25 True Evolution
“There you are!” Someone suddenly jumped in front of her, startling Violet out of her thoughts.
“Ahh!” Violet screamed, instinctively landing a punch on the person’s face, only to realize it was
Lila.
Lila yelped in pain while Violet’s expression shifted to horror as she recognized her friend. She hadn’t meant to hit her, but years of always keeping her guard up had conditioned her to react
this way.
Violet rushed forward, hysterically checking on Lila.
“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Lila insisted, trying to calm her down. “See? No damage.” She attempted a smile, but her face scrunched up in pain. “But damn, that was a mean hook”
With a deep breath, Violet slowly calmed her racing heart. But almost immediately after, her. expression twisted in anger.
“What the hell is wrong with you?! Why would you jump in front of someone like that? Are you asking for death or something?” she shouted.
Lila rubbed her cheek, pouting. “I should be asking why your automatic response to a small prank is to punch someone in the face. What if the person was innocent…” She added with a pout, “Just like me.”
“Well, where I come from, there’s no mercy for ‘small pranks,” Violet said with emphasis. “And it teaches people like you to never try it again. She retorted coldly,
Lila’s pout deepened, her eyes almost watering as she complained, “You’re so mean.”
“If I’m so mean, you can remedy that by leaving me the hell alone,” Violet replied bluntly.
At first, Lila’s persistent following had been cute, but now it was becoming increasingly annoying. Violet liked to keep her distance from people–no one could be trusted.
There were no friends, only selfish individuals capable of betrayal and cruelty. This jungle of a school wasn’t a place for friendships, cither. Violet refused to admit, even to herself, that Lila was slowly breaking down her defenses. That could never happen.
“Not going to happen.” Lila said defiantly, startling Violet. For a moment, she thought Lila had read her thoughts.
“What?”
“I know you’re trying to push me away, but I won’t let that happen. I can see it in our future, we’re going to be great friends,” Lila said with so much conviction it made Violet frown.
What gave Lila such confidence? Was she a psychic or what? Ugh, what was she even thinking? Lila chirped happily, “So I saw your schedule, and we have both classes together. Come on, let’s go. We’re already late.”
Without waiting for an answer, Lila grabbed Violet’s hand and pulled her along with such speed
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25 True Evolution
“Incoming!” Lila screamed as she dashed through the crowded hallway, making other students jump out of the way.
“That lunatic!” Violet cursed, but there was nothing she could do except let Lila drag her along
They soon stopped in front of a numbered door. Lila flung it open and pulled them both inside before Violet even had a moment to mentally prepare.
The class was already seated, with only the teacher missing. Violet–counted herself lucky–if only
she knew better.
The moment they entered, all eyes turned toward them, and as Violet expected, whispers began. If she hadn’t earned fame as the first freshman in Lunaris to make it to the top twenty, then her legendary fight in the dining hall certainly did the trick.
As expected of Lunaris, the classroom was large and luxurious. Violet could feel the cool air of the air conditioner, and they even used an electronic whiteboard. It was beyond anything she’d
ever seen.
Most of the students were human, but quite a few werewolves sat among them as well. Violet was glad to see that none of the Cardinal Alphas were in this class.
With her head held high, Violet choose a seat at the back, trying to make herself as
inconspicuous as possible. Lila, however, followed her like a buzzing mosquito, her movements clumsy as she tried to settle beside Violet.
At this point, Violet gave up trying to drive Lila away, confident that the girl would tire of following her eventually. Hopefully?
The murmurs continued, with students glancing at her, but Violet ignored them all. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the anthropology teacher arrived.
Mr. Radcliff was a tall, sharp–featured man with piercing silver eyes. He carried a coffee mug in one hand and an electronic device in the other. He paused briefly, assessing the class before heading to his desk at the front.
Lila leaned over and whispered to Violet, “They say Radcliff is a racist prick who prefers. werewolves and practically worships them. Good thing karma gave him a human form, unlike his siblings.”
Before Violet could fully digest that tidbit of information, Radcliff was already in front of the board. Without any pleasantries, he scrawled the day’s topic in large, clear letters on the whiteboard.
“Werewolves: The True Origin of Humanity?”
