Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the follows and favorites and a HUGE thank you to my first reviewer. Seriously it means a lot! I am posting this a bit earlier than expected, but I am just so excited. I've already written through season 2 of Teen Wolf and am working on plans for the next season. This is the furthest that I've gotten with a project and I am really proud of it. I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from Teen Wolf, Vampire Diaries, or any artists' work that is referenced or has lyrics used.
Annabelle awoke the next morning to a persistent banging on her front door. She sat up quickly, eyes squinting in the morning light, her usually calm curls an unruly mess. She groaned as the banging picked back up and quickly grabbed her green cardigan off of the rocking chair that sat in the corner of her room and hopped down the stairs. Eyes still half closed, she opened the door.
"What?" she said crankily.
"Well good morning to you too sunshine," she heard an unusually chipper person say from her front porch.
"Stiles? What are you doing here at 7 in the morning?"
"We need to talk about what you said last night," Stiles said determinedly. Annabelle sighed heavily and held the door open, gesturing him in as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. He nodded in thanks, blushing slightly at what she was wearing. Annabelle noticed his line of gaze and pulled her green cardigan around her front, hiding the short sleep shorts and crop top that she had slept in.
"Coffee?" she asked as she headed to the kitchen and pulled out a french press.
"Yes please," he said with cheer. She frowned at his strange amount of energy this early in the morning but proceeded to make coffee. When they finally sat down with mugs, she looked at him again.
"So what do you want to know?" Annabelle asked as she scooped 3 heaping spoonfuls of brown sugar into her coffee and topped it off with half and half. Stiles watched her carefully, amused at the amount of sugar she just put into her mug before continuing.
"How are you a witch?"
"I was born this way," she said easily, not even remotely fazed by his bluntness.
"So you've been using magic your whole life?"
"Well not when I was a baby obviously, but as soon as I was aware of it, yes."
"How do you know? How to use it I mean?" he asked with curious eyes.
"A lot of it just happens when I think it. Like the aneurysm thing, once I knew that I could do it, it was easy. Other stuff requires studying from grimoires," Annabelle said with a pointed nod at the bookshelves lining the living room. Stiles turned to look at it quickly and saw the old bindings, his hands itching to flip through them.
"Could I look at those?" he said with excitement in his voice. Annabelle smiled at this and nodded.
"Sure, but you probably won't understand most of it."
"How do you know all of this stuff? About werewolves and brain-frying spells?" he asked slightly suspiciously. Annabelle stared back at Stiles for a moment, weighing the ramification of just how much she told him about her backstory. With a sigh, she started.
"I moved here from a town called Mystic Falls. In truth, I actually don't know all that much about werewolves, but I know a lot about vampires." Stiles freaked out at this but Annabelle shushed him with a pointed look and continued.
"It turns out that Mystic Falls was run by vampires back in the 1800s and vampires were slowly starting to return at the beginning of this year. Things got out of hand, they got dangerous. My friends and I started getting mixed up in a lot of dangerous shit when my friend Elena started dating a vampire," Annabelle explained.
Stiles was quiet for a moment, no doubt letting all of this sink in.
"Vampires?" he asked incredulously and Annabelle only shrugged and nodded.
"So then if you only knew about vampires, how did you know Isaac was a werewolf?" he asked skeptically.
"Well I heard you and Scott talking that morning about werewolves, so I called one of my vampire contacts in Mystic Falls and asked him about it. I accidentally touched Isaac in chemistry and got this feeling that told me that that was what he was." Annabelle explained.
"You got a feeling?" Stiles asked. Annabelle shrugged and nodded again. They sat in silence for a while, drinking coffee and letting Stiles stew with this new information.
"So why did you help us?" he asked quietly, looking at Annabelle carefully. He watched as a flash of emotion crossed her cool green eyes and knew that he hit a sensitive topic.
"I guess...I felt kind of useless in Mystic Falls...like I kept making the wrong decision. I really only thought of myself and was so wrapped up in my own drama that I never made myself an asset. Next thing I knew, I was on the outside looking in. I didn't want history to repeat itself. I want to help people, if I can."
