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Unique, Different, Found
The Prologue
By: Violet Samuels
“Mummy! When are we going to the park?” I squeal, bouncing on my feet with a grin on my face. Mummy stops what she’s doing at the stove and looks down at me. Mummy’s really pretty with blonde hair that comes to her shoulders, and big brown eyes that daddy says are like chocolate. I think they’re more like dirt, but pretty dirt! I’m not as pretty as mummy… I have black hair and big gold eyes, but mummy says that what makes me different and unique, and that I should be happy with it. I always nod at her with a smile on my face, but I never really believe her because all the other girls tease me about it.
“As soon as we’ve all eaten breakfast and cleaned our teeth, we’ll go.” Mummy tells me, bending down so she can pinch my cheek. I giggle, lighting swatting her hand away while the other holds the cheek she just pinched.
“But how long?” I whine, widening my eyes and pouting my lips. Mummy laughs at me, but doesn’t answer. I huff and cross my arms, tapping my foot impatiently on the tiled floor like mummy does when she’s waiting for daddy. Or when she’s annoyed at him… Mainly when she’s annoyed at him. Mummy glances down at me, the beaming smile still on her face.
“I should really stop teaching you my habits.” Mummy says with a laugh. “You’ll be doing that to your own mate one day.”
“Ew!” I squeal, putting my hands over my ears. “Mummy! Boys are gross! They fart heaps and always smell!”
Mummy laughs at me again before shaking her head. She tips whatever is in the pan she’s cooking on onto three plates before putting something else in the pan.
“Mummy? What’s for breakfast?’ I ask curiously, standing on my tippy toes to try and see. It doesn’t really help though because I’m too short to see over the bench top. I pout, not being able to see what mummy’s cooking. I love watching mummy cook…
“Scrambles eggs and pancakes! If you get the chair over there, you can watch.” Mummy tells me, pointing to a chair over at the table. I grin, nodding my head. I struggle to pull the chair over to the bench, but I eventually get there. I huff out a breath when mummy looks down at me. Mummy laughs, bending down to pick me up and place me on the chair. I’m at mummy’s shoulders when I stand on the chair, which makes me beam at her happily. Mummy chuckles, getting back to the pancakes. I watch amazed as little bubbles start to pop up everywhere. Mummy soon flips the pancake, only to have a golden brown half pancake appear on the other side, the other side sizzling.
“What smells so good?” A deep voice bellows throughout the kitchen, before I feel big arms wrap around my body. I squeal in delight as daddy spins me around, while blowing raspberries into my back.
“Daddy! Daddy stop!” I squeal through laughter. Daddy stops, putting me back down onto the chair. He gives mummy a sloppy kiss on the cheek, causing me to make a face. Daddy and mummy laugh at me as I yell, “Yuck!”
“Just you wait sweetie, you’ll have your own mate soon.” Daddy tells me, pinching my cheek just like mummy did before. I frown, rubbing my cheek. Why do they keep saying that?
“But I don’t want a mate daddy! Not if he gives me sloppy kisses!” I pout, crossing my arms and lifting my shoulders. Daddy laughs at me before coming closer.
“You wanna know a secret, sweetie?” He whispers, daddy’s face close to mine. My eyes widen and a grin splits across my face. I nod my head quickly, leaning a little bit closer.
“The secret is…” Daddy starts to say before pausing for a second. “You’re gonna get a sloppy kiss!”
Before I could pull away or even squeal, daddy scoops me back up in his arms, and starts giving me big sloppy kisses all over my face. I squeal, trying to shove his face away with my small hands. Gross!
“Yuck, yuck yuck! Daddy! Stop! Mummy! Help me!” I yell loudly, remembering the Disney movie ‘Finding Nemo’ and saying it the same way Nemo does. I love that movie! Daddy gives me another sloppy kiss on the cheek, making mummy laugh and me to squeal and squirm even more! I keep on trying to shove daddy’s face away as mummy does nothing to help me. Nothing!
