Becoming Alpha

Chapter 2: First Day

I looked at myself in the mirror, finding that bags were already forming under my eyes. Great. That would make a good expression on my first day.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. I hadn't really slept well last night but that was mainly because I couldn't stop hearing those terrifying noises from outside. They didn’t scare me. The fact that I craved looking for the source was what scared me.

I was a curious being, but I knew it was natural. My mom hated it because I was always too reckless and went looking for things - ‘looking for trouble’ as she would call it. I didn't do it on purpose; trouble always seemed to find me, even in New York. I knew it would probably find me in Alamery too.

Those noises startled me. I had never heard anything like that before and I was inquisitive about the source. Were there wolves in the woods? I didn't know. I could have asked my mom, but to be honest, she was only interested in medicine.

That was her job. She was a doctor and had received a job at a hospital here that specialized in bone cancer. You would think, ‘why in freakin' Alamery?’ Why not in New York? My mom had specialized in bone cancer, that's why we were here! Anyway, the hospital was the only one in the US that was specializing in that, which is why my mom had been so excited to get a job. Too bad for me, I guess.

I didn't think my mom would've heard the noises, seeing as she was fast asleep. I was a light sleeper, and the bags under my eyes were proof of that. To conceal them, I put a little foundation under my eyes and added some mascara. I never really wore too much makeup, just because I thought it was stupid.

I heard Mom’s curses coming from downstairs. I chuckled; she was probably attempting to make breakfast for me, which was very amusing. She couldn't cook, which explained the pizza from last night. We usually went to get a takeout - or I cooked, but it was mostly takeouts since I only know basic dishes like pasta or an omelette; not too healthy.

It had always been just the two of us. My mom always avoided the subject of ‘Dad’ which annoyed me endlessly. She told me that he had left before I was born, but I wasn't so sure. Even though my mom had seemed pretty excited about going to Alamery, she’d also seemed restless, as if something had urged her to leave New York. I didn't understand.

I took my pills from the counter and swallowed one. I had to have them each day, I really had to. My mom would kill me if I were to forget one, but it had never happened before, as she was always so keen on giving them to me. I didn't really know why. She said that I had a disease and they had found out when I was only a little girl. I didn't question her; I mean, why would she lie? She was a doctor after all.

I walked out of my room and got dressed, eventually wearing some black, high-waisted shorts with a blue tank top. I put on some Gladiator sandals and went out of the room. I knew my mom would be angry if I were late for my first day at school. I wouldn't be so happy either. I skipped down the steps and went into the kitchen.

Half an hour later, I was off to school. I was getting on my bike when a voice startled me.

"Rose!" someone shouted.

Surprised, I turned around with one of my feet on the pedal and the other still on the ground "Alex?" I asked, surprised.

He looked good - at least from what I could see. He was in a sleek, white sports car - a Porsche by the looks of it. In the back was a girl with blonde hair and lovely brown eyes. She waved at me and I blinked, astonished.

"Hey," I said wearily. "Do you need anything?" I asked, shrugging; I had no idea why he would stop.

"Need a ride?" He smiled at me.

I was about to say no but it didn't seem like a bad offer. I would rather go in his car than ride thirty minutes on my bike.

"Sure," I replied, getting off my bike and walking towards the car. I got in and buckled up.

"That's my sister, Alana," he said, motioning towards the girl in the back.

I shook her hand after she had extended hers. "Nice to meet you." I smiled at her, and she returned the favor.

"So, Alex told me that you just moved here," she said, and I nodded.

"Yeah," I smiled, shrugging my shoulders. "I guess being the new girl is going to be as cliché as I thought it would be."

Alana laughed. "This town sucks already, doesn't it?" she asked with a grin. I liked her already, and I gave her one back as an answer. "I'll show you around." I smiled. She was really nice - maybe she'd make a friend one day.

"Thanks." Returning my attention outside, I eyed the neighbourhood. It really did look like a farmer’s town.

In about ten minutes we made it to school, which was on the outskirts of town. It was like this place was surrounded by woods - at least, that was what it looked like.

After Alex parked and we made it into the building, Alana offered to show me around once again. I accepted and we were off to Reception. A nice woman named Mrs. Collins gave me my timetable, and it seemed that I had almost all of my classes with either Alex or Alana. I was kind of happy for that as I wouldn't be alone then.

The whole morning went pretty fast. The first introduction to my classes were awkward but I hadn't expected them to be anything different. Alana helped me get through them and introduced me to some of her friends.

