"If what Aaron said didn't convince me, what makes you think coming here will?" I questioned.

"Well, you see, I think that's your problem," Stiles said. He, Scott and I stood outside of his Jeep, parked in front of some warehouse. "I think you know we're telling you the truth. I just think you don't want to believe it." He turned and headed for the building.

"What are you talking about?" I followed him.

"My dad did the same thing, when we tried to tell him about all of this. I laid everything out, had lots of proof. But he didn't want to believe it." He looked at me. "I think that's your problem." We followed him inside the warehouse, to a dark room. Stiles found the switch and turned the lights on.

We were in some kind of mechanic shop, tools everywhere. In the middle of the room sat a very beat up, black Ford truck. As I circled it, some of the letters were missing, but I could see where it used to say Explorer. I completed my circle around it, examining every inch. I stopped at the hood, looking at Stiles. "What is this?"

"It's your car," he replied, walking toward it proudly.

"What happened to it?"

"It got trashed during your fight with Tobias."

I walked closer to it. The hood was gone, but a shiny new one sat a few feet away. Most of its front end was covered in those tiny holes that are made when pulling out large dents. One headlight hung out of it's socket. I walked to the driver's door. A piece of duct tape was across the handle, preventing it from being used.

I could tell the window was missing, like the wind shield. I peaked in the car, almost like something might jump out at me. "What happened to the steering wheel?"

"Good question," Stiles said. I looked at him just as he held up a steering wheel. "We found it about thirty feet from the car." The wheel was useless. Instead of a circle, it was a half moon.

I took a step back from the car. "Why is this here?"

"We've been fixing it. We have professionals come in once a week, and then we work on it when we can."

"Why? It's totaled."

"Yeah, but, we know how much you loved this car. You said it had sentimental value."

I shook my head. "Nothing has sentimental value to me."

"It did to the girl we knew," Scott said. But he sounded sincere, not like he was trying to make a point. Like Stiles was.

I turned to face Scott. "How is a beat up car going to make me remember?"

"Well, if people couldn't make you remember, we thought this might."

"Well, you're wasting your time." I left the way we'd come in. I headed to Stiles' Jeep. I crossed my arms and huffed. This was stupid. Who wastes their time and money rebuilding something that will probably never run again? I didn't mean that much to them. Did I?

What am I talking about? I don't know any of them. I don't know any of this, this town, this place. These people, humans, werewolves. Why would I have associated myself with them? I was taught that werewolves were unpredictable, that they couldn't be trusted. My own mother told me that. So why am I humoring these teenagers?

I heard Scott and Stiles coming. I felt trapped. I don't like being trapped. The closer they got, the more I panicked. So I ran. They called for me, but I ignored them. I ran for about ten feet, my eyes turning green. I dove forward, my hands turning into paws as they touched the pavement.

I heard feet behind me, someone chasing me. I didn't care. I ran down the road, past people and cars. I didn't care who saw my white and black striped butt. My paws moved in unison with each other, the breeze moved through my fur, and I felt alive. I felt free.

I felt like I had finally been set free. Like I hadn't done this in years, like I had lived on the edge thinking about it but never being able to actually do it. Until now. My ears pricked back. Scott called for me, and Stiles' Jeep was not too far behind.

Scott would never risk people finding out who he was in order to catch me. That much, I knew. And, according to his story, he was new to this whole Alpha thing. He didn't know just how fast he was. I stepped it up a notch, my legs moving faster. My lungs started to burn, feeling out of practice. But I pushed past it.

I recognized Allison's car coming down the road. I knew it was a chance to ditch Scott. I waited until the last possible moment and then I darted into the road. Her car screeched as she stomped on the brakes, but I leapt over the car, anyway. She was never going to hit me.

I landed in the trunk of the car, feeling the metal bend beneath my weight, all couple hundred pounds of me. I pushed off the trunk as the car doors opened. I heard Allison and Isaac calling for me as I kept running. I made it across the road and into the trees. I kept running until they let out into a vast expanse.

I wasn't sure where I was going, but my feet seemed to know. So I went where they took me. Scott and Isaac's foot steps behind me faded. I ran at my top speed, which used to be only about thirty five miles an hour. But I was a girl, then. Now I'm grown and was running at a tiger's top speed of fifty. Wolves max out at about thirty five, I'm told. So I knew I'd lost them.

I held onto that speed for about a mile before dropping to forty five. My speed slowly decreased until I was trotting through the woods, my fur caked in a thick lather of sweat. I heard leaves crunching and stopped. They couldn't have caught up with me, could they?

In the distance I saw two purple dots. They got closer, until I was able to see a body. A snow leopard approached me, it's white fur just as blinding as mine. It's eyes, a deep purple, stared me down. It stopped about two feet from me. Emma? I sat, allowing my body to shift back to human.

