Chapter Six

Ariel spent most of the morning of the first day of school getting ready. Once her makeup was flawless and she was dressed in a simple black tank top, a pair of destroyed flared jeans, and her black boots, Ariel barely had enough time to grab a cup of coffee before she and Peter needed to head out before they missed the school bus. Honestly, they could have driven, but Lynda needed the car for errands.

Just as the duo stepped foot on the bus they heard the whispers. "I hate the bus" Ariel grumbled. With a soft smile, Peter put his hand on the blonde's thigh and gave it a soft squeeze. He hated the bus too. Peter knew that since Ariel's senses were stronger than the others, she could hear and smell things that not even he could.

For Ariel, the bus ride was taking longer than usual. She blamed it on the fact that all she could hear were her classmates talking about the girl who had been killed the night before. Mauled by some random animal. Some of the freshman on the bus whispered and chuckled, joking and wondering if her or Peter had been the ones to kill the girl.

Their idiotic comments caused Ariel to growl lowly under her breath on more than one occasion. She knew that the comments got to Peter, too. No matter how much he pretended not to hear them. His hand stayed on her thigh the entire bus ride. squeezing the muscle tightly every time someone on the sweltering bus mentioned either of them.

Finally. School. As she and Peter walked across campus, Ariel couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the fact that Peter didn't swing his arm over her shoulders as he usually would. Looking around campus, she noticed none other than mister king shit himself, Roman Godfrey, was staring at them. Peter noticed too, and it was only then that he wrapped an arm around Ariel's shoulders.

"Hey Hemingway" Peter spoke when he saw the twitchy little freshman, Christina.

"Don't call me that" she told him as she looked around worriedly to make sure no one had heard him. Her reaction causing Ariel to roll her eyes and scoff. So the little girl could use them for literary inspiration, but they weren't good enough for a 'hello?'

"I guess summer's over" Peter scoffed, pushing past the dark-haired teen. Ariel and Peter were silent for a while longer, as Peter lead them towards the main office to pick up his schedule.

The second Peter had his class schedule in hand, Ariel took the paper from him. They didn't have many classes together, not that she really planned on spending much time actually in class. She was happy to find that their lockers were side by side and that they shared a lunch period. And after dropping off their jackets, Ariel showed her werewolf lover to his first class before heading off to her own.

After spending almost the entire summer with Peter, Ariel felt strange without the werewolf beside her. She felt cold without his arm around her shoulder. For the entirety of first period, Ariel had a frown on her face.

Ariel loved being with the Rumancek's. Loved being with Peter. But she knew they would only be around for maybe a year at the most. Peter and Lynda were Romani, they had to travel. It was a deep-seated fucking need. Something they shared with Ariel's absent mother.

When Astrid Mikaelson left, shortly after Vince Rumancek died, Ariel wanted desperately to go with her mother. To the get the fuck out of Hemlock Grove. Ariel had even tried to compromise, stating she could spend a few weeks on the road. Instead of Astrid's usual month-long endeavors.

When the bell finally rang, Ariel shoved her books back into her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. As she wove her way through the crowded halls, making her way towards her locker, Ariel tried to push thoughts of the Rumancek's leaving out of her mind. She would cross that bridge when the time came.

As she made her way to second period, Ariel kept her senses peeled for Peter. Not that she expected to see him, his morning classes were in the opposite direction of hers. She wouldn't see him before lunchtime rolled around.

Being a high school student with heightened senses was a real bitch. Ariel could hear and smell fucking everything. Nearly everyone was talking about Peter. And not all of the things being said would be considered nice.

The usual Gypsy Racist Bullshit.

Even though most of these kids went to see a gypsy for tarot readings and witchy jewelry. Ariel could even smell some of the oils and perfumes that she had helped Destiny make throughout the halls.

People only liked different races and religions when they were commercialized and it was bullshit.

As she ignored her teacher, Ariel's thoughts went to Peter once more. Only this time it wasn't his impending departure at the end of the year. No, this time her thoughts were filled with worry. The last few weeks, Peter had been twitching in his sleep. She assumed nightmares were the culprit but Ariel felt unsure about asking him about it.

