TWO MONTHS EARLIER.
"The very nature of a Darach is to destroy and corrupt the earth around them. They defy the duty of Druids, turning their back on nature and the importance of the balance. The Darach acts selfishly, stealing power through sacrificial rituals and channeling the earth's energy in unnatural ways. They go against the very role that Druids exist to fulfil.
Druids may start to show signs of falling into the path of a Darach through noticeable shifts in attitude, reckless behaviour or lack of control over abilities as the darkness begins to take over them. Druids may find themselves leaning towards one side, whether good or bad, as they begin to give up their focus on maintaining the balance.
It should be noted that once a Druid falls and gives into darkness, there is almost no going back. Redemption is rewarded by nature alone based on changes in behaviour that reveal a renewed dedication to their duties, or by an act of self sacrifice…"
"You ever hear of regression to the mean? It's Deaton's way of saying life can't ever be all bad or all good."
Scott's voice interrupted Ariana's focus, pulling her out of her dark fears and hopeless research. Her eyes had been practically making a hole into Deaton's Druidology book, slowly drowning in a pool of growing fear, before Scott's words caught her ear. She'd been there when Deaton had talked to Scott. Ariana had sat there in Deaton's office, pursed lips and folded arms as the two of them tried to convince her that things were okay for now. Trying to convince the small druid that there was no reason to create another earthquake. It had been a failed attempt but she had to give them credit for trying.
"Things have to come back to the middle," Scott explained to Stiles, oblivious to Ariana's eavesdropping. "Think about the last few months. Things have been good, right?"
"…Yeah, I guess no one has tried to kill us in like five months," Stiles replied, his voice slightly muffled as he ducked his head back under the jeep's bonnet.
Ariana couldn't help a sense of irritation as she tried to pull her focus back to the book sitting in her lap but it was hard not to tune into Scott and Stiles' meaningless and frustrating conversation at the front of the car. Scott was throwing a wrench carelessly up in the air as Stiles hammered away in the bonnet as if whatever he was doing would help the jeep last a few more hours, the two of them seemingly forgetting about the small druid trying to do actual research in the backseat.
"Exactly. We've been pretty much in the middle for a while," Scott continued. "Which means at some point the scale has to tip one way or the other. Which means things are going to get really good again…"
"Or really bad," Stiles quipped back, whacking the bonnet with the wrench probably more for effect than anything actually helpful.
Ariana rolled her eyes at his comment, the way he threw out the suggestion so carelessly into the air. There was a nice comfortable energy around them all right now even despite the full moon looming above in the dark night sky, a sense of ease and safety that didn't quite reach Ariana's bones.
It had been almost five months since 'the Mexico Madness', as Stiles dubbed it. Five months since Ariana's life had been flipped inside out and upside down. Five months since she'd plunged a dagger into her best friend's heart and changed the course of her own life forever. Five months since they'd learned about the existence of the darkest druid, the Donas who had killed Ariana's parents years ago to steal their power. Five months of waiting for the worst while everyone else started to sink back into normalcy.
"Ari? What do you think?" Scott asked, doing his best to bring her into the conversation although maybe he had just heard the crack of thunder breaking overhead and was getting suspicious.
Tipping her head out of the back seat window, Ariana clicked her tongue doubtfully, one eyebrow raised. "I think you're both forgetting that we have a demon-druid on the loose and we are literally no closer to finding her than we were five months ago."
"And there she is with that positive attitude we all love," Stiles quipped, squinting over the car bonnet at her. "Thank you, Petrakis."
"I'm just being honest," Ariana shot back, glaring mildly at Stiles. "Sure, there's been no suspicious attacks recently but what if the Donas isn't even in Beacon Hills anymore? What if she's causing chaos somewhere else while we just sit around waiting for her to show up? Or maybe she's just biding her time. Waiting…"
"Waiting for what?" Stiles asked, a cynical expression on his face. Honestly he was the one who always assumed the worst so it was more than frustrating to see him doubt Ariana. But then again he was so determined to fulfil his little graduation plan that she couldn't blame him for hoping for the best. It didn't make him any less ignorant though.
"I don't know!" Ariana cried out sharply in reply, slamming her hands on the back of the driver's seat in front of her in irritation as the book slid off her lap. "Maybe she's just watching us to see if we're a threat. To see what we're capable of. I don't know because we literally know nothing about her. We don't even know what her third set of abilities are because we still don't know what happened to Siobhan."
