Chapter 3- Awakening
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'I had to be around the age of four. My parents put me in a hidden closet with a ratty blanket, hoping that my siblings wouldn't ever have to see my ugly 'inhuman' looks.
The voices of my older sister and brother asking where I was only irritated my parents enough to rush the committee search along faster.
As soon as I got out of their household, life would be heavenly for them.
But life grew on, I got older and got an itching curiosity to see the world beyond the closet when I turned age five.
My unsteady legs kicked the door as I opened it, reaching up high.
My brother Adam and my sister Lily were at school with their friends unlike me. I was friendless and nobody knew I was alive or existed.
They were both ten at the time.
The food I got was scarce and pitiful, but I took what I got, leaving my shirt to hang over my skinny-boney body.
I stumbled into the kitchen and finally to the front door, everything so unfamiliar and confusing. Sounds buzzing and turning, amazing things happening behind my back for four years.
My small hand turned the door knob of the front door and I walked out, sniffing the abnormal fresh air, my body feeling healthier as I heard leaves blowing. That was until my parents found me and punished me..
Scars were still visible on my body to this day from their brutal madness with me.
"Stop acting like you're real to this world," my father yelled,"quit acting like you're normal and belong here with us!"
My tears welled, my sore body being picked up and thrown into the closet, the door slamming shut-'
"Estelle!" I heard,"wake up!"
My body was shaken, eyes opening quickly as I jumped to my feet fully alert with my fists balled up in front of me.
"What the hell?" I questioned, looking around to find myself in one of Kira's caring rooms.
My arm was all casted up, I felt my eyes roll and a sigh escaped me.
"Get up and out," Alpha demanded,"you've got some explaining to do before your punishment."
I nod, looking down to see myself in a flimsy hospital gown with blue polkadots. Wonder what Alpha has planned for me this time....
"I never asked for this," I said, gesturing to the whole room around me and my casted arm.
"The hell you did need it, vamp," Alpha spoke sternly,"you were about bleeding out on camp square."
"Vamp"... He said it as if an insult.
"Whatever," I grumble, completely irritated with him,"meet you outside."
He strides out, closing the door behind him which gives me a flash back to the closet door of my childhood.
I lift my casted arm on the bed, digging my fingers under the cast, hoisting all four fingers up with great force. I gave it all my strength until it gave out. All the fabric and material flew and pelted the walls and my face.
The gash on my wrist was huge and down to the bone nearly healed. Pain erupted up my whole arm when trying to motivate it, causing my teeth to grit together.
Definitely some ligaments torn apart. Possibly some bone damage...
But, no way was I going to embarrass myself in front of the werewolves out there by having a cast on since they all had super healing abilities-
A few bangs are heard on the door loudly.
"Hurry your ass up, Estelle!" I hear my Alpha curse as he was getting impatient with me.
"Coming!" I holler, shaking my gown off to find my old clothes on the counter. The same clothes the werewolves sourced me out in the woods.
I groan, grabbing them and slipping them on, the fabric of the sweatshirt stinging my almost-immovable hand that was swollen and bruised.
My legs manage to stride out of the clinic facility just to see Alpha standing side-by-side next to Fico.
I froze, eyes widening as my heart started to beat.
"We meet again, Estelle," Fico sneers disgustingly, his puncture wounds clearly visible over his jugulars.
"Indeed," I choke out, wishing I had on better presentable clothes.
Alpha clears his throat before looking to me.
"Care to explain to Fico?" He questions me with a cocked head, his whitish-blonde hair drooping down over his tan forehead.
"I wish I could," I began, feeling awful of my own words,"my instincts were being troublesome with me yesterday."
Fico looked enraged of my explanation, his jaw was clenched as he squinted into my eyes.
"Give me one good reason to not rip you to shreds right now," he growls.
I looked at my feet, twisting my barefoot in the muddy grass, the strands twirling into each other and creating knots that eventually broke.
"Fico, you know I don't normally feed of members of this committee," I tell him,"I act pretty calm and distant."
Fico wasn't amused with my speech, neither was the Alpha. I wasn't surprised that they weren't.
My hand lifted up my sweatshirt sleeve, revealing the huge wound on my wrist. Its repulsive looks were in my favor.
"Your friends kind of got overprotective over you last night," I explain,"I tried reasoning but I only got wounded as well."
My shoulders shrugged just as I saw Fico's emotions change into something different.
Sympathy?
Whatever the expression might of been, I walked away without another word.
-
"Sounds like Fico has a soft side," Stacey shockingly realizes.
"No way does Fico have even an ounce of sweetness," Thea disagrees, examining her painted nails.
My friends and I were sitting at a picnic table by the pond an hour later.
I was in new clothes, a maroon short sleeve shirt and shorty denim shorts.
Stacey brought sandwiches with a grinning face as always. My story of explaining things to Fico surprised them, especially how the Alpha let me go without another word.
"Most definitely the Alpha will do something to you for your doings," Thea points out, biting into her sandwich in which she only had left on her plate. Stacey and I had been finished for minutes.
"Nah, the Alpha will let her go," Stacey detrimentally says,"I mean, it's not like she murdered Fico."
"Maybe," Thea stubbornly agrees just as I feel Stacey poke me slightly in my arm.
"You alright, Essie?" Stacey asks me, using my nickname.
