Chapter 02: Story of Tonight
Taylor took both Mason and Corey back to her house, and was semi-surprised to see Scott, Stiles and a couple of other teenagers that she vaguely recognised as being friends of Stiles. Taylor raised her eyebrow as she climbed out of the car before helping Corey out as Mason went to the front door. Scott looked at Taylor and then realised why she was a little confused. Stiles looked at Taylor wondering exactly what she was, he knew that she was different he'd worked out that much.
"Sorry, they insisted," Scott offered the apology, Taylor rolled her eyes as she and Corey walked up to the house and everyone followed her in after Mason opened the door.
"It's alright, everyone find somewhere to sit and I'll be with you in a minute," Taylor smiled, before she showed Corey to the room that he'd be taking while he was staying with her. "This'll be your room while you're here. Mase generally stays in the one next to it,"
"What are you?" This time it was Stiles asking the question, he was curious and wanted to know if they needed to be worried about her. Taylor and Corey joined everyone in the living room with Taylor sitting on the arm of the sofa.
"Elemental Nymph," Taylor replied, Mason looked at his sister and blinked he had no idea about what she was. "Mom's one too, it's something that is only passed on to the female's in our family. Mase, I'm still your sister," Taylor held her out her hand to him from where she was sitting.
"What exactly is an elemental nymph?" a red head questioned, before realising that neither Scott nor Stiles had introduced them. "Sorry, I'm Lydia and that's Malia and Kira,"
"Nice to meet you girls, I'm Taylor – Mason's sister. An elemental nymph can control all the elements," Taylor answered, taking breath before she continued. "Yes that means, earth, air, water and fire...so just watch," Taylor smiled, before she moved swiftly from one side of the room to the other in the blink of an eye.
"You cheated in hide and seek!" Mason exclaimed realising all the times that he couldn't find his sister when they played hide and seek.
"Meh, maybe," Taylor shrugged before walking back over to the sofa and retaking her place. "We can move with the wind, water has healing properties, I can create fire from nothing and I'm connected to the earth in a manner of speaking,"
"Healing properties? Wait that's what you were doing at the hospital," Scott said realising that was what he had seen when she'd had her finger in the water and one on Jordan.
Mason couldn't believe what he was hearing, was the fact that his sister and mother were supernatural creatures the reason that he'd become comfortable with Liam suddenly being a werewolf? Mason looked at Taylor trying to work out what else she could do that she wasn't saying. Liam was trying to work out why she hadn't been on the Dead Pool earlier in the year.
"Why weren't you on the dead pool?" Liam questioned, Mason nodded that was also something that he wanted to know about.
"Good question. I'm not entirely sure. Maybe because technically mom and I are elementals," Taylor answered, she thought that it could be why because her and her mother had protected the Nemeton. "We're literally in tune with nature,"
"That could be why, I mean there was kistunes, werewolves, werecoyotes, banshees and a hellhound," Scott said, he could tell that Taylor had a question of her own, the pheromones that she was emitting made that clear. "You have a question?"
"Where's Hale? The tree, it needs to know that the Hales are safe," Taylor questioned, this time everyone looked at her raising with curious faces. "The Nemeton. The Hales, have always protected not only Beacon Hills but the old tree, I prevent it from dying...but it's sick it needs to know that the Hales are safe,"
"You can tell all that?" Mason questioned, Taylor nodded before she closed her eyes for a split second.
"Derek doesn't have a phone, Peter's. Well we don't know where Peter and Cora are," Stiles answered, he didn't care about where Peter was. Derek had refused to tell them where he'd taken Cora.
"In that case, I'll just send a message my way," Taylor opened her eyes revealing them to have changed from chocolate brown to an iridescent green. "Hey Derek and Cora, when this message reaches you send me word that you're okay, Taylor," Taylor spoke as normal and her voice carried on the wind to wherever Derek and Cora were located.
"And they're just going to instantly know who you are?" Stiles raised his eyebrow at her, the McCall pack had no idea who she was and that frightened them.
"Yes, he knows me has for a long time," Taylor answered, closing her eyes again and allowing them to change back as she listened for an answer on the wind.
