• I just sat there, right in front of the werewolf. I guess I was in shock, because I didn't say anything. He just looked at me calmly with those deep, silvery eyes. Some boys looked our way and whispered. But I didn't respond. Neither did the "werewolf".
    Without saying anything, he took me by the arm and walked me over to first floor elevator that our school had. We walked in silently and he pushed the button for the third floor. I had never been up on the third floor. No classes took place there.
    "Who are you?" I asked, more calmly than I felt. My hands were balled into fists.
    He looked at me and smiled. "My name is Conall. It is an Irish name that means 'hound of valor'." he replied.
    Gee, what a coincidence, a werewolf whose name even meant 'hound of valor'. What else was gonna happen? Would I suddenly meet a vampire that wanted to drink my blood?! Or would I be burnt to a crisp by a raging dragon? The possibilities were probably endless.
    Finally, the elevator dinged as we reached the third floor. The metal doors slid open and we stepped out. I looked around. There were large windows that led all the way down the hall. I could smell chlorine. A definite sign that there was a pool nearby. I didn't even know our school had a pool. No one had ever told us about that.
    "Well," said Conall flatly. "You know my name. What's yours?" he asked, his hand trailing up from my arm to my shoulder. I pulled myself away.
    "My name is Cosima. Cosima Burk." I replied testily. He seemed a little disappointed that I had pulled away from him.
    "Ah, the feminine form of the Italian name Cosimo, meaning 'order and beauty'." he said promiscuously. I opened my mouth to say something, but the elevator dinged again.
    "s**t!" Conall cursed angrily, then pulled me into a room I hadn't noticed before. He quietly shut the door and we were in darkness.
    We heard footsteps and humming. I recognized it as my orchestra teacher, Mr. Dee's voice. He had always hated me. He had loved my older brothers when they used to go here. But he hated me. Hated me with an unexplained, unreasoned, unexplained hate. I was about to open my mouth to shout out to him to help me, but Conall clapped his strong hand over my mouth.
    "Ssssh. He's not an ordinary human. He's a Tracker. A human who can see our kind for what we really are the moment he spots us. His kind wants to kill us. Turn us into a game of killing and bloodshed. He'll kill you if he knows what you are. He'll abuse you and then kill you, then hang your pelt on his wall. You understand? Don't take him lightly." he whispered in my ear. I could feel his hot breath and I kept silent.
    I huddled closer to him for some reason, welcoming the fact that he was there.