THE REJECTED HUMAN

RITA~

"Oh my God, it was an accident, why is no one listening to me? I didn't mean for that to happen" I yell, my voice losing its composure.

"Rita you-" my dad tried speaking but I cut him off.

I didn't mean it dad, you have to believe me mom. Rana, why aren't you saying anything, you know what happened was a mistake, don't you? Enzal, you too?" I ask my family but no one said any word.

I look around desperately, searching for the eyes that would hold mine, believing all that I am saying, but nobody dared to. Disappointment was written in my faces. My father was more disappointed and he didn't try to hide it.

My whole family looked away, every single person, no one of them believed me or even remotely believe my claims of innocence.

"Wow, oh my God, wow" I mutter, breaking down in tears as I crumple on the prettily designed sofa, but no one I had just appealed to came near me to comfort me nor soothe me.

They just watched me cry out my eyes till I was ridden with a running nose and red eyes.

My mom and dad watch from afar, my mother glaring openly at me. My heart shattered into a million pieces as I stare down my feet.

My father took few steps further away and they all collectively shook their heads.

"You don't need all these pretence Rita. everyone knows how you are with Sam, you were never on good terms with him anyway, so after all these, you think we'd doubt that you did that to him?" My mother finally spoke up after so long.

"Rita, I'm your father and I love you so much. I've also watched you grow from a toddler to the grown woman you are now. I know everything you're capable of and I will affirm now that you are capable of doing this. Yes, this was an intentional act, things don't just coincide and happen by accident." He said and I could swear I heard a bang deep in my heart, shattering them.

"Rita, we're not even condemning you but the least you could do is to own this, it has happened and we've already seen a way forward and Sammie isn't going to die, you denying this so vehemently isn't going to change anything. Why not just own it?" Enzal intoned right after my father. I swallowed hard not believing my ears when Rana contributed the worst of it all.

"We all know what you can do, Rita. We've lived with you all our lives and we know what happened with Sam, stop this bullshit pretense, we know what you did girl, we know!"

"This isn't my family! This isn't my family!! This isn't...my... family..." I chant like one possesed with a demonic spirit in her mind. I might be possesed anyways. I don't even know myself anymore. If my family could not believe me then not even myself could.

I went over the words again and again until I was sure that I was imagining what was going on in front of me.

I sat there on the floor, watching my parents and siblings walk out on me, they walked past and my mom added "We expect you to come visit Sam in the next few days, we're unable to explain what happened to him, perhaps only you can do it; I don't expect to remind you."

This was the last straw. immediately they had all filed out, like one possessed by a demon, I sprang up in a daze, my face still tears strickened, I ran into my room without turning back, then returned as if as an afterthought.

I went to the kitchen, took some of the boxes of cereal into the room, there was a water dispenser, toilet and bathroom and most of all I needed was in my room, my room could even pass for a self contained apartment.

I grabbed most of the fruits and frozen meals in the family fridge in the kitchen and dumped them into mine. basically, I am taking a whole lot of stuff into my room as I don't intend seeing anyone for a very long time. After about ten minutes, the tears seemed to have dried off a little.

My long black hair now in a bun as opposed to my unruly look moments ago seeming like one with a new found determination.

Then with a helpless smile, I walk into my room, turned the knob and locked the door.

I move the bedroom sized sofa in my room to the door as a double lock.

As if finally shedding my temporary tough skin, I broke down again in tears, crying and crying and crying for the next couple hours, just there, curled on my bed helplessly in fetus form till the next day when I was woken by the rays of sunlight that escaped into the room just to spite me.

To remind me that I am once again awakening to such a sad horrible life, where I have nothing like family, where everyone thinks of me as an awful person who could harm my younger brother.

I stretched, my head was banging from all the crying, last night and even in my sleep.

Fuck!

Unwilling to get up from the bed as pressed as I am, I curse mentally, my bladder threatening to give up on me

Thinking of my kidney and all the things that could go wrong for not standing up right there and then, I sighed.

Ugh! groaning, I carried myself up with great effort, made my way to the toilet within, and after doing my business, she stop at the toilet sink mirror, where I took a look at my rough looking face with unclear eyes.

Seeing the eyebags settled underneath my swollen eyes, I sighed again. I'm a person who loves looking good at all time but for once in my life, my swollen black eyes didn't bother me.

It was far from important as I already have a lot going on in my mind. With everything that had gone on in the last few days...

recalling the phone call to my parents and siblings that drove them back to Ohio on Thursday evening, where I announced that Sam was in the hospital, Friday morning when they finally arrived back home from the cut short vacation, Saturday, when I had related what had happened with no single family member believing and today, I'm looking as miserable as shit.

