We were currently at the mall eating lunch. Our parents had urged us to get out of the house, which was understandable. It was the beginning of August and the weather was very nice outside. We were outside quite often. Whether we were playing basketball or volleyball, hanging out at the beach, or even just driving around town. But today, we were inside and we were loud. So loud to the point where our parents literally begged us to leave. So that is what we did.
"Can I taste one?" Lucian asked me. I pushed my tray of golden fries toward him. "You guys are literally going to be in university next month," Blaike stated to us before taking a huge bite into his burger. Saphira, Nathan, and I had graduated from high school a few months ago and now we were about to embark on this new journey called university.
I guess you could say that I was excited... kind of. After all, I had never been to university before and I was curious to know what it was all about. Last week was our orientation and it was a very interesting experience, to say the least. There were so many students and everyone was practically beaming with excitement, including my Saphira. They had provided us with quite a bit of information. It may have been overwhelming for some. Perhaps to the ones who were taking notes.
Saphira was ecstatic about the whole thing. In fact she couldn't stop talking about it. She couldn't wait to explore the best spots to hangout and study. She wanted to know what every inch of the university looked like and all the possible opportunities to get involved in activities and campaigns.
"Yeah, it's kind of hard to believe it to be honest," Nathan responded. He reached over snatching a handful of the greasy food from my tray. "He asked, you didn't," I stated. He ignored me as he shoved it into his mouth. "I'm very excited," Saphira exclaimed. "We know," everyone said in unison.
"Leilani doesn't seem that thrilled though," Lucian observed. I looked over at him and shrugged. "It's just university. It's not like we're going to the moon," I responded. Nathan chuckled, finding my perspective amusing.
"I'm kind of nervous to be honest," I truthfully admitted. "You know... meeting new people and interacting with them."
"It's ok. You'll be ok," Nathan reassuringly said. I hoped so. I really hoped so.
I was different from my friends. Very different. They were werewolves and I was human. They all had pretty fair skin which was a stark contrast to my rich dark complexion. Their hair was quite conventional and mine was rather unique. I had white curly hair. A striking shade like the icy snow that fell in the winter. And interestingly enough, it was just the hair on my head that was white. My eyebrows were a dark brown, same thing with my eyelashes and the hair on my arms, legs, and everywhere else. My eyes were also a rare light grey.
Throughout my childhood, I had been bullied. Boys would call me ugly and say that I looked like an alien. They knew better than to not do it in front of my friends, but whenever I was alone, they would find some way or another to poke fun at me.
Towards my sophomore year in highschool, the bullying had stopped. Mostly because Nathan started to work out so he could quite literally kill someone if they hurt me. But going to university would mean starting all over again and I wasn't so sure that I was ready for that. After all, Nathan wouldn't be by my side all the time. And neither would Saphira. We would all have our own schedules and responsibilities.
"Come on, let's go find Leilani some shoes," Blaike said before we began to pack up.
He was the leader of the group. Perhaps it was because he was the oldest. At twenty-one years of age he had quite the humour that could brighten anyone's day. He also enjoyed reading books and spending quality time with the younger ones in our pack. Sometimes he could be rough with his words. It was almost as if he had a hard time thinking before speaking. Needless to say, he was a very caring person. He was always there when you needed him. You could always count on Blaike.
The second oldest was Lucian and he was twenty years old. He had an intriguing trait for a werewolf: an exceptionally poor memory. We often teased him suggesting that his mom might have dropped him on his head when he was a baby. He also did not fancy the taste of chocolate and was quite protective of his mate; Saphira.
Saphira, at nineteen years old, was a goddess with her beautiful Southeast Asian and European genes. She loved to have fun and she was always up for an adventure. She was my closest female friend. We were practically sisters because we did everything together. We would forever be inseparable.
The youngest was Nathan Hale. He was eighteen years old. If I ever needed cheering up, he was always there to lift my spirits. He was my closest male friend, and he was fantastic at soccer. Nathan was not only my closest male friend but also a phenomenal soccer player – or, as he insisted on calling it, football, aligning with the British terminology. Besides his passion for sports, he also had a liking for airplanes. He, along with some of the other men in our pack, would sometimes go to the airport located at the west end of our city during the weekend and watch them land and take off.
Finally, there was me. Leilani Béla Loupé. The fourth oldest and the second youngest. I was currently eighteen years old as well and just like my friends, I also enjoyed going on adventures. I was deeply affectionate toward children and animals. Classical music was also my favourite composition to listen to.
We all had very different personalities, mannerisms and habits but we all somehow fit perfectly together. Even though we weren't blood related, we were undeniably a family. I was blessed to have such a good set of friends. Our parents were also super close too, which defined our unity as a group.
I desperately needed a new pair of running shoes. I enjoyed working out and the pair that I had been wearing were getting worn out.
As soon as we stepped into the shoe store, whispers dispersed almost immediately. I could feel the eyes of several people on me as we began to walk through the store. I was used to it by now, but it was overwhelming at times, especially if there were a lot of people. It was like I was wearing a bright neon shirt and everyone else was wearing black. I really didn't like to be the center of attention. If I ever got a tattoo, I would probably get 'please stop looking at me' engraved on my forehead. There was absolutely nothing I could do but ignore people.
