Chapter 2 Making Out With Liam

• Valerie’s POV
• Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
• “No… No… No… No…”
• I complained in frustration as the noisy alarm clock on my table vibrated continuously. I reached out and tried to turn it off, but I only succeeded in knocking it off the table.
• Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
• It rang on from the floor, blaring louder with every ring. I had no choice I simple had to stand up and turn it off quickly before it wakes anyone else. Today is not the day to annoy Charlotte or anyone else for that matter. Its bad enough that Charlotte and I would be going to the same school. I’ve dreaded this moment ever since our mom told me that I would be going to college with Charlotte this year.
• “I should have killed you when I had the chance, Valerie. People are beginning to ask too many questions about you, they want to know why my adopted daughter is working as a slave while my kids are going to school. I wish I can get rid of you without traces, but now I’m forced to approve of you going to college. You are a shame to my family, you will bring nothing but disgrace upon me and my family.
• Bear in mind that I do not want you speaking to anyone and saying anything about our family and the way you are being treated. If I get one bad report about you, I won’t hesitate to send you to a mental asylum and have you locked away for the rest of your life.” She had warned me sternly when I got accepted into college. I don’t need anyone to tell me that she meant every damn word that she had spoken.
• She hates me, they all hate me and I know it. I have been able to hide my secret all this years because I try to keep my head down and I try very hard to avoid any situation that would bring me in contact with my evil stepsister, Charlotte or any other member of this ridiculous family. I am different from everyone around me, and it freaks me out because I don’t know why I have these powers, I don’t know my origin and I’m all alone in this world.
• I was found in this very building when I was just a baby. It is rumored that this town used to be haunted by strange magical creatures with magical powers. Living with these strange creatures was a great risk to the humans and they felt insecure. These creatures populated the whole town and they ruled over the humans because they were stronger and more powerful. Then one day, the humans decided to come together and chase out all the supernatural creatures. To do this, they needed help from outside. And so they voted a Mayor who claims to know how they could get rid of all the supernatural creatures in the city. He brought in the hunters and they chased them all out. That was the last time they witnessed anything strange in this town.
• After they left, there were a lot of rumors flying around. Some people believe that the creatures were cursed by a supreme being, and the curse made the weak. They became easy prey to their enemies, and that was why they left. Some people said that the Mayor had struck a bargain with them, while others claimed that they left because they were scared of the hunters. No one knows who they were or why they left this city, but it’s been many centuries and no one has seen or heard from them ever since. Magic and sorcery had been extinct, until that faithful day when an earthquake struck this city. It was so devastating and it destroyed many properties and took many lives. On that very day, a child was found in the Mayor’s library, cloaked in a worn, ragged cloth that looks to be several years old, holding some relics that looks mystical.
• That child is me, Valerie Keller. I was orphaned when I was only a baby. The town was just recovering from an earthquake when I found her in the Mayors house. It was assumed that my mom sneaked in through one of the cracks in the building that is caused by the earthquake, and she abandoned me in the one place that she knows that I will be taken care of. I could have been sent to an orphanage, but the mayor needed to reassure the people of his love and commitment, he needed to prove to the people that he cares about them, so they decided to adopt me and make me a part of the family. But they never treated me like a part of the family, I was turned into a slave, I practically do all the chores around the house.
• I get bullied by Charlotte and Newton all the time and my step mom and dad keep reminding me every damn day that I am not a part of the family. They regret taking me in, and it is not their fault. It is because of all the strange things I can do, it frightens them. The only way they can overcome that fear is by making me a slave and bullying me. And that is exactly what they do. But I never let it get to me, I have always counted myself lucky to have a family, and even if my adopted family treats me like crap, I will always be grateful for the fact that they took me in. I would do everything I can to please them so I don’t get thrown out of the house. I just have a few more years until I graduate from college and gain my independence. Then I can obtain the relics that was taken from me by the mayor, and I will trace my birth parents and reunite with my real family.
• “You don’t have to wait until you graduate from college, you can get the relics and leave now. You have a destiny.” Malia advised in her usual calm manner. It is so weird to be sharing my thoughts and feelings with someone I can not see. I’ve been call many horrible things because of my strange powers. If anyone catches me talking to some invisible creature, that would be the end of my journey in this house. I’ll be sent straight to a mental asylum.
• “Living independently and Searching for my real family requires money, how on earth do you expect me to do all that without a job, and how am I supposed to get a good job without a college degree?
• Trust me, Malia, I need to stay here and finish college. When I get my college degree, life would be so much better. I would leave this house and never look back.” I replied.
• “No, Val. You can get a college degree at Woodbridge. You can meet up with Jane, she would be so happy to meet you.” She let out excitedly.
