I'm coming up only to hold you under and coming up only to show you wrong.
And to know you is hard; we wonder. To know you all wrong; we warn.
I stared out of the back window, not paying attention at all to what my mom was saying from the front seat about how lovely Beacon Hills was. I didn't need her to lie to me about our new home. I didn't need to move to Beacon Hills. I stared at the dreary looking town as we drove through it on our way to our new house. Mom squealed excitedly from the passenger seat as my dad parked our car in a driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac. I rolled my eyes at her dramatics and slid out of the backseat.
My dad smiled at me and winked and got out of the car. He stepped forward and hugged his brother, my uncle, quickly before moving on to kiss my aunt on the cheek. My mom greeted them similarly while I watched silently from the side of the car. A few moments later my best friend, my cousin Allison, came running from inside the house and launched herself at me.
For the first time in a week, I laughed and hugged her back.
"I just knew being around each other would make them happier." My mom gushed to my aunt Victoria.
"She's been treating me like a child." I whispered to Allison as we each grabbed one of my bags and walked inside. Allison only rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement. We walked up the stairs quickly and into my new room, the one right next to Allison's.
I fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Allison fell down beside me and let out a huge breath.
"This wasn't her room, was it?" I asked after a few short moments of silence.
"No, your parents offered to take that one. They said it'd be harder for you to stay in her room." Allison explained.
I sighed and sat up. Allison sat up, raising an eyebrow at me in confusion.
"How?" I asked her.
Allison gulped and looked down at her hands, obviously trying to find a way to lie to me about the exact way in which our aunt died. I rolled my eyes and slid closer to my cousin.
"I know about the family secret, Al, you don't have to lie to me." she glanced up quickly and frowned in confusion and then nodded.
"The alpha, Peter Hale, he-uh he killed her." I nodded and pulled my legs up to my chest, hugging them closer to my body. "You should know something, though." I looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Kate, she killed an entire family six years ago. She caused the fire in the Peter Hale's house, killing innocent humans and children. She broke the code."
I stood from the bed and kept my back to Allison. I glanced around the room, admiring the size of the closet. I turned back to her and frowned.
"She was still our aunt, Allison. She may have been sick and homicidal, but she was our family." I crossed my arms over my torso. "The media is going to be crazy, aren't they?" I asked. Allison only nodded.
"Psst, Emma, wake up." I sat up in my bed and saw Allison standing at the foot of my bed. I raised an eyebrow at her, hoping that she had a good reason for waking me up in the middle of the night the day before my first day of school.
"Come with me, we're going to look for Lydia." I sighed and got out of my bed, quickly getting dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater, throwing on my favorite black leather jacket on top and grabbing a red beanie.
The first night I got to Beacon Hills, Allison told me all about everything that had happened when she moved there. She told me about Scott and how he was a werewolf. She told me about Lydia, her good friend, and how she'd been bitten and about Lydia's ex-boyfriend, Jackson. She told me about Scott's best friend Stiles, who always seemed to be involved even though he was only a human. And most importantly, Allison told me about Derek Hale, the new pack alpha and how his entire family had been killed in the fire or by his uncle.
Apparently, Lydia had disappeared from the hospital and Allison and I were going to walk through the woods alone and look for her.
When we got to the hospital Allison recognized a large Jeep that was starting to pull out of a parking spot near the entrance. She quickly ran over to it, with me hot on her trail. We stepped in front of the headlights and stared in at two boys.
Allison stepped over to the passenger window while I crossed my arms and followed her.
"What are you doing here? Someone's going to see us." The boy in the passenger seat whispered to my cousin, glancing over her shoulder at me.
"I don't care, she is my best friend and we need to find her before they do." Allison replied to both of the boys.
"I can find her before the cops can." The boy, Scott, replied.
"How about before my father does?" Allison asked.
"He knows?" the other boy, Stiles asked.
"Yeah, we just saw him and three other guys leave the house in two SUVs." I replied. They glanced over Allison's shoulder at me and I merely smiled and wiggled my fingers at them.
"Search party." Scott said as he glanced over at Stiles.
"It's more like a hunting party." I replied.
"Get in." Scott told us as he opened the door. Allison and I both gracefully climbed into the back of the Jeep.
I held my hand out to the two of them and smirked.
"I'm Emma Argent, Allison's cousin. It's nice to meet you, Scott and Stiles." I nodded to the boy with the dark hair first and then the one with the buzzed cut next.
"Nice to meet you too, it would've been better had the circumstance not been so weird." Stiles replied as he put the Jeep back into reverse and back out of the parking spot.
"Alright, but if she's turning will they actually kill her?" Stiles asked as he drove down the street.
