PART THREE: Relicum TWENTY-EIGHT. Awakening

PART THREE: Relicum

POV - Lillia

I’m walking to the top paddock with my class to play sports. The popular kids are out in front, carrying the equipment, joking around and having a great time while I lag behind, glancing at the sky every now and then, hoping for rain. We’re playing softball, and I’m dreading it. I wish it were T-ball or something where I don’t have to use my non-existent hand-eye coordination to hit a small ball with a thin stick. Fun. Such fun.

‘Lilli-pee her pants.’

I hang at the back, and my teacher, popular Miss Mellow, picks two team captains. Everyone loves Miss Mellow. Her strong British accent makes her sound like someone from Coronation Street reruns. Miss Mellow is human, but everyone loves her, even the werewolves. I don’t know why. She’s young and pretty. Maybe that’s it.

The team captains start picking their team members, and my stomach turns, making me want to vomit. I know I’ll be the last one picked. I’m always the last one picked. Every single time we play team games. Not because I have hidden talent but because I absolutely do not. But because I suck. When it comes to sports, I suck. I’m scared of being hit, haha; the story of my life in my pack. Balls, bats, fists. I’ve been hit by all three, and team sport like softball brings two of those fears.

‘Do we have to pick her?’

And I’m the last one standing. No surprises there. Samantha, who is in my friend’s group, makes a face when she realises she has to pick me. Yeah, thanks a lot. Reluctantly I walk to the end of Samantha’s line and wait for them to draw straws to see who will bat first.

My team cheers when Samantha pulls the longest straw, meaning she gets to pick.

“Batting,” she smiles, looking at her team, us. My team cheers, but I just groan. I’d rather be fielding. At least then I can stand on the edge of the field and look like I’m playing, whereas if we bat, then I have to bat too, and I hate that.

Miss Mellow makes everyone have a turn to bat before swapping the teams over, which means I can’t get out of playing. I watch begrudgingly as my teammates take their turn, running from base to base before getting out or running to home.

Slowly I shuffle forward, getting closer to my turn as my teammates sit down behind me. Surprisingly, they don’t try to push in front of me to take my turn instead. Maybe I should suggest that.

Reluctantly, I get up from the ground, take the hard cylinder bat on offer, and walk up to the home plate. Remembering my hand placement, left hand on the bottom and right hand on the top, I hold the bat in the air, ready to strike the ball.

As soon as I’ve walked up to the plate, the other team moves inside the diamond shape, getting closer to me because they know I’m pathetic at batting. I turn to Miss Mellow, who doesn’t seem to pay attention. I wish there was a rule against this. If I were the teacher, I would make it a rule- no fielders inside the diamond. It makes me feel useless. I mean, I know I am, but this just points it out more.

‘Know your place, Omega.’

Shane, the opposing team’s captain, smirks when he sees me. Bowling the ball in an underhand throw, I watch it as it flies towards me. I step back, pretending he almost hit me.

“Strike one,” Miss Mellow calls out. The ball makes its way back to Shane, who bowls again.

“Strike two,” Miss Mellow calls out. I could take a strike three or attempt to hit the ball. Either way, I’ll lose my turn. Again Shane bowls the ball, but I hit it. I stare as it flies sullenly through the air, bouncing on the ground before me.

“Run! Run!” my teammates yell out. Dropping the bat, I run for first base. Rayanne stands in front of the base, blocking my way, and she grabs me before I can make it.

“Ray! Ray!” a fielder calls out. Pushing me down, Rayanne catches the ball, and I’m out. At least one of my team members makes a home run, even if I couldn’t get to first base on time.

My mind then shifts to another day, another torture of sports. Miss Mellow chooses the team captains, and they then start selecting their team members. Memories of the opposing team standing in the diamond while I bat fill my head, and instead of joining my class, I sit down on the sidelines. What’s the point in participating if I obviously suck at it. Miss Mellow doesn’t say anything; she doesn’t even try to encourage me to join in.

I sit there, picking at the grass stems, when a wave of pain buckles from my stomach. I look down at my arms, but I can’t see anything; the image in front of me changes from bright colours to darkness. Another burst of pain goes through my hands, and it’s almost as if each of the bones in my fingers is breaking.

“She’s shifting,” I hear someone say in the background. I’m about to ask something when another wave of pain moves through my arms and legs as each one breaks and reforms. I scream. It’s hard to put a coherent sentence together when pain around different parts of my body ignites simultaneously.

“Move, move!” I hear another person shout. I try to open my eyes but cry as the light burns my eyelids.

“More sedatives!” I hear. I wonder who needs sedatives when the next thing I know, I’m waking up to a tingling hand.

- Mate! Mate, that’s our mate! – a voice in the back of my head begins to cheer. I fall asleep again as everything turns black.

I’m walking down the corridors of the pack house, a vacuum cleaner in one hand, the hose slung over my shoulders. I don’t know why our vacuum cleaners are so old; the Luna goes on shopping sprees almost every weekend. I’m sure we could afford a new one. When I sort the pack’s mail, I always go through the circulars, dream-shopping as I stare at the pictures. I want a Dyson. A V8 Origin plus one would be great. Plus, they look light; it would be so awesome to use.