Ariel sat and watched as the clock ticked on. Her leg shaking with the anxiety that school always brought her. When the bell finally rang, the blonde shifter jumped out of her seat, grabbed her bag off the floor, and all but run out of the classroom and towards her locker.

Peter was already at the locker beside hers when she arrived, pulling out the books he needed for his next class. Without saying a word, Ariel simply walked up to him and rested her forehead against his shoulder. "I need to get out of here" she mumbled.

With a low sigh, Peter ran his hand through Ariel's hair. Tugging at the root every so slightly, bringing a small smile to the girls' lips and a low moan to rise in her throat. Peter understood what Ariel was feeling, though he didn't have the same issue, he wasn't fool enough to think that the onslaught of voices and scents would not bother the girl who could hear and smell them all.

"Think you can last the rest of the day?" Peter asked when Ariel pulled away from him, albeit reluctantly. Ariel simply pouted before opening her mouth to respond. Only before she could get a word out, the sound of heavy, thudding footsteps met her ears.

Ariel had always felt bad for Shelley Godfrey. So she went out of her way to counteract whatever ridicule their classmates would enact. Peter's eyes were wide when he finally saw the tall girl, curiously approaching the room she had disappeared in. Hiding when she walked back out a second later.

"Hi Shelley" Ariel smiled, giving the young Godfrey girl a little wave. Glaring when the Sworn twins walked by, imitating Frankenstein's Monster. Briefly, Ariel made eye contact with the pushier of the twin girls, Alexa. A cold chill rolled down her spine and her stomach turned.

"You okay, kitty?" Peter asked her lowly, quiet e enough for only Ariel to hear. The blonde beside him nodded, though her face paled slightly.

"Yea" Ariel nodded. "Yea I'm good. Just can't wait to get out of here" she told him.

"Are you gonna skip out?" asked the werewolf.

Ariel paused for a moment, wondering if it was worth skipping out on half of the first day of school. "After lunch," she nodded.

Without saying a word, Peter wrapped his arm around the shifters shoulders and they walked to the courtyard together. Having packed their own lunches that day.

Ariel and Peter ate lunch in a secluded area of the schools courtyard. Leaning against each other as they ate the sandwiches Ariel had made that morning. An hour later, Peter kissed Ariel chastely before promising to see her at home.

After successfully sneaking off-campus, which was far too easy, Ariel wandered into town. Peter's cousin Destiny was the only person Ariel could think of to talk about the feeling she had in the hallway. And Ariel wasn't stupid enough to ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The further away from the school Ariel got, the less anxiety-ridden she felt. The almost deserted streets of Hemlock Grove were absent of the whispers that floated around the halls. Who was in love with their best friends boy—or girl–friend. Who was in love with their best friend, who cut, who starved, who locked themselves in the handicapped bathroom to get off or cry or what—fucking – ever, who was addicted to what and who was raped by whom. It was fucking everywhere and Ariel was glad to be fucking rid of it.

Even if temporarily.

Destiny Rumancek's shop felt like coming home. The scents of spicy citrus and dark amber filled Ariel's nose before she even opened the door to the small occult shop, making Ariel purr contently. Only to wince slightly when the bell above the door chimed just a little too loud for her sensitive ears. Though still, she smiled at the brunette woman who was standing behind a counter full of crystals and tarot cards.

"Uh oh" Destiny frowned the second she looked into Ariel's bright blue eyes. "What happened?" she asked as Ariel walked over to her.

"The scents and stuff at school were a little bit too much for me today" Ariel explained. But Destiny knew better. With a furrowed brow, the elder gypsy woman walked around the counter and gripped Ariel's chin, tilting the blonde's head upwards so that she could look into her eyes. When a flicker of shock passed over Destiny's face, Ariel felt nothing but utter confusion. "What?" Ariel asked. When Destiny muttered something in the mother tongue. Her voice so low that not even Ariel's heightened hearing could pick it up, let alone translate to English. "D… You're kinda freaking me the fuck out right now."