When it was lunchtime, I noticed that almost nobody went outside apart from me and Alana. Maybe most of the students sat in the cafeteria? It made me wonder.

We arrived at a picnic table where some of her friends were seated. The majority were guys but there was one more girl named Tia. Alana told me she wasn't too fond of her, and the girl, likewise. Apparently she didn't like me either; probably because I was stealing all her attention.

"Guys! I want you to meet Rose! Be nice to her, she's new!" Alana exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly as a huge smile beamed on her face. She was grabbed by a guy who wrapped his arms around her from behind, offering me a huge smile.

"Yes, yes, we'll be nice to Rose. Who are you, her babysitter?" the boy taunted, grinning. Alana struggled in his arms and pouted. It made me chuckle. "I'm Chace." He grinned boyishly at me.

"Rose." I smiled, amused. A strong pair of arms lifted me up and pulled me into a bear hug, making me squeal and the others laugh.

"A new toy!" the guy yelled.

Alana rolled her eyes at me. "Samuel, put her down," she told him sternly.

"I hate when she uses my full name," he muttered in my ear before pulling back. He gave me a wink and placed me back on my feet. I was blushing furiously.

"Sam is the name. At your command, m’lady," he said, giving me a bow which made me giggle. It was so unlike me but I liked him already.

A guy stood next to Samuel, and Tia clung onto his arm possessively. But... Alana told me she didn't have a boyfriend. ‘Ah well, she’s probably a-’ I forced myself not to say it in my head. ‘Don't be so mean, Rose.’

"I'm Trystan." He smiled at me and extended his hand in a way that made Tia's fall. I could feel her glare but chose to ignore it. I shook his hand and smiled. He had gorgeous eyes; a pale blue, and his hair was a messy dark brown. He was tall and muscular, as were the others.

Chace looked a lot like Alex, with blonde hair and brown eyes. He wasn't the tallest, but still taller than me. He looked very lean.

Samuel, the one who was still grinning at me like a madman, had tanned skin and dark hair. His eyes were a nice dark green - almost too dark. I liked him, as he was very handsome, but he was so sweet and cute and I just - I gave him a wide smile.

Trystan must have been the most handsome of them all. As I thought before, he was very tall and muscular. He basically looked like a model.

"Nice to meet you all," I muttered, feeling a little overwhelmed.

I heard an annoyed sound and spotted someone - Tia - walking away. I frowned and Sam wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry about her. She doesn't really belong to our group of friends," he said, shrugging, "she just likes being around Trystan." He grinned teasingly at Trystan who rolled his eyes.

After that, lunch went by pretty well. I already loved being with the guys and Alana was great. Her and Chace... it looked like they were a couple sometimes, fighting like that. I thought they were cute together, but when I asked them, they were outraged, and I got a tickle attack from Chace. Trystan rescued me though, and I felt butterflies in my stomach. But something - like a faint voice in the back of my head - told me to back off, as if he wasn't meant for me. I didn't understand it.

After lunch I had Literature and Alana told me the teacher was really hot, and a friend of her family. That was the one class I had without her.

As I approached the classroom, I felt something clenching in my stomach, and I didn't understand. It was as if something wanted to come alive. I walked into the classroom and the teacher had his back towards me. I was obviously late, since everybody turned to stare at me.

"So, class today-" he started in his deep, husky voice. It made me shiver. He turned around and I froze.

He stared at me with those hungry, dark eyes, and I felt like I was being torn apart under his gaze. Gulping, I shakily pushed a lock of my brown hair back behind my ear and carefully watched him. Why did I feel this way? Why did I feel like he was the only thing that mattered?

He stared for a moment as his eyes glided over my body. His eyes were a deep, rich brown and his hair was black. He was slightly tanned, not as much as Sam was, but he was as muscular and as tall as Trystan. He was perfect. I saw him gulping too, as if something amazing just happened.

"I'm Rose," I said after a moment. "Rosemary Evans," I repeated, a little clumsily.

"My name is Ryan Samson," he said in a low voice. I felt as if I wanted to run into his arms and bury my face into his chest and let him hold me.

Wait, what?

"Oh yes, Rose..." That made a shiver run down my spine. His look was far from a teacher-mad-at-student-for-being-late look; he stared at me as if he wanted to devour me and take me right there, as if I was meant for him. He gulped again and seemed to regain control. "...You can sit at the back." He nodded at me and turned around.

His posture stiffened and I wondered what was wrong. Was it me?

"I want to talk to you after class," he told me before I went to my seat.

Uh oh. I was in trouble. But in a weird way, I didn't mind at all.