Each Coming Night (MTV Teen Wolf, Stiles )
Chapter 1: Sadness Is A Blessing
The arrow thudded into the wall.
Fire. The old, dry wood of our home burst into flames in an instant. Dark smoke filled the air; scratching my lungs and making me choke. I looked around for something familiar and spotted Derek in the far corner of the room, his face filled with fear and horror.
Arrow after arrow sliced through the air, stoking the flames higher. Through the haze of ash, I desperately sought Derek's eyes. I knew he would protect me no matter, but he was in danger, too. If something happened to Derek while he was trying to rescue me, I could never forgive myself.
Coughing from the soot-thick air, I grabbed Derek's hand and ran with him toward the door. But they were ready for us. Until that moment, I hadn't known what fear was. Horror jolted through me, cold as ice water. There was a knot in my throat that kept me back from screaming. I was paralyzed. Why hadn't I realized until now how little I understood about the hard facts of being a werewolf? It never seemed like anything I had to question before.
Silhouetted against the flames, a dark, forbidding line of figures stood just beyond the edge of the house. All of them branded weapons, ready to attack and destroy. They had come for us. They had come to punish me along with the rest of my family. They had come to kill.
There was nowhere to go, no place to run. We couldn't remain here, not with the blaze around us roaring, already so hot that it stung my skin. Soon the ceiling would collapse and crush us all. Outside, the hunters waited.
I stood motionless, not knowing what do. I was only six years old, and even though my parents had trained me to know what to do in case this happened, I still remained frozen. I was in shock. I needed my parents, I needed for them to tell me everything was going to be okay. In that precise moment, I felt someone grab my shoulder, and I cried out in panic, but as I turned around, I recognized Derek's icy blue eyes.
"It's going to be okay." He said, and with that, he tightened his grip on my hand as for reassurance and ran to the stairs that lead to a secret exit underground, that my parents and Derek's parents had strictly banned us from using unless it was an emergency. I suddenly bolted to a stop, which caused Derek confusion. "What are you doing? We have to get out of here!" And with that, he yanked my hand and began to run. It was getting really hard to breathe, and the smoke made it almost impossible to see where we were going. But Derek, being Derek, didn't give up till we found the secret opening in the floor that lead to the basement where the underground tunnel would lead us to our only chance of escape.
"I'm going to jump first-"
"Don't leave me!" I cried in panic, the tears already forming behind my eyes, threatening to spill. Ever since I could remember, I always had a fear of being left alone.
Derek looked at me concerned and there was something in his eyes that I could not comprehend. Derek had never been comfortable showing his feelings or his thoughts, he was a weird child, always keeping to himself and trusting none. That was just Derek. So in that moment when he wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear "I would never leave you," to low that I almost didn't catch, I knew right then and there that no mattered what happened, I was going to be okay. Derek was going to be okay. And everything else was going to be okay.
With my arms wrapped around my tiny frame, I watched Derek jump through the dark hole, and I faintly heard the 'thump' where he landed. But almost at that precise moment, I heard a louder crash, and soon after, voices that I did not recognize. "Hurry and look for any survivors! If you find any, put them on a leash and bring the dogs to me." The voice was a female, and even though her voice sounded sweet, I knew she wasn't anywhere near the word.
"Meeya, jump!" I heard Derek call. I looked down at the hole, trying to see exactly what I would be jumping into. "Hurry!" I was afraid. The strangers' voices were getting closer and by then, it was almost impossible to breathe with so much smoke filling my lungs. I knew that if I didn't jump, I would soon be dead. "Meeya!" Derek called in terror. And before I even let myself think about it more, I closed my eyes and jumped. I expected to land anywhere else but in Derek's arms, but there I was, looking up at Derek. It was weird, but in that precise moment, it was like we both knew were going to be okay, and smiled.
We hurried out of the tunnel, neither of us knowing where it would lead us. And like Derek promised, he stood by my side, not letting go of my hand once. We tried to hurry out as fast as we could, but I found myself not being able to run as fast as Derek. I didn't understand back then why Derek was faster than I even though we were both werewolves. But now I understand that Derek being ten, had longer legs and greater balance than I had, considering I was only six years old and still tripped whenever I tried running fast.
I still remember that bolt of relief that washed through my body when we reached the end of the tunnel and saw a familiar face running towards us, tears streaming down her face.
"Momma!" I instantly let go of Derek's hand and run towards my mother's warm embrace. Thousands of emotions were running through my body in that moment, I was too young to comprehend all of them. Farther ahead, I saw Laura walking towards us. Laura was Derek's older sister, she was six years older than I, the reason as to why we never really bonded like me and Derek did. I will never forget the look on Derek's face when he saw his sister, it was filled with nothing else but love, despite all the fights and arguments those two had, I knew they would be nothing without each other.
