Wunderhein Academy: Book 1- Awakening

“Come on, we have to hurry.” Boris shoved his books into his bag a week later. Kitten had her head buried in her own bag, a small frown on her face. Around them, their classmates were attempting to leave the classroom, being pushed by kids that were trying to enter.

“Flip Boris.” Kitten turned to Boris with huge eyes. “I don’t have my homework for the next class.”

“What?” Her friend's jaw dropped. “Where is it? You spent all afternoon on it yesterday.”

“I must have left it in my bedroom.” Kitten bit her lip for a moment as she tried to remember what she did with her homework. “I was checking it after lights out and must have forgotten it.”

“I told you it was fine.” Boris groaned. “Why did you check it?”

“Fine doesn’t work with Lexie.” She reminded him. “You know that.”

For the last week, any results she received had been criticized by her team’s captain to the point of frustration.

Boris looked worried for a moment. “You’ll be in trouble for sure if you don’t have it.”

“I’ll just go grab it.” She flung her bag over her arm. “The dorms aren’t that far.”

“Let’s go then.” He grinned before walking to the classroom door.

“Boris, hey wait.” She managed to grab him once they were outside. “You don’t need to come with me.”

“But, I’m supposed to look out for you.” His lower lip wobbled. It was clear she had hurt him by her earlier remark.

“This is the last period before lunch. I used to skip this one all the time. There’s hardly anyone around now.” Kitten smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “I can go grab it and be back in a few minutes.”

“You sure?” Boris checked in uncertainty.

“I’ll be fine. It’s better Lexie just kills me then us both if something goes wrong. Besides,” She smiled and pressed her finger against his nose. “I’ll need you to create a diversion so I can sneak into class.”

“Ok.” He giggled. “Fredricks with us. He can help with that.”

“Great.” She took a deep breath before pressing a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell, ok.”

“I promise.” He gave her a wave back before running off in the direction of the classroom. Once he was gone, she turned and ran in the opposite direction to the dorms.

A few minutes later she arrived at the open courtyard that sat next to her room. A bright light filtered onto the grass. A huge tree sat in the middle of the yard. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the light as a disappointment settled in her. She had climbed the tree before a few times, back when she had been hiding from the boys. What would it feel like to climb it for fun?

“Stupid Meat-bag.” At the insult, she turned to see a group of boys dawdling to class. She slipped her hand into her pocket for her Switchblade, gripping it as if it were some kind of talisman that would keep her safe from them.

For a moment she felt silly needing it. Since joining the Alpha Pack, the worst that had happened to her was being bumped out of her spot in the lunch line. The looks of disgust and insults hurled at her were so common that she was used to them now.

She didn’t think the guys would attack her.

Trying to act calm, she walked past them towards her room, gripping the hidden switchblade.

One of the boys took a step out towards her and bumped his shoulder against hers, hard enough for her to drop her bag.

“Typical Meat-bag.” They began laughing as she fell to the floor, scrambling to pick up her things that had fallen out of her bag. “Clumsy.”

“I’m not…” She looked up at them, opening her mouth to protest when a bulky teen purposely came to stand in front of her.

She gasped.

The guy was tall. Maybe as tall as Ivan. His eyes were so dark it was like they didn’t exist. He had one of those short haircuts the guys in her team had.

“Well aren’t you just a precious piece of meat.” He snarled bending down towards her.

“Hey, wait.” She yelled as he lifted her by her oversized jersey. She felt her legs waving helplessly in the air. She held onto his hands, trying to stop him from choking her.

“Is that it? I expected more from Aleksei’s little protégé.” The monster was laughing. His followers were laughing with him.

“Pasha!”

Kitten froze, recognizing her captain's voice in an instant. Dread filled her. She turned her head slightly and sure enough, it was Aleksei, looking extremely annoyed.

“Aleksei.” The monster turned towards him with a huge smile. “You are here.”