“OK darling, I think that's enough. Our daughter is officially grossed out.” Mummy says with a chuckle. Daddy frowns at mummy, but his eyes are happy. Daddy always pretends to be annoyed at mummy, but he never really is.
“Whatever you say dear.” Daddy says with a big grin, his frown turned upside down. He puts me back down on the chair, giving me one last sloppy kiss on the forehead.
“Gross!” I whine, using the back of my hand to wipe away the left over slobber. Silly daddy… Mummy and daddy laugh at me again, probably because I’m pulling a crunched up face.
“Breakfast’s ready!” Mummy suddenly sings, making me completely forget what just happened. I yell happily, quickly jumping off the chair near mummy, and running over to one of the chairs at the table. I bounce excitedly in my chair. I love pancakes!
Mummy brings over the three plates of food, setting the smallest one in front of me. I love my plate, it has Ariel on it! I gasp at the amount of food that’s sitting on Ariel’s face. I get two pancakes! With cream! Mummy only ever gives me one because she says I’m not old enough to have two. Maybe I can have two pancakes from now on! I wait hungrily as mummy set her plate and daddy’s plate on the table. I wait even more giddy as she lowers to take her seat, giving me a big grin the whole time. I huff. Mummy’s doing that on purpose! She knows I’m not allowed to eat until both mommy and daddy are sitting down.
I glare at daddy with a pout as he also slowly sits down. Just as mummy sits down and daddy’s about to take his seat, daddy suddenly clicks his fingers and goes to stand back up again.
“Daddy!” I whine loudly, giving him the puppy dog eyes. Daddy’s grin grows wider as he chuckles and sits down. I giggle as I waste no time stuffing part of a pancake in my mouth. Mmm! Yummy!
“Don’t forget to eat your eggs Celina, otherwise no park time.” Mummy warns. I grumble, setting my fork down and crossing my arms.
“I don’t wanna.” I say stubbornly. I eye the squishy, yellow thing and poke it with my fork. It jiggles a little, making me frown.
“Celina, you will eat those eggs otherwise you won’t be going to the park today.” Mummy says sternly, raising her eyebrows and giving me the look. I hate the look… You always have to do what mummy says when she gives you the look.
“Fine.” I grumble, picking up my fork and shovelling some eggs in my mouth. Mummy lifts her eyebrows. I give a her a shaky smile to which she nods at and starts to eat her eggs. I eat the rest of my eggs as quickly as possible, feeling my tummy do backflips the whole time.
“See, now that wasn’t too bad, was it?” Daddy asks, giving me a cheeky smile. I glare at him and pucker my lips. Stupid mummy and daddy…
“Eat your pancakes and we’ll go. Remember to dress warm, it’s a bit chilly today.” Mummy tells me, raising both her eyebrows and giving me a look that says ‘no arguing’. I nod enthusiastically and scoop the rest of my pancakes into my mouth. I’m going to the park!
I hear mummy and daddy’s laughter once more as I sprint as fast as my little legs can take me to my room. I yank open my door and get instantly greeted by bright pink walls. I giggle as I skip over to my draws and pull the bottom one open. I’m not very tall, so mummy puts the things I need most in the bottom draw. I can’t stop grinning as I pull out my favourite shirt that h
as a love hear on it and a pair of light pink leggings. I love getting dressed! It’s so much fun! After I’m fully dressed, I quickly grab my fluffy pink jumper, and sprint back out of my room.
Mummy and daddy are still sitting at the table talking to each other. I stomp over to them and pull on mummy’s sleeve. Mummy looks down, rolls her eyes and then stands up. I cheer happily, racing out the door and into the car before anyone can blink.
The drive to the park is short, but mummy always says to make sure to put on your seatbelt and music. Mummy says that silence is lonely and that the air should always be filled with some sort of sound.
We get to the park super-fast that I grin from ear to ear. I laugh excitedly, unbuckle my seat belt and bolt out the car straight to the swings. I get to the swings and jump up onto the big person swing, no the baby one.
