AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 1
HAZEL
Her lungs burn.
Theyshould, because of the cigarette that rests between her lips, but she’s surprised at the unpleasantness.
She was hoping for a rush, anything at all, to snap her out of the stupor her mind is stuck in.
Holding the pack in her hands was more exciting than having the damn cigarette in her mouth, and disappointment clouds her thoughts.
Nothing has changed.
Tomorrow, she’ll be back at that school, teaching the children and wondering if she’s doing the right thing.
But for now she stares out past the water, focusing on the small point of light.
She’s parked too far away to see it clearly. Chain link and barbed wire block the view of the small island. Even if she pressed herself against the fence, she wouldn’t be able to make out any of the details.
She’s not supposed to be here, that much is for sure.
So why is she sitting in her car, staring at the chain-link fence, hoping forsomethingto change?
There must be something seriously wrong with her. She’s sure no one else does this.
No one else stares danger in the face, wondering when it will come out to play.
You’re losing it. You should leave.
She tries the cigarette again, letting the smoke invade her lungs, and she ends up coughing obnoxiously.
It’s still dull.
It’s still not enough.
* * *
“You went out there again,didn’t you?” Ava asks on their lunch break.
Hazel bites her lip and stares at her salad. “Went out where?” She tries to sound innocent, but to no avail.
“You know where,” her best friend hisses. “You knowexactlywhat I’m talking about.”
The break room is empty except for them, the only two Omegas that work at Lincoln City Elementary.
They’re the only two Omegas with teaching jobs in all of Washington state.
Hazel chews on a piece of lettuce, refusing to meet Ava’s eyes. “Even if I did, there’s nothing wrong with it.”
She doesn’t sound convincing at all.
“Are youtryingto get yourself killed?” Ava snaps, keeping her voice low. “What if they escape? What if one of themsmellsyou, and breaks out—”
“That won’t happen. I just go there to think.”
“Then go somewhere else!” Ava slams her fist down on the table, and Hazel jumps. “Go anywhereelseto think. Sit on a roof, climb a tree, I don’t care. But please, you can’t keep going there.”
Hazel swallows a bite of salad and stabs at another piece of lettuce. She still can’t meet Ava’s eyes. How can she begin to explain what she’s feeling to Ava? “Nothing feels right anymore,” she mutters. “Not since they took Connor.”
