9. Chapter 9
T he only sound Lennox heard as she walked down the hall. Vice Principal De Rosa began her day with a mass email about an assembly. The sound of occasional sets of footsteps echoed as other students walked past her. In typical Lennox fashion she walked down the hall fifteen minutes before asked to arrive. As she turned left down the hall, her eyes remained glued to her phone.
Lennox- I hope you checked your email this morning. -Sent 2:14 pm
Aron- Of course, I did Leonard. Don’t worry your little pink head, I’ll be there. -Sent 2:16 pm
With a scowl, she shoved her phone back into her pocket. Lennox turned the corner to go down to the first floor to the auditorium. With each step down the first flight, her bag hit against the side of her leg which almost hit another student as they passed each other. The woman was tall with long brown hair and a silver stripe framing her face who looked lost. Werewolf, maybe new? I’ve never seen her around. Although, she does look vaguely familiar.
“Looking for something?” Lennox asked.
“Yeah, I was told there’s a meeting today. I got to Omega Alpha yesterday and I’m still learning the area. I’m Remi Daniels- Uhhhh, excuse me, Remi Moon.”
An amused smile crossed Lennox’s face. “You seem more confused than I thought. I’m Lennox Cade, Head of Omega Alpha House.”
“It’s a long story, but I met my brother for the first time yesterday and I’m still getting used to the idea.” Remi admitted.
“That’s great, who’s your brother if you feel like sharing?”
“Coyote Moon, he’s on the security team here as I understand it.” The girl smiled nervously and continued to rant. “My uncle is Mathias Moon, but everyone calls him Fang. He’s new this year too as the Predator and Prey Elder and a part of the team with Cathwulf and Coyote.”
It all clicked quickly once Remi explained. She looked a lot like her brother and the new Elder. Lennox had heard of the werewolf before she had seen him, though never saw him in person or photos. From what she had read, he was the last of an Alpha werewolf line. Now with new information she realized Coyote and Remi were a part of it. Well, I guess that explains why they are all so tall.
“So that’s why I thought you looked familiar. Coyote has been here for a good amount of time. Congratulations on finding your family. This place has a way of bringing people together. Your Uncle has quite a reputation in our world.”
“It seems to be. I guess we’ll be seeing each other quite often since you’re the Head of House.”
“I’ll be around. If you ever need anything you can always reach out. Do you want me to show you where the auditorium is?”
“That would be helpful, thank you.”
The two of them made their way down the stairs, toward where the meeting was to be held. Lennox looked at her schedule and pointed out a few common classes as they passed by. She gave her as much information as she could about house events and some of the Elders.
“There’s quite a few Elder Miller’s here so some of them go by their first names. Elder Alaric Miller, Biology and Elder Richard Miller, Sociology. You have Elder Eloise Miller for Business Studies.”
The demon stopped as they approached the entrance of the auditorium. The enlarged canvases from the funerals with flowers beneath that sat beside the door. The faces of Elder Narcissus Greene, Felix, and Rue knocked the wind from her chest. Her still broken heart cracked open again and she stood frozen to the spot. Her violet stare locked on Rue’s eyes- Her smile.
A voice tried to break through her haze of grief, but they sounded so far away. She could see Remi staring at the photos and then at her out of the corner of her eye. Lennox was busy clutching memories of Rue’s laugh when three more voices joined. They paused and one of the people came to stand on her right side. A hand on her shoulder brought her back down to reality. When she glanced over, she saw the face of Rosalyn looking at her with a knowing look in her eyes and a kind smile.
“Are you ready for the meeting?” She asked, with a silent ‘are you okay’ with a slight brow raise.
Lennox let a false smile cross her face, she wouldn’t want to draw too much attention. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
She turned to see who else was around them and her eyes fell on Vice Principal Genevive De Rosa, Aron, and Rosalyn. They had joined herself and Remi, chatting amongst themselves. Lennox watched them for a moment and noticed Aron sneaking uneasy glances at Rosalyn who peered over at her for a moment. She forced herself to push aside her grief and turned toward the group. Rosalyn and Aron have very similar markings. The stitch-like pattern on their noses and cheekbones was almost identical. Something felt familiar in the back of her mind, but at the moment she focused on the assembly as the red-headed woman turned towards her with the usual neutral expression.
Her bright blue siren eyes fell on Lennox, “Good to see you, Miss. Cade.”
“Likewise Elder De Rosa,” she nodded as a smirk formed on Aron’s face. “What do you find so entertaining?”
“You’re so formal Lenoard, take a chill pill.” He insisted, his smirk turned into a full smile.
“And be a little more like you?” She shot back. “Maybe I’d consider your advice if you actually used my name.”
“Where’s the fun in that? Besides, no one can be like me,” Aron winked, amusement written across his face.
