Chapter 1 : You Don’t Belong

*Delilah*

The bell rang, causing students to lurch to their feet to get into the hall. I took my time; I didn’t want to be around most of them anyway. I had no best friend to talk to or boyfriend to speak of. I did my best just to keep my head down and remain unnoticed.

I finally gathered all my things and stood up from my desk to walk out behind the last person. The hallway was full of people talking, laughing, and enjoying the break between classes. I only had to make it through one more class before I could go home and enjoy my solitude.

I walked to a bench and rummaged through my backpack, switching books for my next class. I looked up saw a group of guys standing together, with Andrew at the center. His life was exactly what I wanted. He was normal. He had friends, his parents loved him, he was handsome, and he had never dealt with bullying a day in his life. People loved him.

It was hard for me to admit but I wanted that more than anything. I wanted parents that didn’t treat me like an outcast, and a sister who loved me, a best friend even.

I walked away from the bench toward my next class, my last class of the day. Unfortunately, it was in the busiest hall, right in the middle. Dread weighed my legs and feet to the spot at the thought of walking through everyone to get there. There was no way not to be seen.

I finally willed myself to move and ran straight into Kendra.

“Delilah! Jeez, watch where you’re going,” she said, brushing her hands down the front of her shirt as if I’d gotten dirt on her.

“Sorry, Kendra. I didn’t mean to; it was an accident. It won’t happen again.”

She looked at me with ice in her eyes. “It better not. I’d hate to embarrass you in front of the school.” She smiled wickedly.

Before she could say anything else, I walked away briskly and avoided making eye contact with anyone else. I slunk to the back of the classroom and sat in my usual spot.

Kendra was in this class, and I was hoping she’d just forget about the incident in the hall. It wasn’t like I had done it on purpose. Sometimes, it was like she snuck up on me to cause an interaction just so she could put me down.

I hated her.

The class dragged on, time seeming to slow down. Finally, the bell rang and everyone filed out. I tried to keep an eye on Kendra but lost her in the crowd. I wanted to avoid her. If she saw me again, I knew we’d have trouble.

I put my things in my locker, shut it, and turned to leave. My momentum stopped suddenly when I ran into someone yet again. I looked up to see that it was Kendra.

She grinned briefly and I knew this was a setup. It was going to be bad.

“I told you to watch where you were going, didn’t I?”

I didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t help anyway. She was intent on causing a scene today. I stood waiting, knowing it was best to just get it over with so I could leave.

“Did you hear what I said?” she screamed, shoving me into the wall with her shoulder.

Everyone around us stopped, the hall coming to an awkward but attentive silence. It was like this every time. Nobody ever missed the opportunity to watch, and nobody ever helped.

“I heard you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Can you please just let me go?” I said softly, trying to get out of the situation.

Her nostrils flared and I realized she was actually more angry now.

She got close to me and said loudly for all to hear, “You’re pathetic. You can’t even stand up for yourself. What kind of shifter are you? We are powerful! You don’t belong with us.”

She slowly unscrewed the lid of her water bottle, looking into my eyes the entire time. She threw the cap on the floor and poured the water over my head.

I stood there, letting it happen. I couldn’t stop her, and fighting wouldn’t do me any good. My own parents never took my side in things; they wouldn’t help me. And if I hurt her, I’d just get in trouble.

She tossed the empty bottle on the ground and looked at me smugly.

“You smell like a wet dog now,” she said, laughing.

I looked around at the crowd standing around us and locked eyes with Andrew. He looked at me with what looked like pity. For the first time, tears threatened to flood my eyes. I didn’t want their pity.

I looked back to Kendra, surrounded by her friends.

“I hate you,” I muttered and tried to push past her.

She threw me back against the wall, my head banging into the cinderblock. I growled at the pain and she pushed her right arm into my throat, pinning me. She was so close to my face that I could feel her breath hitting my cheek.

“I’ll tell you when you can leave. I’m not done having my fun,” she said softly.

I looked at her, my heart pounding in my chest. Her friends stood behind her, laughing at the spectacle. Everyone in the hall just stood and watched.

