The late August sun beat down on Moon High's brick facade as Jessica Trumblelee trudged up the front steps, her backpack heavy with first-day textbooks. A familiar energy hummed through the crowded hallway—the buzz of reuniting friends, the slam of locker doors, the squeak of new sneakers on freshly waxed floors.

Senior year. Finally.

She caught her reflection in a classroom window and adjusted her cheerleading uniform, smoothing invisible wrinkles from the purple and white fabric. The Mighty Wolves logo stretched across her chest, a reminder of everything she'd worked for. Everything she'd become. Or at least, everything she pretended to be. She couldn't help but notice the irony of being a werewolf mascot, but Moon Valley had always possessed a twisted sense of humor.

"Jessica! Over here!"

Tiffany Barns waved from her usual spot by the water fountain, her red hair bouncing as she practically vibrated excitedly. The rest of the squad clustered around her—Amber Hearts perched on the windowsill, Mia Roberto and Camella Yawda leaning against the wall.

And there, on the edge of the group, stood Salina Carpenter.

Jessica blinked, wondering if the summer heat was making her hallucinate. But no—that was Salina, her normally all-black ensemble replaced by a matching Mighty Wolves uniform. The purple and white should have looked ridiculous against her pale skin and long jet-black hair with its streak of purple, but somehow she made it work. Three years ago, Jessica would have bet her entire college fund that she'd never see Salina in anything resembling school spirit wear.

Then again, three years ago, she'd also thought she was completely human. And never in her life, had she imagined Salina becoming a cheerleader witch.

"Can you believe it?" Tiffany squealed, pulling Jessica into a hug that smelled of strawberry shampoo and vanilla body spray. "Our little goth girl's one of us now!"

Salina rolled her eyes, but Jessica caught the hint of a smile playing at the corners of her black-painted lips. "Don't make me regret this, Barns."

"Never!" Tiffany released Jessica and bounced on her toes. "Oh my god, you guys have to see what she can do. Show them the move from camp!"

"Here? Now?" Salina glanced around the crowded hallway, her hand instinctively touching the crystal pendant hidden beneath her uniform—a protection charm, Jessica remembered. Old habits die hard.

"Yes, now!" Amber joined in, sliding off the windowsill. "Come on, you were amazing at Cheer Rock."

Jessica watched as Salina sighed dramatically—but there was no real resistance. The goth girl dropped her backpack and took three quick steps back, giving herself room. Then, without warning, she launched into a perfect aerial cartwheel, transitioning smoothly into a back handspring that landed her right back where she started. Jessica's enhanced senses caught the faint whisper of energy in the air—not magic, just the natural grace that came from years of dance training Salina had never admitted to having.

The squad erupted in cheers and whoops. A few passing students stopped to stare, but Salina ignored them, brushing imaginary dust from her skirt.

"See?" Tiffany beamed. "What did I tell you? She's incredible!"

"Not bad for a witch," Mia said with a wink.

The words sent a jolt through Jessica's spine. She whipped her head around, scanning for eavesdroppers, but the hallway traffic had already moved on. Her heightened hearing picked up nothing but ordinary high school chatter—homework complaints, summer gossip, dating drama.

"Careful," Salina muttered, her dark eyes narrowing. "Some of us prefer to keep our... extracurriculars private."

Mia waved a dismissive hand. "Oh please, like anyone would believe us, anyway. But speaking of which..." She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Have you thought about maybe using a little... you know... to help with competitions?"

"Mia!" Camella hissed.

"What? I'm just saying if she's got the power—"

"No." Salina's voice cut through the air like ice. "Absolutely not. My magic isn't a party trick, and I don't use it to cheat." The surrounding temperature dropped several degrees—a sure sign that Salina's emotions were getting the better of her control.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Jessica watched Salina's face, seeing the tension in her jaw, and the way her fingers curled into fists at her sides. She'd seen that look before, back when they were friends—back before Jessica had chosen popularity over their little paranormal investigation club. Before the bite that changed everything, when hunting the supernatural had been an exciting hobby rather than a matter of survival.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"She's right," Jessica said. "We don't need magic to win. We've got talent." And she'd worked too hard to control her supernatural side to rely on shortcuts now.

"Damn straight," Tiffany chimed in, throwing an arm around Salina's shoulders. "Sorry, girl. No one's gonna pressure you into anything you're not comfortable with."

The bell rang, saving them from further awkwardness. As the group dispersed for the first period, Jessica caught Salina's eye. For a moment, something passed between them—a flash of their old connection, a reminder of late nights spent hunting ghosts and trading secrets. Nights that ended abruptly when Jessica started pulling away, afraid her newfound lycanthropy would put her friend in danger.

Then Salina smiled, small but genuine. "Thanks," she whispered. "For backing me up."

"Any time." Jessica meant it, surprising herself. "That's what squad mates are for, right?"

"Squad mates," Salina repeated, testing the words. "Yeah, I guess we are."

They headed to class together, falling into step like no time had passed at all. And if Jessica felt a familiar tingle down her spine—the one that always preceded a full moon—well, that was a secret she'd keep to herself. She'd gotten good at hiding the signs: the enhanced senses, the occasional flash of gold in her eyes, the way her muscles coiled with barely contained energy as the moon waxed fuller.

For now, at least, everything was normal. She was just another cheerleader, starting another school year. That her best friend was a witch, and she was a werewolf... well, that was just life in Moon Valley. The town had more supernatural residents than anyone suspected, all of them hiding in plain sight, all of them playing their roles in the daylight world.

