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I put the wet dish towel in the basket by the door for the women who do the laundry to pick up at the end of our shift. I pick a fresh one out of the drawer as Cora disappears into the ladies room.
I guess maybe she really did need to go.
Emily nods her head at me, and I put the towel down to grab the bowls.
She might not have learnt much ASL, but we’ve picked up a shorthand that lets us get the job done.
I set the bowls down on the countertop beside her and she picks them up one by one to fill them with the steaming hot soup.
I get back to work drying off the rest of the plates and cutlery.
Alina returns and asks me to make four sandwiches with extra filling.
I catch Emily rolling her eyes at that request, but she doesn’t say a word.
She’d never question Alina.
She adds a little extra to the bowls when my guardian goes to her side.
I make the sandwiches quickly, only slowing down a little to make sure they’re filled appropriately without appearing like a different meal before I nod at Alina to let her know they’re ready.
She arranges the meals onto a tray that she lets sit on the counter when she turns to me.
“Water,” she signs. “Two.”
I press my lips together as I grab the jugs and get them filled.
I place them carefully on a second tray while Alina waits for me.
Once I have four glasses beside them, I look up to check I have everything correct.
She nods and picks up her own tray. I pick up mine and follow her.
All I have to do is hold the tray while Alina serves them.
I can avoid looking at them while we’re out there.
It’ll take a couple minutes and then everything can get back to normal.
Unfortunately, the Alpha’s sons aren’t the only early arrivals for the second lunch rush.
The table full of girls who would do anything to be their mates stare over at us, and the tray shakes a little in my grasp. I haven’t spent much time around any of these people because any time we happened to cross paths, every single one of them made it clear they would never have shown me the mercy that our Alpha did.
I’m mindful of where I step, remembering the time one of the girls tripped me and pushed me face first into the ground when we were kids. It was mean, but it was a long time ago now. Still, I can’t help the nerves that come over me as I stand at the nearest empty table, feeling the heat of their stares on my back.
They’ve always stared like I’m a freak when there’s literally no way to see what makes me different from them. The hate in their eyes used to make my cry. I couldn’t understand why they hated me when they didn’t know me. Eventually, I realized it’s because they think I’m a bad omen.
They don’t see anything of themselves in me because they don’t see me as a person, or a shifter.
I’m one of the rejected, yet here I am walking around in their town, acting like I’m a member of their pack. That’s what stirs the hate inside them. It’s what makes the venom come out.
They were taught to hate the rejected.
They were taught that we were made to be sacrificed so that they could keep living the dream lives they’re used to living in Nightshade.
My existence threatens their idyllic lives.
I watch Alina serve the Alpha’s sons, my gaze on her, not them.
