Chapter Ten

It was great to have Pax in homeroom with me. It was a short class with announcements and some other discussions, no actual material to study, but before I left the room, the teacher called me up to the front. "Cleo Wulf, I need to see you before you leave for your next class?"

I'd seen enough TV shows about school to know that being held back after class was not usually a good thing. I just couldn't think what I might have done wrong. Pax stood but said, "I'll wait for you outside and walk you to your next class, okay?"

I nodded, too nervous to reply, and waited while he and all the others filed out into the hallways, many casting me either pitying or interested looks. If I was interpreting them correctly. There really was no knowing for sure with my limited experience in being around people. It really sucked to be at such a loss. Once the door closed behind the last of them, I headed for the teacher's desk.

She was flipping through some pages and didn't seem to notice when I arrived, so I stood there for a moment then—as seen on TV—cleared my throat. The teacher whose name I had already forgotten looked up at me, brows drawn together, then shook her head. "Sorry, I was going over my notes for my next class. This is my first semester here, and after teaching in a human high school, I really want to do well here."

"I…ah…I thought you did well with the announcements."

"Really? I wasn't sure."

Oh my gods, she really was nervous. "I thought you did. It made me want to go to the yearbook meeting, although I am not on the committee and barely know what the committee would be doing."

"Ah, it is true then. I was told my new student has been part of a pack who doesn't mingle, but I thought that didn't make sense. After all, in this day and age, with all the technology available…"

"We didn't have technology where I grew up. At least almost none," I informed her. "But I am anxious to catch up."

"And that is a perfect segue into why I called you up here. I have a package for you." She pushed a box sitting on the desk toward me. "Open it up. Hurry, or you'll be late for your next class."

And Pax would too if he was still waiting for me. "All right." I used my fingernail to slit the paper tape holding the box closed. Since we had everything delivered back home, I'd seen the logos on this box before. No outsider approached the house, but Angie had told me there was a town not too far away where everything was delivered and the staff could pick it up and bring it into the compound.

So, I'd seen these boxes before, but… "I didn't order anything." It had to be some kind of mistake.

"Open it up and see what's inside." She seemed eager, as if she knew what I would find but didn't want to say for some reason.

"I'm nervous." If I was learning anything here, it was that I could speak my mind to a certain extent. Not all my secrets, of course, at least not yet. I lifted the lid to find a tablet, similar to what the other students had, and a number of other items. My initial joy was filtered through the distrust I'd always known. "Oh, must belong to someone else." I made to close the box but the teacher stayed my hand.

"No, it's from the school. We have a fund to provide students who do not have other income to have what they need. Part of the scholarship you received."

"But I can never pay it back. This had to cost…" I had zero idea what amount of money anything cost. One more flaw I would have to overcome to survive in this new environment. Or any other part of the outside world. "I don't have a way to repay the school for any of it."

"Scholarships do not require repayment." She led me to the front row of desks and settled me in a seat then took the one next to me. "That's how they work. Not just for you but for everyone who receives one."

"Then how do I show my gratitude?"

"By studying hard and getting good grades."

I shook my head. "That isn't fair. I mean, I'm getting value here." I might not know how much, but I knew when things had worth. "And I have to give back."

She clapped her hands. "Yes. And I believe because you said that you were an excellent choice for the scholarship. When you graduate, you can give back by using your education to help others when they cross your path. It's how we all pay back." She shrugged. "I chose to use my degree to teach here."

"Were you, that is, did you…" It was not my business, but she picked up on my question.

"On scholarship? You bet. So I know what it's like. In human schools, sometimes scholarship kids are bullied, but not here. At least not usually. Nobody even knows who is paying and who is not."

"Wow." I'd seen bullying on Netflix and Hulu and Prime shows. "That's a relief. I promise to use my new tablet and everything to study hard and get the very best grades in the whole school." I bounced to my feet and grabbed the box, hugging it close to me.

She laughed. "Just do your best, and nobody can ask more. But I wouldn't be surprised to find you are a superstar student." She glanced at the clock over her desk. "Unless you rack up a lot of tardies.'

"Oh no!" I thanked her for all her good advice and raced out the door where Pax waited in the hallway to guide me to my next class.