“Let her go Pasha.” Aleksei ordered. “Now.”

“If you want her.” Kitten felt herself being shoved further out into empty space. “Then I challenge you for her.”

A chuckle ran behind them from the group of boys that had been hanging around the dorms.

“Lexie don’t.” She yelled out. “He's too big.”

“Lexie?” The monster snarled, jerking her towards him. “No one may call him Lexie.”

“Just put her down.” Aleksei ordered. “Then I’ll fight you.”

Kitten felt her feet touch the floor. Without taking her eyes off the other boys, she took a few steps back and stumbled over her bag, landing at Aleksei’s feet.

“Hold this.” Without warning, a shirt that smelt like Aleksei fell on her head. She lifted the corners up to peek at her captain fighting the monster that had challenged him.

Everyone gathered watching them.

“LEXIE!!!!!!!!!!” She screamed out when it looked like Pasha had managed to hit Aleksei. For a moment she worried if her Captain would even make it out alive.

Aleksei, however, dodged the blow.

“Still too slow.” She heard her captain taunt as he grabbed Pasha’s hand and throw the monster over his shoulder into the wall.

When Pasha didn’t move, Aleksei dusted off his hands before looking at her.

“Let’s go.” He ordered, walking up to her and grabbing his shirt, fixing it with swift precision over his wife-beater.

Kitten looked at him, then back at the monster struggling to get up before ramming all her things in her bag and running after him.

“You won?” She checked.

“Yes.” He confirmed stopping outside her bedroom door.

“How?” She ran a hand through her hair. “He was crazy big. And he was strong. And…”

“Which he relied on too much.” Aleksei informed her. “His slow. Boris could have taken him down. Pasha’s not that strong”

“But…”

“Are you going to stand here and give me reasons why I should have lost you, or explain why you aren’t in class?” His eyes narrowed.

She blinked. “You don’t know?”

“Of course I don’t know.” He replied through gritted teeth, as if she had asked a stupid question which pained him to answer. “I spent the whole morning upstairs drowning in paperwork. It’s my job to get you added to our team.”

“But why are you at the dorms then?”

“Private cram session before lunch. I’m too late for my regular class.” He crossed his arms. “Speaking of which.”

She hung her head guiltily. “I forgot my homework.”

“So you were skipping class?”

“No!” She blurted out, looking up at him. “Honest, I was going to go. I came to get it before sneaking back.”

“Oh for…” Aleksei sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Stop being stupid. If you have to go anywhere, take someone with you or this will happen. That’s why we planned out the timetables to get you.”

“That’s not far.” She yelled, her hand clenching tightly at her side. “It’s not my fault that guy grabbed me. Normally their not here around this time. It was a fluke.”

“You don’t get it.” Aleksei looked at her for a moment. “Pasha wasn’t even after you. So what will happen the next time you didn’t listen and there’s a fluke?”

“He didn’t want me?” Subconsciously Kitten’s hand went to her throat where she had been held. “Then why did he attack me?”

“He likes guys.” Aleksei’s mouth narrowed. “Me to be precise. That was just a display of jealousy and attention seeking.”

“You hurt your boyfriend?” Her jaw dropped.

“His not my boyfriend.” Aleksei hissed through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry I made you fight your boyfriend.”

“You know what, forget it.” Aleksei glared at her. “Just try and listen from now on, alright.”

“I’ll will.”

“Good.” He nodded before waving his hand at her door. “Go on, grab your things and wait until I get back. We can both study in the Mess hall until lunch. I’ll put you down for a study session so you don’t get in too much trouble with the teacher for skipping out.”

“Yes sir.” She hesitated before entering her room. “Hey Lexie,”

“You really shouldn’t call me that.” He muttered tiredly. “What is it?”

“Can you teach me to fight like you did?” She ignored his comment, leaning closer towards him. “That throwing thing?”

He looked up at her with irritation on his face. “What do you think I’ve been doing this past week?”