Elias gazed at the cars that followed one after the other. His knees buckled and hit the floor with a crack. His vision blurred over as large blobs of salty tears filled the space between his eyes. His body curled into itself while the cold, harsh wind nicked at his exposed skin. Quivers rocked his body, nails sunk deep into his skin creating red crescents.
He gripped his chest to try to ease the blossoming pain there. It only grew further till it radiated from his chest to the rest of his body. It burned. A choked sob ripped through his parched throat.
Ryce had just... discarded him. He wanted to scream, scream until his lungs turned black, till everyone in the world could feel his suffering. He hadn't asked to be the way he was. His morning eternally began with a high dose of pheromone inhibitors, no one could detect his stench. At least that's what his father called it- stench. A stench that no matter how much he bathed without inhibitors would drown him.
His face came to be a rosy red in the cold. He trembled uncontrollably straining his brain for solutions. Ways for him to fix himself.
On that cold, dark night a man lay crumbled in a heap of despair. Wailing but none could hear him because he was alone as he always was.
Elias unhurriedly rose to his feet. Two years of believing there was mutual respect, affection and just overall feelings for one another came crashing down in one day. One hour if not a few minutes.
Waves rushed up against the dry sand then pulled back, dragging the sand back into the dark void that was the ocean. Even the ocean sought companionship.
He'd dressed up to be dumped.
He knew that Ryce hadn't fully accepted him but he taught he was coming aground to the idea. That soon he'd accept him. Was he unacceptable?
He had tried to dress in a 'cuter' manner. He'd tried to lose weight, to be flat stomached. Elias had even gone as far as coiling his hair to make it curlier like the pop idols he'd seen on TV.
His first step was wobbly as if he was a newborn baby discovering that it could do more than sitting and crawling. The ground did not feel solid.
He walked slow steps. Each step came with a thought. Ones that reminded him that he was not asleep. Thoughts that left him whimpering. His arms curled around his lithe body to try to comfort himself.
After what felt like years of aimless walking he found his way to the chipped front door of his home. Ryce was right, as he always was, they were on two completely different levels economically, what he had was simply a pipe dream.
Non-existent.
He silently searched his pockets for the spare house keys he was given. The metal object made its presence known with a soft rustle. The keyhole turned, making something in the door click as it was unlocked.
Elias stepped around the door to avoid having to open it fully. Minimal movement equaled minimal noise.
The lights were off while the TV was on, colours reflected on the walls in front of it. Elias moved past the dining area and into the living room where to his misfortune his father was awake with an unopened bottle of beer in his hand.
"You're bac- hic- preddy late." His father spoke, his eyeballs glued to the sports match he was watching. Elias kept quiet, silently hoping he would be allowed to go upstairs to his room in peace. His father turned to look back at him then snorted in his slurred speech, "Whar happened to you?"
"You were right." The acidic words stung his tongue, "He doesn't want me. He's engaged to another female omega. He took me out today to tell me about her."
"Useless. You are utterly useless. If you were an alpha you could get a good-paying position in a job. Or, you could have been a beta. Sure beats don't have a high chance of getting a job that pays extremely well but average jobs are fine. Better get if you were a normal cute omega you could have been married off to a rich alpha, make us money. But no, I don't know what you are. What was the point of having a child if it came out like you." He grunted.
"I'm sorry." Elias's throat felt raw, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm-"
"Sorry doesn't help anyone. Sorry, won't fix you." He belched, "I wish we could take you back."
In a second the bottle was flying, the substances in it sloshed around air bubbles floating up along the glass container. It fractured then broke against Elias's face alcohol dripping down into his hair, passing through his eyes. It fell to the floor.
Elias's hands clamped over his face his teeth biting his lips shut. His face ached, pulsating with pain. Another round of pain exploded from his stomach, followed by pain in his back. In the background, his father kept repeating the word 'useless'.
He was used to his father becoming angry and taking it upon him. Since he was used to it then why did it hurt more today. Everyone was hurting him. He lay limply on the floor and waited for his father to exhaust himself. He held back any sounds that were on the tip of his tongue, occasional a gasp would escape.
The stairs creaked as a lady walked down them. Her brown her flowed down her back, her cotton nightgown stopped a little past her knees. She crossed her arms in frustration, "Keith it's three o'clock in the morning. Can you not wait till later to do your nonsense, you're making noise and destroying my living room. What a waste of beer, it's going to stink up my house. Elias as big as you are why can't you ever fight back."