Stiles looked at her sadly for a moment.
"That's their fault. You know that, right? If they froze you out because you weren't useful to them, then they're a bunch of assholes," Stiles said passionately. Annabelle gave him a sad smile back.
"You know I grew up with them my whole life. Me, Elena, and Bonnie. We were best friends until they realized that I had kept being a witch from them the whole time. Then of course when Elena got tangled up in vampire business, they suddenly liked me again, and then they just didn't care after a while. It's not something that they consciously do and I don't blame them for it. It is what it is," Annabelle said with a shrug. Stiles was quiet at that, looking around her home while finishing his coffee. The living room was dark and cozy, with scattered music equipment on the couch and coffee table.
"You make music?" he asked with a smile, hoping to distract her. She turned and looked at her open laptop and smiled back at him.
"Yeah, I make my own music and produce and perform it. Well I used to back in Mystic Falls," Annabelle explained.
"I'd love to hear it some time," Stiles said while looking at her meaningfully. They looked at each other for another moment, Stiles' cheeks going pink at the eye contact.
"Well I should probably get ready for school," Annabelle said before getting up and taking their mugs to the sink, rinsing them carefully.
"Do you want a ride?" Stiles asked. Annabelle opened her mouth to tell him no, that she had a car. Something stopped her when she looked at him again and she nodded.
"Thanks, I'll only be like 10 minutes if that's okay?"
Stiles nodded and Annabelle darted upstairs to clean up. As she was doing so, Stiles walked around her living room and glanced at the screen of the computer in curiosity. He looked at the stairs before pressing play and listening to the sounds of piano and strings playing. As he listened he walked around and looked at the various pictures scattered on tables and bookshelves. There were several pictures of Annabelle and another guy, Stiles assumed it was her brother based off of the matching curly brown hair. There was another picture of her with a girl who also had long brown hair. They were dressed in similar outfits that looked like they were from the 50's. Annabelle had a bright smile on her face, like she was laughing at something off camera, and Stiles found himself picking up the picture and smiling with her. He carefully placed it back and continued looking around at the book covered walls, listening to the layered music in fascination.
It was a sad song, about feeling lost and hoping for more. At least, that's what Stiles thought it was. Her voice was beautiful, delicate but cool like ice at the same time. She had clearly put a lot of effort into it and Stiles was impressed. He sat down in the big armchair by the fireplace and wondered what could've caused her to write the lyrics. As he was thinking this, he noticed a journal sitting next to the computer. Stiles' leg began to shake, anxious to look in the worn leather journal but knowing that he shouldn't. He looked at it then looked away several times, before finally grabbing it and opening it to the first page. It looked like a book of lyrics and he flipped through it quickly. Before setting it back down, a small slip of paper fell out and Stiles grabbed it quickly, intending to put it right back. He paused when he saw sprawling letters etched on the back of a photograph.
You deserve better than me. Good luck. -D.S.
Stiles flipped it over and saw Annabelle in the arms of a tall dark-haired guy. She was in that 50's outfit again and had a serene smile on her face. They were dancing and the guy had her in a dip when the picture was taken. He turned and looked at the note again, wondering what happened between them, not understanding the way his heart squeezed when he looked at the picture.
Stiles heard a door shut upstairs and quickly stuffed the paper back into the journal and tossed it back onto the table, sitting back in the chair and acting as normal as he could.
"Okay I'm ready," Annabelle said with an easy smile while grabbing her book bag. Stiles smiled at her like he hadn't just been nooping through her belongings and they walked out to his jeep.
Annabelle stood next to Stiles in the gym and watched as Allison and Scott flirted with each other on the rock wall, rolling her eyes and hoping they just hurried up.
Stiles watched her with curiosity, hoping to learn more about her time in Mystic Falls, but too scared to ask. Annabelle watched blankly as Allison kicked Scott and his grip slipped, mind swamped with song ideas. Coach called for Stiles and Erica and Annabelle focused once more, knowing that she would be up soon. Stiles made quick work of the rock wall and Annabelle prepped herself to go up next when she noticed that Erica was stuck barely even halfway up. She glanced up at her in concern.
