Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, nor any of its characters.
CHAPTER ONE
Click
"Sometimes when you meet someone, there's a click. I don't believe in love at first sight but I believe in that click. Recognition."
― Anne Aguirre, Blue Diablo.
0500, August Fifth, Beginning of Sophomore Year.
Rose's eyes opened instantly; after all that had happened, she awoke with the efficiency of something almost mechanical; ready to leap into action at any moment. She'd read somewhere that if you did something sixty six times it eventually became automatic, she supposed that was true. How many times now had she awoken at five AM now? How many times had she been forced out of bed in the early hours of the morning and told it was time to go? Certainly more than sixty six.
Yet today was different, instead of leaving her bed and surrendering to the inevitable cold, Rose lay in the warmth of her bed and the calming silence of the morning. She allowed a feeling of serenity that could only be found in early hours wash over her, and she sighed contentedly. It was going to be different this time, she could somehow sense it. Perhaps not better, perhaps not normal, but certainly different.
Still musing over this thought, Rose swung out of bed and pulled her workout gear on. Glancing at her watch, she sighed slightly as she regarded the time and date, 5:00 AM, August 5th.
"First day of school!" Rose enthused sarcastically looking over her shoulder at her mirror image across the room.
Snorting at herself, Rose rolled her eyes and silently made her way downstairs. Plugging her earphones in, she opened the front door and stepped into the bracing chill of the morning.
Out of habit more than a real need to case anything, Rose studied her surroundings; classic American-dream houses, streetlights that barely pierced the morning gloom, a few strategically placed trees that gave the street a cute "small town" feel and… her.
"Alright Beacon Hills," Rose muttered into the darkness, "Show me what you got."
And with that, she quickly jogged down her porch steps and ran into the unknown.
This was a routine trip; though it was the first time she'd made it in Beacon Hills. The jog was used as a means for Rose to get her bearings and a feel for the new town. It was a frequent practice as her Mom shuffled her around from one town to the next, to the next.
For the past few months, Rose had felt as if she was always in a constant state of motion: her life, her home, and her friends were constantly changing, and she was constantly adapting to new circumstances. Perhaps that was why she liked running so much; it was the only movement in her life she could control.
Rose ran past the police station, the vet's clinic, her new school, the hospital and countless copies of the American middle class suburban home, before finally coming to a rest at the Beacon Hills reserve. Taking her ear buds out, she examined the woods. They had an ancient and dangerous feeling about them; Rose shuddered as she felt a shiver run down her spine. Something has happened here, something dangerous, something with consequence.
"But what?" Rose murmured wonderingly.
She peered curiously into the trees, and shivered again as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle up. Someone was watching her. Glancing nervously around, Rose scanned the reservation for any sign of life, but to no avail.
"Paranoia." She muttered to herself.
"Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean someone isn't after you." A nasty little voice whispered inside her head. She frowned and shook her head.
"Shut up." She stated aloud.
Shoving her ear buds back in, Rose steeled herself and ran into the reserve at full speed.
Gradually, the ominous feeling faded, and she lost herself in the rhythm of her music, her breathing and the beat of her feet hitting the ground, even her surroundings faded. All that mattered was the track, the beat, and the steady thrum of her heart.
That was until someone came up behind her at breakneck speed and overtook her.
Rose watched incredulously as a boy ran past her with ease. Frowning slightly, she sped up, and quickly felt the high that came with competition flood through her veins. If there was one thing Rose loved in this world, it was winning. Therefore, if there was one thing she hated, it was losing. She sprinted determinedly forward until she met up with the boy. He looked at her in shock, as if he was surprised someone could match him. She shot him a vicious grin and sped up, taking the lead. Pumping her arms and pushing her legs as hard as they would go, Rose ran like she'd never ran before... Yet there he was again, right beside her and gaining, with an equally competitive and resolute look on his face. Rose twisted her mouth into a determined grimace and set her eyes forward. She quickly caught up to the boy, but soon saw the sign for the end of the trail. In a sort of unspoken communication, both Rose and the boy knew the race was over at the sign, and suddenly the feeling between the two intensified. Both boy and girl pushed their bodies to best the other. Rose flexed her muscles, lengthened her stride and her fingernails dug into her palms as she tightened her fists. She was mad with a competitive hunger that she'd only experienced once or twice in her life.
The sign could only have been a hundred yards away now; Rose pushed and pushed her body until she took the slightest of leads. Filled with the satisfaction of a little bit of distance between her and her nameless competitor, Rose found the final bit of energy left within her and sprinted towards victory. As she reached the sign, Rose jumped the final step and whooped in celebration, however the exhaustion quickly overtook her glee and she fastened her hands above her head and took deep breaths, attempting to slow her erratic heartbeat.
"Well done." A masculine voice panted.
Rose turned around to face the boy and shot him a wide grin, "Thanks, you weren't so bad yourself." She replied, still slightly out of breath.
