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Excerpt. Reprinted with Permission. All rights reserved.
"Don't do it, Alex!"
Alex glanced over his shoulder at his twin sister Cassie. Her dark blue eyes were pleading. He looked back at the older boys as they jumped one at a time off the cliff.
"They're Alphas," Cassie pointed out. The wind tangled in her curly brown hair; she shoved a strand behind her ear. "It's not worth it. Think about what you're going to do! You'll suffer consequences they can get away with."
She always had a way of sounding older than their fourteen years. Alex clenched his hands into fists for a moment, torn. He couldn't take her imploring gaze, but the last of the boys was about to jump.
"You coming, Alex?" Raynen asked, glancing over the edge. A hint of uncertainty touched his gaze.
"Sorry, Cass," Alex called over his shoulder. He leaped off the cliff before either his sister or Raynen could move. The wind rushed past him, bringing scents of evergreens, rocks far older than any who dwelled in the forest, and the crisp reminder that winter was soon to come.The cold, sharp grasp of the water enveloped him. It stole the breath from his lungs and peppered his exposed flesh with merciless pinpricks of pain. He kicked as soon as his feet touched the bottom. He rocketed up; his lungs burned, aching to draw in a breath. He wondered if he would make it in time.
Alex broke the surface of the lake with a gasp.
"Hey, it's the little guy!" someone exclaimed from the bank.
"I didn't think he had the guts," another said.
"I didn't think he had the coat," someone else replied. Everyone laughed.
Alex swam to the shore. The irony of dogpaddling wasn't lost on him, but it was the only way he knew how to swim. His sneakers grazed rocks and he stumbled forward until he fell to his knees on the shore.
"Good job, Alan," Torin said, slapping him on the back hard enough to make him cough. The older boy flicked wet brown hair out of his eyes.
"It's Alex," Alex corrected. They had been at the Academy together for almost six years and Torin still didn't know his name. He couldn't understand why everyone followed the Alpha; it must have been more for brawn than brains.
"Is Raynen gonna jump?" Sid, Torin's Second, asked.
"I don't know," Alex told them. He shaded his eyes with one hand and gazed back up the cliff. Now that he was beneath it, the distance looked even more intimidating. A normal human wouldn't survive a drop like that. The voice in the back of his mind whispered that a Gray shouldn't, either.
Cassie glared down at him. He could only imagine the scolding he would receive when they returned to the Academy. He hadn't had a choice; not really. It was Choosing Day and he really didn't want to be chosen last yet again. His heart stuttered. He put a hand to his chest as he stood.
A bell rang. It echoed through the forest, bouncing off trees and reaching the werewolves loud enough to make them cover their sensitive ears.
"Think they can ring it a bit quieter?" Sid asked.
"I think Professor Nikki likes to torture us," Torin replied, rolling his eyes. "It's another one of her tests."
Alex fought back to urge to bare his teeth at the tone Torin used to talk about the dean's wife. She had always been nice to him.
"Come on," Torin said. "Last one there's got latrine duty." The Alpha took off through the trees with the rest of the older werewolves close behind.
Alex glanced back up at the cliff, but Cassie was gone. He sighed and ran after the others.It would have been faster and more fun to phase to wolf form, but the dean would definitely frown upon werewolves arriving naked at the Choosing. Alex could hear the others ahead of him. He slipped through the trees to the right, darted around a huge boulder, and found the steep decline. It was a shortcut that cut the time weaving down the switchback trail in half. The only downfall was that was also littered with poison ivy.
Alex jumped, using his werewolf strength to propel himself to a rock, then to a fallen tree. One more jump and he would be back on the path. It was far, further than a Gray should be able to leap. He ran along the tree trunk, bent his knees, and jumped at the last possible second. He was almost there. He was falling short.
Alex landed a few feet from the path. His foot clipped a root and sent him rolling. He put up his arms to protect his face from the poison ivy, and came to a painful stop against a massive tree.
The sound of footsteps running in a tight cadence approached.
"Nice jump, Alex," Torin said as they jogged past.
