A/N: Hi readers I apologise for not posting recently I've been going through some rough personal stuff over this year. But I'm back.
The first thing for Imani to see was a white room and the feeling of being wet. She realised she was seeing through Stiles' eyes. Turning his head Stiles saw both Scott and Alison sit up in their own tubs of water and ice. Imani relaxed knowing they'd made to the trance like state. All three teenagers got out of the tubs and started looking around.
It was a very plain white all with squares of light gridded on the ceiling and white pillars supporting it.
Feeling Stiles turn his head she saw what looked like a stump in the distance. It looked very out of place in the sterile plain environment.
Their legs took them closer to the stump. Slowly, cautiously. It appeared as though the stump had come up through the floor. The tiles and ground around it were broken and jutting up. The size of the stump was huge. Imani wondered how tall the tree would've been when it was cut down. Stiles saw Scott get closer and lift up his short sleeve to look at his tattoos. Imani frowned but when Stiles looked at the stump again she saw the reference to the trees rings. Imani could hear a light humming seemingly coming from the stump. It got louder as Scott touched the stump.
Stiles then to touched the stump. The feeling of being transported was familiar to Imani but not Stiles. His eyes showed her they were in the forest of Beacon Hills. She could hear voices, that of Scott and Stiles.
"Are we seriously doing this?" Scott's voice was clear.
"You're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town." Stiles rebutted.
"I was trying to get a good nights sleep before practise tomorrow." Scott answered. Imani was wondering why the stump would show them this.
"Stiles! Wait up! Stiles!" Scott called slightly panicked. It was clear this other Stiles had run ahead. Imani soon figured out that this was the past. How far back she didn't know. The currently Stiles started jogging to keep up with what was happening and Imani could see multiple torches and people in a line, a search party. Suddenly loud barking followed by past Stiles' scream was heard. Imani chuckled in her head at her brother's flailing limbs and high pitched scream.
"Hang on! Hang on! This little delinquent belongs to me." Her father's voice echoed.
"Dad how you doing?"
"Well young man, I'm going to walk you back to your car." Her father put his arm on Stiles shoulder leading him back to the road. It was interesting for Imani to see her brother and father before she entered their lives.
The current Stiles took some steps backwards, hoping not to be seen. Imani knew they wouldn't be. But he nearly tripped when he backed into something. Turning around the siblings saw the same stump. Imani got an eerie feeling from it. It was powerful and it felt like it knew what she was. That was the end of the vision. Imani came out of it gasping similar to Stiles. He grip on her wand tightening for a fraction of a second. Imani's eyes were wildly moving making sense of what she saw. She could hear what was being said inside.
"I saw it! I know where it is." Scott called.
"We past it. There's…there's a stump, this huge tree. Well it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big though, very big." Stiles said.
"It was the night we were looking for the body." Scott said.
"Yeah the same night you were bit by Peter." Stiles agreed. Imani looked up at that sentence. They'd seen the night Scott was turned into a werewolf?
"I was there too, in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone." Alison joined in.
"It was me. You almost hit me." Scott said in realisation. All of them had been there that night. "We can find it." Scott continued with conviction. There was a pause.
"What?" Alison asked.
"You guys were out a long time." Isaac's voice stated.
"How long is a long time?" Stiles asked.
"16 hours." Deaton said.
"We've been in the water for 16 hours?" Scott asked in disbelief. It was only then that Imani noticed the placement of the sun.
"And the full moon rises in less than 4." Deaton continued. At that sentence Imani got up and ran into the forest transforming as she reached the shadows of the trees. Her heart racing. She needed to find the stump so she could help her father, Melissa and Chris. She knew it was maybe suicide going to find this thing on her own but she was also a gifted witch. So long as she didn't run into Jennifer she'd be fine. Even if she did run into Jennifer she'd be able to defend herself. Stiles couldn't, that's why she ran.
She slowed to a cautious walk when she felt she was close and made her foot falls quiet and precise making sure not to snap a twig or kick a rock. She could sense the magic that was emitted by the stump and followed that. When she was close she transformed back checking that no one was nearby to see her change. She had her wand in her hand still following the feeling.
