A snarl rumbled in the back of my throat, the noise trembling through the tiles and benches. Hind legs lowered to spring, eyes shimmering a starry night black.

Archer made a bold step forward and my jaw widened, ready to snap. Rushes of energy swirled around my body, pumping heat and hunger in my chest.

He extended a hand. The light bulb burst above us.

The energy flow cracked, and the world stilled, Archer's stare breaking away the heat. He turned his wrist and the energy flow divided, scattering and swirling around me in frenzy. The beast roared inside and I felt my palms hit the tiles, my knees followed next, the irises of my eyes furiously glowing.

Archer twisted his wrist again and my shoulders rotated, bones moving in reverse. My fur eased back into my skin, scales slipping under my flesh along with the remains of the energy.

I felt my soul being ripped into two, separating human and beast. The warm energy gluing them together faded and my fingers tingled and flexed. Nails replaced claws; the dark power crawling into its cellar and leaving me dry of power.

White lights flashed before my eyes and they shrunk into a mud brown colour.

The beastly growl and human scream merged into a mirror shattering pitch that even sent Archer back.

The other world was sewn shut and my lungs found air again, my breath coming in short gasps.

Everything was silent as I was left cold and shivering on the floor.

Roger moved first, returning to my side with a look mixed with shock and relief and horror. I heaved another breath and dragged myself to sit up, legs too numb.

"I thought we'd save the freak show for another day," Archer simply said, standing there with a smug grin.

The single trace of relief was from his two other friends behind him. I searched the Hero's gaze for the dark power but his eyes revealed only emptiness.

Careful not to get lost, I shifted my gaze to his hand that casually slipped into one pocket.

"How did you do that?" I tried to say but my voice was lost. Shifting was what protected us villains; our inner beast fought for us when we were weak. And I just witnessed our worst enemy wash out that power with a simple flick of the wrist.

Thankfully my heart slowed down and I took in one last deep breath. "How did you stop my shifting?"

"If you join me in this operation, I can show you how." The corner of his lip curled up, a dimple revealing itself. "And many other things."

The temptation grew and my eyes flickered over to Roger's arm, the metal band still around it. I hunted for his response but he couldn't stop staring at Archer's hand.

My own tide of questions swept away any possible answer from me, leaving my mind bare and confused. How did the Hero know my species?

I didn't even know what I was. That thought struck home and I beat back the forbidden pain, hiding it away from my eyes. Archer already had me by my weak point and the last thing I needed was to give him an advantage.

"What do you say?" Archer asked. He stretched out his hand again and my beast silently screamed at me to run. "Knowledge in exchange for your trustworthy position in our pack."

I should've known he was two steps ahead. His words stripped my privacy naked and I felt cold and defenceless; he knew everything and much more.

I had to keep up with the enemy.

Blood still trickled down his neck from my slashes and I felt the pain slowly throb in my wrists where he cut me. I spewed a chunk of saliva in my throat and he watched as I was ready to spit it on my hand. But at the last second, I spat the goop on his hand and smiled. "That's how we shake on it at the academy."

He glared and said, "I'm just ecstatic to have you on our team." He flicked the saliva off his hand and took one look at my smile before cracking the back of his hand across my temple.

The cold floor soothing my stinging face, I stayed there and watched the world sideways; their shoes becoming smaller, hearing the gentle click of the door unlocking.

Archer's voice was like fingers tracing down my spine. "See you in class, sweetie," he said.

There footfall disappeared and I listened to the sound of my teeth chattering.

Roger bent down next to me and I swatted him away. "Hey! I don't need help—"

"Give me your cafeteria money. The bastard took my sandwich," Roger said and rummaged through my pocket.

I groaned and pushed him off, standing up on my own. Pain erupted in every muscle and I had to put a hand on my hip to balance myself. "Why did the headmistress put me on babysitting duty with you?" I flipped away a pink strand of hair and pulled down my top, it rising as I fully stood.

Roger successfully held up some change and started counting it. "For reasons that she won't tell you about," he said.

I shook my hair and crumbs of dried blood pudding and a few creeperoni's fell to my feet. "We smell worse than a corpse," I whined.

+++

My pink ruffled mini skirt made its hypnotic sway down the boy's dorm, waking up the male specimen as they straightened their backs and leaned on the door frames to fix their hair.

My lips left a glossy shimmer on the rim of my coffee cup and I did a satisfying hum as the burn left my tongue and warmed my throat. My spiked heels stopped at the last room, a paper bag filled with grilled cheese in one hand.

"Hey, loser! Wake-y wake-y, eggs and fucking bake-y!" I banged my fist against the door. "I brought ya breakfast!" Silence answered me back. "Roger! Open the goddamn door before I pour coffee in your eyes!" Male heads with ungroomed bed hair poked into the hallway. An uneasiness settled in my empty stomach and I pounded harder. "Roger!"

I took a step back, ready to kick the wood in half but the door suddenly swung open.

"And you brought me coffee. Aren't you an angel," Archer said and snatched my drink out of my hands. Before I could fit a word in he slammed the door in my face.

"Hey!" I smacked my hand on the door and it opened again.

"And breakfast? You shouldn't have," Archer answered and plucked the bag off of me, closing the door on my nose.

My hands curled into fists and I knocked until my knuckles turned red. "Roger, I bet'a see your face instead of that sheep-molesting derelict! Roger!"

I hardly finished screaming his name before I was greeted by the short freshmeat. Panic filled his eyes and Roger gulped, his whole body shaking. "Vhalerie."

The sound of the door hitting the wall at full swing sent the poor kid jumping.

I removed the gun from the hidden thigh strap and aimed it at the first thing that moved. The second bed of the room was no longer empty, the Hero lazily spread across it with the grilled cheese in his mouth. "What kinda joke is this?!" I snapped in anger.

"Darling, put the gun down. You're scaring the cheese out of my bread."

Without the dark mask and black eye makeup, he seemed less dangerous but I still kept a tight grip on the gun. "You dyed your hair," I said suspiciously, eyeing the black strands now spiked up. I shook my head, dismissing thoughts about his appearance.

"How did you get this room?!" I demanded. The headmistress strictly made it a Roger-only room. I crazily waved the gun as I spoke.

Archer grinned and sunk his teeth in the golden toasted breakfast. "You're not the only charming creature around here."

The morning bell rang and my gaze darkened, the barrel still pointing at his chest. Archer stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth and pointed a greasy finger to his arm.

My eyes darted to the metal band on Roger and with a creatively stupid mumble of curses, I put the gun away. "I expect you dressed and out of the dorms in sixty seconds," I told Roger and grabbed the knob behind me to slip away.

But just before I clicked it shut, through the open gap I heard a deep chuckle from Archer. "I guess she woke up late and grumpy."

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," Roger quietly said. There was a squeak of hangers being pushed aside. "And she never wakes up late." Feet shuffled. "She doesn't even wake up."

"What do you mean?"

The silence was tempting me to lean in further.

"She never sleeps."