“These guys seem to not like each other.” Lennox heard Remi whisper to Rosalyn who stifled a laugh.
“If only you knew the half of it,” she whispered back.
She couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle as Aron looked over to the other two. She watched his smile falter when his eyes fell on Rosalyn again but seemed to quickly recover. The Vice Principal’s back was turned while she was busy with the lock on the door to the auditorium when her strict voice trailed behind her.
“Alright you two. You’re supposed to be working together.” She turned to look at the two Heads of House as she opened the door for them.
“Yeah, Cade-” He was cut off by Rosalyn moving between them.
“Alright, I’m heading in.” She hooked Lennox by the arm. “Let’s go, I wanna get good seats.”
The group made their way in and took their seats. The other students in the school slowly started to file in as classes ended early for the day. Aron went to sit with some of his friends at Kappa, while the three girls sat beside each other. Wyatt saw Aron and the others first as he walked in. The two smiled at each other and started to talk. Are they planning something I need to be worried about? It doesn’t matter, not my circus, not my monkeys… Well-
Her thoughts were interrupted by Wyatt’s voice calling over. “Hey! You made it too! We’ll join you guys!”
Aron shot him a look. “Why don’t we go over with the guys?”
“Naw, come on. I bet Eden will be over here shortly. Help a guy out and be my wingman.”
“Only because it’s you,” the blond-haired demon agreed. Lennox watched him all but drag him back over. She noted it was slightly odd he seemed to be avoiding them. Usually, she couldn’t escape him trying to push her buttons.
After twenty minutes the last of the Elders, Eden, and Bastien all made their way in. She was surprised to see every single teacher in the back row. Must have been required for them too. Normally, Elder Eloise Miller never showed up to school gatherings. Eden and Bastien were also usually a toss up. However, they made their way to sit in one of the middle rows when Wyatt motioned for Eden to join them. Lennox noticed Eden’s eyes dart to her cousin for a moment before he elbowed her with a bright smile. Basiten excitedly pulled her over to the group and took their seats filling almost the entire front row now.
She turned back towards the front where Elder De Rosa stood with the three members of the security team. Cathwulf was a little taller than the siren. However, still small standing next to Coyote and Fang. The hum of whispers filled the area which blocked her from her attempt to listen in.
Finally, the siren turned to address the room, “Alright, it’s time.”
As she spoke the room got quieter. The creaking of the older wooden seats echoed while people shifted in their seats to pay attention. A few final whispers drifted around as the Vice Principal proceeded with an almost angry undertone.
“We all know that the school has had many losses this semester. Never, in the history of this school have we been attacked in such ways, and I promise we will get to the bottom of it. The security team has called in Mathias Bloodfang Moon to join in their efforts to keep everyone here safe. That being said, I will allow Coyote to speak on the new procedures that will be in place during these uncertain times.”
Elder De Rosa took a step back and Coyote took her place. He scanned the room before speaking with a serious look in his eyes. “Thank you, Vice Principal De Rosa. This semester we will be instating a curfew. All students must be back in their dorms by eleven. We will be doing extra patrols. If we find anyone out after then, you can bunk by the security office for the night and trust me none of us want that… Please do not walk alone if you can avoid it, travel together in pairs or better yet sets of three. The security team’s cell phone numbers will be distributed. If you feel unsafe, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. If you see anything that looks suspicious, the office is located down the stairs from the main entrance of the school. One of us will always be there.”
Coyote paused as he looked around the room. It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone waited expectantly, the looming weight of unspoken questions hung in the air. The man let out a sigh as he read the room. A knot formed in Lennox’s throat as he started to speak again.
“I can’t hide what’s happening from you all… We have every reason to believe Hunters have hidden themselves among us. Unfortunately this means I have to give you some tips to spot them. Humans will ask a lot of questions about you and your life. They will usually be intimidated by you. As well as be more apprehensive of indulging in the seven sins. We are doing everything in our power to find the imposters. These Hunters have learned our way of life… Our strengths, our weaknesses; we do not take this lightly. Please follow the guidelines we have set and stay on alert. That is all unless another Elder would like to add anything?” The room stayed quiet. “Have a good evening everyone.”
He turned away and everyone started to get up. Lennox heard Rosalyn chatting to Wyatt while Remi stood to go talk to her family. Elder De Rosa turned towards Aron and Lennox with a finger held up just as he attempted to sneak out.
“You two, I need you to stay for a few minutes.”
“Ohhh, the Heads of House are in trouble?” Wyatt teased them.
“Naw, can’t be. Lennox doesn’t break rules.” Bastien chimed in.
“Very true, at least not too often. It’s been years since the last time.” Wyatt let out a small laugh.
“You mean to tell me, Lennox Cade has broken a rule?” Aron asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“You know I’m right here,” she put her hands on her hips.
