Monday morning came with many still being on edge, either being nervous or hopeful over things that related to the reveal. It was something that couldn't really be hidden as Ben carpooled Eric, Nate and Alex to Moon Lake High. It was something that hung over everyone, and even if it wasn't the main thing for them, it was still something that would potentially affect them. And some of that became obvious as the made their way from the school's parking lot toward the front door to the building, which was the main entrance point for the school, even with some things that were expected.
Eric smiled as Julie came forward from a spot by the lawn to hug Eric as he approached. Nate and Alex saw this coming as the two weremers hugged and then moved to walk along the sidewalk toward the steps that would lead up to the school's main doors. The buses were arriving and discharging those students that rode the bus, and Nate, Alex, and Ben could all hear at least the vague comments on various things that seemed to blur together. As they walked along, it seemed to get even worse and Eric and Nate's eyes widened as a pair closer to the doors got into a fight and had one slug another, knocking him to the ground. Though the group was enough way to see anything in detail.
"My word..." Julie gasped, clutching at Eric's arm.
"Not again," Nate sighed, though looking up to see someone come out from the front doors and essentially lead both into the building.
"Again... those two were fighting before?" Alex asked.
"Maybe..." Nate said weakly, "but I was referring to a fight that happened on Wood Street last night... couple of weres got into it over the reveal and impeded Eric's walk home last night."
"Yeah... Eric told me about that," Julie nodded, "it would appear that the city's going to be on edge for awhile over this whole issue."
Ben nodded, thinking back on the threatening phone call that was made to his parents the previous day had pretty much wrecked everything else that had been planned for the day. This apparent fight was close to home, as it were, but given the threat made against Samantha to Frances, it was enough to convince him that things wouldn't be easy.
"And the big thing is that I think both of those that were in the fight are on the present team for the Thanksgiving Football game," Nate commented to Julie, "I don't know if your family has gone to the game in the past... as we've only just come to town as it were..."
Julie kept one arm around Eric's as they walked along, but did look over her shoulder to the older Anderson brother. Nate was walking with Alex Ramsey to his right and with Ben Twist to Alex's right. They made for an impressive trio of High School Juniors, regardless of whether or not they were weres or not. Nate looked a bit protective with his eyes focused toward Eric, which made sense, given that he was Eric's brother. Alex looked a bit frustrated, though some of the mention that the mention that the fight from the previous night had members of the football team was the most surprising. Ben, though, looked as though he'd expected some of this. It was like the fight that Nate reported was the least of his worries. It was that that made Julie the most nervous.
"Hopefully some things will get a bit better," Eric commented as he and Julie at to break apart as the reached the doors, as Moon Lake di have policies against public displays of affection, "as mom also seemed a bit nervous this morning..."
"Did she say way?" Alex wondered to Nate.
"No," Nate admitted, "though she did seem a bit... clingy to dad this morning," Nate admitted, "possibly a bad dream or something like that."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Morning at the campus progressed with some of the same degrees of unease as the High School. There was no fighting at the start of the day, but William Anderson did get the sense that some of the student body was uneasy. There were some questions and debates that went beyond English Literature, and that was something that William found himself juggling through the morning which ultimately calling in with Dean Myers at lunch.
"This sort of thing is going with every department Professor Anderson, not just the English Department," Dean Myers spoke as nibbled on a carrot, "You're not the only one with questions..."
"It's not questions from me... it's the back and forth with students and questions THEY have," William answered, "I've taught English and specifically English literature for years... primarily Shakespearean... this... this is all Sociology, Government, and History type stuff... I have nothing to draw on to assure them that things will be fine!"
"That's probably going to be something that many weres are going to be wrestling with," Dean Myers answered with a sigh, "just as many normal humans wrestle with Moon Lake's surprises... weres have wrestled and debated over the secret and trying to keep it. And while the younger generations, those under two hundred years of age, are too young to have experienced were hunts, there may be a fair number that could have a parent or grandparent that might have. And that's something that is often carried pretty firmly. Younger weres... and particularly new weres like you and your family may be more open to sharing in that respect, because of long standing acceptance as humans before becoming weres."
"But the world changes far faster than were lifespans..." William answered, "and I'm not complaining about potentially living longer... but if that's the sort of thing used to argue against this reveal plan... that "were generations are different from normal generations," there is a lack of logic there. As the length of the year and speed of progress are largely the same."
"I never said that the defense of this was ever entirely logical," Dean Myers sighed, "and from what's been reported in town... the fact that someone has come up with an argument that could counter the defense that weres have used for years to protect their secret... is going to lead to conflict."
Almost as if on cue, a series of voices began rising outside the cafeteria building and drew many of those inside the building toward the large windows that framed that section. William's approach was slow, but he arrived in time see a modest sized group gathering around a park bench that was under a tree outside the "Commons" building. There was a lot of gestures and pointing between two people with others egging the two on. The one thing that startled William the most was a lone woman, practically trapped on the park bench as some of the gathering crowd began to swarm around the bench.
"Conflict is the problem, sir..." William spoke as he looked to Dean Myers, "we can't just let people let fear grip them... or we'll all end up in her position."
"On that, I agree," Dean Myers spoke and pulled out his cellphone and hit one speed dial button, "Dean Myers to campus security..." The sounds from outside grew louder and then one threw punch at another. And from there things exploded into an all out brawl. "We have a riot going on just outside the Commons Building's southeast entrance get all officers there NOW!"
William could only watch in horror as the brawl unfolded. He thought one of them was a student from his first period class of the day as the student landed a vicious uppercut that landed on the jaw of his target and sent him sprawling backward. The young woman who'd been eating her lunch on the park bench was trapped in there. She'd actually tried to get up and get away, but got bounced around as she tried to flee. It then got worse when one female student that had come to the defense of a male cohort grabbed a decorative rock from a garden that was nearby and hurled it through the air. From what William could tell, the target was a male student that just clubbed another male student across the shoulders.
The target, however, ducked under the rock and William could only watch as the rock struck the young woman that had been trying to flee. If that wasn't bad enough, the blow was to the head and sent the young woman to the ground while the rock ricocheted off into the grass. William could only raise his hands to his mouth as he noted a long gash running along the woman's temple and that it was pouring with blood. It was only at this time that whistles from campus security personnel began to arrive on the scene. One or two came out from the commons building, but a few more came from other directions, with either guns or tasers drawn.
"That's why I wanted to talk, sir... find something that we could say to give people some assurance..." William said weakly, his thoughts drifting to Martha and his sons, picturing them in the position of the young woman who'd just been hit in the head with a rock, "something that may prevent something like this..."
"I'm afraid, Professor Anderson, that with things like this... more than assurances will be needed," Dean Myers said gravely as the fight seemed to die down, though not without its consequences.