The Unknown Person

Today is the same as any other day. I’m hurriedly cleaning my house just like how I rushed everything yesterday. If you’re curious why, it’s because my parents and my sister are coming home. If I were you, I’d think “so what?” but whatever. Just think of this as a pity soul ranting about her life.

To be honest, I’ve always been left behind. For what reason? I don’t know. Or probably I do, but I can’t accept it. They say it’s because my sister and I don’t get along. But so what? At this age, I realized that if they really loved and cared for me, instead of distancing me from my sister, they would force us to be good together. That’s just my thought, from a lonely brain that was always left behind. A pitiful mindset that made me learn how to cook just to survive alone. A belief that if I wanted to be noticed, I had to shine… but forget it. Sometimes staying in the darkness is much better.

While I was wiping the window full of dust, it was funny that there’s still a lot of it even though I clean this house every day. As if the world is telling me that no matter how much I clean, it will be the same tomorrow. I’m talking about my memories. If you forget them now, you’ll still try to forget them again tomorrow. But then, just like how you get used to wiping windows, you get used to forgetting everything. Just like how I forget to be happy whenever they come back, and forget to be sad whenever they leave me alone in this house.

“Too dusty,” I sighed as I continued wiping the last window. I also forgot the guilt I always feel whenever I eat alone without waiting for them. I forgot the curiosity about what my sister ate, if it was delicious or not.

Despite forgetting lots of things, there is one thing that’s hard for me to forget. Just like the permanent stain on these tiles, no matter how much effort I use, there’s no way to make it disappear. Just like how my jealousy lingers over my sister. I’m jealous of the attention she gets, not only from my parents or relatives, but from everyone around me.

I tried to mop the stain covering the tiles. “Guess it’s a no again. Mom will surely compare our tiles to someone else’s,” I whispered. Just like how my thoughts whisper to me whenever they compare me to my sister.

Saying she’s more beautiful, smarter, a better child, good at everything. I stretched my back and my arms. “Too tired,” I mumbled. Forget it. Nothing changes. Just like how this stain stays, my worth in this house never changes. I put away all the cleaning materials right as I heard the door open.

I ran toward the door. Of course, it was my parents and my sister. But today, there was something different. Two new people. Probably guests. Most likely for my sister. Nothing new.

I was about to take my mother’s belongings when the unfamiliar woman stood in front of me. “Hi. You’re probably Berries Andres Mary, am I right?” Her eyes were twinkling and her lips carried a comforting smile. It almost made me cry. It was the first time someone approached me like that.

I was stunned. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to speak. “What are you doing here? How did you know my name?” I asked.

For the first time in my life, I felt stupid. Of all things to say, why ask something so obvious?

I was about to speak again when another face showed up. A man this time. He tried to approach me but I stepped back, raising my eyebrows at them with confusion. “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t know what’s going on.” I glanced at my parents, hoping for an answer, but of course they stayed silent. “Why are you here? And who are you?”

The man scratched the back of his neck and laughed softly. “I think we scared you. We’re sorry. We’re just happy to see you.” As he spoke, the woman held my hand.

“Bam, right?” she said while holding it. I looked into her eyes. She was so sincere, it made me want to stay with her. “Your parents said that’s your nickname, and that you’re the one who came up with it.” Her smile comforted me. It was as if she knew me. “Bam, I’ll be straightforward. Your parents sold you to us. They said it’s more important for your sister to get an education, so they needed money. We promised that when we talked to you, we would pay them one million.” She continued. I was shocked. Who wouldn’t be?

Pain filled my chest as I looked at my family. So in the end, they chose her. I guess it’s true that you don’t need to do your best to be loved. My sister is the best example of that.

I was hurting, but for some reason, I wanted to smile. “Is that so? That’s good. Because of me, my sister can study. I know they don’t consider me their daughter, but why does it hurt so much to know they sold me?” I laughed and scratched my head.

I saw the pity in the woman’s eyes, but I smiled anyway. “I did everything, but she’s still more important. It’s okay. Not surprising at all. I just wanted to laugh with them at dinner, but I guess that’s impossible.”

When I finally let myself cry, the woman immediately hugged me. “Shhh. I know you’re hurting. They’re your parents. I don’t understand why they treat you like this. But remember, you’re the luckiest girl to be sold by your parents. Even if they didn’t act like parents to you, we are ready to accept you as our daughter.” Her words made me happy as I looked at her. The man came closer.

“Of course I am too. Sometimes blood doesn’t matter. Acceptance does,” the man said as he happily messed my hair.

If I go, will my parents think of me as one of them?

If I come back, will they worry about me?

If I return, will they think I’m important?

If I go with them, will they miss me?

Of course not. Because if they cared, I would have known a long time ago.

Yes, I already know the answer. The answer is no. That will never happen.

Two years later…

I’m at the back of the school, because some guys claim they know my secret. It would be fine if that secret was just about my adoption, but it seems they know I’m not a werewolf like them.

How did that happen? Well, my adoptive parents are high-class werewolves, and now I’m pretending to be one. This university is run by them, so I don’t understand how these guys found out.

I want to say I don’t care, but I also don’t want to die. Being found out is a big no. “What do you need from me?” I asked the man with red hair.

He looks handsome, but obviously my brother Lance is more attractive. “How long will you keep grabbing my collar?”

I added, raising my eyebrow as my voice also rose. I don’t even know what I did, yet they treat me like this.

“Don’t be loud. If our classmates hear you, they might think we’re bullying you,” the black-haired man said sharply. I immediately rolled my eyes. If this were the human world, four guys cornering one girl would put them all in jail.

I honestly don’t care if others hear me. That would be better. But seriously, I didn’t know Alphas had such strong instincts. When I first came into this world, I was like, “no way, this looks like fantasy,” but now I’m used to it. If they acted like this the moment I arrived, I’d probably have run off crying. Maybe thanks to my brother, the first son of my adoptive parents, I didn’t.

“What do I care? Let me go!” I snapped. The light blue-haired man cut in. “If you don’t stop, I’ll kiss you,” he said with a smile.

What do I care? Of course he’s joking. But I can’t just ignore it. It’s my first kiss. “Can you four stop doing this to me? I promised my mom and dad that I wouldn’t—”

I didn’t finish because the light blue-haired guy suddenly kissed me.

Son of a buffalo. That was my first kiss. Why is the world so cruel to me? “There. You shut up too,” he said, grinning.

Who wouldn’t shut up after being randomly kissed by a stranger? “Dude, what you did was wrong. You could find another way to silence her,” the yellow-haired man said. He’s right. You’re wrong, blue boy. Why kiss a girl just to silence her? What a fool.

“The important thing is that she’s silent,” the light blue-haired guy said. And the important thing is that you’re not important, punk. I don’t like him. Not that I should like any of them, but I really don’t like him.

“That’s right. We better talk to this girl,” the black-haired guy said seriously. No matter how I look at it, I really don’t like them. I’m just pretending to be a werewolf. Why do they waste time humiliating me?

“What do you need?” I asked softly. I want this over, because I still have to see Daddy. I’m sure he’ll say he misses me.

So many things changed when they became my parents. They accepted me completely and made me feel like their real child even though I’m not a werewolf. Then I felt the red-haired guy loosen his hold on me.

“We know you’re not a werewolf.”

So… I know that too.

No.

It can’t be.

My life as a werewolf has just been shattered.