TRISTAN
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
Classes at Unity are both tedious and hideously archaic. The government was smart in making Omega accreditation mandatory because no one in their right mind would want to be here if they didn’t have to. Except for Bella. And her rather large crowd of wannabes. I guess it’s more accurate to say it’s only me and my Scorned Girls that loathe being shackled to the halls of Unity, wasting our days learning about the difference between steaming and ironing.
The Omega mothers are so insistent as Omegas we do nothing but dote on our Alphas and packs that they forget the marvel of living in our modern society. I have tried raising the issue by explaining if we use what’s in front of us—like restaurants and dry cleaning—we’d have more time to dote, but they dismiss my arguments, insisting I’m missing the whole ethos of being an Omega.
They're right, because I want more out of life than having to dote. Despite the endless subtle and obvious threats Unity makes about keeping me back a year, it’s not like they can, considering who my parents are.
While people don’t talk too much about Raney being a Grady, or Ho being a Verdune, the faculty here gossip incessantly about my heritage. Drop the name Pack Cameron in a discussion and most people gasp in awe. I guess if you weren’t the by-product of two of the purest Omega matches in modern day society, you’d be impressed, but I know Pack Cameron as my parents. And they’re cool but not that cool. I mean they are, but at the same time they are just people. People who all other Omegas aspire to be.
As far as genetics go, I should be the belle of the ball. But in the process of evolution supposedly the pure genetics of my Omega parents got a little mashed up at conception. My parents always tease and tell me somehow my ‘volume’ and ‘appropriate’ buttons got twisted up and spun around like a tornado touching ground. No doubt my family loves and encourages me to be who I am but the mothers at Unity have made it a quest of theirs while I am a student to resolve the issue with voice coaches, deportment classes, and long lectures on being less black and white in my approach to life.
“Ladies, settle down please,” Omega Beatrice says, clapping her hands, her rummy eyes lasering across the room to me. Which is entirely unfair since I am definitely not responsible for the loud chattering today. Almost every student in attendance is buzzing with excitement, nearly feral as they wait for today’s Alpha function to commence.
“Fuck me dead, Bella is frothing at the bit, isn’t she,” Raney says, trying to talk under her breath. But like me, subtly is not my girl’s strong point.
“Language,” one of the Omega mothers walking down the sides of the room leans into our aisle, her words aimed at Raney. In truth, it could have been any of us since the four of us haven’t stopped whispering.
However, unlike the rest of the Unity student body, we’re not busting at the seams to get outside and meet the visiting packs. The girls and I will linger, smile at the right Alphas like expected, then make a runner the first chance we get.
“I’m not sure what to do. I’ve got a shoot booked with the asshole photographer,” I share with the girls as soon as the mothers are out of hearing range.
And I get pinned to my seat by three besties staring at me in various states of disbelief.
“The one that gave you a black eye last year?” Raney asks slowly, her eyebrows pitching dramatically, matching her volume.
I nod my head eagerly, dropping in a fake ass smile because she’s unnecessarily sassing me. I mean, it’s not like I collect black eyes for a hobby.
“Don’t do it,” Heidi growls, adjusting her Hermes scarf on her throat before dropping a hand on Raney’s, leg subtly reminding her to use her inside voice or stop being a bitch.
“She’ll be fine,” Simona says, softly patting my hand encouragingly. “But we should go with you.”
I lean my head against Sim’s shoulder and sink into her quiet resigned approach to life, telling her the truth. “You won’t be able to. It’s during exams. I got approval at the start of the year to be excused from pretty much whatever, you know that,” I tell her but twist around to catch all of them rolling their eyes.
The money to attend Unity is over the top and getting favours from faculty is near impossible, but since all the Omegas in my family graduated from here, I definitely get more grace than others. Without a doubt, it’s also got to do with the great-granny Pearls scholarship too.
Omega Beatrice tries again with a louder clap of hands and this time she succeeds wrangling back control. Voices drop lower and there’s a shuffle of movement as the students turn to facethe front again, luckily someone nearby coughs because it hides the buzz of my phone. As discreetly as I can I pull my phone out and click the link. My eyes nearly pop out of my head, and it’s lucky Omega Mother starts talking because she covers my gasp.
“Ladies, please remember you will be marked for your interaction with our packs today. The way you speak, the topics you choose are vitally important. And whatever you do, please do not embarrass Unity.”
Unsurprisingly, most of the mothers glance our way but we keep our eyes locked on the stage. I still manage to pass my phone over to Ho who’s in the middle of the other two so they can all read the news article.
We get a few more minutes full of reminders and expectations before the doors are finally opened, exposing the cookie cutter Alphas standing around in their suits and polished shoes. While the students surge towards them, the girls and I trail behind slower to read the article properly.
“Is that the photographer’s studio?” Heidi asks, slipping my phone back in my pocket.
“Was,” I answer while distributing the crystal glasses off the tray as the mothers watch.
“It burnt down?” Raney asks.
“Someone burnt it down by the sounds. The Fire Chief confirms arson and interestingly it says this is the second time it has happened. And the owner is not helping authorities with their investigation. Again,” Simona talks softly, before handing off a silver tray of hors d’oeuvres to one of the other junior Omegas for them to serve.
As soon as we’re alone the three of them look at me accusingly. “What? I didn’t do it.”
“Did we say that? You said yourself it’s not the first time he’d cracked onto the people he works with,” Heidi says, her lips barely moving as one of the Alphas walks towards us. She cutshim off in an instant, turning her back to him, and we follow her over to the drinks station.
I pour out carbonated water for each of us, “Yeah. He had a bit of a reputation.”