The boy let out a laugh and approached her. "Liam." He said, offering her his hand.
Rose removed her hands from her head and took his hand, "Rose." She responded, smiling at him.
"I gotta say, not many people can outrun me Rose, that was some great stuff." Liam complimented.
"Not many people can outrun me either Liam, so I gotta say that that was some great stuff." She quipped, repeating his line, eyes twinkling in amusement.
"Touché." He replied, laughing. "Where are you off to? We could cool down together." He suggested, gesturing towards the main road.
"I need to get home, get ready for the first day and all, but I'll walk with you until we need to go different directions." Rose answered easily, walking back in the direction of town.
"Sounds good to me." Liam replied.
Rose looked at him out of the corner of her eye and took his features in: tanned skin, bright, baby blue eyes and dark blonde hair. Damn, this guy was hot. Liam looked at her in bemusement, a slight smile on his face. "Something wrong?" He questioned amusedly.
Rose snapped out of her stare and shot him a cheeky grin "Oh no, just making sure you haven't got any supernatural powers you were using to your advantage in the race."
Liam's eyes flashed with something Rose couldn't decipher, but he quickly grinned down at her "And staring's the best way to test for supernatural powers?" he asked teasingly.
Rose looked up at him and smirked, "Well I'm fresh out of kryptonite, so for now I'm relying purely on the power of observation." She shot back.
Liam laughed, "Aren't you something." He remarked.
"Sure am." She replied easily.
"Do you go to BHHS?" She asked, quickly connecting that Liam could probably help her out on her first day.
"Sure do, I'm a sophomore, you're new, yeah?" He questioned, quickly scanning her face to ensure he hadn't seen her before.
Nope, he definitely would have remembered that.
"Sure am, just moved from Dakota." Rose explained, turning left into her street.
Liam turned with her and shot her a rueful grin "I know that new kid feeling. I can show you around and help you out today if you like, introduce you to a few people." he offered.
Rose shot him a look of gratitude, "That'd be awesome. Don't you have friends you want to catch up with though?"
"I have friends, but I've seen them all summer. To tell you the truth I'm a little bit sick of them." He joked.
Rose laughed, "Are you sure? 'Cause I'm a big girl; I can look after myself if you would rather see them. I don't mind."
Liam rolled his eyes at her. "Of course I'm sure. Besides I've got to size up my competition, figure out what gives you your edge." He said, elbowing her gently.
Rose rolled her eyes, "I knew there was an ulterior motive there. But seriously, thanks." she said gratefully.
"Oh I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. There's a price." Liam stated, smirking a little.
Rose frowned slightly, "What do you want?" she asked warily.
"Well, in return for my gracious services as tour guide and lifesaver, I'll require you to help me practice for lacrosse tryouts today at lunch."
"This is me." Rose said, stopping out the front of her house. She crossed her arms, turned to face Liam and raised a single eyebrow, "Liam, I don't know how to play lacrosse, I'll look like an idiot."
"That's the price you're gonna have to pay for the welcome package Rose, do you think I'm worth it?" He teased.
Rose looked him up and down, "Hmmm, I'm not sure… I think I'm gonna need some form of demonstration Liam." She taunted challengingly.
Liam raised his eyebrows in fake shock and smiled at her "Really?"
Rose smirked, "Oh yeah… Prove your worth buddy, I gotta make sure the goods is worth what I'm paying."
Liam looked down the street, then back at her. "Okay, challenge accepted. As a gesture of good faith, I'll walk you to school this morning."
Rose pretended to think it over, before sticking out her hand. "You've got yourself a deal Liam."
Liam took her hand and shook it, grinning at her. "Awesome, tell you what, give me your phone, I'll put my number in it and I'll call you when I'm out the front ready to go."
Rose pulled her earphones out of her phone and passed it to Liam; he quickly keyed in his number and sent himself a text from her phone. Handing it back, he smiled at her and walked away. "See you soon Rose!" He called, waving.
Rose laughed and climbed her porch steps, "Later Liam!"
Jogging up her steps, Rose burst into the house and quickly made her way into the kitchen.
"Who was the boy?" Her Mom asked, peering up over her newspaper.
Rose smiled, "Liam, I met him on my jog this morning. He's gonna show me around today." She said, opening the fridge and grabbing out a little tub of yoghurt.
"That's nice of him." Her Mother trailed off, attention returning to the newspaper.
Rose opened the drawer and grabbed out a teaspoon, opening her yoghurt, she ate a spoonful and replied with her mouth full, "Yeah, at least I'll have one friendly face amongst a sea of unknown today."
Her Mother sighed audibly, "Honey, swallow before you speak to someone." She chided.
Rose rolled her eyes in response. "Yes ma'am."
Rose then sauntered out of the kitchen and walked upstairs towards the bathroom, shovelling yoghurt in as she walked up.
