My door slammed open the next morning and I found Aretha standing there, her arms crossed with a scowl on her face, disapproval filling her face. “Wow. I haven’t seen that look since last night at dinner, Aretha.”

“Well what did you expect to happen when my reputation is tarnished all because of your stupid actions. What you do, human, reflects on me as well.” She said, barely spitting out the words without raising her voice.

“It doesn’t help that I was thrown in front of an angry werewolf without any other instruction besides ‘Don’t die’ rolling around in my head!” I nearly yelled at her.

“Well then maybe I need to have some one on one training with you to make sure that this foolish mistake doesn’t happen again. When you open that box in 12 days I need you ready to fight. I need to be able to take over your body and not have to deal with you complaining about being sore or having scrapes and bruises all the time.”

“I’m not complaining about the scrapes and bruises. I expected as much, but to put the future Grand Master in as much danger as they did? To throw her in front as pretty much a sacrifice should not be acceptable.”

“Its called sink or swim. If you fought back instead of going into a fetal position you would have…”

“Died instantly for exposing my stomach to a clawed animal.” I interrupted her. Aretha’s demeanor changed and she looked almost impressed. “If I had rolled the animal would have had access to my spinal cord, possibly causing permanent and life altering complications and if I had moved my fore arms from my face I would have left my head and neck vulnerable for a kill shot. I saved both of our lives by not fighting back and waiting for the back up I knew I had to come and help me.”

“I am impressed. Most would have fought and lost a lot of blood resulting in a unneeded casualty in the field, but you where calm and level headed enough to think about survival, which is what this is all about, killing those monsters before they kill us.”

“I’m surprised you thought so little of your own human. Do you think that I still have an allegiance to them all because my mate was one of them? He was weak enough to be killed by a Huntress. He wouldn’t have been able to protect me anyway if he couldn’t stand up to a Huntress.”

“Thank you for your…insightful looks into this matter, Vanessa.” A smirk crossed Aretha’s face and I realized why. She had concealed a camera from my sight and had just video taped everything I had said. “I am sure your mate’s old pack will be delighted to see this. Just think they lost their Alpha, and their Luna has turned against them! Think of how weak and vulnerable they will be.” She let the video play on as it trained on me. I gave a look to the camera that made Aretha trust me enough to come closer. As soon as I got close I whispered one word, with eyes that would send the message across as clear as day.

“Good.” I let a smile slip onto my face before walking right past the camera and out of the room, heading for the dining hall for dinner, knowing I had probably impressed Aretha more then I would have liked to. I thought back on my previous day, on what had made Aretha so upset at me last night and I couldn’t help but have a scowl on my face over it.

I kept my face impassive as I walked through the halls towards the cafeteria for breakfast and past the other girls in the place, not seeing a single person of the opposite sex. I could feel my skin crawl at the thought of a group of women killing essentially animals as well as people. Women were supposed to be not necessarily soft, but nurturing and kind.

I quickly ate my breakfast of oatmeal and orange juice before going over to a wall that was near the exit and seeing why people were gathered around it. When I started to come people parted to let me through. I searched for my name through the list but kept a firm stance in case these girls weren’t going to be friendly to me. When my finger stopped sliding down the list to land on my name I heard a small gasp from a couple of the people

“You are Vanessa Fence? The next Grand Master?”

“I guess so. I haven’t been told much, but that was one of them.” I said calmly, walking past the girl who had spoken and out of the cafeteria, making my way down to the end of the hall to my first class of the day. The board had a map out of courtesy to the new huntresses that joined here. Luckily for me my class was just at the end of the hall and I didn’t have to go far.

When I walked into the room there were a couple other girls standing against the wall near the door, backs straight with their hands clasped together in the middle of their back. They focused on the other wall with an intensity. The girl at the end of this line of four broke it for a moment, realizing I must be new.

“Every class you must do this. Back straight, hands behind you and focus on something across the way, no talking. The first one into the classroom gets an extra point for the day whereas the last person in the class gets kicked out for their negligence and gets an absence for the day and has to make it up with the grand master at the end of the day. Once you’ve been there once you don’t ever want to do it again. Get into line before we both get in trouble though.” She nodded at the girl and got into line, not sure she was doing it right, but the best she could do at the new stance.

