Page 30 of Omega Chattel
It had been all about timing, and not about me being anyone special, that gave me this room. But I liked to think otherwise late at night, just before sleep. That somehow Iwasspecial. And maybe, just maybe I was on Tarin’s mind the way he had invaded mine.
*
I gave a groan as I hurled the book across the room.
I had read the math chapter three times and it still didn’t make sense.
I couldn’t focus on the science.
And the novel I’d chosen for the week had gotten boring.
Oren sat on a plush, red velvet couch playing video games when I entered the game room.
“You’re finished early,” he said without looking up from the TV.
I plopped down next to him on the couch and leaned my head back staring at the ceiling.
“I feel like it’s going to take me forever to learn anything. And then, what will I do with the knowledge?”
“You’ll figure it out. Give yourself time. This is only your third day.”
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“It will be a year next month.”
“A year?”
“I’m taking some very difficult online classes. There’s a lot involved with becoming a paralegal.”
“That’s like being a lawyer, right?”
“Not quite, but almost. My classes are high level and I’m getting a degree as well. I study fast. I learn fast. But it might mean another year here even with all that.”
He gave a yell and I jumped forward, startled, only to see him crash and burn, theGAME OVERicon flashing in the middle of the screen.
He turned to face me. “You can’t be impatient with yourself. Most Alphas take four years to get through a full college education. Trade schools are anywhere from six months to two years. With Tarin tutoring us, we can move faster, but we still go at the pace that we choose. Whatever’s comfortable for us.”
I sighed. “I feel so dumb. I’m taking classes that are high school level still.”
“You’ll get there.”
“But I don’t even understand them!” My fist hit the arm of the couch.
“You can text Tarin any questions you have.”
“I know. I haven’t, though. I feel awkward interrupting him even when he’s home.” My whole body quivered when I was around Tarin. The thought of texting him, strangely, made me go hot and cold at the same time.
Oren laughed.
“Hey, don’t laugh at me.”
“Sorry. I remember when I first came here. I was shy and scared. My parents both died in a car crash.”
“Sorry. I can’t even imagine how that would feel. I’ve never known my parents.”
“I was devastated. I was eighteen, too old to go to a farm or a foster home. They left me money, though. Because of my grades, and my high marks on intelligence tests, my Alpha dad had actually wanted to send me to an exclusive Omega college. But I couldn’t legally get access to the money and so even though I’d been accepted to the college, there was no way I could go. My Alpha grandfather had other ideas. He decided to put a hold on the money until I married, which made no sense because I had nothing to live on until I found someone. Then he set me up to marry an Alpha in another country. I found out he was selling me. Getting rid of me and getting paid at the same time. He tried to lock me away. I ran and Tarin found me. I was lucky.”
“I ran, too.”
