A/N: Just as a warning, you are now entering the cliché-story zone. That's right, new girl with a secret comes and gets involved with one of the Sons of Ipswich. Sorry, I just couldn't resist. I bought the movie on DVD just to be able to recall some things about the characters, setting, and events. This little plot bunny has been discreetly hopping around in my head since I saw it, and I just had to.
Also, I know that the real way to spell 'Spencer' is actually Spenser. But, for some reason, I absolutely despise the spelling like that. So I'm gonna stick with Spencer Academy. One more thing, I'm making some things up about werewolves so my story will work right, sorry for all you werewolf-specialists.
Criticism and flames welcome. 'Cause you can't get better if you don't know what you're doing wrong.
I warn you, the first chapter's a bit slow… and dull.
Standard disclaimers apply.
"The best way to predict your future is to create it."
The view outside the window was plain and continuous. Crops, crops, crops, and more crops. They never seemed to end, going on for miles, which was exceedingly different from Barview, Oregon. Inside, the train was relatively quiet, save for the hushed murmurs of the other passengers and a baby giggling somewhere in the back. A few people made their way to the food section in the caboose every couple of hours and newspapers shuffled, that seemed to be the only movement taking place. Everyone seemed to be contented with the ride, except for one girl sitting window side.
Cydnie Mason sat almost motionless, staring out the large window impassively at the not-so-enticing view with her deep green eyes. Her fingers gripped the arm rest tightly, twitching every few seconds trying to resist the urge to rise up and smack the man next to her point blank in the face. The man in question, a 45 year-old with quite the receding hairline, had been snoring obnoxiously loud for the past hour and a half. He wore an expensive-looking pinstripe suit and one of those sleep blindfold things, even though the sun was just beginning to set on the horizon.
I am going… to go crazy. She thought, in annoyance. And if I do snap, I'm killing this man and we're going to hell together.
Fed up, she rose from her seat and shoved past the man, bumping his knees on her way to the bathroom. Truthfully, she didn't really have to go to the bathroom, but she needed to get away from that man because she had been seriously contemplating ending his life in those last minutes before she got up. She hoped that the small walk would calm her nerves, and clear her mind. Reaching the door, she checked if it was unoccupied before entering and locking it shut behind her.
The light was dim, the mirror was dirty, and she noticed the distinct stench of urine and crap hanging in the cramped area. It would do. She leaned against the sink, rubbed her eyes, and let out a slow cleansing breath. It made her feel somewhat better. Unlocking the door, she pretended to fiddle with her checkered belt as she made her back to her seat.
When she arrived, the man was no longer there and neither was his briefcase. Either he had went to get something to eat or the train had stopped at a station while she was 'using' the facility. Whatever the answer, she was happy that he was gone and she had both seats to herself. Stretching out, she leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, only planning to rest her eyes for a couple minutes.
She must have fallen asleep.
It was a little a before dawn when she woke up, the sun barely a quarter past the horizon. Her eyelids shut and lifted a few times, before she shifted and stretched out her cramped arms. Rifting a hand through her dark brown-red locks, she looked around sleepily at her shadowed surroundings. The amount of passengers had decreased massively since the last time she was awake, now there were only a few seated randomly around the rows and most of them were snoozing quietly. Stifling a yawn, she turned to watch the sunrise in peace.
Quiet, she thought. Very nice.
As she sat, she thought about her destination. Ipswich, Massachusetts. She would be attending Spencer Academy there, a school that enforced the rule of uniforms… which meant skirts. She mentally gagged at the thought. The academy had dorms, which also meant she had a roommate and she hoped her roommate prided privacy as much as she. It was going to be a lot different from the school she was transferring from.
Filmont High was a stereotypical high school, filled with cliques and drama to spare. There were the typical jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, artsies, Goths, emos and loners. She was a loner and most of the rumors were about her and what she did when she wasn't at school. Some said that she went home and chanted dark spells, while others protested that drank blood and tooled in the art of voodoo. But all their accusations and assumptions were wrong, but not so far from the actual truth.
For, she was a werewolf.
---
For a good 3 hours and a half, the ride was silent, save for the sound of the train gliding the tracks, before slowing to a stop parallel of the platform. By that time, everyone was up and either getting up to leave, going to the bathroom, or making their way to the back for some food. Cydnie was in the group getting off; she had grabbed her lone suitcase, strapped on her backpack and was already halfway out the sliding doors. As she shoved her way through doors, she bumped shoulders with a man who was huddled in his overcoat walking the opposite way. She looked over shoulder to apologize.
"Sorry sir, I-" She began, and halted her sentence when she noticed his sinister smirk – a smirk she recognized – before the doors slid shut.