I haven't told them of my wounded wrist, I regretted not discussing it, but that'd make the two of them worried for me.
Eating with one hand probably looked suspicious, as well as wearing a wrist sweat band that I got from Rangel's bedroom behind his back which made me wince from synching my wound tightly.
Lies and secrets are the most destructive thing to do in a friendship...
"Yeah, I'm fine Stace," I reassure, seeing a shadowy figure coming closer in the distance.
"I'm glad," Stacey smiles,"I hate when we all are dishonest and timid when it comes to expressing our feelings-"
"Ozzy, what're you doing here?" Thea intrudes Stacey's sentence to greet the random guy near our table.
His looks were stunning and I had to look away to avoid not getting mesmerized. Tight muscles and longish brown hair, freckly cheekbones, tall... He fit the package.
"Well, I missed my girl," I hear his deep voice say, causing me to turn around just to witness Thea kissing the guy full on as if Stacey and I weren't here ogling the scene.
"Oh, sorry ladies," he apologizes, breaking away from Thea, scratching his head,"I shouldn't be so rude and intruding next time."
I smile, nodding,"You're fine, I was just leaving actually."
Stacey seems in shock for a few later seconds but snaps out out of it, standing up as well.
"Nice to meet you, Ozzy?" She seems confused by his name before striding up to me, craning her neck up to look me in the eyes.
"What the hell was that?" She wonders, still completely confused.
"Uh, seems like Thea is a secret keeper," I clear up,"she seems happy though."
My eyes trail over to Thea and Ozzy kissing, their hands running up and down all over each other.
Thea was smiling as she broke away to whisper something in his ear once in awhile. He'd smile and continue to quicken and deepen the kiss.
"Yeah, guess I shouldn't be too surprised," Stacey sighs,"she has the perfect height and body."
"Don't put yourself down like that Stace," I say, seeing her watch them with a sad scowl.
"Movie and ice cream?" I add, offering to get her stress away.
She smiles, taking her hands out of her pockets to stand on her tippy toes to hug me tight. I lean down and squeeze her tightly as well, my wrist burning in pain.
"Why would Thea disobey hoes before bros?" Stacey sadly asks, releasing me. We switched the saying backwards to fit our friendship.
I mirror Stacy's disappointed look and shrugged, giving Thea one more glance to see them on the grassy ground getting it on.
"Better not display public nudity, that's all I've got to say," Stacey says being completely serious which makes me crack up with laughter.
She grins, looking up at me just as I bend down and quickly scoop her off the ground, giving her a piggyback ride to her cabin.
She laughs and screams, hitting my shoulder to let her down. But I don't, I just keep running with my giggly breaths quickening and my vampire strength kicking in.
I see a random guy look at me under a tree by the forest where we all hunt at. He had an apple in his grasp, tossing it hand to hand before biting it slowly.
He was wearing a brown leather jacket with a tight, black shirt underneath with gray skinny jeans on his tall legs. He was wearing a grey beanie as longish dark black hair was framing his face beautifully as he squinted at me in question.
I had his full attention.
Soon enough he dropped the apple, causing me to feel alert. I jumped high in the air, racing mid-air to get to Stacey's cabin in rather of seconds.
"What was that about?" Stacey dizzily questions, leaning on a spindle of the porch for support. Her straight dark brown hair was all messed from the speeds that I've ran.
"No secrets, no holding back," I say, thinking of an excuse,"which means I'm not holding back on having you witness all my abilities that are vampire."
Stacey smiles, standing straight.
"I'm glad I have at least one loyal and truthful best friend," she gratefully says, starting for the front door.
Only if I were what she depicted of me...
-
"Stacey!" I hear chirpy yells coming from the kitchen. Clattering of pots and pans were audible. They must be readying for lunch.
I kicked off my sandals at the door as Stace slipped out of her flip-flops. Her bigger build swayed as she walked to the kitchen, me following slowly behind.
"What do you guys want?" Stacey questions the three tall thin girls.
"Oh, just was going to say the food was done, but obviously you have Estelle over," Clara replies. She was wearing booty shorts with a tank top on her small frame.
"Well, that doesn't mean we all can't have lunch together," Stace suggests, a guilty expression on her face.
"Nah, it's fine," Clara speaks, waving a dismissive hand, pretending not to care,"go do your own thing."
Ira and Eartha were placing dishes and napkins on the dinning table.
Clara gave Stacey an odd look before striding away.
Whatever that was supposed to mean...
Stace stands there watching them all sit down, her chair empty with no plate.
I tap her shoulder after a moment, leading her to her bedroom and away from the kitchen full off sassy werewolves, but not until we raid the freezer of ice cream first.
"Sorry about them," Stacey apologizes, plopping down on her recliner in front of her flatscreen.
I on the other hand, got The Last Song and put it in her DVD player.
"No, not this movie," she whines, kicking back in her chair as I got the remote and pushed play,"it's too sad."
"Well, that's too bad," I smirk, pulling her out of the recliner to come sit on the coach next to me, sharing the pint of ice cream with our two metal spoons.
"I think The Notebook is a better movie," Stacey slurs through a mouthful of ice cream.
I laugh, throwing an arm around her shoulders, not disagreeing with her one bit.
Smiling through the whole movie, even through the saddest part, I knew it was because my heart knew that I had the most loving friend right next to me.
Her and I could get through anything together...