Luna Aria

Aria’s POV: “Werewolves, vampires, witches, hunters, and many others were once legends. Stories humans used to tell children. That is, until the war, which Lycan Sandars and Lieutenant Alpha Black led against humanity. With the appearance of werewolves, other creatures surface against them, against us. No one knew the reason why werewolves decided to wage war. There were many alliances made and broken. The human population decreases, and with time, we live in fear. That is, until the rise of the five-” My mind drifts away as the teacher continues speaking about the war. It was cool listening to the story when I was in elementary school, but now it’s boring. I turned my head to the window. There is a butterfly outside. Last period we had art class, and the art teacher told us we had to draw an...unforgettable moment. My pencil taps against the white paper. I’ve thought about the question for a long time. So long that the art teacher told me to take the book to my next period, he told me to start it next period. And if the history teacher had something to say, he could say it to the art teacher. The butterfly lands on a flower. I want to tell the art teacher that there were so many memories I could choose from, so many that were beyond a moral imagination. And if someone were to open the box somehow, they would go insane. But, if I were to choose one. I would choose the most recent one - my eighth birthday. That was the day I got all my memories back, or should I say, it was the day I finally accepted the truth. It’s hard for a child to admit that she is different from other children. And in a flash, everything that seemed like a dream appeared. My past life, past-past life, past-past-past life... It all speeds up into my brain at once like a pipe that bursts, and all the water rushes out without warning. Now, I’m drowning. No. I’m dead. I’m so sick of it. The memories should’ve stayed forgotten. Living several lives, I got bored with living in general. Seventh life. That’s a good number...right? From everything I have experienced, I can say it sucks going through puberty. With time, the memories of my previous lives fade. I remember it, but only bits of information here and there. It’s quite...unfortunate. The bell rang, and I looked down to see a blank paper. I threw my stuff into my backpack. The hallways were packed with other students rushing towards the cafeteria or relaxing with their friends. I reach for my locker to put away the overweight books. My eyes scrunch when a red-headed female approaches me. A smile creeps across my face, and I throw my arms out. Since third grade, Cynthia and I had been best friends when I accidentally spilled pineapple and orange smoothie all over her. She took her revenge by shoving a cupcake on my face. When a small boy made fun of us, we bonded over beating him up together. When I saw her give him a black eye for shoving me onto the ground, I concluded I liked her. Cynthia bounces, “Did you hear?” “Hear what?” I pretend to be interested, but realistically, I’m wondering what’s on the menu for lunch. She rolls her emerald eyes, “About Sally!” “Huh? No.” “Hey, Aria! Hey Cynthia!” A few of our classmates greet us. “Hey,” we reply with a quick wave. Cynthia turns her attention back to me. “As I was saying, a werewolf came to class and claimed she was his mate!” My fingers were playing with the locker combination. Luckily, it decided to play with my emotions today and refused to open. “What?” I jiggled the handle again. “Yeah! You would have known if you were here yesterday.” Yesterday, I stayed awake the whole night playing video games, striving to crush John, my older brother, high score. Due to the lack of rest, I overslept and decided to skip school. I received quite an earful from my parents when they got home, catching me on the couch with a bag of chips and a half-empty can of soda between my legs, watching reruns of Maid of All Blood. I sent her a sluggish shrug, “I couldn’t let John have the highest score. Plus, I need to figure out how Anto-” Cynthia covered her ears, “No! No spoilers! I haven’t caught up!” I smirk, “But, don’t you want to know why Ros-” “No!” “How are you, Aria and Cynthia?” a girl with a group behind her came up to us. They were dressed in matching blue and white uniforms, with a tight, long-sleeve top and shorts. They wore their hair in a perfect high ponytail with a giant bow. Sparkles were scattered all over their faces on top of their skillful artwork—cheerleaders. “Good,” Cynthia responds with her usual smile. “Awesome! I am having a birthday party, and I want you two to come, you know if you aren’t busy!” I smile, “Okay.” They skip away towards their next destination. “I like her hair,” I say. “Why don’t you become a cheerleader then?” I don’t understand how liking someone’s hair means I want to become a cheerleader. I continue to admire them. Me? A cheerleader? Somehow, there was something nostalgic but bitter about that thought. “No. I don’t think so.” “Anyways, as I was saying, some wolves came to school yesterday about the fight between one of their wolves and a few of the students at our school. Listen! I heard it was a bad fight! The students here are still in the hospital! Tsk tsk. They knew better than to pick on a wolf even if he was alone.” Cynthia tears open the envelope, pulling out the invitation along with some colorful glitter. I shook my head. They should have known better. Werewolves are faster and stronger than humans. One of them can quickly snap the neck of thirty humans. Cynthia arches a brow as she scans the invite and shoves it back into the envelope. She then unzips the small pocket of her backpack and places it inside. Finally, my locker gives me a break and opens. I clip my invite on the side, sending myself a mental note to open it later. “Okay, wait, off-topic. So, one of the wolves suddenly dashes into our classroom, screaming, mate! He ran towards Sally and suddenly hugged her. The teacher tried to tell him to let go of her, and he growled! Like literally growling, screaming mine and all that s**t! It was crazy! He wouldn’t let go until his beta came in and told him to!” Werewolves aren’t just faster and stronger. They are extremely short-tempered and possessive, especially towards their mates, mainly alphas. “Hey, Cynthia! Hey Aria! Are you two going to the game later today?” a guy asks. Behind him was a group of guys mixed with some girls. “I’m not, but Aria will be,” she said, pointing a thumb at me. “Cool, see you there,” he responded with a smile and left. The other guys greet us with a light head tilt or a dashing smile, which we politely return. “Who are they?” I ask. “I have no idea,” Cynthia responded. Cynthia and I are what others call ambiverts. We prefer to avoid hanging out in one place too long, so we bounced around. Sometimes, random people come up and talk to us. Of course, not wanting to be rude, we had conversations with them. I remember how I had to sneak a peek at someone’s paper to know her name. It feels inappropriate and overly awkward to ask for it, particularly since we’ve been going to the same school. I don’t have any excuse. “God, Aria! Why can’t I be Sally? I want to be a werewolf’s mate! I’m so jealous of her! Her mate was drop-dead gorgeous with a hunking body! And that beta that came into the classroom was oh-so-yummy!” she said, eyes gazing up at the ceiling, humming in delight. Due to human s****l yearning for a partner that society deemed desirable, many wanted to become a werewolf’s mate since they are quite a captivating sight. The more authority you hold, the more attractive you get. “Hey, Aria, do you think she will stay here or go back with him?” She asks. I hate how she can always open her locker in one try. “She probably will go back with him,” I responded. She lifts a brow and looks at me as she shoves random stuff inside hers. “Why do you think so?” This isn’t the first time a werewolf gets a human mate. They would leave their parents and go live with their mates along with their packs. Of course, the human government ensured that the werewolf was not forcing the human to come with them. Human mates have a choice of whether they want to go live with their mate or not. Several humans tried to reject it, but who wouldn’t want to be with someone who worships them? They eventually cave and leave with their mates. “Have you ever heard of a human who rejects their mate? Like really reject them?” I said, glancing at her hand, which was reaching for a math book. Rolling my eyes, I held a hand on top of hers, sliding the book back into the bag, knowing that she needed it next period. She taps her chin, “No.” “Exactly, now let’s go get some food. I’m hungry.”