Hunting Normal

"Alright Nova. This is what you've been preparing for." Blake walked alongside his sister. Nova gave him a light nudge, "Yeah, whatever. It's not my first day of school." 

"Yeah, I know, but it's your first day HERE."   

Nova and Blake Ritter were two years apart. Nova was a strong, intelligent 15-year-old with wavy brown hair she liked to keep short. Her older brother, Blake, was a 17-year-old with similar features. He matched his sister's intellect, brown hair and stunning green eyes, but of course was just over a foot taller. You could tell immediately they had gotten these looks from their parents, whose only difference was their father's brown eyes. Nova had liked to believe that her family was as normal as any other. However, that was not the case. According to society, they were not. 

They were werewolves. Yes, werewolves. The "crazed" half-wolf human who turns animal in light of a full moon. A terrorizing creature that mauls anyone or anything in its path. 

Lies, all lies, and pretty dramatic if you think about it. Sure, in the beginning, up until around the early 1800s, werewolves may have acted a bit chaotic, feeding into the false belief that they're all just monsters. When the world was a place of kill or be killed, they just happened to come out on top. Then "normal" humans began coming up with mechanisms and discovering their competition's weaknesses, slowly evening the scale. Power quickly became a craving, and the extinction of werewolves turned into a feverish obsession. Werewolves became nothing more than another animal to hunt. Just find a human that seemed overly hairy, had a tail, and BAM dead with no afterthought. It became a sport. The species decreased rapidly, but with the threat of nonexistence, werewolves began to adapt. They began to change their customs and behaviors to fit in with "regular" people. Excessive body hair was wiped from their genetics along with the, sometimes, visible tail.

In fact, werewolves don't have to worry about transforming in front of a full moon. The morphing comes at will, which is considered a greater threat to Normals (not werewolves). Who cares now? It's the 21st century. Well, judging by how the Werewolf Institutions spread worldwide, people still cared. As a werewolf, you weren't forced to live in one of these fences. However, it was heavily implied as Normals made the "real world" a bit more dangerous for their kind. That didn't stop the Ritter family. Nova had just turned fifteen and it was time for her to truly test her survival skills. Although a bit dangerous, they had found a new place to live. Located in a small suburban neighborhood, their new home was nestled in the outskirts of the Vermont town of Brattleboro. A community and school exclusively populated by... Normals. 

The siblings continued their walk in silence. The air was crisp. A friendly reminder that summer was coming to a close. As they rounded a bend, Nova caught sight of the High school. It was huge. Larger than any building she had ever seen. There hadn't been many buildings to compare it to in the woodlands, but its size was still surprising. Nova began fiddling with loose strands of her ripped jeans. Blake turned to his sister, "Okay Nova, listen."

He placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. "This is all going to be fine, nothing to worry about. We're just two new, normal, high school students eager to learn." Blake smiled. "And if someone decides to push your buttons, it's because they're jealous of how pretty and smart you are." 

Nova returned his smile. Blake always knew the right things to say. She gave him a quick hug as he whispered in her ear, "Be safe," before parting ways.

The inside of the school seemed more massive than the outside. Her first class was on the second floor. Finding the classroom was easy. Shoving and maneuvering your way to enter it was the hard part. Well, at least with all these people, I have even more of a chance of blending in.  Nova was not the first student to avoid the front and chose a back-row seat. She set her backpack down beside her and pulled up a leg to rest her chin on her knee while she waited. "Hey, you must be new here." Nova turned her head in the direction of the voice. A boy sat down beside her and grinned. "Oh, am I in someone's seat?" Nova asked anxiously. 

"No, no, you're fine! But you might want to get your shoe off the chair. Mr. Gray is sorta a drill sergeant wanna be." the boy replied, still smiling. He was a bit taller than Nova. Dark brown hair and friendly blue eyes. He obviously played some sport, judging by the muscles clearly visible through his gray shirt sleeves. "I'm Liam," he continued, extending his hand towards Nova. A bit taken aback, Nova returned the gesture and shook his hand. He smirked, "So uh, what's your name?" 

"Oh, sorry haha," Nova stammered. "My name's Nova." 

"Cool name," he replied, blue eyes sparkling. 

Nova turned her attention to the board as the teacher, she now knew to be Mr. Gray, marched in. "Welcome back, students." His voice was deep and intimidating. "Now I know this is only the first day, and I'm sure you're all thinking, 'Oh Mr. Gray, then why are the lab tables covered in supplies for an experiment?' Because we work hard every day, and if you can't keep up…" he smiled. "Then you don't belong in this class." 

Nova thought the label "drill sergeant" seemed quite reasonable for her new chemistry teacher. Liam leaned over in his seat and whispered, "Wanna be lab partners?" This shocked Nova for the second time. He was so kind and welcoming. She nodded her head in agreement.

The lab didn't seem to be that challenging, Nova observed as she and Liam took a seat at a table. Then the blood drained from her face. Her breath caught in her throat as she noticed the stirring rod they would have to use for mixing. Nova could recognize the scent. Silver. The painful element that, if exposed to enough, could kill her. Why was a stirring rod made of silver?! She thought they were always made from glass!? Nova screamed internally, furious and horrified. On the table were a pair of thin plastic gloves, but they would be useless against protecting her from the effects of the silver. "Nova?" Liam tapped her shoulder, making her jump.

