Chapter 2: The Man Across The Street
"Do you really have to drop me off at school, Mom? I'm too old for this," I whined when Mom said I couldn't walk my way to the community college. It wasn't that far anyway but she kept on insisting to drive for me to school as if I miraculously turned into a kindergarten overnight.
Well, I didn't mention to her what I saw yesterday, afraid that I could be wrong and Mom would freak out she would end up packing everything again.
God, my body was sore all over because I arranged my room all night since what I saw in the house across the street kept me up like I did illegal drugs. I even covered the glass door leading to my veranda just so I could secretly peek outside to check the house in front of ours.
"I just wanna make sure you'll be safe. From now on, I'll be picking you up and dropping you off wherever you wanna go," she replied before she grabbed her keys and showed it to me.
I finally rolled my eyes in frustration. "Mom, I'm eighteen. It's so embarrassing to be seen with a parent."
She placed her hand on her hips. "And since when did you care about other people's opinion?" She raised a brow. "We only have each other. We gotta keep watch on each other's backs. You know that."
My head bowed before I spoke. "If this place is too dangerous, why choose to live here in the first place?"
"Maurine..." She sighed. "Just listen to me, please?"
I shook my head. "Fine, but you're still getting me my own car, right?"
"Of course." She smiled. "Once you graduate."
"Mom!" I whined.
"What? You won't need it yet. Besides, I have a lot of free time now that I'm working from home." Her lips broke into a grin. "Don't you wanna be my baby anymore?"
My eyes narrowed and it made Mom burst into laughter. She knew I hate being called a baby. Our living situation forced me to grow up fast. Not that Mom wasn't a good provider. She had an amazing job as a ghost writer which paid her enough for us to survive on our own. It's just that, sometimes Mom would intoxicate herself too much with her favorite wine and would most of the time end up sobbing at night.
Good thing she had been sober for about a year now, after I had a series of chest pains the doctors couldn't diagnose properly. My aunt said it might have been caused by my Dad, which still confuse me up until now. Why? Did my Dad have tuberculosis or something? If he did, then why can't the doctors come up with a proper diagnosis?
"Hurry up, okay? You're gonna be late," she reminded before she answered her phone. She even doubled her steps as if she didn't want me to hear their phone call.
There was no use in arguing with her so as soon as I finished my cereals, I grabbed my bag and followed Mom outside. She was already inside her SUV, still in a phone call with someone when I got in. I thought it was her Boss until I heard her mention my name.
My brows furrowed as I strapped myself on my seat. "Who's that?" I asked as soon as the call ended.
"Just a friend of mine back in Bailey," she replied but a part of me didn't want to believe her. In fact, as I grew older, I noticed that Mom had been hiding a lot of things from me, especially stuff about my Dad. But every time I try to ask her if she was lying, she would just deny everything to me.
Funny because Mom never lied about our family history even when she wanted nothing about magic since she lost it. My grandmother used to be a hunter witch who chases down werewolves until she realized that she wanted a normal life; far from the deadly world of a hunter witch.
Well, thank goodness she quit her profession. I couldn't imagine myself chasing beasts I knew would end up ripping my throat.
Instead of insisting for Mom to tell me the truth, I plugged in my earphones and looked outside. The car started moving just right after I saw the garage of the house across the street open. A motorcycle roared to life before it owned the street in a fast speed, as if he didn't give a damn whether it was going to be his last ride or not.
"Kids nowadays, huh? Well, look what power gives you?" Mom murmured.
I decided to save my two cents even though her last words sort of confused me. My mind told me that the guy on a motorcycle we saw left the house was the same man I saw yesterday, but I decided to shoo away the idea and just listened to my new favorite playlist until we reached the community college. But the moment my eyes were blessed to witness the grandeur place in front of us, my lips parted in awe.
Never had I ever seen such beautiful school...
"Are you sure we're in the right place? This doesn't look like a school to me, Mom," I couldn't help but ask. Come on. Damn, this place is giving me Hogwarts vibes. Did Mom finally enroll me to a school with witches like me?
Mom gave me a nod. When she received a new phone call, I had no choice but say goodbye. Shutting the door, I blew the few strands of my locks that fell on my face before I took another glance at the well-structured four-story building in front of me.
I swear, this place looks holy, as if I must not enter without reciting any prayer or else I might incinerate once I step inside.
My attention was caught by a series of chuckles coming from behind. When I turned my back to see who was coming, my hands clutched tightly on the straps of my backpack as my anxiety kicked in.
