Chapter 1 – Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry

Filed To Story: Their Bullied and Broken Mate by Teri Petry

My name is Melian

My name is Melian Carter, I am 17 years old and a member of the Mystic Shadows pack. I am the Beta’s only daughter, and I have 5 older brothers. Thomas, Jason, Eric, Michael and Todd are not only my brothers, but my abusers. Our mother passed away when I was only 5 years old, and once she was gone, I became the punching bag for all of their anger. I wasn’t safe from anyone anymore, including my father. About 2 years ago, my brother, Jason, started to try and protect me from my brother’s wrath. He would try to defuse the situation before it escalated, but most times they would fight him too. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve the abuse, but I will soon be 18 and am leaving this goddess forsaken pack. Only 15 more hours.

“Melian!!! Get your ass downstairs! You are going to be late for school and I refuse to take you if you are tardy.” my stepmother Constance yelled. Constance was a short round woman, her voice was like nails on a chalkboard. She was my father’s second chance mate, and I don’t even think he liked her much. He was never home, and left her to care for us kids alone. Along with her loudness, she had a distinct smell of pickles. If this is the scent that drew my dad to her, I feel sorry for him. Then again, sorrow and hatred are the only things I feel for all of my family. The word love wasn’t in my vocabulary where they were concerned anymore. I gathered my things for school and shoved them in my backpack. I grabbed my jacket and made my way downstairs to the kitchen.

The smell of coffee and burnt toast filled the house, and I sat at the counter to eat my breakfast of burnt toast, eggs and coffee with a lot of hazelnut creamer. “Hurry up and eat, we are going to be late. You know how much I dislike being late, young lady.” she still complained. I threw my eggs in between my toast and wrapped them in a paper towel. I poured my coffee in a thermos and went out to the car where my stepmother was waiting. The drive to school was quiet, thank the goddess, and within no time she was pulling up in front of the school to drop me off. “Jason will be here to pick you up. Do not make him wait. Your chore list will be on the counter. If you know what’s best for you, make sure they are done before I get home at 5pm,” she said as I got out.

Nodding my head, I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Constance tore out of the parking lot like she was late for her own funeral. She had no concern for the safety of the students walking through the parking lot. Shaking my head, I took my breakfast and walked to the library. I went there every morning before my first class to avoid the Elite. Who are the Elite you ask? Well, let me tell you. The Elite consists of Lisa and Kyle Montana and their group of lemmings.

Lisa has been my bully since 3rd grade, and to be honest, I have no idea what her deal is with me. I know she had crushes on all of my brothers, but they wouldn’t give her time of day. My brother, Thomas, even rejected Lisa’s best friend Morgan when he found out they were mates. She is almost 19 and still a senior in high school. Her parents held her back in the ninth grade because her grades were so horrible. I can remember her mom coming to me to see if I would tutor her in science and math. I had to laugh at her for even suggesting it. I don’t care how much she wanted to pay me, that was a hard pass. I’m pretty smart considering I don’t get much time to actually study. Once I get home, it’s chores and cooking dinner. Then clean up after dinner and do more chores. By the time they are all done, I have enough time for a shower and then go to bed. All my studying happens in the library after I get to school in the mornings.

I pulled my history book out of my backpack, and opened it to the chapters we had been studying. I started to finish eating my toast and egg sandwich, and heard laughter coming into the library. I would know that laugh anywhere. Looking up, there was Lisa Montana with a new girl in school named Jasmine. “Melly, there you are. I’m sure you have met the new girl, Jasmine. She needs a tutor to get caught up with Mrs. Saxx’s biology class. You are going to do that for her. Understand?” Lisa sneered.

Rolling my eyes, I looked up at the girls and said, “Lisa, I will tell you exactly what I tell you every single time you try and demand me to teach your lackeys. It’s a hard pass because I don’t have time for that shit. So go find someone else to bother.” I went back to reading and finishing my breakfast when I felt like I had been hit by a lead pipe. I grabbed my head and looked to see what she had hit me with. In her hands she held one of the bookends from the shelf behind us. She had an evil smirk on her face, and Jasmine’s matched hers. I looked at my hands and they were covered in blood, and I started to get dizzy. Next thing I knew, Lisa had a hand full of my hair and was dragging me out of the library and into the girls’ bathroom. She threw me on the ground and her and Jasmine started to kick me over and over in the ribs. I tried to cry out but the words wouldn’t leave my mouth. “If you even think about tattling on us, you will regret it! You think this is bad, just try me!” she screamed at me. Jasmine laughed the whole time. This is my life. The life of Melian Carter, abused and beaten at any given chance. Only 15 more hours until I turn 18.

