"
kay, okay, okay." Elijah whispered under his breath softly, eyes closed as he rested them on the knuckles of his hands, gripping the steering wheel tight enough to make them white. He felt his blood rushing in his ears, his body shaking, he did all he could to keep from slipping into an anxiety attack. After a few deep breathes he looked up, letting himself relax slightly in the old poorly painted blue pickup truck, half eaten away by rust. The parking lot was filled with tons of other cars, new and old, and Elijah's soon to be classmates and acquaintances walked by his truck, not giving him a second glance. His ears twitched nervously, and Elijah reached into the back seat of the truck, pulling out his old ballcap styled hat, worn by him wearing it constantly.
He wasn't really... Ashamed, of his physical feline traits, but he wasn't proud either. More embarrassed of them really. Plus, given his history with bullies, before he learned to fight back, the first thing they often did was pull on his ears and tail, so the easiest thing to do was keep them hidden. His hands were shaking as he brought them to his face, rubbing his tired eyes. He hadn't slept all night, the fear of today chasing him as a present nightmare.
"Okay." He repeated for the millionth time, he was finally calming down, after a solid twenty minutes of sitting in his truck having a small panic. He looked up at the students that walked by, god there were so many students. The school was huge, and it was more than daunting to Elijah. He was a small, terrified guy, how the hell was he going to get around?
He pulled the door open, stepping out and grabbing his backpack from the truck bed. It was light, given he had no papers yet. He pulled both straps over his shoulders and shut the truck, walking down the pathway leading to the school entrance, looking around in awe at the size of the school, the large field that was to the side of it, and the forest that was at the far edge of said field. it was far nicer than any school he had ever been to. Then again, he shouldn't have been so shocked. The school was the best in the country, and was world renowned. The thing that caught Elijah's eye the most, however, was the deep, ominous gray clouds that lingered on the horizon, not moving, just waiting. This time of year was prime for rain, and though Elijah had lived in all but a desert before, here rain was not uncommon, Elijah had not even considered it until after moving. Elijah felt fear hammering in time with his heartbeat at the thought of it, but tried to force the thoughts away. Elijah was here for a good education, hopes to fulfil his lifelong dream. And no amount of daunting people, labrinth-line hallways, and massive risks of anxiety were going to stop him.
Elijah fished a paper from his back pocket, looking at it. History. What an awful class to have in the morning. He sighed and looked up, the school looming over him like a death sentence, with trembling hands he reached up, grabbing the front door handle, and opened the door, stepping into the school. He had transferred about one third through the school year, so it was poorly timed for everyone. Luckily Elijah was a fast learner, and he had never gotten less than a B plus his entire life. Yet, there were no other new students, Elijah was completely alone.
The noise. The noise hit Elijah with a physical force, making him pause in the entrance of the school. It was like a riot, students filtering everywhere, the main commons area packed of people. Elijah felt himself shrink back into himself, feeling small, vulnerable, as he weaved through the crowd. He tapped a few people on the shoulder, asking for directions, but no one seemed to care enough to show him the way, so he kept his mouth shut and wandered his way to the main office. As he did, the loud, ear-piercing buzz of the bell went off, and the crowd diminished in a matter of minutes as Elijah stepped into the main office.
Luckily not everyone in the school was rude. And the secretary happily directed Elijah where to go. The school had five stories, and she was very understanding on how one could be lost. Elijah said a brief thank you, and hurried to class. His first day, hopefully it was not a problem he was going to be late.
Elijah found the room after a few minutes of searching. He looked in as he opened the door, and found the teacher in the middle of a lecture as he stepped into the deathly silent classroom. The teacher stopped speaking mid-sentence, though, to Elijah's relief, didn't look too annoyed. He smiled, walking over to Elijah from where he had been giving a lecture and drawing some elaborate diagram on the board to show some migration of some sort. The man was taller than Elijah, not that that was a big accomplishment, and held a hand out. Elijah gave a weary smile, and shook his hand.
Elijah stood awkwardly, biting his lip nervously, as the teacher gave him a quick introduction. As the teacher spoke Elijah felt himself feel panic, being in front of so many others, he bit his lip a little harder, though caution drilled into his mind he was not the only supernatural being here, and many said beings are attracted to the scent of blood. New student. Be nice. Elijah letting out a small little
"Hello" and waving his hand slightly, Etc. The whole thing, then the teacher motioned for Elijah to sit, but he was frozen on the spot, skimming the class, trying to find an empty seat next to someone who didn't look like they would slit his throat for no reason more than breathing wrong.