prologue
the escape

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ODESSA STONE hated the smell of medical supplies. She had grown accustomed to the smell and didn't feel like she knew anything else but the smell of a Doctors office. The girl had grown numb to the feeling of a needle going through her vein and the Nurse who gave her a faux smile as she prodded Odessa with the needle. It was the same every day. Train, testing, train, sleep, repeat. It had been like that for as long as she could remember. But unbeknownst to her, that was going to change.

The methods used on the kids during training was something Odessa couldn't get behind. Punishments were used if someone went out of line. Odessa, even though she was, in all honesty, a hot mess in training, never had been punished too severely. A couple bruises on her wrist from an instructor pulling her too hard or a quick smack to her cheek, so quick she couldn't even feel it after the first couple of times. Other ways that were the simplest ways for instructors were to irritate the branding on the inside of kid's wrists. The branding mark was given to them as soon as they arrived. Other students around her had gotten much worse for things that weren't even that bad.

After giving the Nurse a soft smile that came out more as a grimace, Odessa made her way back to her room. It was dull—gray walls with a single twin bed. She wasn't allowed any pictures or posters, only a stuffed bear that sat on her white bed sheets. Her bear, who she remembered naming Luna when she was younger, was her only link to her childhood she could hang onto.

The Stone was taken away from her parents when she was very young. Over time, she forgot what her parents looked like and what their names were. Odessa still thought of them, even when her mind was racing a mile a minute on the most random things. Most of it was taken up by how her life could've been if she hadn't been taken. What her friends could've been like, how she would've bonded with her mom and dad—everything.

She didn't have a lot of friends where she was now. No matter how many years she had spent there, she kept to herself. Only one person got through to her and let her walls break: Silas Campbell.

Silas always seemed to be around at the early stages of their friendship. He was in all of her training classes, seeing as he was a fellow werewolf. He would sit next to her at lunch even though Odessa was known to sit alone during lunch hour. Silas Campbell was the first person to have the courage to sit next to her during lessons. And soon, Odessa grew used to the idea of having Silas around and didn't mind his presence. As the years went by, they became two peas in a pod.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realized it was time for dinner. Pulling her cardigan around herself, a habit she couldn't explain, she made her way to the huge cafeteria on the ground level.

She tossed around her plate filled with cold broccoli and chicken when she saw a familiar figure place himself across from her. She looked up at Silas, only to see him staring at her with a serious expression.

"Uh..." she trailed, taken aback by how he was looking at her, "what's up?"

Silas looked around to make sure no one was listening, before leaning closer to his best friend, "I'm getting you out of here."

The blonde choked on a piece of dry chicken she reluctantly started eating, "you're what!?"

"I'm getting you out of here," the boy ignored her coughing, "we've been here for years and you're still not in control of your abilities—"

"—All werewolves have troubles with their powers—"

"—Odessa, you're special," Silas exclaimed, "you are not an ordinary werewolf and no one here is helping you. And if you don't get your control, I'm scared something will happen to you or someone around you. Aren't you tired of going through the full moon alone?"

Odessa discovered she was a werewolf when she was taken. She could only guess she was born one and that her parents were werewolves. But Odessa Stone was different from her classmates. She could never succeed in her control and would always be looked at as a failure at doing the simplest things, like letting her claws extend at will. Even after seeing this, her instructors never lended a hand in helping the girl gain her control. Odessa was curious but never motivated herself to find out why she was the way she was. When the dreaded full Moon came around, the blonde was isolated from her classmates, her door locking hours before everyone else's.

The Stone internally rolled her eyes, "Si, you've been in classes with me since the beginning. I haven't done anything to cause destruction in training. I'm fine."

"For now," he deadpanned, "just listen to what I'm proposing, okay?"

After some thought, and a beat of silence, Odessa caved, giving the boy a nod.

