Once Rejected, Twice Shy

Chapter 1

I regretted my words the minute it came out. It wasn't supposed to be said out loud. My heart slammed in my chest as my whole body turned cold. My arms tingled with fear and my vision slowly became blurred with tears.

I wanted a hole to appear and swallow me whole. Anything to get me out of here, anything to get me out of this place filled with detest for me. A living hell I never knew why I deserved.

"Did she just called herself his mate? Her? As if."

The tears threatened to spill as the passing words of the crowd hit me, followed by raucous and mocking laughter. It shouldn't have hurt, it happened so often but it still burnt like a searing hot poker had been pressed on my heart.

Pathetic. Desperate. Attention-seeker. Disgusting. Liar.

It hurt so much, why wouldn't they just understand? It isn't fun, why do they find it fun? Why are they laughing? His eyes were cold as they glared at me, his face filled with contempt, a feeling I never thought my mate would ever feel for me.

I felt my dreams of my mate sweeping me away from this hell shattering, my hope that I could finally have someone protect me from all this hate. I wanted to scream as my last hope left me, I wanted to tell myself that perhaps I was truly lying and maybe I wouldn't hurt this much.

But I had felt the painful spark when his hand brushed by mine, I had pulled my hand away in pain before the words unwillingly left. What I wouldn't give for that moment to never happened.

"What the hell are you doing here?" A large hand grabbed my arm painfully, and a cry of pain left my lips as did the tears. My brother's scowl filled my vision as he snarled for me to get lost, his face twisted with disgust. My throat burned as I tried to answer him, to tell him that I wanted to join a party for once in my life, just to feel like I am celebrating my sixteenth birthday.

But all that died in my throat as he dragged me through the jeering crowd, my feet scrambling behind him as I tried to fight fruitlessly against him.

Hey Evangeline, would you like a paper bag to hide your face? It would make you look so much better.

Oh you're adopted! Now that makes sense seeing that you're fat and ugly. You look nothing like your parents. Poor thing.

The words pierced like knives as I passed through the crowd. I felt a cold splash down my back and a small scream left my lips before the bitter smell of beer hit me. I didn't know who threw it and I didn't dare look. It never do well to look, it just led to something worse.

The door finally slammed shut behind me and the painful noises dimmed. I should be relief, but the murderous look on Jared's face had me fearing for my life. I was scared of my own brother, and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't tell my parents, it would break their hearts. I couldn't place such a burden on them, it's not fair.

"Jared, I-"

"Shut up and just go. You're fucking embarrassing."

"Please, I just wanted-"

"Fucking hell, I don't care about what you want! Just fucking leave!"

I took a step back as his temper flared, and I could see the rage in his face morphing him more animal than man. I let out a stammered sob and nodded.

"But-"

He snarled, and I screamed as he grabbed my arms with his face spitting rage just inches from mine. My fear had closed my throat and my screams died, but before he could say anything, I saw a hand appear on his shoulder, almost like someone was restraining him.

"Jared, I'll handle it. Go back in."

I stared at Damion as my heart shattered for the million time tonight. Dread pooled at my gut and it took everything in me not to sob. I watched as my brother went back in, never looking back at me. I couldn't look at the boy before me, I couldn't when I knew what was going to come.

"Please don't do this, please."

He ignore my pleas as he cut his palm with a claw, and ignored my struggles as he did the same with mine. I cried as the pain intensify when he brought our palms together, and whispered the dreaded words.

"Evangeline Mitchell, I reject you."

I felt a blindingly pain passed through me, my legs giving out as the last shred of hope disappeared. I should have known, he was amongst my worst tormentor. Why did I even hoped that he would have a change of heart, that perhaps that he would stand up for me?

He left me sobbing on the grass patch, the lingering smell of blood in the air and as I forced myself up and got into my car, I knew I couldn't take this anymore. It was too much. It was just too much. I couldn't stand it anymore. The torture, the humiliation, the rejection.

I drove away, with only one thing in my mind. Run. Run as far as possible. Don't go back. As I went faster and faster, the tears start to fall and my vision starts to blur.

I don't know how far I went and how long I've been gone but as I sped round a bend, I felt myself flying as the sound of metal against metal scraped in my ear. Maybe I screamed, maybe I cried, I didn't know. All I could feel was the mindnumbing pain as I stared out of the shattered windscreen, the sight of an upside down world the last thing I saw as the dark claimed me.