Chapter 4 – Dreaming
A few nights later Lydia was laying on her cousin's bed while Rowan was sitting at her computer desk putting the finishing touches on her essay.
Just as she she'd emailed the paper to her teacher she shivered and looked around her room as the temperature seemed to drop suddenly.
"What is that?" Rowan asked as her body shook from not only the coldness but from fear as she could see her breath.
Lydia glanced up from where she was laying and her eyes widened as she could also see her cousins breath.
"W-why is it so cold?" Rowan stuttered.
"It's not…" Lydia admitted as she stood up and slowly walked closer.
As she reached a shaking hand out, she quickly jerked it back and said, "It's only freezing cold right by you."
As the coldness slowly faded, Rowan looked up just in time to see the same woman from the woods walk past her bedroom door.
"Did you see that?" she gasped as she raced out into the hallway after her.
"See what?" Lydia called after her as she slowly followed her, not sure she wanted to see what her cousin was talking about.
When Lydia reached the living room she saw Rowan standing and staring straight ahead.
"Ro?" Lydia asked as she gently touched her cousins' shoulder.
Spinning around Rowan gasped which caused Lydia to scream.
"Oh my god… you've got a set of lungs." Rowan complained as she rubbed her ears.
Lydia stared at her wide eyed, "What did you see?"
"The same woman from the night in the woods." Rowan answered.
"I didn't see anyone." Lydia stated confidently.
Rowan shrugged and then sighed when she heard Lynnox start crying from upstairs.
"I need to check on her." She said, brushing past her.
After a pause Lydia exclaimed, "What the hell is going on with you?"
That night Rowan's sleep was restless and filled with a dream about Scott waking up in the woods in his boxers as he tried to figure out what was going on, a monster with glowing red eyes chased him.
In the dream she'd gotten between him and the monster and it had knocked her down.
She groaned in pain as she fell a sharp twig stuck her side.
"Rowan!" Lydia yelled as she pushed open the door to her room.
Snapping awake she gasped and sat straight up in the bed.
With a yawn and a slightly raspy voice Lydia said, "I changed Lynn and got her calmed down enough to sleep; I don't know how you didn't hear her screaming."
Rowan started too moved, but something poked her hand.
"Turn on the light." She said, worried about what was in the bed with her.
As Lydia flipped on the lights her eyes widened as she saw the sheets from the bed were across the room, and rowan was sitting on the bare mattress which was covered in leaves and small twigs.
Sliding out of the bed and standing up, Rowan fearfully backed away from her bed shaking her head back and forth.
Reaching out Lydia plucked a leaf from her hair and said, "How is this possible? I've been awake off and on all night, my room is freezing cold and I never heard you leave the house."
"I… I don't know what's happening." Rowan admitted as tears burnt her eyes.
Grabbing her arm Lydia said, "Come on, just sleep in my room."
Nodding and in a state of terror and confusion she let Lydia lead her down the hallway towards her room.
As the girls walked inside they were greeted by a blast of ice cold air. Lydia let go of Rowan and opened her closet to pull another blanket out for them.
Something pulled her attention to the corner of the room and Rowan gasped as she saw the same ghost she'd seen that led her to the body in the woods.
As the girls got into Lydia's bed, Rowan buried her face in the pillow and started to cry, feeling so overwhelmed from everything that was going on.
"Are you okay?" Lydia asked, with a shiver as she pulled the blanket up to her neck.
"Not really…" Rowan admitted, as she looked up to the see the woman was still there.
The next morning Lydia kept talking about the party that night, and all Rowan could think about was what was happening to her. Why was she seeing ghosts, dreaming about a monster with red eyes and what did any of that have to do with Scott?
~()~
Later that day at school, Rowan was at her locker before lunch and heard Jackson and Scott arguing.
She was so tired that she was only half paying attention to them, and missed the part of the conversation where Jackson accused Scott of taking steroids.
What caught her attention was when Jackson slammed Scott against the lockers and said, "What the hell is going on with you McCall?"
She shut her locker and started towards them, but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Scott say, "What's going on with me, really wanna know? Well, so would I because I can see, hear and smell thing that I shouldn't be able to see, hear and smell. I do things that should be impossible, I'm sleepwalking three miles into the middle of the woods and I'm pretty much convinced that I'm totally out of the freaking mind."
Once Jackson walked away Rowan walked up to him, "Are you okay?"
Scott nodded and moved away from the lockers where Jackson had –had him pinned.
"I… overheard what you said, what do you mean sleepwalking three miles into the woods?" She asked him.