It was them. The same group of four people whom I think were of my age. When they saw me, most of them managed to flash a small smile as if they knew they could finally introduce themselves to me.
Oh, God please go away, please go away and don't talk to me.
"Hey, you're the new girl, right?" the man whom I think was named James asked with a hint of enthusiasm.
I let out a silent breath. Great. Now I had to unlock my already dusty social skills. What a great way to start my first day in my new school.
All of them took a halt in front of me, making me feel a shiver. God, socializing makes me anxious. Why don't they just move along and pretend I wasn't here? Is there a law in here that everyone must be friendly to the newbies? Because if there is, even when I hate moving from one place to another, I might end up convincing my Mom to go find someplace else to live.
I swallowed the pool of saliva in my mouth. "Uhm, yeah. We uh, move here from Bailey." Wow. I should give myself a round of applause for not stuttering for the first time.
"Hey, I've been to Bailey? They have a nice beach," one of the two girls said before she extended her arm, her bangles cling as she shook my hand. "I'm Eloise by the way."
As if that was the cue the others were waiting for, they all ended up introducing themselves one by one.
"I'm James. Eloise and I are siblings," said the cheeky guy with blue eyes. He even joked to hug me but his sister stopped him instantly. "I'm kidding! I just wanna see how he will react."
My forehead wrinkled. "He? Uhm, I'm a... I'm a girl actually."
"I know." He smirked. "I wasn't talking about you."
"Don't mind him. He's the craziest person in Blood Creek. I'm Anabeth," the girl with red locks said with a small smile before she looked at the man with evergreen eyes.
We all watched the last guy let out a sigh before he buried his palms in his jacket's pockets. "Lander. You better stay close to us so you won't get into trouble. Not everyone here follows our rules when no one is watching."
I gulped. Oh, great. Now that sounded like a cue for me to pack my bags and leave Blood Creek. "R--Rules? What rules?"
"You'll know soon." Eloise snaked her arm around mine, leaving me with no choice but to tag along with them. "We don't get much newbies here. Most applicants fail the examination. Even the ones who came from prestigious families."
"You must be pretty special, huh?" James teased.
I shook my head. "I don't think special is the right word. I just took a test which is pretty basic. There was no sign of Einstein in it anyway."
They laughed, and even Lander's lips slightly curved for a smirk.
"You've got some humor under your shirt. I like you," said Eloise before we were interrupted by the sound of an approaching motorcycle.
We all looked at the man getting off his big bike. I didn't know why but my chest began to hurt the moment I saw him take off his helmet, as if his presence was too much that I would soon faint.
I must not. That would be so embarrassing. Plus, the guy on a motorbike resembles my ultimate crush, Jackson Rathbone. A more dreamy Jackson Rathbone to be exact!
Jesus Christ, he looked like a prince who jumped out of a Disney film. His eyes were a darker shade of blue with a few strands of gray, and the way it pierced me while he was running his fingers onto his midnight black hair made me feel a rush of shiver on my spine.
Was he the man across the street? The one I saw yesterday? If he was, then why is his eyes blue with some gray? Why wasn't it a pair of burning gold?
Maybe I was just hallucinating yesterday. Besides, it was impossible for my Mom, a descendant of a long line of hunter witches, to pick a town with werewolves, right? That wouldn't make any sense at all. My Mom might be reckless sometimes, but I know she would never put my life in danger. She didn't even want me to practice magic, and whenever I was planning to read any werewolf books, she would immediately stop me.
His eyes met mine, and for a moment, I thought time suddenly stopped and everything else faded in the background. His manly scent caressed my nostrils in the most intoxicating way even when he was meters away from me. How was that possible? I don't know either, but I know it was him whom I was smelling.
He clenched his jaw and looked away, his eyes slightly squinted before I saw his shoulders rose and fell when he drew in one sharp breath. His hands even clutched while he kept his head down for a few moments as if he didn't want any of us to see his eyes nor his expression.
It didn't take long before he straightened his back again. I found myself holding my breath when he started taking his steps, and when Eloise noticed my reaction, she slightly leaned on me to whisper on my ear. "That's Alpha Johannes. He lives in front of your house. Bow your head and never look him in the eye."
My forehead creased when I realized that they were all bowing to Johannes, including the utility guy, the school guard, and the rest of the students near us.
Confusion struck me hard while his footsteps echoed, his presence alone promised no innocence nor mercy.
I gulped. What the hell is happening?
Who is this man in this town for everyone to bow to him?