"Ari, breathe," Scott said gently, eyeing her carefully, his focus dropping to her hands briefly as if he'd already sensed the small tremor flickering through her fingertips.
Ariana rolled her eyes as she inhaled deeply, flexing her fingers as she willed the energy inside to disappear, to fade away. She didn't have complete control over her abilities, far from it, despite the weekly sessions with Deaton. Sinking back into the backseat she let out a frustrated sigh, doing her best to ignore the expression on Scott's face.
"Do you think its been long enough yet?" Stiles asked, squinting up at the moon as he swiftly changed the subject. Scott seemed relieved, half a smile slipping up his lips as he watched Ariana exhale, the tension temporarily fading away again.
"Yes," Liam's slightly pained voice carried out across the forest from the tree he was currently chained to. Ariana pulled her gaze across to him, her lips pressed together as she fought back the smile now threatening to slide up her own face.
Stiles threw the young beta wolf a glare as he pointed his spanner in Liam's direction. "Hey, trying to have an adult conversation over here," he called out, raising an eyebrow.
"Alright, you're two years older than me. And Ariana was talking too! Anyway I'm fine! Just let me go," Liam pleaded, tugging slightly against the chains wrapped against his body.
"It's not that I don't trust you," Scott said as he slid off the bonnet of the jeep and moved towards his beta.
Stiles was quick to follow Scott though, pausing briefly to roll his eyes at Ariana as she slid out of the jeep. "It's that I don't trust you," he called as he sauntered towards Liam with a smirk.
Scott was standing in front of Liam now, his arms folded doubtfully across his chest as he studied Liam closely. "It's just after the last full moon…" he trailed off.
Liam let out a defeated sigh, dropping his head down in embarrassment. "It was one slip up!"
"Slip up? A dozen calls to the Sheriff's department about a monstrous dog-boy running around the streets of Beacon Hills naked. That's a slip up?" Stiles quipped sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, why were you naked?" Scott asked, tilting his head slightly as he wrinkled his eyes in curiosity.
Liam raised his eyebrows innocently as Ariana ducked her head behind Stiles to hide the smirk growing on her lips. "Well-I- I just…We…" Liam trailed off awkwardly as he looked helplessly over at Ariana, the chains jingling slightly as he struggled against them.
Stiles glanced back at Ariana, catching her smirk and glaring back at Liam with a look of dawning realisation. "Oh…okay gross. No, no thank you. Not putting that in my head," he remarked, shaking his head as he twisted his face into a look of disgust. Honestly, he was such a teenage boy sometimes.
"We weren't…I mean we didn't…We just…" Liam was still stammering, trying to explain himself but he was doing a terrible job as he squirmed uncomfortably while Scott tried to speed up the unchaining process so he could get away from the rapidly growing awkward situation.
"We didn't do anything because Liam wolfed out the moment he took his shirt off and bolted outside," Ariana interrupted finally, unable to maintain composure for any longer as she burst into giggles at the memory. Having Liam leaping off her body in the middle of making out had certainly been unexpected but that was nothing compared to hearing Scott's frantic call only minutes later asking if she'd seen a naked Liam.
As Scott finally tugged the chains away from Liam's body, the young beta gave a huff of annoyance, twisting to free his body entirely. "Thanks, Ari," Liam said sarcastically, narrowing his eyes as he moved away from the tree, folding his arms across his chest.
"You sure you're okay though? You're in complete and total control?" Scott asked Liam seriously.
"Yeah, complete and total. Total control." Liam's eyes flickered to Ariana briefly before bobbing his head up and down in affirmation as he spoke.
"Alright let's get going," Scott said after a moment, patting Liam on the shoulder as Stiles scooped up the pile of chains back into the duffel bag and ushered Ariana towards the jeep again.
Ariana followed Stiles dutifully, still smirking slightly as Stiles gave a little shudder at the thought of her and Liam again. "Like you can judge us. You and Malia are disgusting," she said half under her breath, scrunching her face up at Stiles as he spun to glare at her.
"Do you want to walk back to town?" Stiles asked, raising a threatening eyebrow as he tossed his car keys up in the air, catching them with practiced ease.
Ariana rolled her eyes as the two of them reached the car. "Sure Stiles, leave me here and I'll just call your dad and tell him you left a small teenage girl to fend for herself on the full moon."