After an hour of the McCall pack being in the house, Scott decided that it was time to usher everyone out as they had school in the morning. Taylor went back into the kitchen grabbing a frozen pizza and putting it in the oven before joining Corey and Mason in the living room. Mason looked at Taylor he still had so many questions for her, but also he wanted to thank her for taking Corey in.
"Hope you two are hungry for pizza...sorry it's all we have at the moment," Taylor shrugged, sitting down on the sofa and kicking her shoes off. "Sheriff gave me the rest of today off, something about my partner and I being shot at,"
"You...you got shot at...by my parents?" Corey stuttered, he didn't even know his parents owned a gun let alone a shotgun.
"Hey, hey, it's alright," Taylor moved quickly from where she was and took Corey's hand in hers right as he disappeared. "My little brother may be able to see your aura but I can see through the dimensions,"
"But they did it because of me..." Corey mumbled, Taylor sighed and gently pulled the teenager into a hug.
"It wasn't because of you. Don't ever think anything is because of you," Taylor said before she made them both visible, and motioned for Mason to take over hugging his boyfriend. "You pair sit here and eat pizza, I'll be back in a minute,"
"She's right, nothing is your fault," Mason said before taking Corey in his arms and hugging him as he put his head to his shoulder.
Taylor walked out on to the front porch and pulled out her phone which had been vibrating against her hip for the better part of five minutes. Once she stepped out on to the porch she opened up her phone to see a message from Cora telling her that she was safe in South America. Derek she heard nothing from, until the trees whispered.
'Taylor? I'm fine...is something wrong with the nemeton?' that was the message the trees had whispered from Derek.
"It's sick, almost dying," Taylor answered letting the wind carry her message as she opened the text from Cora.
'Hey Tay, I'm safe with a pack in South America. Haven't heard your voice in the wind in a while. I miss it. X Core' Taylor read the message from Cora and smiled, she'd made sure the younger Hale was protected as much as she could.
'I'll always be there. Thanks Core X Tay'. Taylor sent a message back to Cora and waited to see if the trees would bring another message from Derek before heading back inside.
Taylor walked back inside, stopping briefly when she thought that she felt something changing in the way the wind and the trees were behaving. Taylor shook the feeling away and continued inside and joined Mason and Corey with the pizza before sending them off to bed. Mason mumbled that Corey could stay in his room which earned him a glare from Taylor.
"Corey if you need anything during the night, my rooms at the end of the hall," Taylor said before turning her attention to Mason and speaking again. "Mase, I know you want to help but you're not the adult in this situation and it's my job okay?" Taylor waited a second before she continued. "Okay Mason?"
"Okay," Mason was reluctant to answer her, watching as she retreated into the bedroom closing the door behind her and darting next door to Corey.
"Mason! Go back to your room," Taylor yelled, laughing as she waited for him to speak again.
"Hate you! You really do have the elements on your side," Mason grumbled walking back to his room and closing the door but not before kissing Corey and reassuring him that he was safe. Corey offered a small smile before he closed the door to the room that he was staying in.
Half-way through the night Taylor had a feeling that something was going seriously wrong with the nemeton it was a feeling that he wasn't a fan of. She wondered if their mother could feel the same things as her, or if her connection was stronger due to the proximity to the preserve. Taylor lay awake listening to every little movement that was happening, every creek in the house right down to the hitching in Corey's breathing and his footsteps stopping outside her door.
"Taylor...are you asleep?" Corey's voice was barely above a whisper as he knocked quietly on the door.
"Come in," Taylor was quiet as she spoke she knew that Mason could sleep through just about anything he always had, but sometimes she wasn't sure.
Corey opened the door quietly and stepped in closing it behind him. "I couldn't sleep...why did you do it?" Corey asked quietly as Taylor patted the bed beside her.
"Sweetpea, you don't have anything to worry about. If you're asking why I called it in? Civic duty, and the fact that I'm police officer, and you're seeing my kid brother," Taylor answered, pausing before she continued. "And if you're asking why I took you in, it's safer for you to be in the care of someone who understands,"
"Oh..." Corey mumbled, allowing the tears that had been threatening to fall all afternoon to fall.
