Pollination

It had been five weeks since she'd gotten the call that Grandma Hippa had died. She hadn't planned on attending the funeral, but when she'd gotten the call they'd need help settling her grandmothers house and the bees, Carnephilia had to go. She had already had her grandmother's service at her place of residence, lighting a candle and praying for her safe journey through the life after next. The plane ride was long and gray, and she dpidn't particularly care for car ride either. It had been years since anyone had seen her and she them--now they all hardly recognized one another. 'A good thing,' she supposed. Carnephilia hadn't come back since she'd left, true to her word. Despite her grandmother's constant badgering to come back, the dark haired girl had managed to avoid it for 6 solid years. And now here she was, sitting passenger side with a man she didn't recognize. He hadn't said a word to her either, just stared at first. It took him two minutes to realize she wasn't like them; he sniffed, nodded in her direction and like an i***t she followed. She had no other instincts. Carnephilia couldn't tell a werewolf from a human on scent, she couldn't access the pack link, she couldn't shift, but she knew when to follow orders as she was told. She hated being a f*****g werewolf, even if she wasn't a proper one. "Ms. Hippalyta always said you were the wildest thing this side of the earth, but I don't see it. You look just as quiet as a mouse, Philly." A low voice covered the sound of rain and soft music, and she turned to really look at the man driving her. He had brown hair and brown eyes, with a slightly weathered but youthful looking face. There were small scars across his lower face and chin, but he wasn't too bad looking. Still, the more she stared, the more she didn't remember him. He could've been an addition through mating, but the over familiar nickname read differently. "...I don't know you. I am sorry." She cringed at the sound of her own voice, choppy, flat, and deep. "Had a feelin' you wouldn't, I'm not so scrawny anymore. It's Blue B, Philly." "Pops?" Carnephilia whispers, watching as her father faces away from her. She can see red splattered against his footandthetresss; skin stretched out limply in his morphed hand like pizza dough. Blue is crouched down in front of him, sobbing noizelessly. Her father turns to look at her, eyes glowing with an oozing gold liquid and his mouth opens-- "I don't like that name." She forced herself to say. She'd never liked nicknames or pet names, too much closeness from strangers. Change the subject, change the subject, change and BREATHE-- "What's your preference then? Cara? Lia-" "Carnephilia, please." The car fell into silence. She hated this, she always did this. She couldn't stand the feeling of familiarity when she'd only ever been unfamiliar felt too overwhelming. Stay away. It felt like ten years had passed when they pulled into Dalian Fields, the rusted sign creaking as it swung from the trucks momentum. A thick layer of fog settled low on the ground and pines trees gently rocked all around them. When they pulled into town, it still looked the same to her. Blue didn't take any more liberties with her, turning up the music to cover the silence. He still smiled when Carnephilia glanced over, and she was glad he'd gotten the message. Carnephilia felt pressure in her ears, as if something was spilling out. She closed her eyes, and a soft buzzing filled her dreams. "Carnephilia!" She didn't realize it, but by the time they'd arrived at her grandmother's house, Blue was shaking her awake. Her facial expression said enough that Blue withdrew his hand from her shoulder. "I-I didn't mean to startle you. But we're at the house." She scurried out the passenger side door, grabbing her suitcase before turning to face the house. It still looked the same, if not worse. The wood of porch had begun to sag, the paint had chipped and faded, and fauna had begun to grow over the east wing of the house. "Well, you still look poor about your bones. I know you're a half breed, but it doesn't look like those people are feeding you right." Carnephilia felt ice flood her veins. Her feet were frozen to the spot at the sound of that sickly sweet voice, the one who used to-- "You'll never be a real part of this family, Philly." "Can't you even clean right, Philly? We won't ever be able to get you a pack community job now. Wolf less and usless!" "Oh, is that a tear? Philly dear, poor Philly," sharp nails sank into her cheeks, as the older woman held the sharpened tool to her cheeks, "sad... orphaned," that woman whispered, her eyes glinting. "...Disgusting, Carnephilia." "I hope you know, when day I'll get rid of you just like I got rid of that wretched thing." Galatea Rockafeller, the Luna of their pack, seemed to be overseeing the transfer of her grandmother's things. Several pieces of her plastic wrapped furniture sat on the lawn, and in her head Carnephilia could hear her grandmothers spirit screaming angrily as they got grass stains on her niece couches. "...greetings to Luna Rockafeller. I hope the moon is still rising high above our family," She recites from memory. She can feel the scars on her feet stinging, years of etiquette lessons; or rather, torture sessions, flooded through her mind. 'How can she still have pride after her disgraceful actions?' something deep inside her spoke, but she pushed it down. She could hardly control the shaking in her choppy voice, but the girl knew she had to. The Luna, a tale, pale blonde woman with piercings green eyes crossed her arms and huffed. She turned her gaze away from her, shouting at the other to halt their process. "To be frank, we didn't think you would be here so soon. We took some liberties with Hippalyta's things, but everything is on the lawn." Luna g*****a was always cold to her, but it seemed she wasn't going to hid her venom. She could feel Blue's pitying gaze on her shoulders, but Carnephilia refused to look back at him. "I'll let Alpha Raymond know you're here. He'll meet up with you later." And just like that, the land around her seemed to melt as the woman stomped away. Blue quickly oversaw her, helped her get her bags upstairs, but then he left. She knew he could tell all she wanted was to be alone. Carnephilia had always hated her pack, and g*****a touching her grandmother's things gave her a reason to hate it even more than she already did. She had only been born, and that woman had made it her life's mission to hate a child. She had only been a helpless child. Hippalyta had tried to stop the abuse, but the Luna then began giving her etiquette lessons. At the time her grandmother hadn't gained her status as an Elder; a regular pack member could do nothing against their Luna. "To help you prosper in human society, as she'll be an outcast if she can't at least fit in there." g*****a had spun the excuse to Alpha Uriel, and without a reason to object, he allowed it. And no matter how many birthday requests she put in, no matter how many times he saw her leave that room with her hair and clothes soaked in dirty mop water, or burns on her arms, or the bruises and the lashes, he never cared. Not until g*****a had forever driven her hate into Carnephilia, drunkenly carving into her face with a paint toll when she was 12. Only then had the lessons stopped, on the condition that Hippalyta and her never told a single soul. They provided her with money and began sending her to a human school, and even now they still paid her rent and tuition money. g*****a made sure her disdain and disapproval for Carnephilia was always publicly known--except when Alpha Uriel was present. The memories felt exhausting to go through. "Need to sleep," She muttered herself, and set 20 minutes on her alarm so she could wake up in time to see the Alpha. She dragged her body up the creaking stairs to her room. Plain as always, it hadn't changed, and with how overwhelmed she felt, she laid on her bed and drifted to sleep in the comfort of familiarity.