My eyes trace the floor as my head is heavy from the weight of the twenty-year-old vacuum cleaner in my hand. Actually, it’s probably older than that; I’m sure they had lighter ones back in the old days. I don’t notice the person walking up to me at first. But I should have. The first thing I see is the leather Nike shoes walking in my direction, then the faded blue legs of the Levi jeans. As he walks past, he pushes his shoulder against mine, making me stumble to the side and hit the wall.

“Watch where you’re going, omega,” Clark scolds, making his minions snigger. I pick up the vacuum cleaner from where it fell.

“S-sorry, Alpha Clark”, I stutter my apology, picking up my body which feels old due to my lack of energy. Clark grunts, and as I stand upright, I’m pushed over again, followed by laughter.

“That’s for being you,” Clark states, a snigger in his voice.

“Know your place, Omega,” Amy, one of my peers, laughs.

I sit on the floor in my position, listening carefully for Clark, Amy and others to continue walking down the hallway before I attempt to get up. I’m tired, and I still have to put this electricity hazard away before I can go back to the caravan park and shower before going to school.

‘Know your place, Omega.’

‘Lill-pee her pants.’

‘Do we have to pick her?’

Those words tumble through my head, going round and round in circles, never-ending. Their faces, too, the looks of disgust when they have to deal with me, the quick shuffling away as I go near them. My body feels heavy as I pull myself out of the memory. My eyes felt wet from the tears that ran down my face as I slept. And they’re sticky.

I don’t want to open my eyes, and I don’t like them being closed either, but it’s better than waking up and facing the world. I wonder if my bullies know how much their words affected me. Although slight, their nasty comments and actions might have been said and done without thought, but they still haunt me, repeating in my head on an endless loop as I toss and turn and try to sleep each night. I wonder if they knew that would happen. I bet that if they did, they would be happy. The words and expressions on their faces haunt my dreams, making my night times as bad as my days.

My right hand is warm and vibrating like I’m touching a purring kitten. It’s oddly comforting. I think I smile, thinking of the warmth on my hand. Bad thoughts leave my head, and I feel like I can rest.

‘Know Your Place!’ the voice yells in my head. Making me whimper. There is something in my throat, and I feel myself cough, trying to get whatever it is out.

When I open my eyes, I’m met with a bright light, and the pain makes me close them again.

“She’s waking up!”

“It’s okay, Lillia, you’re okay,” I hear. I attempt to open my eyes again, the room is not as bright, and although my body feels heavy, I keep them open. I look around the room, feeling frantic, there’s something in my throat, and I feel pain in my chest.

“Shh. You’re okay; you’re okay. I’m here,” Danni whispers from beside me. I look at her and try to sit up.

“Relax, Lillia. I’ll help you sit up.” Danni smiles. I hear a mechanical noise, and the top of the bed begins to move forward, allowing me to sit up.

“I’m here. You’re okay,” Danni says as I grab her. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and hugged me, whispering that I was okay.

“Sore,” I complain, thinking about the plastic tube coming out of my nostril.

“I’ll take that out,” Danni smiles, grabbing the end of the tube and tugging, “Just suck.”

“I’m sorry,” I cough out, gagging. My mouth and throat are sore and dry. It hurts.

“That’s okay, just suck,” Danni tells me as she pulls the plastic tube from my nose. I feel it come up my throat, mouth and nose. I swallow as soon as it’s out, but it feels like the tube is still inside me.

“Sorry about that; they should have taken that out when you started breathing on your own,” Danni says, looking down at me, a smile on her face.

“How are you feeling?” she asks.

“Tired, sore,” I croak, my voice coming out roughly.

“Do you remember what happened?” Danni asks. I shake my head.

“Um…” I begin, remembering her face. Olivia and her anger. I gasp, remembering.

“Hold her arms and her legs,” Olivia instructs. I remember the expression on Olivia’s face, unhinged anger.

“No! Please no! Please, Olivia!” I remember begging, struggling as her friends hold me down.

“Shut it, bitch,” Olivia says, landing another kick in my stomach, making bile build up in my mouth. I remember closing my eyes as pain erupted in my abdomen, followed by another and another as I was kicked. I whimper, not enough breath inside of me to scream.

“Shut her up!” Olivia cries. And then another kick. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.

I whimper, my hands going to my chest. There’s pain, but I could deal with it. Danni nods when I look up at her.

“Yes. Olivia and her friends Erin and Shoshanna attacked you and sent you to the hospital. They’re now at SilverLock, so they can’t hurt you,” Danni agrees.

“She attacked me?”

“I’ll get you an ice block,” Danni replies, leaving my sight. She comes back with a lemonade ice block, and I thank her. The ice block is sweet, cold, and good against my sore throat.

“She did attack you, Lill….” Danni begins.

“Lillia,” I correct. Lill sounds too much like the nickname my classmates gave me at primary school.

“Lillia. Olivia admitted to attacking you with the help of her friends. They were sent to SilverLock prison for three months and then will be relocated to the Royal Pack,” Danni tells me.

I nod, still feeling drowsy.

“I’m tired,” I reply. Danni nods.

“Get some rest. Your body is still recovering,” Danni smiles, “press this button, and Mary or I will come and assist you,” she continues. I nod, watching Danni leave the room before I turn and look at the ceiling. My eyelids feel heavy, and I fall asleep again.

~

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