Washing my face with the little soap remaining in my soap bottle, the rapid knocks on my door began, driving me back from my series of thought.

"Rita! Rita!"

I hear the person call my name. yell actually as the voice was piercing my eardrum.

Is Sammie back already??? Why else would anyone be calling for me if not to inform me of his arrival or could anything else be wrong? My thought were going all over the place.

Whatever it was, I've made up my mind not to see anyone.

(RUDER'S POV)

Growl.

I snapped at Endra, my beta, while he just laughed good naturedly.

Both of us in the woods, the closest woods to Richevil where we had our territory. It is a full moon tonight and Endra has just challenged me to a run; Challenging your own Alpha to a run? Growl. I snarled again, to show him that I didn't mind his mind games but it was foolish to challenge me.

With abandon as soon as the full moon was unveiled, Endra and I took off into the vast woods, racing each other but also having a great time at the same time, it was so calming, soothing, this feeling of running in my wolf form in the woods, the foliage all around me and the air rushing against me, taking my breath away and refreshing my limbs as I dashed across the leaves.

As expected I got to the pre meditated spot first, it was the opening of another pack, the Panthing Wolves pack, but suddenly I realized that there were no sounds of twigs breaking as I had heard while running. It took me a moment or two before I realized that something was wrong. Really wrong. Where the hell is Endra?

..

(RITA'S POV)

..

Rita! Rita!

In my anger, I kept my peace silently. I was quiet as Rana rapped consistently on the door, just when I thought she would never stop and I would go crazy from the sound, she stopped. I heard her muffled voice, she was talking to someone, probably Enzal I reasoned. Whatever did they want from me? Those are clearly not my siblings, so God only knows what the hell they're doing outside my bedroom.

After they were gone, I took my time to clean my teeth and soak in the shower. Better then that I had stood up from the bed than never, what if I lack the strength to stand up from the bed again, I reasoned?

Ouuu, my phone beside me playing Sia's Titanium, the song is one of my favorites, the strength in it giving me so much strength and assurance, but now with the beat and the words and the rhythm, I suddenly felt like fuck, I can't keep in doing this shit.

Shoot me down

But I won't fall

I am titanium

The urge to scream at these words is so overwhelming at this moment that I know that there is a limit I can get to before I would actually go crazy. I have my whole life ahead of me, I can't let a pseudo family come to destroy my plans. I soak into the water and for once I relish the near feeling of drowning.

(RITA'S POV)

After two weeks of staying inside my room, binge watching so many different series that I can no longer remember half of their content, crying my heart and eyes out occasionally, sleeping for long hours and waking up anyway with eye bags, I finally make a decision I know has been looming. I decide to move out of my parents house and find a place for myself, I can't be a stranger in my own house, I can't do this shit, so I have decided to get my own place, simple.

I might meet new people, I guess, though I'm not too keen on that. After even my family thinks this of me, I mean, humans aren't near the word 'trustworthy' or kind.

The first time I open my door, no one is home, through the muffled conversations, I have gathered that Sam is still in the hospital and everyone is out at this time and won't be back till later in the night.

Throwing on big clothes that swallow up my body, I make my way out of the house, I have my phone, my laptop carrier, and a purse with me. I am decidedly going house/apartment hunting. I'd call a friend to help me out but I've hardly had friends all my life. Maybe since forever, I've been a loner, having only my family to be friends with and to talk to about anything and everything.

Once I'm out of the house, I take a taxi to the park where I can think in peace with the breeze caressing my features lovingly, away from the house that is threatening to choke me and stifle my mind from thinking.

The park is a little bit busy but that's one of its perks and I seriously don't mind it anyway. The first thing I do is get on Pinterest. I type in modified words that convey to the SEO that I need an apartment.

There are several pins that pop up but none of them turn out to be suitable fur me, they're either unsuitable for me or too expensive.

Fuck, I curse in my head, in respect of the little children playing around.

There is one in Richevil though that has caught my eye, a two person apartment, the current owner is in the search for a roommate and again unfortunately, it's a guy. I mean, don't get me wrong but, I don't think I can deal with living with a girl right now, but when I think about Sammie, I don't think I can live with a guy either, realistically. I'm not sure I can deal with it. But but but, the good side of it is that the place is marvelous, it's just like my normal room, but with another room inside of it, where someone else will be living.

What to do? What to do, I wonder?