Finally, I realized what she was waiting for. She wanted me to cry. We could stay here all day then; I’d never let these people see me break.

I relaxed in her grip, not saying another word. She finally stepped back and I stood, waiting.

“Everyone is laughing at you. Nobody will even come to your aid. Why do you even try?” Kendra spat at me.

I stood still, as rigid as stone. I’d decided I wasn’t going to say another word to her. She’d tire sooner than I would, and then I’d be able to leave. She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.

Nobody loved me, nobody wanted me, and nobody was going to help me.

“Ken, come on. We have stuff to do, let’s go. She’s not worth it,” one of her friends said.

She looked at me with disgust and I stared back, emotionless.

“I’ll see you later, sweetie,” she said with an evil grin. She and her friends turned and left, and I let out the breath I’d been holding in.

The show over, everyone started to file out of the hall. I leaned against the wall waiting for everyone to leave. Nobody said a word to me.

I reached down and grabbed the empty water bottle Kendra had poured on me and the cap, throwing it in the recycling bin.

Sighing, I walked out the doors and made my way through the woods to my house. This was my favorite part of the day. The woods were welcoming, in a way society never was.

I ran my hands through my wet hair and shook it out some. My shirt clung to my skin but thankfully, my pants hadn’t gotten very wet. It wasn’t cold outside, so the walk wasn’t unpleasant.

I didn’t want to go home. I wished I could just live in the woods, making my own way through life. There were shifters who did that, lone wolves with no packs. I could be that easily. My pack didn’t even want me.

Breathing deeply, I smelled the richness of the soil, the life in the trees, death returning to the Earth to continue to feed the living. It was almost magical to me.

I could only imagine what it would be like once I was able to shift. I wouldn’t be able to do that until I was twenty-one. I was so close though. In less than a year, it would happen.

Maybe then I’d run away, find someone to love, or someone to love me. All my life, that was all I had wanted.

I slowly made my way down the path that led to my neighborhood, dreading going home. But I couldn’t escape it and I saw the end of the forest approaching no matter how slowly I walked.

Reluctantly, I left the woods and came into my neighborhood from the rear. I could see my house and my parents were home. Hopefully, my sister wasn’t home yet.

When I walked up, Dad was in the yard trimming some bushes.

“Why are you wet?”

I brushed past him quickly and called over my shoulder, “Got in a fight with a rain cloud.” Then I walked in the door and closed it behind me before he could say anything else. I made my way to my room as silently as possible, hoping not to alert my stepmother to my presence.

Opening the door to my room, I walked in tossing my bag on the floor. I closed the door behind me and let out a small sigh. For now, at least, I was safe.

I changed into a dry shirt and decided to leave my hair how it was. Mostly dry, I fell on my bed face down. I didn’t want to think about anything. I wished I could just go to sleep. But even sleep wasn’t always an escape.

I heard the front door close, and the voice of my sister traveled down the hall to my room. I was hoping she would be gone longer. She never spent much time at home anyway; her friends were always keeping her busy.

I busied myself scrolling mindlessly on my phone. My stomach started to grumble but I didn’t want to leave my room. Plus, dinner would be ready soon, and I didn’t intend to leave until then.

“Delilah, dinner,” my father called down the hall.

I sighed, rolling off my bed, and I opened my door, making sure to shut it behind me. I didn’t want any of them in there.

I made my way into the dining room, sitting in my usual seat.

My father, stepmother, and sister were already seated. Dad didn’t look happy.

“Why were you wet when you got home? And don’t even try to be smart this time.”

I looked at him, knowing he wouldn’t take my side. “Does it matter?”

His face started to redden, the sure sign he was about to explode.

“Yes, it does. I want to know why you would try to run your sister over. She said it happened twice and after the last time, she retaliated. Now, I’ve told her that wasn’t good either, but what has gotten into you?”

I stared at my sister, my biggest and earliest tormentor.

“You can really spin the truth, can’t you?”

I saw her grin but nobody else did, her face quickly turning to shock. “I would never lie, Del!”

I rolled my eyes. How did I end up with Kendra as my sister?