"I don't know, they won't tell me anything, okay? All they say is that we'll talk after Kate's funeral when the others get here." She explained. I raised an eyebrow and frowned in confusion, trying to remember who the others could be.
"What others?" Stiles asked.
"They won't tell us that either." I told him before Allison could say anything. I glanced over her body towards the passenger seat where Scott had his head stuck out of the window, trying to figure out where exactly Lydia ran off to.
"Okay you're family's got some serious communication issues to work on." I snorted. "Scott, are we going the right way?" Stiles yelled out to him.
Scott moved his head around, trying to follow Lydia's scent.
"Take the next right." He yelled back.
Stiles took a sharp right. I gripped onto the headrest of his seat to avoid falling over and shook my head at the insanity I was already involved in so soon after moving to Beacon Hills.
After driving for a few more minutes we had to ditch the Jeep and continue on foot. We followed Scott through the forest until we arrived at a decrepit looking house. I frowned and stood back as Stiles stepped forward. He turned to look his shoulder at Scott with a confused expression.
"You're sure?" he asked.
Scott nodded as he and Allison stood together, looking forward at the house.
"This is where the scent leads." He replied. Stiles made to reply and then only turned back to the house and began walking forward. I followed slowly, looking around at the forest surrounding the house.
"Alright, but has Lydia ever been here?" Stiles asked.
I shrugged; I had no idea what Lydia had or hadn't done. I'd only been in town for two days.
"Not with me." Allison replied. Scott shrugged, he obviously didn't know either.
"Um, does anyone want to explain to me where we are?" I asked as we walked closer to the house.
"This is the Hale house. Derek lives here." Scott explained.
So that was extremely creepy. The alpha of a pack of a whopping two members lived in an old burned down house. A house that, my newly deceased aunt burned down. I frowned and hugged my torso, suddenly not really wanting to be out in the woods with my cousin and two almost complete strangers searching for another almost stranger.
Stiles walked ahead and I followed him, not really wanting to be with Scott and Allison when they were together. I was completely aware of their activities earlier that night.
"I'm sure we'll find her." I told Stiles as I walked beside him. He glanced over at me and lifted the side of his mouth only a little, in an attempt to thank me.
Stiles circled back, going around behind Allison and Scott as they discussed the strength in numbers in a pack. I leaned up against a tree, waiting for our next move.
Stiles messed around on the ground and uncovered some leaves.
"Whoa, hey look at this." Allison and I both stepped over and crouched near the ground to see what he was looking at. "Do you see this? I think it's a trip wire." I nodded and leaned closer, making sure not to get too close to it just in case it was tripped.
Stiles, however, was clearly not think the same thing as he pulled the wire. I frowned and looked around me, trying to find if anything had happened.
"Stiles?" Scott asked.
"Yeah buddy?" Stiles replied. The three of turned to look over our shoulders at Scott and only found him with a wire around his ankle, hanging from a tree.
"Next time you see a trip wire." Scott told him. "Don't trip it." I smirked and crossed my arms over my chest, stepping closer with Allison and Stiles to try and release Scott.
"Noted." Stiles replied.
"Wait, wait, wait." Scott held out his hands. The three of us stopped immediately. "Someone's coming, hide." We glanced around, trying to see for ourselves if anyone was coming. "Go!" Scott whispered urgently.
We stepped away from him and ran to hide behind a tree. We peaked around and watched as Chris walked towards Scott with a few other hunters following behind him.
I was too busy trying not to be seen to listen to my uncle threaten, Scott. After he walked away, we waited patiently to make sure he was completely out of eyesight before walking over to Scott.
"You okay?" Allison asked as we ran up to him.
Scott shrugged.
"Just another life threatening conversation with your father."
"Stiles, help me with this." Allison and Stiles walked over to the tree to try and release Scott from the wire. I stood next to him and smirked as his finger nails lengthened into claws and he cut himself free. He flipped down and stood next to me, watching while Allison and Stiles attempted to figure out the trip wire.
"Thanks," Allison and Stiles glanced over at us. "But I think I got it." He smiled.
They laughed and looked at each other. Scott and I stepped towards the house. He turned to look over his shoulder at them and nodded towards the house.
"Coming?" he asked. The two of us turned back to the house and began walking as Stiles and Allison followed after us.
I sat on the counter in the kitchen the next morning and watched silently as my uncle and father discussed something important in the dining room. They were whispering, so I had no idea what exactly they were saying, but by the glances they kept shooting towards Allison, who was sitting next to me talking to her mom, I knew they must've been talking about her.
If I could guess I'd think that my dad and Uncle Chris were discussing Scott and what his relationship with Allison meant. Dad and Chris wouldn't kill him, they both abided by the code in full and would never break it, but the same couldn't be sad for the rest of the family. I'd heard my mom and aunt whispering quietly about Gerard coming to town. From what I heard, my grandfather was in no way as merciful as my dad or uncle, especially when Kate was involved.
