Chapter 14: A Lowly Human
Ezabel’s gaze flicked toward her. "I’ve seen humans like you before," she said. "Humans who think they stand a chance against werewolves. But reality has a way of correcting that misconception."
Her tone was almost pitying. "No matter how brave you think you are, you’re still nothing more than a physically weak human. Take my advice and be careful." She paused before adding, "And if you find yourself in another situation like earlier, come to me instead. That’s one of the reasons every human here is assigned an Academy Parents. "
Starlight’s expression immediately hardened.
So only humans were given this Academy Parent nonsense?
Was this their way of reminding humans that they’d need werewolves to survive in this place? Well, she didn’t need any Academy Parent to hold her hand through the academy, especially not one provided by those beasts.
"Instead of telling me to be careful, why not advise your kind to stop bumping into innocent humans and throwing their weight around?" she shot back. "And seriously, I don’t know why you keep going out of your way to remind me that humans are weaker. It makes me wonder what exactly you people were thinking when you started this Lunar Lottery."
Her eyes narrowed at Ezabel. She spoke as though she was looking out for Starlight, but in truth she was just reinforcing the idea that humans were inferior and needed werewolves to protect them.
"If humans are so lowly, why do werewolves want to mingle with beings they consider beneath them in the first place? You speak as if we can’t survive without you, yet we were doing exactly that long before werewolves revealed themselves and took over."
For the first time since entering the elevator, Ezabel looked directly at her.
Before she could respond, the elevator chimed softly and the doors slid open.
Ezabel stared at Starlight for a moment, as though reconsidering whatever she had been about to say. Then she simply stepped out of the elevator without another word.
Starlight let out a quiet breath and followed after her. The hallway was wide, lined with pale sound-dampening carpets and recessed lighting that bathed the corridor in a soft glow, giving the entire floor a quiet, exclusive atmosphere. Adjusting the strap of her backpack, Starlight silently scolded herself.
Seriously, she needed to learn how to tame her mouth before it landed her in trouble. She hated werewolves, and that much wasn’t going to change, but she was in their den now. The last thing she should be doing was provoking them at every opportunity.
Then again, who could blame her?
Those bastards had a special talent for getting on her nerves.
"I don’t know what kind of experiences you’ve had with my kind, Miss Dawson," Ezabel said, keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead. "Not all of us are bad. Some of us are actually reasonable, if you’ll give us the chance. Me saying humans are physically weaker isn’t an insult. It’s simply a fact."
Starlight’s lips pressed together. Annoyingly enough, she couldn’t deny that Ezabel was right, at least in that regard. Human beings were indeed physically weaker than werewolves, but the problem was that those beasts loved using that fact as an excuse to look down on everyone else. And as for Ezabel’s claim that some of them were reasonable, yeah right. Starlight would believe that the day werewolves stopped treating humans like second-class citizens.
"We’re here," Ezabel said, her voice breaking through Starlight’s thoughts.
They had stopped in front of a door with the number 91 emblazoned in polished silver. Ezabel studied Starlight quietly. She had seen plenty of humans arrive at the academy over the years. Most eventually learned their place and adapted to life here. Whether Starlight Dawson would do the same remained to be seen. What she still couldn’t understand was why the Alpha Twins were going so far out of their way for this particular girl.
They had even personally requested that Ezabel be assigned as her Academy Mother.
If anything, their interest would only paint a larger target on Starlight’s back. Still, none of that was her problem. Her responsibility was simply to do her job, assuming the stubborn girl before her would even allow it.
Starlight frowned. "Is there a problem?" she asked, noticing the way Ezabel was looking at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Here." Without warning, Ezabel shoved a paper bag into her arms.
Starlight instinctively caught it, her eyebrows pulling together in confusion. Where had that come from? Had Ezabel been carrying it this entire time? Starlight honestly hadn’t noticed. Then again, she hadn’t exactly been paying much attention to anything besides the overwhelming grandeur of the academy and the hostile eyes watching her every move.
"That’s your welcome package," Ezabel explained when she caught Starlight’s questioning look. "You can open it once you’re inside your dorm."
She gestured toward the bag. "Everything you’ll need to get started at the academy is inside. You’ll find your dorm key, identification card, and a smartphone. The phone contains everything you’ll need during your time here: your class schedule, campus maps, course information, and several other essential resources."
Starlight blinked. Why would the academy provide her with a smartphone?
"Our institution doesn’t do traditional orientation tours," Ezabel continued.
"Nobody is going to drag you around campus explaining where everything is. Everything you need is integrated into the academy app. If you’re trying to find your way around, use the automated map grid. You’ll also find digital profiles of the instructors assigned to your courses before classes officially resume after Freshman Week."
She turned as though to leave, then paused. "One last thing. All freshmen are expected to report to the Central Hall in three hours for the welcoming ceremony." Her lips twitched slightly. "And before you ask where it is or how to get there, I suggest you consult your smartphone."
She started walking away again. "Good luck, Starlight Dawson. You’re going to need it if you intend to survive your first year here."
Starlight sighed and lowered her gaze to the paper bag in her hands.
Reaching inside, she pulled out a sleek key card. Turning toward the door, she swiped it through the electronic lock, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her.
Only to come face-to-face with three pairs of eyes staring directly at her. The girls were scattered around the room. One lounged on the lower bunk nearest the window with a tablet resting on her lap, another sat cross-legged on the floor, while the third was sprawled comfortably across a couch in what appeared to be the lounge area.
"Starlight Dawson?" the one on the lower bunk asked.
Was that disbelief in her voice? And for goodness’ sake, why did everybody seem to know her name before even meeting her?
"Yes?" Starlight answered cautiously.
The girl let out a startled squeal. "Oh my God!" Before Starlight could react, the girl hopped off the bunk, rushed across the room, and threw her arms around her.
"It’s so good to finally meet you!"
Starlight locked up completely. Her arms remained stiff at her sides as her brain struggled to process what was happening.
What kind of place had she just walked into?