Chapter VI: The Parents

[June 30, 2011

"Emory?" called Julia Stilinski from the front passenger seat back to her daughter. "Emory?" She called a little louder.

Her daughter had her headphones in listening to Tomorrow Will Be Kinder by the Secret Sisters while staring out the window.

"Emory!" yelled the girls father from the driver's seat. Emory, startled, yanked the headphones from her ears.

"Sorry," the girl apologized. "What?"

Julia Stilinski sucked in a large breath and exhaled loudly.

"We asked if you were going to be around for dinner," her father said through gritted.

"Or if you were going out with your wrongly chosen friends," added her mother.

"I-"

"We told you you should have tried harder with the Drier's daughter. Did you hear she's already declared to Princeton?"

"She-"

"As a junior," Emory's father interrupted. "I always knew that girl would do well."

"Don't you think you should go for a run, instead?" Her mother suggested. "You haven't exercised yet today."

"And you're looking find of chubby," her father laughed.

There was a pause. Emory found her opening.

"I think I-" Emory raised her voice.

"Ah ah ah," her father frowned, shaking his finger above the steering wheel. "Don't raise you voice honey."

"I think I'll stay home."

"You think?" her father questioned. "Are you not sure? Have you made plans? Are you being reactive instead of proactive?"

"You need to stay home, tonight," said her mother as something rushed in front of the Stilinski's car.

Emory's mother yelped in surprise and shot a warning glance at her husband.

"Stay calm, honey."

Emory's father let out a growl.

The rest of the car ride back from the restaurant was silent.

Emory quickly got out of the car heading straight up to her room before changing into running gear.

"Going for a run," Emory said as she walked fast her mother and father sitting on the couch.

"Wait!" Her father shouted as she slammed the door. The put her headphones in and ignored the yell.

Emory's neighborhood was the epitome of suburban upstate New York with every house looking incredibly similar.

Emory headed towards the park near her house. The only place she completely herself. Her and Casper. Alone.

When she returned to her neighborhood, the sun had almost set. The sky cast an orange and pink glare on all the perfect houses lined evenly on either side of the neatly paved road.

Looking back, she should have noticed at that moment that something was wrong.

The road reeked of it. Of blood.

As she approached her front door, she observed the broken lock. She pushed open the door leading to the atrium.

The smell became too much.

She walked farther into the house and towards the living room. That's when she saw them.

She reached into her pocket and called the police. No point in calling for an ambulance.

[Present Day in Derek's' House]

"What happened to them?" Derek asked.

"Their throats had been slashed." Emory looked down at her hands. "The doctor's told me they had over 30 stab wounds each. However, the doctors described that the dagger used was laced with poison. They said that the poison was ultimately the thing that killed them." Emory glanced at Derek's forearm. "That didn't really make any sense to me until now."

"They never revealed to you what they were?" Derek questioned. "What you were?"

"No," she sighed. "We all had that crushing fear of losing ourselves. My parents must of inserted that mentality in my head as a baby. We all shared it. The fear was the thing that kept me their daughter."

Derek did not say anything in return. His eyebrows deepened with thought.

"What are you thinking?" Emory asked him.

"I think your parents fear killed them. But I also think its what has kept your powers hidden until now. You never had a use for them. I think your brain convinced your body that you weren't a werewolf. Any heightened sense that came with being a werewolf was kept deep inside your brain."

"Is that possible?"

"I would have thought but you..." Derek shook his head. "There's no other reason"

"That still doesn't tell me what I am."

"I think that's all we are going to understand at the moment until I start to teach you how to use your powers. I need to remind your body what it is."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"You," Derek's claws shot out of tips of his fingers. "Are going to fight me."