Wolf (UNDER SOME SERIOUS REVISION)

Chapter Six: Chores

Chapter Six:

     I startled awake a few minutes before 6 o'clock in the morning, wrenching myself free of the mountain of pillows I had fallen into. Panic squeezed in my chest, my unfamiliar surroundings seeming to come rushing towards me at full speed. Sweat still covered my brow from the dream I had jostled out of. 

     I quickly slipped out of bed, scrambling to return the pillows to their previous made-up state and straighten out the rumpled coverings. I heard the soft breaths of sleep in the room adjoining the one I was in, indicating Percyus was still fast in bed. 

     When I entered the large, brightly lit bathroom connected to the room, I didn't dare shower. I did not want to disturb Percyus from his sleep, and I did not yet know if I was allowed to run the shower and use that much water. I opted to rinse my face and mouth out in the sink, scrubbing my teeth with a brush Percyus had provided me. 

     I had kept my eyes off the mirror, but when curiosity overtook me, I caved. 

     The girl staring back in the mirror seemed foreign to my eyes. My cheeks were hollow, my eye sockets deep pits of bone and skin. Four large scars ran along my face, one from temple to jaw, one from nose to cheek, one cutting through my eyebrow and across my temple, and the last,  a jagged line cut through my upper lip and down through my bottom lip. The skin around the scars varied in color, the old ones were of flesh coloring, the newer scars pink and puckered around the healing skin.

     The bruises on my skin were faded into a light yellow-green. I could see how much surface area they had covered when fresh, and the only areas that were not touched by bruising were few and far between. My collarbones looked like shards of glass poking under my skin and I could see my ribs prominently sticking out when I lifted my shirt. My arms and legs looked disproportionate at the joints, the bones in my elbows and knees extending beyond the width of the long bones. 

     I sucked in a shaky breath, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me. My old pack was right... I am ugly. 

     I turned away from the mirror, pressing a shaking hand to my lips. I had bigger things to worry about than my vanity. I didn't deserve to spend my time thinking about how I looked. 

     I stepped out of the room and into the hallway, slowly and silently shutting the door behind me. I tip-toed down to the kitchen to prepare the packs breakfast. Working quickly to prepare a buffet-style set-up, I finished in under an hour. The spread was no match for a royal breakfast feast, however, and I hoped I would not be whipped for such a spread.

     Just as I was beginning to set out the stacks of plates and silverware, people started to spill into the kitchen by the dozen. My heart jumped to my throat and I rushed forward to complete the task. When I stacked the plates and loaded the silverware into separate dishes, I stepped back and bowed my head.

     "What's the occasion? We rarely ever get a breakfast like this unless we have something important going on," The first in line said, picking up a dish.

     "Just doing my duties, sir." I stepped back and folded my hands in front of me, keeping my eyes on the floor. "Is it to your satisfaction?"

      I felt the eyes of almost every pack member standing in the kitchen, causing my heart to thud in my chest like a hammer. 

     "This looks wonderful, thank you," A young woman spoke, picking up a plate. 

     As they started to fill up their plates, I dismissed myself to start cleaning the dirty pots and pans. I filled the large sink with scalding water and soap, vigorously scrubbing the dishes to alleviate the growling ache in my stomach from hunger. I didn't understand why I had been so hungry lately. I'd been eating far more than my allotted ration, yet I was still starved.