THE BROKEN LUNA

Like any other person, Stella did not remember much from her childhood. However, there were certain memories that simply stuck. Those memories become a recurring nightmare which haunted her each night. The smell of blood and the held back sobs became real each night but the mornings eventually come to tell her the scenes she experienced every night was merely a nightmare. It's been fifteen years. Her father was dead. She's now a part of the Silver Howl pack. Stella woke up to find her boarded up window leaking again. Gathering up the courage to start another day of torment was the hardest part of the day. Holding her bruised shoulder, she got off her hard bed to look around the small room for something to patch up the window. She found a plastic bag and opened the window to stick it on all sides. The heavy rain splashed her upper body until it was drenched. After sweeping off the water, she quietly changed clothes and lamented how long the heavy rain was going to last. Her bare upper body reflected in the small mirror on the wall. Colorful bruises covered her entire back. Some were old and some gained color over the night. Her slow movements eventually ended with a painful sigh. She sat on the bed and quietly wiped the water from her face and hair using the old tshirt. A leaking window and an empty room stared back at her. She looked down at the old watch on her wrist. Ten more minutes. That's all she had left for peace before her tormented day starts again. Her identity as an omega restricted her in way too many forms than one can image. One of those were the privilege to leave her room as she wished. It wasn't a rule of the pack. Instead, Stella preferred not to show herself unless absolutely necessary. The chances of becoming someone's punching bag on a bad morning was high. A bad day for others meant a worse day for Stella. The omega that was no less than a burden on the Silver Howl pack. "Stella!" A loud shouting jolted her out of the peaceful state. Stella stuck her feet in the old slippers and rushed down the stairs. Nancy stood at the end of the stairs with her hair pulled up into many rollers. In her hand was a cup of coffee which splashed Stella's face as soon as she was within range. "Next time I wake up, the coffee should be ready at my table!" She grumbled and walked away. Habitually keeping her head low, she rushed into the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast according to everyone's preferences. Droplets of bitter coffee fell from her eyelashes and chin. Using the sink, she washed the bitter coffee off her face. Stella closed her eyes, remembering the last thing her father told her before parting ways forever that night. "Survive, Stella. Please." Back then Stella didn't think the word survive held so much weight. It was so hard to survive. Honoring her father's last wish, she kept on surviving. Surviving until she found the Silver Howl pack at the age of seven and given to a family to be fostered as an omega. Treating her harshly wasn't the worst thing done to Stella in this family. Nancy and her husband were cruel and so were their children. Frequent bullying by the boys and girls of the same age both in school and home was a part of Stella's daily routine. Splashes of coffee and beatings were the lowest of punishment she could get for the smallest of mistakes. Stella preferred to keep herself out of their rage of vision any possible chance but luck had turned it's back on Stella the same night her father had. While cooking, Stella failed to notice the danger behind her. A hand grabbed the back of her head and pushed it down on the hot pan. Her face burned with the steam coming off the sizzling bacon. She resisted and cried out in pain. Her nose was just an inch over the hot surface of the pan. "Morning, loser!" The morning greetings were like this in this family. Stella rubbed the thin layer of sweat off her face but dare not look back at the retreating figure of Nancy's eldest son, Nathan. Such scares never get old. They keep Stella at the edge of her life, bordering her on the line of surving and giving up. Nathan was two years older than Stella and in the last year of college. His younger sister Nora, was the same age as Stella but both of them lacked sympathy for the living and treated Stella like a bug under their shoe. Nora came running down the stairs with her backpack. She threw a distasteful glance at Stella and went directly to the dining table. Stella brought pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and other items on the table. Nora took a piece of bacon and threw it on the ground. Then, she pushed it towards Stella with the tip of her toe. "Take it. I'm in a good mood today." Nora giggled happily. Stella stared at the piece of bacon. Her stomach had been rumbling from the moment she woke up. The hunger only got worse when she started cooking. Due to prior experience, she dare not take even a single bite out of the food. The piece of bacon was picked up and held in her hand. Under the eyes of the family of four, she brought it up to her mouth and nibbled on it. Pride wasn't important. Survival was. The salty taste almost brought tears to her eyes. She hadn't eaten anything for two days. Nancy huffed, "What are you standing here for? Don't ruin my morning! Get back to work!" Stella didn't wait a split second before rushing away. Her thin body reflected in one of the decorative mirrors while sweeping the floor. Stella paused and took a look at herself. "Dad, I am alive." She told herself as a way of consolation. "Mom, do you remember Austin from school? He asked me out yesterday." Nora blushed while sharing the news with Nancy. "Austin? He is a good lad." Nancy's husband, Titus, nodded in approval. Nancy snorted, "He's rich too." "Yes, he is. And he also changes girlfriends every two weeks!" Nathan interjected. "That's how youngsters have fun before they find their mates. It's common. Nora, you'll turn 18 soon. Do you have anyone in mind that can be your mate?" Nancy inquired. Stella listened to their conversation intermittently while completing the list of chores. By the time it was ten, Stella was done with her chores and went back to her room. It was less of a room and more of a storage closet. The plastic was long gone and the pitiful pieces of tape hung like tiny flags on the outside wall. The broken window had let all the rain water seep into the room again. The window originally wasn't in the broom closet. It was carved out because Stella suffocated in her nightmare at the age of twelve. To not have her die in their home, Nancy and Titus made the window but never cared to leak proof it. Changing into the school uniform made for omega's, Stella got ready to attend the last day of school. She was grateful to the Alpha for making highschool education mandatory or else she'd be left without education until the end. If not for the rules, Stella would have no way of survival. It was the fear of rules that kept Nancy and her family from killing Stella in multiple occasions. It was the same rules that let her go to school. The bullying started from the first day Stella entered the gates of the school. The discrimination against omegas was severe in the Silver Howl pack. A seprate classroom was made for the select hundred Omegas and they were taught by an omega teacher as well. Although Omegas had basic rights, it was in paper only. Picking on them was as common eating three meals a day for for other kids. The distinctive rusty red color of the uniform made it easy to distinguish them from the other students. While the rest of them were allowed to dress in home clothes, Omegas wore the same uniform everyday. Stella held her backpack with both hands and left the house. Nora had her dad drop her off everyday. Stella walked towards the school, a kilometre away from the house. On the way, her socks were splashed by an incoming car. Her old umbrella was almost blown away thanks to the winds. It wasn't just the people who hated Omegas, nature seemed to share the same ideas too. Her large blue eyes and deep black hair were features that came from her dad. Stella didn't miss a single puddle on the road to see her reflection and remember the man who saved her in those hard times. There were countless days when Stella wished she has died along with him. Maybe in their next life, they'll be born as father and daughter again. Then Stella figured out. This was her second life. A life stolen right out of death's mouth by her father and given to her. How could she ever think of giving it up? Hence, she entered the school building and went directly to the Omega section of the hall.