Shrugging he said, "I have no idea what's happening to me. I woke up this morning out in the middle of the woods and I have no idea how I got there."
He saw some of the color drain from her face as she remembered the dream she'd had.
"I mean, how weird is that?" Scott continued to mumble.
"About as weird as waking up in a bed full of leaves." She responded.
"What?" Scott asked thrown off by what she said.
"Nothing… I just, I have to go." She said as she took off to find Lydia in the lunchroom.
She was happy she'd reached her table before anyone else.
"Get this!" Rowan exclaimed as she slid into a chair across from her cousin.
"I'm listening." Lydia said as she took a bite of her salad.
"Last night, before I woke up and my bed was all covered with leaves and sticks, I was having this dream about Scott…" She began to explain but, Lydia cut her off.
"Well, I wouldn't tell Allison. You know they're going to the party together, right?" Lydia said.
"I don't care about the party. Anyways, I had a dream that he was being chased through the woods and I overheard him talking about how he sleepwalked three miles into the woods last night!" She admitted, her green eyes wide.
"Maybe your psychic… hmm, maybe we should play the lottery." Lydia joked.
Rowan sighed, "I'm not psychic."
"What?" Allison asked with a small laugh as she saw down with them.
"Nothing." Rowan said, but Lydia said "Rowan's seeing ghosts and having dreams that are coming true."
"What, seriously?" Allison asked as she looked at Rowan.
"You can't tell anyone, okay?" Rowan said, her voice in a hushed whisper.
Allison nodded and listened as Rowan explained what her aunt had told her about when she was younger, and how she'd seen a ghost who led her to the body in the woods.
She left out the part about dreaming about Scott wandering around the woods in his boxers.
"I'd just be… freaking out." Allison said when she was done.
"You don't think I'm crazy?" Rowan asked, shocked. She was really starting to doubt her own sanity.
"No, I mean… I've always kind of thought there might be more out there, and there has to be something after we die." Allison explained her reasoning.
"So, this ghost that you keep seeing… what does it want?" Lydia asked.
Rowan looked between her cousin and friend as she said, "I seriously cannot believe we're having this conversation right now…"
When they both kept staring at her expectantly, "I don't know… she just stands there." She said with a sigh of defeat.
"If you're being haunted, it must be for a reason." Allison said as she finished her slice of pizza.
"Well, when you figure it out… let me know." She said quietly as she looked down to the table.
Lydia shrugged and drank down the last of her bottle of water.
Gasping and immediately perking up Allison said, "We could have a séance!"
"Oh, creepy." Lydia said smiling at her new friend.
"Oh no, no way… maybe if we keep ignoring the situation, it will go away." Rowan said hopeful. The last thing she wanted to do was dabble in things that might make life worse for her.
"The party is tonight, but you could stay Saturday night." Lydia said.
"Yeah, that'd be great." Allison agreed.
Rowan dropped her fork and leaned back in her chair as she listened to them making plans for the weekend. She didn't understand how they could both be so happy and laughing, when she was terrified.
~()~
"Are we sure going to a party is a good idea?" Rowan asked as she stood in her bedroom, and looked at her cousin.
"A party is always a good idea." Lydia said as she fixed her hair and then checked her phone.
"Jackson's here, see you at the party." Lydia said with a wink, as she turned and left.
Taking a deep breath Rowan faced herself in the mirror, she was wearing a green dress with a thick black belt around the waist, black lace up heels and a dark green leather jacket.
After checking on Lynnox and then making sure Carol was okay if she left for the party, Rowan was in her car driving past the woods.
As she neared the spot where she'd seen the ghost only a week prior, she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach again.
"No, no, no…" she breathed out as he car slowed down and all the lights shut off.
Carefully steering off the side of the road, she leaned forward and rested her head on the steering wheel, afraid to look up and around.
What if she saw the ghost again? What if whatever she'd seen chasing Scott through the woods came back and got her?
Finally getting the courage she raised her head and looked around, but didn't see anyone.
Popping the hood and getting out she used the light from her cellphone to look under the hood, not sure what she was even looking for.
A car that was heading down the road slowed and came to a stop next to her.
"Are you okay?" Stiles asked leaning over and talking through the open passenger window.
"Not really… I think the battery is dead or something." She admitted, for the first time she was really happy to see him.
"I've got jumper cables." She said as he started to pull off to the side of the road, but she heard something in the woods behind them.
Slamming the hood down she said, "I'm going to call my aunt, can you just give me a ride to the party?"
Stiles didn't have time to answer as she was already getting into his car, and franticly looking behind her.
