Christian's P.O.V.-
There's no other way to put it. Not just me but everyone in my dorm house was devastated at the news that Tom had died. Tom! Of all people, Tom. I couldn't for the life of me understand it. It's not that I knew Tom well; he wasn't my floormate. But I knew him enough to know that he was a decent guy. He was one of the good ones. Why would anyone want to hurt Tom, never mind kill him?
I think the worse part for me is that I secretly knew that Tom wanted to confess to this one girl. He desperately wanted to but was always too shy to approach her. I am aware of this because I caught Tom standing at his locker like every day after class; we had the same science class. He'd stand in front of his locker, which was open and had a letter inside it. It was a love letter, Tom once told me when he caught me looking at him. He blushed, ruffled the back of his neck, and flashed me an embarrassed grin. The girl he liked was a mountain goat; he wasn't sure if she'd reject an antelope like him. I didn't say anything this first time- I merely grinned back in a hollow way.
That's what I thought about during Tom's funeral; the school had a small ceremony for him that afternoon. His closest friends gave speeches about him, and the dean said a few words. The atmosphere was sombre and… awkward, to say the least. I noticed the herbivores sitting apart from the carnivores. Not that I blame them; this must be a terrifying for them. And as usual, they look at the rest of us with scorn, fear, and distain. I don't mind though, I quietly told myself while the dean spoke. That's when I saw the girl Tom liked a few rows beside me in the auditorium; her back was facing me. My eyes began to lower. I don't mind their prejudice anymore….
Christian's Memory:
Tom let out a long sigh and placed the letter back into his locker. He shut the door and looked blankly at me. "Still can't do it?" I asked in an understanding tone. My heart went out for the guy…. His back straightened up and he attempted to flash me a self-conscious grin. "Uh, t-the timing felt off today; that's all. She was with her friends….." When I didn't verbally respond, the lines on his awkward face softened. His eyes scrolled down a tad. "It's fine. I'll tell her how I feel…. when the time comes."
When the time comes….. He said that last week, and now here we are- next week without him. I stood in from of Tom's locker for the very last time. My hand rose up so my fingers could caress its door. It was unlocked so I took the opportunity to look inside. As expected, the letter was still there, resting and waiting to be delivered. I stared at it for a long time.
I knew where to find Alice; we shared two classes together. I waited until it was dark out- probably not one of my better ideas- to approach her. She had just said goodbye to a friend and was about to go inside her dorm house. Or at least, she was before I emerged from the shadows of the trees. Her eyes immediately widened in alarm and terror as I came closer. Her hand rose up to her chest; she took a few nervous steps backward. I could hear her gasping from here.
"W-what do you want?" Alice finally asked me in an extremely shaky voice. I didn't say anything, instead pulling out the letter from my back pocket; she didn't see. "What are you doing here? W-what do you want with me, wolf?" She kept stepping back until her feet were touching the bottom step. That's when the panic really came to her face. "G-get back! Get away from me!" Her voice shrilled, both arms flew up protectively in front of her face.
You see, I'd refrained from speaking until now. Large carnivores like me have what you might call a "dominate" voice. In the old days, it used to have duel purposes: to seduce prey and command them. My voice was intensely deep and frightening if you'd never heard it before; at least, that's what I thought. That's why in response to her understandable freak out, I merely held out the letter for her.
This grabbed Alice's attention, but she didn't move just yet. Seeing that she needed some prompting I said in the most calm, quiet voice possible: "here, take it." She cautiously peered over to get a better look at the envelop. It read: To Alice, with love Tom. It was most obviously a love letter, which she got immediately. "A… letter… from Tom?" Her eyes shined dumbfounded up at me. I shuffled a bit inelegantly, making sure not to look her in the eye. "I….. was waiting until we were alone… to give it to you." I usually wasn't this misspoken and low toned, but what with the fear of carnivores- especially ones like me- going around, I didn't want to do anything to frighten her more.
Her gaze shifted from me to the letter, which she eventually took from my hand. I noticed her thumb rub over the top affectionately. Poor girl… "You….. wanted to give this to me?" I wasn't sure if this was a question, but I decided to take it as one. I slowly nodded my head. "I knew Tom wanted to give it to you…." I uttered punitively. That's when her lips curled into a grateful smile; her eyes finally softened. "Thank you… I appreciate it." "No problem. See you tomorrow," I turned to leave; no point in me hanging around anymore.
I got about ten steps before Alice called me back. My head spun over my shoulder to see her still grinning at me- a real smile. "I'm….. I'm sorry… for the way I treated you earlier. You… didn't deserve that." For a second, I neglected to say anything. What should I say? She was afraid of me, after all. It doesn't matter that she doesn't know a thing about me, that I've never eaten meat before, that I've never borne my claws or fangs at anyone. None of that matters…. I learned a long time ago that absolutely none of that matters. I'm a wolf, an apex predator- end of story. Still, I knew she was expecting a reply, so I nonchalantly shrugged my shoulders.
"It's ok; you don't have to be sorry." This altered her expression from one of remorse to one of confusion. Her arms lowered at her side. "W-what do you mean?" "I mean I'm used to….. to being treated that way. It's ok with me now," I said with utter emptiness. I've always lived being feared and loathed by more than half of society. Why should this encounter change anything? But it's alright; I'm used to it now. I'm fine with it…
I don't mind their prejudice anymore.