Orphan Wolf

Alic... Alic!.... Alaric Jameson Cloverfield!" A women's voice rang through the house and into the small closet of a bedroom.

"Hu?" The small boy questioned wiping sleep from his eyes. He sat up in his bed. The fraim creaked in protest threatening to collapse from that small movement.

"Get up now boy!" The woman yelled furiously.

"Yes momma Ray!" Little Alaric jumped out of bed stumbling as his foot caught in the thin blinket his face hit the ground.

"I won't ask again boy down here NOW!" Momma Ray bellowed.

Alic detangles himself from the thread bear blinket and sprung up. Throwing himself out the door and down the stairs he made his way to momma Ray in the kitchen.

"About time boy!" She yelled grabbing his collar and throwing him into the room. "What good are you if you can't even listen!"

"Sorry momma Ray." Alic responds eyes cast to the ground.

"You just take the food in then come and clean this place up!" She orders

"Yes Ma'am." He says taking the plates and leaving the room.

Alic POV

I enter the dining room to see poppa Jay, Beatrice, and Scotty sitting at the table.

"Hurry up boy we're hungry!" Poppa Jay orders.

"Yes sir." I say placing a plate in front of him and then my foster siblings.

"Where's my coffee!" He screams at me.

"I'll go and get it sir." I respond running back to the kitchen. I can barely reach the pot. Trying not to spill the scolding liquid I place a cup on the floor and pour the coffee. On my tip toes I slide the pot back into place and take the mug to poppa Jay. "Here you are poppa Jay... umm... do you need anything else?"

"You out of my sight would greatly add to my day." He says Tris and Scotty begin to laugh.

"Make yourself useful and clean up the kitchen!" Momma Ray says from her seat at the table.

"Yes ma'am." I say and return to the kitchen to clean.

This is my life for better or worse. I wake up serve my "family" and try not to get in the way. I don't know where I come from. I have real parents. I do! I know it!..... I think they just.... they lost me. They tell me I was found when I was two. I was unconscious lying in the street covered in blood. The scars on my chest make me believe them.

I remember the hospital but nothing before. I was at the Cloverfield home for a while. Since no one knew my last name I got that one. Lucky me. My name itself declaring me orphan unwanted unloved alone.

I've been in this house a year now so I guess it is home.

I pull a chair to the sink and climb up onto it. Filling up one side of the sink with bubbly water my mind wanders. Are they looking for me? Is this it? Does anyone care? The sink begins to run over into the other side breaking me from my thoughts. I quickly turn off the water and toss in the pans from cooking breakfast.

"Aren't you done yet!" Momma Ray's screeching voice hits my overly sensitive ears. "You need to get ready for school so hurry up!"

I quickly run water over the pans clearing them of soap. "Yes mam." I say running out of the room. As I make my way to my attic bed room I am stopped by Scotty.

"What's the hurry runt." He says pushing me back I hit the ground hard.

Scotty is a 10 year old that looks like a teen. He's not fat. It would be easier if he was I'd have something to throw back at him. No he is just tall and strong... I hate it!

"I have to get ready for school!" I say standing up and trying to push past him with no luck.

"Oh yea the runts starting first grade." He says with a laugh. "I dont see why you even need to go. It's not like your good for anything anyway."

"Please Scotty!" I beg him as I try to get past.

"Fine you ain't worth my time anyhow." He says stepping aside. "don't talk to me at school. Just because my parents get paid to keep you here doesn't make you my brother."

I rush up to my room and change as quickly as I can. Like I'd want him as a brother anyway. I only have a few outfits. Most are stained or filled with holes. The best ones are both. I find my best tshirt and some jeans. I pull my belt as tight as it will go locking it through a hole I added with scissors so it would fit. I lace up my too big boots and hurry to the bathroom.

Lucky everyone else is downstairs or I'd never get in. I grab my basket from under the sink. The sink is covered in the families things tooth brushes, a razor, a hair brush, gels and hairspray. Everything the family needs. My little basket is simple but mine.

I wash my face and comb my hair. The dirty blond locks are just starting to get long enough to do something with but I don't dare use Scotty's gel. It doesn't matter anyway. I like my hair but soon poppa Jay will buzz it again. He says I look like a sewer rat when it grows out. As I brush my teeth I notice one is loose. Late bloomer as always I guess. I am 7 and most everyone else has started losing theirs. Little Tris is 6 and she's lost 3. I'm sure it will just give Scotty something else to tease me about.

