Soul Lines (Completed)

Chapter Two

Chapter Two
Elle's POV

With hands that now matched Nannas – red and raw from scrubbing potatoes, pale and wrinkled from being submerged as I washed the dishes – I was almost ready to join everyone outside.

Tears caused by onion fumes pricked my eyes, and I resisted the urge to rub them dry as I trudged up the stairs towards my room. I'd managed to hold back the tears, keeping my mascara intact, but there was no telling how my eyes might water if I started poking leftover onion directly into my eyes.

The party had already begun, and I didn't have time to redo my makeup. I'd spent the day in the woods, and going downstairs without a shower was hardly appealing – a tedious task had presented itself. I lowered the showerhead before stepping in, keeping it cold so the steam wouldn't shift my makeup, and staring up at the ceiling, counting my lucky stars and praying they were enough.

I wasn't under the spray for long – just enough time to scrub the dirt and scent of onion from my skin. After getting dressed, I glanced out the window, watching the party unfolding in my backyard.

Finding Kendra was easy. I recognised her pretty floral dress, worn combat boots and olive denim jacket from the pictures she'd sent asking for my opinion. She was by the rusted iron wheelbarrow, which we'd filled with ice and cans of soft drinks, studying her choices before reaching in and plucking a pink can of creaming soda from the ice's cold clutches.

For a reason I didn't understand, she was talking to Lachlan. I had already known he was downstairs – Brent had been kind enough to warn me of his arrival, and I'd been able to hear him all night. His laugh was obnoxiously loud, rising above the chatter like an egotistic guitarist who fought to drown his band out, claiming the spotlight.

Fuming, I snatched a sickeningly sweet perfume from my dresser and spritzed it five times, wallowing in the cloud with a scurried scowl. I was not too fond of the scent, but my sister McKenzie had given it as a Christmas present the same year she had gotten her first allowance, and I didn't have the heart to toss it away. It was so sweet it made my stomach curl – I hoped it would have the same effect on him.

It lingered a moment – my eyes watered, and I blinked through the haze. After a second or two, it settled. I sprayed it one last time, directly on the pulse point of my throat, and slammed the bottle down onto the dresser, marching downstairs with my head drawn high.

My gusto fell with each step I took, and I wondered if I could hide in my room without going unnoticed. I couldn't stand Lachlan – but he wasn't the only werewolf in the backyard, and now the others would suffer due to my rashness.

Kendra was harder to find without the vantage point of the second-storey window. I had to scan the yard for her through the space between the clusters of people. Inching towards the fire, I stood over McKenzie and her friends. They were sprawled on the grass, bent over the glossy magazine cover that featured Colson Rhett, the famous singer.

They pawed at the image, pre-teen lust reflecting in their eyes. Ylisa, McKenzie's most obnoxious friend, giggled, and I watched disgusted as she pressed a kiss to her fingers, squashing it over Colson Rhett's high-strung cheekbones. They twittered in unison, blushing fervently, collectively sharing in the joy of their newest celebrity crush. It didn't matter that none of them had heard of him a week ago. They were in love.

Colson Rhett had been famous for years, but McKenzie hadn't listened to me as I told her, too enthralled by the trashy news article Ylisa had sent her over Facebook. My sister's friend was the reason they were all so in love. Her mother finally relented and bought her a magazine at the beginning of the week, and the girls had been lost ever since.