"Oh my, Emeline, you have gotten so beautiful." I glanced up and smiled bashfully at my great aunt, Claudette. "Oh and you Allison, both such beauties." She smiled brightly at the two of us and then continued on into the kitchen to speak with our mothers.
Allison and I looked at each and tightened our lips, trying not to laugh. Ever since we were little kids we'd hated Aunt Claudette. She was always so girly and frilly and the two of us never really got into any of that, not with our fathers practically forcing us to be involved in just about every archery competition possible.
"I don't think it matters how many times I correct her, she'll never call me Emma like everyone else does." I shook my head.
"Allison, Emma, it's time for school." My mom came up to the counter and smiled. We both nodded and hopped off of the counter.
I didn't understand why my first day had to be the same day of my aunt's funeral, but my parents thought that as soon as I started going to school, the better.
Allison and I climbed out of the car and walked through the parking lot towards the front of the school. I looked around and noticed a bunch of people staring at me, probably wondering who the weird new girl with the crazy aunt was walking in with. I watched a boy park his Porsche in one of the front parking spots and speak briefly with a homeless man. I smirked and shook my hand, continuing into the school.
Allison left me at the office with a promise to find me again before lunch so that we could eat together. I nodded and then stepped into the small office and up to the front desk. The secretary behind the desk smiled warmly at me.
"You must be Emeline Argent." She smiled. I nodded as she reached over and grabbed a folder from the desk.
She went through it, inspecting the different papers and finally pulled out a smaller piece of paper with my schedule on it and a different paper with a map of the school. She grabbed a highlighter from the desk top and began marking each of the classrooms that my classes were held in and then passed the map and schedule over to me.
"Each class is highlighted except for your free period and your study hall. Free period you can go anywhere in the school you'd like or outside, but not off campus. Study hall is usually held in the library, but if for any reason your class changes, you'll be notified." I nodded. "Welcome to Beacon Hills, Emeline." I smiled and grabbed the papers, turning to walk out of the office. "Oh and I'm so sorry about your aunt!" I halted and turned to smile over my shoulder in thanks and then left the office as quickly as possible.
I walked down the hallway and looked down at the map, glancing up to try and figure out where I was supposed to go. The hallway was practically deserted. The bell had rung a few minutes before I even got into the office so first period was in full swing by then. I turned around a corner and just barely managed to step out of the way as the guy I saw talking to the hobo earlier came barreling down the hallway. I turned my head and watched as he hurried into the bathroom.
I shrugged and continued down the hallway until I reached Mr. Harris's classroom for Chemistry. I knocked on the door quietly and then stepped in with a bashful smile.
"Oh, you must be Emeline." He hurried over to me and nodded. "I was hoping the office would lead you here in time." He gestured for me to step in.
Mr. Harris inspected the class, looking for an empty lab table to place me in. When he found one he gestured towards it and handed me a test.
"Don't worry if you don't know any of it, I was informed that you have study hall that you can use to get caught up with us." I nodded and started walking towards the lab table where a tan boy was sitting, staring incredulously at the space in front of him. "Oh and Miss Argent," I turned to look over my shoulder. "I'm sorry about your loss." I flinched as every eye in the room turned to stare at me.
I passed Scott, who glanced up at me with a sad smile. I only nodded in reply as I passed Stiles. I sighed and sat down at the table I'd been assigned, frowning in confusion when I saw a test already sitting in front of me with two black spots on the center of the page and the name Jackson Whittemore written at the top.
"Um…"I looked up to ask Mr. Harris about it, but saw that he was busy in the front of the classroom explaining a question to another student.
"That's Jackson's seat usually." I glanced up to the tan boy sitting across from me. "He just went to the restroom, but I guess Mr. Harris already forgot about that." The boy slid the test away from in front of me and over to the other side of the table. "I'm Danny, by the way." He smiled.
"Emma." I replied as I began circling answers on the test, breezing through material I'd already learned at my old school.
When the bell rang I turned in my test, earning an impressed nod from Mr. Harris. I exited the room as quickly as possible, but not quick enough to avoid the whispers of my classmates as they talked about me and how I was related to the psycho who killed all of those people.
I kept my head down as I walked through the hallway and turned a corner, running right into someone, causing my books to drop from my arms. I sighed and bent down immediately to pick them up, apologizing to the person I ran into.
"Oh, no it was totally my fault." He replied as he helped me gather the books. I glanced up and met a pair of captivating blue eyes. I smiled a tiny bit at him, noticing that his right eye was bruised.
"No, it was me. I'm sorry." I stood and smiled. "Thanks." I nodded as he handed me the books I'd dropped.