Girls filed in one by one and before Vanessa could look away from her spot on the wall she heard someone groan and complain about being the last in line and knew that everyone was here. I suddenly felt myself lurched forward and when I looked back my spot had been taken by someone else.

“Well, if the way Carmen is reacting is any indicator of what you are saying, then maybe you two wouldn’t mind demonstrating your skill’s in fighting, whoever loses will take the place in the Grand Master’s class at the end of the day.”

“Sounds fair to me, ready to be beat into a pulp newb?” Carmen spat at me. I stood tall, knowing that what she said was true and I was going to the class at the end of the day no matter what.

“Maybe, but at least I will handle the Grand Masters class easily, whereas you were so afraid you had to resort to bullying to get out of it. Face it, inside you are nothing more then a scared little girl crying for momma-” before I could finish I was tackled to the ground and barely had enough time to put my arms up over my face to keep from getting hit in the neck and face, but I was still open to attacks on my abdomen. I looked for openings in her offense and found one, using my knee and jabbing it into her side. She grabbed on tightly and I proceeded to do the same to her other side. I then crawled up and behind her, holding her in a choke hold. She easily got out of it by flipping me over her shoulder and back onto the ground, knocking the air out of me. Carmen kicked my side and I rolled over. The teacher called it to a stop when he realized that Carmen was about to pulverize me if it continued.

“Okay, you put up a good fight, Fence, but you would have died if this were a real fight.”

“Well if it was I would have died from her breath let alone the weight I had placed on me.” Carmen charged but everyone else in the class kept her at bay, knowing that I had done something incredibly stupid. I needed people to hate me enough to ignore me so I could hopefully escape. I didn’t need people noticing me just for being new and I couldn’t see myself making any life long friends in this place.

“Hey! Just because you got the last spot in line does not mean you can steal mine!”

“You’re new, you’ve never had to deal with The Grand Master. Stick it out in there with minimal injuries and maybe I wont steal your spot next time.”

“But I have dealt with the Grand Master. I am her heir.” Small chatter started up in the room as I walked towards the other girl. “But fine. I will deal with the Grand master, since you are obviously to chicken to do so yourself.” Everyone stopped talking and dropped their mouths open while the girl gave me an evil glare. I simply walked to the end of the line, waiting for whatever would happen.

The teacher walked in and looked to the end of the line and saw me. “So your first class, on your first day, and you’re the last one in?”

“No, but I figured that everyone has already had a turn with the Grand Master by being in this position, so I took it. I’m not afraid.”

“Alright you want to go new girl?” the girl who took my spot asked. When I saw the teacher’s questioning look I answered.

“She is just upset because I let her take my spot since she was the last one in.” I refused to let fear show on my face, I can and will deal with whatever happens.

“Well, if the way Carmen is reacting is any indicator of what you are saying, then maybe you two wouldn’t mind demonstrating your skill’s in fighting, whoever loses will take the place in the Grand Master’s class at the end of the day.”

“Sounds fair to me, ready to be beat into a pulp newb?” Carmen spat at me. I stood tall, knowing that what she said was true and I was going to the class at the end of the day no matter what.

“Maybe, but at least I will handle the Grand Masters class easily, whereas you were so afraid you had to resort to bullying to get out of it. Face it, inside you are nothing more then a scared little girl crying for momma-” before I could finish I was tackled to the ground and barely had enough time to put my arms up over my face to keep from getting hit in the neck and face, but I was still open to attacks on my abdomen. I looked for openings in her offense and found one, using my knee and jabbing it into her side. She grabbed on tightly and I proceeded to do the same to her other side. I then crawled up and behind her, holding her in a choke hold. She easily got out of it by flipping me over her shoulder and back onto the ground, knocking the air out of me. Carmen kicked my side and I rolled over. The teacher called it to a stop when he realized that Carmen was about to pulverize me if it continued.

“Okay, you put up a good fight, Fence, but you would have died if this were a real fight.”

“Well if it was I would have died from her breath let alone the weight I had placed on me.” Carmen charged but everyone else in the class kept her at bay, knowing that I had done something incredibly stupid. I needed people to hate me enough to ignore me so I could hopefully escape. I didn’t need people noticing me just for being new and I couldn’t see myself making any life long friends in this place.

