Chapter 28: Disconcerting Formalities Part 2
Melanie's breath came out all at once, a burst of fog in the cool, still night air. Around her crickets chirped and somewhere in the distance an owl hooted. She listened to every chirp, hoot, creak, and brush of wind against the leaves between each beat of her heart. It wasn't the soundtrack she would pick for this night but she took solace in it. Because she was still alive to hear it all. For now.
Her mouth twisted to the side and she reached into her pocket. Removing her phone, she bypassed the lock screen, brought up the keypad, and pressed 2 on her speed dial. The dial tone buzzed in her ear just once when the line was picked up.
"Mellie?"
Stepping over a fallen log, a smile burst onto Melanie's face. Just like it always did when she heard Erica's voice or saw her face. It sounded as if she were right there, right next to her. An arm's length away, as if she could just reach out and grab Erica's hand. Her fingers twitched in the cool air. She wished she could, one more time. "Hey," she uttered.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"…Because your mom called my mom. She seemed worried. I know that look on my mom's face. It's usually directed at me. Is everything okay? Is your mom okay? My mom said she came home…"
"Yeah, yeah. She's home. Everything's…good. I guess? I mean, it's good right now. Mom's home and…and she's here. And I'm grateful for that. That she's still here and everything." Because I can't lose anyone else. She pressed her lips into a line. This would put a stop to it, one way or another. She was sure of it. A lump rose in her throat and she pushed it down, letting out a shaky breath. Okay, she was hopeful about it. She'd never subscribed to wishful thinking more than she did at that moment.
"Okay. That's…that's good, Mel. That's really good. I'm glad she's back."
"Me too."
"Are you okay?"
Melanie's nose wrinkled, and she shook her head. Erica shouldn't be asking her that. Because it didn't matter. Her mom mattered. Her dad mattered. Her friends mattered. "I'm good!" she said, putting on a bright tone to her words. "I was just thinking…do you remember when we were kids? And we wanted to go camping but your mom wouldn't let you?"
"Yeah." Melanie could almost see the confused expression settling on Erica's face.
"So my dad made a campsite in the backyard and we stayed up all night trying to catch fireflies. And we counted the stars and we played flashlight tag. And you braided my hair and you picked flowers and put them into my braids. And I taught you how to make a kazoo out of a leaf blade."
"We tried to make smores in the microwave." Erica chuckled. "Your mom was so mad when she saw the sticky mess."
"Yeah." Melanie's chuckle was pierced by the sharp snap of a twig she stepped on. Her body slammed to a stop, breath hitching, her eyes searching the darkened woods. Ears straining, she took in every creak, every chirp, every rustle deep in the words. If she gave herself away already… The sound of her beating heart filled her ears, so much so she almost didn't hear Erica on the other line.
"I remember. That was one of the best days of my life."
"Mine too," her reply came slow, shaky. She forced the lump in her throat downward and attempted to ease her breathing as she continued. She needed to finish, before it was too late. "I was…I was just thinking about it. I've been thinking about a lot of things, lately. Mainly that…that you're my best friend. Okay? You're the best friend I ever had and I'm so glad to have met you. Even if I hated your guts at first." Melanie chuckled; how far they've come since their first meeting. "You listen to my crazy theories and my stories. You let me ramble and gush. You let me know that it's okay to be loud and silly and to not take myself seriously. And that it's okay to find the good things out of the mundane. You…you let me be me. And I can't thank you enough for that." Melanie continued walking, her phone glued to her ear as she waited for something. But she got nothing. "Eri?"
"I'm here. I'm…I'm still here," Erica replied. Her voice was small, Melanie noted, small and shaky. "Mellie—"
"I love you, okay?"
"Mel—I know. I know. But why are you telling me this?"
"Because you deserve to know. I want you to know that there's someone out there that cares about you. Even when you don't love yourself, I'll always love you. I want you to remember that, okay?"
"I will. Are you okay? Seriously, Mel."
"Erica, I'm fine. I'm good. Stop worrying about me. Just let me be sappy and love you because you deserve all the love in the world." She licked her lower lip and sighed. Speaking softly she added, "And, just so you know, I'm super stoked to be taking you to the formal. You're going to have the best time, I know it."
"…Where are you?"
