"Shut up. I don't know who that is either."
"Think about it. Can we even get past those towering walls? No, right?"
"Exactly. You really don't use your head, Myrtle!"
My eyelids felt heavy as I forced them open. At first, everything was a blur, but my vision gradually cleared until I could make things out. I quickly shut them again, though, when a flashlight beam hit me square in the face. It stung.
"Oh! She's awake. She's awake!"
I heard them scrambling around. My body felt like lead as I tried to push myself up from the ground. I must have been lying in the grass.
"Cut it out. That hurts," I groaned, my voice weak as I shielded my eyes from the person stubbornly pointing the light at my face.
"We pulled you away from that werewolf and actually got you out! Man! I can't believe we pulled it off!"
The girl in front of me sounded breathless with excitement.
There were three of them now, all holding flashlights. They looked thrilled, clearly proud of what they'd done.
"If that werewolf sees us at school, we're dead meat. He'll bully us for sure."
"Worse—he might actually kill us!"
"Well, you did steal his food."
"He didn't recognize us, okay? He didn't see our faces!"
The three of them started bickering at once, and I didn't know who to listen to anymore. Just watching them was starting to give me a headache.
"Can I ask a question?"
The three of them froze the moment I spoke. My eyes darted between them, and I scratched my head before continuing.
"Can I leave now? I'm going home."
I was taken aback when all three of them suddenly crowded around me, their eyes wide with curiosity and shock.
"You're going home? You can go home? Cause we can't. By the way, I'm Elura. This is Nancy, and that's Myrtle!" She pointed to a girl with rather large eyes named Nancy, then to a short-haired girl with almond-shaped eyes named Myrtle.
"You can't go home? Why not?" I asked, confused.
We were in the middle of a forest. I figured if I just walked a little further ahead, I'd reach our house. Where on earth did they live that they couldn't go home?
"Duh, this school has a ton of rules, and one of them is that you can't just leave whenever you want—even if you're middle class. I knew it. You're a newbie, so you don't know how things work yet. Plus, you'll be a prime target for bullies if you aren't street-smart here in Cyuba!"
Elura said, planting her hands on her hips.
I frowned. What was she talking about? Cyuba? Wasn't that the name of one of the most prestigious schools in Herruba? From what Herari told me, it's the only school that accepts people from the middle class. Those below the poverty line aren't allowed in.
But why was I here? What was I doing in a place like this?
I let out a sarcastic laugh. "What are you talking about? You must be messing with me. Herruba and the North Forest are miles apart. That's impossible. Besides, I'm not even allowed to set foot in Herruba."
What they were saying was just too hard to swallow.
"I'm leaving. Let's just go our separate ways. You guys should head home, too," I said, brushing past the three of them. They stared at me with puzzled expressions, as if I was the one losing my mind.
I pushed aside a large leaf blocking my path and nearly stumbled when I saw the massive building standing right in front of me. It was the exact same building from the books I'd read.
This was Cyuba!
The school of the three races: Vampires, Werewolves, and Humans.
"Oh boy, she's definitely lost it."
"Do you think we should take her to the clinic?"
"Yeah, she probably needs a check-up. Her brain might've gotten rattled while that werewolf was carrying her earlier."
"Poor thing."
They kept whispering behind my back as they watched me, but I couldn't move a muscle. No matter how many times I rubbed my eyes, the massive Cyuba building didn't disappear.
I felt like swearing out of sheer panic.