The Alpha's Odessa

Chapter 4: Kicked Out

POV: Haven

"Haven, will you whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies while I bake these brownies, please?" My Mom asks. I sometimes work in her bakery with her. My Mom loves to bake and taught me growing up. It's these moments in the kitchen with her that I will always cherish.

I may have lost my memories, but some of the things I do are like muscle memory. The brain can forget all day long, but the body doesn't. "Sure thing, Mom." I pull the ingredients out to make the cookies. I enjoy baking like my mom. There is something peaceful about it. I mostly think I like it because it brings me closer to her.

"So how was your first day, honey? Was it too much?" She asks. Yesterday was a lot. No one came near me during class. I honestly felt completely isolated. I would at least like to make a friend, but if no one sits next to me how will that ever happen? Why does everyone treat me as if I have the plague or something? Can they sense that I'm different?

"It was fine," I answer her, not wanting to give too many details. I hate to worry her. The incident with Raphael would certainly worry her. "Jake told me Raphael is one of your professors. That must make things easier for you. At least you have someone there that you know." Mom continues.

It's actually not easier. In theory, it would be, but my family hasn't noticed the way Raphael is towards me. Raphael is not only Jake's friend, but a family friend. After my attack, he stopped coming over to the house so much. Instead, my family would always go to him and leave me at home. Mostly, my brother, Nathan, would stay with me during those times. I think that's why they don't notice it.

Melanie would always come to visit me. She noticed how Raphael was being towards me. She would always try to help me through my depression. I miss her a lot.

"Yeah, he seems to be a good teacher," I say not wanting to talk about him. I'm still feeling his heartbreak. I think I'm feeling his grief. I'm beginning to see there are different types of pain. My heart still hurts. I wish he never touched me. This feeling is truly awful.

"Oh, he is. If you ever need any help, all you have to do is ask him. He'll be more than willing to help you." Mom says. "Hey, Mom, did I hear Nathan right that we will soon be having guests staying?" I ask changing the subject. "Oh um, yes we will be. I wanted to talk to you about that, actually. These are important guests so we need you to stay at the lake house for about a week. Nathan will be there with you." Mom explains.

I knew she was going to say this. Anytime we have guests, especially men, they send me over to the lake house. I've never understood that. Why can't they just stay in the lakehouse or a hotel? I hate having guests over because I get kicked out of my own home every time.

"When?" I ask. "Next week. Nathan will take you to the Lakehouse on Sunday night." Mom answers. "But I have school next week. I can't just be an hour away from home like that." I argue. "Haven, the school will be canceled that week. You'll be fine. Don't worry about it." Why the hell will all classes be canceled for an entire week? School has just started.

"But I didn't get an email about it. Why is it being canceled? Couldn't I just stay home? It might help me to get used to being around people." I ask. I want to stay home. "Haven, enough. You're going to the lakehouse, end of discussion. Don't worry about why classes are canceled. All you are to know is they are." Mom says a little harshly, having had enough of my arguing.

Why is it that I feel like they are keeping a secret from me? "Of course, I wouldn't want to embarrass you all," I mumble. I don't think they want me there because I'm an embarrassment to them. After all, I'm not their actual daughter. I'm just their adopted daughter who was raped and too weak to defend herself. They don't want anyone to see them being associated with me. A weakling orphan.

"Haven Sophia Claire, I said that was enough! You're going for your own good. You may not understand it but this is for the best." Mom snaps. I slam the wooden spoon down on the table and storm out of the bakery. It's always, it's for your own good, or you won't understand. How dumb do they think I am?

I can't help feeling the way I do. If they would just explain it then I might surprise them by understanding it. I get into my car and drive home. I stomped my way inside to my bedroom with angry tears streaming down my face. I just want to be left alone right now. I don't even know why I want to try to be around people anyway. They all avoid me. No one would sit next to me or talk to me. I feel so isolated even though I'm in a town full of people.

Someone knocks on my bedroom door an hour later. I open the door to find Nathan standing there. "Hey little goose, Mom told me you and she had an argument. Are you ok?" He asks OK. Nathan is a great brother. I'm probably closer to him than anyone else in my family. "She's kicking me out again for a week. I'm supposed to be healing. Isolating me away from people is not going to help that. I should be more comfortable than I am with people by now. No one would even talk to me in school. I felt completely invisible." I admit to him.

Nathan sighed, looking down at the ground. "Haven, it's not like that. I know you want to go back to the way things were before, but trust me when I say this is to protect you." He always says this. It's infuriating. This isn't to protect me. This is to keep me in the dark so no one can ever hurt me again. This is overprotective. I just want to be a normal girl.

"No, I am not a kid anymore. I am 19 now, you can't just push it all aside and act like it's not an issue. You know what maybe it would be better if I completely moved out. This is my house too, but I'm the one who is always being kicked out for doing nothing. I'll go to the dean tomorrow and see about moving into a dorm room since I'm no longer welcome here. I should have known this would happen. I'm not really your family anyway." I vent out.

I fully plan on going to Raphael to see about moving into a dorm room. What's the point in being here if I can't be in my own home? They don't even support my healing. They only want to stuff me into a box and throw me into storage.

"Haven, no. It is not like that. Ugh, I knew this was going to happen but no one ever listens to me. Haven, you are our family and we love you. I'm sorry that Mom keeps blowing you off like that, but she really does mean well. The guests are a bunch of men coming to stay. I won't stop you from making your own choices. However, don't move out. You're right. This is your home too. I will talk to them." Nathan tries to fix things.

I can't let him keep fixing things for me. I need to be able to do these things on my own. I wish they would stop acting like I'm a kid. "No, it's best for all of us if I move out. Maybe then all of you will see I'm an adult. I will get a job to try to pay part of my school's tuition and find an apartment when the semester ends." I stand my ground.

"You've already made up your mind, haven't you? You know one day that stubbornness of yours is going to get you into trouble." Nathan knows once I've made up my mind there is no changing it. I'm going to prove myself to them. They took me in and raised me as their own. I have to prove all of that wasn't for nothing. I need to be the perfect daughter and sister.

"You're right, I have and I won't change it. You can report back to the wardens that they no longer need to worry about me. I won't be around very much for much longer." I tell Nathan. I know my parents sent him in here to talk to me. I'm not going to conform to what they want. I'm going to exceed their expectations of me, even if that means I have to fight them about it. If they want to fix this, then they will have to change their way of thinking.