CHAPTER 2

I get home and Dad is not quite there yet. I decide to park behind the locked gate that leads to the back yard. I don't want another incident like at the school. I pull out the canvas cover I used when I had ran away to Kalispell for two weeks with that Drummer and throw it over the top, tying it down to the wheels. I also add extra protection by putting giant padlocks through the chain tied to each wheel.

Dad comes home a few minutes later and questions me about the state of things behind the gate. I explain about what happened in the parking lot, without actually mentioning the strange mystery man.

"You and that SUV are attached at the damn steering wheel." He scoffs lightly.

"Yes, we are. It's the one thing I have that's really mine. I worked for it, I bought it, I fixed it up. Me." I tend to get defensive about the subject, partly because the way I act about Ripley is not what other people would deem as a 'normal'.

"Easy," He laughs. "I was joking!"

"Oh, you were, were you? We'll see who's joking when your team loses!"

"Is that so? We'll just have to see about that." And see we did. My team lost miserably.

For the rest of the evening I had to deal with my dad gloating about his team's win. It was finally late enough where I could go to bed. I hurry through my nightly routine; shower, brush teeth, check all locks and doors, garage, and finally, Ripley, who's still sitting right where I left him. I also get my outfit ready for tomorrow. Fitting jeans, tall flip flops, and a sassy red top, brush my hair out and fall into bed.

My dreams are strange… red eyes in the dark, Ripley going to the crusher, my dad disowning me… but one in particular stood out. It was him. The mystery man in black. We were again in the forest and he moved very close to me. I still couldn't see his whole face. He spoke first.

"You didn't listen."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"I told you that when you saw me to act like you'd never heard my voice. You didn't listen."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He smiled a patient smile. "You will. Soon, you'll understand everything." He kissed my forehead, and pulled me close. My dream self welcomed this affection. Almost like she had been deprived of seeing the one she loves, this man, for many, many years. When I woke up, however, it was a different story. I was hyperventilating.

I get dressed and pull my hair back in a tight, high ponytail for the day. Even done up, it's still waist length.

"Morning, Sunshine." Dad says, as I walk down the hall.

"Morning," I say, stretching, and plop into an empty chair.

"Didn't sleep well?" He asked.

"Nightmares." I mumble.

"Oh, I see." Then he not-so-subtly changes the subject. "What happened at that get together last night? Meet anyone new?"

"Yeah, actually, I met a few new people. It was at Lydia Martin's house and a few kids from school."

"Faye, please don't tell me you fell in with them. Especially Lydia Martin!" He exclaims.

"Why? Lydia's nice." I say, defensive.

"I don't want you hanging around that group. They're bad news. I don't mind Allison, she's a great young lady, but the rest are off limits." He looks at me sternly.

"Dad. This is the exact reason I left Bearcreek! Shane was picking my friends for me-"

"And right he should have. You have a tendency to fall to the wrong crowd, Faye. I need to ask you something and I expect a clean answer."

I was about to protest about the 'falling in with the wrong crowd' comment, but then I remembered the drummer. "Ok."

"Did they mention a man named Derek Hale?"

I lie. Straight to my Dad's face. I'm going to hell. "No. They didn't."

"Well, I guess as long as he isn't around there's no serious harm in hanging around with them."

This has my curiosity peaked. Who is this Derek Hale? "Why? What did he do?"

"He's wanted for murder." My dad says, voice cold.

"How do you know he did it?" I asked, genuinely curious, but my dad took it as questioning his ability as a detective.

"Come on, Faye. I know how to do my job. All the evidence points to him. Now, finish your breakfast or you'll be late for school." He turns around and pours himself his coffee.

"Yes, sir…" I say, dejected. There's no questioning or arguing when he gets in these moods. I do as I'm told and finish my morning routine. Going outside, I take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the chilly California air. I enjoy the chills that run through me, grinning as I untie the canvas from Ripley and fold it, then tuck it under my folded back seats. I get in and the engine roars to life, and drive to school with the windows down and my personal theme song blaring from the speakers.


School passes quickly that day, and I'm able to see the most of the group at lunch. Allison and Lydia are as welcoming as ever. I notice Aiden watching me whenever Lydia wasn't looking, which makes me very uncomfortable. But what type of uncomfortable, I'm not entirely sure. Scott, Stiles, Aiden, and Ethan began arguing in hushed whispers and Scott kept glancing in my direction. Liam wasn't there, his lunch was later than ours that day.

"So, Faye," Allison begins, brown eyes shining mischievously. "What's going on between you and Liam?" Lydia over hears the question and pipes in.

"Yes, do share."

"I, uh, well…" I don't like people prying into my social life, especially people I only met yesterday. But I guess, girls will be girls right? "Nothing really…"

"Come on!" Lydia protests. "I know you two talked about something. He came back and was actually having a good time. I've never seen Liam smile except on very, very rare occasions after he and Scott, and Der-" She faltered for a second, but then recovered, and finished her sentence rather quickly and looking rather distraught. "I mean, when he and Scott and Siltes scored at a La Cross game."

