Crimson Tide

The Beginning

Tori woke up like it was any other day. Her alarm blared loudly in her ears, barely making her aware that the sun was rising. Down the hall, her mother was making breakfast in the kitchen  while her father sat at the island reading the morning paper. 

Tori finally started to move when the roaring of her stomach was too much for her sensitive hearing. After quickly getting dressed for school, she was able to join her parents in the kitchen. Going to a private school made it easy for her to get enough time to eat breakfast, since she doesn't have to worry about what to wear everyday with the mandatory school uniform. The day was Tuesday, meaning waffles and bacon with orange juice for breakfast. Her mother liked to keep a routine; different foods each day, but same each week. Tori's favorite day was Thursdays with oatmeal with cut fresh fruit and coffee.

Tori's parents made small talk as she ate. Her mother asked if she had any big tests that day, which Tori answered with a no. Her father reminded her to come home right after school to help paint the guest bedroom.

When Tori heard the rumble of her friend's car turn the corner onto her street, she was already saying goodbye to her parents. Wishing their daughter a good day, Tori's parents returned to carry out their day as a house wife and engineer. 

7:58 A.M. Tori's ride pulled into the school's lot. Her best friend Brittany was stressing about a science group project where she was forced to work with the few students who weren't part of our pack. Brittany's grey car swerved into a parking lot with a screeching halt. 

8:05 A.M. Tori walked into her first class of the day: English. Pulling out her notebook and pencil she was ready for anything that the teacher would throw at her. No one could ruin a day that started with writing.

11:45 A.M. Tori walked into the cafeteria to meet her friends in the line for food.

Tori's best friend since third grade, Shay Wilson, booty bumped her when he came up beside her in line. Fallowing the flow of robotic students, Tori and Shay grabbed their bland lunch and headed to the usual table that was already occupied by her other two friends, Troy Mavis and Brittany Backer. Fallowing the normal routine, Tori didn't even bother looking up from her tray while she was walking. Which ultimately resulted in her hitting a wall.

The wall was no other than Travis Moore. The town's well-known heart-throb and not to mention Tori's pack leader's eldest son, Travis stood with spaghetti and tomato sauce staining his white shirt. When Tori finally was able to comprehend what was going on and able to make eye contact with Travis, she found his usually light and playful brown eyes filled with the darkness of the forbidden forest. Her inner self whimpered in fear. Travis was at least 6 inches taller than Tori, with sunset orange curly hair and brown eyes who always had a smile on his face. 

Why was that the only thing that ran through her mind at that moment was: How is this the first time we've ever made eye contact?

"Why do you keep staring?" Travis spit out. By this time, everyone was staring, not even trying to hide the fact that they were.

"I am so sorry. Here, let me help you!" Tori said, stepping forward to help swipe away some noodles that clung to him.

Travis jumped back like she was poison. "Don't. Touch. Me."

"Please, don't be rude. I'm trying to apologize." Tori said, her fear slowly turning to annoyance.

"Maybe instead of apologizing, you should just disappear." Travis was seething. "That will make everyone's problems better. I never want to see your disgusting face again."

Tori couldn't hide her surprise. This was the infamous soon to be alpha that was known as the reasonable one in the family? Ha. Yeah, okay. "Excuse me?" She couldn't keep the sass back even if she tried - she didn't try. "You don't even know me. You can't talk to me like that. I am one of you, your supposedly chosen one for life."

"I don't even want to know you. And I can talk to like I am, and I will because you can't do anything about it. I reject you as my 'chosen one', as my mate, and as anything else you can think of." Travis said.

Tori could not tell you that when she woke up that morning, she expected to meet her wolf's mate. Nor did she ever in her worst nightmares see her being rejected by him. But the scene in front of her did play out just that way. She didn't cry, she didn't scream. She just stared at the boy in front of her and gave him a slight nod. "Okay." was all she said as she slid around him and tried to walk to her normal table. But the sight of her friends blocking every seat around the table was what brought her eyes to water.

11:53 A.M. Tori Harris had been rejected by basically everyone.

4:26 P.M. Tori had been left to walk home, only to find the locks changed and bolted. Tori walked around the side of her house, peered into the side windows that faced her living room. Her parents were sitting together on the couch in front of the TV which was blaring M*A*S*H* reruns. Banging on the window, Tori noticed her parents didn't even flinch. She knew they heard her.

Giving up on the living room windows and trying to get her parents attention, she moved on to find her room window opened. She felt hope sear up inside her. Tori easily glided in through her window and walked towards her door. Locked from the outside. The door didn't have a lock that morning.

Tears fell silently down her cheeks. Tori rarely cried, but she let herself to break down alone in her room that afternoon.

5:41 P.M. Tori left her room through the window with her school bag filled with her clothes and few personal belongings. She had waited until 5:30 when her family started dinner every day without fail. Half expecting her father to come get her like every night. But when 5:36 came around, he had not shown up and Tori heard the soft scratch of forks on plates. They ate dinner with out their daughter for the first time in 17 years.

6:15 P.M. Tori Harris, the rejected wolf walked onto a bus headed north outside of the small town of Wane. The only place Tori ever knew, she watched get smaller through the back window of the bus.