"Shirley the boy was thrown away by that rich Ryce fellow. What are we to do?" Keith, Elias's father complained, sending a hard kick into his side.
"Did you think he'd stay with our dear Elias?" Shirley sneered repulsed by the idea. Shirley was Elias's mother, she was unfeeling. It's not that she cared about her bruised son, rather she cared about her home.
"Oh please Keith you knew how things were going to turn out, we both knew the second he differentiated that he was useless. Now I don't want to hear another punch, kick, or whatever it is this is until the sun has risen." She warned, "Or else..."
Keith muttered something under his breath, clearly irritated. His raged breathing slowed down, he looked at his son with distaste then looked around. He begrudgingly walked away, "Clean your mess up."
Elias sat up with a stifled grimace. It would take forever to pick up the smashed pieces of glass, some were so small they weren't visible to the naked eye. He gasped in pain when he stood up to fetch the broom and dustpan. The sensation of blood dripping from the side of his face.
Bending down to sweep the glass up caused bouts of pain where he was sore there were bruises beginning to pool. He poured it out into the bin and limped upstairs to his room.
He took a towel and a set of frayed pajamas into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself. The water was lukewarm with the geyser being switched off for a while now. Elias eyed at his reflection, switching on the basin tap to wash his face. The alcohol was starting to affect his skin, his pores stung in protest. He rinsed his face gently before stripping out of his clothes and getting into the shower to peel off all the dirt from his long day.
He wrapped a soft green towel around his waist once he was out of the shower. There were a few shallow wounds along his arms he was afraid would dry into his pajamas, making it difficult to take off. A tube of ointment lay hidden behind a bottle of dye he was sure no one would use. Elias squeezed a small amount onto his fingers then dabbed it on the places that needed it most. He resealed the tube and put it back.
The bed looked extremely uncomfortable to him. No matter which way he slept, on his right or left side wouldn't make a difference. Both would hurt. He crawled onto the bed and gathered the pillow against his chest as he tried to find the best position to sleep in.
The sky was transitioning from a dark, cold blue to a more bright almost purple colour.
Elias checked the time on his phone, half-past four. It was half-past four, he couldn't believe it. If someone told him Ryce was going to leave him for another woman, his so-called fiance, Elias would have defended the man and called the person a liar.
He truly was not easy to love.
He drifted into a peaceful sleep. One in which he dreamt he grew up in a loving household. He would often sit outside and help his mother add flowers to her beautiful garden. She had a patient personality even when Elias gave her the wrong seeds to plant for the fifth time. Lunch was ready, they were called in by his father who had been busy working in his office upstairs.
They would wash their hands before eating. Lunch was nice. He grew up and he was petite with a mop of curly light brown hair paired with green eyes. His differentiation came and his parent's hugged him whispering loving words.
He met an alpha while he was still in high school, the alpha was good. It didn't take long for the pair to fall in love. The alpha proposed a day before they were to leave for university. He said yes. But when he hugged the alpha his sides burst in pain. He patted the Alpha's shoulder, asking him to let go.
The alpha didn't listen, instead, he tightened the hug making a hiss leave Elias's lips. The alpha started laughing maniacally, "I don't love you. I never did. Do you think I don't know what you are really like? My family can not accept you and neither can I. You are an abomination."
"What d-do you me-mean?" Elias stammered in confusion.
"Look at yourself." The alpha sneered, "Disgusting."
Elias struggled out of the alpha's grip to move away from him. His steps felt heavier than before, as if- his body was larger. He looked at his hands in alarm, they were growing.
"I don't know what's happening." Elias was telling the alpha but he was gone and in his place stood his parents. They had their arms crossed. His father muttered 'useless' then began pacing up and down. His mother turned her back on his ignoring his cries of help.
"Mom please I don't know what this is. Take it away. I don't want to change." He banged against a wall of glass. Frightened he looked around, he was in a large glass bottle that was filling up. The water was already touching his chin. Why was no one helping him?
He was drowning, choking on alcohol. His hands flew to his neck as if to ease oxygen in. His mother yelled but he couldn't hear her through the glass. Her lips could still be read, she was yelling 'Clean your mess up!'
Elias sat up startled. His breathing was erratic, his eyes flickering taking in his room. He grimaced at the sight of his stomach. His shirt had risen when he sat up, exposing the blue bruises painting his stomach.
Elias wanted to curl back into a ball and sleep, to pretend everything was fine but he didn't want to dream. Reluctantly he stood up, hoping to find the house empty.
