THE TRIO (2).

DAWN.

"What is going on?" I heard a girl whisper to her friend.

"I can't believe Scarlett could stoop so low to invite a peasant to join her clique and snub our requests" Another girl hissed, her voice laced with annoyance and dissatisfaction. 

On hearing her annoyed blurts, I, as usual, simply buried my head and began staring at my feet in a bid to avoid the seething glares being thrown at me from all over the place. 

It was quite clear that several people were immensely dissatisfied with Scarlett's decision to make me a member of her clique. 

Charlie noticing my intimidated mannerisms, abruptly grabbed my chin and pulled my head up. 

" You need to stop acting so timid, " She scolded, staring into my eyes, which were darting about, in a bid to avoid her gaze. 

Inwardly, I battled with the strong urge to return my face downwards, but Charlie firmly held my chin in place, disallowing me from doing so. 

"She's right," Lisa abruptly chipped in, placing her attention on me. 

"You are one of us now, so act like it." She stated in a firm tone of voice that made her words seem more like a command rather than a simple statement. 

I simply nodded in reply, knowing I couldn't defy a command from her. 

"So now tell us, how did you feel having the school hotties glance at you?" Lisa asked out of the blue in a high-pitched, excited tone as to my absolute surprise, she started prancing and jumping off the ground.

She was vividly on cloud nine. 

'Why's she so excited?' I pondered, unable to think up a suitable answer to my question. Was there perhaps something I was missing?

"I am sorry, but hotties?" I repeated, furrowing my eyebrows at her as my thoughts swirled in my head like scattered sheets. I wondered what she was implying.

"Stop playing dumb, girl." She grinned, her excited expression scrunching up into a disappointed frown.

I couldn't help but wonder what I had said wrong.

"Don't mind Lisa. She meant the three guys you fell right in front of a few minutes ago" Scarlett explained, and an "Oh" escaping me. 

" I felt nothing if fear doesn't count as one of the emotions you might be referring to," I told them.  

Lisa let out a sigh, folding her arms across her chest and tilting her hips. 

My eyes were inadvertently directed toward the slender, fair, and sexy pair of legs she had been blessed with. 

Spotless and simply perfect. 

Envy invariably brewed within me at the thought of how the rest of her body would be just as perfect, in contrast to mine, filled with scars.

"Why are you such a scaredy cat?" Scarlett asked, slight frustration vivid in her voice. 

"It makes people want to bully you more," She added, and I gulped down the saliva, gathering in my mouth, having no response.

"Do not tell me she is blaming you?" Moon, my wolf queried, as it awoke. 

I ignored her and kept my lips sealed. 

She was meant to be saving her strength. 

All three of their gazes were placed on me and I simply couldn't help but keep mine as far away as possible from them. 

I tried my best to do otherwise, but I was just unable to.   

The reason was quite clear to me. 

It was the contrast, the immense gaps in our statuses. 

I wasn't comfortable being amongst them, because I didn't feel deserving of such. 

They were like royalty, women of status, elegance, and nobility.

Compared to them, I was nothing more than a scrawny maid. 

Abrupt silence had befallen the hall, the tension in the place becoming so heavy and palatable that it almost drove me down to my knees. 

"I am sure you have no idea who those guys are" Charlie pointed out, breaking the silence and invariably easing the overwhelming tension. 

I thanked her inwardly, as I shook my head in reply. 

"You've got to be kidding me " Scarlett muttered, taking a step back. 

She stared at me with her mouth agape, her persistent gaze instilling in me a fear so sheer that my heart started racing, as I wondered if I had done anything to offend them again.

"Is this girl an alien?" Lisa questioned, turning to Charlie, whose only response to her statement was a dissatisfied grin. 

My shoulders slouched, and my fingers began twitching frantically. 

"Don't be so harsh on her you two. She's new here, which is probably why she doesn't have any idea about who they are." Charlie explained in my defense. 

"Still, the trio are known across the globe, so she being new here isn't exactly a good enough excuse," Scarlett vehemently countered.

