My mouth watered as the smells of tomato sauce and spices filled the air. I had placed the metal object uncomfortably between my fingers, and it felt strange. As the evening wore on and the meals were consumed, the men and women around the table engaged in light conversation. I observed them as they joked around and exchanged tales. I was an outsider in this place because I didn't belong.
I was unquestionably and excessively out of place. In front of me was a warm platter of lasagna, or at least that's what Luna claimed it to be. I couldn't even recall the last time I had a fork in my hand, much less sat at a table or received food. I've always gone hunting for food and have been on my own for a long time. I saw Luna preparing generous portions of food, which the men and women are now just devouring without a thought or emotion.
Around the table, just a handful of the faces were familiar. Jackson and his companion were seated across from me and seemed to be joking about. The two seats on my right, next to me, were still vacant. I recognized several of the guys even though I was unable to put names with faces. I had seen them at the practice fields. On the opposite side of the table, Lucy was engaging in animated conversation with a quite attractive man. She would sometimes laugh loudly at something he said or put her head on his arm in a seductive manner. She always looked at me or Alpha, who was seated just to my left, whenever she took such movements. Despite his best efforts to be covert, he would sometimes cast brief looks in my direction, as if he was worried that I might get up and go.
"Is there something wrong with your food?" All talk stopped when a voice growled. It seems that you haven't consumed any of it.Lucy had a smug expression on her face as she stared at me. Is it not sufficient for you? She drew closer. After a little while, she added a sarcastic "Luna" to the end of her phrase, almost as if she were challenging me or making fun of me. Everybody was focused on me.
"No." Despite my best efforts, my voice was soft, making me appear weak or perhaps terrified by her outburst. "No." I spoke again, projecting my voice more this time. "There is no issue,"
Are you certain? She pushed me to see whether I would give in. You haven't even tried it, so why not?" With so many pairs of eyes on me, I started to feel uneasy. I dropped my head and made an effort to blend in with my hair.
"That's all, Lucy," I said. Alpha stepped in.
"What?" She went on. "Have you never attempted it? Were you really so impoverished, or did your parents not love you enough to provide for you with food?
Her last query touched a raw chord. I felt as like I couldn't breathe, and the satisfied expression on her face indicates that she just did this to make a point.
"Pardon me," I rose up and returned the fork I was holding to its rightful location next to the spoon. I quickly exited the room, my quick movement aggravating my wounds and making me uncomfortable and in agony. All I wished for was to reach my room, which was the one place I felt relatively secure.
I made it to the corridor where my room was, but before I could even approach it, I was thrown into the wall. She had to look up at me to gaze into my eyes while wearing high heels.
I'm on you. I am aware of your actions.
She gripped my neck and cut off my breath before I could say, "I don't know what you are."
"Save it!" you say. She exploded. "Since you arrived here, things have become worse. Jason no longer even gives me a glance. You suddenly appear, usurp the position I properly earned, and humiliate me in front of the group. I will not be made a fool of by you!" She caught me in the face. I urgently tried to get her hands off my neck as I snarled at them with my fists. "The rogue attacks and sightings have gotten worse ever since you came here, and I know you have something to do with it," she said. When she finally released my neck, I immediately began gasping for oxygen. "I won't stop until I find out how you're involved in this whole thing, and you leave," she said. She gave me one last push into the wall before turning around and heading for the stairs. She said, "I won't stop until you are gone for good," as she peered over her shoulder.