable, I push through the doors of the bathroom and head over to my locker to check my schedule. I definitely missed my Spanish class but I probably have ten minutes till my next class starts. 

I dial the combination for my locker and quickly open the red metal door, glancing over my schedule that I've taped to the inside of the door. I only have Biology and History before I'm done for the day. 

I grab those textbooks along with the rest of my books and homework so that I don't have to come back to my locker again.

I hear heavy footsteps approaching and close my locker door to see Ethan and Aidan walking up to me.

    "What is it?" I question.

    "Deucalion's here, he wants us in the boiler room."

I grab my backpack and sling it over my shoulder before following behind Aidan and Ethan as we head down to the boiler room.

The first thing I notice as we enter is the smell. It's metallic and musty and smells like damp mould.

Our shoes click against the metal steps as we descend down into the central part of the boiler room. Rounding the corner, I resist the urge to flinch at the sight of blood smeared across the ground and a young woman lying against a metal pipe with her neck slashed open.

Deucalion turns to face us with a slight smirk on his face as he folds up his cane.

    "How was your first day of school, Wren?" He asks. I shrug before remembering he can't see me.

    "Uh, yeah. It was okay," I reply, playing with the hem of my shirt nervously as I peel my eyes away from the dead woman.

    "Aidan told me that you've made friends with a group of werewolves and hunters," Deucalion comments. I fumble for words slightly.

    "I share English with them and so-" I start to explain but am cut off.

    "Make sure you keep this friendship with them. They'll lead us right to their alpha, Derek." I'm surprised by Deucalion's words and can tell the others are too.

    "What if they find out about us?" Kali questions, a hint of nervousness present in her tone.

    "Wren will make sure that they don't, won't you Wren?" 

    "Yes, yeah, I will," I reply. Deucalion nods before flicking out his cane and brushing past Ethan, Aidan and I; Kali and Ennis following behind him.