Imani felt something breeze near her and she turned around quickly., pausing in her steps. Her heart beat in her ears. Slowly turning back she glimpsed a shadow in the corner of her eye.
"Show yourself bitch." Imani snarled. Jennifer had found her. She heard her chuckle, before she stepped forwards. Imani hid her wand behind her leg.
"Well if it isn't the other Stilinski." Jennifer said. Imani glared. Jennifer started circling her but Imani kept her eyes trained and turned her body to always be facing her.
"This is exciting. I don't need another sacrifice but you could be insurance. Imagine Stiles' face if I capture you, imagine his shock and concern why he do anything to save his big sister. He'd make Scott do anything." Jennifer said having the time of her life.
"You'll have to catch me first." Imani stated.
"That's the easy part." Jennifer scoffed.
"Don't be so sure." Imani growled. At this Jennifer stopped in front of Imani frowning briefly.
"And what makes you so sure? You're just a human." Jennifer said hoping to scare her because she knew Stiles was keeping the supernatural away from his sister. Imani chuckled looking down slightly, enough Jennifer couldn't see the colour of her eyes until she wanted to.
"See that's where you're wrong. I wanted you to think I was human." Imani said smiling. Jennifer stepped back once.
"What are you?" She asked not getting a sense as to what she was.
"Something unexpected." Imani said looking up with her purple eyes, pulling out her wand. Jennifer's eyes widened.
"A witch!" She gasped "But how Stiles isn't…"
"No he's not. I'm unique. I've got no magical family."
"Impossible."
"No I'm possible. Rictusempra!" Imani stated. Then with a flick of her wand she sent the spell at her, sending Jennifer spinning into the air landing ten metres away. Jennifer immediately got up with leaves in her hair and dirt on her clothes from how she landed, she looked mad.
"Change of plans, I'll use you to enhance my power." Jennifer huffed.
"Again you'll have to catch me first." Imani said. Imani was still gaining her energy back from being sat still outside the vet for 16 hours and using her magic for that length to. She wasn't sure she could win against Jennifer, doubt seeped into her mind. But at least she could distract her for a while, slow down her plans.
The two started circling each other and when Jennifer sent her own spells that Imani didn't know the name of she put up a 'protego' and they'd bounce off harmlessly. When firing her own spells Imani got frustrated that Jennifer would dodge them, or deflect them with her own protection charm. Both quickly figured out they'd have to get creative if they were to win. The evening cracked with pops and bursts from the sound of spells hitting trees or bouncing off shields. It was an odd collection of sounds. A few of the tree groaned and a couple small limbs fell when a spell caused them to break. Imani eventually landed a successful 'stupefy' on Jennifer but made the mistake of taking a breath to try and catch her breath back. Jennifer recovered faster than Imani thought and faking a spell causing Imani to step to the side, Jennifer fired another spell hitting Imani square in the stomach. It forced Imani to her knees winded. Imani coughed looking where she'd last seen Jennifer but she wasn't there. Imani whipped her head around trying to locate her. Just as she lay her eyes on Jennifer in her Darach scarred form was she pushed backwards by Jennifer's body. Jennifer knelt over her and her twisted mouth opened letting out a scream accompanied by the tribal drums. Imani's hand went to her ears and screamed. The headache was incredibly intense.
"Depulso." Imani managed through gritted teeth pushing Jennifer off her. But before Imani could stand up Jennifer fired at her again, this time sending Imani into a tree and hitting her head. Imani went out cold, but not before she hid her wand in her secret pocket, closing it so it was invisible.
Jennifer grinned at her luck. She now had a powerful witch that she could take to the Nemeton to enhance her power and the Nemeton's power. She walked over to Imani gaining her pretty public face back. Bending down she picked up Imani easily, and threw her over her shoulder.
Walking the short distance to the Nemeton, Jennifer realised that Imani had been trying to find it, and she'd gotten incredibly close. Gaining a frown she opened the cellar door making the three captives jump. The three looked up to see Jennifer carrying in another person.
