12082016-RECONSTRUCTED

Word Count: 2,564

002

One step into the classroom and my wolf was howling at me to get the hell out of there. The onslaught of shifter and human scents had my heightened senses recoiling in disgust, but I hurriedly calmed my wolf down by distracting myself with the layout of the room.

The chemistry room was organized into islands of raised tables surrounded neatly by four bar stools. Embedded into the tables were sinks and electrical outlets then rimmed with several shut nozzles that promised all kinds of flammable gas.

The teacher looked up from her spot in front of the class, along with every single student in the class, and her face soured. I supposed she was annoyed with my late arrival. She was a small thing, shorter even than me, frail and nearing her retirement.

She was a werewolf. Then again, who wasn't a shifter in this school?

Instead of walking up to her, handing her my new student slip and apologizing like Justin was probably doing right this moment in his class and I opted for standing there until she grumbled and walked up to me.

“New student?" her eyes critically examine my long unnaturally blue-gray hair, heeled combat boots and light wash jean shorts that didn't belong this far north. I arch an eyebrow at her.

"Would you like me to twirl?" I ask dryly, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder. The class snickers, but the teacher brushes them off with a scalding glare.

"You're short are not school appropriate," she says gesturing towards my exposed legs with a red whiteboard marker, "did you not review the school handbook before you choose what to wear this morning?"

"I did not," I say with a shallow smile, "your dress code is bull."

The teacher blanched, obviously not used to being outright contradicted. She stumbled back, reaching for her desk and the small pile of yellow detention slips. I smiled, glad for the familiar color. No matter what school I was at, the slips were always yellow.

"One hour, after school for breach of school dress code policy and disrespecting staff," she writes something down on the piece of paper, "name?"

"Aaemi Kou," I chime helpfully.

She signs my name, then hers before stepping forward to hand me the detention slip, "and cover yourself for the rest of the school day."

I take the slip, tucking it into my pocket without bothering to read it. "Anything else I need to know about this school other than the fact the entire male student body can't handle the sight knee caps and you have to enforce a superficial dress code? Like maybe, emergency earthquake drills or something else of equal importance?" my voice drips with sarcasm and acid. She blinks at my vapid response.

“Just take a seat your seat, Ms. Kou,"she motions towards the general direction of the room.

I offer her a sugary smile before turning to a wide-eyed class and started to examine my seating choices. The back of the class suddenly explodes with roaring laughter. My gaze flicks up and I catch the eyes of a wolf shifter with curly dark hair. He sits with another like the shifter, chuckling a bit quieter than his loud friend.

They both had the traditional werewolf look about them; dark expensive clothes that covered built bodies, complemented by strong handsome features and confident laid-back expressions. I catch their scent, both having the same quality and I don't have to look far to find the matching insignia tattooed to the base of their necks. Packmates.

“New girl," the dark haired one croons, "we've got an empty seat here," I tilted my head, contemplating his words. I didn't like the idea of being outnumbered, especially with them both belonging to the same pack, but I'd rather sit with them then with a duo of human boys that hadn't taken their eyes off my legs since the teacher talked about them. Jesus , if my legs were distracting it was their own damn problem.

I raise one shoulder then let it drop lazily to acknowledge them before making my way to their table, the one that resided in the farthest corner of the room from the front and was cushioned by large open windows. I eyed the huge glass planes that separated me from the outdoors, my wolf approving of my seating choice. Windows were great.

"Any specific place you'd like me to sit?" I say, tilting my head and look between the two empty bar stools.

“In my lap?” The dark haired one speaks up again, motioning towards his thighs.

"Walked right into that one," I muttered purposefully walking to the other side of the table where his friend sat.

“Ouch,” dark hair pouted but his companion, a shifter with white blond hair and a lot less stumble, shot me an apologetic look.

Hooking my foot underneath the bar of the stool, I yanked it out from underneath the table. It caused a loud screeching noise that echoed throughout the mostly silent classroom, but I didn't flinch as I dropped my bag onto the table and took a seat.

I could feel the anger in the teacher's eyes as she burned a hole in the side of my head, but I could care less as I faced my new desk mates and introduced myself, “I'm Aaemi.”

The two boys exchanged looks of absolute glee as they sized me up. I blinked at them.

“It's nice to meet you, Aaemi. I'm Nicolai,” the blond, Nicolai, smiles.He was more reserved than the dark haired one with a calm, steady voice. I realized that Nicolai's features are distinctively Asian and that his hair has an unnatural sheen to it. Bleached. The wild choice in hair color seemed to contrast his quiet personality, but it was a nice contrast.

“I'm Ryder,” the dark haired one grinned, tilting his head to show off his sharp jawline.

I was about to respond when the teacher raised her voice and ad