"Erica? You okay? Dizzy? Vertigo?" Coach asked.
"Vertigo's a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She's just freaking out," Lydia said with a roll of her eyes. Annabelle narrowed her eyes at her lack of tact, then glanced at Erica again. Soon enough she was down, having been coaxed into letting go. She walked out nearly in tears as people laughed at her and Annabelle stared after her with a frown.
Annabelle sat at the lunch table with Scott and doodled lyrics in her journal. She flipped through the different pages while taking a break and stopped when she got to the page that held the picture of her and Damon. She pulled it out and stared at it for a while wistfully, holding the worn picture carefully before flipping it and reading the back.
50's music blared in the background and Annabelle stood with Bonnie near the punch bowl, laughing at the crazy dancing she saw. Damon suddenly appeared in front of them and Bonnie sobered up immediately while Annabelle looked at him inquisitively.
"Round 2?" he asked while holding out his hand and smirking at her in that charming way that made her heart melt. She smiled at him and took his hand. He was in a better mood tonight than usual, spinning her around and lifting her, making her laugh and feel exhilarated.
"Hey what' up with the creepy history teacher?" he asked her before spinning her out and bringing her slamming back into his chest. She laughed and shook her head at him.
"He's not creepy, he's the only good teacher in this damn school," Annabelle replied while poking Damon's chest.
"Well if he asks me another question about my whereabouts before Mystic Falls, I'm gonna kill him," he said while widening his eyes in fake astonishment. Annabelle only rolled her eyes at him and lost herself in the dancing. She didn't realize that that would be the last time that they danced together, the last time he would look at her with that sparkle in his eyes.
Annabelle was pulled out of her thoughts by Stiles plopping himself across from her and Scott with a big smile on his face.
"Got em. I'll pick you up tonight after work and we'll meet at the rink. Cool?" he said, looking excitedly at Scott.
"What's tonight?" Annabelle said with mild curiosity while taking a bite of her salad.
"Um, well, we uh…" Stiles stumbled. Annabelle only raised her eyebrows at him before looking back at the photo in her hand. Stiles also looked down, noticing the picture from earlier. She noticed the direction of his gaze and tossed the card back in, flipping her journal closed and putting the book in her bag.
Right before she opened her mouth to ask again, Annabelle heard a commotion at the entrance to the cafeteria. Erica walked in in stiletto heels, a mini skirt, and a tank top, with surprising confidence and luxurious, wind-blown hair. Annabelle raised a brow in surprise like everyone else and watched as she stopped at a table and took an apple from someone's tray.
"What. The holy hell. Is that?" Lydia said from behind them.
"That's Erica," Scott said in surprise.
She took a big bite out of it and stared right into the guys eyes with a smirk, before walking back out.
"I would be pissed if she took my apple," Annabelle said unimpressed. Stiles gave a snort at that before the two of them scrambled up and ran after her. Annabelle followed their stumbling figures with her eyes in confusion before turning back to her salad.
Lydia turned to Annabelle suddenly.
"So are you going to the rink tonight?" she asked cooly.
"The rink?" Annabelle asked.
"Yes, with Scott and Stiles? Allison and I are going," Lydia said without the slightest idea that Annabelle had been invited.
"Uh no, I'm not," Annabelle said before getting up and tossing what was left of her lunch in the trash.
Later that night, Annabelle sat alone at home working on music. She wasn't surprised that the boys didn't ask her to hang out, after all she had only known them for a few days. It still hurt to once again be left out of things though. Annabelle hit play on her laptop, listening to what she had for her most recent song.
I've been watchin' you for some time
Can't stop starin' at those ocean eyes
Burning cities and napalm skies
Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes
Your ocean eyes
No fair
You really know how to make me cry
When you gimme those ocean eyes
I'm scared
I've never fallen from quite this high
Fallin' into your ocean eyes
Those ocean eyes
Annabelle was satisfied with her work and sat back on the floor by the fire to continue brainstorming lyrics to the rest of the song when a knock on her door interrupted her. Annabelle sighed heavily but got up and answered the door.