"Dweeb," Sid said behind him. The others laughed.
Alex pushed to his feet. He brushed off his pants and pulled leaves from his hair. A prickling pain ran up his arms and the back of his neck. He shook his head and continued down the path at a slower pace.
He stepped through the tree line and the Academy spread out below him. If he hadn't lived there for the last five years, he would have been impressed by the reaching spires that were caught in the last of the mist as it was burned away by the morning sun. Dark green walls, huge white-framed windows, and wooden doors carved and stained the color of red cedar dwarfed the gathering of students and teachers below. To Alex, it wasn't a home, nor a school. It was somewhere in-between. His heart gave another stutter. He ignored it and jogged down the grassy decline.
"Hey Alex, wait up!"
Alex slowed so Raynen could reach him. The Alpha sounded out of breath. As much as Alex hated the Choosing Ceremony, he wanted to ensure that things went his way this time.
"Hi Raynen," he said in his happiest voice. "Glad you made it down. Don't worry about the jump. It wasn't that bad."
"Yeah," Raynen replied, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I'm not too fond of heights, but I figured it wasn't worth the way they pump it up."
"You're right," Alex agreed, though his heart still raced from the jump and he had to fight back a smile. "So today's going to be different, huh," he said. "I think everything is going to change."
"I think so, too," Raynen replied.
Alex's heart leaped. "Imagine how strong your pack would be if you evened out the Choosing, picking members who have strengths in every area."
Raynen nodded thoughtfully as they made their way around the Academy. "I was thinking that, too. I'm going to change things up this year. It's going to be good."
Alex couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. "I'm looking forward to it."
"Me, too," the Alpha replied with a matching grin.
They reached the courtyard. Raynen broke away to join the other Alphas near the front.
"I just wanted to address you before the buses arrive," Dean Jaze Carso was saying. His eyes followed Alex as the boy took a place near the back of the students. Alex met his gaze and the dean smiled. "It's always fun to start a new year, and we want it to begin right," he continued.
Alex fought back a sigh and shoved his hands in his pockets. It was the same lecture every year. Be nice to the Termers. Help them fit in. He glanced at Torin. The Alpha pushed a small Fourth Year into the group of older students in front of him. The students turned with angry glares and the Fourth Year shrank back.
"That was really stupid," Cassie said in a loud whisper.
Alex was faintly surprised she had braved the crowd to seek him out.
"It wasn't that bad," he replied.
Cassie glanced around, anxiously shuffling her feet.
"You can go," Alex whispered. "I'll fill you in on what happens."
She gave him a grateful smile. Her gaze shifted to his arms and her eyes widened. "Alex!"
"I know," he replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He winced and dropped them to his sides again. "It'll go away."
She studied him for a minute before shaking her head. She turned away and disappeared through the crowd.
Dean Jaze was about to speak again when howls cut through the air. A shiver ran down Alex's back and he smiled. The piercing cries echoed across the clearing, bouncing from the high walls of the Academy back down to the students.
An answering smile broke out across the dean's face. "They're here," he announced.
The students rushed around the school. Alex caught a glimpse of Cassie flanking them through the trees. She hated crowds and preferred to stay in the forest on Choosing Day, even though she would be forced to come out when it was her turn. He couldn't blame her as he turned the last corner to find students pouring out of school buses.
Alex took his usual place at the base of the great wolf statue that stood in the middle of the courtyard. A rush of warmth filled him at the familiarity of the black sculpture. He reached up and set a hand on the silver seven that had been emblazed on the wolf's shoulder.
Reassurance filled him. He crossed his arms and leaned against the base.
People spoke near the head of the statue. He recognized the voices of Dean Jaze and his wife without looking over.
"We'll have one hundred and fifty students," the dean was telling Professor Nikki. "That's fifty more than last year."
Alex could hear the concern in Nikki's voice when she replied, "Parents are seeing the advantage of having their children here safe through the school year, especially with the Extremists getting so aggressive."