Melanie's eyes shifted from left to right. "I'm taking a walk."
"Where?"
"Outside."
"Alone?"
"No. My mom and dad are with me." Kind of. But she couldn't explain further than that. Because Erica would stop her. And she had to do this, had to stick to the plan. "Look, I was just…thinking about things. There's nothing wrong, really. I'm…I'm good." Her voice caught. Her eyelids fluttered shut, she took in a breath, and let it out slowly. "It was just one of the best times of my life. Every time I spend with you is. I just wanted you to know that." The woods in front of her opened up. This was it. "I have to go now, okay? I love you. Just remember that."
"Okay." The simple word, so small in it's delivery, struck Melanie's heart and made her stomach squeeze painfully but still she pressed on. "I love you, too. See ya."
"See ya."
She lowered her phone from her ear and tapped the end call button. She stared at Erica's contact image—a silly picture Melanie took of Erica half laughing, half wincing in pain from a brain freeze—until the screen turned black, taking Erica with it.
She stood still, taking in the sounds of the crickets and rustling leaves and water trickling somewhere in the distance. A frown crossed her face. Weight settled down on her chest and her steady breathing turned into gasps for air. The sound of trickling water became a loud rush, roaring in her ears. Cold seeped into her clothes, pierced her skin. She stumbled forward, her fingers brushing against the rough surface of a tree trunk. The bark scraped at her fingertips, pain pulsed within. Darkness crept into her vision as she struggled to breathe, and she blinked, and she was underwater.
She flailed, her swinging arms impeded by the water tugging her down, down, down. Reaching outwards, fingers clawing up scratched the layer of ice. Her silver glitter nail polish reflected the tiny beams of sunlight that sunk in through the ice, streamed through the water. Spotlights for her impending death and she was the star in center stage.
"Mollie! Where's Mollie?"
"She's here. She's okay."
"Mommy, I'm cold."
"I know, sweetie. We're going to get you help. You're going to be okay."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Melanie fell to her knees, the floor of the woods slamming her back to reality. Her ragged breaths drowned out the cacophony of different creatures and insects in the distance. A line of saliva dripped from her mouth and she spat it away as her body curled inwards and released with every breath. Minutes ticked by before she trusted herself to get to her shaky feet. She brushed her dirt-smudged fingers off on her jeans and moved her hair out of her clammy face.
"What am I doing?" she whispered, as if asking the question aloud would yield her the answer from somewhere in the darkness ahead. "This is so crazy." She shook her head, clearing any doubts from her mind, and shook her nervous hands out as well. "This has to work. Please work, please work, please work." She sucked in a breath, held it for a few seconds, and let it out in one controlled breath. She breathed in again, lacing her fingers against the back of her neck, counted to ten as her pulse beat against her neck, and let it out again. She dropped her hands, shook out her fingers, steadied her jaw and strode forward.
The fall of her boots matched the rhythm of her beating heart as she marched along. It wasn't until she heard an extra noise, a heavier boot clomp, a scrape of bush against metal, that she stopped. She swallowed the sour saliva that rose in her mouth and lifted her chin. Through the clearing ahead, a few men stepped out of the darkness, long guns resting in their hands that she was sure were being used simply to overcompensate for something. Then they parted and stepping through the throng, like a lioness stalking its prey, came Kate Argent.
"Well," Kate drawled, hips swinging as she walked forward. If she weren't such a psychopath Melanie would've been attracted to her. The appeal of the whole Bad Girl vibe could only go so far, and a murder is a very hard line drawn. "You know, I don't like to be kept waiting." Melanie pressed her lips together, all her focus went to keeping her body still, keep from trembling, rather than replying. Kate crossed her arms. The moonlight bounced off the butt of the gun in Kate's holster. "Gotta say I'm a little bit surprised you showed up."
"You threatened to kill my mom," Melanie said, doing her best to quell the rage that surged within her at the reminder. Her lips pressed into a line and she pushed a breath out her nose. "I didn't have a choice," she whispered. The truth of the words hit her like a punch to the gut; she and her family had looked over every option they had before deciding to venture into the woods. When they made their decision, Melanie stayed firm. This was that they had to do; but as she stared the hunters down, she wondered if they were in over their heads.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that, sweetie. You just made the right one, is all." Kate shrugged. "May not feel like that now, naturally, but…it'll come to you eventually."
