December's Moon

5| LUCA

| LUCA |

Luca awoke to find his worst fears realized. Somehow, he'd snoozed through his first three alarms, and his digital clock now blared "8:45" at him in bright red as it buzzed like a bomb was about to go off.

He groaned. He was both tired and hungover, and he had to attend shifting classes at nine. He'd certainly still be hungover for calculus at ten, which would be even worse.

"Shit," Luca muttered to himself. He slammed his hand on the alarm to silence it and rolled himself out of bed. His head pounded like it was in a trash compactor. He stumbled into the bathroom, and after a hot, two-minute shower, he pulled on the uncomfortable, silver outfit he had to wear for class. He slipped a pair of dark wash jeans and a grey and blue striped T-shirt over it.

After giving himself a once over in the mirror to make sure he looked put together, he rushed out of the dorm. It was only a couple of yards through the cool, September fog before he reached the front of Stowe and Tame Hall, the main building of the school. He pulled the heavy, humidity-soaked wooden door open and slipped in.

Students buzzed across the main hall as they rushed from the dining room to the large stairways on either side that lead up to the classrooms in the east and west wings. The smell of fried bacon and eggs wafted through the air, masking the perpetual odor of dust and mold that permeated the old building.

Luca's stomach grumbled and moaned. Greasy food would either cure him of his hangover or make him vomit. He wasn't sure which would be the outcome, but the risk was worth the reward. He still had five minutes before his class met in the back terrace for nine am shifting, so he darted into the dining room next to the west wing stairs, grabbed a plate, and filled it with eggs and bacon from the small warming tray at the front of the dining room.

Even though a few other students were still finishing their meals, with the hangover blasting through his head, Luca had no patience to talk to anyone. Instead, he took a seat at an empty table. He shoveled the eggs and bacon down his gullet as quickly as he could, washing it back with a cup of steaming hot black coffee. He left his plate and mug on the dining table because the staff didn't trust the students to wash the dishes themselves and ran out the door to the back patio.

Outside, his classmates milled around in the grass on the terrace, waiting for their teacher to arrive. Professor Fenris was habitually late to his own classes, something that usually annoyed Luca, but today, he was grateful.

He headed towards the stairs that lead down to the grass, but Aurora and her two lackeys, Niki and Priscilla, sat on the slate steps, blocking the way. When Aurora saw Luca, she swept her nearly-white blonde hair over her shoulders and waved like they were friends or something.

He groaned. He had to pass her anyway to get to the class assembly point. Might as well get this over with.

Aurora stretched her long legs out in front of her like she was tanning. Her silver spandex suit reached halfway down her slim thighs, clinging to her skin as it glistened in the few rays of sunlight poking through the cloud cover. Over the top of it, she wore a black woolen sweater that had the words "wolf in sheep's clothing" knit in yellow on the front.

"How are you feeling this morning, Luca?" Aurora flashed him a smile.

"Like I got hit by a bus," Luca grumbled. "Remind me to never drink with you again. Nice sweater, by the way."

"Thank you!" Aurora beamed. "I knitted it myself in all my free time over the summer. Get it? Sheep's clothing? 'Cause it's wool?"

"I got it," Luca said. He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you could knit."