"Brought you a friend. You may know her." Jennifer said walking to the pillar across from Chris and the only one left available. Turning she grabbed some rope and tied Imani's legs and hands together. Then differently to the others she tied her hands to the rope around her ankles and then another rope around her middle to the post so she couldn't escape. It was only when Jennifer turned Imani over to wrap the rope around her middle did the three captives see who it was that was unconscious. All three tensed and the Sheriff was pissed.
"You bitch. Let my daughter go." He growled. If he weren't tied up Jennifer would've felt threatened.
"No." Jennifer said in a light tone. On her way out she kicked him in the side for good measure. As soon as the door closed he was calling Imani's name. But the girl didn't stir.
"Must've knocked her out by hitting her head." Melissa said trying to get a better view of Imani to tell if there were any injuries. The Sheriff eventually stopped struggling against his rope but didn't take his eyes off his daughter.
"Still working?" Melissa asked. Imani heard her, she was slowly coming back to her senses.
"Yeah but not for much longer." Chris said looking at the emitter.
"Anyone else feeling an unbearable itch they can't scratch?" Melissa asked, trying to lighten the mood a little.
"Well not before you said something, but now yes I do." The sheriff said. Surprising the other two adults by joking back.
"Is she actually going to come down here and slash all of our throats?" Melissa asked.
"Nah. She'll come down and strangle us with a garrote and then slash out throats." He answered. The light feeling now gone. The cellar creaked around them.
"Just the wind." Chris said. More wind blew and dust fell through the cracks in the roof. It felt like a small earthquake. Imani stirred and shuffled, blinking her eyes open slowly. She could already feel the pull the Nemeton had on her power.
Stiles
As Stiles was driving to the rendezvous point he look dup seeing dark clouds with thunder and lightning. A lot of it. He got more concerned. He was already afraid for his father and his friends but a new feeling had formed in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right, something off. He just couldn't put a finger on it. It felt like someone he was close to was in danger or in pain. But he didn't have this feeling before about an hour ago, shortly after getting out of the ice bath. Fog came down and prevented him from seeing clearly and him being distracted from the feeling, led him to crash his jeep.
When Stiles awoke he panicked, he didn't know how much time had passed. For all he knew the eclipse had happened and his father was dead. Seeing his car wasn't going anywhere he got out immediately being buffeted by the wind and squinting his eyes to try prevent dust getting in them. He looked around hoping to see a landmark or something to point him in the right direction of the root cellar. He got the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach again and ran to the back of his jeep getting out his trusty aluminium bat, before running into storm.
Stiles quickly felt turned around and panicked thinking he'd never find the cellar. But he followed the bad feeling like it was leading him somewhere. Suddenly he heard a scream, like when Lydia screamed but faintly. The scream hit him in his core and it wasn't like his ears heard it, it was like his heart, his soul heard it. Like a homing beacon he took off in the direction of the scream.
Imani
The storm worsened and she groaned at the pull on her system. She heard her dad.
"Imani? Wake up, please." He called out. She groaned again lifting her head.
"Dad?" She asked opening her eyes looking around.
"What happened? Are you alright?" He asked concern in his voice.
"I'm alright apart from a bloody huge headache." She answered sounding groggy.
"How'd she catch you?" Chris asked. More meaning behind that question that the others knew. She looked at him meaningfully.
"I was trying to find you guys. I was just looking around the woods and was about to turn back and go home when it started getting dark when I heard something behind me. Guess they jumped me from behind." Imani admitted. Chris knew there was a lot more to that story than she let on. Thankfully she was closest to Chris and her rope allowed her to wriggle closer. When the storm distracted Melissa and her father she bent forwards.
"We had a fight. I lost but I also weakened her, she used more power than she thinks. Plus I think she's going after the Alpha pack one at a time leaving Deucalion last. She'll use more power to kill them. Unfortunately she linked the Nemeton to my power. She's using me as an amplifier."
"What does that mean for you?"
