Darkest Powers: Edition 2 By 331

This is what happens after the Awakening by Kelley Armstrong (but not the Reckoning), after they had found Mr. Bae (Simon and Derek's dad), defeated the Edison Group and the Cabal, and gone back to their old lives.

I do not own anything and it all belongs to Kelley Armstrong. I am just using her characters and adding a few of my own.

Chloe's POV

Saying goodbye was hard. We had gone through so much together, two whole months, and now that we had won, we had to leave. I thought winning meant happiness. Guess not. Tori was going to stay with Simon, Derek, and Mr. Bae, because once he had told her she was his daughter, Mr. Bae wasn't giving her any other options (not that she had any). But Aunt Lauren was taking me back to my dad. Neither of us had any idea what we were going to tell him, but it had better be good, because otherwise, well, he wouldn't believe it and demand to know the truth. And that would be too dangerous for him. Aunt Lauren and Mr. Bae were putting our stuff in the cab. We were gonna ride in it all the way back. I really hoped it didn't smell. I hugged Simon hard, crying a bit. He smiled at me.

"It's not like we won't ever see you again. I promise we'll come visit." They were going to live in Maine. I don't think there was any particular reason, but I think Mr. Bae had found a decent job there (and there were probably some supernaturals up there he wanted to talk to). And I was staying in New York, and going back to art school. Boy would the first day back be fun. I hugged Tori, and for once she had the sense to not say something bitchy. Instead she said,

"I'll miss having a girl to talk to. Email me like every day. We can IM and stuff. So don't forget." Last was Derek. He stood there, unsure what to do. So I just rushed up and hugged him.

"I'll miss you, too, Derek." He sort of hugged me back, still a little unsure. I stepped back and he smiled.

"Don't to anything too stupid."

"And you don't anything too smart."

"How do you be too smart?"

"It's something you do all the time." Simon chuckled and nodded.

"He does, but don't worry, I'll keep him in line. And don't forget to email me too. I don't want to be forgotten. And I'll get Derek to say something every once in a while." He elbowed Derek in the stomach, who replied with a punch in the arm. I laughed, knowing this is the last time for a while that I'd see them just goof off.

"Chloe, we have to go if we want to get home in time for dinner!" Aunt Lauren called. I turned to go, but felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back, and it was Simon.

"I hope we see each other again soon." I nodded.

"Me too." He helped me into the cab. I looked out the back window waving, as they waved to me, while the cab drove off. I kept waving even after I couldn't see them anymore, until we had turned a corner onto the highway. I was nervous about seeing my dad and what I would say, and I was already missing Tori and the guys. I really just wanted to go and live with them in Maine. But, I did want to see my dad again.

I talked with Aunt Lauren most of the way, until she said she was tired and wanted to sleep. After that I started reading, but couldn't focus, because I got nauseous easily in the car and reading didn't help. And neither did worrying about my dad. So I tried sleeping, but that didn't work either. So I ended up drawing on a pad of paper. Simon had taught me a couple things, and I was pretty good by now. I drew a couple flowers, and then started writing my name in funny letters over and over again. When we eventually turned onto my street, Aunt Lauren had woken back up, and we were rehearsing our stories. She was going to say that she had found me on the street in upper New York, just wandering, and that I had had amnesia. I had recovered a bit, but still didn't remember anything from after I left the Lyle house to a couple days before. It was all a blur. That way, I didn't have to tell him what happened to me, but I was home safe and may never remember. And I didn't have to tell him about my powers. But Aunt Lauren said to act a little addled, just in case, to prove I really had had amnesia. Even with the story, I was still nervous. Aunt Lauren told me to calm down, he might not even be home, but at work, with the maid there in case I came back. But I was still nervous. When we pulled up to the door, I couldn't move. Aunt Lauren had to pull me out of the cab, grab our bags, and push me up the steps. And I still hid behind her when she rang the doorbell. Annette answered. She saw Aunt Lauren and the bags, but she couldn't see me.

"Why Dr. Fellows, what are you doing here? Mr. Saunders is at work, and I'm only here now since Chloe's gone.....," she sounded kinda sorrowful at the end, like she though I was dead or something. Then Aunt Lauren's hand shot around and grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. Annette gasped.

"Chloe! Oh Chloe, it really is you! We've been so worried! Your father will be so relieved to know your safe!" She was hugging me really hard, practically squeezing my lungs disfunctional. Then she inspected me to make sure I was okay. After at least five inspections, she ran to the phone and called my father. She had me and Aunt Lauren sit on the couch and eat fruit while she called dad. I could hear his freakout from half way across the room. When she was finished, she came and sat down across from us, on an armchair.

"So, where have you been? Your father has been worrying his head off for the past two months! What happened?" Aunt Lauren told her our planned story, while I tried to keep my face from looking guilty. But Annette was gullible, and believed every word.

