Chapter 4

STELLA

The next morning I groan as my alarm goes off at 4am, I hit the snooze button and groan again a few minutes later as it goes off once again. I rub my eyes and remember why I set my alarm for so early in the morning, I get up, have a nice hot shower to warm up and wake up more, I put on some warm clothes as it is freezing when I get out of the shower and it looks even worse outside. I make some lunch for me and dad, I leave his in the fridge with a note on the door. I then pick up my backpack which is ready for school later this morning, I head to the mansion and go straight to Tabitha's office where she gives me my passkey and my uniform. I quickly get changed, grab the supplies that I need and then head up to the fifth floor.

I enter quietly like I was told and started cleaning, working my way through the rooms on the floor, in some of the rooms I didn't have to do much as it looked like they hadn't been used in years if they ever had. I left his bedroom for last as I was going to change his sheets, like Tabitha told me to do, so that it was done, fresh and ready for him to return later today. I make my way to the kitchen except as I went to enter the kitchen someone grabbed me from behind, turned me and wrapped their hand around my throat and pushed until my back hit the wall. I gasp in surprise and for breath as I drop my cleaning gear to put my hands up to the one slowly getting tighter and tighter around my throat.. Then I hear his gruff voice

"Who are you and what are you doing in my private space?"

Fear passes through me as I struggle to breathe and I try to tell him "I..I.. am... the.. new... cleaner... B..B..Ben..." he tightens his fingers more cutting off what I was trying to say, he then leans in an takes a deep breath against my neck and freezes before whispering

"How old are you?"

He loosens his fingers just a little and I rasp out in my own whisper "I'll be 18 in 3 months."

"You are human?!"

This question statement from him confuses me but I nod as much as I can answering his question. He then releases me, I drop to the floor coughing and gasping trying to get air back into my lungs though my now sore throat. I'm not sure if I heard right but I think he growls something to himself as he storms off to a different part of the floor. Once I can take a breath without coughing I slowly make my way back to my feet, pick up my cleaning gear and enter the kitchen. I hope my encounter with that guy doesn't become a common occurrence as I don't know if my throat could take too much of that or if I could work under those conditions if it happens every time I see him but I don't want to cause dad any trouble on my first day by not finishing what I am meant to. I clean the kitchen and once that is done I decide to clean some of the other rooms making sure to stay clear of the office and his bedroom. I know I will have to do them later tonight but if I can stay out of his way and don't do anything to get his attention I might just survive here but then maybe not.

I am glad when I don't come across him again, I really don't know if I would survive another run in with him and I have only had one brief encounter and that scared me enough, so as soon as 8:30am comes around I make my way back down to the maids locker room near Tabitha's office, I know she said to check in with here before and after each shift but I could feel the bruises already forming on my neck and I didn't want to have to explain to Tabitha how I got them when no one was meant to be up there, I guess that makes him the big boss Axel, I think Benjamin called him. I make sure no one sees me enter the maids lockers, after I get changed into my new school uniform I look into the mirror for the first time and see the confirmation of bruises that are forming on my neck from his fingers. I run my fingers lightly over my throat and know that I can't go to school like this and not have people ask too many questions, so I do the only thing I can and I know it isn't going to look good for me but I am going to be late for my first day. I pull my jumper on and pull my hoodie up and over my head to hide my neck as much as possible and make my way through the town in the opposite direction to the school. When I find it, I go into the pharmacy and over to the small make-up section, it doesn't take me long to find some concealer that actually matches my skin tone, which surprises me as I normally can't find one. I buy it and then head into the public toilets in the back of the store, I remove my hoodie and look into the mirror so I can cover the now very dark bruises around my neck. Once I have them as covered as I can, so you can't see them at a glance I then head to the school. I feel really embarrassed and out of place as I enter the school gates so late on my first day, I keep my head down as I make my way to the principals office.

I knock softly on the door and wait, it is a little while before I hear a clear ladies voice saying

"Come in!"

I open the door and enter as she stands and continues "I am principal Abigail, I am guessing you are Stella? And you are late."

"Yes I am sorry I got caught up with the start of my work this morning.." I just hope she doesn't ask me exactly what had me caught up.

I don't miss as she seems to take a deep breath and then she seemed to nearly choke on the air she took in, she then seems to get a hold of herself before sitting back in her seat. She goes through some of the papers on her desk until she finds and pulls out a slim file with my name on it, she sits back and opens the file. After a little while she closes the file and says

"That is very impressive Stella, with all the work you have done and with how far in front you are in all your classes, there is really only one class that we have that isn't in most schools but is an necessity for everyone in our town. Now this class is classed as History and is once a day from 1pm till 3pm, I will contact the... School board and see if it is okay for me to approve you to do your final exams early that way you only have to concentrate on that one class for the rest of the school year but looking at your academic record I would say you could finish this class within the next school term."

"I like to stay on top of things, that way if something is wrong or goes wrong I can fix it before the due date." I carefully and discretely put my hand up to my neck, it would have been nice to have a warning that the boss would be there this morning especially since it seemed like he didn't even know I was going to be there.

"That's good, are you looking at applying to the college?"

"Yes, I was looking at child care and phycology. I have already filled in some college applications and some scholarship applications so I can start next year."

"They are two very good careers in this town and again looking at this record you will do wonders. I.. Um... Will have to talk to Be.. Benjamin about your college applications but for now lunch is about to begin, how about you take this and get us some lunch while I make a couple of phone calls, you can help me until our history class starts this afternoon as you were so late this morning."

I look at her confused as she passes me some money, why would she need to talk to Benjamin about my college applications when it has nothing to do with him. I stand but I stop as I straighten and look at her "What would you like?"

"Just a ham salad sandwich will be fine." I smile thinking that is a really nice kind of lunch, I turn and leave the room closing the door behind me as she picks up her phone.

I want to ask her what she meant by having it ask Benjamin about college for me but I think better of it and exit the office to go in search of the cafeteria. It takes me a little while to find it but it works out if I just follow the flow of students they lead me straight to the cafeteria. I didn't miss the strange looks and whispering I was getting from the other students, no one said anything to me until after I had picked up 2 ham salad sandwiches, paid for them and had started to leave the cafeteria and head back to the principals office. When I am stopped by a guy and a girl, standing with their arms around each other blocking the exit doors.

"Excuse me! Can I please pass?"

"Look everyone Alpha got us a new plaything!" the guy says with a huge smile on his face

Everyone laughed and cheered, then the girl stepped up to me and slapped me across the face, I end up on the floor from the force she uses as she says "We don't like new comers here... You would be better off packing up your things and leaving as soon as you can!"

I can feel the tears in my eyes from the surprise and pain of the slap but don't let them fall because I know that these type of people want to see that they are hurting you, its what Savannah thrived on after everything that happened, it had made her seem popular.

I slowly go to get back to my feet but the guy lifts his foot and pushes me back to the floor, this time I don't move hoping that the concealer around my neck doesn't rub off on my uniform as I feel my collar brush my skin. The last thing they need to see is that someone has already tried to strangle me today. They continue to laugh as the girl squats down next to me and goes to say or do something more until she takes a breath in through her nose and freezes she get closer and does it again, everyone here seems to do that and I start to wonder if I still have all the chemicals from cleaning this morning all over me. The guy goes to say something else as well but the girl quickly gets to her feet standing in front of him, she leans into him whispers something into his ear and I watch as his eyes go wide. The next thing I know he turns the girl around, puts his arm around her shoulders, spits on me and then says to everyone else with a huge smile on his face

"Hey everyone it look like the Alpha himself has a new play-toy, who wants to bet how long she lasts with how the Alpha treats his females..."