The warning bell rang, and Jessica quickened her pace. She had Calculus first period with Mr. Peterson, and he was notorious for giving pop quizzes on the first day. As she slid into her seat, she caught sight of Kevin through the classroom window, his nose buried in some thick book as he headed to Advanced Physics. His sandy dark brown hair fell across his forehead in that perfectly messy way that made her heart race, and she caught a whiff of his scent—old books, coffee, and something uniquely him that her wolf side found intoxicating.

Her heart did a little flip that had nothing to do with the approaching full moon. Well, mostly nothing. Her crush on Kevin had started long before the bite, but now her wolf side seemed just as interested as her human side. She wondered sometimes if he had his own supernatural secret—there was something about him that set him apart from the other purely human students, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what.

"Alright, class," Mr. Peterson's voice cut through her thoughts. "Welcome to AP Calculus. Please clear your desks except for a pencil..."

She opened her textbook and tried to focus on derivatives, pushing thoughts of magic and monsters and cute boys to the back of her mind. But she couldn't quite shake the feeling that this year would be anything but ordinary.

After all, when had anything in Moon Valley ever been normal?

As the morning sun climbed higher, casting long shadows through the classroom windows, Jessica couldn't help but wonder what other secrets lurked in the halls of Moon High, waiting to be discovered. Or perhaps, waiting to discover her.

*****

The bell's shrill ring signaled the end of calculus, and Jessica quickly stuffed her quiz into her backpack. She was pretty sure she'd nailed the derivatives section—having enhanced senses meant she could pick up on subtle details others might miss, even in math.

"Hey, wait up!" Kevin called from behind her. Jessica's heart skipped as she turned to see him jogging to catch up, his physics textbook tucked under one arm. "We've got Peterson's history class next, right?"

"The other Peterson," she clarified, trying to ignore how her wolf side perked up at his proximity. "Though how two brothers ended up teaching at the same school is beyond me."

"Must be a family thing," Salina chimed in, appearing beside them with her usual silent grace. "Like being supernaturally boring." But there was something in her tone that made Jessica glance sharply at her friend. Salina had that look—the one that meant she knew something but wasn't sharing.

They made their way through the crowded halls to the history wing, where Mr. James Peterson—as opposed to his brother, Mr. John Peterson—was already writing on the whiteboard in his characteristic messy scrawl. Unlike his mathematical brother, James Peterson had a perpetual five o'clock shadow and wore tweed jackets with elbow patches, looking every bit the Indiana Jones wannabe he secretly was.

"Settle down, everyone," he called out as students filed in. "I've got an exciting announcement I think you'll all enjoy."

Jessica slid into her usual seat, with Salina on her left and Kevin taking the desk behind her. She caught a whiff of old parchment and herbs from Salina's direction—probably remnants of whatever spell she'd been practicing that morning.

"As you all know, we're starting our unit on ancient Egypt," Mr. Peterson continued, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. "And as luck would have it, the Moon Valley History Museum just opened their new exhibit: SECRETS OF THE FORGOTTEN PHARAOHS." He gestured dramatically at the title he'd written on the board.

A murmur of interest rippled through the class. The Moon Valley History Museum was small but well-respected, known for somehow attracting fascinating artifacts that larger museums had overlooked.

"We'll be taking a field trip there tomorrow," Peterson announced. "The exhibit features several newly discovered artifacts that haven't been displayed anywhere else in the country. The curator, Tracy York, will give us a personal tour. Permission slips are on my desk. Make sure your parents sign them tonight. We'll meet here at normal class time tomorrow, then take the bus to the museum. The tour should last about two hours."

As the class broke into excited chatter, Salina leaned over to Jessica. "I heard rumors about this exhibit," she murmured. "Some artifacts they're displaying... let's just say they are strange.”

Jessica felt a familiar tingle of excitement—the same one she used to get during their paranormal investigations. "What kind of strange?"

"Not sure exactly. But my grandmother mentioned something about ancient Egyptian protection spells and lunar rituals." Salina's dark eyes flickered. “She read about it from the museum’s magazine.”

"Lunar rituals?" Kevin asked, making both girls jump. Jessica hadn't realized he was listening. “That's... interesting.” His eyes turned to Jessica. “Maybe Jessica might find something useful there.”

Jessica beamed her eyes at him. “What would I totally find useful there-”

"Now, let's begin our introduction to ancient Egyptian society," he said, pulling down a map. "By the time we visit tomorrow, I want you all to understand the basic structure of..."

Jessica tried to focus on the lecture, but her mind kept wandering about the upcoming field trip. Moon Valley had a way of making ordinary events turn extraordinary. A simple museum exhibit about forgotten pharaohs? In this town, that could mean anything.

She glanced at Salina, who was taking notes but had that slight crease between her eyebrows that meant she was thinking about more than just history. Then she sneaked a peek at Kevin, only to find him staring intently at his textbook, though his eyes weren't moving across the page.

What secrets would they find in those ancient artifacts? And why did she have the feeling that this field trip would be about more than just learning history?

The sunlight streaming through the classroom window caught the crystal charm on Salina's necklace, sending tiny rainbow refractions dancing across Jessica's notes. Tomorrow's moon would be nearly full, and her wolf senses heightened. Whatever secrets the forgotten pharaohs held, she had a feeling she was about to find out.