Standing in the moonlight was Isaac, tall and handsome as usual. Annabelle immediately checked the surrounding street before grabbing his wrist and pulling him in quickly.
"What are you doing here? You're a fugitive," she hissed. He seemed amused by her reaction and glanced around her home questioningly.
"I wanted to see someone other than Derek and I realized that you are the only person I would actually consider a friend," he said with a smile. Annabelle narrowed her eyes at him before realizing that she still held his wrist in her hand and promptly let go.
"No one saw you, right?" Annabelle asked warily. Isaac gave a mischievous smile before shaking his head. Annabelle nodded at this and started walking towards the kitchen.
"Are you hungry?" she asked before pulling out a pot and a box of macaroni.
"Starving," he said before taking a seat at the counter and watching her set the pot of water to boil. He looked around again, noticing the scattered books and music equipment with interest.
"Are you home alone?" he asked inquisitively.
"Uh yeah, my brother leaves on business during the week. Honestly it's kind of nice to have the place to myself" Annabelle said while looking down at the pasta and giving it a stir.
"Well sorry for bursting in unannounced," Isaac said and Annabelle quickly turned to reassure him when she saw the spark in his eyes. She grinned at him and went to sit next to him as the pasta continued to boil.
"So how's life as a werewolf fugitive?"
He grinned at her before turning in his chair to look at her.
"It isn't so bad, minus getting the crap kicked outta me by Derek. The guy's a real douche sometimes," Isaac said with a roll of his eyes.
"Why exactly is he kicking the crap outta you?"Annabelle asked before moving to take the noodles off the heat.
"Training. We're not the only supernatural creatures out there," Isaac said amusedly and Annabelle nodded in understanding.
"So why are you alone on a Friday night, eh?" he asked with an innocent smile. Annabelle narrowed her eyes at him sarcastically before handing him a bowl, watching him dig in.
"Would you believe me if I said that I wanted to be alone?" Annabelle said while picking at a loose thread on her cardigan.
"Not for a second," Isaac said thoughtfully and Annabelle looked up at him quickly before turning back to her own bowl.
"So music, eh?" Isaac asked after a beat of silence, gesturing to her equipment. He watched her face light up as she walked over to her computer and brought it over.
"I've been working on an album, think I'll be done soon," Annabelle said with excitement in her voice as she clicked through each of the tracks. Isaac watched her with a smile on her face, pretending not to have been watching when she turned to look at him.
"Well let's hear it then," he said with a grin and she faltered for a moment.
"You don't want me to hear it?" he asked quietly.
"No, it's not that. I used to perform all the time back in Mystic Falls. It's just weird to play a recording and sit there while someone listens. You should come hear me live, I'll be performing at Jumpstart, the coffee shop down the street from the school tomorrow, " Annabelle explained eagerly.
Isaac opened his mouth to agree before remembering that he had broken out of police custody just a few nights ago.
"Right sorry, for a moment I forgot about the whole fugitive thing… I could sneak you through the back door with the coffee beans if you want?" Annabelle said jokingly. Isaac laughed at that and the tension was gone.
They spent the rest of the night telling stories and laughing together, playing card games, and listening to music. It was the best night both Annabelle and Isaac had had in a long time.
Annabelle awoke the next morning with a massive ache in her neck and a foggy memory of the night before. She groaned and sat up to stretch her arms, freezing as she felt something drop from her shoulder. She turned to find Isaac next to her fast asleep, his arm having been around her just a second ago. She felt blood rush to her face as she realized that she had fallen asleep on his chest at some point last night. His warm, muscular, inviting chest.
She stopped that train of thought quickly and stood abruptly, taking a few steps back in alarm. The movement jostled Isaac awake and he groaned too while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked up to find Annabelle staring at him with wide eyes from across the room and looked around in confusion.
"We must've fallen asleep," he said drowsily.