"You and I both know you'd be fine." Stiles raised an eyebrow at Ariana, daring her to disagree and admit weakness. They both knew she'd be fine against almost any werewolf though. She'd already proved that against Peter back in Mexico, not to mention in the little training sessions Scott had insisted on giving her over the last few months to make sure she could defend herself properly.
"Well your dad doesn't know that. Or maybe I'll just call Melissa and you can deal with her," Ariana shot back, raising an eyebrow back at Stiles, holding back a satisfied grin when he huffed, swinging the jeep's back door open for her to slide in.
As much as it baffled Ariana, she had to admit it was nice to see how protective Melissa had become of her over the last few months. Ariana was practically living at the McCall's house these days, as much as she hated being a burden. She tried to alternate between Liam's house and Scott's, flickering between the two houses to keep herself from being a nuisance, but Melissa had quickly become like a mother figure to the small druid.
"Ugh, thank you" Ariana huffed as she climbed into the backseat, accepting the bag of chains from Stiles with a slight groan as the weight of the chains took her by surprise. "Okay, let's just get going." She spoke just as Scott swung the driver's door open, slinging his body easily into the seat as Liam hurried along a few steps behind him, the beta jogging the last few steps around the car before sliding in beside Ariana.
Ariana reached out to squeeze Liam's hand but before she could even brush fingers with him, his hands were already buried deep into his pockets, his eyes staring steadily at the road ahead.
"So What's at midnight?" Liam asked the older boys curiously as Ariana turned the page in Deaton's book, her eyes skimming over the words describing the use of tectonic currents.
It was harder to read while the jeep bumped along the road, but Ariana was determined to take in every word. It was the same thing she'd read already but she was determined to find something new, something helpful in here. Anything to help her channel the darkness, anything to give her an edge when she finally faced the Donas. She'd been planning another night of big research until she'd realised Liam would need her presence for the full moon, and he hadn't seemed thrilled to see the book tucked under her arm when they left, but she had remained stubborn.
"Your bedtime," Stiles retorted, glancing back at Liam. They'd been having this discussion ever since Scott and Stiles had picked the younger two up, with Stiles insisting they were not allowed to be late to wherever the senior kids were going tonight.
Liam was determined to get some answers though, leaning forward a little in his seat. "Why aren't the girls going?"
Stiles let out a huff of exasperation, turning in his seat to glare at Liam. "They're meeting us there. And just stop asking questions! You're worse than Ariana."
"Rude," Ariana remarked bluntly, only half listening as she skimmed through another page of Deaton's book, her eyes narrowing as she glanced over the page she'd turned to. There were a few images on the page, demonstrating the variety of natural power sources for Druids, things she'd read several times already, but something about the images seemed a little off upon a closer inspection, like her eyes were playing tricks on her, the images of birds swimming in and out of her vision.
"Woah…What the hell?" Scott interrupted Ariana's concentration for the second time tonight as the jeep's engine made a worrying bang sound before coming to a slow halt as Stiles let out a string of expletives.
"You out of gas?" Liam asked.
"No…it's electrical. Probably the damn alternator again," Stiles huffed as he flung himself out of the driver's seat. Scott paused for a moment, glancing back at Liam and Ariana in the backseat before sighing and climbing out of the car, probably to go stop Stiles from tearing his own jeep apart.
"You doing okay?" Ariana asked, glancing up from her book to where Liam was pressed against his seat, eyes clenched shut a little too tightly to give off any sense of relaxation. "Hey, talk to me," she urged, shifting across the backseat to nudge Liam gently.
Liam inhaled deeply, his gaze pulled out to the road ahead. Ariana watched him patiently, taking in the way his jaw clenched and unclenched. She'd known tonight would be tough for Liam which is why she'd insisted on tagging along with Scott and Stiles. Not to mention, she needed the distraction herself.
"I'm fine," Liam said finally, although his tone did nothing to convince Ariana. "I'll be fine," he repeated when Ariana just raised an eyebrow back. She didn't say anything though, just pursing her lips as she nodded, turning back to Deaton's druidology book again.
"Why are you still obsessing over that?" Liam asked after a moment, his brow furrowed in annoyance as he stared down at the book as if it had personally offended him. "You've read it cover to cover like twenty times in the last few months. You haven't found anything useful."
"Yet. Nothing yet," Ariana shot back, her temper slipping out momentarily as she tensed up. "I just need to keep looking. I need to be ready for when the Donas comes."
