Fat Dora

+ Medora

What a way to continue the morning.

My desk was completely trashed.

I stood dead in my tracks. My winter boots stuck right to the cold floor of the lecture hall. 

It was the only desk in the very back row. My designated spot. Dark blue ink coated the plastic seat in a thick, sticky puddle. It dripped slowly down the metal legs and pooled on the floor. 

Torn pieces of lined notebook paper littered the space around it like dirty snow. Someone took a sharp edge and carved cruel, jagged words right into the fake wood grain of the desktop.

The entire classroom was watching me.

The girl who smelled like cloying vanilla perfume sat two rows up with her two friends. They huddled together. They giggled behind their manicured hands. Their eyes tracked my every single movement. They waited for the show. They wanted a reaction.

A massive, heavy lump clogged my throat. It felt like a solid stone lodged right behind my tonsils. I swallowed hard against it. The burn behind my eyes was sharp and entirely hot. I wanted to cry. 

It was completely unfair.

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask for a massive body. I didn't ask to take up too much space in rooms built for smaller, sharper people. I kept my head down. I never spoke out of turn. Yet here I was, being punished simply for existing. They trashed my one safe spot just to remind me I didn't belong here.

Did they think I was incapable of becoming a Luna?

I blinked hard and forced the hot tears straight back down. Crying meant giving them a prize. 

I didn't dare look at any of them. Looking meant pointing fingers. It meant inviting a fight I couldn't possibly win. I knew exactly how pack hierarchy worked. The lowest Omega always lost.

I kept my chin tucked tight against the collar of my heavy coat. I walked slowly down the aisle. I ignored the giggles. I pulled a wad of rough brown paper towels from my canvas backpack. I folded the paper towels three times to make a thick pad. I leaned over the desk and wiped the dark blue ink off the plastic seat. The cheap dye transferred instantly. My fingers turned entirely blue.

I didn't complain. I scrubbed the metal legs until the drips vanished. I bent down and picked up every single piece of torn paper from the floor. I shoved the mess straight into my bag.

I sat down. I wedged my hips tightly between the narrow metal armrests. I folded my ink-stained hands on my lap. The professor walked in. He didn't notice the blue stains. The lecture started.

Hours passed in a blur. The afternoon bell finally rang, signalling the last class of the day.

I actually felt a fraction better. The crushing tension in my neck loosened slightly. We spent the whole afternoon going over the exact etiquette required for an Alpha's bride. The professor covered proper pack greetings. 

He explained the exact angle of submission required. He detailed how long to hold eye contact before looking down at the floor. He explained the precise tone of voice an Omega should use when addressing the head of a household.

Which meant everyone could look at me and giggle.

I took meticulous notes, not caring about them. I dragged my blue fingers across the fresh notebook paper. 

I actually felt ready for the practical application. I knew exactly how to speak to Kaz now without triggering his violent temper. Keep the voice low. Keep the head bowed. Never look him directly in the eyes. Never challenge him in front of his brothers. If I followed the textbook exactly, he wouldn't have a reason to kill me.

I packed my notebooks into my bag. I was ready to go back to the dark, quiet fortress on the mountain. It was terrifying, but at least the rules there were clear.

Then the doors swung completely open.

A girl from the front row rushed inside. She dropped her textbook right onto the floor. Her face was flushed bright red.

"He's here," she gasped out. She pointed a shaking finger out into the long hallway. "One of the Lyke brothers is actually on campus."

My tiny bit of joy completely died. My stomach plummeted straight to the floor.

The room erupted into total chaos. Chairs scraped violently against the floor. Whispers hit the cinderblock walls like a raging wildfire.

"Which one?" 

"Is it Kenzo?" 

"Did you see his car?" 

"It has to be the oldest one."

The three bullies practically jumped out of their seats. They shoved past the other students and crowded around the girl by the door.

"He's obviously here for the Beta's daughter," the vanilla girl declared. Her voice cut right through the frantic noise. She patted her own perfectly flat stomach with a smug look. "She's the new bride, I bet he is definitely here to pick up his bride."

“Aww…”

“She is so lucky…”

Her friends nodded. They agreed completely. They started fixing their lip gloss.

I stopped packing my bag. My blue hands froze entirely over the metal zipper.

My brain started spiralling. What do I do? What exactly was he here for? Which brother was here? Why did they have to come to a Luna Academy?!

Did Kaz say something to him?

Kaz was standing on the porch this morning. He watched me run away like a coward. He knew I lied about his study. What if he sent Kai to drag me back up the mountain? 

What if Kol was waiting by the main exit with a thick piece of rope to finish the job from my nightmare?

My chest heaved. I couldn't pull a single breath of oxygen into my burning lungs. 

If they came for me, everyone would see. If these girls saw me with one of the Lyke brothers, my life on this campus would be over. 

They already hated me for existing. If they found out I was the real bride, they wouldn't just tease me. They would tear me to absolute shreds. They would make sure I never survived the school year.

I stared blankly at the front of the room. I couldn't move my legs. I couldn't formulate a plan to escape. I just sat there like an animal waiting for the trap to snap shut.

I didn't notice the vanilla girl walking back up the aisle. She slammed both of her hands flat onto my desk.

The loud smack broke my thoughts. I flinched backwards. The metal chair squeaked loudly against the floor.

She leaned entirely over my desk. Her perfect blonde hair fell over her shoulder. She smelled like fake sugar and mean intentions. She looked at my pale, terrified face. She stared right at the massive dark circles dragging down my eyes.

Her lips twisted into an ugly, cruel sneer.

"Already thinking of throwing your big self on him, Fat Dora?"