Aileen Erin - Becoming Alpha

Copyright 2013 by Ink Monster LLC

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN 9780989405010

Ink Monster, LLC.
34 Chandler Place
Newton, MA 02464

www.inkmonster.net

This book is dedicated to my best friend, partner, husband. Thank you for encouraging me to follow my dreams, for your unwavering support in all things, and for believing in me when I didnt even believe in myself. You have my heart always.

The noise from the party raging downstairs seeped into my quiet space. I palmed my blue and red bouncy ball as I lay on my bed facing the wall. I threw it in the air a few times to watch the colors blur together before bouncing it off the wall above my headboard.

It was ten oclock at night on a Thursday, and the party was just getting started. My parents said that having people over tonight was unavoidable. We were leaving for Cedar Ridge, Texasa town too small to register on most mapsin a few days, and people wanted to say good-bye. Any other seventeen year old would probably be excited about sneaking a drink or having an excuse to buy a new dress, but not me. I wasnt much of a party person. Or a people person.

With my stuff already packed up and the TVs unhooked, I was beyond bored. Still, there was no way I was going downstairs.

Id disappeared to my room as soon as the caterers arrived. Since then, Id found the end of the internet. Apparently there were only so many .gifs a girl could enjoy. Unless I wanted to pay for crappy re-runs, I was out of things to watch and left with only a bouncy ball to aid in my entertainment.

Itd been a bad idea to pack everything but my essentials so early. Twenty-three small boxes were stacked against the side of my room. Most of them were filled with books. The only stuff that Id left unpacked would fit into a small duffel bag and my backpack.

But a bouncy ball was better than nothing, and much better than braving the crowd downstairs. I threw it to the beat of the music and counted down the seconds. Those would turn into minutes, and then into hours, and then eventually back into quiet so I could go to sleep. I was really looking forward to a fresh start. The sooner I could go to sleep, the sooner itd be tomorrow.

Only three more nights until Texas. Until everything would change. I smiled at the thought. This girl could use some change.

A knock came from my door. Bathrooms downstairs, I yelled. I held my breath as I listened, hoping they heard me.

The knob turned. Shit. I shouldve locked it.

I hopped off my bed. Hey

Whatcha doin, Tessa? My older brother, Axel, swung open the door.

I sat back down on the bed. He knew exactly what I was doing. What do you want?

He leaned against the doorframe. He was well over half a foot taller than me, but that didnt mean much to my five feet and almost nothing inches. We had the same wavy dark brown hairwhen he let his growand the same dark brown eyes, thanks to our Latina mom. Dad wants you to come downstairs, even if its just for a minute. People are asking about you.

I made a face. Id rather not. Cover for me?

What if I said a certain celeb was down there? He waggled his eyebrows. The one who I saw you drooling over last week?

I threw the ball at him and he caught it, laughing. The jerk. Dads combo of PR work and law degree made him a hot commodity in Hollywood. He now had an enviable number of high profile clients. If I were more into the LA scene, then maybe the guest list wouldve been appealing.

I chewed on my lip, unable to deny the draw of my latest actor crushJames MacAvoy. Nothing hotter than a guy with a sexy Scottish accent. Hes really downstairs?

Axel nodded.

I thought for a second and then sighed. Still cant do it. I dont want to destroy the illusion that my favorite Scotsman is absolute perfection. What if he has a zit? Or spills something on himself? Or worsewhat if I accidentally touch him and get a vision? The dream will shatter. And that, big brother, is not worth it. Even if I was willing to risk having a million other random visions, which Im not.

He rolled his eyes at me and stepped into my room.

Hey! I jumped off the bed. Dont come in here. This is a clean zone. He knew I wasnt referring to the fact that I was a neat-freak, but that everything in the room was new. Touched by a minimal amount of people. It was my only defense. A quick brush of skin-against-skin, or even skin-against-other-persons-property, was sometimes enough to give me an in-depth view into their mind. As much as that might sound like fun, it was usually more icky than cool.

He held up his hands. Please, Tess. I know the drill. He moseyed his way to my bed and collapsed. Come here. He patted his side.

I looked at him suspiciously. The shirts new?

Yes.

I lay down on my side next to him, resting my head on his chest.

A quick vision of a factory in some Asian country filled my mind. The humid heat had me sweating as the clacking of hundreds of sewing machines echoed in my head.

Are you sweating? Axels voice brought me back to my room. Christ. Its like lying next to a furnace.

I elbowed him as I rolled away. Your fault. Thats a sweatshop shirt youre wearing.

Shit. I actually liked this shirt. He pulled it away from his chest, making a face as if itd suddenly grown mold. I should let you touch my stuff before I buy anything.

I wiped the sweat from my brow. If you like it, then wear it. You already did whatever damage you were going to do by buying it in the first place. You never wouldve known if you didnt have a freak for a sister.

He was quiet for a second. Youre going to have to come out of this room at some point. You cant hide forever.

He did this at least once a month, but he hadnt gotten the family gift. I had.

Youre not Rogue, you know, he said.

Oh God. He was on variation five-B of the speech also known as The Comic Book Rip-off. Youre not going to kill someone if you touch them, I finished for him, mimicking his deeper voice.

Right. Well. I still think that if you learned to block it out instead of trying to avoid it, then youd be able to have some kind of normal life.

Maybe he was right, but you couldnt wash your mind or un-see things. Yeah, well, believe it or not, too much information is an actual thing. Like getting the glimpse of when you and Bambi

Blair.

Whatever. I gagged.

I dont know why youre so stubborn. Not letting anyone touch you isnt the answer.

I elbowed him again. Gross! You want people to touch me. Thats so messed up.

Shut it. You know what I meant. He messed up my hair. Im gone in a few weeks, and Im worried about you.

I glanced up at him. We looked like twins, except he was all angles, whereas my face was round. Axel was only two years older than me, and was, without a doubt, my best friend. Ill be fine without your butt stinking up the house.

He smiled like I wanted, but I wasnt so sure that Id actually be fine. Even if he wouldnt admit it, I knew hed picked a Texas college because wed still be within driving distance. I hated that hed turned down other schools, and hated myself a little for being glad that hed done it.

He nudged me. I dare you to find out what the deal is with Dads new job.

What do you mean?

Hes leaving his celeb-filled job in LA to work for some random boarding school in Texas. That doesnt strike you as odd at all?

I shrugged. I guess I hadnt thought about it. Im just looking forward to not going back to school here. I dont think I could take another year of those monsters. I paused. I shouldnt have brought that up. Look. The gloves will work fine in a school thats clueless as to what they mean. Im old enough not to talk about what I see anymore. Plus, Im getting better at minimizing the number of visions I get. Itll be a fresh start, and Im not about to poke holes in something that might actually be a good thing.