With the pounding rhythm of the song vibrating in her ears, Ella Morse found herself almost enjoying the walk home from school. Despite the downpour and the thick humidity that clung to her skin, the music was her only comfort. Aunt Mira, who was supposed to pick her up, had been called in for an emergency shift, leaving Ella to navigate the long stretch of uneven pavement alone. But as long as her music played, Ella could keep moving. If it stopped, she feared she would too - stopping in frustration, maybe even crying on the sidewalk.

Music wasn’t just entertainment; it was her lifeline during the several-block walk home. The uneven pavement was a mess of cracks and bulges, thanks to the roots of ancient trees from the nearby forest. With every step, her worn-out sneakers splashed through puddles. For a moment, as the beat dropped in her song, she felt a flicker of happiness. She popped her lips to the rhythm, glancing warily at the dark expanse of the forest on her right, its shadows long and creeping.

Today, her class was a stark reminder of the dangers that lurked in those woods. Most schools lecture students about real-world threats—bandits, drug dealers, and predators. But Astralis Academy wasn’t like most schools, and its teachers weren’t typical either. No, her teachers didn’t just talk about human dangers. They trained students to unleash claws, harness their supernatural powers, and blend seamlessly with the mortal world.

Astralis Academy had been founded over a decade ago by a legendary figure known as the Lumen Sovereign, a powerful supernatural leader tasked with keeping their kind in check. The school wasn’t just a place to learn mundane subjects; it was a sanctuary where supernatural beings could master their powers. Shifting classes for werewolves helped them control their feral instincts. Tinted rooms allowed vampires to focus without succumbing to bloodlust. Witches honed their elemental abilities in the agricultural gardens, and fairies learned healing magic under the watchful eye of the school nurse.

Ella, however, was different. Unlike the others, she had no idea what she was. Werewolf? Vampire? Witch? Fairy? She could be any of them - or none. Even with compulsory classes that drilled the history and laws of supernatural beings into every student’s head, she remained clueless about her origins. There were rare species, almost forgotten by history, but Ella didn’t know enough to guess if she belonged to one of them. The only thing she knew was that she was supernatural - her parents had been, after all.

Thinking of her family sent a familiar pang through her chest, and she sighed, turning the music down. Her thick, red hair was plastered to her forehead from the rain as she glanced toward the forest again. Something about it tugged at her senses, a strange call she couldn’t ignore.

She hesitated. The school had drilled it into her that the forest was dangerous, especially for someone like her - someone who didn’t know how to use her abilities. Ella had only the most basic self-defense training, but the forest route would cut her travel time in half and get her out of the rain faster.

Her mind made up, she veered off the sidewalk and into the forest, the canopy above quickly shielding her from most of the rain. Humming along to the next song, Ella felt her mood lift slightly. The earthy scent of wet leaves and moss filled her nose, the silent forest was a welcome reprieve from the bustling city streets.

That peace shattered with a scream - a high-pitched, desperate cry that pierced through the melody in her ears. Ella froze, her heart skipping a beat. It was a girl’s voice, pleading for help.

Her instincts screamed at her to turn back, remembering the lessons about creatures in the forest that could mimic human voices to lure in prey. But what if it wasn’t a trick? What if it was someone genuinely in danger? Ella’s hands trembled as she weighed her options. She had no real power - no claws, no magic - but even as a supernatural, her strength was still beyond any human.

Her feet moved before her brain could catch up, sprinting deeper into the woods. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she dodged between gnarled roots and low-hanging branches, ignoring the burn in her legs. The scream came again, closer this time. Ella pushed herself harder, the adrenaline dulling the ache in her muscles.

What will I do when I get there? she wondered, panic threading through her mind. What if I’m too late?

But she couldn’t turn back now. The thought of someone out there, alone and terrified, kept her moving. The shadows thickened around her, and the rain became a faint drizzle under the dense canopy of trees. The air was cooler here, almost calming if it weren’t for the urgency driving her forward.

Then, the scream rang out again, sending chills down her spine. She burst through a gap in the trees and skidded to a halt at the edge of a small clearing.

Three men stood in a circle, towering over a young girl huddled on the ground. The girl’s wide eyes were filled with terror, her body trembling as if she could collapse at any second. The men turned at Ella’s approach,  golden eyes flashing in the dim light.

Werewolves.

Ella felt a surge of heat behind her eyes, an unfamiliar burn that made her vision blur. Her teachers had told her that her supernatural identity would reveal itself through her eyes, but despite hours of staring into mirrors, she had never managed to trigger a shift. Now, though, her eyes were changing, crackling with energy.

But she didn’t have time to wonder what she was. All that mattered was the frightened girl - and the predators closing in around her.