Lifelines{Unedited}

Chapter 2~The Creation of a Pack

                                                       November 3rd, 2170 6:00pm

I shivered as I curled myself near the corner of the large room. They had immediately beaten me and called me foul things nothing that I hadn't handled before. I refused to fight back and now here I am curled in the corner like a wounded animal. I had re-split my lip and sported a black eye and bruised cheek. I had defensive bruises on my arms as well as along my torso from their kicks. They had torn the clothes I wore so they hug lose on my small frame and were missing some of the fabric. It hurt to move and breathe. I inhale a deep breath shakily and my senses are flooded with crisp air and chocolate. It was a male. Along with a faint hint of cedar and linen. Also, male. The smell of food also waifs into my nose causing my stomach to growl lowly. I hear the clanking of a tray and stiffen before flinching as a hand lands on my shoulder. "Sorry, I heard the girls ganged up on the new girl and I didn't see anyone new at dinner so, I figured you would be hungry. I'm Benjamin." says a male voice. I lift my head up and he gasps. "Your eyes are so pretty. There like Adren's." he says. "You must be a transgenic. It would explain your unique hair and eye colors." he says his gaze holding wonder and curiosity instead of hate and disgust. He sits down and extends a bowl of food out towards me. I take it careful not to touch him. "Спасибо" I say before I can stop myself.

"Umm, since I only speak English and I just gave you food, I'm gonna say that you were thanking me so your welcome." he says giving me a bright smile. He's quite good looking with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes. I can't help but smile back in response. There was something about him that exudes calmness as well as a sense of trust. We eat in silence until we're both done. "You know my name so what's yours?" he asks me and I stiffen before letting out a breathe. "Zerdali." I tell him and he nods. He stands extending his hand out to me. "Come on. Let's bring our bowls to the kitchen and then you can meet the rest of the gang." he says, and I take his hand completely forgetting about my biotics. His eyes widen and I recoil back in fear. "Cool, you're a biotic too. That's so awesome. You're almost a female version of Adren." he says before taking my hand again and dragging with him. After dropping our plates off he takes me to another part of the orphanage. We come upon a room where 4 people are sitting and fooling around. A growl has me flinching in on myself but a smack and then arms wrapping around me have me tense. My face is smushed into the neck of the person holding me. Vanilla, sage, and sandalwood assault my senses as I scent the person. I get more subtle hints of a claimed and pregnant trangenetic. Though I immediately recognize the scent.

"Taner." I whisper clutching him to me. "Yes, baby sister its me. Viktor's here too." He says before another pair of arms wrap around me. Sage, frankincense, along with copper flood my nose as well. Viktor and Taner are a mated pair and are expecting a clutch. That's why sage is present in both scents. "Hello, baby sister." Viktor's Russian accented voice calms me further. They both release me and I take note of the two other people around. Two boys, one with black hair and green eyes and the other is Green haired with one blue eye and one green eye. He must be Adren. He's the one that smells like cedar and linen. I can smell the ezo coming off him. I wonder if he and Benjamin are together. The last boy smells like cinnamon and backed goods almost like a churro. He's the darker of the two. "Greenie over there is Adren and Grinch over there is James. You've already met Moose." he says pointing to each person in turns. "Can we call her scars or tiny?" asks James with an arrogant smirk. "Whatever's fine, жопа." I say to him. He breaks out into a laugh. "Well, Tiny welcome to the pack." he says, and I smile. I had a family again.

Alister's POV-

"I can't believe you just left her there with those people. She's a transgenetic she needs familiar faces and people she can trust." says my wife as we sit at the dinner table. "What would you have me do, Gemma? I didn't want to either." I tell her. God, the look on the poor girl's face was haunting me. It was like she was pleading with me to not leave her there with them. "Take her into our home. Where well know she'll be safe. Out there in that orphanage she's in danger because she's a trangenetic and worse a biotic. She needs a real home not a space station or a home where she was beaten or a place where she is misunderstood. We can give her a home where she can be herself and not have to worry about looking over her shoulder. I'm sure she can help out with the garden." she pleads with me. "Gemma, we can't. I'll not put you in danger because of a freak." I say though I instantly regret my words. "She protected me when she thought you were a threat. How is she a freak? Is it her altered DNA, her biotics or both? Our son is a biotic and shows some signs of being enhanced with transgenetic traits." she says to me. "It's different he doesn't harbor uncontrollable biotics or can kill you with a single snap of her jaws. She's unstable." I say back. "How is it different! She's just a child and by leaving her there you have damned her to death. I hope your happy." she seethes before getting up and leaving the room. I sigh putting my head in my hands. What had I done? I jolt when an incoming message pings on my tool.

