Page 38 of In Prey We Trust

I squat down and pet Jinx’s head. “Everyone deserves a second chance, right, baby?”

Her mew makes me smile and I watch her scamper back to her treehouse before I head out.

Hopefully, I’m not being naïve again.

“Buenos días! My name is Adriatica los Feliz and if you are new to Capital, I will be your theater and speech instructor. I am also the head of the Theater department, so questions you have about the program should be funneled through me.”

They gave us access to lockers, so I just returned from changing and storing my stuff to find a colorfully dressed woman clapping her hands for attention in the middle of the room. My eyes dart to Rufus and Cori, both of whom are leaning against the wall behind her with matching grimaces. That doesn’t bode well, but I turn back to the professor quickly so it’s not obvious I picked up on their displeasure.

“This is an upper level course, so I expect all of you—especially our transfers from Apex—to keep up with our pace. We have many talented young performers in this program and now that it is being funded appropriately, our schedule will be rigorous. We will begin with warm-ups. Take your places and prepare to stretch.”

She doesn’t give further instructions, but I notice the girls from the Pred Games team striding to the front to stand in a starting position for yoga. Taking their cue, I find my space near the back so I can observe their routine without being a spectacle. This isn’t how classes ran at Apex, and Professor los Feliz obviously has a more structured approach.

That’s why my besties look irritable, I’d bet. We had lots of leeway and now we don’t.

By the way she takes us through the moves, I know she’s some sort of feline. The grace our new professor moves with is unmistakable—I know because I spend a good amount of time watching my three big cats. Her eyes flick to her new assistants occasionally, and I feel my bunny’s annoyance when she rolls her eyes at Cori. My friend is a talented dancer, but she struggles with balance in this type of situation because of how she’s built. If this woman picks on her, there’s going to be a problem.

“Now that we’re warm in body, we must get our chords ready for speaking!”

Everyone shuffles around until we’re in a circle and she leads us in a bunch of weird exercises where we make loud sounds and trills. I’m used to some of them from vocal lessons, but they have not asked me to mimic other animal sounds. It feels ridiculous, but the Cappie students don’t seem a bit fazed. When we finish, Rufus walks around with packets, winking at me as I take mine. I’m going to have to wait for the skinny on their experience with our odd drama teacher, but I bet it’s good.

“This is our first production for the year?”

I recognize the voice belonging to the brash jaguar from my PG team immediately. She’s the one who squared up with Gold and her followers are right behind her again. I never caught her name during the practice they deigned to show for, but her attitude tells me she expects to be on top of the heap here.

“Yes, Selene. The first quarter production will be a small play. We will audition for it during our next class and start rehearsals immediately after casting. The performances will be right after midterms.”

Her beautiful features mar as she looks at her friends. “I don’t know this play. Do any of you?”

They shake their heads, and I look down at the synopsis for a moment, studying it. A growing sense of horror fills me as I read and my eyes dart to my friends. They both look uncomfortable, and I realize they likely complained about it, but their protest fell on deaf ears.

“#Viral is a recent work by a new playwright and I’m very excited to explore its themes! It’s perfect for a high school or college setting. Though the speaking parts will be all female, we will have plenty of ensemble and backstage positions for the guys.”

Dear Hera, please let someone who has powerful parents complain before we embark on this theatrical Titanic.

“It’s an amazing idea,” the crocodile in the group coos. Her insincerity practically oozes from her words and, paired with her species, I make a note to give her a wide berth. So much about this girl suddenly reminds me of Bruno and I have no interest in finding out if her bad side is as terrible as his.

I pull out my phone quickly, making a few notes about the people in this class, so I’ll remember later.

Selene: Pred Games, jaguar, head Cappie girl; unafraid of Heathers

Jaiyana: crocodile, one of Selene’s girls, Pred Games team

Roswitha: grizzly; one of Selene’s girls; Pred Games team

Kyaw: python; one of Selene’s girls; Pred Games team

Adriatica los Feliz: feline?; drama and speech; very structured; doesn’t seem to like Apex transfers; gives Cori dirty looks so must want to die

Unfortunately, I’ll have to rely on my detective skills here because if every professor cares so little about making sure they acclimate the new students, I’m going to have a rough go for the first few weeks. Chess and Fitz can pull rosters and do some digging, but until then, I’m flying blind. I’ll need to be very cautious about who I interact with and how until I know what side they fall on, Council-wise.

As for the hoods, who the fuck knows?

“Thank you, Jaiyana! I am looking forward to seeing all of you audition on Wednesday.” Professor los Feliz smiles broadly, but I sense something behind it I can’t put my finger on. It might be paranoia because of Abel last year, but she’s not saying exactly what she means. “One of my new assistants will pass out the syllabus, schedules for the rehearsals for this production, and your homework for the weekend. After that, please break off on your own or in groups to read through your sides for the audition until the end of class.”

I wait patiently until Cori comes to me, Rufus following as they lead me to a corner at the back of the theater. The rest of my classmates are moving to their own spaces as well, so it doesn’t stick out when they follow me. Once we’re all together, I rush forward and hug them tightly. A feeling of safety comes over me, and I sigh. “Thank hell. I missed you guys so much.”

Rufus chuckles and pulls back a little. “Well, isn’t this adorbs, Coco? Our scaredy bunny is showing emotions and touching people! What have those boys done to you, boo?”

---