Reid lived on the far end of town just on the edge of the wilderness in a small home whose previous occupants had been solely for the summer. Their purpose for renting had been because they had no idea when they would be forced to move again. The walk from school to home, though long, was far from exhausting. She got a chance to check out her surroundings and to scope out hiding places, among other things, while still looking the part of the innocent new girl from down the street.

Once home, Reid shut the door and leaned against it for support, glad to be away from school and everything and everyone related to it.

“Reid?” A voice called.

“Yeah Dad?” She replied.

“Home from school?” The voice asked coming closer.

“Yep.”

“How was it?” An Irish Setter walked down the hallway, his nails clicking loudly on the tile.

“Not bad Dad, I’ve seen worse.” She bent down to pet the dog. “How was your day?”

“Pretty decent.” The dog replied.

“Yeah, what’s Mum up to?”

“Cooking dinner. Or spells.”

“One can never tell the difference.” She laughed.

“I heard that!” Her mother yelled from somewhere inside the house.

Dog and girl chuckled as they entered a light filled kitchen. Despite what looked to be bubbling on the stove it truly was dinner and not a potion.

“Though the two are often easily confused.” Reid smirked.

Her mother gave a dry laugh and halted her work to get a decent look at her daughter. “How was it?”

“Gah. School. How is it supposed to be? I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten.”

It was an amusing comment, but lost on both her parents, for this was a serious topic.

“Well, it’s pretty decent for a small town. Only two People to really watch out for. ‘Wolves.”

Her parents looked at each other and then back to her.

“Both male. One extraordinarily arrogant, as most are, the other, a bit of an outcast. Like they say, ‘there’s always one’. And don’t give me those looks, I’m not stupid. Sure I made a mistake once, I’m not going to do it ever again. Probably because I won’t have the breathing room to do it again. These boys hold no attraction from me. They are simply rivals.”

“Vying for a new piece of meat. I know their type.” The father stated.

“They’re ‘wolves, they smell.” Reid shuddered. “I don’t intend to get involved in their territorial battle. They were fighting long before I got here. They’ll be fighting long after I’ve gone.”

“Make sure you stay away from them.” Her mother commanded.

“You don’t need to tell me twice.”

“Good.” The mother replied turning back to her work. “Dinner’s ready.”

The family sat down together and ate in silence. When it was over Reid stood up to help her mother clear away the dishes.

“Can I ask you a question Mum?”

“No guarantees.” She replied.

“What are the chances of me playing a sport here? The Spring season’s just starting…”

“You need forms for that don’t you? Doctor’s notes and such…” The mother trailed off looking at her wistful daughter.

“You don’t normally play any spring sports do you?” The father asked getting up and meandering over.

“Um, well, as luck would have it, they’ve got rugby here…”

“Really?” The father asked intrigued.

His wife kicked him. “You know that you have no doctor’s information.”

“I know, but you made it up before. I mean you are a doctor. Or were, at least.”

“I still am.” She argued.

“Please?” Reid begged. “I’m halfway decent and will probably play. And it keeps me in shape.”

Her parents exchanged looks and Reid was hopeful.

“You’re sure that those two boys are the only People?”

“Well, my English teacher is part witch, but so little that it barely counts. Besides, never has a witch sold out to one of Them before.”

“There’s a first time for everything.” Her mother replied doubtfully.

“Those boys don’t play any spring sports do they?” Her father asked suspiciously.

Reid hung her head. “One runs, the other,” she revealed dejectedly, “plays rugby.”

“You can’t expect us to let you play with one of Them!” Her mother nearly yelled.

“Please, Mum, it will be good for me. And don’t even get it into your head that I want to play with him, he smells and is mean, and arrogant, if anything I would join to practice thrashing him successfully.”

Her father chuckled at this last comment, very amused.

“What do you think Rory?” Her mother asked.

“The sport is good for her, and it is a good sport. What do you want me to say Morgan? We are so far away. Surely she can afford some luxuries?”

Reid’s mother shrugged. “Do any of them have any idea as to what you are?”