If I live that long. Melanie pushed the offending thought away, but not before it put a tremor in her hands and sucked the saliva out of her mouth. She cleared her throat and shifted her weight as she once again reminded herself that this was a crazy idea, but she had to push through. They made it this far already, turning back would only cause more problems. "Okay, so…I'm here. What do you need me to do?"
Kate didn't reply. Her eyes scanned Melanie and she held her breath, doing her best to stay still. Light breeze ruffled their hair, pushed at the loose hems on their clothing and whistled in their ears. Then Kate moved, taking long steps. The other hunters stayed back as she circled Melanie, the smirk never leaving their leader's lips. Melanie kept her head straight, looking ahead at the other hunters. Her peripheral kept Kate within her sight.
They were heavily armed, and it wasn't just the guns they held in plain sight. She had spotted their electroshock sticks hidden up the loose sleeves of their jackets, the crossbows attached to their backs when they first came out of hiding; she may be fast but they had experience on her. Sweat beaded at her temple and rolled down the curve of her jaw. Kate stopped.
A smile blossomed on Kate's face. Such a shame, Melanie thought, because it was a beautiful smile. If only a little creepy. "What I need from you…" Kate dragged out the last word and then, a second later, her smile dropped from her face, all traces of cordial warmth evaporating in the blink of an eye, "is for you to not make this so easy."
The arrows discharged in the second she blinked. They crackled and tore through space between them, the ensuing whistles a shriek to her ears. She reached out for them, studying the flight projection they took in aiming towards her. Then, as her fingers curled around the shaft of the arrows, she realized how truly fucked she was.
Electricity shot through her, lighting up every nerve within her, flames licking beneath the surface of her skin. A scream, once ready to burst out of her, lodged in her throat. No, no no! This was what her father warned her about when they crammed training in before leaving. Their voices were their best weapons after their combat, take that away and they were practically sitting ducks. …A realization that she really shouldn't have found funny in the current dire situation and, if she weren't currently being electrocuted, would've been slap-the-knee hilarious to her.
She landed against the ground with a heavy thud. Her fingers unfurled and she watched, body twitching, as the arrows rolled out of her hands. Leaves crunched and twigs snapped beneath footfalls; Melanie glanced to the right just as the front of Kate's shoes appeared in her peripheral. Then Kate knelt, allowing Melanie to see her fully, and said with a click of her tongue, "I guess a part of me should thank you. I can exterminate the rest of the vermin in record time. But where's the fun in that?"
Melanie's attempt at a reply was cut short when Kate's hand slammed down on her throat. Her heel pressed into the middle of her throat, building pressure. Melanie's mouth dropped open, guttural and sucking noises poured out of her as she struggled to get a breath.
"Go ahead, scream," Kate taunted. "It'd be music to my ears. Get it?" She laughed, her fingers curling tighter. Her nails dug into Melanie's skin, pressing against her tensing neck muscles.
Melanie strained, silently screaming for her muscles to work, to get air back in her lungs, to fight back. This wasn't supposed to happen! She had a plan; werewolves, hunters, supernatural beings, this was her wheel house! Why didn't it work?
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Black spots dotted her vision. Her head throbbed, pounding in time with her rapid, desperate heartbeat; a slam of a hammer against her temples. Blood rushed in her ears, a roar of impending doom and all the while the only thing that shot through her mind was not her forthcoming death but three, screaming words: you're so stupid, you're so stupid, YOU'RE SO STUPID!
She closed her eyes. Hot, ragged breaths ghosted across her sweat-slicked skin. Claws dug into her neck. Her eyes opened; a purple haze settled on the edges, a softened blur to the sharp contrast of seeing her. Allison. Standing across from her, shoulders heaving with silent sobs, eyes sparkling with unshed diamonds tears beneath the moonlight that filtered in through the broken slats of a rundown house.
"Apologize," a voice hissed in her ear, tight and stilted. A shock of fear shot through her, stabbing her in the gut. Her fingers, longer than she knew, twitched by her side and her jaw clenched. Flames flickered through her, of such hatred that blood rushed in her ears and the only thought that moved through her mind was kill, kill, KILL! "Say you're sorry for decimating my family. For leaving me burned and broken…for six…years." She swallowed, the lump in her throat bobbing beneath his claws. "Say it…and I'll let her live."