Should I just give up this whole thing and stay here? What should I do? Living with a guy is definitely not going to be an easy feat, just thinking of it gives me the chills. I hate my family but what am I going to do? Do I risk it? Living all alone with no hope, I have some money that can last me a couple years but I know I have to be decisive about this whole shit! I know!

(RUDER'S POV)

I hear an arrow whirr past my head and onto a large tree, behind which I'm standing. Fuck that was close, I growl, very alert now. The arrow is still pinned to the tree and I do not so much as even give it a glance, I am more interested in whoever had the guts to send an arrow my way. I try to sniff the person out and I find that all that is left of the scent is a wolf's and it seems that the harder I try to sniff them out, the faster the scent is erasing itself.

I am baffled as to this development when I remember the reason why I'm alone trying to sniff out some idiot. Endra. I can't find Endra.

I immediately try to mind link him.

Endra?

Endra?

Where the hell are you?

Can you hear me?

Oh shit! Alpha!

I hear his response, oh my goddess, what is wrong with this idiot beta, if he's fine, why isn't he here?

Alpha! Trouble! I've been nabbed!

It's the Panthing Wolves pack,

They're taking me to the..

I hear a loud growl from Endra from afar and I realize that the mind link has been cut off. Oh my goddess, my eyes are suddenly glowing a red light and my wolf is about to let loose all sanity..I dash with my topmost speed to where I had heard that shout but once there, i cannot find Endra, my fangs are itching to be sunk into fur and I am so pissed that I let out a long howl of anger. There is blood splattered in the surroundings though and without sniffing, I know with a surety that it is definitely Endra's.

Endra. That is all that is on my mind. Endra.

(RITA'S POV)

Well, Richevil is not so far far away from here anyway, I reason and make up my mind to take that drastic step. Richevil, anticipate my coming.

I look at the time on my phone and I exclaim cause I've been here dilly dallying with my thoughts for more than 2 hours, it should take me 30 minutes tops to get back to the house, lock up and pretend I'd never been out before the 'occupants of that house' returned home from the different places they just have gone, I calculate.

I make a dash from where I am seated, i call another taxi that takes me all the way back to the house, and lucky me, no one's home yet, I take the stairs and get into the room. I turn the knob and lock up like I'd never been out.

After settling down and getting into more comfortable clothes, I open my messages on my phone and I find that I have none as usual, God knows why I even check if I have messages or not. I never ever do.

I then log onto instagram to check up on the people I'm following, I mean, they very obviously need my comments and likes, as long as I'm their loyal fans. I check first for my Tay Tay, and there are some new posts.

After scrolling through the Gram I suddenly feel sad. With everything that is happening, and all, it's terrible. I've been here all my life and the reality that I want to move out of my supposed parents house suddenly sinks in. Fuck. My life is so fucking sad I conclude before proceeding to cry and cry and cry, I do not notice that the entire family is home already, the turning of the door, the houses, sounds, I am oblivious to them all, my tears drowning out and my wails swallowing up other sounds that want to come close to my ears.

When I wake up the next day, that would be the 15th day that I haven't see anyone, no friends to call after me and none of my family members were even eager to see me of course, that would be the 18th day since Sammie and I. Well, I should be moving out in the next two days, let's make it another even number; besides I need to pack and strategise, as much as I just want to up and leave, I also want to make sure I know what I'm doing and where I'm going, so I want to go to Richevil. Check things out and know with a surety that I'm not making the wrong decision. So I'm going to wait till everyone's out again and then find my latitude.

(RUDER'S POV)

Back at the pack, I have summoned the elders and the powerhouses in my pack and I have told them the situation. It is blatant disrespect to nabb my beta as the leader of pack, so I request that we do things with wisdom and storm their pack as a declaration of battle, deal with the wolves, because we are the stronger pack and I have no idea what is going on in their fucked up heads to even conceive doing such a thing.

So imagine my fucking disappointment when storming the pack is ruled out, I mean? What the actual fuck?

"It has been ruled and accepted by the elder of the council that since it is only one wolf that had been nabbed, of course they dare not take his life, we will redeem him by negotiation. There will be no warring of packs with the support of the powerhouses, no matter what your rule is, pack leader. This is our verdict."

The eldest elder said to me and i am just so blinded by anger cause wow! I do not even have a say? Blame me! Fucking blame me for even having it in mind to take the power and approval of the elders with me.

In the cruelest, most rebellious way that I can, I flash them a smile, and walk off into the distance. They will hear of what I will do. And they will cower and beg my forgiveness, I vow to myself.

Few hours later.