"It means the headache I've got now, is going to get worse. I need you to cover for me if my eyes change." Imani whispered. Chris looked at her frowning. Discreetly Imani blinked her eyes making them purple in order to show him. Chris nodded.
"I'm going to try and pull my power back but I'm not going to have much choice." She whispered seeing that her father was starting to look at her again.
"How bad is this storm going to get?" Melissa asksed.
"It's going to get a lot worse." Imani said.
"How do you know?" Her father asked.
"Unlike you I've been able to watch the news and am up to date on the weather predictions." Imani sassed. It made the three adults chuckle. The cellar shook again from the storm, and Imani winced. Trying to hold back her power was causing the storm to go crazy. Suddenly the doors opened and everyone tensed fearing Jennifer but Imani wriggled and managed to just open her secret pocket to her wand just in case. She need not have worried, because Alison and Isaac are the ones that came down.
"Oh my god." Melissa breathed.
"Thank god!" Alison sighed relieved to see her father alive.
"You found us." Chris nodded happy.
"Where's Stiles? Where's my son?" The Sheriff asked. He needed to know Stiles was safe, he now knew where Imani was.
"And Scott?" Melissa asked.
"They're coming all right? They're on their way to help." Isaac answered.
"Ok." Melissa gasped.
"No." Imani gasped and Chris looked at her staring at a wall just before it partly gave way and rocks and dirt poured in. The two teenagers set about untying everyone's ropes but once the Sheriff was untied he went straight to Imani, who they had missed in the shadows of the cellar. The Sheriff untied her and once she was free they hugged each other close.
"Thanks dad." She said.
"Hurry!" Isaac yelled as more dirt and rocks poured in, but a creaking was heard as a big set of shelves fell just where they'd been a minute before.
"Watch out!" Her dad called. Everyone ran and lept for cover from the debris. More objects tipped over as the ground shook. It was hard for Imani to focus with all the moving around and the headache making her vision a little blurry. Her father's hand on her shoulder is what kept her upright.
"Come on let's get out of here!" Her father yelled. But Imani saw what was going to happen and held onto her father and Chris pulling them back a little which also caused the others to paused in their haste to get to the stairs. Just as they would've reached them the stairs collapsed. They all backed away avoiding being hit by flying objects.
Chris went to inspect the damage to the exit.
"It's blocked." He admitted with a heavy heart. "What do you see? Anything?" He asks everyone else. But they all shook their heads as Imani sat next to her father massaging her temples trying to stay focused and not send Jennifer to much extra power. Imani winced and gritted her teeth letting out a pained breath. Chris noticed, he had picked up on it when the stairs fell. She knew when something was going to break.
"Look out!" He yelled and leapt way from where he'd been as more of the structure broke.
"Isaac!" Alison called to the werewolf. Everyone leapt for cover, for the only clear space left in the cellar. Imani landed rough, her father put himself over her, protecting her. Cracks crept their way quickly on the ceiling and support beams. It was a scary sight seeing the very foundations and structure stressed and breaking before you. Imani panted.
"No stop." She whispered. Trying something she put her power into keeping the structure intact and together.
"Melissa, go, go, go." Her father said pushing her and everyone else deeper seeing the support beam about to give way. Imani opened her eyes and starred at it. Isaac got up on his knees and put his hands up supporting the beam so the ceiling wouldn't cave down. His eyes started to glow yellow. Imani continued to focus on the beam helping Isaac as much as she could. The ground continued to shake as leaves, rocks and dirt continued to fall in.
"Is it me or is this place getting smaller?" Isaac asked in a rushed breathe. Soon everyone was putting their hands up and using all their strength to help Isaac keep the place standing. Imani helped as much as she could and placed herself on the other side of Chris. Chris knew she was only putting her hands up for appearances and kept her eyes shut. Imani had felt them turn purple in an effort to help. But the Nemeton and storm was taking from her as much as she was giving to the cellar. Her heart pounding in her ears and terror gripping her mind and heart. Her mind turned to the one person it could think of in that moment. Stiles.