“Daddy! Push me!” I yell when I see daddy and mummy get out the car. Daddy gives mummy a quick kiss on the cheek before jogging over to the swings. I swing my legs back and forth as daddy pushes me from behind, higher and higher.
“Wee!” I yell happily. One moment I see the sky, clear and blue, and the next I see the sand on the playground, before seeing the sky again then the sand again. It’s so much fun!
Daddy stops pushing me when mummy starts walking over to us. I slowly start to slow down, the sky seeming to run away from me. Mummy scoops me in her arms when the swing stops before setting me on the ground. Daddy comes around to stand next to mummy. They look at each other before grins split onto their faces. My eyes widen before I take off running.
“Ahh!” I squeal as I run away from mummy and daddy.
“Roar!” I hear daddy scream behind me, making me run faster. I laugh merrily as my black hair whips around behind me. I run around a tree then turn right to try and lose mummy and daddy. I hide behind another tree near the edge of the park. The park is surrounded by trees, so mummy and daddy won’t be able to find me!
I breathe heavily as I watch mummy and daddy search around the park for me. My heavy breaths are soon mixed with somebody else’s. My eyebrows furrow. It’s not mummy and daddy because I can see them both, so who is it? I turn around slowly to see a big wolf with eyes as black as night, its teeth bared and growling. I scream loud, scurrying away from the wolf.
“Celina!”
I don’t know who screamed it, but they screamed it at the same time that the wolf lunged. I shut my eyes tight, thinking of mummy and daddy’s laugh. I wait for the wolf to lunge at me, but it never comes. I open my eyes to see my daddy’s wolf growling in front of me. My eyes widen as the wolf lunges again, but for daddy this time. I scream as a pair of arms picks me up from behind and start to run.
“Shh, it’s ok. You’re going to be ok Celina.” Mummy’s familiar voice whispers in my ear. The growls disappear as mummy keeps on running across the park and into the trees. We don’t get very far when another wolf comes out of nowhere and tackles us to the ground. Mummy’s hold on me loosens and I’m thrown into a tree, hitting my head hard. I lift up my head slightly, my vision blurry. The last thing I see before everything goes dark is mummy shifting and lunging for the wolf.
I wake up in a dark room by myself. Where’s mummy and daddy?
The door to the room suddenly creaks open, alpha stepping through the gap. He shuts the door behind him. I bow my head. Daddy always says to bow to the alpha.
“Celina, Celina Celina… Aren’t you the lucky one?” Alpha speaks, but it doesn’t sound very nice. I dare to look up only to meet his blazing eyes. My bottom lip trembles as he moves quickly towards me. He grabs me by my hair and throws me into the closest wall.
I whimper from the pain, but dare to ask, “Where’s my mummy and daddy?”
Alpha’s laugh fills the room, as his footsteps come closer towards me. He kneels down to my height, his lips curling into a cruel smirk. I frown, scared. Alpha’s never like this…
“Mummy and daddy… are dead.” He whispers, the same cruel smirk still on his lips.
Here is a sample from Unique, Different, Found, coming this December 21!
Have you ever felt like you can never escape? Have you ever felt like there is no one there for you? Have you ever felt like the whole world is against you and you just want to get away and be free? Have you ever felt that you can never be loved or cherished?
That's my life.
I feel all of these things. You can't change what fate has in store for you. But sometimes, I wish I could just be free and live my own life. I haven't been able to do that for a total of nine years.
My mother and father died when I was seven. I was abandoned and left with my godforsaken pack. I had no regrets when my mother and father died. I spent every second of every day with them, and they never argued. We didn't have any major fights and we all loved each other so much. I didn't think my parents had any regrets either. I think they made the mistake of leaving me alone though.
You're probably wondering why I'm blaming it on them, aren't you? Well, I don't. I blame my pack for being worthless, unfair, stupid and plain right mean. Childish I know, but true, down to the last detail. Every beating, every bruise, every broken bone and every possible evidence of them abusing me supports that horrid theory.
Ever since my parents died, I've been like a slave to the people I call my pack. I cook, wash, clean, organize and pretty much do everything for them. They throw away money like it's no big deal, and they don't spare a second glance to anyone who's 'lower' than them.