"Oh you poor thing! You can't remember anything at all?" I nodded, and she came over and hugged me again, this time more gentle. Then she made us some dinner, and she told me everything she had heard about my disappearance. Apparently, people had thought at first I had run away with some boy, but then later, I became the poor little half a million dollar kidnap victim. I had been all over the news, and apparently there was a video going around that someone had spotted me in Michigan (obviously fake, because we had never gone there). Aunt Lauren said she had found me up near Syracuse. Annette hoped I hadn't been drugged, but Aunt Lauren confirmed that she had had me checked over when she'd first found me, and I didn't have any drugs in my system.

Finally, my father arrived. He burst through the door.

"Chloe?!!? CHLOE!" he spotted me, and lunged at me, almost knocking me to the floor. I was almost squeezed to death again. I hugged him back, and tears came flooding up.

"Oh Chloe, I'm so glad you're safe! Don't ever scare me like that again. I don't know what would happen to me if I ever lost you." We cried and hugged a lot.

"I missed you too, Dad." he kept hugging me and kissing me constantly throughout the rest of the night. Even when Aunt Lauren was explaining what happened, I was sitting next to him with his arm around me. He didn't question the story either, just extremely relieved I was safe. He tucked me in (for the first time ever, he had never done that before, even when I was little). He kissed me goodnight and left, telling Aunt Lauren to stay and help Annette look after me for a couple days. I would be going back to school in a couple days. I had missed so much, I knew I would need summer school, but I didn't mind. I was home. There was only one thing that wasn't right, one thing that was missing. I missed Simon, Tori, and Derek.

…..........................................................................................................................................

It was my first day back to school. The weekend had been horrible. Once it had gotten out the half a million dollar girl was back, paparazzi mobbed our house. They didn't leave until they had interviewed me (or until Annette threatened to get a restraining order, anyway) and I had gotten no time to mentally prepare myself for going back to school. I was downright freakin' terrified. And to top it all off, my dad forced me to go with a bodyguard! And, everyone there had thought I'd gone crazy, then sent to a crazy kid home, and then ran away and lived on the street for two months! This was not going to be pleasant. I wanted to tell my dad I would rather be home schooled, but Aunt Lauren said if I couldn't face my fears about little things like school, what would happen if I was attacked by another group of evil sadistic supernaturals. I said that I could whoop their buts by unleashing an army of dead animals on them. But school was different. No one there knew about my powers or understood that I wasn't a schizophrenic crazy girl. And I couldn't make them understand either. Plus, I had no idea what my other friends had thought of all this. I hadn't contacted them at all, and as far as I knew, they hadn't tried to contact me. Would they try to accept me back, or avoid me?

I really did not want to go to school.

But Annette fussed me out of bed, and Aunt Lauren drove me to school, telling me the body guard would be there if something went wrong, and yes, he was a supernatural. When we pulled up to the front of the school, I hid under the seats. Aunt Lauren came in and dragged me out. Immediately I felt the stares of countless art school kids as they realized who I was, and I felt my insides shrivel up and die. Aunt Lauren introduced me to the body guard, and her name was Abby. She had long red hair, and was no older than Aunt Lauren. She told me she was a witch, and would just be following me around all day for the next week or so, to make sure I wouldn't be kidnapped or anything. She seemed nice, but the following around part canceled that out. Aunt Lauren handed me my back pack and smiled.

"It'll be okay, hon. We'll talk after school over a milkshake, and you can fill me in on your day. I'm sure there's a nice person just waiting to be your friend somewhere in there. And maybe we can call Tori, Simon, and Derek later, okay?" I brightened at the prospect of talking to them again. I'd only been away from them for four days, and it already felt like years. I hugged Aunt Lauren goodbye, and then Abby followed me up the steps into the school. I go through the doors, and........ dead silence. Everyone had stopped talking, and they were all staring straight at me. Abby patted my shoulder and smiled weakly, and I tried to smile back, but I just couldn't. Today was gonna be fun.

When I walked into the classroom (English class), I got more stares. Abby went straight to the back of the room and sat in a vacant chair, while I was forced to choose where to sit. I spotted Kari, one of my friends (at least, I hoped she was still my friend) and chose the desk behind hers in the corner. I felt people's eyes boring into me, and if this kept up, I was going to go crazy for real. Thankfully, the teacher walked in, and everyone was forced to look straight. I hoped to god the teacher wasn't going to do what I thought he might.

"Okay class, today, we are glad to welcome back a friend who has been missing for a couple months, but she is here safe and sound, and we should welcome her back warmly. Chloe, would you please stand up and say hi?" Dammit! Why God? Why? I stood up shakily, and tried to answer.

"H-h-hi, p-people," I quickly shut up and sat down. I heard some sniggers, and now I was sure most people though I was crazy. They probably pitied me, but mostly laughed at me, in my face or behind my back. The teacher smiled sympathetically at me, and then continued into the class without saying anything else about it. Thankfully, he also didn't call on me for the rest of the class. When the bell rang, I plucked up the courage to try to talk to Kari.

"Um, Kari?" she had been putting her books away, and she looked at me. And she just stared. And I froze. By then everyone except her and I (and Abby) had left. I couldn't think of one thing to say. So I looked down and rushed by her. I was almost out the door when I heard―

"Chloe?" I stopped, and turned. Kari was looking at me, she almost seemed... sorry.

