7. Saylor
Saylor
There comes a knock at the door, and when I lift my face from the pillow, brushing aside the hair that sticks to my face, I gaze around in confusion.
For a moment, I don’t know where I am as my eyes dart around the strange room. I look at the rustic, wooden furniture next, then the floral bedsheets and curtains, and the homely décor.
That’s until the memories come crashing back like a freight train.
Of course! I’m at the Wynter Lodge all the way in the States. I’m halfway across the world as I laugh, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.
The jet lag was almost worth it for this euphoric feeling right now as I twirl around, regretting it immediately when my head starts spinning yet again.
If only the kids at Silver Grove High could see me now.
If only Martina Coleman and Ryan Rice could see me, but they’re stuck in miserable old Blighty while I’m rubbing shoulders with my favorite authors.
I can’t believe Noelle was even within my vicinity before, as I check over my phone, smiling to myself when I see all her excited messages.
My eyes pop.
Wow. I slept for four hours.
Well, there goes my plan to wait until nightfall.
The knock sounds again, and my heart jumps to my throat, pounding hard at the back of my tongue.
Who could be at my door? Now the plots from a million slasher movies run rampant through my mind as I creep toward the bedroom door, sneaking across the landing.
I swallow, wishing I had a weapon of sorts. I’m sure it’s just one of those raccoons. We don’t get them in the UK.
Or worse… a wild grizzly bear is on the loose.
But do bears and raccoons know how to knock on a door?
Taking a deep breath, I move down the stairs one at a time. Luckily, the door has a peephole where I can peer through the glass.
A ghost from my past awaits me on the other side of the door, and I step back, running my hands over my hair.
Then I check out my reflection in an ornate mirror beside the door. Now I count down, opening the door carefully.
I meet those bright, green eyes, and for a moment, it’s like looking at River once again as a memory of his grumpy Alpha face flashes through my mind.
That’s where their similarities end, though. Daisy has always been one of the sweetest people I’ve known. She may resemble her younger brother in appearance, but she is nothing like River, Trent, or Zale.
For starters, she was nice to me. Even Martina was kind to my face whenever Daisy invited me over to sit with them at the popular table.
Daisy is as pretty as I remember. An American beauty, while I look as if I’ve just dragged myself out of bed.
Well, I technically have.
I probably still have pillow marks on my face. And I still smell of plane.
Daisy places her hand on her chest, and her green eyes shine like beacons. “Hello, Saylor. You remember me, right? Daisy Rose from Silver Grove High and Sixth Form?”
I blink, unsure of how to respond. It looks as if she has lost the slight accent she picked up in Manchester.
Funny, she was the only one who adopted a British accent in the end. Her brothers never lost their American dialect, even during their three years at Manchester.
She smiles, showing all her pretty white teeth. “It’s been some years, I know, but I thought I would come over and say hello.” She pauses, then laughs. “Hello.”
I brush my hair aside, smiling up at the beautiful Omega. “Of course. It’s so good to see you again. Would… would you like to come inside for tea?”
Daisy grins. “I would be delighted!”
So, I invite her inside the lake house, trying to figure out whether she wants me to leave the teabag inside her cup, or is that just how it’s depicted on American TV shows?
Daisy seems to read my mind when I dilly-dally with the teabag. “It’s okay. You can remove the teabag.”
I nod, finishing up her tea. I even add one sugar at her request and then one drop of milk, and soon we drink our tea in silence.
I study her across the table as the sun pours in from the window, making her white-blonde hair glow like a halo.
She really is so much like River.
I don’t think she ever did learn about how they rejected me. I don’t think she ever knew how I felt about her brothers, as I never told anyone.
They were my scent matches, but that’s not something outsiders normally pick up on.
Normally, those things are only known between the pack.
Or potential pack in this case.
Who am I kidding?
We were never a pack.
We were barely even acquaintances.
Honestly, maybe it’s best she doesn’t know. She doesn’t need to know what a sad person I am.
As I said, this trip will be all about me and me only.
No Alphas allowed. And that goes for talking about them, too.
Still, I know she has a pack herself now; I read about it at the back of her book beneath her photograph. She even mentioned she’d reunited with them recently after they broke her heart in high school.
After they rejected her, that is.
It seems Daisy and I have more in common than I realized.
Daisy takes a small sip of her tea, then places it down neatly on top of a coaster.
“It really is good to see you again, Saylor. I know we never talked much back at school, but I just wanted you to feel included. I was the wallflower here at my previous school at Silverpine High, so I knew how it felt to be left out.”
She knew how it felt to be a loser, basically.
I should have tried to make more friends, but it was just hard in my youth. I was naturally shy, naturally reclusive.
So, of course, fitting in was always going to be a challenge for me.
“No, it’s okay,” I reply, taking a sip from my own tea. “I’ve actually been meaning to thank you. I never got the chance before you left Silver Grove. So, I will now. You made me feel seen, Daisy, even if it was just for a little while.”
Daisy places her cup down on the table, and her green eyes fill with tears. I can’t help but wonder if that’s how River looks when he cries, but I doubt that Alpha doesn’t show a lot of emotion.
I bet he is always grumpy and stoic.
“I’m glad to hear that,” she whispers, wiping her eyes.
We remain silent for a few more moments. A part of me wants to ask about her brothers, but that would draw too much suspicion.
The less Daisy knows, the better.
“So,” Daisy starts, changing the subject to something more positive. “You’re going to be published. Congratulations!”
I can’t help but smile then, blushing bright red as I try to remain modest. “Thank you.”
She smiles wider. “So… I was thinking… would you like to be writing buddies for the retreat? We could share ideas, bouncing back and forth off one another. We could even sprint together! What do you say?”
She gets out her tablet next, and my heart thrums in excitement. She even covers hers with bookish stickers, like me, and we really are of one mind.
See, this was what this trip was supposed to be all about: connecting with other Omega authors.
I think I’m definitely going to like it here…
Once Daisy leaves later that evening after our sprinting session, silence settles around the lake house.
I wander over to the window with my tablet clutched between my hands. The lake glitters beneath the evening sun, and it almost doesn't seem real. For a little while, I'd forgotten. Forgotten whose sister Daisy was.
Forgotten that River was somewhere nearby…
It had almost felt like I was simply...me again. Not the awkward girl from Silver Grove High. Not the rejected scent match.
Not the Omega everyone pitied.
Just Saylor.
Now with a smile, I open my tablet again, intending to work a little more on my manuscript.
Yet another folder catches my eye instead.
Old drafts. Stories I'd written years ago.
One file bears the name 'R.'
My fingers hover over the trackpad before I quickly close the folder again.
No. That girl doesn't exist anymore.
She stayed behind in Manchester.
At least... that's what I will keep trying to convince myself as I work on my current WIP.
I still have a few hours to kill before the Welcome Party later.
Living the author life.