Chapter 1

CRYSTAL 

They told me not to think about him too much. But how can I do that when he's all I see?

I think about the slight scattering of freckles on his nutmeg skin. I think about the deep coils in his hair and his long fingers, I think about his name - Roman.

A name which I always thought was perfect  just for a person like him.

But most of all, I think about his eyes and their peculiar shade of grey. I had never seen eyes that shade before I met him.

For some reason, they remind me of the moon. Especially when he stood in different lights. I'd like to think his eyes also reflected his moods, his emotions, his feelings...

Did you know that when an eclipse happens, there are two shadows cast? The first is called the umbra and it gets smaller as it goes away from the sun. The second shadow is called the penumbra and it gets larger as it goes away from the sun.

I used to think Roman was as beautiful as the moon. But I never looked at him during an eclipse. I forgot that you needed the light to see the shadows.

"Wakey wakey Crystal, dear, it's a beautiful day." I heard an all too familiar voice yell, next thing I knew I felt someone jump on my bed, causing a depression to form right beside where I lay.

"Arg! Go away Kat!" I groaned as I turned over and threw a pillow over my head.

Kat started bouncing up and down, provoking the already overused springs in my mattress.

"No can do. Mum told me to make sure you wake up for school."

Of course she did.

I lifted my pillow and looked up at Kat. "Could you just tell her I'm sick?" I gave her my best puppy dog eyes.

"Nope," Kat spoke, completely unphased. "You're going to school. Now, get up." 

Kat tugged on my hand and pulled me into a sitting position before jumping off my bed and walking over to draw back the floral turquoise curtains. I could just picture her scowling at them. I picked them out at a thrift store a few months ago and Kat had hated them at first sight. But since we had an agreement that she would get to pick out the colour on our bedroom wall - a dark blue that I wasn't too fond of either - she couldn't complain.

The sun's rays filled in the room causing a warm glow. I smiled. It was rarely ever warm in Woodfell but when it was, I found it hard to be in a bad mood.

Except today.

"Come on Cryss, the first day of school always sucks but we'll endure, we always do." Kat had already moved over to our closet and had started digging through no doubt searching for an outfit for me to wear.

She was already all dressed up in nothing else but her favourite colour of course, black.

Black jeans, a black halter top and a black leather jacket paired with black and white converse. It's days like this that I'm grateful her hair isn't dark like mine. Instead her long curls hold some golden blonde highlights.

"Easy for you to say, you're not on the pack's 'most hated' list." I told her as I let out a yawn and stretched my arms.

"Stop exaggerating. You're not on the pack's most hated list, Cryss." Kat told me.

"Yes I am. I was already an outcast in this pack when I got here and now after what happened this summer-"

"What Roman did had nothing to do with you." Kat spoke in a quieter, more gentle voice.

That ache in my chest that I had been trying to suppress all summer came back. But hey, at least I'm not bursting out crying anymore at the slightest memories.

I swung my feet off the bed and got up. "Please don't say his name." I muttered as I tried to busy myself with making my bed. Anything to avoid eye contact with Kat.

Kat's bed which was right beside mine was unmade of course, she was probably planning on coming back after school and going right back to sleep.

A little habit of hers.

"I'm sorry." She spoke in a soft tone. One she usually wouldn't use by the way  but she knew how sensitive I was about this subject matter.

She walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know it's hard going back after all that happened but I'll be there with you every step of the way, I promise."

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

Kat and I weren't sisters, we didn't even know each other until four years ago but she was my best friend, the sister I've never had.

"And," Kat added, "if anyone does say something, I will kick their butts."

I laughed but stopped myself instantly when I realised she wasn't kidding. "Please don't. The last thing we need is to get in trouble or draw attention to ourselves. Besides, wouldn't that kind of attention ruin your chances of getting accepted into the AAP?"

"Oh please, I'm a shoo in for the AAP, I've trained my butt off all year. I've worked harder than anyone in our grade., That's how much I want this."

The Alpha's Apprenticeship Programme or the AAP is a program that our school offers. It gives ordinary students the 'chance of a lifetime'. Undergoing an apprenticeship under the alpha himself.

It sounds like a big deal and around here, I guess it kind of is. The Alpha's apprentices are an elite group made up of the creme de la creme of the pack. They work directly under the alpha and are in charge of dealing with certain social, political and sometimes even international matters. They are basically overrated assistants if you ask me. But Kat has been dreaming of becoming one of them since she was five.

"I agree, they'd be crazy not to pick you." I told her.

And I wasn't just saying that because Kat was my cousin.

She had worked hard to keep her grades up and been dedicated to pouring time and effort into physical training. All to meet the requirements for the program and be eligible.

So I had no doubt that her name would be announced as one of the participants today in our assembly.

The door to our room burst open and Hazel, Kat's ten year old little sister, stuck her head in. Her curly hair, which was much like her big sister's, was tied in two buns on each side of her head. "Mum says you two should get your butts downstairs or you'll be late for school!" She announced in her happy little voice. She didn't even wait for our response before running off.

Shortly after, she came back and peeped in. "Oh and she says you better not be wearing all black, Kat!" She added before running off again.

I stifled a laugh as Kat grumbled something under her breath and marched to the closet.

I walked over to the bathroom we shared and for a second I just stared at my reflection.

"Today won't suck." I told myself.

But even I couldn't bring myself to believe that lie.