Someone like me.
All the wolves in my pack are gorgeous with either brown or blonde fur and have a mix of either blue, green, brown, or almost black eyes. Having plain blue or green eyes is rare. They have slim or muscular bodies, and have the perfect height just to be much taller than humans. Unfortunately, that beauty is tainted by their bitter egos and cold hearts.
My parents were like the pack looks wise, but not personality wise. My parents were kind and thoughtful, always putting others before themselves. They never should've been in this pack in the first place.
The funny thing is, I look nothing like my parents, or anyone in the pack for that matter.
Instead of blonde or brown hair, mine is pitch black, pin straight and comes down to just below my shoulders. My eyes are a shining gold that lost its shine many years ago, so now it looks like a light shade of mud. My lips are almost red and, strangely, my skin is pale. I'm not sure why... Werewolves usually have beautifully tanned skin. I'm also a bit shorter than everyone else, but I still have that slim body that anyone would die for. In my parents' opinion, being different is what makes you special. What makes you special, is what makes you unique.
I've never believed it though. All it has ever done was got me teased, and pushed around for being ‘different’ and 'unique'. It has always been like that. Even with my parents, they always said the pack was just jealous of my obvious beauty, one that I am oblivious to.
Another thing. When I turned sixteen, I made sure I was far away from the pack house, almost on the borders of our territory. The reason? I was shifting. I didn't want to give everyone the satisfaction of seeing me in pain, and watching my every bone break after the other. I can honestly say that it is the most painful thing you will ever experience in your life.
When I shifted, I discovered that my wolf was snow white. Not one trace of color other than white covered me. I was astounded. I had never seen a white wolf. Even my mother’s and my father’s wolves were brown and blonde, respectively. They told me that when I shifted to never show to anyone my wolf, unless they have my full trust. Nobody has.
I don't know what it means to have a pure white wolf, but I know that I'm different yet again. This time, in a way, I thought I could somehow fit into my pack. I thought wrong. When I came back, I got a beating because I was gone for most of the day, and everyone missed lunch and breakfast. That night, I had to make a three-course meal instead of the usual one, and I had to clean the house until it was spotless. Let's just say I stayed up way pa
st midnight...
I haven't been for a run since. That was three weeks ago. My wolf has been howling in my head, and it feels like she's scratching my insides apart. I badly want to let her out, but I'm too scared. I don't want to get beaten up again.
My wolf has told me multiple times to get away, and I've been considering it for months now. Tonight's the night. I'm leaving. I'm ditching this stupid place and leaving for good. When I told my wolf, she was practically jumping with joy.
I'm making the dinner right now. Although this pack has treated me like nothing, I'm gonna give them something to remember me by, and if that means food, then so be it.
I decide to make one of my favorite courses. For entree, bruschetta with mini prawn cocktails. For main, lasagna with garlic bread. Then for dessert, my personal favorite, chocolate mud cake with whipped cream, ice cream and chocolate covered strawberries on top. If it was me, I would just skip the entree and main and go straight for the dessert.
I set the table for the pack, and as soon as I finish placing the last of the entrees on the table, they walk in through the door. As soon as they get a whiff, they come barging into the dining room, taking a seat and digging in. No 'thank you' or 'this is nice', just like the usual.
I always keep a spare bit of dessert for myself after I finish cooking, so while the rest of the pack eats, I tuck into my mud cake. At least they let me eat, I guess.
When I hear the bell, I walk back out and collect the empty plates, taking them back into the kitchen. To let them digest a bit, I wash it all up and place it on the drying rack.
I come back out with the last of the mains and am about to walk out when Tina, the pack slut, calls my name.
"Celina!"
I slowly turn around, keeping my hands behind my back, and my head bowed. I'm wearing the correct uniform for serving dinner, and my hair is neatly pulled back into a high pony tail, so I'm not sure what she wants. Whenever someone in the pack calls my name, it's usually because I'm in trouble.