Hunter had noticed the change in the color of Ash"s ears as he pa.s.sed by the girls that morning, just before cla.s.s. He had been genuinely amused by Celia"s accidental insult of her friend"s mental capacity (Celia had accidentally called Ash "r.e.t.a.r.ded" earlier that day) but he felt a little guilty that Ash had been embarra.s.sed by it. He had no doubt that Ash was smart. And it wasn"t because she was a scholar: the SBA scholarship"s only conditions were that she didn"t violate any of the Academy"s rules and that she pa.s.s all of her cla.s.ses. Despite that minimum standard, Ash had made the effort to perform well in school. She maintained her academic standing in the upper 10 percent of their level every year since she started at Saint Blaise"s Academy. While she didn"t exactly top the cla.s.s, she always ranked third or fourth at every term and received minor commendations at the end of every school year.
Hunter admired Ash"s tenacity. She didn"t have the advantage of exclusive prep school education and professional tutors that most of the elite kids had, but through her natural intelligence, hard work, and sheer force of will, she held her own with the best of them.
"Hey man, you headed out?"
Luka called out to Hunter as he got out of the heated Olympic-sized swimming pool. Luka was Hunter"s best friend at SBA.
"Yeah man. I gotta do some homework."
Hunter stood over the edge of the pool in his swimming trunks. His golden hair dripped water over his face. He ran his fingers through his gorgeous wet hair, and as he did, his biceps swelled ever so slightly, calling attention to his toned arms.
In his swimming trunks, Hunter cut a lithe, strong figure. He was nearly six feet tall, had wide shoulders and a nice strong chest. The pool water ran down his body and sensually slid down the defined cuts of his well-formed abdomen. At 18 years old, Hunter was a young golden G.o.d among men.
As he walked to the showers, the groupies at the sidelines swooned. Their eyes were glued to the muscles on his back and they whispered among themselves about the firm swell of his b.u.t.tocks. They would do the same with Luka and the other male swimmers when they got out of the pool: ogle them and whisper about how firm their muscles were and how hot they looked fresh out of the pool---but the consensus among the group was that Hunter"s body was by far the best.
Hunter took a quick shower and dressed promptly; his hair was still dripping water as he pulled his clothes on. He walked briskly to his dorm building and when he got there, he took the stairs two steps at a time.
When he got to his room, he dumped the contents of his backpack on his table and pulled out his homework. He shoved the rest of his school things to one side of the table and got cracking. If he could absorb text and regurgitate answers, he would, but he had to settle for super fast reading and flurried writing. He was in an unusual rush.
He hadn"t lied to Luka when he said he had homework to do: he really did. He just had another more important thing to do that had nothing to do with school. He wanted to get his schoolwork done quickly so that he could leave by nightfall.
Hunter finished his writing just as the sun was setting. [Perfect timing] he thought to himself. He had been itching to go out since lunch time. He quickly arranged his messy desk; he would put his things back inside his backpack when he would come back later that night.
He pulled out some dark colored clothes from his closet to change into. It was a fitted black leather vest and matching black leather pants. It was a cool-looking outfit for going to parties at underground clubs, but here at school, it looked ridiculous and over-the-top. As out-of-place as the outfit was, it was meant to serve a purpose, and Hunter needed it for the little trip he was going to take.
Hunter opened his door and popped his head out into the hallway. He had to make sure the coast was clear: he didn"t want people to see him in this ridiculous outfit. When he was sure that the hallway was clear, he raced toward the fire exit and left the building through there. And then, he made his way to the fence at the edge of the school grounds.
The woods surrounding the school was a protected area. The Academy worked in partnership with the local government to ensure that no hunting or logging took place in the woods. It was a measure to keep the students safe and a climate change initiative to preserve indigenous flora and fauna. Entry into the woods was restricted, and the SBA Handbook specifically warned students that unauthorized entry into the protected area of the woods surrounding the campus was a punishable offense. The first violation warranted a warning, the second violation warranted suspension and a notice to one"s parents, and a third violation resulted in expulsion from the Academy.
If the SBA Handbook was anything to go by, Hunter should have been expelled a long time ago. He had jumped the fence more times than he could remember, although he did take care to s.p.a.ce his outings.
He looked around to make sure that no one was near enough to see or hear him. When he was sure that he was alone, he quickly climbed over the fence. The first 4 feet of the wall was made of solid concrete, and it was topped with about 8 feet of cyclone wire. It took him less than 30 seconds to climb over and jump to the other side.
Hunter wasn"t a rule breaker by nature, but he had his reasons for disobeying this one particular rule about not entering the woods. It had to do with fulfilling an urgent and incessant need: the need to kill and eat.