"Did you see something?" He asked, leaning forward and looking past her as she quickly rolled up the window on her side.
"No, and if you go we may not have too." She exclaimed motioning for him to drive.
After giving her a questioning look, he started to drive towards the party. He was worried about Scott, since tonight was a full moon.
Rowan called, and her aunt said they'd call someone to tow the car in the morning.
Stiles looked over at her as she tucked her phone back in the pocket of her leather jacket.
"You look really great tonight." He offered with a smile.
"Thanks, I had Lydia pick something out for me because I have no idea what to wear to a high school party." She admitted with a small laugh.
"Like, a high school party in Beacon Hills?" He asked her.
"No, like a high school party in general. I didn't really have much of a social life my freshman year." She explained, leaving out the fact that it was because she was pregnant at the time.
"Well, I wasn't going to admit it until you said something, but I've never really been invited to one of these parties before." He admitted, looking over at her.
She smiled at him, thinking that maybe she'd judged him too quickly the first week of school when he kept finding her and talking to her like they'd been friends for years.
Once they reached the party he said, "I can give you a ride home after… if you want."
"Yeah, that would be awesome… thank you." She said smiling.
Before she could say anything else to him, Lydia walked by and grabbed her arm pulling her to the kitchen where she introduced her to a few other first line lacrosse players.
After talking to them for a little bit, Rowan excused herself and found her way back into the living room.
"You know, these parties aren't near as fun as everyone says they are." Stiles joked as he found her.
"I know, right!" She said with a laugh and then looked around at everyone else who seemed to be having fun as she said, "Or maybe it's just because no one is talking to us."
Stiles looked around and said, "That might have something to do with it."
She watched as he took a drink from his red plastic cup.
"Hey do you want a drink, I can get you one." He offered.
"No way." She answered quickly and sternly.
"It was just a friendly offer." He stated, surprised at her reaction.
Rubbing her forehead she said, "I'm sorry. It's just, I don't drink anymore… I really learned my lesson."
Making a joke Stiles said, "Recovering alcoholic?"
She glanced down to the ground and then back up at him, she figured if he didn't know already he was bound to find out.
"No, actually the last time I let a guy buy me drinks, I ended up pregnant." She admitted to him, wondering if he'd still want to be friends with her now.
He shook his head, and took a drink as he laughed.
When she gave him a completely serious look, his eyes widened and he spit the drink back into his cup as he asked, "Oh my god, you're serious?"
"Yeah, I… I didn't have a social life last year because I was pregnant." She explained.
He stood entirely speechless, he would have never guessed she was teenage mother.
"And that's the reaction I normally get… I'm just gonna…. get some air, or something." She said, as she quickly turned and disappeared into the crowded house.
Moments later she emerged from a side door and looked around the unfamiliar side yard, she felt like someone was watching her as she started around to the back yard where the party had spilled out into.
Turning around to look behind her again she wasn't paying attention and tripped over an empty beer bottle someone had left on the ground.
She turned around, just in time to see she was falling towards the stone fire pit.
But before she even had time to scream, someone grabbed her saving her just in the nick of time.
"Oh… god, oh my god." She said franticly as she thought how that fall could have been the death of her.
"Thank you…" She started to say as she looked up and was met by a familiar face.
"Derek?" She gasped, as she remembered back to meeting him over year ago at the bar in New York.
He looked at her confused, then it slowly dawned on him who she was, she looked younger and a lot different without her face covered in makeup.
Immediately looking down to the ground she said, "And you don't remember me, great."
"Rowan, right?" he asked.
She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it would make it a lot easier to tell him they had a kid together if he remembered her.
"Yeah." She nodded as her heart started to race.
How was she supposed to tell him they had a daughter? Should she tell him they need to talk, or just get it out before she lost her nerve.
"Wait, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I moved in with…" She started to explain then her forehead lined with confusion as she said, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm from here." He explained, as he glanced past her to see Scott walking outside with Allison.
"My cousin lives here…" she answered, then glanced over her shoulder to see what he was staring at.
When she turned back around he was gone.
"Derek?" she asked looking around.
After searching the backyard she made her way inside of the house and picked up a bottle of beer from the cooler.
"Change your mind about drinking?" Stiles questioned as he found her again.
"Is that the cup you spit into?" She questioned.
"No, I threw that one away." He explained.
Handing him the bottle of beer she took his cup and chugged the contents of the spiked punch.
He looked down to the bottle in his hand, and slowly took a drink as he gave her a questioning look.
"Sorry, but I needed something stronger than beer. In fact, I need several drinks stronger than beer." She explained as she started to walk past him.
