A Reject (Completed)

Chapter 3 - The Question

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for reading! Just knowing that people do read my book makes me overjoyed! Also, if you have any ideas for a book cover, I would very much like to see it. I have no idea how to make one.

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Chapter 3 - The Question

A year later...

I slowly awoke. The veils of sleep were still over my eyes and my vision was slightly blurred. I had always wondered why that was. I rubbed my eyes and stretched my arms, still lying in bed. A bed was still almost new to me, even after a year. I looked at the clock by my bed and nearly jumped. It was seven and I was supposed to be cooking breakfast at half-past six...wasn't I?

"No," someone said closeby. Right on my left. I leapt out of bed and landed on my two feet, facing a drawer. I swiftly picked up a well-hidden dagger and spun around to face the intruder, gripping the hilt and preparing to fire the blade into the enemy's heart. "Whoa, chill, girl. I just came to say good morning," the boy on my bed said, grinning from ear to ear although he was face-to-face with a weapon that could very well end his life. Seeing who it was, I huffed a sigh of relief and plopped back down on my bed.

A year ago, I had been presented with a choice. To join Eclipse Pack. After an internal struggle, I had chosen to stay and a year later, I couldn't imagine my life without Eclipse Pack.

"You know, Chance," I said nonchalantly, "if you're late for kitchen duty again, your mum just might kill you, whether you are her son or not." Chance waved a hand airily. "Not to worry," he assured me. "I put Cole up to it. He owed me a huge favour. Mum can hardly tell us apart anyway. Remind me again how come I was stuck with this punishment?" I pretended to fall deep into thought and I rested my chin on my hand.

"Let's see. For starters, you nicked everyone's bacon last week and ate it all in a minute flat, leaving the rest of us hungry," I began, still with a mock thoughtful look on my face. "Then, two days later, you messed up the whole kitchen with cookie batter. And just three days ago, you nearly sat the pack house on fire because of your inexperience with a stove fire. By that time, your mother had had just about enough and gave you this form of almighty punishment." Chance groaned, putting a hand over his eyes, as though to ward off a very bright light. "It's hard to keep track of your misbehaviours, you know?" he murmured.

"M-Hm," I hummed and opened up the wardrobe door. "Do you mind if you leave? I'm about to change but if you want to stay..." I trailed off and Chance's hand flew back to his side. I saw his eyes bug wide and he jumped to his feet. Muttering a quick good-bye, he left the room, slamming the door behind him. I snickered. It was so fun to prank the joker. I let my eyes roam over my clothes swiftly. There wasn't much difficulty. Most of my clothes were slightly similar, dark-coloured and simple. I picked a purple Hang Ten t-shirt with a sort of logo and the word 'COURAGE' printed on it. This was one of my favourite shirts. I also put on jeans that didn't come down to my ankles at all. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and liked what I saw.

Long ago, I had been a puny, short and frightfully skinny sixteen-year-old. Now, after a year with Eclipse Pack, I had shot up though I was only just below average. My face no longer looked too small for my eyes. It had filled up slightly with Mrs Anderson's food. My lips were fuller and a soft pink. My eyes were still violet. A strange colour, if I did say so myself. My jet-black hair had once been unprofessionally cut with kitchen shears but now, it was glossy, long and thick and very well cared for. Once I had combed my hair, I opened the door to my room and walked out, not bothering about make-up.

My room was on the fourth and top level. Since there were only fifteen pack members, we got a lot more space than usual. On fact, each of us had more of an apartment than a room since each little home had about three rooms, excluding the kitchen and bathroom. I rushed down the stairs and straight into the kitchen, my stomach already growling. When I got there, I skidded to a stop to walk the rest of the way to the table. Mrs Anderson was attending to the pots and Cole was peeling potatoes. Cole looked sour that he had had to fill in for Chance but Mrs Anderson seemed to have overlooked it. After all, no teenager would have been pleased to do kitchen duty on a weekend.