"I'm Isaac." He introduced himself, smiling shyly at me.
"Emma." I replied with my own shy smile.
The warning bell rang overhead and he cursed softly under his breath.
"I'll see you around." I smiled and stepped around him, avoiding running into him again.
I walked down the hallway towards me class and glanced over my shoulder, smiling back at Isaac when I saw that he was still standing at the end of the hallway watching me.
The day went by semi-smoothly after that. The only hold up being that all of my new classmates couldn't seem to stop staring at me and whispering to each other about how I was probably a crazy murderer as well.
I found Allison after school and the two of us changed into our dresses for the funeral in the bathroom and then walked to the car together, avoiding speaking to anyone.
When we arrived at the cemetery there was already a giant group of people with cameras being held back by police officers. I frowned and shook my head as I climbed out of the car and met my parents and Allison's parents.
Together the six of us pushed through the group of reporters as they shouted questions at us. Allison and I stayed huddle together as my dad held my mother close and Uncle Chris gripped Allison's other arm. Aunt Victoria stayed close to my other side.
"I knew this was a bad idea." Uncle Chris whispered, obviously talking to Aunt Victoria, but not trying to keep Allison and I from hearing him.
"Yeah, well it wasn't my idea." Aunt Victoria replied as she straightened out her coat.
"I tried telling him, but he insisted on making a point out of it." My uncle explained as we walked closer to the chairs and casket set up for the funeral.
"Well if he insisted, then he can deal with this when he gets here." Aunt Victoria gently grabbed my arm, steering Allison and I towards the chairs.
"Who gets here?" Allison asked. She glanced between her parents and then over at me.
Allison's parents made eye contact and then Aunt Victoria gestured towards the chairs.
"Just, sit down, sweetheart." She replied.
Allison and I sat down, huddle close together as the media yelled at our family, still trying to get us to answer questions. I frowned and pushed some of my dark hair away from my face.
My mother and Aunt Victoria both stood suddenly. We glanced over at them in confusion until we saw an older man approach them. He kissed both of them on their cheeks and then turned to gaze at Allison and me. I stared up at him, immediately recognizing who he was from the pictures and the distant memories of my childhood.
"Do you remember me?" he asked, glancing between Allison and me.
We both only nodded in response, not exactly knowing what to say. Allison glanced over her shoulder quickly, causing everyone to look over in that direction. When they were satisfied that they didn't see anyone they looked back to the two of us.
"Considering I haven't seen either of you since you were three, I don't suppose I can assume you'll call me grandpa?" he asked with a tiny smile. We both smiled timidly and looked down. "So if it's comfortable, call me Gerard for the time being, but I'd prefer grandpa."
He smiled and sat down a few seats down so that Uncle Chris and my dad could sit in between us and him. My mom took the seat next to me and Aunt Victoria sat on her other side.
Allison and I glanced over towards a tombstone and saw Scott and Stiles crouched behind it. He waved with a tiny smile. Allison lifted her mouth up into a makeshift smile and then glanced back to the casket.
I reached over and gripped Allison's hand, squeezing it to reassure her that I would be there for her through the entire service. She glanced over and smiled and then rested her head on my shoulder. I sighed and huddled closer to her, just wanting for all of this to be over.
Ever since we were born, Allison and I have been inseparable. She was almost an entire year older than me, but we'd managed to stay in the same grade in school due to the amount of times her family moved. Both of my parents were very much involved with the hunting world, but they managed to stick around San Francisco for the majority of my life. One of them would stay with me at home while the other would travel with a group of other hunters to take care of any situation my Uncle Chris couldn't get to.
Her family met mine in San Francisco and we all lived together like we did in Beacon Hills, until the werewolf situation got a little out of hand up north and her family moved there. I was devastated for the few months I had to live without my best friend and practical sister, but we soon followed them to Beacon Hills. It was easier that way. Our family was stronger when we were all together.
I stared at the casket as everyone around me started to leave. I couldn't make myself step forward and say goodbye to my aunt. She'd been more like an older sister to me and Allison our entire lives and it was unbelievable that she was gone. She'd been there for me through every up and down and all of a sudden I was expected to say goodbye? How was that fair?
I bit my lip as the first tears fell for my aunt. I hadn't let myself cry ever since I found out that she'd died, especially when I found out how. I stepped forward and touched the casket gently, lowering my head.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't here." I apologized. "I love you so much, Aunt Kate." I sniffed and wiped at my eyes and then stepped back and turned to leave.
As I was leaving the cemetery I glanced over to see Isaac from school, staring at me. I smiled timidly at him and then was ushered into the car. He smiled back and maneuvered the machine he was sitting in towards the newly dug grave for my aunt.