Allison. Sorry, kiddo. Sorry I was so weak. Her lips moved, trembled, eyes glazing over as defiance ebbed within her. "…I'm sorry…" she choked out. But it wasn't her voice; the begrudging rasp sounded a lot like Kate.
Heaving breaths. Held gazes. The claws pierced her neck, catching on her taught muscles and tore though her vocal cords. Warmth spread down her neck and a shove sent the floor hurtling at her face.
Melanie blinked and drew in a loud shuddering breath. The forest above zoomed back into view as the purple haze faded away. She stared up at the twinkling stars above until Kate's face loomed overhead.
"You saw something, didn't you?" Kate asked. Melanie shook her head, or as far as she could with Kate still having a strong hold on her throat. She grabbed at Kate's hand, tugging at her fingers in a futile attempt for her to loosen her vice grip. How is she so strong? And where's my werewolf strength when I need it?
"I don't…know…what you…mean," Melanie managed to utter between coughs and gasps for breath.
"See, lying isn't going to do yourself any favors." Kate sighed and shook her head. "You kids and your nobility. Man, the world is just going to eat you up one day. …If you last long. Now. Let's see if this is incentive enough for you." Kate lifted herself out of Melanie's field of vision and a second later her blood ran cold when the moonlight from above bounced off the silver of a gun. "Otherwise, I'm not against putting a bullet in between those…pretty blue eyes of yours."
A white-hot bolt shot through her; her eyes widened, and her lips parted, lower jaw trembling. The cranking of the hammer being pulled back on Kate's gun amplified, cutting through like booms of thunder. Vision blurring, the colors around her smeared like a wet oil painting. A welcomed reprieve; she didn't want the last thing she saw to be the bullet shooting out of the gun.
Fwoosh. Fwoosh. Fwoosh.
With a jerk, Kate's hand yanked back from Melanie's throat. She drew in a deep breath and curled onto her side before a coughing fit seized her. Somewhere behind the noise of her gagging, confused shouts rang out. Flashes of fire rained down around the hunters and they all lifted their guns out of their holsters, holding them at the ready. And Kate stood in front of them all, a rigid and stony-faced sight compared to the rest of her team.
The trees above shook and swayed as two bodies fell from the sky, landing in front of Melanie as she rolled over and got to her feet. The monstrous sight of her father would've surprised her if he hadn't revealed his shifted self to her before they left, when he gave her a crash course in siren training in the basement. Emphasis on crash due to how many times he threw her into the padded walls and the floor. His ears pulled backwards, coming to a point at the ends. His arms and legs were covered in sea green scales, of which fins protruded from his forearms. The moonlight from above illuminated the translucent webbing between his fingers that gripped a silvery trident.
The other hunters lifted their guns, ready to shoot. Laurence smirked and slammed his trident on the ground once. The earth beneath their feet quaked and a loud, low hum from the resulting vibrations shot out in all directions. The hunters groaned, clutching at their ears. The minute the humming stopped Kate lifted her gun and pointed it outwards. With a flourish, Arabella charged forward while lifting her own gun. Before the hunters behind Kate could react, Laurence curled his lips and let out a loud, shrill whistle; sea green eyes glowing. One by one the hunters stiffened, eyes becoming blank, and lifted their guns up to point at Kate's back.
"Oh, this is cute. A family affair. What's the saying? Live together…die together?" Kate asked, an eyebrow arching.
Arabella let out a humorless laugh. "Rich of you to talk about family unity, huh Katie?"
Kate's eyebrows lowered and her eyes squinted a moment before a wide smile stretched across her face. "Bells! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"
Melanie's eyes bounced back and forth between the two women who were stuck in a stare down. "Wait a second, do you two…know each other?"
"Oh, Bells and me? We go way back. Your mom never told you?" Kate shook her head, making a tsk sound with her tongue. The tip of her gun wagged like a scolding parent. "We've run into each other now and then. We've had some good times, haven't we?"
"Mom?" Melanie turned to her mother, searching the side of Arabella's face since she refused to look at her daughter. "Mom. How do you know her?"