Quickly eating her last mouthful, Rose threw the yoghurt into the bathroom bin and started the shower. She swiftly stripped off and jumped in, sighing contentedly as the morning's sweat and grime washed off of her body. Washing her hair in record time, Rose was out in five minutes.
She quickly dried her long hair with the dryer and dragged her hairbrush through her hair determinedly before it was finally knot free. Chucking it into a low and still slightly wavy pony tail, Rose skipped to her bedroom and looked at the outfit she'd chosen the night before: blue skinny jeans, a thin striped black and white tee, her signature leather jacket and red chucks.
"You better look good." Rose warned the outfit, "Today's the day I make an impression." She explained.
Giggling at her own idiocy, Rose quickly pulled on the outfit and checked herself out in the mirror.
"Damn I look good!" She exclaimed, winking at her reflection.
Rose was stuffing her enrolment, medical and all other manner of forms required when you start a new school, when her back pocket buzzed. Slinging her backpack onto her shoulder and making her way downstairs, Rose pulled her phone out and snorted at the caller ID. Swiping right she answered the call, "The Sexy Beast is calling me is he?" She asked sarcastically.
"The one and only," Liam replied smugly "I'm outside, you ready to go?" he asked.
"Oh my god no! I still haven't done my makeup, or put my fake eyelashes on, or… Or…" Rose gushed worriedly into the phone.
"Um, Rose, we probably need to leave now, or soon." Liam said awkwardly.
Rose laughed into the receiver and kissed her Mom goodbye. "Don't stress Liam, I can totally be ready in like, another half hour?" She suggested innocently.
"Half an hour!" He exclaimed
Rose laughed again and swung open her front door, smirking down at him, she hung up. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She called, bouncing down the steps to meet him. "Did you really think I was the false eyelashes type?" She questioned incredulously.
Liam snorted, "Who knows? You seemed cool this morning, but technically I've only known you for like, half an hour. You could be an axe-murderer for all I know." He said, walking in the direction of the school.
"It's only been half an hour, but it feels like forever!" She proclaimed dramatically.
Liam snorted at her idiocy. "Whatever." He dismissed.
Rose rolled her eyes and quickly fell in step with him. "But serioucly, touché. I don't even know your last name." She said.
"It's Dunbar."
"Mine's Hunter." She offered.
"So tell me about this lacrosse team I'm training you for this afternoon. Is it all boys?" She said, quickly steering the subject away from the mundane.
Liam smiled "We're pretty good, won more games than we've lost which is a good sign I guess. We've got one girl on our team, why do you ask?"
"Just wondering, you know, if I watch the tryouts today I'm hoping there's gonna be at least a little bit of eye candy for me to look at." She teased, pushing him slightly with her shoulder.
"What am I, a bowl of grapes?" He teased, pushing her back gently.
"I like to a have a nice variety of boys to stare at, if you're lucky, you'll be one of them." She taunted.
"Okay, that's it, you have to cheer for me at tryouts now." He stated.
"Really Dunbar?" She asked mockingly.
"Really truly, or I won't be nice to you today." He replied dismissively.
"Hmm, you drive a hard bargain. Tell you what, if you do something spectacular, I'll throw in a 'Go Liam'" Rose replied wryly.
Liam rolled his eyes, "Ooh, aren't I lucky?" He commented sarcastically.
"The luckiest." Rose shot back, "so what's Beacon Hills like, really?" she asked curiously.
"It's high school, so by no means my happy place, but hey, if you have a good crowd it's pretty good." He surmised.
"Hmm, I wonder if I'll fall in with a good crowd?" Rose wondered.
"Well you've already befriended the greatest guy on campus, so you're off to a pretty good start." Liam teased.
"The greatest guy on campus hey? What's his name, I'm not sure I've met him yet." Rose replied.
"I'll give you a hint." He teased. "His name starts with L and ends with Iam Dunbar."
Rose laughed, "Oh really? Aren't I lucky then?" She questioned mockingly.
"The luckiest." Liam said, repeating her line from earlier.
Liam and Rose turned the corner and were soon at the end of the schools street, looking at the building and the steady stream of students walking into it apprehensively Rose took a shaky breath.
"Any tips for me before you throw me into the deep end?" She asked nervously.
"I'm not throwing you into the deep end Rose; I'll be there for you today… I promise." He replied soothingly.
"Sure, but still… Any tips?" Rose squeaked anxiously and each step took them closer to the school.
"Um… Don't eat the tater tots in the cafeteria?" Liam replied jokingly.
Rose let out a shaky laugh. "No tater tots… Got it." She repeated.
"You ready?" Liam questioned as they stood at the front of Beacon Hills High.
Rose took a deep breath and looked at Liam quickly. He smiled reassuringly at her, and Rose nodded in confirmation.
"As I'll ever be." She replied, taking her first step onto school property.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, thanks so much for reading! So what does everyone think of Rose so far? Nothing too odd yet! Please review and tell me if there were any holes in the storytelling anywhere. Thanks again for reading and until next time!
- Ivy