She spun around, back facing the locomotive, as if she turned around the same man would be looming over her with that same expression.
Was that…? She tried to convince herself otherwise. Nah, couldn't be – I left him back in Barview. And with that, the situation dropped.
The sun glared low in the sky, and she put a hand to shield her eyes from the light. It was only about nine in the morning as she stood on the platform, trying to get her bearings as the train slowly pulled out of the station, she watched it go until she could no longer see it. Now, she thought. Back to the situation at hand.
Finally, after 3 days, she had made it to her destination. And she wasn't at all impressed. Glenwood appeared to look like any other small North-Eastern town, like the ones she had seen in the books at her previous school. Cloudy, overcast sun with light colored pastel houses. Chilly from the winds blowing off from the ocean, and boats out by the docks. She doubted Ipswich would look any different.
She swiveled back and forth in place looking for a man in some type of suit with her name on it – or something along those lines. When she had gotten the acceptance letter from Spencer, it was enclosed with a train ticket and directions that a man would pick her up from the station and drive her to the campus. So far, she found nothing and no one. Her stomach growled loudly, causing her to cover it, embarrassed. That's when her eyes caught an old white painted sign hanging off a door. It read Strauss Café.
Sounded yummy.
Picking up her blast-from-the-past swamp green suitcase, she found no harm in going over there to have a quick bite to eat, seeing as her chauffeur hadn't bothered to show up yet. Crossing the almost deserted street, Cyd pushed opened the doors and found herself a two-person table next to the window. Settling in nicely, she placed her things on the chair across from her and sat patiently to be waited on. It didn't take long, business was slow and the lone waitress jumped at the chance of activity.
"Hi! Welcome to Strauss Café," the waitress practically belted. "Would you like to order now or take a moment and look over our menu?"
"Um, no thanks," she answered, slightly startled by the volume of the girls voice. I'll just take a cinnamon roll and a hot chocolate, please."
The waitress bent down to grab my menu, and she saw that her name was Kristy. She glanced at her out of her peripheral vision. Yup, she looked like a Kristy aright. Loose blonde curls and big blue eyes, with a big wide the-customer-is-always-right smile. You would almost forget that being upbeat was part of her job. Kristy smiled, nodded, and ran off to place the order. It only took about ten minutes for her food and drink to get to her. Thanking Kristy, she took a sip out of mug and sighed dreamily. They used real whole milk to make their cocoa. Ripping of the end of the roll, the warm icing felt nice against her finger as she placed it in her mouth. Someone pinch her, she was in heaven.
She took another 15 minutes to finish off her little paradise, pulled 20 dollars out for the tip and cost, then left and walked back across the street. There as no one at the platform except for one boy, looking nervously around as if he'd lost something important. He looked a little younger than her, but knew they were the same age. He looked frantic enough, that she was willing to help with whatever he needed.
Coming up behind him, she noticed she was only at his shoulder area, and tapped him on the collar. When he spun around, she gave him a comforting smile.
"Are you looking for something?" she asked curiously.
---
Tyler was running late that morning.
… And he was definitely not taking it well. The Provost had called him into his office the day before, to ask him a large favor of picking a new student up from the Glenwood train station. Originally, Caleb was offered to do this task, but had to turn it down due to his mother's doctor's appointment. So, he assumed that it'd be important and crucial for him to get to the platform on time, so he could give a good first impression for him and the school.
Unfortunately, Reid had stolen his last clean uniform and had worn it to class that day, leaving Tyler to wear his dirty one. He had searched through his own laundry basket until he'd found it, throwing it on and grabbing one of Reid's ties off the floor as he left. His jacket was unbuttoned and his tie hung undone around his neck, the first few buttons of his shirt were undone as he made his way to the large black Hummer in the parking lot. He hopped in and started his baby, running a hand through his dark hair. He had forgotten to gel it after his shower, so it looked tousled, falling slightly into his eyes.
It was already nine when he pulled off of the school's campus and onto the main road. Higgins had told him that the transferee's train would arrive around 8:50-9ish, and that he should be there ten minutes prior. Now it was 9:03, and he was just getting on the road. He knew for a fact that it took about twenty minutes to get the station from Spencer, and he hoped that his attendant was patient.
He drove the speed limit, agitated that he couldn't go any faster because he knew as soon as he started pushing the limit the cops would be on his ass, pulling him over. Thankfully there was no one on the road; most of the townsfolk were already at work or school, so he had an uninterrupted drive. There was no music pounding through his sound system as he pulled into an empty parking space, in the deserted lot. The Glenwood train station wasn't much; it was basically a long strip of rectangular concrete roofed by a wooden pavilion with two benches at each end and completed with a one-manned ticket booth. Stepping out, he looked around and locked his vehicle.