"Did he threaten you or something?" Stiles asked, as he gently grabbed her arm.
"What?" She asked confused.
"I saw you talking to Derek, the dude is creepy." Stiles explained.
"You know him?" She gasped, thinking how entirely small the word must really be."
Shrugging Stiles said, "I know of him."
"Tell me what you know." She demanded.
Stiles glanced around, wondering what her sudden interest in Derek was about.
"Well, his name is Derek Hale… his family was killed in a fire and he's kinda scary." Stiles said.
"A fire… oh my god." She gasped, realizing the house in the woods she'd ended up at with no explanation must have been his house.
"Maybe we should get you another drink." Stiles offered as he wasn't sure what to say to her.
"No, no way." She argued.
The last time she'd drank at the same place as Derek Hale, it resulted in a one night stand with life altering consequences.
Trying to change the subject, Stiles apologized for reacting the way he had when he learned about her daughter.
"We have to talk about something else." Rowan said shaking her head back and forth, not wanting Derek to overhear anything about her having a daughter.
"Okay…" Stiles said.
The two teens stayed in the living room and talked about different things, until Stiles saw Scott stumbling out of the party,
Worried about his best friend, he chased after him.
"What happened?" Rowan asked as she now stood beside Allison on the front lawn.
They'd just watched Scott speed off and Stiles go after him.
"I have no idea, but Stiles was supposed to be my ride home." Rowan admitted.
"I can call my mom to come get us." Allison offered as she felt her pockets for her phone.
"Allison, I'm a friend of Scott's. My name's Derek… he asked if I could give you a ride home, he's not feeling well." Derek said to the teenager.
He knew the one way to get through to Scott was Allison.
Allison looked at Rowan who was staring at him wide eyed and had some sweat starting to bead on her forehead.
"That's okay, I'm supposed to make sure she gets home." Allison lied, stepping closer to Rowan.
"Rowan, I can give you a ride home too." He offered.
"You know him?" Allison whispered.
"I don't know how to answer that question." Rowan whispered back before nodding to Derek and following him towards his car.
Allison rushed after them as she checked her phone to see if she had a message or call from Scott, but she didn't.
Rowan sat in the front seat of the car and Allison sat in the back, the drive was quiet and Allison took her jacket off laying it beside her in the seat.
Stopping at Allison's house first, Rowan got out of the car and laid the seat down so Allison could get out.
As she climbed out of the car she said, "You can stay here tonight." She wasn't sure how she felt about leaving Rowan alone with Derek.
"It's okay I really just want to get home, you're still coming over tomorrow, right?" She asked her.
"Yeah, I'll be there." Allison said nodding.
As Rowan got back in the car, Allison said, "Call me when you get home."
She nodded and pulled her door shut.
Once they were gone Rowan looked over at Derek and opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off.
"What were you doing a high school party?" He asked.
"uh… what were you doing at a high school party?" She questioned back.
He gave her an un-amused look.
"I… may not have been completely honest when we met." She admitted as she smoothed the fabric of her dress down.
"I'm starting to get that." Derek said, as he still waited on her to explain.
"I'm in high school." She finally said, cringing at having to admit that she'd lied.
He didn't immediately respond.
"I'm uh, really mature for my age…" she mumbled softly not sure what to say, but not liking the uncomfortable silence of the car.
"And how old are you?" He asked as he pulled to a stop outside of her house.
"I'm… 16." She admitted.
"You're… 16?" He responded, a look of shock on his face.
"So when I met you…" his voice tailed off.
"I was 15." She said, looking down to her lap.
"You said you were in college." He stated, some anger present in his voice.
"No, you assumed I was in college." She defended, not feeling like she should be taking all the blame for what happened.
"You sure as hell didn't correct me." He pointed out.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, now certainly didn't seem like the best time to tell him about Lynnox.
Her green eyes were wide with fear as she looked over at him and said, "I think we should talk…"
"Now's not a good time." He said, a little gruffer than he'd meant too.
Right now, he had to find Scott before he either killed someone, or got himself killed.
"Okay…" she said as she opened the car door.
"Thanks for the ride." She quickly stuttered out, before she exited the car and jogged up to her front door.
A/N- Thank you for reading. I hope you all liked the chapter.
I'm sorry updates have been so slow, I have a very limited amount of time on my computer and believe when I say it's not just this story I've been slacking on updating.
But since today is Christmas I'm on an updating spree. ^_^
I hope you're all having a great holiday season and that 2014 brings you everything you're hoping for!
XO