"Yep… Coffee?" Annabelle said awkwardly before practically running into the kitchen.
"... Sure," Isaac said to himself as he stared after the green-eyed girl in wonder.
Annabelle took a moment to compose herself before getting the french press and coffee ready. Suddenly she was thrown into a very vivid memory of Damon.
Annabelle sat on the worn stool of the stage at The Grill and plunked some chords on the piano before starting.
I wanna be alone
Alone with you, does that make sense?
I wanna steal your soul
And hide you in my treasure chest
I don't know what to do
To do with your kiss on my neck
I don't know what feels true
But this feels right, so stay a sec
Yeah, you feel right, so stay a sec
And let me crawl inside your veins
I'll build a wall, give you a ball and chain
It's not like me to be so mean, you're all I wanted
Just let me hold you
Like a hostage
As Annabelle sang she made eye contact with a mysterious looking man at the bar drinking a dark liquor. He watched her with cold fascination in his eyes and Annabelle did her best not to get distracted. When the song was finished, Annabelle thanked the crowd and left quickly. It took her a while to make her way to the bar as regular customers stopped to say hello. When she finally made it, there was a glass of ice water waiting for her on the worn counter as usual. She threw a relieved smile at Matt as he uselessly shined a glass with an old rag and grinned back.
"Interesting song" someone commented quietly.
Annabelle turned to find the man from earlier looking ahead and lazily taking a sip of his drink.
"Uh yeah," Annabelle said quietly back before thanking the bartender.
"What made you write that?" he said with a raised eyebrow, assessing her quickly before taking another sip.
"My friend is going through what seems to be an abusive relationship. My friends and I have tried to help her, but she's having none of it. I guess this is me just taking out my frustration," Annabelle said with a shrug. Something about this seemed amusing to the man and he still didn't make eye contact. She didn't understand why this would be amusing to him.
He turned to her fully then and they had a short conversation. Five minutes later they snuck into the women's restroom, lips locked in a passionate kiss filled with lust. Annabelle shoved his coat off of his shoulders as he reached for the button of her jeans. She didn't even know his name.
"Annabelle?"
Annabelle turned quickly, realizing that she had been staring at the wall, a scoop of coffee in her hand waiting to be poured into the french press.
"Oh sorry," she said quickly as she looked back at Isaac with a sheepish smile. He gave a hesitant smile back but Annabelle could see the concern in his eyes.
"Are you always this weird in the morning?" he asked amusedly as he grabbed the coffee bag and scoop from her hand, finishing the task efficiently. Annabelle poured the boiling water over the coffee grounds and turned with another sheepish smile on her face as she hopped up onto the counter and looked at Isaac again.
"Pretty much, yeah. You use a french press?" Annabelle said.
"No, but I've spent a lot of time at jumpstart. Had to get away from my dad," Isaac explained. Annabelle nodded at this, remembering the conversation they had last night about his dad.
They stood in awkward silence for a minute before Annabelle piped up again.
"Sorry for freaking out, it's really not that big of a deal," she said quickly.
"Nah it isn't… But maybe it should be?" he said while throwing an easy-going smirk in her direction.
She fixed Isaac with his questioning gaze at this and he gave a small laugh before moving closer to her. She froze as he stopped right in front of the counter she sat on and leaned forward. He slowly reached out towards her with a hesitant hand, though his blue eyes were confident, and brushed a strand of brown waves behind Annabelle's ear. As he did this, she thought back to the previous night. It had felt good to have someone to talk to. He told her about his abusive father and she told him about her dead parents. They laughed about nothing and laid by the fire all night. Annabelle wasn't sure whether it was a good idea, but she wanted whatever was about to happen.
Isaac's hand rested on her cheek and she found herself leaning forward and closing her eyes as he gently coaxed her forward with a light hand on the small of her back. Their lips met softly and she wondered if this had been his first kiss. It was sweet and over quickly and they pulled back and met each other's eyes, green meeting blue. They stared for another moment before his lips crashed against hers again and she melted into his body.