Spilling my guts

The rest of the day, I hid out in the forest surrounding the school grounds. There was an old evergreen tree with a hollowed out trunk that became my secret sanctuary. When the days were bad, I went there to find solace. After this morning, I couldn’t face the others in my classes while covered in my own blood. I could hear the school bells in the distance and I picked up my phone to check the time. I had one class left and it was one of my advanced classes, so I needed to make sure I attended.

I picked myself up off the ground and started to head back to school. I was a hot mess with the matted blood on the pink side of my hair, and dried blood on my face. I didn’t even waste time cleaning up. I was too focused on getting out of there when I was attacked by Lisa and Jasmin. It hurt to move, but I wasn’t hanging around to let them hurt me more. As I got to the door to go in, I heard a man yell my name. “Melian Carter, where have you been hiding, young lady?” Mr. Daniels, our school principal asked. Shit. “Um, I had to get some fresh air sir.” I told him. Which was true, just not all the details.

“Fresh air, huh? You know it’s against the rules to leave school grounds at any time, right? Come with me, Melian,” he said and gestured towards his office. I held my backpack in my arms a little tighter and followed behind him. I prayed to the goddess above that he wouldn’t call my dad or stepmom. That would be a final nail in my coffin if he did. We entered his office and he pointed to the chair across from his desk and nodded for me to sit. He left the room briefly and when he returned he had a wet washcloth and a bottle of water. He handed them both to me and softly told me to clean myself and drink the water.

I was softly crying at this point, and he sat in his chair behind his desk. “Ms. Carter, would you like to tell me how you got into the state you are in?” He asked me calmly with a sympathetic tone. I shook my head and told him that I didn’t want to talk about it, but he said that if I didn’t help him help me, he would call my parents and bring them in for a meeting. The tears started to fall harder than before, and I told him everything that had been going on at school for years.

After I finished, he sat back in his chair and let out a deep sigh. “Well, that was a lot to take in. Why didn’t you come to me when this all started?” he asked. Wiping my tears away with the back of my hand, I replied while keeping my eyes on my knees, “Would it have made a difference sir? I mean, a real difference in a positive light? No, it wouldn’t have. It would have only made things worse. They are truly relentless when it comes to their bullying. Even now, I’m begging you not to confront them. I only have to get through the rest of this school year, or even just the next few hours until I turn 18, and I think it would just be best to drop it. Please, Mr. Daniels, don’t confront them, and please don’t call my family.”

He stared at his calender on his desk as if to be studying it. It felt like time stood still for even just those few moments. The anticipation was killing me. The ticking of the clock on the wall was deafening, and the smell of stale coffee and Old Spice lingered in the room. I just kept repeating the same words over and over ‘Please agree…..Please agree’. Finally, he looked up at me and took a deep breath and held it. After releasing his breath, he stood up and moved the chair next to me. He took my hand and started to speak.

“Melian, I am not going to lie and say that I am comfortable with your request. However, I will honor it. For now. If anything else happens, you have to come straight to me. Understand? There is no other way for me to agree with this. I will be keeping my eye on Ms. Montana and her crew, and if I get a hint of anything being off, they will be expelled. I can’t have this kind of behavior in my school. Now, Melian, I need you to tell me why you are so adamant about not contacting your family. Shouldn’t they know?” he asked.

I shook my head violently and I must have had a look of terror in my eyes, because what he said next said more than I ever could. “Are you being mistreated at home, Ms. Carter? Even with your father holding a high position in the pack, you can tell me. The Alpha needs to know.” he said softly. Pulling myself together, I managed to get out a small whisper, “He already does, and does nothing. If you go to the Alpha or pretty much anyone in my family, I will face worse than what Lisa or her lackeys could ever do,” I told him. The look of shock on his face said it all. He proceeded to ask me what felt like a million questions, but made sure to assure me that he would stay quiet this time. I promised to get my head looked at by the school nurse before leaving for home to make sure I didn’t need stitches.

He also requested an x-ray of my ribs. Our medical unit at school was fully equipped with everything a doctor or nurse would need in case of emergencies. I left his office to fulfill my end of the bargain, and finished with the nurse just in time for the last bell of the day. I put the stuff I didn’t need in my locker, and grabbed my bag to leave. I shut my locker door and turned, only to come face to face with my brother Jason. “We need to talk, Mel. It’s urgent.”

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