I sat on the forest floor, naked. "Emma?" She allowed herself to shift, too, appearing before me just as human.

She smiled. "You remembered me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Then I realized how much older she was. Just like me. "Em, that day in the woods…how long ago was that?"

Her smile slightly faded. "Fourteen years."

I sat back, stunned. "When did you see me last?"

"That day in the woods; when you touched the Nemeton."

"So it's true."

She nodded. "I've been following you, listening, watching. They aren't lying, Kit."

"How do you know?"

She scoffed. "You never did pay attention to detail. Have you even been listening to their hearts? It's not like it's hard. That one human boy has his on his sleeve."

"Where have you been?"

"Looking for you."

"Since that day?" I asked. She nodded. "You haven't done anything else?"

"Of course I have. But I never stopped looking for you."

"So you think what they're saying is true?"

"I think…I think they believe it's true. But I honestly don't know what you've been up to."

"Why are you here, Emma?"

"For you. I'm here to take you home."

"The Pride," I smiled. But I looked behind me. I heard voices way off in the distance. I looked back at her. "These people say they are my pack. Is that true?"

"I don't know. But everything we were taught was wrong, Kit. Werewolves aren't our enemy. Yes, some are bad, but you'll find that in any group. The bulk of them are good. And these ones definitely are."

I looked behind me and then back again. "Come with me."

"Kit-"

"I need someone I know, someone I trust. Don't leave me, please."

Her expression softened. "We said friends forever. And, I don't know about you, but I meant it." She smiled.

I smiled back, "Thank you." I had one ear in our conversation, and another behind me. They were getting closer. "Come. Why don't we lead them around for awhile?" I shifted back into my tiger form, Emma promptly shifted into the leopard. I stood on all fours and shook the few leaves off that had fallen on me. And then we ran.

It felt like old times, like nothing had changed. Racing each other in the woods was how we passed the time. I was tired from my first run, so I wasn't going as fast. But then I noticed Emma was having a hard time keeping up. I wasn't sure why, but I made sure I stayed next to her.

We made our way out of the woods and to the place that was my 'home'. Does it still count if I can't remember it? We both leapt over the tall backyard fence with ease, landing on the patio on the other side. I sifted back to human and then stood, Emma doing the same.

I walked to the sliding glass door and tugged on the handle. It was unlocked. I pulled the door open and helped myself; after all it is 'my house'. We both took showers and found clothes to wear. Then we sat down on the couch, our choice of drink in hand.

"So, what have you been doing all this time?" I asked.

She sighed. It was her normal, strained, 'you won't like this' look. I've gotten it many times. "Just…living."

"I mean it, Em. Fourteen years is a long time."

"I know," she sobered. Her eyes dropped. She wasn't telling me something. "Well, after you touched the Nemeton you vanished. I went back home and told my mother. She told me what it meant, that you'd been chosen Kirin, and that I'd probably never see you again. That was hard to take."

Her eyes were remembering. "I continued in school, and life went on. Like you were never there. It angered me that they all moved on so fast. But they all had jobs to do. And Koda, kept working on that peace treaty. From what I heard, it sounds like Koda was the hold out. But he and Talia Hale had come to an agreement, and then two days later the Hale house caught fire and everyone died."

"Oh, my goodness. That's terrible."

"Yeah. There were rumors one or two of the Hale children lived, because they weren't at the house when it burned down. I don't know if it's true. But it scared Koda. He thought the Argents were behind it and that they'd be coming for us next."

"Why would he think that?"

"Because on the last trip to our Pride that Talia made before the fire, the Kirin was with her. He suspected that the Argents were after the Kirin, not the Hales." She paused, like her words were supposed to mean something to me. "Koda told Mom the Kirin was you; grown up, of course."

My mouth fell open. "How – how is that possible? I thought I vanished."

"You did. But that's the thing about time travel," she smirked. "You lived all those years and then somehow ended up with the Hales. When I heard that it was you, I was so excited that you were alive. But, at the same time," she glanced down and then looked at me, "you came back, and you didn't find me. I don't know why you didn't, I'm sure you had your reasons, but back then I was very upset by it. And then the fire happened and I thought you died with them. And then I was mad at myself for thinking all the things I did."

I leaned forward and put my hand on hers. "It's okay. You have every right to be mad at me."

"Yes, but it's stupid. Do you even know what the Kirin does?" she asked and I shook my head.

"My mother never spoke of it. She said that if we did, we might curse ourselves into being next, and that being Kirin was a terrible thing," I told her. She shook her head with disgust. I wasn't sure why. My mother seemed very knowledgeable. And I never thought anything she told me was a lie. Could I have been wrong?