"I've been walking around the control center, where all the instructors hang out, I guess. And there's word going around about another werewolf in a town called Beacon Hills. His name is Scott McCall. Apparently, he was bitten a couple months ago and is already showing signs of becoming a True Alpha. He gained control quicker than a lot of us here and I want him to teach you."

Odessa scoffed, "you want me to leave here, escape even, and track down a boy who has no idea I exist and ask him to help me? You're ridiculous."

"Am not!"

"How do you suppose I'll even be able to leave without being detected? Our doors lock at eight o'clock sharp."

The doors of all the rooms for students seal shut for the night and don't open until seven in the morning. The whole building was secure. No one had ever attempted to break out of the building, let alone their own room.

"I've been studying the doors," Silas told her, as if it was obvious, "you just unlock it."

Odessa squinted, her brows furrowing, "Silas, don't you think all of the kids around us would've escaped by now if it was that simple to get out?"

Her question was met with an eye roll, "Odie, don't you think I wouldn't be telling you this if I didn't have everything already figured out? Leave everything to me. Would I ever let you down?"

The girl bit her lip. Silas was the only person she ever trusted. She trusted him with her life. She knew he would never do anything to hurt her. After a moment, she responded, "when would this be happening?"

"Tonight."

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Odessa Stone looked over Silas' shoulder as she watched his crouched figure fiddle with the lock of her room door. Her thumb nail was in between her front teeth as she gnawed on it nervously. The building called bed time thirty minutes ago, and somehow Silas was able to hide in her room without an ounce of detection.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

The Campbell heaved a sigh, gritting his teeth in concentration, "for the last time, Odie, yes. I know what I'm doing. Now, would you please, shut up."

Odessa didn't respond, but did burn holes into the back of her best friends' head with narrow eyes. After watching him fidget with the lock system for what felt like hours, but was merely a few minutes, a clicking sound was heard from the lock box connected to the door.

Odessa's wide eyes met Silas' bright ones as he slowly opened the door, surprising them both. Silas would never admit it out loud, but he was stunned that his research and planning had payed off.

"Let's go," the boy hissed without hesitation. He grabbed her hand and quietly made their way to the main entrance of the building. After stopping against the walls to make sure the coast was clear multiple times, the metal doors came into their sights.

Odessa couldn't wrap her head around it. She was actually leaving. What she couldn't stop thinking about, however, was leaving without Silas.

"Wait," she panted, her eyes panicked as she now understood what was actually about to happen, "I can't leave you."

Silas' eyes softened at his best friend before taking a step to embrace her. The two knew they had no time in the world to be in each other's arms, but didn't care. He stepped back from the embrace and grasped her shoulders tightly, "you got this, Odessa Stone."

Seemingly memorizing every feature on his face, she nodded shakily before they moved closer to the door. Odessa watched her best friend bring a piece of paper that had a set of numbers written on it.

She scoffed, watching as he punched in the numbers, "I'm not even going to ask."

"Good."

The two watched as the red light turned green as the door unlocked. As reality set in, Silas grabbed his best friends' hands, "now remember, Beacon Hills—Scott McCall."

"How am I getting there?"

"...You're a werewolf. You run."

Odessa blinked, "right," she gazed out in the night as the wind blew through her face, she hesitated.

Seeing her doubt, the boy gave her a shove, "go!"

"Wait! When will I see you again?"

He smiled, "don't worry, you can't get rid of me that easily. Now, go!"

And with those last words, Odessa took off running.

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She didn't know how long she had been running for, but she could see the sun start to rise. Odessa stopped to let herself breathe, sitting against a tree. She let herself close her eyes, not knowing the next time she opened them, her life would be so much different.

"Now remember, Beacon Hills—Scott McCall."

"You need to gain control."

"You got this, Odessa Stone."

Brown eyes shot open as she was met with darkness. It was strange. She knew her name, she knew she was a werewolf. But there was one problem—where was she and how did she get here?

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yuh let's get this book
started (again) shall we?
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