Marked by Trouble
1785 Words
"And what about Jasher? Is he the most powerful guy in the academy?" I quickly changed the subject.
My question immediately caused Aggy and Piper to freak out.
“Jasher is the crème de la crème,” Piper purred. I swear she was actually purring.
"This is crazy! Jasher noticed you, Bern!" Aggy walked backward, way too excited. "My heart is racing! Sadly, my wolf is still howling in misery because she hasn't found her mate yet! And it turns out that you beat us to it!"
"No." I winced. "What do you mean, 'mate'? I don't get it. Aren't we here to study?"
"Well, yeah." Paige nodded. "But once the Alpha candidates leave for special training, it becomes much harder to get close to them. So you basically have to land one while you still can."
Aggy practically jumped. "Snatch one!"
"Make it yours!" Piper added.
"And become Luna!"
But,
Aggy accidentally bumped into a group of girls entering the hall. They turned and gave us sharp looks.
"Oh. Sigma's."
You didn't need enhanced senses to tell that their tone was full of contempt for our dorm.
"Isn't that the girl Jasher was talking to earlier?" One of them pointed directly at me.
A stunning girl with long blonde hair and icy blue eyes stared at me as if she wanted to peel my skin off.
"Her smell. Disgusting. Jasher didn't care; he just wanted to find out where the stench came from." She waved her hand in front of her face. "Get lost, Sigmas! You're making this place smell like old, wrinkled grannies! And take her with you; she's disgusting!"
My roommates quickly pulled me away, but I felt my chest tighten from the sting of humiliation. Sure, I was a nobody at my old school, but no one had ever insulted me like that.
I broke free of their grip and walked over to the blonde girl.
"You really think someone's worth is based on their smell? If you smelled like heaven, I'd gladly step aside. But you stink just the same!" I snapped.
"Bernice!" my roommates hissed.
Suddenly, I was yanked out of the hall. Everyone around us looked totally freaked out. Everything happened so fast, and the next thing I knew, the girl was standing in front of me. Her hand twisted, claws extended, and she slashed across my chest.
I heard the ripping of fabric and the sharp sting of her claws like blades.
"b***h!" she hissed.
I stumbled backward and fell to the floor, my clothes ripped wide open. She leaned close, and I saw a flash of red flicker through her irises.
"Know your place. You have no idea who you're messing with, stinker!"
With that, she turned and walked away. All eyes were on me—eyes filled with pity, mockery, judgment. Laughter echoed through the hall.
I clutched my torn shirt with shaking hands.
What kind of girl was she? One s***h, and she'd shredded my clothes like paper.
Then I saw a pair of shoes stop right in front of me. I looked up—Zach was standing there, his cold stare burning right through me.
He knelt down slightly, shrugged off his jacket, and gently draped it over my shoulders.
"Change your clothes, Bernice," he whispered.
"Zach, I... I..."
"Don't cry. Just go back to your dorm and change."
I nodded and ran as fast as I could, clutching his jacket to my chest.
*
I splashed cold water on my face and stepped out of the bathroom. I jogged past the common area to the front entrance of the Sigma dorm. As I stepped out, I was startled to see Genesis leaning against the window frame, waiting.
I hadn't even been here a week and I had already been humiliated and attacked.
I ignored Genesis and hurried into the hall.
"Are you angry?" Genesis suddenly walked up beside me.
"Shut up!"
"Ohhh, so we're doing the whole 'Don't talk to me, I'm angwy' thing?"
I stopped and turned to face him. "I've had a rough day. Can you please just stop bothering me?"
"What are you mad about? I checked on you, and you totally blew me off."
"Then ignore me!" I glared at him. "I didn't like what you did! It felt violating!"
Genesis blinked in surprise. "It was only a kiss, Bernice."
Tears welled up in my eyes. Just a kiss?
Maybe I'm old-fashioned—Mom definitely raised me that way—but I always thought my first kiss would be special—with someone I really liked.
Someone who would make my heart race.
But instead, it was with some cocky bad boy who plays nice in front of adults but acts like a jerk behind their backs.
"Maybe that's normal for you, but not for me."
I turned to leave, but Genesis grabbed my arm.
"Wait...was that your first kiss?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?"
He stared at me, eyes wide. I'll admit, he was handsome and charming, but his attitude killed any attraction. Maybe other girls found his wildness exciting. A red-flag type that everyone crushed on. But not me.
"You're blowing this out of proportion, Bernice," he said.