"Being the Kirin is a great responsibility. You have the powers of every supernatural being in the world, all of it at your disposal. You go around and help others, teach them to control their abilities, protect them when there's no one else to." She spoke with admiration and pride.

Even though I don't remember being such a creature, or doing those things, the way she talked about it made my chest swell slightly with pride at the thought that I could do that. That I could be that selfless to spend my whole life protecting and serving others.

"How do you know this?" I asked.

"Mom told me. She knows a lot about the Kirin."

"But…how'd she know?"

"I think she said that a distant relative, on her side of the family, was friends with a Kirin at one point. Probably the same one you met in 1829."

I sighed. "You heard that, too."

She nodded. "I could smell your fear when you walked into that Argent's house. I considered going in, but…I figured it wasn't a good time." My gut told me that wasn't the reason, but I didn't really care. "Do you believe them?"

"You do."

"That's not what I asked."

"I don't know. I had to have been doing something for the last fourteen years, right?"

"True."

"But, was it this?"

"Well, I think we can safely establish that you were the Kirin and then something happened that made you…not," she said. She was trying to see the up side, but I didn't want to. I was still in such a fog. This was all too much. "Well, from what I hear, these people need you. You've made quite the impression on them. I mean, look at the lengths they're going to to win you back. They're even taking care of your sister's child for you."

"Alleged sister," I corrected. "I don't know anything for sure."

"And they're fixing that piece of junk they call a car for you, all because you got attached to it."

"It's stupid, that's what it is. A complete waste of time and money."

"It's sweet." She cocked her head like she does when she wants me to see it her way. "You're clearly one of them."

"But I don't remember it, Emma. A whole life, fourteen years, just gone. And I don't know if I can ever get that back." I sighed. "What if I can't be the girl they think I am? Those memories, those events, they all made me the person they'd do those things for. I'm not her anymore."

"You're right. You're you. It's clear that they became friends with you; not a title, not an ability. They befriended the girl with the title and the abilities. Just like, I'm sure, you took them as they were." She sat forward, taking my hand in her's and squeezing it. I rolled my eyes. She's about to do her 'I'm your big sister and you better listen to what I have to say' thing.

"I think you need to follow it through; this is only day one. Who says you won't remember in a week?" she asked. I looked at her with doubtful eyes. "Or maybe never. But if you found your place in this town with these people once, can't you do it again?

"In the time you don't remember, there was a lot of heart ache. But you have friends and family that love you." She sat back. "Besides, what do you have to lose?"

I dropped my head in my hands. "If that was supposed to be a joke, it wasn't funny." I sighed and looked at her. "And, to answer your question, my mind. Which is what I'm doing right now."

She smiled. "Kit, I've spent years wanting my friend back. These people just lost theirs, and we happen to have the save friend."

"Meaning?" I didn't see her point.

"Meaning, that, if you were close to these people, who am I to show up and take you away?"

"But I don't remember them," I reiterated. How many times did I have to say it?

"Still doesn't mean you have to be a jerk to them," she said and I rolled my eyes. "But, the good thing about memories? You can make new ones."

After thinking long and hard, I agreed to Emma's terms. We walked up to Scott's house and I knocked on the door. He answered a minute later, relief flooding his face when he saw me. "Where were you?" he asked. "We looked everywhere." He reminded me of a concerned father.

I smiled. "Except right under your nose," I said. "We were at my house." It seemed only then did he notice Emma. "This is my friend who was with me on the last day I remember."

Emma quickly reached out her hand to shake his. "Emma Keller."

Scott shook her hand hesitantly. "Scott McCall."

"I'm sorry I ran off," I told him. "There were just too many people all telling me who I was, or what I should be. And I don't know if I can be it. Her. Who you want me to be." I shrugged. "I meant what I said. Maybe the girl you knew is gone forever."

"That's okay," he said, to my surprise. "But you're still our friend."

I smiled, something inside of me liked the sound of that. "Okay. Well, your twenty four hours isn't up, yet," I said as we walked inside. My eyes landed on the living room and Charlie playing with Stiles. Stiles did a double take when he looked up and saw me.

"So, remind me," I turned to Scott. "How did we meet?"

"Uh…?" he looked from Emma to me.

"It's okay. She's like us," I said.

Emma scoffed. "I'm a snow leopard."

I turned to her. "You can't even roar."

"Fine. It has it's down sides."

Scott chuckled, watching us. I looked at him, raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"Uh…okay," he smiled. "Well, it all started when you saw Peter bite me. You met Stiles, first, but you had been following us for a couple days. He led you to me, and coincidently, Derek. But, our lives crossed on the night of a full moon. Actually, it was my first…"