"I'm glad you're back," and she smiled. I smiled too, and she ran over and hugged me. I knew I was crying. I had felt so alone, walking back into school, but now I knew I still had friends here. I hugged her back.

"Chloe, I was so worried! When they took you out on a stretcher and then sent you away, I didn't know what to think. And then you went missing, which scared me so much! I was dying inside, hearing people talk about you, saying you had gone crazy and had turned into a schizo, and that you had run away from you psych ward, and I was so so scared!And Beth was too (another of my art school friends)! She was out of school for three days when she heard you were missing! Of course, she told everybody she was sick, but the way she acted makes me think otherwise. Oh, I'm so glad you're back!" She hugged me tighter, and my tears splashed onto her crimson sweater. We hugged for a minute or two, then stepped back. I dried my eyes in my hand.

"So, you don't think I'm crazy?"

"I hope you're not. But you seem the same, so I'm deciding now that you're fine. But what happened out there? You were missing for like two months!"

"I don't know. My Aunt Lauren said she found me in Syracuse, and that I couldn't remember anything. I've regained most of my memory, except everything that occurred out there is still blur. I have no idea what happened to me at all." She smiled at me.

"Well, let's just hope whatever happened, you're safe now." I nodded. I really hoped that now too. I hated lying to her, but it needed to be done, to keep her safe. She walked with me to my next class, with Abby trailing behind. People still stared, but I didn't care any more. I had friends. We met up with Beth in Geometry, and she was happy to see me too. I saw Brent sitting across the room, and I swear I saw him glance at me once, but I couldn't be sure (Brent was the guy I had a forced crush on before I was sent to the Lyle house. Miranda had forced me to say who I'd liked, and I just blurted Brent's name because she wouldn't stop pestering me. But then she went up and told him I liked him, and after that he avoided me like I had contracted some kind of disease, which of course, now, is probably exactly what at least three quarters of the school was thinking right then)(Miranda was a recent addition to my group of friends before I was sent away, but she mostly was interested in boys, and talking only about them. I was still unsure what she thought about all this.). Beth had missed me too, and was happy I was back. We didn't see Miranda until lunch. She looked at us, at me sitting with Kari and Beth, and she snorted and walked off towards a group of boys. Whatever. She hadn't been that nice to me anyway. Kari and Beth filled me in on what I had missed. There wasn't much. I had missed one dance (they said Brent hadn't slow danced with anyone, which means he was still up for grabs, and I think I was supposed to get excited about that. Not really.), the student film festival (Dammit! I had wanted to be in that, directing my own short film. I had been the only freshman to qualify for the slot of director!), and a couple projects I probably would have to go to summer school to make up. I had also missed one of the school plays, which Kari was in, and I was sad I had missed it (it was called 30 Reasons Not to Be in a Play. It was entirely about all these different crazy reasons why a person should not be in a play. And then the last reason was them forgetting what the last reason was, and then pretending to mess up. It was apparently really funny. I wish I had been there. But I had been a little preoccupied, running for my life from psycho scientists and perverted, ugly werewolves who wanted to give Derek to the pack and sexually assault me. And then having to go back and fight them until we won. Still, I wish I had been able to go and support Kari.) They also told me there was another dance coming up this Friday, and they would totally go shopping with me to get dresses. Unfortunately, it also meant I needed a date. What boy at this school, after watching the news, would want to ask me to a dance? Great.

After school, Abby walked me to the milkshake place Aunt Lauren was meeting me at. When she was sure I was safe in my aunt's hands, she left, saying she'd see me again tomorrow. I told Aunt Lauren all about how today wasn't all that bad, I still had two friends. I got a vanilla milkshake, and Aunt Lauren got a coffee, and I told her about the dance. She was happy to know I still had friends, and would bring us shopping tomorrow. And then she got out her cellphone and called Mr. Bae. Waiting was agonizing. It rung and rung forever. They didn't pick up the first time, and aunt Lauren tried again. I got anxious when she tried the third time. After the fifth try, she stopped, saying maybe he shut his phone off. I was worried. But she told me we'd try again later. She took me home, and Annette made dinner for us. We had spaghetti, and it was pretty good. I did all my homework, and then begged Aunt Lauren to call Mr. Bae again. She tried, to no avail. By now I was really anxious. What if something had gone wrong, what if they were hurt, what if right now they were....... No, they weren't they were fine. There was nothing wrong, the phone just wasn't working. Or maybe the number wasn't right. But they were fine. I went to bed with worry clouding my thoughts, and I dreamed that Mr. Bae, Simon, Tori, and Derek, were speeding down the highway, being chased by zombie sorcerer demons riding werewolves, and then they were chased off a cliff and died. I did not sleep to well that night. I hoped they were okay. Because if they weren't, I..... I..... I didn't know what I'd do.

Hey guys! This is my new story, and yes, Simon, Tori, and Derek come back. But you'll have to wait and see how! Hope you like it! Review!