Chapter Two: Mercy.

Mercy.

I had never hated Marcy. She was my twin, even thinking about it felt like hating a part of myself. We were connected, and I was sure that she could feel it too, and I was also sure that she hated it.

She didn't always hate me. I vividly remember that one time a bigger pup pushed me and I had scraped my knee. Marcy was enraged. She chased the boy, and although he was bigger than her, she threw him down and threw dirt in his mouth.

Tingles of joy spread across me each time she defended me, or got into fights for my sake. I loved her.

Marcy grew up faster than I did, earning the attention of everyone. And honestly, our parents had always treated her significantly better than they did to me. Somehow, it seemed that everyone just started to dislike me. With Marcy's new quest to be the most popular girl in our pack and the neighbouring packs, hanging out with me didn't do her any good.

She joined them.

You know what they say. If you can't beat them, join them.

And that one time Marcy had hit me to prove a point to her new crowd. It was the only time that she had ever physically assaulted me.

That time, one of her new friends had started to pick on me again, and I had decided to not go down without a fight. Marcy knew about the bullying too, and although she never actively took part, she didn't try to stop it either.

And I was, well, the weaker one amongst all of them.

  "I want to play a little game with you, Marcy's sister." Janet said sinisterly. "Think of it as Never had I, but instead of drinking it out, the loser collects a slap instead."

The people at her house were already paying attention to us, and it would be embarrassing to me at the time if j had cowardly backed out. My social status was already at ground level.

  "Okay." I said, hoping she didn't see the nervousness in my eyes.

  "Just the two of us." She said, raising her hand to stop the people who were trying to get into the game.

  "Never have I been to a party I wasn't invited to." She started.

I shrugged at her. She came towards me with lightening speed and stroke my face with the back of her palm.

  "I invited your sister, not you." She whispered.

  "Never have I had a reputation for begging for favours." Everybody looked.

I grinned at her. My face still stung.

Maybe this was a gift to me to get my chance to rise up the pack's social ladder.

I walked to her side calmly and hit her across the face, leaving a mark on her cheek.

  "Never have I had a sister who was ashamed of me." She looked at me innocently, and her eyes seemed to say 'It's just the game, sweetheart.'

She advanced towards me, and admist the stupid laughter, I thought about Janet, and her sister whose name I didn't know, they appeared to be as thick as thieves in school, that's true.

And mine never bothered to even look at me. I seethed with rage and caught Janet's hand mid flight to my face and slapped her with my other one.

That started a cat fight.

Marcy walked in and yelled at the both of us to stop. We separated with scratches on our faces, and my head was throbbing.

  "Warn your crazy sister. We were playing a game, and then she attacked me." Janet said, and Marcy raised a brow.

  "Mercy is too weak to defend herself, let alone attack."

That blow hit me in the gut.

  "Ask everyone. We were playing Never have I with slaps, and when it was her turn, she stopped me from slapping her and attacked me."

Murmurs of agreement came from the onlookers.

  "She said that you didn't care about me." I said, knowing my explanation was worthless. Marcy was a people's pleaser then. Not now that people please her.

The crowd had agreed, and her opinion laid in theirs.

What I did not expect was for Marcy to move closer to me and give me a slap.

  "Rules of the game are the rules of the game. Silly sentiments are not supposed to bother you." She said bluntly.

Everything stung. And then the fact that my sister had just proved what Janet had said regarding us earlier hit me.

I ran out of the party, publicly humiliated, and just like that, my social status went six feet under.

-

Remembering all that in the heat of my sister's angry gaze on me didn't settle well. Just then, our mom walked into the living room, just waking up from one of her regular afternoon naps.

  "Hello girls." She said.

I had always known that Marcy was her favourite, or as she put it 'Her shining star', neither of my parents had tried to deny it when I accused them of loving Marcy more, and so I feared what was about to happen next.

Marcy glared at me.

  "What's wrong, Marc?" Mom asked her.

  "You wouldn't believe what happened yesterday, mom. Mercy has started again."

  "Huh?" Mom looked at me in confusion. I wondered if defending myself was going to be an option.

  "You know that I'm with Eke Wolves, right?" Marcy asked.

  "Yes, our future Luna. Im so proud of you." Mom said with a proud smile and turned to look at me. "Maybe Mercy can upgrade herself and try to get with the Beta's first son, or one of their high ranking friends."

  "I've already found my mate." I said dryly. Mom's eyes were wide with confusion.

  "She chased after Eke yesterday and accused him of being her mate. My Eke! Mom, you know I love him, and as usual, she's trying to take away everything and everyone I have claim to."

Goodness. The waterworks were about to start.

  "He was my mate, until he rejected me, that is. He said that he was already in a relationship with her, and so he couldn't be with me. And he called me weak and terrible looking." I said, still downcast.

Maybe mom would give me a little bit of attention.

  "Oh? He did the right thing then. Why are you girls still frowning? It's alright. Did the news spread?" Mom asked.

Wasn't she supposed to be comforting me?

  "Spread? It's all over the pack. I've been disgraced! People have been saying things about me having a selfish sister." Marcy stared to cry and mom hugged her, glaring at me.

  "That was insensitive of you, Mercy! How could you do tha to your sister? She would never do that to you." Men scolded me.

  "Are you blaming me? I didn't pick Eke to be my mate! And I'm glad that we no longer have a future. He's a terrible person." I scoffed.

  "You're only saying that because he picked your sister over you. Donr be so bitter. And we all know that Marcy would make a better Luna than you would."

I hoped the glare I gave mom burned its intent into her head.

  "Why would you say something like that? Even if others couldn't stand beside me, I didn't expect you to treat me this way. You're supposed to be my mom!" I stomped my foot on the ground.

Mom regarded me as one would do to a little child throwing a tantrum.

  "I am supposed to be Marcy's mom too. I can't just pick sides." Mom said in a very calm voice.

  "That's what you're doing!"

  "When you're older, you'd understand, Mercy dear. Now calm down." Mom sighed and let go of Marcy, coming towards me.

  "No!" I screamed at her. "Don't touch me, you're a terrible person, just like your daughter."

Marcy quipped in. "Don't talk to my mom like that. You're just jealous because when she wanted to spend time with you, you were uninterested and she spent all that time with me instead.

If you're mad about it now, then good for you, but next time you talk to her like that, I'll make your face look worse than it already is."

Her voice was cold and frightening. She was stronger than me, so that threat was real.

I rested my palms on my face and nodded, disgustingly aware of how vain and cowardly I was being.

Mom sighed.

  "If the news has gotten around as fast as your sister says it has, then I don't think that you should leave the house for a while. For our reputation. You've dented our name with this stunt you pulled, Mercy."

I glared at mom. I wanted to cry and scream at her, but then I saw Marcy behind her, her face hard, daring me to say what she wouldn't like to hear.

The promise of her threat rang in my head and I just shook my head and went up the stairs to my bedroom, hearing snippets of their conversation.

  "This is so terrible. How would we tell your dad what Mercy has done?"

  "It's okay mom. Gossip wears out sooner or later, and I'm still with Eke, so everything should turn out fine." Marcy whispered back.

  "I'm worried about your sister. What if she can't bear the rejection, and she goes crazy and attacks everyone?"

Seriously?

  "I'll take care of it if it comes to that, it's my job as future Luna." How kind, Marcy.

  "I'm so proud of you, hija. Maybe your sister would grow wiser by the years."

Already tired of listening, I yelled.

  "Keep it down! You're whispering so loud it's keeping me up."

I had already promised myself that I couldn't cry, so I plugged in my headphones and willed myself to sleep not long after.