Wherever I went, someone always had to stop me and comment about my hair. If I went into a store, the cashier or clerk would always make some stupid remark and in return I would give them a fake smile. If I was ever around little children, their eyes would literally burn holes through my head. Their parents would often have to nudge and tell them to stop staring, as they continued to stare at me as well. There were days where I wished I had black hair and there were days where I embraced my white hair.
Yes, I knew I could wear a wig. I could also shave my head too, even though it would grow right back. In fact, when I was 7 I did shave my hair off. I was so tired and frustrated of the bullying which drove me to try to get rid of it. My parents weren't impressed when they had learned of what I had done. I, on the other hand, was happy, however, my hair grew back pretty fast. To be honest, I didn't hate my hair, but rather couldn't seem to understand it.
It was naturally curly and I only straightened it once or twice a year. I often pondered about my the uniqueness of my hair. One of them being if I ever had the lovely opportunity of falling in love, would that guy embrace my white hair? I mean, if he loved me, of course he would I suppose. I also wondered if it would affect my children. Would they also inherit this distinctive trait of mine?
Even though I was human I knew there was something very different about me. I think we all did. My parents for years had tried searching for my origin but had miserably failed. A part of me did want to know where I came from, but another didn't want to. Why would my biological parents leave me at the doorstep of wolves? Why didn't they want me? Was it because of my hair? Would I ever know my beginning? These were questions that tormented me every once in a while.
"What about this one?" Saphira asked me while picking up a pair of white shoes. "I like them, but I don't want to get them dirty," I admitted. I wasn't really good at keeping things white. Well, except for my hair.
"What about these?" Nathan asked while pointing at a pair of black shoes. "They're too..." I began to say. Nathan stood there waiting for me to finish my sentence. "Too..." he repeated motioning me to continue. "They're too black. I have many black shoes at home," I stated. "You can never go wrong with black shoes," I heard him say as I walked away. I continued looking around trying to find the perfect pair of kicks. Suddenly I saw them. They were a nice blend of pink, grey, and black.
"I like those," I heard Saphira comment from behind me. "Yeah, they're perfect," I breathed out while admiring them. "They're ugly," Blaike barked with a monotone voice. "You're ugly," I responded. He growled with disappointment. "Kidding... I'm just kidding," I laughed, poking his waist.
I then located a nearby associate hoping they would be able to find my size. After spotting one I began to make my way over towards them. Before I could even take five steps, I stopped dead in my tracks feeling a shiver travel throughout my body. Looking down at my arms, I began to see goosebumps. Why was it suddenly so cold? I looked around me to see if there was a fan. There wasn't. Perhaps someone had increased the air conditioning. Rubbing my arms up and down, I attempted to warm myself up.
"Are you ok?" Nathan asked me with a worried tone. I turned around to look at him. "It's so cold. Aren't you freezing?"
"No. It's not cold at all. Do you want my sweater?"
"No, I think I'll be okay," I replied feeling a bit unsure. And then I felt it. Someone was staring at me. Now I knew every person in the store had stared at me at least once, but this stare was different. I began to scan my eyes around the room looking for the culprit.
They suddenly landed on a male with long brown hair wearing a fitted white tee and a pair of dark blue jeans. There were three other males relatively near him, so I assumed they were all together. He stood still as he gave me a piercing look with his light eyes. I turned around to see if there was anyone behind me.
To my surprise, there wasn't. My friends were no longer near me. They were too busy fooling around near the back of the store. So, I turned back around to see the male still staring at me. What was his issue?
As he continued to look at me, I began to feel self-conscious. Was my zipper down? Did I have a loose curl sticking out? Was there dirt on my face? My heart began to thump in an unnatural manner. Anger was written all over his face. Why was he so upset? What had I done? Suddenly, he turned around and stormed out of the store.
"Elias! Where are you going?" asked the redheaded boy. All three boys immediately stopped what they were doing and followed him.
"Are you good?" Saphira asked me while tapping on my shoulder. I blinked a couple of times snapping back into reality to see my four friends looking at me strangely. "Uh..." I responded. I quickly ran out of the store staring into the direction the boys went in. They were gone.
"Leilani, are you sure you're ok? You look like you've seen a ghost," Nathan expressed. "That guy..." I mumbled. "H-He was staring at me."
"Everyone stares at you, if you haven't noticed," he chuckled.
"No, Nathan. His stare was different. He looked angry. Also, it seemed like he knew me or knew something about me that I don't know about myself."
By looking at Nathan's face, I could tell he thought I was speaking nonsense. "Perhaps," he said to make me feel less crazy. I sighed before walking into the store. After purchasing my shoes, we left the mall. "Looks like you're not cold anymore," Nathan observed. He was right. That chilly ice-cold feeling was no longer there. In fact, I had felt it right before I spotted that guy and when he left the store, it disappeared.
As we drove home, I couldn't help but think about him. I had never before seen him in my life or if I had, I didn't recognize him. Even though Nathan thought I was acting crazy, I knew I wasn't. That stare was meaningful. He looked at me with hatred. As if I had hurt him.
This made me uncomfortable. Imagine meeting someone who seemed to know more about you than you knew about yourself —it was an odd and unsettling sensation. I couldn't ignore the fact that he was handsome; not many guys I knew had long hair and his suited him perfectly. His athletic built hinted at a possible interest in sports or even working out. He also appeared to be a couple of years older than me.
I couldn't help but wonder what had triggered his intense gaze. What had I done?