To Commander Alenko:

From Major Azaren:

I heard about your recent encounter on Mindoir and have heard about a single surviver. Word is she is a biotic and a transgenetic. I believe she is my daughter. I would like to know why you left her out on her own while she is unabile to defend herself. As a father and a friend, I ask you to take her under your care until I can get to her.

"Shit!" I mutter after reading it. That's why she didn't say anything. She was trying to protect her father. How was I supposed to fix this? I think as I run my hands through my short hair. I needed to figure something out and fast.

Zerdali's Pov~

                                                                                 November 10th, 2170 5:00pm

I had been here a week already and the beatings got worse when I flared at dinner. Though this time it was the headmistress of the orphanage. She took me to a room and locked the door before she wailed on me with her hands and really anything, she could get her hands on. My shoulder that I had dislocated was broken and my eye was swollen shut. My lip had reopened and was worse. My wrist and hand were sprained as well. I knew my torso was littered with bruises. Then, when she got tired of beating me into a pulp she started with the cutting and the burning. She kept muttering in a language I couldn't understand. When I didn't cry out or scream in pain, she became harsher. Then she saw the scars on my back and smiled before taking out a cat o' nine tails. I flinched before she even hit me with it.

I now sat in Grinch's lap as he ran his entwined his fingers with mine careful of my right hand. It was just me and him now. Viktor and Tener had moved out because they were expecting a clutch and Viktor wanted Tener protected. Benjamin and Adren were on a trip for school. Which left us two. We had gotten closer as we got to know each other. "Tell me what your thinking?" he asks kissing my forehead. I shrug snuggling deeper into him. "I forgot how handsy you gens are." he says chuckling. "I can't help it but I can go if you'd like or are uncomfortable." I tell him going to move. "No, it's alright. I'm just not used to it being a girl." he says and I turn looking at him baffled. "You've never cuddled or hugged a female?" I ask him with wide eyes. He ducks his head down sheepishly shaking it. "Well, damn." I mutter before settling back into his lap. I could pick up his uneasiness about the topic, so I didn't continue talking on about it.

We jump when the door to our little sanctuary is busted open. "Come on, Bitch. Someone decided to claim you." sneers Evalyn the woman that greeted me when I first came here. I feel James tense and I turn to look at him. "I'll be alright. I have your externet address so, if anything happens, I can contact you." I whisper pecking his cheek before getting up. I wince as I jostle my shoulder. He had tried to set it as best he could, but I knew I was gonna have problems long after it healed. "I'll walk you out." he says carefully pulling me back into his side. I relished in his warmth and deeply breathed in his scent. He seems to notice as he pulls his sweatshirt over his head before handing it to me. "Here." he says gruffly, and I slip it over my skinny frame. It's huge on me and goes down to my knees. I wrap the long sleeves around myself as I lean back into him. Throughout the whole exchange Evalyn watches with disdain and rolls her eyes. She briskly walks out of the room and we follow.

I tense as I see who is waiting at the door for me. "You alright, pequeña?" James asks feeling me stop. I nod hesitantly though I'm panicking. Thank the gods that he doesn't have a heightened sense of smell or he would be able to smell my panic and the fact that I'm lying. "I'll be alright." I tell him as I pull him into a hug. "You know where I'm at. Don't hesitate, pequeña." he says kissing the top of my head. I nod before walking towards Evalyn and the person who was taking me.

Translations:

Spanish: pequeña= Little one (Feminine)

Russian: Спасибо= Thanks, жопа= Ass