I let out a deep breath, hoping to calm my nerves, which were already getting agitated. Nervously, I pursed my lips, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

"Chill, Scarlett, let's just help her get familiar with everything," Charlie persuaded, and Scarlett heaved a frustrated sigh in response. 

From the corners of my eyes, I noticed a glare of vivid disgust coming from Lisa, but it disappeared almost as soon as it was noticed. 

I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it was simply my imagination. 

I was a pessimistic individual after all, and was familiar with finding myself imagining the worst scenarios. 

I wanted to completely avoid offending anyone and I felt like I was already doing so. 

'Why am I just a failure?' I found myself wondering, and suddenly, my aunt's words echoed through my mind. 

"You would never be anything but a failure and you know why?" I vividly remembered her asking me, whilst pulling me by the ear, causing me to yelp in pain. 

"Because you are a good-for-nothing, pathetic, useless, jinx" 

Her words cut deep, much deeper than the sharpest of blades, and invariably, I found myself weeping bitterly. 

"Please, Aunt. It hurts" I cried pleadingly, tears unceasingly flooding down my face. 

" You okay?" 

Charlie's querying words flowed into my ears, abruptly returning me to the present with a jolt. 

Blinking back into reality, I was first welcomed by the sight of Charlie staring at me worriedly. 

"Yes," I replied, nodding slowly, but she raised her eyebrows, seemingly unconvinced. 

"Then why are you crying?" She asked and I heard Lisa scoff at her words before muttering. 

"So typical of her". 

"Don't be so harsh, Lisa. Remember you just apologized" Charlie cautioned. 

Lisa shrugged, before rolling her eyes.

Bewildered by Charlie's question, I raised my hand slowly, smearing my fingers across my face. 

To my adept surprise, my skin was met with the warm wetness of tears. 

I felt my stomach churn and twist into knots, my eyes widening in shock. I couldn't believe I was crying and didn't even realize it.

"So, you okay? You've been zoning out quite a lot lately" Charlie pointed out.

" I really am fine. Something got into my eye, " I quickly fabricated a reply and Charlie stared at me in disbelief. 

It was vivid she hadn't bought my flimsy lie.  

However, she just nodded, letting it be. Perhaps she had realized I wasn't willing to share my brothers with her. 

"So,” Scarlett abruptly spoke, our attention invariably being diverted towards her. 

"The trio are the world's most gorgeous, richest, and every ladies' dream man, us included," Scarlett explained with a swooned expression. 

Charlie's gaze was fixed upwards, a faraway look in her eyes as she vividly daydreamed, whilst Lisa was giggling and prancing around like a kid who had just unwrapped a new toy.

"I don't know about you though. You're a weirdo" Scarlett pointed out.

At her words, my nervousness shot to the roof, my stomach churning again. The discomfort was so unbearable to the point that I felt like I'd throw up within any passing second. 

"Scarlett," Charlie calmly called out to her, her voice edged with a warning tone. 

"Hey, don't chastise her for being honest," Lisa pitched in. 

"I can't believe you guys," Charlie groaned, with an exasperated sigh. 

I simply stood, quietly watching them bicker. 

Amidst them, I felt out of place, like a fish out of water.

I was more or less the oddball of the group, and the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt being around them.

In no time, my discomfort had swollen to the point that I found myself wishing that the ground below my feet would simply part away and swallow me whole. 

"I'm pretty sure Dawn didn't feel offended by my words. Otherwise, she would have spoken up, right Dawn?" Scarlett queried, turning to me.

I shook my head hurriedly, as I felt my body heat up with anxiety simply at her gaze. 

I couldn't say yes to avoid offending her or anyone else anymore. I mean, despite their pride and arrogance, they apologized and offered to be friends; that counted as something.

However, it seemed like I was already annoying them unintentionally.

I really needed to condition myself to stop doing so in order not to become a target of bullying again. 

" Good, now, let's continue," Scarlett proceeded.

" The trio are.... ".