There didn't seem to be anyone around. He checked his watch; it read nine twenty-seven.
Panicking ever so slightly, he made his way over to the ticket booth. Knocking on the protective glass, he seemed to have woken the cashier out of their sleep. The dull looking employee looked slightly miffed to be awakened, and glared at Tyler sleepily from his seated position. Pushing a black button close to his finger, the snapping sound of the speaker echoed.
"Yes?" he asked irritably.
"I was wondering if you saw anybody get off the train about, er – a half hour ago?" Tyler replied, looking down at the man.
The man looked thoughtful for a second, reclining in his seat, his name flashing. It read Bert. He sat back up and pressed the button again, hearing the snapping noise, and rested his mouth over the speaker a moment before speaking.
"No," Bert said finally.
"Are you sure?" Tyler pressed. He was in deep shit of he couldn't find this person.
"Yes," the man breathed out, exasperated at Tyler's need for reassurance.
Tyler sighed, "Okay, thanks."
He paced back and forth, a little ways from the booth. Rubbing his hands together in thought, he stood still, back facing the street and sorted out some possibilities. Maybe the train hasn't gotten here yet, he thought hopefully. Or maybe the train got here early and they already left without waiting. Or…He wasn't helping himself.
Frantically looking from left to right, he almost pulled at his hair in anxiety. He was about to call and tell the Provost about his mistake. That is… until he got a tap on the shoulder. Turning, he saw girl a couple inches shorter than him lugging the ugliest suitcase he'd ever seen. She had slightly wavy dark brown-red hair and deep green eyes, with a subtle tan complexion. He silently checked her out, until he realized she was asking something.
"Are you looking for something?" she repeated again.
"Uh – actually, I'm looking for someone," he said, unsure of this girl's sudden presence. Who the hell was she?
"Oh, really?" she questioned lightly. "If it helps, I'm looking for someone too."
He nodded at her absentmindedly. "Yeah, I'm supposed to be picking someone up here," feeling a little more comfortable around her, he added more. "Apparently, they're transferring here from across the country."
"No fucking way! I'm transferring here from across the county," she gasped, then questioned. "Do you happen to be the person supposedly bringing me to Spencer Academy?"
He stared.
This was the person he was supposed to be picking up, and there he was having ten minute conversation with them, oblivious to that fact? He looked her over – truthfully, he was expecting a guy. But a cute girl would do any day.
"Yeah, I guess so," rubbing the back of his neck with his hand sheepishly. "Truthfully, I was expecting a guy, but I guess you'll do." he joked.
"Ha-ha, you're a riot."
---
The ride was quiet on the way back. There was no music, no opening of windows, and no conversation. Just silence. After they had confirmed that he was the one driving her to Spencer, and he had apologized for being tardy, they were on their way. He had put her stuff in the backseat, then opened and closed the passenger side door for her, like a real gentlemen wood.
Periodically, he would look at her out of the corner of his eye, just to see if she was alright. He was a bit concerned because she hadn't said one thing in the whole ten minutes he'd been driving so far. No movement, noise, anything. All she did was rest her elbow on the door arm rest, place her chin in her hand and stare through the window. Vaguely he wondered what she was thinking about. Tapping his finger against the steering wheel, he looked at her again and tried to push a little silence away with some conversation.
"Oh, I'm Tyler Simms," he tried to slide in with a 'by-the-way' tone.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and offered him a small smile.
"Cydnie Mason, Cyd to friends and family," she finished.
She would've been a bit more conversational, but she had something else on her mind. The Full Moon was fast approaching, only a week and a day away, on Saturday. That meant that the Change would happen as always and would also mean she would also have no control of her actions for a whole night. It was deadly for her to be around humans on the night of a Full Moon, for she could easily kill one with one snap of her jaw around their necks. But the landscape of Ipswich was promising to say the least, with most of its land covered in vast amounts of trees.
"We're here," he said, taking a left and snapping Cyd out of her thoughts.
She watched as they drove closer to large prominent-looking building, and noticed one other building a ways down the hill, which she couldn't guess what it was for. Tyler parked the large Jeep and lugged her suitcase to the top of the stone steps of the academy. He bid her a farewell and waved before he went to grab for the door, when he was stopped.
"Hold on!" Cyd called.
"What is it?" he asked, turning slightly.
"Your –" she gestured to his outfit. "– Your uniform, it's not right."
