Chapter Ten: Outsider
The little girl walked down the hallway with a skip in her step, fiddling idly with her long, wispy blonde hair. She was shamefully excited at the thought of getting Sam in trouble. Her mother never believed her, but this time she was going to her father. He would help her to get her doll back.
Her steps faltered near the door of his office, from where she could hear distinct voices. The door was left slightly open, so she scooted closer as quietly as she could, suddenly very curious.
“…you see that you’re not wanted here?” somebody sneered. She frowned at the malevolence in their tone, but didn’t recognise the voice. “You’re not one of us.”
Her face fell at this. At seven years old, she knew few things. However, she was aware that her family was different from the others, or her father at least. People looked at him strangely, and she didn’t miss the harsh words whispered when they passed. It didn’t bother her, though. She loved her father.
“All I want is to live in peace with my family.” He replied, anger seeping into his usually gentle tone.
The unfamiliar voice scoffed. “You’ve only been allowed to stay as a courtesy to Sandra, but know that you’ll never be one of us.” He growled. She was frightened, but frozen in place. She had never heard such cruel words, even if she did not understand a few of them. Her father began to reply, but his voice was very quiet. She inched closer, and tripped over what could only be her own feet.
With a surprised squeal, she stumbled into the doorway of her father’s study, eyes wide. Both men inside snapped their heads around to look at her. Her father looked concerned, whereas the other person, a scary, bulky man, only seemed annoyed. Without another word, he stormed out, nearly pushing the little girl aside in his haste.
“Who was that, daddy?” she asked her father with big, worried eyes. He walked over to where she sat, blue eyes twinkling, and knelt down to her height.
“Nobody, honey.” He replied, attempting a smile. He wrapped his arms gently around her. “It’s going to be alright.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself, but she believed him anyway. Everything was always okay.
-
Several years later, she was smart enough to realise that nothing was okay. Her father was scum among the high and mighty. He was beneath them, the lowest in their community. Their mother easily ignored it all, not ever saying a word against this endless torment.
As she matured, the girl had grown to resent her mother. She didn’t care about the cruel things that they heard, nor her husband’s blunt exclusion from all gatherings.
But overall, she hated her brother the most. Sam was nearly four years older than her and Luke, and ever since they were little loved to be cruel. Stealing toys when they were young had escalated to spreading rumours and humiliating his younger siblings.
Still, she tried to make an effort. At thirteen, her friends were scarce, and she found herself relying more and more on her twin for friendship. Her family was a dysfunctional mess of hatred and differences.
It was fast approaching the twins’ fourteenth birthday, when they were to finally be like the other children. There had been much speculation as to whether it would really happen, due to their parentage, but Sam was proof at seventeen that perhaps their lives could be normal once they were fourteen.
“Will it hurt?” she asked him one day. “Jess said it would.” He didn’t spare her a glance away from the TV, pressing buttons in a flurry of motion as he played his games.
“It doesn’t matter.” Sam grunted in response. “You’re not going to change.”
She rolled her eyes. “You always say that, Sam, but you know we will.” She replied. “You did, after all.”
He glared at her, venom in his tone. “I’m nothing like you two, don’t you see? You’re not as strong as I was at thirteen, and you can’t heal like me. You’re human, Clara.”
Rage built up in her mind, squashing the slight fear at his words. She couldn’t believe it, no, it wasn’t true! She would turn just like the other children, just like her older brother and just like her mother. And then maybe they could be a family again.
-
Sam was right.
He was always right, in the end. He had the upper hand, the knowledge that everyone else was too slow to collect. Oh, but she wanted to punch the smirk off of his face when he realised this. He was visibly in a better mood after their birthday, grinning as if there was some secret only he was privy to.
A month after the date it was supposed to happen, and he was becoming impatient. When he thought the twins and his father weren’t around, he had arguments with their mother. Clara had only picked up a few things, but none of it sounded good.
Her worries were grimly confirmed one day as she listened in to a conversation between her mother and Mr Marshall, a man who also seemed to scorn the twins and their father. It was like they were something alien, vermin that had to be exterminated.
She had become very good at listening in. She could move with absolute silence, and hide anywhere. It came in handy when she needed information. Unless those she was listening to were cautious of eavesdroppers, she was a ghost.
“Their time is up, Sandra.” Mr Marshall stated with a cold voice. “One human was difficult enough, but three…I’m running out of excuses for you.”
There was silence for a moment – not hesitation, but consideration. “I know,” her mother replied without emotion. “Sending them away is my only option.”
Mr Marshall sounded incredulous. “Send them away? Is that what you think this pack wants?”
For once, Sandra sounded caught off guard. Her usually calm demeanour had changed to one of surprise. “You can’t possibly mean…”
“They want blood. We were attacked by hunters last week, and it’s only made their hatred grow. This way we can appease them and you can earn some respect back.” Marshall stated calmly.
The girl recoiled in horror, her breath caught. They wanted to kill them.
“But Sam – he turned! He is one of them, and treated as so.” Sandra said quickly, defending her favourite son. Of course, the girl thought bitterly. Anything for Sam.
“Samuel shall not be harmed, of course, but Adam and the other two will be taken care of.”
“Adam, of course, do what you will to him, but the children, is that a good idea?” her mother asked. “Sam won’t react too kindly to that.”
Mr Marshall chuckled lightly at this, as if the murder of fourteen-year-olds was nothing to him. “We both know that he won’t care in the slightest. I’ve heard the things he says about his siblings. It doesn’t matter. They’ll be dead by next week.”
Horrified, the girl slunk back down the hallway and stumbled into her room, closing the door tightly behind her. She shook with fear, terrified to meet her fate.
Clara didn’t realise that her eyes were filling with tears as she faced her mother. She was shaking slightly, fury consuming her every thought. In front of her was the woman who stood by idly and let them ruin her life. And of course she had married an Alpha – no doubt the man who had taken over after Marshall.
It didn’t take long for Sandra to recognise her only daughter, but by then she had leapt forward, ignoring the burning pain from her leg, and swung her fist at her mother with the rage she’d held in for five years.
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Thought I would post this one early, because it's short and I'm in a good mood :) Despite the vending machine that stole my money today.
So lots of things quietly revealed in this chapter, see if you can sift them out. Hopefully Clara's past is becoming clearer and clearer. Yeesh, though, I feel like this story has more flashbacks than Lost! :P These are probably the last.
I hope you liked it, and tell me what you think! Expected, unexpected? Sam is a new character who may or may not make an appearence in present day later on :)