"There you are!" Someone suddenly jumped in front of her, startling Violet out of her thoughts.
"Ahh!" Violet screamed, instinctively landing a punch on the person’s face, only to realize it was Lila.
Lila yelped in pain while Violet’s expression shifted to horror as she recognized her friend. She hadn’t meant to hit her, but years of always keeping her guard up had conditioned her to react this way.
Violet rushed forward, hysterically checking on Lila.
"I’m okay, I’m okay," Lila insisted, trying to calm her down. "See? No damage." She attempted a smile, but her face scrunched up in pain. "But damn, that was a mean hook."
With a deep breath, Violet slowly calmed her racing heart. But almost immediately after, her expression twisted in anger.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why would you jump in front of someone like that? Are you asking for death or something?" she shouted.
Lila rubbed her cheek, pouting. "I should be asking why your automatic response to a small prank is to punch someone in the face. What if the person was innocent..." She added with a pout, "Just like me."
"Well, where I come from, there’s no mercy for ’small pranks,’" Violet said with emphasis. "And it teaches people like you to never try it again." She retorted coldly.
Lila’s pout deepened, her eyes almost watering as she complained, "You’re so mean."
"If I’m so mean, you can remedy that by leaving me the hell alone," Violet replied bluntly.
At first, Lila’s persistent following had been cute, but now it was becoming increasingly annoying. Violet liked to keep her distance from people—no one could be trusted.
There were no friends, only selfish individuals capable of betrayal and cruelty. This jungle of a school wasn’t a place for friendships, either. Violet refused to admit, even to herself, that Lila was slowly breaking down her defenses. That could never happen.
"Not going to happen." Lila said defiantly, startling Violet. For a moment, she thought Lila had read her thoughts.
"What?"
"I know you’re trying to push me away, but I won’t let that happen. I can see it in our future, we’re going to be great friends," Lila said with so much conviction it made Violet frown.
What gave Lila such confidence? Was she a psychic or what? Ugh, what was she even thinking?
Lila chirped happily, "So I saw your schedule, and we have both classes together. Come on, let’s go. We’re already late."
Without waiting for an answer, Lila grabbed Violet’s hand and pulled her along with such speed that Violet almost stumbled.
"Incoming!" Lila screamed as she dashed through the crowded hallway, making other students jump out of the way.
"That lunatic!" Violet cursed, but there was nothing she could do except let Lila drag her along.
They soon stopped in front of a numbered door. Lila flung it open and pulled them both inside before Violet even had a moment to mentally prepare.
The class was already seated, with only the teacher missing. Violet counted herself lucky—if only she knew better.
The moment they entered, all eyes turned toward them, and as Violet expected, whispers began. If she hadn’t earned fame as the first freshman in Lunaris to make it to the top twenty, then her legendary fight in the dining hall certainly did the trick.
As expected of Lunaris, the classroom was large and luxurious. Violet could feel the cool air of the air conditioner, and they even used an electronic whiteboard. It was beyond anything she’d ever seen.
Most of the students were human, but quite a few werewolves sat among them as well. Violet was glad to see that none of the Cardinal Alphas were in this class.
With her head held high, Violet choose a seat at the back, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Lila, however, followed her like a buzzing mosquito, her movements clumsy as she tried to settle beside Violet.
At this point, Violet gave up trying to drive Lila away, confident that the girl would tire of following her eventually. Hopefully?
The murmurs continued, with students glancing at her, but Violet ignored them all. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the anthropology teacher arrived.
Mr. Radcliff was a tall, sharp-featured man with piercing silver eyes. He carried a coffee mug in one hand and an electronic device in the other. He paused briefly, assessing the class before heading to his desk at the front.
Lila leaned over and whispered to Violet, "They say Radcliff is a racist prick who prefers werewolves and practically worships them. Good thing karma gave him a human form, unlike his siblings."
Before Violet could fully digest that tidbit of information, Radcliff was already in front of the board. Without any pleasantries, he scrawled the day’s topic in large, clear letters on the whiteboard.
"Werewolves: The True Origin of Humanity?"
Violet’s eyebrows shot up, though she quickly schooled her expression, unlike some of the human students who gasped audibly.
Professor Radcliff turned, his face full of disdain as he looked at the humans sitting among the werewolves.
He stepped forward and asked, "Can anyone tell me the theory of evolution? Or, simply put, how did humans come to be?"
No one moved. It was clearly a loaded question.
"Why isn’t anyone speaking?" Radcliff asked, his voice laced with mock disappointment.
Under his breath, but loud enough for all to hear, he muttered, "Humans. Always the cowards. And you wonder why Werewolves shouldn’t rule this earth?"
No shit. Lila had not been kidding. Radcliff was a racist scum.
Radcliff sighed as if teaching was a burden he had been sentenced to. "Fine. The first five hands to go up will get five points each."
Violet quickly realized how much weight the point system held, as nearly every hand shot up, including several of the werewolves’ hands—and Lila’s.
Lila?!
Violet gave Lila a bewildered look.
"What?" Lila scowled. "I need points if I’m going to have any chance of protecting you."
"I don’t need your—" Violet started, but students were already answering the questions.
"According to the biblical perspective, in the beginning, all life was created by God. On the sixth day, God created Adam and Eve, the first humans," one student answered.
"Amen." Radcliff clasped his hands together in mock prayer. "Five points to you. Next."
He picked the next student.
"Charles Darwin’s theory, based on natural selection, suggests that species evolve over time. Organisms with favorable traits survive and reproduce, passing those traits on to future generations, leading to gradual adaptation," the student answered.
"Excellent. Five points to you. Next."
And just like that, Radcliff picked three more students, none of whom were Lila, leaving her visibly frustrated.
Radcliff clapped his hands and said. "All of you answered correctly," he said, "and stupidly, at the same time."
The excitement on the students’ faces immediately vanished. They hadn’t expected that.
"Humans weren’t the beginning of evolution, it was the werewolves."