“Once or twice since I’ve known her. Oh, Len, it's just all in fun.” The tattooed demon tilted his head to her before turning to Eden. “Let’s get out of here sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that,” her brow furrowed in annoyance.
“Oh, I’m sorry Little Viper.” He leaned against the back of one of the chairs.
“Little Viper?” Bastien eyed her. “I like that, it’s fitting.”
Lennox laughed a little as Rosalyn started to shoo the others out once everyone else was gone. Soon, it was Aron, Remi, Elder De Rosa, the security team and herself left in the large quiet room. The two students made their way over and joined them as the Vice Principal looked between them. Aron smiled at the very tall man, Elder Fang, who he seemed to know already.
“What can we do for you, boss man?” He asked, crossing his arms as Lennox listened closely.
“We are hoping that sharing the information with the school will put the Hunters on edge enough to make them pause long enough to find them. We need you to make sure that everyone in your houses is inside at curfew. If anyone is missing, we need to know as soon as possible.” Fang told him, glancing at Lennox.
She nodded when Fang met her eyes, “That’s not a problem.”
“You two need to figure out how to work together. You’re a team and we trust that you can keep your eyes out for your fellow housemates, even on each other.” Elder De Rosa turned to her with a serious look on her face. Aron’s playful demeanor shifted when her piercing blue eyes fell on him.
“Can’t make any promises for this one, but I will do my best.” Aron flashed a smile.
“Of course, Elder De Rosa.” Lennox nodded and noticed Coyote take a long breath in.
“There’s something else.” Coyote spoke up, “With all of the deaths, we don’t believe they were picked at random.”
Lennox’s heart fell into her stomach, his words sent her hair on edge. Do they know about my curse? No, they can’t know. Wyatt or Rosalyn would have never told anyone… They are the only ones left alive that know. Her eyes still drifted towards the ground as she hoped they hadn’t somehow figured it out.
“We have reason to believe all Elders and you two have a greater risk for being targets. We think any of you could be the next victim. Lennox due to Rue’s death and Aron due to the target that seems to be on any authority figure.” Quickly, she raised her eyes back to him and tried her best to hide her surprise. “Don’t worry, we will be making sure you both remain safe. Lennox, Remi has agreed to go with you if you don’t have anyone to walk to the main building with from Omega in the mornings. Aron, if you don’t have anyone, Fang will accompany you.”
As he spoke, her thoughts started to drift slightly. They’ve been working their way to me, taking out everyone close to me. He’s right. Aron and I might not be close but he could be used to get to me. She nodded in agreement, it would be annoying but it was understandable. As for working together, she still owed him an apology. Though now wasn’t the time as he would probably make a scene of it. Once Coyote received a nod from both of them he seemed to relax a little.
“Alright, head back to the houses for the evening.” He told them before he turned away as the Elders and Remi made their way towards the stairs.
Aron looked over to her with a mischievous smile spread across his face, his green eyes lit up. He hooked his arm through hers, “Let’s go home, I’ll make sure you get there safely!”
“Okay, mister Boy Scout.” She shook her head as her jaw feathered.
“What’s a Boy Scout?” Aron asked while he pulled her along.
Forced to go with him as he escorted her back toward the exit of the auditorium, she felt her face heat up as her annoyance bubbled. The photos from earlier were still fresh in her mind. Lennox’s jaw clenched as her mind dragged the image of Felix to the forefront of her mind. Aron made a joke about Fang being the new sheriff in town. Every nerve slowly started to ignite. The red hot rejection filled her flowing into her stomach. They should still be here, this place was supposed to be safe. They are gone but somehow it’s all still the same? As they passed the doors and the trio of photos Lennox’s hands had balled into fists. It’s not right… it’s not fair. She finally spoke up as grief buried her once again.
“This isn’t funny, Aron! People are dying, that’s why we have to do this! You could be a target! Don’t you care?” Pulling her arm from his, they stopped in front of the display.
He stopped and looked at her. The usually plastered smile whipped off his face replaced by surprise. He kept his tone even as he frowned at her and seemed almost hurt yet again. “Of course, I care.”
“Really? Because I haven't seen you take any of this seriously. You skip classes, I think I’ve seen you at two over the last few weeks? Everything is always a joke to you. How am I supposed to believe you?”
“Just because I skip classes, doesn’t mean I don’t care about the safety of everyone here, Lennox.” Aron told her with his brow furrowed.
“Well, you definitely don’t show it.” Lennox folded her arms defensively. Looks like someone does know my name. “Look- I don’t blame you if you don’t want to be involved with all this with everything that’s going on.”