"Come here," Taylor sighed, opening her arms and motioning for him to move towards. "It's okay to be scared," Taylor gently pulled Corey into her arms and gave him a hug until the crying ended. "Shh, try and get some sleep. I'm not going to make you go to school in the morning but it's best if you do,"
Corey nodded, before he made the attempt to move back to the bedroom wincing slightly before he glanced at Taylor and saw that she was watching him. Taylor smiled at him, nodding in understanding as he slowly made his way back to the bedroom. Corey knew that being a chimera his healing was slower than most supernatural creatures.
"Lets get you back to bed, hey?" Taylor stood up, moving towards Corey and gently guiding him back to bed. "Think about what I said okay?" Corey nodded before going over to the bed and climbing back in. "Want me to leave the door and light on in the hall?"
"Please?" Corey asked, from buried underneath the covers so that only his head was peaking out.
"Of course," Taylor nodded, leaving the door open and flicking the switch on the hallway light on as she headed out the front door again to listen to the wind.
'How sick is the nemeton...you're feeling something more aren't ?' Derek's voice was carried on the wind as Taylor stood at the front door listening. Derek was somewhere in Missouri, which explained why it was taking a while for a response.
"I'm not sure. It's something, Der get a phone. And Cora's well. I'll visit you soon," Taylor answered allowing the wind and the trees to take the message to Derek.
Taylor walked back to the bedroom stopping briefly again as she heard something in the wind that concerned her. It was more a pained yelp, Taylor glanced in Corey's room and saw that he was asleep albeit restlessly but asleep. Next she poked her head in Mason's room and saw that he was on his phone most likely messaging Liam.
"Hey Mase, I have to duck out for a few yes I'm well aware of the time, but some thing's off. I'll be back soon," Taylor said quietly waiting for Mason to acknowledge that she was talking to him. "Mase, some acknowledgement please. Corey's asleep,"
"Uh huh," Mason nodded sleepily, before he went back to messaging Liam.
Taylor walked into her room changed, grabbed her phone, badge and gun just in case she needed them for police business. After Taylor left, it clicked with Mason that she'd left the house, he hadn't realised exactly what she was saying. Mason quietly got out of bed and walked to Corey's room, and stood in the doorway for a second before he Corey whimper and his eyes fly open. Mason walked over to Corey, and climbed in the bed with him pulling him close.
"Hey, it's okay. Tay had to go out but we're safe here," Mason whispered in the dark holding Corey in an attempt to calm him down. "Tay's house is always safe,"
"You sure?" Corey mumbled almost incoherently into the pillow as he relaxed into Mason's arms.
"I'm sure, she wouldn't have brought you here if I wasn't safe," Mason was quiet as he spoke, listening to Corey's breathing again before they both fell asleep.
Taylor walked towards where the sound she'd heard was coming from, she wasn't surprised to see Scott walking towards her from the opposite direction. Scott was in his own little world until he looked up and saw Taylor walking in his direction. Taylor looked at Scott and nodded and within seconds she was standing beside him walking with him.
"You heard it too?" Scott questioned, yawning as though he'd been woken up from a deep sleep.
"Yeah, it carried on the wind after I heard from Derek," Taylor answered, still listening to see what the elements would tell them. "The Sheriff doesn't know what I am...yet,"
"Stiles' has probably told him by now," Scott said yawning again before looking at Taylor to see if she'd been woken up too. "Do you know what it is? Did it wake you up?"
"Not sure what it was, but it didn't wake me up I was already awake...some nights I sleep, some I don't," Taylor told him, stopping as the wind changed and the sound moved. "Scott, stop walking the sound it's changed directions,"
"What do you mean changed directions...oh I get it," Scott seemed surprised as he stopped and listened and heard the sound change directions.
"We need to get everyone in one place. Now," Taylor paused tilting her head slightly and looking at the movement in the trees. "Where do you suggest?"
"My place, we had Deaton help put a supernatural security system in...mountain ash," Scott told her, he wasn't entirely sure what the sound was but neither of them were liking it. "Will that work?"
"Yeah. Go, get everyone there. I'll send Mase and Corey there. I'm heading to the hospital," Taylor said, hoping that Scott would take her word and get everyone in the one place.
"Are you sure about this? We don't even know what it is," Scott said, pulling out his phone and sending a group text and only then seeing the time.
"It's not human, and it's not any of your friends...so yes I'm sure," Taylor answered, pulling out her phone and sending a text to Mason. 'Mase wake up and head to Scott's house don't ask questions just go, Tay,'