Destiny blinked and released Ariel's chin. "Sorry, sweetie" she winced sympathetically, seeing the red marks from her fingers on the blonde's chin.

Ariel shrugged, unbothered by the tight grip that Destiny had had on her. Instead, Ariel moved around her friend and went to sit at her usual table in the corner of the shop. Absentmindedly shuffling the tarot deck she had left there a few days ago when she had picked up a shift reading cards for the teeny boppers that came in. "Something did happen though" the blonde finally spoke. "I got this… I don't know… it was like this feeling in my gut when I looked at the one of the freshmen."

Destiny watched Ariel's hands as they started placing cards at random. The foxes on the card backs grinning as they kept their secrets. Secrets that only Ariel could truly read. Even though the cards the young shifter used were different than the normal Arcana cards. Sure the messages were still the same, but Ariel's cards were more...animal compared to the traditional Arcana. Not that Destiny was surprised that Ariel was drawn to the animal cards. It only made sense for the one who could shed her girl skin and walk in the fur of a Lynx.

Ariel went still as she flipped a card over. A full moon glowed on the surface. Below it, a Death's-head Hawk-moth bearing a human skull on its thorax.

Exposing the face of life's unavoidable end.

"You know that it doesn't have to mean..." Destiny started. Even though she felt the cold chill just as well as Ariel did.

"I-I know" Ariel stammered, her blue eyes not leaving the card in front of her. All but ignoring the other two face-down cards on the table as she stared at the skull. "I know, but this time…." she trailed off before finally meeting Destiny's eyes. "Someone's gonna die, D."

When Ariel returned to the trailer, the sun was starting to go down and Lynda already had dinner cooking. And as always, it smelled amazing. The older woman smiled as Ariel walked through the door. And just like that, the feeling of dread all but disappeared from the blonde's bones.

Taking the cigarette Lynda offered her, Ariel moved around the table. On instinct, she kissed Peter's hair as she moved around the table to sit in her usual chair. All of the anxiety she had felt earlier in the day washed away with one simple gesture.

"There's this kid at school" Peter spoke as he scooped sugar into his coffee cup. "He's an upir." Ariel knew, of course, who Peter was talking about.

Roman Godfrey.

Ariel had always know that there was something...off about the Godfrey's. But not even her senses could pick up what it was. She wanted to be surprised by Peter's knowledge, but couldn't. She knew by now that he had a crazy strong Swadisthana chakra and that his ability to see, or even just sense, the illusion behind the illusion, the stuff below the surface, was unparalleled.

"An upir?" Lynda asked.

Peter nodded. "Yea, but I don't think he knows it himself. He has a sister- she isn't upir. I don't know what she is. She is so big, she fills up a doorway" he said in amazement. Ariel couldn't help but smile. Shelly may have been large, but the girl was an absolute sweetheart.

"Ariel, do you know this upir?" Lynda asked the blonde beside her son.

"Not well" Ariel shrugged, stealing a sip of Peter's coffee. "He's a bit of a celebrity in town, though."

"They're the Godfrey's" Peter added. "That family seems fucked up."

"They are fucked up" mumbled Ariel.

Lynda nodded. "They Godfrey's are my business" she told the teens. "Stay away from them. Both of you."

"I am"

"I do"

"Ok" Lynda nodded again, satisfied with their answers.

Upir weren't something that Ariel knew much about. She did know a little bit. But, not enough to say that she was an expert. Mostly she knew that the upir were a type of vampire that were prone to violent, barbaric, and almost always murderous behavior. A side effect of their more predatory and aggressive nature that usually came out whenever they were not in complete control of their emotions.

She also knew that the upir were the natural-born enemies of werewolves. And all other things that walked in the skin of an animal.

As they lay in bed, Peter ran his ringed fingers up and down Ariel's spine. Lynda had stepped out, and the two teens didn't ask where she was going, it wasn't their business. Besides, they had plans of their own. Plans that, naturally, involved absolutely zero clothing.