"You've spent the last few months saying that and nothing has happened. Maybe she's never coming," Liam said with a shrug. "Can't we just be happy that things are good now?"
Ariana furrowed her brow as she turned to face Liam properly, frustration bubbling inside. "I am happy but I'm not naive," she retorted. "I just want to be prepared. I don't want anyone to get hurt the next time something bad shows up." They'd had this argument too many times to count over the last few months. Liam kept insisting that Ariana was worrying with no reason, but she knew she was right. Ariana knew there was something coming. She could feel it, just like she could feel the tug of darkness in her veins.
Before either of them could continue the argument, a bolt of lightning cracked down half a mile away from the car, the entire road lighting up for a brief second before plunging back into darkness again.
"Ari…Was that you?" Liam asked quietly, his voice a little uneasy as he glanced over at her, his fists clenching tightly in his lap.
Ariana exhaled slowly, shaking her head as her gaze lingered on the road behind them. "That wasn't me…I definitely can't make lightening."
"Well you've created earthquakes and wind so maybe…"
"It wasn't me, Liam," Ariana repeated as she kept her gaze focused on the road behind them, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Another crack of lightening struck down only a few feet from the car again, causing the two of them to jump slightly.
"Guys?" Liam yelled out to Scott and Stiles, reaching out to grab Ariana's hand for a moment, squeezing it briefly. Ariana squeezed it back, trying to steady her own heartbeat as she stared up at the sky.
"Liam, Ari stay in the car!" Scott called out, holding a hand up in warning to the two of them as if he expected them to suddenly leap out.
Ariana rolled her eyes now, tipping her head out of the window to glare at Stiles for the hundredth time tonight. "I literally haven't moved. I'm literally the only one here wearing a seatbelt," she called back, sticking her tongue out when Stiles threw her a withering look.
Before Scott could tell anyone to calm down, another bolt of lightning cracked down only a few feet away. A second later, the car suddenly started up again with no warning, causing the four of them to stare at each other in confusion. Ariana could see something in Scott's eyes, a hint of uncertainty, like maybe he was finally starting to understand Ariana's fears.
Liam seemed not to notice anyone worrying though. "Can we go now?" he asked Stiles, waving a hand impatiently as Ariana sunk back into the seat beside him with a huff. Scott pulled his gaze back to the car, nodding as he and Stiles climbed back inside.
As Stiles tugged the jeep back into drive Ariana stared up at the sky, her eyes widening a fraction as she spotted a large flock of birds circling wildly overhead. It was hard to see in the dark, but they almost looked like crows. Almost exactly like the birds Ariana had witnessed in her never-ending nightmares. Before she could comment or look any closer to determine what she was seeing, the jeep took off down the road and Ariana lost sight of them.
"Gen? Hey Genevieve…You okay, honey?"
Genevieve snapped her head up at the sound of her name, her eyes flickering between hazel and golden as she pulled herself out of her intense concentration on the stained wooden floorboard. Standing in front of her was Kaitlyn Schaar, one of Satomi's older betas. She was one of the few werewolves in Satomi's pack who had bothered to engage with Genevieve and so far she was the first person to speak to Genevieve tonight. Her long dark hair fell across her face, almost covering her twinkling eyes as she crouched down to lock eyes with Genevieve.
"I'm fine," Genevieve said quickly, tucking her tightly clenched fists into her lap as she pulled a somewhat convincing smile onto her features. "Just feeling the full moon a bit tonight, that's all."
Kaitlyn pursed her lips as she rocked backwards until she was sitting cross-legged opposite Genevieve. "Right. I know it can be tough sometimes. Especially if you're a little distracted," she said as she raised one eyebrow.
Genevieve furrowed her brow as she glanced around at the rest of Satomi's pack as they all huddled together, all working together to stay calm and in control as the full moon illuminated the room. They all seemed to be coping, chattering amongst themselves while Genevieve sat in the corner, a blanket wrapped around her tiny frame as she waited for the worst to be over.
This wasn't a new occurrence, by any means. Genevieve had settled comfortably in Satomi's pack over the last few months but her mind liked to wander more than she was proud to admit. At least she didn't have a big role in the pack. All she had to do was sit and listen as Satomi went over the latest threats and pack reminders, warnings of areas to avoid around town and ensuring that everyone was keeping calm and caring for each other. The meetings were never too serious, not now that the supernatural deadpool was officially over. The risks had been eliminated, or so Satomi kept assuring her pack.