"Oh, come on. I know teenagers can be a bit slow but I'm sure even you can put two and two together," Kate taunted.
"You leave my daughter out of this!" Laurence hissed. Melanie jumped at his change in tone. At the harsh words wrapped around an odd rumble sort of croak.
"She can make her own decisions and she came here all on her own," Kate said. "Not that I blame her. Seems I can teach her more than you ever did."
"Teach her to shoot first and ask questions later?" Arabella asked. She repositioned her grip on her gun; her finger still lay curled against the handle. "Last I checked, the hunter code had restrictions on that."
"You're forgetting one important part, Bells," Kate said. "There's an alpha out there killing innocent people. Even I know you couldn't have just let this go on. We're doing Beacon Hills a favor, eliminating the vermin. We'd move on faster with your daughter's help." Her eyes shifted over to Laurence and she added with a flirty smirk, "And with his help too. You always knew how to pick them."
"How much help can you get when you pointed a gun at her?" Arabella growled.
"Plenty when she brings the alpha to me," Kate replied.
"Yeah? And how would that make you feel? Having a shapeshifter do all the work for you. A hunter. Who couldn't bring down their own catch on their own? Having to rely on all that they despise? All that they're trying to rid of?" Any trace of warmth in Kate's face faded. She repositioned her finger by the trigger. The gun began to shake in her white-knuckled grasp. "No. Because she's not who you want. Right? Otherwise, she would've never been able to leave your house."
Kate's smile stretched in the corners of her mouth as a low laugh slipped through her teeth. "You always were the one that got away, Bells. We actually missed you when you left, you know. I should've known when you slipped from between my fingers at the hospital that you're still on your toes. Which was why this was too easy. But we have a deal. Still." Kate shifted the tip of the gun past Arabella's head, pointing it straight at Melanie. "You could have at least made this part fun."
Time slowed. Melanie's gasped. Arabella lowered her arm. Kate's finger curled on the trigger. Laurence lifted his trident and smashed the end on the ground. A loud vibrating hum slammed into Melanie at once, like a brick wall. The earth trembled beneath her feet. She took a step back, clutching her tossing stomach. Rage boiled up in her stomach, surging and thrashing like a rogue wave. Between her lips, her teeth elongated into fangs and her nails stretched and curled into talons. A loud, rumbling, throat-searing bird screech shot out of her throat. Everything turned black. And then one voice, her father's, cut through the noise in one simple command:
"Melanie. Run!"
She blinked. The world titled beneath her as her foot caught in a root. She threw her arms out but she crashed into the ground. Twigs and broken roots broke her fall, scraping her palms and catching on her jacket. Pain pulsed deep within her skin and a fire flickered in her left shoulder. She scrambled back to her feet, her breaths coming out in bursts of clouds in front of her as she looked around the densely packed woods, heart pounding. She wondered how she got there because the last thing she remembered she was standing with her mom and dad and had a gun pointed to her face, prepared to take the bullet.
"Mom? Dad?" she called out. Her voice bounced around the empty and still woods around her. She stood, waiting, straining to hear anything in response. Nothing. Nothing but her rapid, ragged, pain-filled breaths. "Mom! Dad!" she tried again. Still no response. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she shook her head. This wasn't supposed to happen! They weren't supposed to do this!
They weren't supposed to take her place!
What now? shot through her mind and, frankly, she had no answer. She didn't expect to make it this far. Didn't expect to be around for something like this to happen. Didn't expect to be around at all. And yet here she was, alone in the woods without her parents having to work with a future she had just accepted wasn't going to exist.
Think, Mel, think! Remember what Dad taught you! Melanie mentally screamed at herself as she brushed her hand across her forehead, wiping away the cold sweat that beaded against her skin. She wracked her brain, replaying their quick training session in her mind like mentally rewinding a movie. Then her body jolted, like being struck by lightning, and she brought her thumb and finger together to form a close circle, brought it up to her mouth, and blew a long, loud shrill whistle. Much like a referee's whistle, it split through the air in the woods. A signal.
At the end of her breath, she dropped her hand from her mouth and waited. Her breath held and she turned this way and that, straining to hear something. Anything. To hear her mother calling out for her. To hear her father's loud, boisterous laugh and that they "really got themselves out of that mess". But nothing came. A sob bubbled in Melanie's throat, but she swallowed it down. There was nothing else to do.