Violet’s eyebrows shot up, though she quickly schooled her expression, unlike some of the human students who gasped audibly.
Professor Radcliff turned, his face full of disdain as he looked at the humans sitting among the werewolves.
He stepped forward and asked, “Can anyone tell me the theory of evolution? Or, simply put, how
did humans come to he?”
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25 True Evolution
No one moved. It was clearly a loaded question.
“Why isn’t anyone speaking?” Radcliff asked, his voice laced with mock disappointment.
Under his breath, but loud enough for all to hear, he muttered, “Humans. Always the cowards. And you wonder why Werewolves shouldn’t rule this carth?”
No shit. Lila had not been kidding. Radcliff was a racist scum.
Radcliff sighed as if teaching was a burden he had been sentenced to. “Fine. The first five hands. to go up will get five points cach.”
Violet quickly realized how much weight the point system held, as nearly every hand shot up, including several of the werewolves‘ hands–and Lila’s.
Lila?!
Violet gave Lila a bewildered look.
“What?” Lila scowled. “I need points if I’m going to have any chance of protecting you.”
“I don’t need your-” Violet started, but students were already answering the questions.
“According to the biblical perspective, in the beginning, all life was created by God. On the sixth day,
God created Adam and Eve, the first humans, one student answered.
“Amen. Radcliff clasped his hands together in mock prayer. “Five points to you. Next.”
He picked the next student.
“Charles Darwin’s theory, based on natural selection, suggests that species evolve over time. Organisms with favorable traits survive and reproduce, passing those traits on to future generations, leading to gradual adaptation,” the student answered.
“Excellent. Five points to you. Next.”
And just like that, Radcliff picked three more students, none of whom were Lila, leaving her visibly frustrated.
Radcliff clapped his hands and said. “All of you answered correctly,” he said, “and stupidly, at the
same time.”
The excitement on the students‘ faces immediately vanished. They hadn’t expected that.
“Humans weren’t the beginning of evolution, it was the werewolves.”
26 Make An Enemy
26 Make An Enemy
In Violet’s entire life, she had never heard anyone spout so much nonsense as this man was spewing right now.
By chance, had the teacher taken coke before coming to class? Was that what was in his coffee? And yes, the Lunaris teacher would probably be capable of it. After all, teacher–student relationships were encouraged here, so taking coke shouldn’t make any difference.
Radcliff went on to prattle about how werewolves were not onl
the first inhabitants of this world but also the true predecessors to what humans now call ‘evolution.
His voice carried a faint edge of disdain on the word evolution, as if it were a misguided myth that humans had arrogantly clung to.
It didn’t escape Violet that the werewolf students seemed unbothered as he spewed that propaganda; if anything, they looked quietly pleased. Of course, the teacher was on their side. Why wouldn’t they like it?
However, this was clearly racial discrimination, and she could feel the tension rising among the
humans.
Professor Radcliff himself was completely indifferent to the unease in the room, which was akin to a mixture of diesel and gasoline that was dangerously close to igniting.
He continued, “The concept of human evolution, as you know it, is largely a fabrication. Pure–blooded werewolves were the first beings, blessed with strength, resilience, and intelligence. It was only later that humans emerged, an offshoot, weaker and less capable.”
A human student at the back couldn’t contain himself any longer and lifted his hand.
“And what is it…?”
“Dion.”
“How can I help you, Dion?” Radcliff asked, his lips pressed into a thin line. It was obvious he didn’t appreciate the interruption.
Dion asked, “Is this even in our curriculum?” (
The entire class burst into laughter, including Violet. She wasn’t a robot, after all. She had been waiting for someone to call the teacher out, and now that Dion had mocked his lecture, she was pleased.
Unfortunately, Mr. Radcliff looked like someone had just spit in his face, and his expression was downright scary. For a moment, Violet imagined Radcliff murdering Dion for his audacity.
He began stepping toward Dion in a menacing manner, and with each step he took, it seemed like he was sucking the very air out of the classroom. Finally, he stood in front of Dion, and Violet had to give Dion credit for not flinching, instead, he stood tall.
Professor Radcliff’s expression was cold as he spoke. “This class, Dion, isn’t for speculative debate. It’s a study of werewolf heritage, culture, and legacy, one that’s deeply rooted in fact,
