**Raine’s POV:**

My avatar is the biggest, weird-looking character I could make. It got muscles that I could never obtain and skill I could only hope to appear one day magically. In this world, it’s a possibility.

The looks don’t match mine, though.

In that game world, I am almost a God with power, influence, and the ability to change nearly anything I want. If others cross my path, they would simply drift into darkness and despair.


I scratch my flabby belly and scrunches my nose.

“Shoot him!” I scream, “Shot that, motherfucker!” When I cursed, no one would bat a lash, or perhaps I believe no one would since I can’t see my teammates from behind the screen.

He misses.

Idiot.

My eyes flicker to scan the surrounding, heart pounding as I turn around towards the corner, “How can you miss him?!” I cursed my partner once more.

“How the fuck should I know he was behind that tree?!” His voice booms with pure strength.

I got more agitated, probably a lot more than him. Then again, why should I? I wasn’t the one who missed it. “Because I told you - Watch out! He is behind that tree! - Why don’t you ever listen to me?” I screamed. Another enemy beheaded, but it only came with more bickers.

“I take orders from no one!”

“Hi!” I said a bit too loudly, allowing him to sense my continuous agitation. Mom says it’s not healthy for me to feel so emotional over a game, but I always do.

“What?”

“Hi! I’m fucking no one, now shoot our damn enemy behind the wall to your left!”

I smiled in satisfaction when he did according to what I said.

I threw my arms in the air when we won the game and screamed: “Yeah! We won!”
I’ve always been a sore winner, never a sore loser. If I lost, it’s my partner’s fault. People had always said I’m a lousy partner, but who cares. If they want to leave the group, there will always be others. Lose one, but a thousand will line up.

“You got served!” my partner shouts, hollering over the headset. It feels good to meet someone who enjoys bragging as much as me. I don’t feel judged when we win, and I’m the only one bragging.


On the screen, their names disappeared. My partner and I met Chicken and Nugget roughly three months ago. They told us they met a few months back on this other gaming site. When they were creating their usernames for this game, they were both eating Chicken Nuggets, so it kind of just stuck.


Chicken said that his wife was the one who suggested it and forced him to put that in, then she kept harassing Nugget until he agreed.

“You’re a bitch, you know that?” my gaming partner said.

I smirk, “Oh, please, you are nothing without me.”

“Little Piglet, you better watch your back,” he growls.

Werewolf.

My gaming partner is a werewolf.


I stare at my username: BaconhaveRice2.


“Oh, I’m so afraid, Mister Alpha wannabe,” I said sarcastically, waving my hands in the air even though he can’t see it.

I glanced at his username: IamtheAlphaBxtches.

I met him half a year ago in this random online gaming chat room, and we instantly hit it off. We argue all the time, but I feel some odd connection to him, something comforting.

“I told you I am an Alpha,” he stated in a stern voice.

“Oh yeah, sure you are, and I’m a flying dolphin who breathes out fire,” I said.

“Why don’t you believe me?” he whines.

“What pack are you in charge of, Alpha?” I hummed.

There was a long pause on the other side. I couldn’t hear anything except the music from the game mixing with echoing noises in the background, similar to mine. “I can’t tell you,” he mumbles.

I rolled my eyes and threw the remote on the couch. “And why not?”

He chuckles, “Because you would fall in love with me if you knew, and I can’t have another person stalking me,” he whispers seductively.

I can feel the chills running down my spines. “You have such a hu-” I was cut off by a voice on the other side. I couldn’t hear much, except for some murmuring.

“Little Piglet, I got to go, see you at the same time next week?” He said quickly.

I bit my chip, “Okay, see you, Wolfie.”

My partner logs off, and I place the headsets down on the table. With a single belly flop, I was on the old couch. Before I could close my eyes, the doorbell rang. A single grunt left my throat before I dragged my legs towards the door. I peek through the hole, and with the deadlock still on, I crack the door open. “What do you want?” I said in a deep voice.

“You know exactly what we want, the money, where is it?”

“I told you, I’ll give you the money when I can get it!”

“Then, I guess you don’t want to see your son again.” The girl beside him threatened me as she held the neck of my baby.

