Word: Flit

...

Allison finds that death is just as interesting as the last two years of her life was. She's not too surprised to realise that she remembers everything about her death, nor is she surprised that she's a ghost (walking through walls and people is a sensation she's not sure she'll ever get used to), simply because there was too much that she left behind for her to truly leave it behind. She had to make sure that her Dad would be okay, that Scott would be all right, that Isaac would survive, because they're her boys and she couldn't leave them like that. She can't seem to leave Beacon Hills though, so when her father leaves with Isaac a few weeks after her death, Allison can't follow after them.

After seeing Scott and Kira's shy-awkward-longing glances for the third time in as many minutes during English, Allison decides that she won't follow him anymore. He will still love her and mourn her, but with Kira by his side, it seems that Scott will be all right eventually. She's not jealous, but Allison doesn't exactly want to hang around while they're (probably) making out or something. That would be a bit too much. So, now that she knows her boys are all right, Allison thinks that that's it, and she'll ... cross over, or whatever it is that happens to ghosts who've completed their unfinished business. Except there's no white light, no family members waiting to greet her at pearly gates (or demons dragging her into a pit; she knows she hasn't exactly been pure or innocent, and she'd killed without remorse), and Allison kind of just exists.

Days flit by without her really noticing, and then Allison finds herself in Stiles' bedroom as he's screaming blue murder while in the throes of a nightmare. She didn't love him like Scott, but she supposes that Stiles was one of her boys too (she still remembers him running across the school passing messages between her and Scott, and feels bad on realising that he'd spent so much time running around that he probably hadn't eaten lunch). She soothes Stiles with a light touch, her fingers cool against his burning forehead. Allison wonders where the Sheriff is, for Stiles to be screaming like this alone, but doesn't go to find out because Stiles stops screaming at her touch and he opens his eyes for a moment, seeming to look directly at her, then slumps down onto his pillow and falls asleep again. She stays by his side for the rest of the night, and is relieved when he doesn't start screaming again.

Now that Allison's found a purpose again, she stays with Stiles and keeps watch over him. She makes sure he sleeps through the night, even after a nightmare (she can't stop them, much to her chagrin, but she can ease the after effects and she has to hope that it's enough), and when he forgets his Adderall one morning, Allison makes the bottle of pills tip off the kitchen counter. He swallows a pill without water and thanks her, as if he's known she's been there all along, and it's a comfort to know that someone can still believe in her presence even if they can't see her.

Allison doesn't always stay with Stiles, and when Derek returns, she finds that she doesn't have to anymore. They usually sleep curled around each other like they're both holding something precious and will never let go, and when she sees them like that, Allison can't help but long for a human touch again. She usually leaves soon after Derek arrives, and each time Stiles thanks her as though he can feel her going. She smiles at that, because recognition feels just as good as she remember human touch felt.

Sometimes she'll find herself at Lydia's, Scott's, or Derek's when he's not with Stiles, and even Peter's a few times. Allison's even helped Danny when he was having a panic attack over paint; Coach when his heart was racing in a dangerous way over more medical bills; and Malia when she was torn between leaving Beacon Hills and staying (eventually, she left, her coyote needing more space to run than the preserve could offer).

When her father returns (without Isaac), Allison spends a few weeks making sure he's all right, that he's grieving properly and not just compartmentalising everything away. (Just because he has the ability to do that doesn't mean he should - it's not the healthiest way to mourn the loss of a wife and a daughter in the same year.) Slowly, he grieves, visits their graves, and while he doesn't move on straight away, he does slowly start to heal.

When Kira's panicking in the mall because Scott's asked her to prom (Kira had no idea what outfit to wear so she dragged Lydia out who'd made her try on all manner of dresses that just aren't her and now Kira's completely freaking out), and Allison appears right there in the dressing room, she gets it.

She realises that she didn't stay behind because of unfinished business with the Oni, or to make sure Scott, her dad, or Isaac would be okay. She stayed in Beacon Hills because she needed to help the others, even if it was in their day-to-day lives with no monsters involved. She had needed to protect them, and make sure that they would live their lives in a way that she hadn't been able to. She was a warrior, but she fought for peace and to give others life, and Allison will keep doing the same thing even in death.

Allison makes the white and red dress flutter, Kira's sharp eyes catching the movement, and she leaves the mall after brushing Lydia's shoulder with a light touch to make her friend smile again. They'll probably never be safe, never stop fighting, but Allison knows that she'll stay for the rest of their natural born lives to make sure that they still remember to live.

...

End of word challenge.

Thanks for reading!