"Come on children, it's time to go." My mom said, grabbing my hand and Laura's, Derek walking a little behind us.
Throughout these ten years that have passed, we never talked about what occurred that day, and we all knew better than to ask or bring it up. We didn't have too in order to understand what had happened. Even though we were young, something inside me knew my dad was never coming back, and Laura and Derek also understood that they would never be able to see their parents again either.
But we were okay, we were lucky to have my mom. She treated Derek and Laura as her own, and raised us like brother and sisters. After the fire incident, we relocated in Lakewood, Colorado. We've lived here for the past ten years, and everything seemed to be fine, up until recently when strange things began to take place.
I first noticed them when my mom, Laura, and Derek would hold "family meetings", without me. At first I didn't pay much attention to it, reminding myself that they had business I didn't need to know of. But then it started getting to the point where I couldn't take it anymore. I knew they were hiding things from me, and it was really starting to piss me off, especially since none of them would give me a reason as to why they were keeping them from me. It lasted for about two years, till that one morning when I woke up and found Laura's belongings packed in front of the door.
She didn't tell us where she was going, and I seemed to be the only one who was worried about the situation, seeming that mom and Derek didn't seem to care at all. I realized it was because they knew where she was going, and why. I tried cornering Derek about it a couple of times, but he played stupid and acted like he didn't know what I was talking about.
Exactly two weeks ago, Derek packed his belongings and left without giving me an explanation of why he was leaving. And of course, I was positive my mom knew why. I didn't bother asking her though; I knew she wasn't going to tell me. However, a day before he left, my mom wasn't home and he sat me in the kitchen table.
"I need to talk to you." He said, his blue eyes piercing my hazel ones.
"What's up?" I asked concerned. Derek didn't usually sit me down and 'talk to me'. Our relationship usually consisted of teasing, playing jokes on one another, and occasionally me hiding his underwear in places you couldn't even imagine. It would be safe to say, Derek was my best friend.
"I'm leaving." He said, and I swear, if I had been eating anything, I would've spit it out.
"Where are you going?" I asked, tears already forming behind my eyes. I was trying very hard not to cry, us Hales don't cry, but it was useless. Before he could answer, I had a river flowing down my cheeks. "You can't leave me! You promised you wouldn't leave me!" I cried, positive that there were pieces of my shattered heart on the floor.
"What are you talking about?" He asked frowning, confused.
"When we were in the house, you hugged me and promised you would never leave me! You promised!" I yelled. He grabbed my wrists as my hands turned into angry fists. My knees began to turn weak, and before I knew it, I fell to the floor with my own misery. It was like losing my dad all over again. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say in order to make him stay. I needed Derek, he was the person that kept me balanced.
Besides during the full moon, never in my life had it happened, so both Derek and I were surprised when I started changing. The claws were first, and then I started to feel my body change. Never had I experienced as much pain as when I phased. Derek soon tackled me and I was facing up, with him on top me.
"Meeya, control yourself. Breathe." He kept saying, but I could barely hear him, it was like he was miles away when in reality, he was just inches away from me. The monster was taking over me. "Meeya!" It was like the sound of his voice was keeping me from fully giving into the wolf. He was keeping me human. Sooner than later, I felt myself again. Derek breathed in relief and got off me. He stood up, and extended his hand. As I grabbed it, he pulled me up and into his chest, wrapping his arms around me as I silently cried. He soon carried me up to my bed, and laid there with me, not leaving me once, and letting me ruin his good shirt with my tears. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
The next morning, Derek was gone. His stuff was gone. He was gone.
Never in my life had I ever felt so alone and hopeless. And even though I knew he was gone, I still looked for him. I ran to his room; empty. The rest of the house; empty.
I even went outside and ran to the river that was near our house. Derek never said anything about it, but I knew this was his thinking place. He would come down here whenever he was in doubt. I didn't have trouble finding the place, which surprised me, I usually got lost when I came down here. What did surprise me though was the white sheet of paper taped to a visible tree trunk.
I knew that messy handwriting anywhere.
"I'm sorry, Meeya.
Things came up that I need to take care of before they get out of hand.
I need you to take care of your mom, and yourself. It would kill me if anything happened to you guys while I was gone. Promise not to be too reckless, I know how you can get.
This isn't permanent, I'll be back. I promised I would never leave you. I keep my promises, doesn't matter if they're ten years old.
P.S. Beacon Hills, California. That's where I'll be. Don't tell your mom I told you, she'd kill me. Love you both.
, Derek."
I couldn't help but smile. Laura would be back, Derek would be back, and everything would go back to the way they used to be. It was going to be alright…or so I thought.