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[ Word was, a new student was here at Beacon Hills. Sarah heard it through Julian, who heard it through Ileana who saw him when she dropped by administration earlier this morning for something or the other, and now the whole school, particularly his grade was buzzing over it.

Beacon Hills didn't get fresh blood often.

Peter had yet to see the transfer so far, but second period had just started. The day was young. And it was PE, which meant a warmup run, which was a perfectly good time for introductions and gauging what this newcomer was like. Or maybe even a locker room assessment, seeing as how he's fairly sure said transfer just walked in, silence falling briefly over everyone before starting up again with a significant amount of poorly hidden glances thrown towards him.

Then the bell was ringing, and everyone swarmed out into the crisp October day. The air had a bite to it, the brilliant sunlight barely any compensation for it. The new student's hair was buttery gold beneath it, a cautious perimeter of isolation formed around him until Peter sidled over and smiled. ]

The burden of being new and an unknown quantity. Don't worry, they'll get over it soon. [ He held out his hand. ] I'm Peter.

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[ In another life, he might have enjoyed debate club and flexing his rather extended knowledge but in this point in time he needed to make sure to keep prying eyes away from him. Anyone digging too deep would find unbelievable and rather dangerous things and he needed to protect it all from seeing the light of day. Good things hunters roamed in their darkness and many refrained from peering into the shadows. ]

Can you speak any French? [ Starting a club would probably also bring too much attention but he loved everything to do with the French culture. ] Anything to help around. Community service looks good on transcripts and it's helping those who need it.

[ Walking through the hallways, Chris made note of everything they passed, committing it to memory just in case, including the students and teachers.

Of all places - why Beacon Hills? He really needed to figure it out to uncover Gerard's intentions. ]

No, which is why I'm hoping you'll teach me. [ He flashed Chris his million dollar smile, white teeth and crinkled eyes. Irresistible to just about everyone, he knew, and he couldn't help himself— he wanted Chris to like him, wanted to see him flush and fumble for his words. Yes, all of that and more. He's made up his mind.

It wasn't unusual behaviour on his part. Peter had a bad habit of fixating with a single-minded intensity on a particular thing or person for periods of time, until he'd satisfied something in him. And it was there— the undeniable, magnetic draw to Chris.

They weren't far from the classroom. One more turn, and they'd have to turn the conversation short. ]

I help out at the local vet's place sometimes, and the shelter. Other than that, it kind of varies. You'll want to check with the counselor.

[ Even someone like Chris picked up on the blatantly flirting and it confused him why the guy wanted to direct it at him. Did it just have to do with the whole 'new' factor? Peter mentioned there weren't many new people to happen upon the high school, which also pulled at his interest.

Why would Gerard want to be somewhere so slow and ordinary? There had to be more to it and Chris needed to figure it out quick. ]

Some think the French language is really romantic. [ With a faint blush, they arrived at the classroom, the anxiety washing over him again. The teacher would bring attention to him and all eyes sliding his way made him so uncomfortable. ]

Maybe we can study sometime together. [ He made the offer as he walked into the classroom and took a seat at the front. ]

Romantic, huh?

[ Yeah, he couldn't help himself, and Chris handed him that one.

Just before parting ways, Peter nodded and threw Chris another smile. ] Sure, I'd like that.

[ There wasn't much chance for conversation, Peter taking his preferred seat by the window and watching Chris get singled out by the teacher.

Class, this is our new student. Chris Argent. Chris, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?

And Peter's blood ran cold, the point of his pencil snapping on the page of his notebook. Chris was Chris Argent. ]

[ Letting out a nervous breath, Chris slowly stood from his seat and rattled quickly about never really living in a small town before. It made others seem more interested in him but when his eyes lingered over towards Peter when he sat down, he looked troubled for some reason.

What happened?

Chris racked his brain while the class resumed around them and the only thing different seemed to be the mention of his last name.

But why would Peter care or know what Argent stood for?

Unless.

Oh.

Frown deepening on his face, Chris lingered when the bell rung and everyone quickly filed out of the room, leaving only the two of them behind. ]

Peter -- I -- [ What could he even say? What if he got things terribly wrong here? ]

[ Class passed by in a haze of stunned realisation, followed by feverish calculation. Chris Argent. Argent, the hunter family. If Chris was here, then the rest of them must be too. Why? For what reason? He went over every bit of conversation they shared so far, from the subject of what Chris's father did (something like a ranger— he could laugh himself sick), to his sister, to Chris himself and his own interests and the unfeigned shyness.

It couldn't have been an act. Nothing about it seemed like one.

And if it wasn't, that left the question of what he ought to do now. Stay away from hunters, his family's long since drilled into his head, keep your head down around them and don't let them know what you are. Because some of them had a code, sure, and in theory, they're supposed to preserve order between the supernatural and humans, but the line was a fine one.

The bell rang, and Peter remained undecided. He shoved his things into his bag, caught off guard and out of sorts, too slow to duck out of the room ahead of Chris subtly.

When Chris approached him, Peter flashed an empty smile at him. ]

Sorry. I just realised I left my homework for my next class in my locker, so I have to run and grab it. You got a map, didn't you? Just follow it, and you'll be fine.

[ Everything stowed away, he swung his backpack over his shoulder and promptly made for the door, calling back: ] I'll see you later.

[ The change in how Peter reacted to him told him all he needed to know. Always the observant one, Chris usually spent more time viewing things than joining in so he saw the smaller signs. The hollow smile, the need to get away from him as quickly as possible.

It hurt and reminded him why he never made an effort with others in the first place. But how would Peter know what his last name meant - unless.

Oh.

A werewolf, then, or something supernatural. One more piece of the puzzle as to why Gerard wanted to come to this sleepy town of all places. Not as sleepy if supernatural beings existed there.