But Genevieve couldn't let her mind rest as easily as the rest of the pack. Maybe it was her anxiety, an issue that had only been exaggerated by her wolf abilities. Or maybe it was the fact that she was surrounded by a pack built on staying passive, staying safe and away from the dangers. It was smart, practical and built on a method of survival. They stayed away from danger and they stayed alive. But something kept tugging on the back of Genevieve's mind. Something wouldn't let her body fully relax.
Perhaps it was the tall blue-eyed werewolf currently avoiding her gaze from across the room.
Brett was sitting with a few other younger pack members, Jiang and Tierney, talking in low tones as they leaned over a deck of cards, playing some kind of mindless game to keep their brains occupied. The other two seemed quite calm, laughing as they bickered lightly over who was currently losing. If someone didn't know any better, they might assume Brett was equally relaxed.
But Genevieve knew him well by now. She could see the tension sitting between his shoulders, the way his hands clutched his cards a little too tightly, revealing white knuckles. She could see the way his jaw remained clenched, even as he smiled at his friends. He was just as distracted as she was. And Genevieve didn't blame him. How else could she expect him to act after the mess they'd left in the aftermath of their break-up?
There they had been in the middle of July, two hearts shattering in the middle of Satomi's backyard as the sun had set behind them, an icy frost settling in the air. It would have been a beautiful image if not for the fact that it had been a complete tragedy. Four months of trying and failing to make each other happy only for it to all fall apart over a stupid argument. But there was no going back now. Genevieve couldn't take back her vicious words, desperate and intending to hurt. And she couldn't un-hear the cruelty in Brett's tone that night.
"Hey, you'll be fine," Kaitlyn pulled Genevieve out of her thoughts, reaching out to brush a hand over Genevieve's face gently. "Just give it time, kid."
Genevieve nodded, easing herself slightly out of Kaitlyn's reach as she inhaled slowly. She could feel her claws itching to poke out, her body ready to slip and lose control at any second and having Brett distracting her with his presence definitely wasn't helping. But she couldn't lose control. She couldn't be weak. Not now, not in front of the rest of the pack.
"I just need some air," she said after a minute, untangling her limbs as she offered Kaitlyn a reassuring smile. "I'll be back in a minute!"
As Genevieve ducked out of the room and moved to the front door, she could feel Brett's eyes following her. She didn't need to look back to imagine the look of sorrow on his face, the bitterness fighting with longing.
"Sorry we're late!" Stiles called out of the car as he pulled the jeep into a messy attempt to park, tugging the handbrake on. As soon as the car came to a halt, Malia was at the driver's window, leaning in to give Stiles a long and slightly excessive kiss hello.
Liam waited until they came up for air before he leaned forward with a cheeky expression. "I'm sorry too," he quipped as Ariana let out a scoff.
"You do remember I own a gun…" Malia's dad raised one eyebrow at Stiles and Liam while Ariana rolled her eyes at the older girl.
Stiles seemed a little stunned, nodding his head as he settled back into his seat. "Vividly."
"And your girlfriend is sitting right here with the ability to cause a storm," Ariana said dryly to Liam, folding her arms across her chest.
"I just meant…I was just being nice!" Liam spluttered as he slid across in the backseat, letting Ariana move closer to him to make room for Malia.
As Malia squished into the backseat beside Ariana she gave Ariana's arm a light squeeze in greeting, pointed ignoring Liam. The two girls had definitely become a little closer over the last few months now that they were both on the same side, mostly bonding over their abilities to exasperate Stiles on a daily basis. Malia had also been adamant on helping Ariana train with the pack and she was one of the few people who wasn't afraid to hold back when they went against each other in little sparring matches. Obviously Ariana lacked supernatural speed but she had the elements on her side and the more she practiced using her abilities carefully and respectfully, the more Deaton had assured her she'd be rid of the darkness inside, sending it back to the earth again.
"What?" Malia asked, frowning as she glanced away from Ariana and spotted Stiles' expectant expression, one equally matched by Scott, the two of them staring silently at her.
"Did you find out yet?" Stiles asked impatiently, his head waggling slightly as he stared at his girlfriend, waiting for an answer.
Liam seemed a little confused. "Find out what?" he asked. Ariana knew what this was about of course, but she kept her mouth shut, mentally willing Liam to stop talking.