Annabelle didn't know how long they stayed like that, but the coffee was definitely bitter when they got to it, neither caring all that much. They talked all morning and through lunch before Isaac had to leave and report back to Derek. He slipped out the back door and into the surrounding woods and Annabelle watched that spot for a moment, suddenly wondering where her brother was and why he hadn't called.
Monday hit Annabelle like a freight train and she was a nervous wreck. She had called James every hour on Sunday, leaving at least 10 messages wondering where he was. Still there was no response. During history that day, Annabelle couldn't even find the energy to wave back at Stiles when she passed him to her desk, simply moving the corners of her mouth up in a sort of grimace before collapsing into her seat. Stiles turned to look at her in worry, noticing her usually perfect hair sat in a messy bun at the top of her head and her green eyes were dull with dark circles underneath.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. She looked at him and shrugged, checking her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. He turned back to the front as the bell rang for class to start, but he felt the nervous shake of his leg start up as he wondered about what could've happened over the weekend. Class passed by in a blur and Stiles quickly cornered Annabelle in the hall.
"What's wrong, what is it?" he demanded.
"It's nothing Stiles, don't worry about it. I doubt you really care anyways," Annabelle said while trying to move past her. In a move similar to the one she pulled on him last week, Stiles stepped in front of her with a hand help up.
"Hey hold on, I care. I don't really know why seeing as I barely know you, but I do. I can't help you if I don't know what is going on," he said firmly, fixing his determined brown eyes on her defeated ones.
She watched him for a moment before sighing and grabbing his wrist, pulling him into an empty classroom. Stiles ignored the way the speed of his heart sped up at her touch and followed, watching as she settled in front of a desk and pulled out a map of California.
"Can you keep watch please?" she said briskly, and that's exactly what he did. When he turned back, she had set out some candles and was pulling out a knife.
"What are you doing?" he asked while walking closer. Suddenly the candles lit with huge flames and Stiles jumped back in alarm.
"Locator spell," Annabelle said distractedly.
"Okay that fire thing, that's freaky," Stiles said loudly. She just rolled her eyes at him before taking the corner of her pocket knife and stabbing the tip of her index finger, letting the blood run onto the paper.
"What the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed again, trying to grab at her hand to stop the bleeding.
She shook him off, closing her eyes and beginning to mutter the locator spell, holding her hands about the map. Stiles watched in fascination as the blood dripped on the paper and began to move, only it spread out in several different directions before dribbling off the edge of the desk. Annabelle opened her eyes a moment later, staring at the paper blankly. Then rather abruptly, she grabbed the paper and crumpled it into a ball, tossing it into the trashcan by the door with perfect accuracy. She blew out the candles and started stuffing them into her bag hurriedly, trying desperately not to lose what was left of her calm exterior.
"Annabelle? What just happened?" Stiles asked as she started to walk past him. She didn't say anything and kept her head down. He grabbed her arm and spun her around, freezing when he saw her eyes filled with tears.
"What is going on?" he said, panicking now that he saw how freaked out she was. Stiles hadn't known the girl long, but she always seemed so put together and calm.
"My brother is missing, he was supposed to come home this weekend. I've called him again and again and I got nothing in response," Annabelle practically shouted in frustration.
"Okay, okay calm down," Stiles said while rubbing his hands up and down her arms in what he assumed was a calming gesture.
"What happened with that locator spell thing?" he asked quickly.
"It didn't work, which means he's either dead or not in California," Annabelle said while trying desperately to stop crying.
"Okay, so let's find another map and see if he's in the U.S. at least, right?"
Annabelle paused and nodded.
"Okay, stay right here. I'll go find one in the library, I'll be right back."
Stiles ran from the room and Annabelle took this time to call James again, cursing at herself for not thinking of widening her search.
It's James, leave a message after the beep.
"James, I don't know where you are or what is going on, but I am at my wits end trying to find you. What am I supposed to do? Please call me back, you crappy excuse for a brother," Annabelle said before hanging up.