"Uh, you good?" His expression was a mixture of confusion and concern. "Is there a problem here?" Mr. Gray asked. Taking special notice of Nova, he scowled. "You're one of the new students. What's the problem here, young lady?" Nova, still frozen, tore her gaze from the rod and replied, "Nothing sir, I just noticed that, um…" she hesitated. "That we are using food coloring in the experiment. I'm very allergic." Mr. Gray's eyes traveled from her to the stirring rod to her once more. The corners of his mouth turned into a subtle smirk. Nova's hands began to sweat. This was a test! Of course subtle things like a stirring rod would be part of other traps to reveal a werewolf's presence. Nova's mind raced. If she made up any excuse not to touch the silver, she'd become a suspect, and what would that mean for the rest of her family? Nova took a deep breath, "I'll be able to manage Mr. Gray. I have pills in my bag just in case." She bit her tongue as she picked up the silver rod and casually began stirring. It felt like thousands of fire ants chewing through her flesh. Nova's heightened sense of smell did not help as the scent of her melting fingers reached her nose. Mr. Gray stood there, watching. For crying out loud dude, leave! Nova's mind urged as she forced a smile. He finally turned, hearing a commotion from one of the back tables. Nova set the rod down, grinding her teeth. She immediately stashed her hands into her jean pockets. This was going to be a long, painful day. Liam nudged her. "Hey, I can take over if you want? Don't need you being rushed to the hospital on your first day." Nova managed a smile. It won't be the food dye I'll be going to the hospital for…  

                                                                      ***

"Had a taste of silver, I see. Learn anything?" Blake commented, taking his sister's hands in his own. 

"Ouch Blake, be gentle! And it wasn't my fault, I had to," Nova described to him briefly of her encounter with Mr. Gray. 

 "Fast thinking," he smiled, releasing her hands. "And you managed to keep these burns hidden for the whole day?" 

"Yes sir," Nova winked. She had been smart enough to use the silver rod with her left hand. The right one had only touched it briefly, only to prove she could handle touching it full force. Nova was right-handed, so she was able to keep the more visibly damaged left hand out of sight. "Mom and dad taught me well. So, anything exciting happen for you today?"  

"Not really. At PE we ran the track outside, and I noticed they got Wolfsbane lining the school grounds. Of course," he touched his nose, "I knew it before I saw it." He rolled his eyes. Nova cringed. She had encountered the poisonous plant once before as a pup. It nearly killed her. 

                                                                    ***

Liam Gray thought his first day went pretty well. As he sat down at the dinner table, his father walked in. Liam sighed. He knew what was coming.

"Like my new toy," Mr. Gray twirled a thin glass vial between his fingers. "Thought I'd let you test it out." He handed the small tube of purple powder to his son. Liam examined the contents with dread. 

"Wolfsbane? And how exactly do you intend for me to do that?" 

Mr. Gray leaned over the table, a cocky grin painted on his face. "That newcomer. Nova, I believe her name was." Liam kept his gaze on the vial. He knew he didn't have to ask any questions. His father would be more than happy to explain. "We don't get many new people in our town... such a thrill when we do though. Excited to try out your skills, Liam?" 

"She seemed nice, dad. I don't really feel like.." 

"It doesn't matter what you're feeling. This is what you were trained for and lucky for you, a test subject just moved in. It's time to prove yourself." The atmosphere in the room turned to ice. Liam shook his head, racking his brain for some excuse. "I never asked for this." 

"It wasn't something you could ask for."

"If she is a werewolf, then the scent of this powder will be an obvious giveaway." 

"I've made it odorless. Plus..." Mr. Gray reached into his pocket, pulling out a second vial. "What canine could resist this?" Deer blood sloshed inside the glass tube. 

                                                                ***

Nova approached her first-period class, immediately stepping into Liam. "Ouch, must be some injury. What happened?" Nova glanced down at her bandaged hand. "Oh, just a silly accident. I was out on a run when I tripped and ripped up my hands on the tar." She pushed past him, catching the smell as soon as she entered. Deer? Maintaining composure, she noticed Mr. Gray observing her out of the corner of his eye. Nova hadn't expected a pop quiz today. Her parents had warned her that Normals were often suspicious, but for some reason, she hadn't expected it to happen this soon. "Oh!" She said, walking casually to her desk. "Someone didn't clean up the food dye from yesterday's experiment." She headed towards the paper towels. Liam brushed by, "right, you're allergic! I can take care of it if you want..." 

"Oh no, I'm perfectly capable. No worries!" She sensed more then saw the look Liam exchanged with their teacher. Nova soaked up the blood on her desk. She relaxed her muscles. Her parents had prepared her for this. Throwing the red paper towel into the trash, Nova knew she would have to be extra careful in front of Mr. Gray. The rest of that morning was uneventful. It gave Nova time to process and prepare herself for whatever might come next. She walked into the crowded lunchroom. "Want to sit together?" She turned to face Liam. "Sure, why not." The two teens claimed a table near the back of the cafeteria. 

                                                                   *** 

"Okay, I'm gonna go order some food. Want anything?" Liam asked. His fingers played with the glass vial in his pocket. 

"I'm fine, thank you, though," Nova replied. Liam made his way to the line. Is this even necessary? He wondered. She hadn't batted an eye at the blood on her desk. She was probably fine! However, Liam could hear his father's voice ringing through his skull. If he didn't confirm Nova's innocence, then his father would be furious. Liam's brain ached. How would he sneak the powder into her if she wasn't going to eat?! Picking up his tray, he casually sprinkled the contents of the vial onto his tater tots. Maybe she would change her mind. At least now he could say he tried. 

                                                                   ***

Nova watched Liam from the table. Then began searching the room for any signs of Mr. Gray. Finally deciding the coast was clear as Liam sat down with a smile. "They got tater tots today! Couldn't help taking extra. You sure you don't want any?" Nova's mouth filled with saliva as the crisp, savory goodness reached her nose. She popped the fried potato chunk into her mouth.