He looked down at himself, realizing he had never fixed himself before he arrived to pick her up earlier. His tie still dangled around his neck undone, as well as the first top buttons of his shirt, and his blazer was unbuttoned exposing his white collared shirt.
"Oh shit!" he exclaimed, fixing his uniform. "Thanks, see you around," and then, he left.
---
She was left all alone, standing on the front landing of one of the most highly regarded schools in the state of Massachusetts. She swallowed the nervous lump in her otherwise dry throat, and entered cautiously. The halls were practically empty, she noticed, as pulled herself fully in the foyer. She assumed that she had arrived in the middle of class, and that most of the kids were in their classrooms. Taking a slow walk down the hall, she took in the sights.
Man, this place looks as boring as its name, she thought.
Looking up, she noticed a brown wooden sign, which read 'Administration Office' in white capitol letters hanging above her head. Turning the knob, she dragged her belongings on behind her. As soon as she closed the door, she noted a desk sitting against the left wall or the large room and numerous stiff-looking leather chairs across from it. Making her way up to the desk, she almost gasped in surprise when a short woman popped up from behind it.
The woman was pudgy no doubt, with her gray hair in a tight bun and half-moon spectacles. She had a slightly round face and bangs that curved slightly above the brow of her eye. It seemed that the small lady hadn't even noticed the door open, or even her for that matter. But those guesses were incorrect.
"Did I startle ya?" she chuckled, seating herself. "Sorry about that dear, I always seem to frighten the new ones, ya know?
In all truthfulness, Cyd did not know, but she just nodded anyway. Standing there, feeling slightly awkward, she waited patiently until the older female in front of her was done shuffling through and arranging her many papers. Holding up a paper to the light, she adjusted her glasses and spoke.
"Okay, okay. Let's see here, you're…" she placed the paper down on the surface. "Miss Cydnie Mason, correct?" she questioned, peering over the rims of her specs. When she nodded, the senior of the pair smiled. "Well, good for me! Got it on the first try."
Cyd just nodded numbly.
"Oh – um, you can enter the Provost Higgins's office. Just make sure you knock first," she directed. "And by the way, you can call me Mrs. Harris," she drawled.
Nodding again, she grabbed her suitcase, rapped quietly on the door left of the Mrs. Harris' desk and waited for a response. She heard a distant 'Come in' from the other side of the door. As quietly as possible she entered, shutting the door and sitting a in a chair opposite his desk. The Provost had been scribbling something down in one of his notepads, before he had pushed it to the side and focused on the young woman in front of him.
"Ah, Miss Mason, I presume?" he asked, folding his hands together under his chin.
She nodded.
"And how do you like Ipswich and Spencer so far?" he questioned.
"Both are very nice, sir."
"Good. Now, no need to dilly-dally, I'll get straight to the point," he started. "We here at Spencer Academy are glad to have a top grade student attend our school. Your uniform will arrive tomorrow due to some altercations. You may wear what you have on now to the rest of your classes, but –" he looked over her outfit. "– I expect you to be dressed in your proper uniform by tomorrow and the rest of the year while you're on campus during school hours."
She frowned, but nodded anyway.
"Now, Mrs. Harris has your room key, number, and class schedule at the front desk. That will be all."
Getting up, she grabbed her stuff once again and exited the room. Mrs. Harris gave her a tiny smile as she handed Cyd the necessities listed earlier by the Provost. She waved faintly to the woman as she left the Admin. Office, than began her journey to her new life. She heaved her unattractive suitcase down the hall with one hand, as she held her room key and number in the other. Her suitcase was a throwback to say the least, with its slightly rounded rectangular body and swamp green exterior, it was sure to bring someone back a few decades.
"325, 327, 329… 331, found it."
She jiggled the doorknob a bit, and was surprised to watch the door swing back and even more surprised to see someone already inside. At the bed next to the bathroom, was a girl with shoulder-length brown hair, seemingly stuffing the last of her things into a turquoise duffle bag. When she heard the door close, the girl lifted her head and smiled in her direction. Placing her suitcase on the other bed, she walked over to the girl just as the same girl slung the duffle over her shoulder. As they met somewhat in the middle of the room, the other girl held out a friendly hand.
"Hi, I'm Kristy," the girl introduced, smiling warmly.
Well, I'll be damned, Cyd thought sarcastically. Another Kristy.
She smiled back with the same warmth. "Nice to meet you, Kristy," she shook the other's hand. "I'm Cydnie, Cyd if you'd like."
"So I'm guessing you're the new roommate I was supposed to be assigned," she smiled again. "But my application for off-campus living just got accepted, so I guess you're roomin' alone till they find you a replacement."
Cyd shrugged. "Oh well, my loss."