Dean Jaze's brow creased as he watched the students mass on the lawn. "General Jared's tracing bloodlines. They aren't safe at home any longer. I wonder how many more will have to die before the rest of the parents realize what we are offering."
Professor Mouse, a skinny werewolf with thick glasses and a smile whenever his wife, Professor Lyra was at his side, leaned over and said, "We're getting more of the seven year olds who haven't phased yet. I guess they figure here is a much safer place to see if their children will turn into wolves."
The dean nodded. "I agree, and if they don't phase, at least they'll know their heritage."
"And at least our new lesson format supports larger classroom sizes," Professor Nikki replied."Five to one," a voice said, tearing Alex's attention away from the conversation the leaders of the school were having.
His gaze shifted to Trent, a small Gray who barely reached Alex's shoulder despite being a year older. "What?" Alex asked.
Trent ran a hand across his buzzed head. He had begun prematurely balding last year and decided to handle it himself. Alex thought it made him look like a pencil eraser. Unfortunately, Torin did too, and made sure Trent knew it. "Five to one," Trent repeated. "At my count, there are one hundred and twenty-two students that just came from those buses. That's a five to one ratio for Termers versus Strays."
Alex bristled. "Don't call us that."
"Uh, sorry," Trent apologized. "Lifers. For every Lifer, there are five Termers. We're getting more outnumbered every year."
Alex let out a breath. "Tell me about it," he grumbled. He hated sharing the Academy with the Termers. They came for the school year, and then went home to their families during holidays and the summer. The intrusion wasn't something he could prevent, but like most of the orphans for whom the Academy was their permanent home, he already couldn't wait until they left again.
The dean and professors crossed to the stairs in front of the school where they could be seen by the arriving students. Alex remembered seeing Dean Jaze for the first time years ago. Jaze had been so young and confident despite everything he was going through. Now, the early signs of gray brushed the temples of the dean's black hair, and though his eyes still had smile lines around them, there was weight behind his gaze as he looked out over the students he was in charge of protecting and educating.
Excited talking filled the air. Dean Jaze raised a hand and the noise in the courtyard quieted. "Welcome to Vicki Carso's Preparatory Academy!" he said. His words and the applause that followed them echoed off the sheltering walls behind him. "We are happy to see all of the new faces, as well as those students who are returning for another term at our school. As some of you know, this academy was named after my mother, who," his voice cracked slightly, "Gave her life to sheltering and caring for any who needed a place to call home." He smiled past the emotions that filled his gaze. "I'm pleased to announce that this is the sixth year for the Academy, and I welcome back all of the Sixth Years who have been here since we started!" Another cheer rang out.
Jaze smiled at the students around him. "As you know, we have a very different way of teaching our students due to the special nature of our student body." Several chuckles sounded. The dean continued, "Instead of being divided by age, you will be taught with a group of students who will act as your support group and peers. This way, everyone can help each other with classes, and each has the opportunity to experience all of the learning opportunities offered here, those academically related and others that are more, as we say, intrinsic to your heritage."
Alex chuckled inwardly at the way the dean avoided using the term werewolf. It was said profusely throughout the year, but with the school bus drivers and a few parents who had come along for the ride and were still milling about the courtyard, his efforts to tiptoe around the delicate subject was humorous.
Jaze continued, "I'd also like to inform you that here at Vicki Carso's Preparatory Academy, we are little less formal than many other schools. You can call me Dean Jaze, and I will attempt to remember all of your names." He glanced back at Professor Nikki and smiled. "Though it'll probably take me all year to do so, and then next year there will be more of you. Our professors use their first names instead of their last, generally because they don't like to feel like old geezers," the professors behind him laughed, "And because we have a few who have either forgotten their surnames entirely, or choose not to claim them." He smiled at the students. "You can start over here at the Academy. Be who you are, or who you have always wanted to be." He winked. "The best is if both of those end up being the same thing."It was the same joke he told every year, and worked to bring a few smiles to the faces of the werewolves watching from below.
Jaze waved a hand to indicate the building. "Welcome to your new home."