With her body tucked tightly against his, Ariel listened as Peter told her a story. About the last time he had met an upir. He had said that it was when he and Lynda were living upstate. He told her about the group of, mostly, naked people he had stumbled across when he stumbled onto their lake-front property. The only stitch of clothing between them was a Santa hat worn by a regal looking woman. Peter told her how the woman had called him what he was, albeit in French, as he stepped passed the tree line. And how they beckoned him to them.

As he told the story, Peters fingers traced over every bit of bare skin he could reach. Ariel could smell it on him, the excitement he'd had at finding such a joyous group of people. And Ariel hated them instantly. Before he told her about the fox.

Ariel could almost feel her heart breaking when he told her about the fox. Sensing her sadness at the tale, Peter tightened his hold on the blonde in his arms and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. All Ariel could do was snuggle herself against his chest and hum in contentment. She mourned for the fox she had never met. But didn't allow her self to be to wallow over it After all, what could she do for a fox that had more than likely died not too long after Peter had met those Upir.

The next day, Ariel and Peter had decided to walk to school. The weather hadn't turned and it was still nice enough out for Ariel to avoid the bus. As they approached Kilderry Park, the scent of blood hit Ariel's scent receptors like a freight train. Instantly her stomach rolled with nausea and she pressed her nose into Peter's side. Inhaling his scent helped some, but still the stink of death permeated the area. Though she could hear the muffled voices of the police, Ariel did her best to drown them out.

She was so wrapped up in calming her stomach, that Ariel barely had time to notice the police. Not until the scrawny cop with a shrilly aggressive nose walked over to them.

"Hey you two" the cop all but snapped at them. "Come here, please."

"Us, sir?" Peter spoke, his arm tightening around Ariel's shoulder. "We were just walking through" he added.

"Just come here please, OK?" the man rushed, "the Sheriff would like a word with you."

"OK" Ariel nodded, choking down the queasiness. She knew that things would go a little easier for them if they just cooperated. Though Ariel didn't have much hope of them leaving them alone completely.

"You kids live around here?" Sheriff Sworn asked them.

"Yea" Peter nodded. "Home's that way, and school's that way" he added, pointing in the two directions.

"And you, sweetheart?" the Sheriff asked Ariel.

"The two of us live in the same neighborhood" came Ariel's sort-of-lie. The police didn't know that she was actually living at the Rumancek trailer. "So we were...we were just walking through" she added.

"Did either of your happen to hear anything last night?" Sworn asked while one of his deputies, the one with very little neck, stared at the two teens with nothing but judgment in his eyes.

"No, sir" Ariel and Peter answered at the same time.
It was a quiet night" Peter added.

"What are your names?"

Ariel had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "It's Peter, sir, uh, Rumancek."

"A-Ariel Mikaelson, sir"

"What...What's going on here?" Peter asked. Though his question was, naturally, ignored as the Sheriff ordered his deputy to get both of the teens statement and ID. Even going so far as to make sure that they got to school as well.

Riding in the back of the cruiser was not what Ariel wanted to do. But unfortunately, she didn't have much of a choice.

By the time they reached the high school, Peter and Ariel had heard the news. A girl from Penrose was found in Kilderry Park, mauled and half eaten by some rabid animal. When Deputy Nose, as Ariel had taken to calling him, told them a little of what had happened Ariel's breath caught in her throat. The Death's-Head Hawkmoth flashing behind her eyelids and a familiar cold chill rolling down her spine.

Until annoyance finally took over.

Not even half of the kids at HGHS even knew Brooke Bluebell, the girl who was killed. But most of the girls standing in the school halls were sobbing as if it were there own sister or best friend who had been brutally murdered. Still, the girls cried and the boys were, surprisingly, quick to comfort.

"Bet he knows something about it" Ariel heard one of the Sheriff's kids comment from across the hallway.

"Gypsy creep" commented the girls sister.