Soon enough, Stiles was back with a map and Annabelle repeated the process from earlier, watching as the blood moved before finally settling over New York City.
"New York? What is he doing there?" Stiles asked.
"I have no idea," Annabelle said while staring down at the map suspiciously.
Annabelle was on her way out the door, trudging along the linoleum floors and brainstorming ways to get to New York when she literally ran face first into Stiles. She let out a small yelp as she fell back and onto the floor.
"Sorry! Sorry, I'm sorry," Stiles said frantically, grabbing Annabelle's hand and pulling her up quickly.
"It's okay. What's got you in a hurry?" Annabelle said, glad for the distraction.
"We're pretty sure that Derek got to Boyd, we've gotta stop him," Scott said quickly. Annabelle thought for a moment before nodding and gathering her bag from the floor.
"Okay, what do you need?"
"Woah hold on, you need to work on finding your brother," Stiles said with a concerned look on his face.
"Stiles, I don't have the time or money to get to New York. I need a distraction from everything, please let me help," Annabelle said desperately. They looked at each other for a moment, Annabelle practically begging him with her eyes. Stiles was sucked into those green eyes immediately.
"Okay, come with me to check out Boyd's house while Scott goes to the rink," he said quickly before running towards his jeep. Annabelle followed him and jumped into the front seat, not worrying about her car sitting in the parking lot three spots away. The drive was quiet and they arrived at Boyd's house in just under 10 minutes, jumping out and waiting for someone to answer as Stiles banged on the door.
"Back door, come on," Annabelle said, grabbing his arm. They both turned around and stopped abruptly as Erica popped up behind them.
"Erica," Stiles said with surprise. She smiled at them mischievously with her hands clasped behind her back.
"What are you two doing?" she asked with a smirk.
"Looking for...um…" Stiles stuttered.
"Boyd?" Erica finished with amusement.
"Yeah, yes," Stiles responded.
"I don't think he's here," she said matter-of-factly.
"Clearly," Annabelle said with a cold look while leaning back against the side of the house. Erica threw her a scathing look and Annabelle just smiled back with a glare. She turned her attention back to Stiles carefully.
"You know what you're doing right now that's kind of funny? You're looking me right in the eyes," she said with a condescending smile.
"I don't see how that's funny," Annabelle said while crossing her arms and glaring at the girl.
"It's funny because it's that kind of look where you're trying not to look anywhere other than my eyes. But you want to, don't you? You want to take a nice, long, hard look," she said with a laugh.
"Not really, no," Stiles managed to spit out as Annabelle rolled her eyes.
"So it's just my eyes?" Erica asked innocently.
"You have very beautiful eyes," Stiles said, ever the gentleman.
"I have beautiful everything," Erica said with a big smile.
"Your newfound self-confidence is just refreshing, are we done here now?" Annabelle said sarcastically before pushing herself off of the wall to stand by Stiles, her heeled boots clicking on the pavement.
"You're not going anywhere," Erica said assuredly.
"Why not?" Stiles asked.
"Because you're having car trouble," Erica said innocently, holding up what looked like a piece of the engine from the jeep. Annabelle narrowed her eyes in annoyance.
Suddenly her hand, holding the engine piece, swung up to hit Stiles in the face. Thinking quick on her feet, Annabelle grabbed Erica's wrist before she could make contact, spinning her around so she was in a headlock.
"That was a mistake," Annabelle whispered in Erica's ear before pushing her down the stairs to the front porch. Erica hit her head going down, effectively knocking her out. Annabelle looked back at Stiles, who had his mouth hanging open in surprise. She raised an eyebrow at him before pushing up his jaw and turning to walk away from the house.
Annabelle looked back to find Stiles still standing there dumbfounded.
"Are you coming or not?" Annabelle shouted at him as she turned the corner and started jogging towards the school where her car sat.
Annabelle ran into the ice rink, hearing the sounds of a fight happening.
She got to the edge of the rink and paused, seeing Scott fighting Erica (who had somehow beaten them there much to Annabelle's annoyance) and Isaac. Annabelle ignored the way her heart stuttered as she saw him get thrown across the rink by Scott.