"Bus is here!" Scotty calls from downstairs. I throw my little basket back under the sink and run after him. "Bye mom, dad!" Scotty and Tris call as we all run out.

We hop on the bus. Scotty runs to the back with his baboons. They all high five and bump shoulders greeting each other. I sit in the front. Most of the kids around me are in kindergarten but I dont care its safer up here. Tris sits next to me.

"I'm nervous Alic." She whispers as the bus lurches forward.

"I know its scary at first but you'll make friends. Just be yourself." I tell her. Tris is sweet unlike the rest of her family. Maybe it's her age and she will grow into a repulsive being like her brother or maybe she is just a good person, who knows?

"Come on sis!" Scotty's voice breaks our sweet moment. "You dont wanna be seen with him!" He says taking Tris by the hand.

"Oh... umm... ok"... bye Alic." She says as her brother leads her to the back. It's probably better for her. Her brother is the dictator of the bus what he says goes. No one will mess with her if they know shes related to him.

"Bye." I say with a wave. The bus is crowded but no one sits with me. I guess that's a perk of being an outcast... leg room!

I go to my new classroom and see the same faces as last year. They all ignore me as usual as I take my seat. I put my head down ignoring the kids that join my table. At least I get a break from my "family" while I'm here.

"Bout time you show up!" I hear over my shoulder as hands wrap around me. I look up and see Ruby. She is my only friend. She started kindergarten at 6 but had to repeat a year because she missed too many days. Some medical thing she won't talk about. So she is 8 now.

"Hay Ruby!" I say smiling at her.

She sits down beside me throwing her red hair over one shoulder and running her hands through it.

"How was your summer?" She asks.

I just groan. I love Ruby but she already knows the answer and that I'd rather ignore my home life while here. She just likes to talk. I know that but still I don't. However I am saved from responding by the same trate that that makes her ask me questions.

"Mine was great! I got to run with the pack all summer it was amazing!" She says.

Ruby is funny. She lives in a neighborhood in the woods and calls her neighbors her pack. It is a gated community no one ever gets to visit. Its kinda creepy looking to be honest it sets me on edge whenever I get close so I avoid it. Most people do. Other than the ones who live there no one even looks in the direction of their land.

"I'm glad you had fun Ruby." I tell her.

"Did you read it!" She yells.

It's funny she reads at a super high level like I sware she could just skip to middle school. She pulls me along with her by making me read like 6th grade level books. She helps me alot and I do better than most of my classmates but I only do it for her I honestly dont care.

"Yea I read it but really why did you make me read this?" I ask her handing her back the book. She has made me read fairy tales and history books before most of them at least somewhat interesting but this?

"What you didn't like it?" She asked looking hurt.

"Its just... well its dry... it's a little over my head... I mean come on it's a fairy tale about werewolves that reads like a science textbook." I tell her.

"Its got alot of cool information in it tho... it talks about shifting and history... why it happens how it happens... I find it cool!" She says.

"Yea... cool" I say sarcastically rolling my eyes. "You know fiction is supposed to be fun right? Action and suspense! Something that doesn't make you fall asleep."

"Yea whatever... I thought you'd like it." I can see the hurt on her face as she slides the book into her bag.

"Sorry Ruby." I say trying to comfort her "I guess we just have different tastes."

"Drop it Alic!" She says and turns to face the teacher.

The day went on and by recess Ruby had forgotten she was mad at me. Girl can't hold a grudge to save her life.

"Come on let's play!" She called to me as we ran out the doors to the playground.

We ran an obstacle course through the big toy nearly pushing other kids off. Ruby always wins. She is one of the fastest kids here. We play for a while until....

"Ahhhhhhhh!" I scream holding my ears. I look up to see kids staring at me. Ruby is crouched by my side worry painted across her face. She pulls me up and we walk toward the school. "What was that noise?" I whisper to her.

"It was just the bell Alic" she tells me.

Yea right! The bell isn't that loud or ear splitting. No way.

"Whatever you say Ruby." I tell her.

The rest of the day was uneventful. The first day is always boring.

"See you tomorrow Alic!" Ruby says as she walks toward her group. It is an odd mix of kids K-12 many ethnicities, sizes, hair colors. They all live in Ruby's neighborhood so they walk home together. I don't get how that many kids get along so well but I guess she's just lucky to have so many people care about her.

"Yea see ya!" I say and turn to meet a face I try to avoid.