"The bus. Great."

Peter chuckled at the sarcasm that dripped from her voice. He knew well how much of a bitch riding a bus could be in a small town. Being new would undoubtedly draw unwanted attention to her and it would also draw it to him despite how much he worked to blend into the crowd ever since arriving. Just as predicted, everyone stared as they hopped onto the ridiculously large vehicle. Selena quickly sat in the first open seat she could find, already annoyed at the amount of attentive stares her presence seemed to bring.

Peter took a seat beside her, making sure to glare at the boys who dared to stare longer. He sat and wrapped a comfortable arm around her, falling into their old ways. She made no remarks about it and instead allowed herself to lean into his side.

"Looks like the werewolf brought his girlfriend," a jock joked a few seats behind him. He mimicked a wolf howl only to have his friends join in. The entire bus laughed at the wild display while Selena merely rolled her eyes at the stupidity.

"I wasn't aware this town was full of this many idiots," she whispered to Peter, her annoyance clear.

"They're worse than you can imagine, babe," Peter chuckled knowing she would reach her limits at some point during the day. She'd always had a low tolerance for stupidity and the school would probably drive her insane. "Just keep your claws in check."

His arm tightened around her as the wolf whistles continued. He didn't necessarily think their assumptions were bad. Annoying? Yes. But not bad. If people thought she was taken then perhaps there would be less teenage boys throwing themselves at her. A part of him always thought they looked good together even as children.

"Here comes the bride, here comes the bride," Destiny sang as Selena emerged from the small trailer dressed in her mother's white dress. It hung loosely, obviously belonging to someone who was at least twice her age. Peter stood next to Destiny wearing his grandfather Nicolae's jacket that was equally as ill-fitting. He was practically drowning in the fabric but the smile on his face was bright as Selena reached him. They both turned towards Destiny who would officiate their so called wedding.

"Do you, Peter Rumancek take Selena Camlo to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"Do you, Selena Camlo take Peter Rumancek to love and to hold, in sickness and health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

If Selena thought the stares on the bus were bad then the ones she received at school were ten times worse. She could feel them burning through her back as she waited for Peter to grab his stuff from his locker which was luckily just a few feet away from hers. They had ended up with a few classes together and she was more than happy to have his comforting presence nearby.

"English class," he said as he pulled out the novel they were discussing that week. She nodded and followed him inside the small classroom and took a seat beside him, unaware at the nerves that were building inside of the werewolf. English class was the one class he had with Roman Godfrey and he wasn't too ecstatic over having them meet. There was little to no chance of them not meeting since the upir had taken a sudden interest in him after the latest murder in Hemlock Grove.

"Upir."

The word left her mouth the second he walked in. She recognized the type immediately. Uncannily attractive with a gracefulness that was simply unnatural. His scent was like smoke with just a hint of sweetness to it. Peter watched as she instantly sat up a little straighter as he took the seat to her left, his eyes looking her up and down to examine who exactly had stolen his usual seat besides Peter.

"And you are?" Roman asked as he leaned in her direction. She was new. He would have seen her, hell, he would have slept with her already if she had been a Hemlock Grove resident. A face like that wouldn't have escaped him.

Her head was held high as she turned to him, her head just barely tilting as her disinterest was written plainly on her face. She remained quiet for a moment, the lack of excitement to speak with him immediately causing Roman to shift uncomfortably in his seat. Peter chuckled beside her as he watched the scene with amusement. Roman refused to break eye contact but the usual confidence he held was wavering as his shoulders dropped slightly, unaccustomed to being looked at with little interest.

"Selena." Her reply was short and cold with no friendliness ringing through her tone. She turned away from him the same way one usually looked away from an awful sight and instead looked at the teacher who had just stepped inside.

"I'm Roman. Roman Godfrey."

She gave him a curt nod, showing no interest in his name. He frowned. He was used to girls immediately perking up as soon as they found out he was part of the family that practically owned the town but she didn't indicate that she cared at all. Roman opened his mouth to say something, anything that would draw her attention back to him when the teacher began their lecture, instead leaving him to collect his thoughts.

All throughout class Roman kept his eyes on her. He watched her scribble her notes down, quick but yet neat. She did her best to ignore his burning gaze, refraining from looking his way. She knew boys like him. They wanted to be noticed, to be seen and be told how beautiful they were. She would be damned if she gave him that pleasure.

Meanwhile, everything the teacher said flew right over Peter's head. His own notebook sat untouched in front of him as he was more interested in the girl who sat next to him than whatever English nonsense was being said. He admired Selena. She'd always been a strong girl but being able to pick yourself up and move on after the death of a parent, much less the death of two, was impressive.

Selena caught Peter's eye and smiled warmly, a feeling of home resonating between the two. Roman caught the look and eyed the both of him, his mind already racing to piece things together. Roman was sure he was the only person in Hemlock Grove who was anything resembling of a friend to Peter, so surely the new girl couldn't be one.

He eyed them, quickly glancing over their wardrobe. Peter wore the same tattered jeans, flannel and old leather jacket. Her clothes seemed to be in a slightly better state with some faded black jeans and a fringed suede shirt. They looked like they belonged together, a sense of odd cohesion between the two styles. While Peter's hair looked messy and in need of a wash, hers appeared clean as it cascaded in waves on her right side, revealing a small oddly shaped 'G' tattoo on her neck.

She jumped when a piece of folded up paper flew past her and onto Peter's desk. Roman ignored the teacher's reprimand, his nonchalance evident as he slumped in his seat. Selena took notice of the fact Peter's body had gone rigid at whatever was written on the note and wondered what the upir could have possibly said that would make him so tense. A part of her wanted to dislike the upir, her mind reflecting back on the horrors his kind had inflicted and her instinct telling her to run. But a part of her begged her not to judge him for being born something when she and Peter had both been born into something they hadn't asked to be.

Peter ushered her out of the room as soon as the bell rang, desperate to avoid Roman. They had almost escaped when he sauntered up to them, leaning against the locker next to Peter's.

"Yes, ok?" Peter said through clenched teeth before Roman could get a word out, "let's go, Sel."

Selena complied only to bump into someone by the exit.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she quickly apologized as she took a step back. Her eyes widened in curiosity as she noticed the tremendous height of the girl she had run into and the fact her hands seemed to be wrapped in gauze. She typed away at her phone despite them, an odd glow on her face.

"It's okay," the robotized voice came from her phone. The girl grinned, and Selena couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey Shelly, how are you beautiful?" Peter asked with sincerity. Shelly grinned as she watched Peter's arm wrap protectively around Selena's waist.

"I'm good. New friend?"

"Old friend actually," he chuckled. "Shelly, this is Selena. Selena meet Shelly. She's the best goddamn Godfrey in this place," he commented with a smile. Selena waved happily, glad to have met someone who seemed to have a pure aura surrounding them.

"Roman," Selena whispered as she nudged Peter, alerting him of the incoming boy. His face was blank as he strode towards them and Shelly, a frightening look that unsettled her. Peter quickly said his goodbyes before pulling her out the door and speed walking towards the bus.

"He's scary, isn't he?" Selena chuckled as soon as they sat. "Roman. Roman Godfrey," she mocked, mirroring how he had introduced himself to her earlier. "God, James Bond much?" she laughed, clearly mocking the boy. Peter laughed at her impression.

"Yeah, he's kind of a dick."