So, she did what her dad last told her to do: she ran. And kept running. Every now and then she'd glance upwards, noting the position of the stars up in the sky above her to double check her position. Double check she was headed the right way but that was only a formality. She always, somehow, knew where she was going.
Her arm hung by her side, flopping around as she ran. She tried to swing her arm properly, but the fire would flicker back to life in her shoulder. Once quick glance let her know it had been dislocated. She couldn't place when it happened or how it happened. Any thought back to the past few minutes remained blank.
The last memory she had was of a gun being pointed in her face. What happened after that?
Her question remained unanswered as she burst through a line of trees only to come face to face with a snout curled, mouth ripping, fangs bared coyote. Melanie's heels dug into the damp earth in a desperate attempt to stop running. "Oh, shhh…" the word died on her tongue as she stared at the creature who stared back at her. Its teeth gleamed an impossible white beneath the moonlight, ears drawn back with muscles so tense she was surprised they didn't snap.
Sweat trickled slowly behind her ear, like a cold fingertip tracing down her pulse line. She shivered. The coyote's eyes, she was sure, caught the miniscule shake of her muscles. Her fingers dug into her limp arm, as if steadying the sway and being absolutely still would stop the coyote from looking at her and make it move on. But they were locked in a stare down, one that shook her own much more than the stares of hatred she received on the lacrosse field from an opponent ready to bowl her over. Those stares only built her resolve, made her try harder to prove she deserved to be on that field, prove that she could outrun them, outthink them, out play them.
Who was dumb enough to try and outrun a coyote?
"Easy." Melanie tried to keep her voice steady, shifting her weight to take a step back. "Easy. I'm…I'm going." She peeled her dry tongue from the room of her mouth and eased out a breath. It burst into the cold air like a silvery firework. "I'm going." She took a few tentative steps backwards, waiting, watching. The coyote seemed to mirror her movements, waiting, watching, and then took a few steps forward, teeth still bared.
Fuck! She wracked her brain, thinking back to what those visiting park rangers in fifth grade told her class what to do in this case. But her mind was one big, jumbled, mess. In fact, if anyone could look inside her mind, they'd get a screen of snow staring back at her, like a bad channel on an old analog tv.
Her eyes darted around, taking in the sights around her. Surely the coyote was too far from a den, wasn't it? She was nowhere near the creak or any hillside, the grounds were too flat. Then she mentally slapped herself, as if her human rulings and justifications meant anything to a coyote. She was in its territory and it could do anything it wanted with her.
With a tense jaw and stuttered breathing she continued to back away and for every step she took back the coyote walked forward. Like a shadow following its host, wherever Melanie moved, the coyote moved too. It was weird. It was wrong. It was…odd. And then her chest clenched, pain punched her in the gut and a crushing, suffocating wave of sorrow hit her all at once. Melanie's hand shifted from her arm to curl around her stomach, doubling over as if she'd been hit. Her eyes burned; she squeezed them shut as tears leaked out of the corners and when she opened them, they flashed violet.
The coyote paused, closed its mouth, and then whimpered. Then it lifted its head, straightened its body, and its eyes shifted from its murky brown to a bright cerulean. Melanie gasped, the wave of sorrow ebbed and drained out of her. She took a step forward.
Bang!
The bark of a tree by her head exploded. In a flash, Melanie threw herself sideways, letting out a groan of pain when she landed on her bad side. Rolling onto her back, she grabbed at her arm and looked up…only to be staring down the barrel of a gun.
"Gotta say, I like it better when they run," the owner of the gun stated. He sported a wicked smile as he lowered his gun, revealing a lone eye-patch over his right eye. "I got a chance to catch up with your mom and dad. It's been a while, hasn't it, Melliebean?"
Her gasp of recognition was short lived as he lifted his gun to her face once more. Maybe she could've done something other than face down her mortality, but as she stared into the one good eye of her dead childhood friend's father and witnessed the flame of pure malice burning inside, she laid back against the cold earth. Might as well get a head start for her impending eternal dirt nap.
I deserve this.