Hurt flashed across his face for a second but he schooled his features quickly enough to nod. ]

Yeah, of course. I'll figure it out. See you. [ Ducking his head, he waited for Peter to leave before he exited the classroom and dug out said map to find his next classroom.

He must have looked pretty lost because a girl walked over to him and offered to help him find his way. She introduced herself as Victoria. Nodding his head, they walked to his next classroom, Victoria talking all about the school gossip along the way. Her hand brushing up against his arm often enough for it to not be an accident.

Like before, Chris sat in the front of the classroom and Victoria sat behind him. ]

[ The last class passed by in a haze of distracted reverie for Peter, who sat towards the back of the classroom, wanting a little privacy and time to gather his thoughts. Collect himself. He didn't miss the flash of hurt on Chris's face when he was brushed off, smothered too quickly to be anything less than genuine. It's frustrating. Peter prided himself on being anything but transparent, and to have Chris see through him instantaneously—

Forget it. More importantly, did Chris know? What he was? Was his family, were the Argents here for his pack? But they hadn't done anything. The Hales never killed innocents, never did anything other than live peacefully— or as peacefully as possible. Sometimes disputes were inevitable in packs, but that was pack business.

He didn't want to put his pack in danger. It was his world. Everything he had.

But wouldn't sticking close to Chris Argent give him an edge? And he seemed harmless. Like a lost lamb rather than someone trained to kill Peter's kind.

By the time the last bell rang, he'd made up his mind. He caught up with Chris in the hallway, not so subtly interrupting whatever conversation he might be having with Victoria. ] You don't have to leave right away, do you?

Edited 2017-07-13 03:56 (UTC)

[ Barely hearing anything during the course of the class, Chris didn't really take any notes either. Very unlikely him because Chris prided himself on being a perfect student, all in a vain effort to make Gerard proud of him. To have someone take notice of how hard he tried to live up to some unknown standards. But it never worked and not many passed him a second glance.

Expect for Victoria right now as they stood against his locker after the class ended. And it seemed so had Peter as indicated by the way he walked over to his locker and interrupted Victoria's animated conversation about something.

The question confused him because Peter seemed to not want anything to do with him before.

Anyone else he may have worried a trap would be waiting for him. ]

No, I have a little time. What did you have in mind? [ He turned to Victoria with a tight smile. ] I'll see you later, okay? Thanks for the notes.

[ Victoria wasn't even a blip on his radar, his focus completely on Chris. ]

Thought I'd introduce you to the swim coach. Come on.

[ He didn't give Chris much of a choice, nudging him down the hall, away from the flow of people to somewhere with a little more private. Like this conveniently empty classroom which definitely did not hold the swim coach, or anyone in it at all.

The afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows. Winter meant it would be getting dark soon. Peter leaned against the door, face gone blank and no trace of the earlier friendliness on his features. If anything showed, it was a guarded wariness. ]

Why is your family really here?

[ Eyes narrowed but Chris allowed Peter to direct them towards the classroom, which he already knew would be empty. With all his intense training, he knew how to pick up on the smallest things and if not for the nerves and unease he likely would have zeroed in on Peter's nature earlier. The new town uprooted him but soon enough he would acclimate and find his footing again. And he might not look like much but Gerard had already honed him into a deadly weapon.

It would only increase with time.

Regarding Peter, he leaned against the opposite wall. ]

Not sure, Gerard isn't really that forthcoming of a person. We go where the lines take us. [ The supernatural energies, of course, but also the currents. Beacon Hills happened to rest in the middle of a very powerful one. One of the strongest but Chris hadn't really researched much yet. ]

[ Lines. The ley lines, the telluric currents. Of course. Peter knew Beacon Hills rested on a convergent point of them; he did a school project on it once, his interests and coursework aligning perfectly for once. Sometimes it called to the supernatural in an inexplicable pull, or to those more in the know, because they wanted to tap into its power.

Peter could only assume that the Argents were here to monitor the town for any signs of trouble.

(The anger was a slow simmering thing under his skin, directed mostly at himself for not noticing sooner what Chris was. For the fact that the most interesting thing to happen to this town lately was a hunter his age.) ]

Then you aren't here to hunt unless something happens.

[ The currents; the ley lines never mattered much to Chris even if they were the reason the Argents traveled all over the world. One of many reasons because Gerard had a rather indepth code he went by. Filled with plenty of rules on how things were done, all of which Chris needed to live up to and adopt as well. They were to hunt those who hunted others, eliminating the dangerous ones before they had the chance to harm others.

Better safe than sorry or so the hunter organization claimed.

Looking at Peter, he felt his heart sink more in his chest as the realization dawned more on him. A werewolf. The first person he connected with in, well, ever, happened to be not a person at all. Just his kind of luck. ]

I'm not here to do anything except try to survive high school. [ With a shake of his head, he moved towards the door, intent on leaving. ]

I'll be seeing you, Peter.

[ Not a person at all? Rude. They might be more than human, but werewolves lived and laughed and hurt all the same as anyone else. So there was the small problem of possibly losing control once a month, but it wasn't usually a problem after you got the hang of control. It was a better excuse for why some werewolves ran out of control than humans had.

Peter didn't move to stop Chris, watching, watching, watching him, trying to parse out the amalgamation of scents rolling off him. He had the best nose in the family, but discerning human emotions from a chemical makeup took practice. He couldn't be sure the faint whiff of disappointment he caught was there, or just his imagination.

Were all hunters inherently set on killing every werewolf they ran across? No, there was a code set in place for that, but codes could be broken. Did he want to find out what kind of hunter Chris Argent was?

Yes. ]

I'm sure you will.

[ He left after Chris did, in the opposite direction. ]

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