"Don't you get it? He's not doing this for you! He's just adding to his own power. It's all about him," Scott shouted at Erica and Isaac.
"You feel like he's giving you some kind of gift, when all he's really done is turn you into a bunch of guard dogs," he finished.
"It's true, it is about power," Derek added.
Stiles ran up at this point, about to hop onto the ice until Annabelle held out an arm to stop him. She watched as Derek grew right before her eyes, his face changing and eyes glowing red. Scott starts to back away but Derek quickly grabs him and they fight. At this point, Annabelle runs onto the ice and Isaac turns and sees her for the first time. He scrambles to stop her but she quickly ducks his arms and swipes his legs out from underneath him, eyes focused on Derek slashing across Scott's stomach.
Annabelle reached out with her hand and mind desperately and Derek dropped Scott and collapsed on the ice, his clawed hands wrapping around his head in pain. Annabelle slid to a stop beside him and kicked him in the side with all of her strength and he went sliding across the ice. She stopped and looked at Scott, grabbing his arm and hauling him up as quickly as possible.
Stiles started running out and met them halfway, grabbing Scott's other side. Annabelle heard a scrape and turned to see Derek getting up and moving towards them. Isaac shouted for Derek to stop but he ran straight for them. Annabelle reached out again and stopped him in his tracks, bringing him to his knees again.
"You already got what you wanted Derek. Didn't he Boyd?" Annabelle said while glaring up at Boyd. The boy just looked back at her with concern in his eyes and Annabelle looked down at Derek again, releasing him.
"Stay down," she said with conviction, before turning and leaving the rink with her friends.
The boys had to squish in the passenger side of Annabelle's miata and they were not happy about it.
"You know, this really isn't the most practical car," Stiles said with frustration, his breath hitting Annabelle's face since he was pushed as far over as he could be.
"She is small but sturdy," Annabelle said matter-of-factly, looking over and smiling at the boy and he smiled back.
"What was up with Isaac trying to stop you tonight?" Scott asked from the other side of Stiles.
"Yeah that was weird. Are you two…" Stiles said while gesturing with both hands in the air suggestively. Annabelle raised an eyebrow at that but stayed focused on the road. She took a moment, but finally responded.
"No," she said, shortly.
"Yeah, that sounded convincing," Stiles said with a scoff and Annabelle shot a glare in his direction.
"In all seriousness though, that was totally badass back there Annie," Stiles said with a big grin. Annabelle's heart stuttered for a second at the nickname that slipped out and she peeked at Stiles through her brown curls. He had frozen in place after saying that and his cheeks had a hint of pink on them, but Annabelle pretended she saw nothing.
"Thanks," Annabelle said quietly, a small smile on her face.
Scott was dropped off at the animal shelter that he worked at and Stiles was dropped off at his house. Just as she was about to switch gears to leave, she heard a shout and turned to see Stiles coming back to the car and leaning forward. She rolled down her window and he stuck his head in.
"Thank you," Stiles said with complete sincerity in his eyes.
"You're welcome," Annabelle said with a smile. He smiled back, then turned and started walking back towards his house. Annabelle debated for a second before leaning over and shouting Stiles' name. He turned around quickly.
"Wednesday night I'm performing at Jumpstart. Come?" she asked, feeling weirdly vulnerable even though she wasn't a self-conscious person.
He looked confused at first, but gave one quick nod before turning and opening his front door. Annabelle sat in her car for a moment, then went home. She was so tired from the day that she barely noticed the envelope sitting on the counter with her name. She froze when she noticed the familiar hand-writing before dropping everything and racing over to tear the envelope open. Inside was a stack of cash and a short note.
I'll send you money every month. Don't look for me and don't worry. Love you, J. R.
Annabelle stared at the note in bewilderment before crumpling it up and tossing it in the sink, lighting it on fire with her mind just for good measure. She couldn't believe her brother would abandon her. Tears welled up in her eyes but Annabelle was careful not to let any spill for him as she watched the note burn.
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