Strangers▪ Matei Covaci imagine

Eight

I sit statue-like on the new sofa that smells of ikea, as my mother adjusts everything in sight three million times. Repeatedly I run through what to do when they arrive, but for the second time today my internal state of panic is disallowing my mind to think rationally. The energy from the full moon doesn't help either; my heart is racing abnormally, black veins flow up and down my arms and I can smell everything. I sense a fly stuck in a web in a corner of the room, trapped from flying carelessly into the tranquil abyss and condemned to die a horrible death.

I've never related to anything more than that poor fly.

"Y/n I really think you should change." My mum says for the sixth time, looking me up and down disapprovingly.

"And I really think that they won't care, mother." I remark quietly, looking down at my grey hoodie and black jeans. I'm starting to doubt if it's a good idea to show Matei who I really am; an angsty, depressed teen with no makeup.

I almost jump out of my skin when the doorbell rings. I hear the exchange of excitable hellos, accompanied by the smell of wolfbloods drifting closer.

Here goes nothing.

I spring up from the sofa quickly, making my vision go blurry. It's enough to make me feel sick, really sick.

Awkwardly, I smile at the two adults who enter just behind my mum. It's strange, neither resemble Matei at all. Short, with blonde hair and smiles that don't spark any familiarity, they're making me question if I'm mistaken about all this. the woman introduces herself as Cassie and her husband as Sam. she asks if I've settled into school, to which I give a neutral hum.

My dad comes in after showing Cassie and Sam's children where we transform. I subtly cross my fingers, praying that -despite the odds- there's another wolfblood family on the street.

A small, brunette girl enters, followed by an older boy I'm already familiar with.

Nevermind.

"Emilia, Matei, this is y/n" their mother introduces me before the adults start their own conversation.

I'm so concerned about how I look and what they're thinking, I forget to say anything at all. It stays like this for a good 10 minutes until one of us finally breaks the silence.

"I like your necklace," Emilia says, smiling at the pendant around my neck.

"Oh, thank you" I manage, looking down at the blue crescent-moon shaped stone hanging from a long chain. "It was my grandmother's. She was a wildie."

"A what?"

"Wild wolfblood." Matei answers, his broken silence startling me.

"Yeah, that." I say, catching Matei's glance. The longer my gaze lingers, the more I'm questioning if this is awkward or if -somehow- I'm making this work.

"Do you get to see her?" Emilia asks, sitting next to me to take a closer look at the pendant.

"Oh no, no. She was killed by hunters." I say casually, earning a gasp from the curious younger wolfblood. I smile at her unexpected enthusiasm. So does Matei.

"How do you know that?" he asks. He looks genuinely interested, however there's something else in his expression. Something that takes me back to sitting on the wet grass before everything went to shit.

I don't realise I've zoned out for an embarrassingly long time until Emilia taps me lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh, sorry. What-what was the question?" I ask in a flustered tone, feeling my face turn red. What have I done? Do they think I was staring at Matei's face? I wasn't, but it sure as hell looks like I was.

An overwhelming feeling of deja vu consumes me. This has happened twice in one bloody day. I've ruined it all, again.

Emilia repeats the question and I give a rushed reply before excusing myself clumsily. I make a beeline for the back garden, knowing the cool evening air is what I deserve after managing to at least start well.

The garden smells of freshly cut grass and -although it's not large- reminds me of sitting in an open field. I breathe in deeply, letting my eyes close and my bare feet sink into the ticklish grass. I haven't thought once about eolas since moving to Newcastle, as I presumed I would lose the ability, however without even trying I find myself looking down from above the street. There's something unexplainably calming about eolas. I guess its value amongst able wolfbloods lies in escapism, particularly for those with a busy city lifestyle.

Someone approaches me from behind, but I don't acknowledge their presence straight away. I jump slightly and turn around to see Matei, his face half lit by the sinking amber sun.

"Sorry to interrupt," he says, half smiling "I was wondering if you were okay.". He looks at me with genuine concern, only making me more confused as to where we stand.

I nod and roll up my hoodie sleeves to my elbows; I can't help feeling slightly flustered after my most recent embarrassing encounter with Matei.

"I guess I'm just nervous. I've never transformed in a basement before." I explain, astounded that my brain and mouth are finally on the same wavelength. At least he didn't ask why I was staring at him...

He nods. "Me neither."

I take a moment to look him up and down. I'm not gonna lie, Matei's got a lot going for him in terms of looks. The schools uniform policy is fairly lenient, but only now can I fully appreciate how in shape he is thanks to his white fitted t-shirt. His face shape defies everything I know; how can he look so soft and smooth but also have a jawline that could cut glass? The soft curls in his dark hair make him look somewhat adorable, and I still can't get over that fucking marvellous smile.

His eyes are looking up and down too, though I don't have much to impress him with. I catch him glancing down at my hands and hastily pull my hoody sleeves back down to cover my wrists. As I do, I notice the black veins crawling across the backs of my hands.

"We should probably get back," Matei says, looking down at his own hands, similar to my own.

I nod, however as we walk in I remember the reason I was so anxious for this evening, making me stop in my tracks. I call out his name and as he turns around his eyes turn yellow, making me panic. I need to think quickly before we run out of time...

"Why were you so rude to me on the field this morning?"

Okay, I guess we're going with the direct approach.

I can tell he knows precisely what I'm referring to. And I can tell he's been expecting this, as he sighs and looks shyly at the floor, running a hand through his hair.

He opens his mouth to explain, but unfortunately, my dad arrives on the scene and insists we head to the basement. Matei and I exchange a knowing look as he pushes past me, joining his family in the basement whilst I consider screaming at mine. Why is it that every time I finally think I've made a connection, someone has to interrupt?

Sulkily, I trudge down the steps to the dimly lit basement, infuriated that- for the second time today- I am back to square one with Matei.

Author's note

Heyy, here's a slightly longer chapter for you lovelies. This story just passed 600 reads (whooooo), and although that's not a lot, I wanted to give a massive thank you to sticking with it despite the slow uploads :)