• “Nice try, I’m not falling for it.” I asserted firmly. She is using my best friend, Janelle to life me to Woodbridge. She keeps saying that something great awaits me in that city. She would do anything to force me to leave this town and run over to Woodbridge, but I can’t let her control me. I’m going to stay here until I get my college degree. And that is final.
• “You are destined for greatness, Val. You need to embrace your destiny.” She let out calmly, trying to convince me but only succeeding in getting on my nerves.
• “Stop it already!
• Stop making me act like a fucking Lunatic, Malia, stop talking to me!” I let out angrily as I got ready to go take care of the chores before I start preparing for my first day in college, or rather, my first day in hell because that is exactly what its going to be. Malia is my wolf, or so she claimed. I know nothing about werewolves, I still believe that she is just a voice in my head that wishes to turn me to a lunatic. She surfaced when I turned eighteen years old, and ever since my best friend, Janelle, moved away, Malia has been my best friend. Or should I say, my only friend.
• “You can’t silence me, Val, I’m a part of you and I’m free to speak my mind like everyone else!” She responded with sarcasm, getting me more furious.
• “That would have been true if you were human. But you are not human, Malia. Hell, you do not even exist. You are just a freaking voice in my head and you are driving me insane!” I let out furiously, trying desperately to get her to shut up. She can be a pain in ass sometimes and she is damn stubborn. I wish I knew how to control her, but I don’t know the first thing about being a werewolf and I certainly do not know anything about these strange powers that I possess.
• “Fine, have it your way, then. I’ll be right here when you need me, Val. And trust me, that will be sooner than you think.” she scoffed and shut me out, leaving me to my thoughts.
• “Yeah, whatever. I don’t need you and I never will!” I asserted firmly.
• “Yikes, that hurts so bad, Val. You just broke my heart.” I heard someone say. I didn’t hear the door open, but I know that voice, I would always recognize that voice anywhere. It’s my step brothers best friend, Liam. He is the only one I can depend on, he cares about me and he looks out for me always. He had his hand on his chest, feigning a broken heart. I had to chuckle at his dramatic reaction, he has a way of lightening the mood, making me forget all about my problems. He has been hitting on me for over a year now, I don’t know why I keep pushing him away.
• I guess it’s because I enjoy his company, I love have him around me. If I say yes to him, then our relationship will progress to the next level and soon enough, everyone would find out about us. My family would never accept this, they will never let him date me because I do not deserve the luxuries that comes with dating the son of a billionaire. Mom wants him to date Charlotte, she has always tried to set them up together, but he keeps rejecting her advances, and he keeps coming back for me. If they find out that I am the reason why he has been rejecting Charlotte, I’ll be in serious trouble. They will blame it on my weird powers and ill be labeled a witch. I can’t let that happen and that is why I can never accept to date him, at least not yet.
• “Come on Liam, you know I wasn’t talking to you.” I responded with a smile as he pulls me in for a warm hug.
• “I know, Val. I was just messing around with you. By the way, why are you still whispering to yourself, I thought we talked about this.” He scolded.
• “I know, Liam, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it, I couldn’t help it. It only happens when I’m scared or nervous. I won’t do it again, I promise.” I lied.
• “I know, Val. But you need to be very careful. Mom and Dad are still freaked out with your mysterious healing powers. If they see you talking to yourself always, they would send you to an asylum without second thoughts. You know how much I love you Val, I can’t bear to lose you, my life will be meaningless without you.” He admitted. I saw the sadness in his eyes, it’s easy to tell that he meant every word. But I can’t do this, and I can’t have him here.
• “Stop it, Liam. Stop saying these nice words to me. We talked about this already, you can’t keep sneaking in her. Someone may see you and ill get in trouble. By the way, why are you here so early?” I inquired.
• “Well, since I couldn’t stop you from coming to school with Charlotte and Newton, I decided to get you some things that I know you would need.” He handed me two shopping bags and my ears watered almost immediately. He is such a sweetheart, I have been thinking of a perfect out to wear to school, an outfit that would make me blend in nicely so I don’t get noticed or bullied by those bratty rich kids. He got me so many nice outfits and they all look so beautiful. I kept looking through the outfits and I kept giggling excitedly as I checked them out one after the other.
• “How did you know?” I let out in a whisper as the tears threatened to slip down my cheeks.
• “What kind of boyfriend will I be if I don’t know these little things about you?” he teased, eliciting a chuckle out of me.
• “Stop flirting with me, you are not my boyfriend, Liam.” I scolded jokingly.
• “But someday, I will be.” He responds with a smile, pulling me into his arms and kissing me softly on the lips. I always let him steal a few kisses, and even if Malia is grumbling in my head, I still enjoy being in his arms and I let him back me up against the wall and kiss me passionately.