(RUDER'S POV)

I hear a high pitched scream come from the Luna that I have just attacked, her Alpha, long dead, and that scream disturbs me so much that I do not even bother giving her a slim chance to redeem herself with a good fight against my strength, I just rip her head off and it rolls then lolls to the side where her Alpha's is. Well well well, the last of these cowardly bitches, I sigh then rub off the blood on my paws onto one of the bodies around me.

I have just finished off the Panthing Wolves pack and it is not surprising; blame me as I said for seeking approval from the elders in the first place.

Now, unto looking for Endra. I mindlink him urgently, hoping that since I'm nearer to where he is, he can connect to me, he is definitely here, I can almost feel him in the air, his being. The feeling is coming to me in waves and for once I am confused.

Endra?

Endra, can you hear me?

Or feel me?

A.l.p.h.a.

I hear him draw out with difficulty and I immediately sense that he is in pain, so resisting the anger that is about to boil over again, I ask him..

Where are you? Do you know where?

I'm here in the packhouse already.

I'm.. .. in... the.. .. dungeon

Their.. .. ... dungeon.

It's east of the main pack house

You'll feel me once you're nearer.

Endra? Endra?!

That's the last thing I hear him say before the mindlink is forcefully cut off. Fuck!

Meanwhile..

(RITA'S POV)

Finally, I am here!

Richevil, here I am!

The moving vehicle is in front of my new home, I've paid off all the necessary things and gotten the needed documents, the only one thing I haven't done is meet or speak to my roommate. I'd postponed it for so long.

Thankfully and quite easily, since day 18th, I'd begun packing up my stuff silently and quietly to avoid attention and I mostly did the huge stuffs when no one was home anyway. I didn't for once even go visit Sammie, I mean..My state of mind is no where close to see him.

I put a call through to my roommate, I'd gotten his cell number from the agent who'd helped me with my documents and whatnot.

"Hello, who ever is this?"

He picks up on the first ring and this is what I hear him say, uh oh. I am suddenly speechless.

"Hullo?" He intones again and suddenly and thankfully, might I add, the cat finally lets go of my tongue.

"Uh hi! My name is Rita and I'm your new roommate, i bet Mr Reynolds told you about me. The new girl? Ring a bell?"

"Oh you! You you you! Oh my gosh! When are you moving in darlin?"

He sounds excited for some weird reason, but shruggs.

"Uh, tricky question, cause I'm right out here already. About to move in, if you'd please!"

"Oh my days. You should have called earlier, I am coming right out sweetheart."

He says and the call is cut. Huh. Strange guy, strange, there's definitely something wrong with his manner of speaking.

"Baby girlllll!' I see a slender man, almost my man almost my own stature, tanned skin and beautiful and that smile, fuck!, Bounding towards me like a long lost friend. He gives me a big hug and weirdly, I don't feel repulsed or scared, I mean? We're talking about a stranger I have never seen in my entire life, much less spoken to.

"Hi, I'm Rita" I smile and hope that's warm enough right after he releases me from that hug.

"Hello Rita, you look like a pretty lost thing, I'm Jeremy, my friends call me Aloha though, your pick"

"Hello Jeremy, it's a pleasure to meet you" I pick the more conservative name, I'm not the type to call people names they are not, without full specific reaosns, let's all be normal, aye? Aye!

'I'm not going to talk about all my fears as to meeting you and all that.. I'll just rather pretend I knew you were going to be a great roommate already" I say half heartedly.

Hoping that even if he wasn't a good person, which he does seem to be already though, he'll at least treat me well as his roommate.

"Aw baby girl, you were thinking about me already? That's so fucking sweet love. I'm flattered" he answers me and my first thought is wait, did he even hear me? That's just funny and cute. Oh well, whatever, I think might just be liking this guy. Jeremy.

I signal the movers to start taking my things in after I get a nod of approval from Jeremy.

I speak to Jeremy for most of the time while scrolling through Instagram at other times, we talk a lot and I'm rather glad that we have quite a lot of things to say to each other and more importantly, he's not a self absorbed asshole.

He offers his Instagram handle and I proceed to check him out on there. Fuck! This guy is so freaking cool and he still is able to hold normal conversations? Fuck man fuck.

Back home.

(It's the evening and everyone in the Reynolds family has just come home from different places.)

"Enzal, I think your sister has had enough fun by herself, can you get her to come down here? Break open the door if you have to, you can't just stay in your room for two weeks and not come out! She might have committed suicide, who knows?" Mrs Reynolds said to Enzal, her first son, while Rana was quick to reply..

"Mom, first of all, Rits isn't the type to commit suicide, two, mom, you can't just ask Enzal to break open the door. Again, that's a violation of protected privacy. What if she's naked or something?."