"Stiles." She whispered. She started chanting it in her mind. The turmoil in her head increased and she let out a pained groan. A rock fell into the cellar and hit Imani in the side right into her ribs. Imani's mind and body couldn't take it. She screamed a loud agonising scream. She screamed for Stiles.
"Imani!" Her father yelled.
"I can't do it. I can't hold it. I can't hold it." Isaac said in realisation but he refused to give up.
"It's too much. It's too heavy." Alison said fear and desperation in everyone's voices and eyes.
Suddenly feet appeared as someone jumped into the small space and a steel bat appeared next to the Sheriff, supporting the beam. All the creaking stopped instantaneously. Everyone paused, looking at the shiny object that saved their lives, even Imani who's eyes were back to normal. Everyone looked at who had placed it there and were relieved to see Stiles. And Stiles was looking back at everyone checking to see if they were ok. He did a double take seeing Imani.
"I always said aluminium was better than wood." Her father said out of breath. Stiles launched forwards hugging him tightly. Imani smiled and launched forwards herself hugging both of her family members. But the shaking started up again and more dirt came in, like rushing waters during a flood. Everyone's faces changed, yet again, to one of concern and dread.
All of a sudden Imani felt a change, a lightening feeling. She gasped at the pressure receding in her mind. She smiled slightly, only Chris knowing why. The wind died down, the rumbling ground stopped shaking, the dirt and leaves stopped falling, and the creaking of wood ceased.
"Is it over?" Alison asked. Everyone looked around double checking but the Sheriff broke out into a grin and laughed in relief, leaning forwards hugging his children. Everyone was joining in the relieved chuckles.
A buzzing sounded and Stiles got his phone out answering the call.
"Scott?" He asked "Yeah we're ok. We're all ok. How about you, you ok?" He answered. He paused listening to Scott. "You think you could come get us?" Stiles asked waiting for answer.
"Great ok um, uh bring a ladder." Stiles requested, Imani cracked up at his tone and how ridiculous the request must sound.
A little while later everyone heard footsteps and the bottom of a ladder appeared.
"Stiles?" Scott's voice called down.
"Scott!" Stiles said rushing over.
"Uh brought the ladder…" He said looking down at his dust covered friend. Stiles smiled and turned back helping people up the ladder. Alison was first, followed by Melissa, then the Sheriff who turned around to help Imani out. They were closely followed by Stiles and finally Chris. The Stilinski's hugged each other again before Stiles broke off and gave Scott a hug.
Imani's father held her at arms length looking her over.
"You alright?" He asked frowning.
"I will be." Imani said smiling. He frowned more but saw she was ultimately ok and nodded. Stiles came back and hugged her again making her wince and gasped lightly. He immediately backed off.
"What? You hurt?" He asked looking her over. She sighed seeing her dad's face.
"A rock fell and caught me in the side." She said lifting her shirt slightly, revealing a bruise already forming the size of a fist. There was a graze on her skin where the rock had connected. Stiles and her dad winced. Melissa heard and came over going into nurse mode. She gently felt the area, making Imani twitch a couple of times.
"It's going to bruise nicely but no ribs were harmed or broken. Now let's check that head." She said and Imani sighed lowering her head. Melissa looked and felt around a little and found the small bump from the tree.
"Slight concussion but not serious." She concluded. The group stepped together and began to walk away from the cellar and towards home.
"Imani how did you end up in the cellar?" Stiles asked everyone's interest peaking.
"I was looking for dad. I thought that maybe the forest was a good place to hide someone. So I set out during the day to look. The authorities weren't doing much so I guess I was mad and not thinking clearly." Imani shrugged making sure the story made sense and didn't sound made up.
"When I saw the sun was setting I turned around to go home but I heard something break like a twig snapping and then next thing I now something hit my head and I wake up tied up down in the cellar. Guess I got close to finding you guys and whoever took you wasn't happy." Imani finished. The story made sense.
"I'm just glad you're alright." Her dad said putting his arm around her shoulders.
The next day Imani went to school against her father and her brothers wishes but she proved she wasn't dizzy and that her head was fine and that the rock had only left a graze not a gash in her side. It was nice to do something mundane like work after the last 48 hours.