"They're going to email me." Malia spoke quickly, glaring slightly at Stiles in a useless attempt to get him to shut up. Clearly neither of these boys were getting the message though as they both continued to stare at Malia.
"Is this about summer school?" Liam asked, leaning over Ariana to stare at Malia curiously. Ariana elbowed him as she rolled her eyes, ignoring his cry of protest as he sunk back into the seat.
Malia turned to stare at Liam, taking in Ariana's apologetic look. After a moment of realisation, she let out a huff, tilting her head slightly as she glared at Stiles. "You told them?"
Liam shook his head in a desperate attempt to ease the tension growing in the jeep. "No, all they said was you had to go to summer school because the principal said your test scores weren't good enough and you might have to repeat junior year."
Honestly Liam needed to learn when to stop talking. Ariana bit her lip, watching as Stiles pinched his nose in frustration, shaking his head slightly at Liam.
"We should've left him tied to the tree," Stiles muttered almost under his breath but loud enough for Liam to let out another cry of protest. Ariana reached out to squeeze Liam's hand, biting down a giggle.
"Alright now that everyone knows about that, can we go now?" Malia asked, irritation still present in her voice as she folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Scott and Stiles.
"We need to stop at the hospital first so Liam's dad can take him and Ariana home. Then we can go," Scott explained to Malia as Stiles pulled the jeep back onto the road, the mystery of the senior's plans for the night continuing as Liam let out a huff of frustration.
As she stepped out into the cold biting air, Genevieve didn't focus on Brett's heartbreaking expression anymore because suddenly she had a feeling someone else was watching her.
"Hello?" Genevieve called out suspiciously, hugging her arms around her body as she gazed around at the front garden, trying to work out what had caused her senses to spike up so suddenly. There was a rustle in the shadows somewhere and she tensed up, waiting for whoever was there to reveal themselves.
She was only met with silence though, the air stilling itself once again. It was strange but then again Genevieve knew she was on edge tonight with the moon so it was probably just her imagination. This was Satomi's shelter. Her safe house. They were protected here. Before Genevieve could exhale the anxiety away, she felt her phone buzzing in her overalls pocket and she tugged it out, eyes still flickering anxiously out into the trees nearby just in case.
FROM ARIANA:
Hey how r u feeling? Still human?
Genevieve bit back a smile at the message, her heart swelling a little. It was odd but even several months on she was still so grateful for her rekindled friendship with Ariana. They'd taken a while to get there with endless awkward conversations and working out where exactly they stood now, but she felt like they'd finally found their way back to each other now. Things would never be the same, but Genevieve finally felt like she had her friend back, no matter how suspicious Brett remained of the small druid.
FROM GEN:
No claws yet!
She hit reply quickly, ignoring the itching feeling at the end of her knuckles, the claws waiting to reveal themselves. She didn't need Ariana to worry about her, not right now. Ariana was busy enough with her own abilities and her in depth research with Deaton as she tried to learn how to use the powers she'd only gained a few months ago. She didn't need to be worrying about Genevieve's struggle with control lately too. That was her own burden to bear.
While Genevieve knew she was stronger than most new wolves, being a born wolf with powers that had been locked for over a decade definitely came at a price. There was the strength she was yet to fully get a grip on, the overload of senses that sometimes pushed her anxiety a little too far. The rage that bubbled up inside sometimes without warning, causing her to startle even herself. It was no wonder things had gone so terribly wrong with Brett given Genevieve's mental state lately, not that she could excuse his words either. Still, she couldn't lie to herself. It was definitely harder these days without Brett's calming nature at her side, but at least she still had the rest of the pack to guide her while the dust settled between them.
Before Genevieve could let her brain get any more distracted, the rustling in the trees returned, a little louder this time as if whatever was creating the noise had moved closer. Genevieve felt her body tensing up again as she straightened up, eyes glowing a golden yellow as she searched into the darkness. "Who's there?" she asked, hating how soft her voice sounded.
Finally she spotted a figure moving out from behind the trees, an attractive boy who looked a few years older than her, a confident smirk on his chiseled face as he moved closer to her, his face finally reaching the light from Satomi's porch.
"Hey, sorry to spook you. I'm just looking for someone," he said cheerfully, holding up his hands in defence.
Genevieve narrowed her eyes as the boy moved closer, something about his attitude giving her a bad feeling already. Then again, she was in a tense mood and that probably wasn't his fault. "Who are you looking for?" she asked warily, folding her arms across her chest partly to hide the claws edging out over her nails.