Perhaps his recent bad luck had used up all of his bad luck seeing as the house was empty. Both parents had gone to work. Elias made a small bowl of cereal that he took with him upstairs.
The cereal was still crunchy when he sat before his miniature electronic hub. He recalled that the previous night he'd told Ryce he wanted to launch a game he'd been working on for a year but the alpha brushed him off. It made sense why he did, it was because he didn't care.
Elias crushed the sugary cereal between his teeth. He was tired. He shifted the mouse to a folder labeled 'Working Progress' where he had four games he'd created. They all needed a few adjustments before being uploaded for the world to see.
'Destructive Path' was the game he was currently focused on. The game followed a character that had severe memory loss. In order to regain their memories, they had to complete tasks that the more they completed the harder they became.
The first task was easy, 'Find the Rubber Duck." As the tasks were complete the more complicated they'd become such as 'Kill the Vampire". It leads the player on a destructive path to remember what the had forgotten.
The reason it had taken Elias what felt like forever to design and code was that he had done everything alone. His natural information towards programming did help speed the process up.
He finished the cereal and boiled a cup of tea. After shorting and reapplying ointment onto his injuries and taking inhibitors. Elias sat editing his programme for hours only taking short breaks to either eat or use the bathroom.
Every day was spent the same way, save for when his father beat him to vent his anger. On those days Elias would sleep for hours, it would help him feel somewhat better the next day. He would ignore the bruises and mirrors.
He didn't want a reminder of how he looked.
He overworked himself, focusing solely on his game. It assisted in taking his mind off of reality. Detached. It hurt less that way. Ryce didn't matter, his parents didn't matter, all that mattered was his game.
His hair was growing longer, it now passed his shoulders. Most of the time he would tie it back into a neat bun. Elias was driven by tea, he would drink at the very least five cups a day. His phone would buzz with a notification 'Ryce just posted'.
Ryce sure did move on quickly. He seemed to be posting pictures of himself and Mei basically every day now. Elias would look at the picture of the couple going out for lunch and laugh. He really was a fool. Ryce hardly ever took pictures of them out and when he did Elias was sure it never crossed the man's mind to post them.
A tear rolled down his cheek.
Embarrassing.
The day for his departure came quickly. Elias packed his clothes, folding them into neat piles. He saved a spare copy of his programmes onto a hard drive then detached the monitor from the mess of electrical wiring. He put it away safely in a box before adding styrofoam and putting the two screens in as well.
He couldn't leave his stuff behind, he once left his phone at home and when he came back to get it two days later it was gone. Sold to be precise. His mother had found it and sold it to buy herself a new pair of shoes. The other time he'd left his first monitor at home because it was too heavy to take with him. When he came to fetch it a week later it was gone. Apparently, alcohol doesn't buy itself. Lesson learned he would not be fooled for the third time. He knew not to leave his things at home.
He carried the suitcase down the stairs. His parents were at work. He pulled his phone out to request a cab then waited on the sidewalk. He couldn't afford to take the cab all the way to school, school was far away. He was dropped off at a train station where he boarded a train, a much more affordable price.
Seven hours later and he was back on campus.
Elias signed himself in then proceeded to find his dormitory. It was near his faculty, a flight of stairs later and his heart was thumping wildly in his chest. He had pulled his heavy suitcase up all those stairs to his room, it was quite the exercise.
His roommate hadn't arrived yet, this allowed him to choose which bed he wanted on which side of the room. He set his things up nicely before passing out on the bed he'd chosen with the lights still on. The window had been left slightly open, a cold draft drifted in settling around Elias who, in his fatigue, hadn't gotten beneath the sheets.
He woke up sick. His throat was a bit sore and his nose was runny. Later that day his roommate arrived only to find Elias sitting with a box of tissues in front of him, the tip of his nose red. He twitched as a sneeze came over him. The used tissue was discarded into a small bin next to his bed.
'Just what I need.' The beta thought, 'A sick Alpha to look after'
Roommate arrangements were done in such a way that alphas and omegas were not made roommates unless they were a marked couple. Betas could be paired with anyone, another beta, an alpha, or an omega. This was because of their pheromone tolerance.
When an alpha went into rut or an omega started their heat period earlier than expected a dorm warden would be alerted and they would supply whatever inhibitors the student had registered.
This beta in particular thought he was paired with an alpha.
He didn't know how far off from the truth he was.