"So why Beacon Hills if not for the Nemeton?" Isaac asked as we walked down the street towards the forest.

"My mom chose it. We lived in Vegas for a half a year before this, she said we were moving because it was too hot and there were too many people."

Isaac laughed, "That sounds like a lie if I ever heard one."

"Right. I used to try and call her out on it but then she just came up with more ridiculous lies and it would be a big mess so now I just go along with it. I'm not really the one to investigate other peoples business. What's the deal with your parents?"

"They're dead." he sounded emotionless.

"I'm so sorry." I said.

"I'm not. Anyways," he kicked a rock on the path in front of us, I noticed him lick his lips before he spoke, "what's up with you and Stiles?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, its...complicated." it really wasn't, I just didn't know how to explain the situation. I liked Stiles but we didn't know a lot about each other, it was hard to see if we were really compatible or just drawn together by attraction.

"Has he told you he's a virgin yet?" he asked as we passed through the treeline.

"Oh wow really?"

He smiled and nodded his head mischievously.

"...that explains a lot."

We passed the abandoned house on the way to the Nemeton. "That's the old Hale house, where they lived before it was burned to the ground, with most of them still inside."

We stopped in front for a moment as I imagined a whole family stuck inside there, how awful it must have been.

"Is that Derek's family...Hale?"

"That's right. Wolves, all of them. The person who did it was trying the end the Hale line for good. They missed three of them, Derek and his two sisters, and one of them ended up surviving the fire Derek's uncle Peter. I don't think you've met him yet, and believe me you don't want to. bad vibes" We kept walking, getting close to the clearing now. He was a lot easier to talk to than Stiles but more nerve racking, he was impulsive and didn't hold back but still mysterious in some way. We made eye contact for a moment before entering the clearing his eyes glowing yellow.

I walked to the Nemeton and thought about what Peter had told me, I needed to share something with the Nemeton, as it had done with me. I sat down and Isaac sat next to me. I felt the warmth and energy beneath me from the heart of the tree.

"What now?" Isaac asked looking around the clearing and pulling his brown leather jacket off and placing it in between us. I laid down on the base of the tree and closed my eyes.

"I'm going to try and talk to it. Give it a memory."

He laid down to, we weren't touching, the Nemeton was big enough that we could lay side by side with our feet over the edge.

"How?"

I inhaled exhaled deeply, "I'm not sure but I'm going to try."

I closed my eyes and imagined the last day I saw my dad. It was the clearest memory I had.


We were walking on the beach. I could feel the waves steady rising and falling on my bare feet as we strolled towards the sunset. My father was a tall hairy man. Always scruffy or beardy he had thick black hair and tan wind burnt skin, he was a deep sea fisherman, always smelled of salt and sand. He was barefoot too, his pants rolled up to below the knee, we looked at each other for a moment while we walked his blue eyes always seemed to seep into my soul. He was Irish, his accent was thick and I was always so jealous of it as a kid. "I will be back before you know it." he was saying.

"I know dad." and I hadn't doubted it, he smiled at me and the sides of his eyes crinkled, he grabbed my hand with his calloused ones.

"I'm starting middle school soon, Will you take me to my first day?" I asked, picking up a pretty shell on the beach and dropping his hand to investigate it further.

"No I don't think it will be that soon," I frowned and dropped the shell, it didn't seem so beautiful now.

He bent down and picked it up and dropped to one knee. "Come here Mae, put your ear to the shell," I took the shell from him and pressed it to my ear.

"I don't hear anything"

"Its the ocean Mae, With that shell you will hear it wherever you go, whether your right here on the sand, or a million miles away from a drop of water. This way whenever you miss me you can put your ear to the ocean and you will hear me."

"but you're not the ocean dad..." I thought this was stupid, but still clutched the shell, he pushed it up to my ear and covered his mouth so I couldn't see him shout, "I loooove you", I laughed and put the shell away from my ear then put it back again, as soon as it touched my ear he covered his mouth and shouted, "I love you!" I laughed some more and shouted into the shell, "I can't hear youuuu!" and he tackled me onto the sand in a fit of tickles and laughs.


I opened my eyes and sat up on the Nemeton, my eyes full of tears. But I had experienced that memory a thousand times before and I'm not sure if I have tears left for it.

"I don't know if it worked," I wondered out loud.

Isaac sat up next to me, "It worked. I saw it too, I could smell the sea, feel the wind through my hair..." he was staring at me with his glowing eyes, he looked amazed. "...it was a beautiful memory. What happened to him?" he finished.

"He never came back."

"I'm sorry." He said, placing his hand over mine and squeezing.

"I'm not."

We smiled at each other and I felt the Nemeton under me get sort of warmer, I placed one of my hands on it and drew energy, it was a rush like no other and I felt my heart pump with new power.

"I wanna try something." I got up and Isaac got up to. I built the pressure up in my chest and thought of the small dead clearing as full of grass and flowers, blue flowers, in different colors some dark and others light. I thought of the flowers showering down on us, growing up the trees, on the Nemeton, all over the bush where I had hidden twice before.

"Mae..." Isaac's voice was breathy and in awe.

I opened my eyes and there it was, the picture in my mind before me, even the flowers raining from overhead.

"...its beautiful." He finished looking at me with his yellow eyes, he stepped towards me and I grabbed his hands and spun him around fast, and then let go sending us both spining and laughing in the now flowered clearing.

I felt my foot catch on a tree root and I cascaded backwards towards the ground, only to be caught by Isaac just short of hitting. He smiled and lowered me to the ground then kissed me softly and deeply, flicking his tongue in and out of my mouth. I moved so I was on top of him, tossing his scarf I was wearing to the side and moving my hands down his sculpted body. He moved his hands on me and pulled my shirt over my head, breaking our kiss. I unbottoned my bra and felt him stiffin beneath me as his glowing eyes fell over my exposed chest. He put his hands on my breasts and groaned as I kissed his neck.

"I can't wait any longer. This has to happen." He said and moved me down onto the grownd so I was under him. He slid his hands up my skirt and nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck as he slid his fingers inside me. I moaned and he bit me softly at first and then harder. I put my hand through his golden brown curls and pulled gently. He pulled his fingers out and pulled his jeans and boxers off then thrusted into me.