The boy came to a halt a few feet away from her, as if he sensed her uncertainty, keeping his distance as he smiled across at her. "I'm looking for Scott McCall. I'm an old friend of his. My name is Theo."
The hospital was more crowded than Ariana had anticipated and she found herself moving a little closer to Malia and Stiles as she followed them through the corridors, one hand gripped tightly in Malia's to prevent herself from getting separated amongst the masses. Scott and Liam had gone to see if Liam's father had finished his shift, leaving Ariana with Stiles and Malia, winding their way through the swarms of patients and nurses rushing past. Clearly the storm had caused more chaos than anyone had anticipated, judging by the frantic look on several nurses' faces. Finally after a bit of wandering, the trio rounded the corner of the East Wing where Melissa McCall was hunched over a computer at the reception desk.
"Hi Melissa," Ariana called out as she trotted down the hall half a step behind Malia and Stiles, her eyes lighting up a little at the sight of Scott's mother a few feet away.
Melissa's eyes were focused on the computer in front of her, typing away madly, but a bright warm smile lifted onto her lips as she heard Ariana's voice. She finished typing up just as Ariana reached the desk.
"Hey sweetie," Melissa said, reaching up to squeeze Ariana's hand in greeting, giving a nod to Malia and Stiles as they came to a halt at the desk, hovering just behind Ariana.
"Is he here?" Ariana asked, her chin lifted slightly in hope as she glanced around at everyone rushing past. She knew she asked the same thing every time she visited Melissa at the hospital but she couldn't help herself, especially when tonight seemed so chaotic.
Melissa just sighed though, shaking her head as she glanced around at the swarm of nurses ducking around the corner. "No, still no sign of Lucas. Like I said before, all I know is he transferred to another hospital a few months ago. We're understaffed tonight so he might have been called in but I haven't seen him yet."
Ariana sighed, defeated yet again. After the incident in Mexico she'd made it clear she wasn't ready to talk to Lucas, despite his knowledge of the situation. As much as she needed answers, she'd needed time to process. But that had been months ago. She was ready to talk now. She was ready to find out how much Lucas knew, to see if he could put the puzzles together properly. To see what he knew about the Donas, if anything. But just when she was ready to talk, Lucas had vanished from sight, switching hospitals and apparently switching off his cellphone and cutting off all contact. As if the search for Siobhan hadn't been frustrating enough, now Ariana was stuck looking for another person who clearly didn't want to be found.
Before Ariana could interrogate Melissa any further, Scott and Liam came around the corner, both looking a little frustrated.
"Dad's still in surgery so he won't be out for a few more hours," Liam said quietly to Ariana as he moved to her side, shrugging which only highlighted the tension between his shoulder blades. He was clearly a little annoyed at the change in plans, or maybe he was just feeling the full moon a little more now that he was surrounded by all the noise, making it harder to focus on remaining human.
"Hey, have you heard from Kira yet?" Stiles asked Scott expectantly.
Ariana frowned at the mention of Kira, having practically lived with Scott for the last few months so she was well aware of the likeliness of Kira texting Scott.
"No…" Scott trailed off, wringing his hands together gently as he shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "I mean I figured she'd probably call Malia before she calls me anyway."
"You mean you still haven't talked to her since she left?" Malia piped up, furrowing her brow slightly, clearly not fully understanding the delicacy of the situation Kira and Scott had thrown themselves into over the break.
"I mean we ended things when she was in New York. It would be weird now if I just called her up again," Scott explained half-heartedly, a pained expression on his face as he looked at Ariana as if waiting for him to give him some kind of validation.
"You're going to have to talk to her eventually," Ariana offered with a sympathetic shrug. She didn't have enough experience with break ups thankfully, apart from her brief relationships in middle school, and her and Liam were solid enough that it wasn't a lingering fear so she really didn't have any idea how to help Scott.
Before anyone else could pipe up and offer more helpful advice for the situation, there was a new sound of chaos coming from down the hall as a swarm of nurses suddenly burst around the corner, all talking hurriedly as they past the pack.
"What's going on?" Scott asked as he watched his mother gathering up a handful of papers from the printer, her expression shifting into someone ready for action as another nurse wheeled a patient past them on a gurney, the lady letting out a groan of pain as she clutched at her thigh, eyes clenched shut in pain.