His finger curled around the trigger. She closed her eyes. A breeze rushed overhead and the air around her shattered with the shot of the gun. Her heart hammered hard in her chest. Huh. Should it still do that when I'm dead? Her eyes fluttered open and all sound hit her at once: feral growls and stunted screams and grunts. Sitting up she spotted the coyote's muzzle pulled back, white teeth gleaming silver beneath the moonlight as it snapped its jaws at Mr. Samuels's pants leg.
Rolling over and scrambling to her feet, Melanie ran. Twigs snapped beneath her feet and wind rushed in her ears but she ran, and ran, and didn't stop running even as she burst from the tree line and stumbled out onto the road. The wet, shiny asphalt reflected the light from above, bouncing her pale, dreary face back up at her in the surface of a puddle.
Breaths puffing out in front of her face she looked left and right, biting her lip, trying to decide which way to go. Back to Beacon Hills or down into the darkness, away from the city, away from everything. She swallowed the lump n her throat, staring to her left. Her good shoulder slumped, she sucked in a breath, and took a step forward only to flinch when headlights burst onto the scene and flooded her face. She brought her arm up to cover her sensitive eyes only to drop them when a voice called out, "Melanie? Mel, come on!"
With a stuttering breath, Melanie lowered her arm and gaped through the lowered passenger side window at Alicia Reyes.
"Get in, Ruiseñor. And hurry!" Alicia called. She reached over and popped open the passenger door. Melanie jumped in and yanked the door closed. She barely reached for the seatbelt when she was thrown back against her seat. Alicia stomped her foot on the gas pedal and shot down the road. Melanie closed her eyes at the crisp, winter air hitting her face through the open window.
"What are you doing here?" she managed to ask.
"Your mom sent me," Alicia replied. "Said if anything happened, I needed to get you."
"But…but how did you know?"
Alicia glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "You really think your mom and dad were going to let you go after a family of werewolf hunters without a contingency plan?"
Melanie stared at the side of Alicia's face. The light from above cast shadows across her face and sharpened the line of her jaw, illuminating the muscle twitching by her neck. A stray overhead light passed by them, bathing the car in an amber glow for a few seconds but it was all the time Melanie needed to catch the light glinting off something shoved between Alicia's seat and the center console. Shifting her eyes, she glanced down and her heart raced at the sight of the gun handle sticking out.
She licked her dry, cracked lips and after a few stops and starts managed to ask, "You're like my mom aren't you?" Alicia didn't say anything; she tilted her head in Melanie's direction, eyebrows lifting. Silently prodding. "You're…you're a hunter too?"
Alicia's eyes turned back to the road. "Rest now," she ordered. She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel and sighed. "We have much to discuss back home."
Home. Melanie's lips parted, mouthing the word. With every blink her eyelids drooped further and further, shielding her vision. A prickle at the back of her head made the hair on her arms stand up. Groaning, she managed to turn around and look out the back window. A lone figure stepped out onto the empty roadway, gun held tight in his hands, staring at their retreating car. Melanie sunk lower in her seat, tearing her gaze away from Mr. Samuels's smoldering gaze as they drove towards home.
Home to Beacon Hills, where her parents weren't going to be waiting when she got back. Where her dead friend's dad could be waiting to kill her. Where her friends were still safe, for now. Where a formal was still coming that she had to execute. Where Erica probably sat, waiting for answers. But as Melanie spotted the dried blood caked to her fingers, and some substance shoved beneath her nails, no answers came. Her mind sat blank.
a/n - Hello there! I hope there are people still around reading this story! Thank you so much for being patient with me! A few bombshells have been dropped: Melanie attempting to take on the hunters alone, her parents being kidnapped, revealing that her mother and Mrs. Reyes are (or were?) hunters and that Melanie's dead friend's father is out for blood (her blood). And all before the formal even comes around (which it will next chapter, this ended up so long I had to split it up a few times). There is a scene in the middle of this one that details some of Melanie's abilities; I wrote it to the best of my ability to be clear and concise but if you're confused at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and I'll explain. That being said, this story is close to coming to a close. Originally it was going to include season two but that is going to be moved to it's own story which I can't wait for you all to read what I have in store for everyone! Thanks to Zadien for beta reading this chapter. Please read and review; I would love to know your thoughts!
~C.M.
