Don't Let Them Catch You

8• Foe

As much time as Aura spent with Markus, he didn't deprive her of the very much high school-vibed lunch times spent in the main hall.

However, that would be putting the term lightly. It was more like a social jungle. Where the predators, the so called 'relevant' people here, tend to find pleasure in preying on the weaker, the 'irrelevant'. The same way you have your high school mean girls, and the mouth watering quarterback that shoves nerds into half empty rubbish bins, you had them here. Except they come a little rougher around the edges at base. In all sense of the word.

Aura was neither... She was reserved for the not to be messed with and won't mess with you category.

The focus wasn't so much on looking good, as it might have been in normal circumstances. It was for part of it, but the craze was on power. What creature you were, how good you were at sparring and who was gifted with powers leaning on more of a lethal side.

If you were a werewolf, you were glorified.

If your animal happened to be something considered pathetic in the eyes of base, a pig so to say? You're an easy target.

It wasn't something Aura agreed with. It wasn't as if you could choose what to be born as, it shouldn't be held against you.

But it was the way of the base.

And purely because Aura knew better than to intervene unless she wanted to risk exposure for what she was, she kept her head down and ate alone, since none of the instructors ate with their students. Markus included.

And she could do that, eat in peace, because the others knew better than to mess with her, since Rodrick is still residing in the medical wing. He still can't get out of his wheelchair.

However, newbies don't know the ropes. Many jump in too soon, without observing. Lack of observation that people tended to steer clear of the pretty girl with the lightning eyes. That she always got the smaller rectangular table at the top right corner of the room. That no one dared breathe, look or speak in her direction.

They also don't understand at first glance that the focus isn't so much on looks here. That it just so happens to be power. Ability of survival.

Or course, to be aesthetically pleasing does have its ups. It hasn't lost all of its influence.

It's just not number one.

However, when the lioness Amber gets admitted, she clearly doesn't think that.

Aura regarded her with nonchalance as she ate her lunch. Beans and rice.

The girl had an elegance to her. The straight in her back suggesting confidence, the lilt to her angular brows every now and then making her cocky expressions suit whatever nonsense she happened to be spitting at the time-she seemed like the type-that clearly told you she knew she was gorgeous.

Her hair was an immaculately straight honey blonde, eyes made of golden embers as she summed up the wolves who deemed her worthy of their attention. She clearly knew this was a big deal if she cared about her social ladder, which Aura was guessing she did... if the excitable, yet desperate thing to her gaze, her movements indicated anything.

Aura noted, with a tinge of indifference, that she had quite the body. She looked around sixteen-seventeen, if how developed her ample breasts and generous backside and figure meant anything. But if that were the case she wouldn't be speaking to boys Aura's age. Regardless of whether they were wolves or not.

But when Aura decided she'd had enough of looking at the new girl, she felt a hot gaze against her skin.

Aura locked with those golden eyes.