"Deer on the road caused a major car pile up on Highway One-Fifteen," Melissa called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner, already ready to leap into action.
"Donas," Ariana whispered under her breath, completely unnoticed by the others as they geared up to go and find Kira. This was a sign. The birds, the lightening. The wild animals causing chaos. It was a sign that the Donas was near. It had to be. She'd waited months for a sign, for any kind of clue to lead her closer to the chaos she knew was coming. Something was coming.
The screams were a little louder today, a little more insistent in the back of her mind as they nudged their way forward, blocking any sense of focus on reality, any hope of sanity. The drugs had been working well lately, up until this week anyway. It had almost been like bliss or the closest thing to it. For several weeks she'd had some sort of peace. Or was it months? Time seemed slow down these days, days all blurring together. Sometimes the screams had faded to a dull buzz, enough to let the raven haired ball of wrath get some sleep.
But Siobhan had a sneaking suspicion that someone had lowered her dosage again recently. Someone had clearly been meddling with her medication, fiddling it to suit their own agenda. There was only one reason for that. One reason for someone to have an interest in her enough to actually look at the medication she'd been put on ever since he had dumped her in this damn hellhole.
"Hey kiddo."
Siobhan didn't move at the sound of his voice, keeping her gaze steady on the white ceiling above her as she remained lying on the small stiff mattress. She didn't need to look at Lucas to know he was pulling some irritatingly neutral expression right now, as if he wasn't responsible for trapping her in this nightmare. "Late," she said simply, her tone bored and devoid of any emotion.
"Sorry, the storm is nasty out there. You should be grateful I'm here instead of at the other hospital tonight."
"Grateful." Siobhan would have her eyes at the word if she'd had the energy but she just threw her disdain into her tone instead. "Smokes?" she asked after a moment, examining her nails. She used to have so much pride for her nails, always perfectly manicured. They looked awful now. She was almost disappointed, but that would have required feeling anything and she couldn't be bothered with emotions today.
"How are you feeling?" Lucas was great at deflecting, a skill he utilised for the hundredth time as he leaned against the cool glass.
"Like I need a smoke," Siobhan shot back, shifting to pull herself into a sitting position, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared at a spot on the wall just above his head, refusing to make eye contact.
"You're not getting cigarettes." Lucas almost sounded amused, if not for the slight exasperation in his tone. He only had himself to blame though.
"Why? Just throw in some nicotine into my meds. I won't tell." Siobhan dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper although her old smirk didn't quite reach her eyes.
Lucas let out a small chuckle, almost condescending. "Right. And who could you tell?" he asked.
"Rot in hell, Lucas. You threw me in here like an animal. The second I escape, you're the first one dead." An emotion, anger perhaps, slipped out into her tone briefly, and Siobhan felt her muscles tensing up, ready to fight, but she deflated just as quickly, sinking back against the wall as the screams pushed against her temple again, having used up all of her energy in one sentence.
"You know why I took you here," Lucas said calmly, unmoved by her short display of emotion, as rare as it was.
"Right…Safe. To protect. No explanation." Siobhan closed her eyes briefly with a sigh. "Why? Why do they scream? Why do I hear them?"
Lucas sighed, folding his arms across his chest as he looked at her. "I can't give you all the answers yet." The same line he'd been recycling for months, ever since he'd trapped her here.
"Soon."
"We'll see. When the time is right I'll tell you everything. I promise," Lucas said, his tone indicating otherwise as he shifted his weight across his feet.
Siobhan shook her head though. He'd misinterpreted her. Or maybe she'd misspoken. Her brain was too clouded right now to tell the difference, but she pushed on, insistent. "No. It's coming soon."
That seemed to confuse Lucas a little. "What is?" he asked, frowning.
Siobhan fell silent for a moment, her eyes glazing over slightly as she pondered. Then finally Siobhan lowered her eyes to lock directly on Lucas for the first time since he'd arrived as she uttered one simple word. "Death."
A/N: Hey folks sorry this took a bit longer than anticipated but here we are with the first proper chapter of FFY back with the whole gang! This is set in season 5 so we've had a little time jump of 5 months from the end of Take Me Down and I hope you enjoyed seeing where all the characters are now and where they're heading! This chapter was mostly to set up where everyone is now as well as introducing a few new faces haha. Please let me know all your thoughts/predictions/fears and leave a review if you can! And thank you to everyone who left wonderful reviews on the prologue! Your support all means so much :) Thanks for reading!