The girl snorted, “Personally I don’t think either of them are that bright, and if they are, neither of them are experienced enough to know the wiser. They’re just back country boys, the only scent they know is each other. If they know about Ms. Elliot, which I doubt, then they will know what half of me is, but there is no way they’ve encountered my other half. No way. So sleep well, no harm will come of this, I promise.”

Resigning her position, Reid’s mother accepted the forms from her daughter and set to filling them out while her daughter retired for the night.

The next morning Reid woke to the smell of a bubbling potion. Grabbing her papers and bag ran out the door, while her mother continued to stir the potion and look after her. The potion would be sown into the property boundaries to protect them from harm. Meanwhile, she had to think of a way to keep her young daughter out of trouble.

Morgan Flidais was a witch by blood, and a very good one at that. She used to be a doctor, before their forced move. Now she was the main source of protection for her family. Her daughter was smart, but a little hotheaded, and that had gotten Reid into more than her share of fights. Werewolves were the only People Reid had ever been friends with, and that was what worried Morgan in their present location. The town was nice and small, and Morgan like that, unfortunately it had in it two werewolves, male, and rivals. If Reid made friends with one, as she was bound to do, the other would be rather difficult to deal with, and that just might ruin their cover.

Dominic Chase rolled over in his bed and groaned, running a hand through his shaggy red locks. School. How he detested it. An overwhelming stench of human, and Ethan, always offended his sensitive nose. He suddenly remembered the new girl that had been in the majority of his classes. She did not smell as the other girls did, but possessed a fragrance of sweet plants and the outdoors. Tall and strong, she was no pretty face, but there was something about her that made her attractive. Quiet though she was, she was smart, as she proved in class by muttering the answers in low tones, and they more often than not turned out to be what the teacher was looking for. She was mysterious for she spoke little and even less about herself and where she had come from. Dominic was not quite sure if he believed the fact that she was from Georgia for she seemed to know a remarkable amount about northern climates. But why would she lie about her past? Hoping to learn more about Reid Rhiamon, Dominic tumbled out of bed and prepared for school. He could be a genuine and trustworthy friend if only she would let him. With a renewed fervor Dominic prepared for school, Reid would be a hard person to befriend he suspected since she did not seem to enjoy the company of others, but her friendship would be worth it if he was successful.

Reid found that some things did not change no matter how many schools you went to. All the physics teachers were crazy, the English wing contained the nicest teachers ever to exist, and the science wing contained some of the weirdest, but coolest faculty yet.

First period she found herself accidentally going into the biology room instead of chemistry, and the short, excitable little biology teacher was more than happy to escort her to the correct room, and at the same time welcomed Reid to her class anytime. Once seated in Chemistry Reid worked quietly by herself, taking notes and doing the small labs. Dominic was not in her class, neither was Ethan, and she was almost sad, but overwhelmingly glad. Chemistry proved to be an exhilarating period and a half, with the second half of her second period a much welcomed study hall.

Third period found her in history class with a strange teacher that she was not quite sure she would like. His name was Mr. O’Riley and he was not native to Oregon or the United States. The class was titled world history, but Dominic bemusedly told her they learned more about Ireland than any other country. Despite his small stature the teacher was a lively old man who had many stories to tell regarding his life in the IRA as well as his family history among the Fenians and other revolutionaries. Reid secretly suspected that the reason he was no longer in Ireland was because he had either been exiled, or that it was the only way he could live out the rest of his life in peace.

Math was during fourth period and Reid tried to make the best of it. Pre-cal was not her best subject and she tried extraordinarily hard. Mr. Deveau was a good man, but she did not quite understand what he taught her. He was a smart man as well, for when she did not understand, he was quick to decipher the puzzled look on her face and try to help her to the best of his ability.

Reid’s papers had been successfully turned in, and she was told she could be practicing that very day if she so chose, but Reid had math on her mind, and stuck around to try to comprehend what had been taught in class. She had no luck, for she still did not understand. Mr. Deveau stuck around to help her with her math, and invited her to practice, but Reid had to go home, for she had to unpack a little and find clothes to practice in.