The Animal Within You

Chapter 49

I sat amongst the Counsel and my friends, listening to the adults firing off statements back and forth about Julian, the hybrid, and the videos published. Within a week, more videos were released, focusing on the hybrid committing crimes while still in the Hayvon uniform. The situation worsened almost immediately, the videos gaining more traction and becoming viral. It was clear that Julian had some pull in almost every single News channel, as well as across multiple social media platforms, spreading turmoil. With more people believing in shifters, widespread panic ravaged the student body at Hayvon Academy. Group chats were formed by the students to spread any other information regarding the videos, outside reactions, and the hybrid.  

Dylan was often monitoring the groups, taking note of what was reported while trying to calm down the student body. But with so many voices, it was difficult to reach everyone and keep things leveled. By halfway through the week, some students were targeted on the streets, having profanities yelled at them by those who felt the videos were true, and that we were actually monsters. Before the end of the week was up, families had expressed concern for the students' wellbeing as they feared that hate would spread.

"We need to suppress this—"

"The videos have taken the country by storm. We've removed hundreds of videos, but for each one taken down, a handful more appear." Zen explained, his fingers tapping against the keyboard without rest. "Believe me, we're trying."

"Why do this? Why now?"

"Clearly, it was to create chaos—"

"But why was that the aim?" Dr. Moore emphasized; his fists hidden in the pockets of his lab coat. "They've exposed themselves along with us. They want chaos, but how does this contribute to their ultimate goal? They're looking for a specific response from the masses."

"They've exposed Hayvon Academy more than they've exposed themselves. It's one of their own versus hundreds of ours. The uniform is distinguishable, and they went out of their way to get one and wear it for negative publicity." Kalmin pointed out, rubbing his temples as he rested his elbows on the table in front of him. Dark circles tinted the bags under his eyes, making him look older by pronouncing the stress wrinkles on his face.

"They're just kids..." My dad growled from beside me, shaking his head at their words. "I was sure Julian had something against the government organization that Maria was working with. But why expose innocent teenagers like this? It doesn't affect them at all..."

"Perhaps they wanted to expose shifters in the most tumultuous way possible, which was the opposite of what that organization wanted." Dylan piped up, referring to what my father shared about the different organizations and their goals. "Imagine the surprise of seeing something inhuman, then realizing that there's a school full of them. We've been giving Julian and his organization a hard time. Unfortunately, exposing us just kills two birds with one stone. This is the only way I can make sense of things."

"People fear what they don't understand." Jackson agreed, a pained expression on his face. "We need to prepare. We need to make a decision on whether we'll continue to try and hide this, or if we're going to openly admit we're real and face a new world." He looked at Kalmin, swallowing down a lump in his throat after speaking such grave words.

"After what happened with Maria, we've discussed contingency plans, but this is going to be difficult to approach."

"There's a chance that it'll go away—"

"But do we want to take that chance?"

"Has there never been moments in history where shifters have been exposed?" Alex questioned slowly; his eyebrows furrowed as he glanced around the Counsel. "I mean, after so many years, I find it difficult to believe this is the first time. What did people do when others tried exposing shifters?"

"Recording devices have only been around for a fraction of history. Once technology advanced, there were those who tried, but the images or videos were never clear enough. It never gained traction as much as this." One of the Counsel members explained before sighing. Dylan glanced down at his phone, scrolling through messages from the multiple group chats that were active. He would peel his eyes away for a moment to listen to the conversation before returning his attention to his device. "Generally, those who tried were not shifters. But with our perpetrators being like us, it was easy for them to gather the material they needed. With so many videos and eyewitnesses, the possibility of fraud is extremely low."

"Which means people have to believe it." Selena groaned, tucking her shaking hands under her arms. Casey nodded somberly, looking up at the Counsel for guidance.

"I feel this discussion needs to happen privately amongst the Counsel—"

"Sorry, but I think we deserve to know what's going on and what you all decide to do." Danny interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're directly involved, and my family is about ready to—"

"Oh, fuck." Dylan hissed, stunning Danny into silence. He looked over at him then, already knowing that the tone of voice meant nothing but bad news. "Kalmin...this isn't good." My heart sped at the way his face paled, his meek words echoing in my brain. Kalmin inhaled deeply, closing his eyes before nodding at him to proceed, his face hardened.

"What is it?" I pressed, seeing his hesitation as his mind raced. His thumb slid over his phone briefly before his eyes darkened, ripping his attention away.

"A student was assaulted. He was mistaken as the criminal hybrid by a group of people, who then attacked him while he was walking home after club activities."

"Is he okay?" Casey gasped, gripping Alex's arm as she digested the news. "Who was it?"

"Cameron Ross—"

"Cameron?" I cried out in shock, my body shaking with rage. "He looks nothing like him!"

"It was dark. I suppose all they saw was the blonde hair and the academy uniform before they indiscriminately attacked him. Once they realized it wasn't him, they ran off." Dylan recited painfully, looking up at us with sad eyes. "He was injured pretty badly. He didn't fight back." My father grabbed my hand from under the table and gripped it tightly, horrified with the reality we faced. The Counsel fell silent, destroyed by the news.

"Hayvon Academy will be shut down until further notice." Kalmin stated, looking at everyone firmly. "Students will be prompted to stay home until further arrangements are made by the Counsel."

"Kalmin—"

"Classes will be conducted virtually and will be arranged by the academy. Any student or instructor without the capabilities will be addressed and resolved by the Counsel to ensure they have what they need." He continued, ignoring the Counsel member who attempted to interrupt him. "This cannot go on. We have failed our students due to our lack of action and our inability to protect them." Kalmin gazed upon me and my friends, who stared back with apprehension and fury.

Outraged for the injustice.

Anxious for our safety.

"I'm sorry." Kalmin declared gently, bowing his head in remorse as his fists clenched tightly by his side.