Their sneering voices caused Ariel's grip to tighten on her bag. "Ignore them, Kitty" Peter muttered lowly. The second he had given the police his last name, he figured they would try and blame the killing on him, or even Ariel. In Peter's mind it was only a matter of time before the local's starting blaming him for one crime or another, outside of petty theft.

Looking to where the Sworn Twins stood with Christina Wendell, Ariel knew that any rumors involving Peter came from one source. That mousy little girl with her emotionless brown eyes and pout filled with false regret. Ariel's theory was only proved when the twin wannabe's dragged their friend away. "That's the guy you think is a werewolf?" one of the twins asked.

A small amount of fear washed over Peter. Instantly he pulled Ariel to him, the kiss he planted on her hair was more to calm himself than anything else. Ariel could hear his heart beat quicken under her ear. And she couldn't blame him for being afraid.

If the wrong people were to hear that rumor. If they were to come to town…. Both Peter and Ariel would end up in a cage. And Peter would do whatever the fuck it took to make sure that didn't happen.

After school, Ariel and Peter erased all paw prints from around both the Rumancek and Mikaelson trailers.

"Could an upir had done it?" Peter asked his mother as he pressed his boot down over a particularly deep print in the mud. Ariel had wondered the same as she turned to face Lynda with an unlit cigarette between her lips.

"It's not their style...usually" Lynda told them.

From the little bit she knew of upir, Ariel knew that it wasn't completely impossible for a young, out-of-control upir to be able to rip a body in half. But upir were basically a type of vampire. And while they did prefer their meat a little more on the 'rare' side of things, they mostly just drank. Not of the nasty rip-people-in-half variety.

Even if they didn't know what they were.

Ariel and Peter waited until nightfall. Peter wanted to check out the area where Brooke Bluebell had been killed. Peter wanted to see if they could find kind of scent. And while his sense of smell was stronger than the average humans, Ariel's senses were far stronger.

The three of them had just finished a blunt Ariel had rolled. Lynda had gone to the bathroom, and the second she closed the door...Ariel and Peter grabbed their jackets and left. Peter's mother had wanted them to stay out of it...but neither teen could bring themselves to do so.

Just as it had that morning, the scent of death permeated Kilderry Park.

Peter touched Ariel's arm before pointing towards the small blue playhouse. Other than the warning from the police about trespassers, there was no evidence that the girl had even been there. Let alone that she had been murdered there. To the naked, human, eye, there wasn't much evidence at all. But the land had a certain memory.

Where Brooke's upper half had been sprawled out, there was a small indentation, and fear hung in the air like a sickening perfume. Peter's long fingers sunk themselves in the sand. Fisting a handful, before letting it fall through his fingers. Ariel closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Her breath caught when the image of soulless brown eyes flittered through her minds eye. Soulless brown that shifted into an angry golden yellow.

Well, this wasn't an upir.

Suddenly, Peter turned from the playhouse and stood. Opening her eyes, Ariel curiously followed his line of vision. Watching as lanterns from Brooke Bluebell's memorial floated in the night sky. Looking up at Peter, Ariel noticed a strange look was over her lovers face.

Hearing footsteps, Ariel turned. Her blue eyes going wide when she saw Roman Godfrey walking casually up to them. His green eyes glinting like a cats in the moonlight. "Peter" Ariel whispered, quiet enough for the gypsy boy alone to hear.

Just as Peter turned around, Roman spoke. "What did it feel like?" the tall boy asked.

"What did what feel like?" Peter responded, stepping in-front of Ariel. Blocking her from view on instinct.

"The two of you killing that girl."

AN: first of, I know... its been a while. But hey... life. Anyways. Quick shout out to Brian McGreevy (the author of the Hemlock Grove book, head writer and executive producer of the series) without whom, literally none of this would exist. There were some thoughts and feelings and even some scenes that were left out of the show, so I figured I would incorporate them into the story.

Also, for the record, I know that Destiny doesn't have, like, an actual store or whatever. But for the sake of my story...she does lol.