Unfortunate

01:The Day Before

BAILEY POV (12 yrs)

I hid behind the large oak tree as my body shook in anticipation.

"BAILEY! I'm going to kill you!" My brother, Joel, called out as the door slammed open. I peeked around the trunk, looking at the back of the large pack house. My eyes landed on him, and no matter how hard I clenched my jaw shut, a loud laugh bubbled up and out past my lips. Joel, stormed over to me but I couldn't find it in me to take him seriously with his, now, bright purple hair.

God did he look stupid! I was right, purple hair isn't for everyone.

"Yes dear brother?" I asked, false innocence dripping from my voice.

"Fix it Bailey! I'm not kidding I have a date with Julianne in two hours!" He cried out. I knew he was trying to seem tough, but I knew my brother. I could see the desperation in his eyes to please Julianne, his mate. I sighed, he was a pain in my ass when it came to her.

"Joel!" A feminine voice hollered from inside the pack house.

"Whoops, looks like she's here already. Well, gotta run. I'd love to stay and chat but you know, I've got people to see, pranks to do. Bye." I cheekily remarked as he was distracted and took off into the forest surrounding the pack house.

"Fuck you Bailey!" Joel yelled, annoyance clear in his tone. Yeah I know, what kind of nineteen year old older brother swears at his twelve year old sister? A Joel type of brother of course! Joel and I are actually pretty close. Well, when Julianne isn't around anyway. While Joel is in love with the idea of love, I, personally, can not stand the thought of it.

Ever since my mum passed away two years ago, my dad was completely shattered. As alpha of the pack, when he broke so did we. The Midnight Howl pack went from one of the most respected and strongest packs in the world, to the most vulnerable. It makes me question on the value of mates. Just having someone random picked out that I have to put up with forever? Someone I have to depend upon that has every chance to break me? Yeah, no thanks. I know that when I meet my mate, he's going to have to work damn hard to earn my love.

Not only that, but when Mum died, Joel took it hard, got into drugs and would often go out for days at a time. Losing her ruined up our family. Even though I hate mates, I am grateful for Julianne. Joel met her when he turned eighteen, and she helped him get back on his feet. After all, when Joel turns 20, he will take over the pack.

For some packs, 18 is the age that a son takes over, but for others, including us, it is believed that teenagers are unfit to carry the responsibility of an entire pack. They are immature and that means he'll make wrong decisions for the pack and send it spiraling down. I'm not sure how that'd work out seeing the state it is in now, but rules are rules. I didn't make them.

As for me? At ten years old I barely had any concept of myself let alone a good grip on coping mechanisms for dealing with grief. I started failing my classes, falling into a state of rebellion. I was class clown and managed to piss off every single one of my teachers. That's also how I got into pranks. I mean, I told them not to mess with me but alas, some people just don't listen; those arrogant girls couldn't get their bags down from the school flagpole for five hours. The best part was, being the alpha's daughter, I couldn't get detention.

After a few hours in the forest, gazing at the beautiful oranges of Autumn, enjoying the sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet and planning my next prank on Joel, I decided to make my way back to the pack house. My plan was perfect, Joel was exceptionally sensitive about his hair, obviously, with how he flipped out when I put purple dye in his shampoo. His prize possession?

His hair dryer. And I have a bag of flour just dying to meet it.

•

The sun had set and there was no sound throughout the entire house. Most of the pack was out today celebrating a members birthday, Sandra, I think her name was. I didn't go because, well I'm not allowed to go clubbing and Joel had come home from his date exhausted. I. DO. NOT, repeat, DO. NOT. WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT DATE *shiver*

I waited.

Silence echoed throughout the house. It was deafening. Fifteen more minutes, just to make sure. I waited, satisfied that there was no movement, a mischievous smile spread across my face and I inched slowly off the bed. My heart raced as placed my feet against the cool timber of the floor.

Just as I was about to take a step, a snapping sound halted all movement. My heart climbed to my throat. Glancing at the clock it read, 10pm. The pack shouldn't be back for another two hours at the very least. The snapping sound continued, just below my window. it sounded as if there was someone walking out side. I forced my feet to walk to my window and took a peek. Our gardener was out there on the bottom floor, watering the garden lining our house.

It was Saturday, he only comes on Tuesday and Thursday, his hair is blonde not black and his watering can is green not red.

A few moments later the smell of gasoline drifted up to my nose just as our gardener tilted his head up to face to the moon, a face covered in dirt and eyes so malicious that my breath caught in my throat. THAT WAS NOT OUR GARDENER!

I jumped and ducked under the window ledge, my heart thumping in fear that he had caught me. I peeked over the ledge and saw him with a lighter in his hand.

A few moments later, he dropped it. Straight into the gasoline. He howled out to the moon and almost in slow motion, wolves broke the tree line of the forest, headed directly to our house. Only one thought came to mind, a sick and twisted word describing only of the darkest souls that are condemned to an eternity alone.

Rogues.