We spent the next two weeks, when I wasn’t working, walking around during the day, like a normal person touring the campus, interviewing students and talking to professors. At night we scoured each and every alleyway, doorway, hallway and any other ‘way’ that struck Nickolas’ fancy.
He was serious about knowing everything about the buildings that I would be in each day. He also had William tap into all of the security cameras and add a few when he wasn’t satisfied with angles or placement or just the overall lack of security in general.
He even pulled Alyssa in from whatever else she was working on to cover the campus. Jorge was the only one going back and forth between our team and whatever other part of this operation that was physically searching the forests.
Once he was satisfied he had as much control as possible over the situation, we went through the enrollment process, which I might add is a gigantic pain in the ass. I didn’t have to worry about financial aid since my parents left me a trust when they died’ or at least that was the story. Like Mina, my semester was paid in full by the Alpha King.
We also dove in to do full background checks on all of the professors and TAs that I would be interacting with. We needed to know as much as possible about the main players here on campus. With a program like Forestry and Agriculture set on a campus that is surrounded by preserved lands and forests as far as the eye could see, there is no way someone here isn’t involved in the kidnappings and the strange movements of this Rogue King guy.
These forests stretch from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Maine and the more that I look into it, the closer I realize these guys probably are to my pack. This forest surrounds the campus, but runs from the southeast side to the border just north of the Blue Crescent pack island. The drive time is just under two hours and with the water surrounding my pack’s island it would be easy to hide vehicles and observe if they had the right equipment.
I make a note to talk to Xander and Alpha Reggie and report my findings so Alpha Lucas and the guys can expand their search and put plans in place to protect the pack. There has to be a connection or something we could work with at the very least,
I am kind of excited to see how college classes work, since I haven’t been on a normal school track in a really long time. When I hit the 8th grade, the teachers who weren’t under the thumb of Mr. Cunningham, or just smart enough to stay off his radar, made sure I was in the classes that I needed to be in. Well, they actually got me the work and credits for the classes was meant to be in while appearing to be nonexistent and unwanted in the back of the room. By freshman year, as long as I wasn’t supposed to be in a class Kaley was in, I let them move and adjust my schedule as they saw fit.
I showed up to all the classes her and I were supposed to be in together to keep her from getting me in more trouble. It did help that I was not the only advanced student so I had a reason to be in advanced classes, along with several other kids, and more importantly away from her. I was just able to keep it quiet in which advanced classes I was in since I didn’t talk to anyone ever.
I have come to terms with the fact that I am not normal. My history isn’t that of a normal teenage girl, my education is definitely not normal, my upbringing was one of neglect and abuse, but here. now, I realize that wouldn’t be on this journey and be able to help the way that I have been without all of that.
I can’t say I’m thankful for the experiences, no one could be thankful for that. am thankful for the few people who did see me and recognize my struggle, but didn’t treat me like a victim that was fragile and broken. I was recognized as someone who needed a little help and for someone to give a sh*t.
“Alright, there have been movements in the wildlife refuge just northeast of the campus. William has cameras and motion detectors there and we caught a pattern of movement over the last three days.” Nickolas starts talking the minute Mina and I walk into the kitchen wanting to grab a quick bite before heading to a 7am class.
“What do you mean movements?” I ask around a pop-tart hanging from my mouth and leaning out of the pantry.
“It appears that wolves are moving towards this area.
Problem is, like everything else, something is missing. We can’t see any kind of gathering, just the literal movement across the screen. We know at least another 50 wolves have moved west through the refuge. They must be aware of our tracking systems.”
“Weird. Are we sure they are not just wild wolves moving around and setting off our sensors?’ Mina asks. He scoffs at her over his coffee. “What?! It’s a legitimate question from someone who had never run an opp with you guys before. What are you looking for to define the difference between a werewolf and a wild wolf just living its best life in the forest?”
‘The first, and most obvious, is the sheer size. Even female werewolves are significantly bigger than your average wild wolf. That’s where we start. William, Alyssa and I will do a sweep of the area to catch any scents and see if there is anything familiar to scents we have found on campus, since we still can use scent to track here.”
We both nod. “Then what?” I ask. now really curious since we are actually doing mission related things now and not just various forms of training and research.
“Then we bring in more team members and start tracking. This is where the real work begins. You two are going to have to maintain your school schedule as well as help out with the tracking. You both seem to be naturally gifted in that area and we might as well get you field ready on the job.”
He seems to have accepted our roles in this whole mission and has stopped treating us like China dolls and more like team members with an actual purpose and job to do.
