Unhinged

twenty two

____four years later____

I stood in the room, my eyes set on the few children that sat on the floor calmly. They looked up at me curiously as to why they were here.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I smile at all of them.

"So...you all have learned you're a Beta, huh?"

I see them all begin to nod, causing me to grin.

"Are you sad...or angry about that?" I question them softly, beginning to let myself sit on the floor. Now that I was almost at their eye level I see some of them nod. "Why do you guys feel that way?"

No one was talking yet. I understood why because Betas have always been under appreciated...abused...judged. I wouldn't be surprised if their parents had a lot of say when they found out.

"Betas are so boring." A little girl groaned, and I nod. "My mommy and daddy aren't a Beta, so why am I?"

"Yeah! Betas aren't anything special and they aren't cool. My dad told me that Betas can't mate properly. Now I can't have a Mate!" A boy cried aloud. There were agreements amongst the children and I grin.

That's when I look behind me. There was a window that reflected back onto me. Even though on the other end were the kids parents and teachers. I face back forward, smiling.

"Well...what differentiation do you think I am?" I ask them shyly, beginning to rub the back of my neck.

That's when they all shout out Alpha.

"Guess what? I'm a Beta too." I confess to them. Their dramatic gasps were so cute to me as if that wasn't possible. "Why are you guys so surprised?"

"You don't look like one! You're so cool-looking!" They whimper.

"I didn't always look this confident and when I found out I was a Beta...I was upset too." I start to grin solemnly at them. "I felt like I was cursed. What's so important about Betas, I thought. I felt like I was now stuck with this title that would forever implicate me and put me down. In which...it did. It will be hard to  not compare yourself to others and it will be hard to look past the fact that you feel inadequate compared to others. Except realize that Betas are more than just the name we're given. We are people too, we are much more useful than people think."

"How? What's so important about being a Beta?" A different girl asks me.

"Everything. You get to help others without being affected. You also have much more to prove about yourself...to show that you're more than what people say and think. Show them that being a Beta doesn't mean you're nothing. It just means you have more to prove, and you're willing to do so. That you're worth more than what anyone says. It's all up to you, truly." I insist to them, and I see them all nod in understanding.

I could see the light within their eyes that told me they understood.

Another success.

Now I let them go out and back to their parents. Even the parents looked informed and I was happy to see that.

This is what I want to see. Betas...content with who they are and wanting to build from that. Become more than what people say they are. Not to limit themselves to the stereotypes.

We are just as important.

Seeing everyone look so happy, I look away now. I start to put together my things. There wasn't much to grab, but there was some stuff.

I've come quite far from...that competition.

I used that newfound fame I had to create a platform to help Betas. No one else was doing it, so I had to. I did it all by myself along with the compensation given from that competition.