Kristy chuckled. "Heh, I like you. Well, see you around."
And with that, she walked past Cyd and out the door.
She walked with the uncertainty of a lost tourist.
Armed with only her class schedule, a notepad and a pen, she walked the deserted hallways in search of the correct room number. There was no one in the hall, and she then wished that she had grabbed a school map on her way out of the office. Taking a right, her eyes glanced down at a wooden tablet on a door that read: Professor Brookes – Literature.
She almost screamed in a mixture of joy and relief. She had finally found her destination, after a good fifteen minutes of searching. Twisting the knob, she walked through the mini hallway of the room before reaching the actual room and stood at the ending of the blackboard. Fully aware that most of the class's eyes were on her, she bent her head and focused on the laces of her shoes, but look back up to try and find any familiar faces even though she was new. Once face caught her eye in particular, the boy she had met earlier, Tyler Simms.
He was sitting second seat to the aisle in the middle section, next to some blonde that seemed to be just waking up and an Asian girl doodling on her paper. He had been looking at her since she entered, and had waited for her to notice him. She waved to him timidly, and he jerked his head back slightly in response. It was then she realized that the blonde next to Tyler had been staring at her suggestively for the past few minutes and had leaned over to talk to Tyler, most likely, about her.
"Well, now that you captivated most of my students attention," the teacher drawled dully. "May I ask who you are?"
She went open her mouth.
He peered through his glasses. "Wait – wait, don't tell me. You're that new student that popped up on my attendance sheet today… Cydnie Mason, yes?"
Closing her mouth, she confirmed with a nod
"Good then. Now, where to put you – where to put you…?" he chanted quietly, tapping his chin with his finger. "How about left section, fourth row, and first seat next to the aisle? How's that sound, good? That's great."
Not bothering to repeat her name to the rest of the class, Cyd climbed the stairs to her seat and avoided any stares or glances she was getting. Sliding in, her bag next to her left leg and pulled out a notepad and pen, and began jotting down notes on Steven King's The Shining as the professor began to lecture once more.
---
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Reid listened the clock slowly tick his life way. He had already slept a good fifteen minutes in the beginning of the class, and was now resting his head in his folded arms on the desk. His pen tapped a rhythmic beat on his blank paper pad, for he had given up taking notes for the remainder of the class. Tyler was doing his work like a good little boy, which meant he wasn't planning on talking to Reid. Caleb and Pogue were sitting a couple rows below, across the aisle in the right section and appeared to be feigning their engrossment of Brookes' lecture, scribbling down notes every few minutes. It would seem like crime for him to interrupt their educational experience with a paper ball to the back of the head.
He seriously contemplated whistling to pass the time, but he knew that'd get him kicked out and he really didn't feel like moving. He sighed and sat back up, lightly bumping his back against the back wood, overtaken with boredness.
The doorknob jiggled as someone opened the door. This certain someone was a girl, a girl in which he'd never seen before. Which could only mean one thing; Fresh Meat. He watched as she stood there quietly, then looked up in his direction and waved at… Tyler? Reid watched as Tyler nodded his head back in acknowledgement at her and that's when he got confused.
What the hell? Reid wondered, staring at the girl. Does Tyler know her or something?
He decided to ask.
Leaning over, he whispered to Tyler curiously. "Yo Ty, who's that girl?" and jerked his head toward her in emphasis.
Tyler kept writing, but replied to satisfy Reid's curiousness. "She that girl I had to pick up from the train station this morning," he sighed when Reid's expression didn't budge. "Remember? That's why I was late for Global Studies."
Reid shrugged and sat back in his original position and watched the girl walk to her assigned seat. She was clad in dark blue low-risers and a gray t-shirt that said something in French, with black patch-worked Converse. He smirked; she was definitely something he'd want – in his bed, that is. And best thing about it, was that she sitting diagonally upward from, so if he turned just the right way, he could see her in his peripheral vision.
And suddenly, Reid's day got so much more interesting.
A/N: I am not at all too happy about how this first chapter came out. But, frankly, I'm just too tired to give a damn. Stayed up all night to finish this, and I am now hallucinating I'm so tired… twelve pages later. I have no officially sat through the whole line-up of Adult Swim, plus the reruns and that little block of random anime. Which had Big O, and I practically squealed.
Hoped you all like it.
If you did, leave a review. If you didn't, leave a review.
Oh, and the scene between Tyler and Bert the ticket-guy was inspired by a scene in the Bubble Boy, when he's talking to that guy in the booth asking how much it is to get to Niagara Falls. I love that part, XD.
me + bed + sleep won't wake up for days.