Applause from both the students and faculty rose in the courtyard. Alex gave a few halfhearted claps to support Jaze. The dean glanced in his direction and smiled. Alex wondered if the smile was meant for him or for the statue he leaned against.
Jaze's wife stepped forward. Professor Nikki's long black hair was caught back with a headband that sparkled in the sunlight. Her blue eyes creased with her smile as she watched the students below. "We'll now invite the bus drivers and parents to depart so we can commence with the Choosing Day Ceremony," Nikki told the crowd.
Alex watched as the parents who had traveled with the buses gave hearty goodbyes. Many students looked sad to see their parents go. A few appeared glad. One in particular, a girl with white-blonde hair, glowered at both her parents and the school. Her mother looked anxious to get away from the forest, casting glances in all directions as if the trees were going to crawl over the walls attack her at any time. Her father sat in the car and merely nodded when the tall boy standing near the girl waved.
Alex's heart sank. The tall, blond-haired boy was Boris, a Sixth Year and the Alpha leader of the Termers. Alex had hoped the boy wouldn't return. It looked like instead of fulfilling his wish, Boris had brought his sister. Alex felt at least a bit of consolation at the fact that the sister didn't appear pleased with the arrangement, either. She stomped to the car and tried to open the back door, but the driver locked it. Her father watched impassively from the back seat, giving the merest wave of his fingers to thwart off his angry daughter.
"Kalia," her mother called. The girl crossed her arms and glared at the ground. Her mother threw her arms around her daughter despite her stony expression. "Maybe they can fix this and you can return home," Alex heard the mom say.
"I'm not like them," Kalia replied, her disgust clear as she gestured flippantly toward the group waiting in the courtyard. "I can't believe you're leaving me here."
"We talked about this," her mom said.
Her father unrolled the window. "Get in the car, dear," he called before rolling it back up again.
"It's not fair," Kalia protested. Her blonde hair swished just above her shoulders when she shook her head. "You can't do this."
"Kalia, I—"
Her mother was cut off by the opening of the back window. "Marnie, now," Kalia's father said in a stern tone.
Kalia's mother kissed the top of her head before hurrying to the car. Both Kalia and Boris watched it follow the path the buses had already taken. When the car reached the wall, two staff members shut the wrought iron gates intricately worked in the shape of two wolves howling at the half-moon on either side that connected to make it full when the gates closed. The sound sent an ominous chill through the new students, while Alex breathed a sigh of relief. Though his home was overrun by students, at least they were through with the bombardment.
"Take this time to mingle with your fellow students," Professor Nikki encouraged the group. "This will become very important in the Ceremony. Get to know those you want to have in your pack. The contacts you make now may very well become your pack later. Learn the Alphas, learn the Grays. Everyone is important in a pack. I'll encourage you to not waste this time."
The Alphas began to mingle through the crowd as was expected of them. Alex watched Grays and younger years talk with enthusiasm, hoping to catch the eye of someone who would watch their back at the Academy. Alex had long ago given up mingling. He only hoped Raynen would hold true to what he had said. Trepidation filled Alex's chest at the thought that things might stay as they always had been.
"What's your name?"
Surprised, Alex glanced up from his brooding to see a tall, brown-haired boy watching him. Alex hadn't seen the werewolf before. He must have been a First Year, but the way he held himself said that he was an Alpha.
"Alex," he answered.
"I'm Jericho," the Alpha replied. He tipped his head toward the statue. "That's awesome."
Alex nodded without speaking.
"You been here long?" Jericho asked.
"Six years," Alex replied.
Jericho nodded. Another werewolf caught his eye and he wandered away. Alex clenched his hands into fists, then caught himself and shoved his hands in his pockets.
About the Author
Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and giving much appreciated critiques. Cheree is currently working as an independent author and mother. She enjoys reading, riding her motorcycle on warm nights, playing with her twins while planning her next book, and rocking out as the bass player in her husband's band, Alien Landslide. Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop dreaming. Check out Cheree's other books at www.chereealsop.com
