Chapter 2

• I got up a few minutes after the alarm went off. I put on my loose, dull uniform, all gray, with a full moon printed on the shirt and the school's name written inside the moon in Gothic letters. I put on my big glasses, tied my long hair into a messy bun, and left my room for breakfast, once again skipping makeup or any other cosmetics. That was quite an advantage...
• “Good morning, Grandma!” I greeted my grandmother, Nilza, as she placed freshly baked rolls on the table. The aroma was simply irresistible, making my mouth water. I grabbed one and started nibbling on it.
• “Good morning, dear!” She smiled tenderly and sat beside me.
• I remember the day my mother called my grandmother, asking if I could stay with her. Without questioning the reasons why I had decided to come here instead of staying with my parents, she welcomed me with open arms. She used to call me almost every day, asking when I would come.
• “Such negligence! You won’t get a boyfriend that way!” my aunt Angelina complained as she approached, carrying a jar of homemade red fruit jam. She gave me the same disapproving look as on my first day here. It was odd that someone who had chosen celibacy was so concerned about her niece’s love life.
• “That’s exactly the goal. I thought you’d understand.”
• “Eliza...” She sighed deeply before starting yet another lecture. I was so tired of them lately. “I'm not single by choice; I just haven't found my mate yet.”
• Maybe you never will... I thought to myself. I remained silent, waiting for what would come next, but she said nothing else.
• “Well, maybe I won’t find mine either,” I commented as I got up from the table. I really hoped I wouldn’t have to worry about that kind of thing for a long time. I kissed my grandmother on the cheek and grabbed my backpack.
• Since the school wasn’t far from my grandmother’s house, I walked there and back every day. It was a great way to warm up in the morning. On the way, I found myself thinking about this whole "predestined mate" thing and how inconvenient it could be for someone like me.
• Maybe you're like your father and can choose! Lisa told me, trying to comfort my thoughts.
• “I sure hope so...” I sighed, looking at the classroom door.
• I was one of the first to enter. I put on my headphones and selected a song on my phone to listen to while waiting for class to start. Even though the cell signal was strong, the internet in town was terrible. The music kept cutting out every few seconds, so I ended up putting my headphones away in frustration.
• “If you want to listen to music here, you have to download your playlist in advance.” A soft female voice sounded beside me. I looked at Annie, surprised that we had yet another class together. Since I had touched her sheet music yesterday, she hadn't spoken to me again.
• “Yeah, I noticed,” I replied monotonously, shifting my gaze and slouching over the desk.
• “Thanks for yesterday!” she whispered shyly. I straightened up and looked at her more closely.
• “No need to thank me. Just try paying more attention in class now.” She nodded and timidly sat behind me. She stuck with me through the next few classes, and I realized our schedules might be identical.
• “Have you ever thought about signing up for the music club?” she asked as soon as the lunch bell rang.
• “No!” I replied bluntly, heading toward the school cafeteria. Music clubs usually had too many members, which would make me uncomfortable. Annoyingly, Annie didn’t get my hints and started following me.
• Looks like you already made a friend. And what happened to trying to stay under the radar? my wolf teased me. I gritted my teeth as I got my food and then sat at the most isolated table in the farthest corner of the cafeteria.
• See? Hahahaha, she laughed when she noticed Annie sat across from me and even gestured for someone else to join us. I almost choked when I realized it wasn’t just one person, but an entire group heading toward my table.
• The first guy in the group was tall, with brown hair and eyes, and light-medium skin tone. He sat at the table, ran his hands through Annie’s hair affectionately, and said,
• “Hey, beautiful!”
• “Hi!” Annie replied, her cheeks turning pink and her gaze dreamy. “Liam, this is Eliza, the girl who helped me with my sheet music.”
• “Hey, Eliza. I’m Liam, Annie's boyfriend,” he said with a friendly smile while wrapping one arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. The overly sweet scene made me feel nauseous...
• Then he pointed to the side, indicating the other three guys who had come with him. The first two sat next to him as they greeted me.
• “These are Jonathan, Maxsuel, and Nicolas.”
• I nodded politely at them without saying a word. Since there wasn’t enough room for him to sit with his friends, Nicolas, a taller, lean guy with dark skin, short slightly curly black hair, and brown eyes, sat next to me, responding to my silence with his own.
• “Don’t mind Nicolas, he’s not in a great mood today. Eliza, you seem to know a lot about music. What do you think about helping the band?” Liam asked me in a more serious tone.
• “I don’t know that much,” I replied shortly, focusing on finishing my food so I could leave as soon as possible. “Besides, I already signed up for the archery club.”
• “What a coincidence, Nicolas. Looks like the newbie is in the same club as you,” Jonathan said mockingly. “Come on, Liam, waste of time!”
• “She can help us with the sheet music,” Annie chimed in, as if trying to convince them that it was a good idea to include me in their group.
• “Why don’t you just download the sheet music from the internet?” I questioned as I got up from the table.
• “The internet around here doesn’t help with our research. If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be asking for help from someone like you. Don’t be arrogant!” Nicolas's deep and powerful voice made me turn around. Unexpectedly, I noticed that people around the cafeteria had started looking at me with disdain. My personal hell in this place was about to begin.