The class past with no less then a hundred glares from Carmen that promised death, but I made it through, ready for the next class of the day. When I got to the room I was one of the last few into the room, but no one dared talk to me, no doubt news had already spread about what happened in my first class. Maybe I was cut out to be the Grand Master if I was bale to produce fear over the girls in the span of one class period. The thought sent a shiver down my spine because I hated the thought of people being scared of me, that I had power of them. I did not want to be the Grand Master in the slightest, yet here I was controlling them just by the fear they felt because they made me take a place closer to the front of the line instead of third from the back. I walked away from there and took the place at the end of the line, figuring that if I already had to go what was it to me to supposedly show up last to every class. It would save someone else from the horror of it apparently.

The class went into full swing nd I was given a disapproving look from the teacher when he saw me slowly walk to the end of the line from my position on the opposite wall. He decided to grab onto my elbow and drag me to the middle of the classroom to make an example of me. He told me to stand in front of a five foot square metal door that looked like a hatch that opened towards the ceiling. I could hear some snickers from my fellow classmates and prepared for the worst, making sure my outward appearance seemed relaxed and under control, the complete opposite of my true feelings.

The hatch slowly moved upwards and the sound of growling was made audible. She looked at the teacher who held a spear in his hands, taunting her with the possibility of having it, but not giving it to her. She notices another hatch start to open before two wolves suddenly come flying out of them. She manages to dodge as they collide, barely managing to do a tuck and roll, and proceed to do some fighting. There was a large wolf, obviously a male and a smaller wolf, probably a child or a very small female. The male broke the female’s paw and it changed back into a pre-teen girl. She whimpered on the ground, but as I tried to make a move toward her the other wolf came at me. I knew the dangers of those claws and that Aretha would not be able to help me this time. I curled up in a ball, protecting my face, neck and stomach, making sure to lie on my back as well.

The wolf lunged and started scratching at my forearms and legs, leaving semi deep gashes in them that I knew would require medical attention. A strong girl came and threw the wolf off me and pinned him down before catching the spear that the Teacher threw at her, plunging it in his neck. The male wolf was now dead and lying naked on the ground in the room while the pre-teen girl only cried harder. She was taken out of the room to be put back in the cages for training later on. I gave her a sad smile which seemed to give her some hope but it was immediately dashed if the sound of her scream was anything to go by.

The girl who had thrown the large wolf off me came and pulled me up by my collar before yelling at me for ten minutes about how weak I had been to not fight. I dusted myself off as she yelled, making it seem as if I wasn’t perturbed by anything that had happened since the start of the class and just shrugged my shoulders. “Eh, I managed to keep myself from dying by one of those pitiful creatures, so I consider it a success.” I started to walk away but the girl pulled my hair back and threw me to the floor much like the wolf did. She kicked my stomach a few times as I refused to cry out and give her the satisfaction before pulling me up and head butting me, pushing me back a little so I would fall again. The Teacher called her off and dismissed everybody before yelling at me for ten minutes about how I should have used the strength he knows I have as the Grand Master’s heir to force him off and break his neck and not cower in fear, that the creature was just a mindless beast. He only stopped yelling when Aretha came in to drag me off to get some bandage from a storage closet for my legs and arms, taking me back to my room and leaving me to patch up my arms myself.

“You don’t go to the infirmary for minor cuts and bruises, Fence. Now if you’d stop whining like a two year old who fell off her trike and scraped her knee you would stop embarrassing me and yourself. You are pathetic, Fence. Toughen up and maybe I’ll let you out of her in time for dinner.” She slammed the door and the next I saw of anyone was when Aretha came to film that video. I knew she would send it immediately to the pack and that they would look for me even faster. If all went well, they would find me by the time I was forced to become a Huntress, maybe even the day of. I had to get some sort of sign to them to let them know where I am as quickly as possible, but the only sign of daylight in the whole place was the in the roof of The Grand Master’s office. So the main thought on my mind as I walked into the cafeteria for dinner was how on earth I was going to send a sign, but then I saw it. Someone had conveniently left the perfect means for escape lying on a table, all alone, just ready for someone to grab it. I shoved it in the top of my boots and relished the feel of the cool metal against my calf, just waiting to be used.