“Are you done?” He asked harshly, his eyes burning into hers. She opened her mouth to speak before she was stopped. “You think I’m going to leave everyone now? You guys need the help and I’m not going to let anyone get hurt. Do you forget I have friends here too? It’s only been a few weeks but I will not walk away just because of a little danger. If I leave, how are you going to protect anyone if they get to you? You don’t think I haven’t already put all of this together? Out of both of us, you’re the one they’re going to target.”
His frustration slowly started to fade as he looked into her eyes, revealing the smallest hint of worry. It was her turn to be surprised, he had come off as a frat boy who only wanted to party. It was odd to think that only after having been at the school for a few weeks yet he was already so attached. There’s a sensible side to him? I didn’t think that was possible… Maybe it is time for that apology. She dropped her arms as she realized he must have put it together after Rue’s death. Tragedy seemed to circle her like a predator to prey. She was grateful he didn’t know anything about her curse as she sighed avoiding his eyes.
“See there’s more to me than you think,” his voice still carried a mildly irritated tone.
“You’re right- I’m sorry… When you came, everything happened so fast, I didn’t give you a chance- but to be fair, you didn’t give the best first impression.” They fell into a brief silence.
“Thank you, I do understand. I like to push people’s buttons, it’s fun. However, I do have a heart … I do understand grief more than you think.” Aron said, his voice softening slightly, a smirk crossed his face when she said he was right.
Lennox looked over to the door, not wanting to be in front of the photos anymore. She finally met his eyes again and nodded her head towards the door. Maybe they could work together, the thought sent mixed feelings through her but she knew she had to try for the sake of the ones left from the attacks.
“We should head back and start getting a list together for both houses for nightly checks and a checklist for at night and in the morning.”
She took a few steps towards the door. With a nod, he followed her out of the main school building. They made their way onto the grounds, the warm afternoon sun contrasting with the cooler breeze. Aron rambled on about the curfew and Lennox was still thinking of things she could do to help keep everyone safe at night after the lockdown. They got into Kappa in the middle of the night, there’s nothing stopping them from just walking into either house.
“We need to work together to protect everyone. Even with the curfew, it won’t stop them from unlocking the doors to wherever they want to go.”
“What do you have in mind?” Aron asked. “Security cameras?”
“No- the school has plenty of those. The office is far enough from the houses. Even if they were in their wolf forms, I don’t know if they would get there fast enough…”
As she thought for a moment, she remembered the vines in her room. Lennox knew that using the same magic to cover the houses every night would take a lot of energy to create but it would be worth it. If someone tried to get through them, she would know immediately.
“I can use magic, I lean mostly towards earth elements. I can grow vines around the windows and doors of both houses right after we make sure everyone has made it before we lock everything down.”
“You can do that?” He asked as they kept going down the path. “Wouldn’t that drain you running it all night?”
She ran the theory in her mind. “Not unless they were more like motion detectors instead of active wards. Yes, they could take a lot to create, but I would sleep much better knowing if someone is trying to come in, I would know. I can handle waking up tired as long as I can get some peace of mind.”
“Passive magic can still become overwhelming if done for extended periods, Lenny-Boo. I know someone like you knows that.” Aron pointed out.
“I don’t see many other options.” She shook her head as they got closer to Kappa house.
“I do, I can help. I don’t use passive magic as much but I can hang out around the houses at night, lay a little boobie trap around the perimeter.”
“Hold on, what kind of perimeter?” She questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Well, I lean towards fire, they walk over it, it’ll start a controlled fire around the house and it should draw enough attention before they can get through it.” He explained.
“Are you sure it’s controlled? Could it catch the house on fire?”
“About as controlled as I am,” he joked. Seeing the look on her face, he put a hand on her shoulder. “No, the house won’t burn down, it would be far enough away. Geez, have some faith in me.”
They approached the front of the green doors and Lennox eyed them nervously. Every time she got too close, she remembered the morning she last walked through them. You know it’s not a good idea to leave your door unlocked. Her words haunted her nightmares along with the pools of red that had covered the carpet. Red that covered her hands and clothes. Stained them beyond repair- Stained her very core. Lennox couldn’t bring herself to walk through the door still as she expected Felix to come out still. She couldn’t bear to look at the place he had taken his final breaths. Aron stopped when she did, she could feel his emerald gaze on her.
“You can come in if you want. You can call someone to walk over to Omega inside if you want.” He offered.
“I- umm, no thank you, I’ll wait outside for someone.” She pulled out her phone and texted Rosalyn and Donnie to ask them to meet her.
“Are you sure?” He asked as they went onto the deck.
“I’m sure,” she told him a little too quickly.
“Okay, I’ll be inside if you need anything. I’ll email you the list of the Kappa guys.” He watched her carefully and obviously didn’t believe her.
“I’ll email you the nightly checklist I’ve been doing later, I’ll start with the vines tonight and we can switch off every two days. Change it up every once in a while so they won’t catch on.”