"He asked me to a Rave on Friday night." I mumble, quiet enough where I thought only Lydia and Allison would hear, however, Scott, Aiden, and Ethan stopped what they were doing and stared at me. Then Stiles turned to me as well after he saw what the boys were staring at.

"I knew it!" Lydia said, looking excited, and giving the boys a hard stare. They turned away and she continued. "Well, I'm happy for you. It's about time he started dating. For the longest time I thought he was gay, because, you know his best friend is gay... It's not like he gives out that 'vibe' or anything but I've never seen him with a steady girlfriend. It's weird, honestly, I-" She saw the look on Allison's face, the SHUT. UP! Look, so she says, "But look at me, babbling away," She laughed. "Allison, Scott, I need to talk to you for a second." She gets up, and the two of them follow her out of the lunch room.

"Sorry about that," Aiden begins, his deep voice is hushed so Stiles wouldn't hear. "They don't like talking about Derek Hale." I inhale involuntarily at the mention of Derek Hale.

"Aiden." Ethan says in a warning tone, but he's ignored

"What do you know about Derek Hale?" I ask, looking back at Aiden intently.

"I know that he's not as dangerous as everyone goes on about." He says cryptically.

"My dad told me to stay away from him, and from all of you, for that matter, just because he thinks you all know him." I say, without breaking eye contact.

"It's true, to a certain degree. We did know him. He left to do something for us a few weeks before you came but we havn't heard back. I think he's dead, but Scott, always the optimist, thinks he's still alive."

"Why did he leave?" I ask, in a hushed whisper.

"I can't tell you-"

"Aiden, shut-"

I cut them off. "Then who can?"

"You didn't let me finish. I said, 'I can't tell you myself. You'll have to find out from him.'"

"Huh? How can he tell me something if he isn't here and none of you have heard from him in weeks? I don't even know what he looks like!"

"You'd be surprised about what you know." In that exact moment, Aiden's eyes turned red. Only for an instant, but they were definitely red!

He winks at me. Just then, Lydia and Scott and Allison return. Just like that, his serial-killer vibe is gone and is replaced by enthusiasm at whatever Lydia was saying. I was too shell shocked to listen. I feel like a deer caught in headlights. Ethan is glancing between me and his brother with slightly narrowed eyes.

Stiles is the first to notice something was wrong.

"Faye? You ok?"

"Um, I have to, go…" I get up and practically run out of the lunchroom. I hear this on my way out.

"Faye? Wait! Faye!" Allison called.

"Aiden!" (that was Lydia) "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing, I just gave her a push in the right direction… Ow!"

My mind reeled. I was so confused! Before I knew what was happening I was running to Ripley and on my way down the main highway in town. I take random turns, don't even know where I'm going. I find myself deep in the California forest on a very narrow and very badly maintained dirt road. I stop and turn the truck from '4HI' to '4LO' and ease forward, Ripley crawls over the boulders and the suspension creaks with effort. I cringe as pine branches scratch my new paint job. This truck is by no means a street jockey but the paint job is brand new, within a month, and it wasn't cheap!

You can't gas over these rocks without causing serious damage to your suspension, so with these boulders it's best to just idle over them, or gas only when it's absolutely necessary. With this giant 8-Liter V8 it's not hard navigating this huge truck over the boulders, but doing it without hitting the trees on either side is a challenge, the space was getting more and more narrow. But no more of a challenge than the mud banks in Arizona when my old Step Dad was teaching me how to drive.

Mud bogs in Arizona…Ha! I think dryly, cracking myself up. Now there's a good one!

My mind returns to Aiden's red eyes. Did I imagine it? No, I didn't imagine it. His eyes were definitely RED! What's with all the strange looks? Why are people being so secretive, but trying so hard to act normal? And the big question… How does Derek Hale fit into all of this?

After about an hour I look up and see the newly erected wooden frame of a large house. Who would be building a house way out in these woods? I cut the engine. Staring at the house, I sink into my seat and fold my arms over my chest. It starts to rain at that moment; I see the fat drops on the windshield. This calms me. I enjoy rain; it's a priceless rarity here in California.

I step outside and for a moment open my arms and turn my face to the sky. A feeling comes over me, I look at the house and I know I need to go inside. I use the keyless lock and make my way to the doorframe, which is empty. It's dark in the house, I can't see inside. I get a few feet into the house and in a corner, I see a dark shape outlined- darker than the black around it. My breath catches in my throat. I want to run, to scream, anything! I need to gun it out of here as fast as I can! Come on Faye, dammit, move! But I can't.

I'm frozen.

And the shape changes, my eyes struggle to adjust, to the height of a man.


HEY READERS! I wanted to ask you what you thought of the new version. I wanted to compensate for new character additions. And yes, I know I brought characters back who have died, but I hate that Jeff killed off all my favorite people so they're back in my story. Please, please, please leave a review! I love reviews :D Good or bad. IF you hate it, or love it, what needs work, what worked well, feel free to let me know!