"We're just different, Genesis. I have boundaries. And I don't want to be involved with someone who screams red flag."
"Red flag?" he repeated, stunned.
His grip tightened and he suddenly pulled me into his chest. He held me close, his breath brushing against my face.
"You know what red flags do?" he whispered darkly.
I swallowed and didn't answer.
"They take what they want. They make you love them—even when you shouldn't. They turn villains into heroes in your head. It's called Stockholm Syndrome, Bernice."
"Please... let me go, Genesis."
His grip loosened and his expression softened.
"Please... don't look at me like that. I don't care what other girls think, but I don't want you to think I'm like this."
"Are you crazy, Genesis?"
He exhaled deeply. "Look... I like you, Bernice. From the first moment, I saw you. Is it wrong that my instincts shout that you're my mate?"
What the hell?
"Stop it! You're scaring me!"
"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he said, touching my cheek gently. "But I mean it."
"If you really like someone, don't humiliate them by kissing them in front of everyone! Has no one ever taught you how to treat a girl?"
I pulled away from him.
"Just stay away from me!" I warned and ran off, my tears finally breaking free.
My chest felt like it was going to burst from all the confusion.
How could someone claim to love me when we didn't even know each other?
Love? Mate? What the hell does that even mean?
Mom... God, I need you. I'm lost without you.
I returned to the hall and saw my roommates already holding bags filled with books. Piper handed one to me.
"This one's yours," she said.
Paige added, "Come on, Bern. We need to talk. Seriously."
I looked at them, confused, but didn't argue. We turned around and started walking, though I had no idea where we were going. I just followed them.
We walked down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor. No one spoke. The tension in the air was thick.
Finally, we entered another hall, and this time the smell of food hit me and made my stomach growl. We entered the cafeteria, where a line had already formed for lunch.
"We're having a serious conversation about food?" I asked, confused.
"No," Paige said, looking at me. "We eat first. Then we talk."
"Talk about what?"
"About how you should behave at this academy. For your own sake, Bern."
Had the incident near the hall become a bigger deal than I thought? Fear crept over me. I looked around at the students sitting and waiting in line, most of them staring at me with cold eyes.
This didn't feel good.
I swallowed hard, my throat was dry.
Then I saw Zach walk in with his friends. But when he saw me, he turned and left the cafeteria. That hurt.
Didn't he help me in the hallway earlier?
Maybe he regretted it now... Maybe he realized it could cause him problems. I guess the promise he made—that he'd take responsibility for me—is something he probably wants to take back now.
I picked up a tray and took a small portion of food. My heartache beat out my hunger, leaving me with no appetite.
I followed my roommates to a corner table, away from everyone else. Maybe this was where we belonged—isolated.
I felt terrible for them. I shouldn't have been so reckless and put everyone in danger. Being in Sigma meant we had no privileges, and now their peace had been disturbed because of my stupidity.
"I'm sorry," the words spilled out of my mouth.
The others stared at me, blinking slowly.
"What I did wasn't cool. I got you all in trouble. There's no point in standing up for myself if it only worsens things. I was careless."
Paige stared at me for a moment before she spoke. "Well, yes... you messed up. But we accept your apology. Next time it's better to keep quiet and out of everyone's way."
My body suddenly stiffened as I felt a strong presence. Intimidating, magnetic. My friends seemed to feel it too, each of them tensed.
Jasher walked toward us. His firm steps made me squirm in my seat.
Oh God, what is he doing here?
Jasher stopped beside me, picked up a milk carton, and opened it casually.
"I heard you had a problem with Shirley?" His deep, commanding voice made me shudder.
"It was a misunderstanding," I squeaked.
"Yeah, let's hope it doesn't happen again."
And then a cold shock hit me as he tipped the milk carton over my head. It drenched me and soaked my clothes. Jasher... Jasher just poured milk on me like I was some kind of plant that needed watering.
Oh my God!
"Shirley will be my Luna. You better behave, okay?"
Thud. He set the empty carton down next to my plate.
I dared not look around—I could already hear the laughter and snickers.
Then suddenly, Jasher's body was thrown against the wall. He was wrestling with someone. A deep, animalistic growl echoed through the room, making me close my eyes in fear and curl up in my seat to cover my ears.
When I finally opened my eyes, I saw Jasher standing face to face with...
Genesis?
"Don't touch my Bernice! She's mine!" Genesis growled.
- Writer