"Quit yapping Rana, this is not a conversation you should be part of. Don't you have a paper to deliver or something?"

"Wow mom, wow" Rana walks away in the direction of her room, huffing and puffing like one who has been wronged.

"Hello, Rita? Rita! Mom wants you down! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Rita?"

Enzal calls out front of Rita's door and the echoes he is getting back is quite unusual and significant of a place that is bare.

Remembering the order to break open the door, he first tries the knob to see how daily that can be broken as opposed to breaking open the door. Surprisingly the door knob opens the door so easily with zero resistance, it even surprises Enzal himself, since he had been turning it with quite a bit of force. He staggers into the room and instead of the usual rough looking place, he finds it bare.

(RUDER'S POV)

After finding Endra at the pack dungeon, it is evident that he is severely injured and unfit to even move, he seems to be in his wolf form and unable to change into his human one, cause he's unconscious..

I just lift him up after I myself have shifted I to my human form and with a speed very few Alphas can boast of, I speed back to my own pack, not minding the gory sight of how I actually look and all that.

In record time, I reach my packhouse and I head to the pack doctor's place immediately.

'Alpha'

The pack doctor acknowledges me with a nod of his head while I just put down Endra carefully on one of the stretched out bed.

"Good day doc, how is he? Is he going to be okay?"

"Good day alpha, I apologise for this, but I'll need a little bit of time to check him out and all that"

" Of course but of course, diagnosis and all that. I will just wait here till he's ready to go then"

" No problem Alpha, just that it might take a while and it would be much better if you took this little time to get rid of the thick stench of blood and death that had clung to you Alpha. The young wolves are.." the doc says in a subservient tone.

"Say no more, I understand. I'll be back in a while for him. I expect all the information that I can get."

Few hours later, when I've washed off the blood and filth off of me, I return to the clinic to find that, Endra is breathing properly already and his face is no longer contorted in pain, he looks much more peaceful.

" He was consistently force fed wolf's bane and some silver seem to have seeped into his bones, Alpha."

What?

I suddenly wish I had killed those wolves much more brutally than I already have, I let out a growl unconsciously which makes the doctor jump. I mean, your pack leader growling in your face, I fully expect him to jump but I did not mean to scare him, so swiftly, I apologise for it. But what the hell though?

Why did they do something like that? Though passive rivals, there was nothing to warrant what they had done and from one of the high ranking wolves from the Panthing Wolves pack, I had gathered that they had planned to extort my pack during negotiation. That still did not explain why they had treated Endra so horribly, I made the right choice in wiping them off the face of the earth.

(RITA'S POV)

Settled in already, unpacked all my boxes and I just want to relax, sleep for a long while. Just sleep and enjoy myself, stretch out without having to think of any family members or how and what they think of me.

Just as I am about to sleep, I remember that uhoh..

Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring Ring

Fuck! My pseudo parents and siblings should have found out by now that I've moved out of the house, they'll be home already.

"Enzal"

The caller ID reads and I immediately direct the call to voicemail. Shit!

A few minutes later and I have practically missed calls from every single member of my family, except my dad and Sammie of course. The bitches be wondering where I am already? Well let them chill a little bit. I should get a new number soon, so I can avoid all these calls and all.

(Back Home after it has been discovered that Rita is missing)

"Have you called her phone? everyone? Have you?" Mrs Reynolds suddenly looks frantic, looking into the bare room again as if the shock of the situation is suddenly just dawning on her again and again and again. She must have never thought that Rita could just up and leave, disappear into nothingness as if she had never existed in the first place. All the things that were rightly hers, were missing.

"Wow, I didn't see this coming though, I can already see the headlines on tv tomorrow. 'Rita Reynolds, the runaway sister of some Taharana Reynolds, popularly known as Tara and for her successful career as a model'.." Rana ran her mouth off unconsciously as she fantasized.

"Shut the hell up, Rana, what is wrong with you? Your sister's missing and all you can think of is getting on some tabloid? Are you kidding?"

"Fuck you Enzal and no, I'm not kidding, bad publicity is also publicity, and stop acting like you oh so loved her when she was here, I get what I want one way or the other and if it's gonna be by a missing sister, guess who doesn't mind! Taharana Reynolds, right here" Rana answered sarcastically almost as if going through a Freudian slip, then walked away from the room as if trying to avoid contamination.

"Mom, mom, there's a voice tape under the bed frame, it sounds like Rita's voice, I think she might have left us a recording." Enzal shouts and Mrs Reynolds replies quickly as she ascends the stairs quickly..

"What does it say?