Chapter 3

Marabella Ten Years Later Sixteen Years Old “I need to go see Mr. Bates after lunch,” Eziah tells me as we eat lunch with his friends. I say this because they aren’t mine. No, they are good pretenders. High-paid Hollywood actors, no one could tell apart from a bully. A wolf in sheep’s skin, literally. They always are at the top of their roles when my brother is around. I gave up trying to tell him they hate me a long time ago. I tried to tell him that he should just have lunch by himself without me around so many times, but he never listens. He can’t see the way they treat me when no one is looking. They know Eziah will blow up at them, so they make sure only to be outright mean to me when he isn’t near. I have no one to back me up unless Eziah is around, and they know that. Yeah, I am just that monster they all hate.. And while they claim I am the monster and deserve this - they are the true monsters. They are the shadows; the demons hiding in them, that attack me when I least expect. I quickly pack my lunch away and move to follow my brother. “I will come with you,” I perk up. The last thing I want is to be stuck with all these fake people here, alone, without him. Picking up my lunch tray, I stand up, about to follow him. Eziah shakes his head. “I won’t be gone long. I don’t need you to hold my hand,” he says jokingly, a smile on his face. He takes my tray from my hand and sets it back down on the table. Nervously, I stare at his friends, who are watching me. “Yeah, don’t be silly Marabella, you don’t have to leave just because your brother is,” one of them states, and I have to force down the lump that forms in my throat. “See?” Eziah chuckles, and I reluctantly sit back down. “I will be back. Then, we can head to English together,” Eziah tells me. He waves to his friends, and just as I expected, the moment he is out of sight, they all get up, sneering at me, moving to a different table. “Freak!” One spits at me. I mask the hurt as another knocks my drink onto my half-eaten sandwich before he walks away. They treat me like I am a deadly plague, one they don’t want to risk catching. I suck up the hurt and focus back on my lunch. Or at least the parts that aren’t ruined and try to ignore the stares I can feel on me. I can hear the cruel and hurtful whispers. My appetite is suddenly gone, and I get up, dump my tray on the stack and walk out. I head for the library and nearly walk in when I spot Alicia through the glass doors. She is talking excitedly to someone. Yeah, I can’t go in there now. Sighing, I glance around, debating where to go before giving up and going to the one place I always go to. I watch as groups of students talk and muck around; the sight makes me feel more alone. Nothing is more lonely than being alone, while surrounded by an audience to witness the loneliness you feel, yet the ones you love and are closest to are blind to see it. I would settle for anything, even my wolf. I can’t wait for that day to come. My brother has his wolf already. Mom said I will have to wait until I’m eighteen. It seems unfair; but at least then, I will have a friend, someone to talk to, someone who will get me, and hopefully, who knows I’m not a monster. Sighing heavily, I let the library door go before going to my other hiding spot. I really need to find a new one. Pushing the bathroom door open, I listen for any voices, then quickly walk to the far cubicle. Slipping inside, I lock the door. Pushing the toilet lid down, I sit down. Grabbing my bag off my shoulder, I pull my phone from the front pocket out. My heart skips a beat and I smile to myself when I see I have a text from Jonah. I am in the middle of replying when my phone rings in my hand. I can’t help the smile that splits onto my face when I see Jonah’s picture pop up on my phone screen. “Hey, Jonah,” I whisper the greeting. “There’s my favorite person. Why didn’t you write back? Are you going to come with me?” he asks. “I thought Kyan was your favorite person,” I chuckle. He pauses for a second. “He is my best friend, not my favorite person; that spot is reserved for you,” he tells me, and I can’t help the way my cheeks heat at his words. Gosh, I am pathetic. He is my cousin, well, not technically. We are not blood related. He is adopted, even so, it is kind of weird, and he is twenty-two, and sees me as his geeky cousin - the way he should see me. But it doesn’t stop my cheeks from heating or me from smiling like an idiot. “So, are you going to answer or continue to stay silent? I already rang your mother; she said it was fine,” Jonah asks me, and I sigh. The bell saves me from answering as it signals the next class. “Who’s going to be there?” I ask him hesitantly. “Just Kyan and the usual crowd,” he tells me. “Kyan will be there?” I ask, knowing his friend does not like me. He just glares; I have no idea why he hates me, but he is always so hostile toward me. It’s not like I haven’t tried to get along with him, it’s just every time I try he shrugs me off or dismisses me. He took an instant dislike to me the moment I met him. It has been three years since I last saw him and I wouldn’t mind continuing on like that for a few more years. My stomach drops. If I say yes, I will have to face him since he will be there. His presence always makes me feel uneasy and unwanted. “I have an English assignment due on Monday, so I really don’t think I can,” I tell him. Unlocking the cubicle door, I peer out to make sure no one is there. As I see no one, I rush out of the girl’s bathroom. “Come on, it will be fun, and your mother already okayed it. Live a little,” he tells me as I step into the hall, only to run directly into Alicia. She flicks her blonde hair over her shoulder and shoves me away, glaring at me. Her foundation is a shade darker than her skin, making an orange ring around her neck. She really needs to get some makeup tips. She steps closer and I back away, only she shoves me, and my back smashes against the brick wall. I barely manage to stop myself from dropping the phone. “Watch it, skank,” she spits at me before walking off. I watch her leave, snapping out of my thoughts when Jonah’s voice comes through the phone. “Hey, is everything alright?” Jonah asks, worry clear in his voice. “Huh, yeah, just some girl speaking to another; she wasn’t talking to me,” I lie while I adjust my bag on my shoulder. I didn’t need him to worry unnecessarily. Besides, it is nothing I’m not used to by now. “I should go; I am late for class,” I tell him. “Wait, you never answered,” Jonah says, and I quickly hang up the phone. Then, I send him a rushed text to tell him that I am too busy and need to do some fake homework. Walking to class, Eziah walks around the corner up ahead and throws his arms in the air. “Where have you been? Everyone said you left. I’ve been looking for you.” “I had to use the bathroom,” I tell him as he loops his arm through mine. Eziah leads us to our English class, rattling on about something Marley did. It is apparent he has a crush on her, and I listen silently, despite her being one of Alicia’s besties and one of my biggest tormentors. I don’t have the heart to tell him how nasty she is to me. He will be an Alpha one day, and he needs to get along with the rest of the pack. And I don't want to make his life harder for him. I know how much of a burden I already am on my family. I want to just blend into the shadows, and I’m glad dad is giving the pack to him.