I fell on my knees, “No, not my baby. Please, anything but my baby.”

They stare at each other and nod, “I’m going to count to three if you don’t open the door, we are going to turn Mister Oink into bac-” she burst out laughing, “I’m sorry guys, I did try my best, but Raine you got to give your pig another name. Mister Oink, really?”

I stood up and unlocked the door. “I think Mister Oink is an awesome name,” I respond, taking my pig from her hands.
Cory shrugs and heads inside, comfortably lying on my couch. I closed the door, before pushing the food on the coffee table away slightly to make it look clean. I failed. “Were you doing another gaming marathon?” He grabs a chip.

I nod and take a seat on the ground. Mister Oink wiggles on my lap, before he finds a comfort zone.

“Was it worth it? Skipping school and work for three days for a game?” Helen asked, taking place beside me. She sets the plate of spaghetti down and twirls the noodle around.

Cory and I look at each other. “Fuck yeah, it’s worth it!” We gave each other a high five.

“Anyways, are you two ready for Selection Day next week?” Helen asks.

Selection Day is when five humans and hunters would be chosen to attend a school for werewolves. Not just any school, Were High School, one of the biggest high schools for werewolves. I doubt I will get chosen, and if I do - I would run far away. I mean, who in their right minds would want to go to school filled with short-tempered animals.

Yes, there are werewolves in this world.

Some batshit crazy stuff=.



“Anyways, you guys want to skip school and go to Alpine’s High School Selection Day tomorrow?” Helen asks.

Cory rolls his eyes, laying his arms behind his back. “I don’t want to step foot into that snotty rich ass school,” he scoffs.

“You are just angry your soccer team lost to theirs,” I said, and tickled Mister Oink’s belly. He likes it when I do that. It makes him squeal with happiness.

He shot right up, “I’m telling you! Those Rossi’s twins aren’t human!”

Rossi’s twins are a pair of brothers - obviously - whose parents are one of the most respected individuals in the human community. They’re like one of those guys you would see in a typical high school movie - tall, handsome, wealthy, and athletic. Total sexy walking cliches.

Helen shook her head, “You are only jealous because they are fine as wine.”

I nod in agreement. The Rossi’s twins are so delicious; I can just eat them up, not only one of them but both. I remember going to one of Cory’s games against Alpine’s High School, and they had their own cheer group. I wanted to go down the stands and cheer for them too, but I was on the other side of the school. Plus, I was wearing our school color, so I had no choice but to stay and root for the losing team.

It was a sad day for our school.

Helen tugs on his pants, “Come with us!”

“Us? What us?! There is no us!” Cory screams.

Helen threw herself on the floor and began her tantrum. Something she does when she wants things to go her way. She thrust her arms and legs everywhere as a high pitched scream left her mouth.

Cory and I sat there.

We shook our heads.

After clearing the living room, and a nice refreshing shower. Helen was still on the ground, screaming: “I want everyone to go!”

“Shut up! We will go!” Cory shouts.

Helen jumped up and gave herself a high-five.
“Your phone,” Cory told Helen.

She grabs the phone from the table and places it on her ear. “Yes, mom. I know I’ll be home before sunset,” she hisses into the phone and ends the call.

“I got to go” she giggles.

Helen comes from a family of witches. Her family doesn’t approve of some belief in the witches’ community law, so they moved to the human population. Something about not wanting to perform blood sacrifices. For creatures who desire to stay outside their own communities, they must follow strict policies. One of the witches’ protocol would be never to stay out after sunset. It’s when they are the least humane. That means, their dark counterpart can take over easier.

Cory twirls his keys, “Need a ride home?”

Helen nods, “Yes, please.” She kisses my cheek before leaving with Cory.

When the door closes, I can hear the locks twisting into place. Even though I met Cory and Helen for only a year, I trust them enough to give them the key to my place. After all, they trust me and save my life.

I release a deep breath and stare at the ceiling as I listen to the sink’s water drip.
It’s been one whole year since I’ve been here.

One year, it has been officially one year since I’ve been trapped in this unfamiliar new world.