Odd One Chapter 2: The Strength to Go On, a darkest powers fanfic

So here's chapter two finally! I know. It's taken long enough! But here it is. I was having serious problems with it. I was going to do Born Like This by Three Days Grace but I rewrote it twice- neither time did I finish- and it kept turning out bad. So I tried this. I hope you like it.

Welcome home
While away
They have tampered with the locks
And your things they rearranged

"We propose a better way."
Said they note they left behind
In their wake of disarray
You fell in place

Don't fall asleep
They'll find us here
I know a place to disappear
As a voice proclaimed

What we are is the sum of 1000 lies
What we know is almost nothing at all
But we are what we are until the day we die
Or until we don't have the Strength to go on
'Til we don't have the Strength to go on

Let us cry
Let us be
Let us open up our hearts
Without fear of anything

Faith alone
Is all we need
To traverse this burning bridge
Now before it gets too late
You claim, "it's fine"

But the heart reveals
What smiles betray
Your sad sad eyes gave you away
Don't you know

What we are is the sum of 1000 lies
What we know is almost nothing at all
But we are what we are until the day we die
Or until we don't have the strength to go on
'Til we don't have the Strength to go on

Our shoulders bear an awful weight
But still we trudge on just the same
Our colors run then leave a stain
They blacken our once honest name
But how can we argue, tell me
Over the fury and the fire
How many times can we tell you that we
Are not like you, we see right through
Your poor disguise that fails to fool
The wary eye that's trained on you

Chloe looked around what used to be her bedroom and sighed. She shouldn't have been surprised or this hurt, but she was. It was destroyed, like a tornado had torn through it. Plus the dust that told her that no one had been here for a long father was long gone. A tear fell down her face, but that was all she had time for, one tear.

"Chloe- what-" Derek started. He was the only one who'd come up to the condo with her. Everyone else was outside, and she was glad for it.

"I don't know." She whispered.

"Where's your dad?"

"I don't know."

"What about everyone that worked here?"

"I don't know." Derek went through a series of questions like a cop and she went through the same answer, the same three words every time.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know."

"Chloe." He said sharply. "Cut the bullshit and tell me what's going on." She jumped and looked at him. He'd walked away, and was sniffing around the room. So many things, so many comforts, all torn, violated, gone through. She felt...broken. This, at least, she'd known would always be here. Even if she couldn't have come back, at least she knew it was here. Now she didn't have that any more.

"Derek." She sort of managed it, but her mouth felt like it had cotton in it. "Do you think..."

"Your dad probably hasn't been here in months. There isn't any other scent, either." He sounded very frustrated.

"I can't do this..." she murmured, barely loud enough for her to hear it. let alone anyone else. But of course, Derek wasn't just anyone. He spun to face her, face twisting furiously.

"You can't do this? Do what?"

"This. I can't do this any more. No more ghosts. No more running. No more being a freak. No more." She whispered. "I don't want to be a necromancer any more. I don't want any of this. I never wanted any of this."

"Well guess what? We are what we are. I'd give anything to be a necromancer or a half-demon or a sorcerer or shaman, but guess what? I'm not. I'm a werewolf. I'm something everyone fears. Even more than being able to raise the dead." She just looked at him. She knew her face was exhausted.

"I can't any more, Derek. There isn't...there's nothing. There's no reason for me to...I have nothing left to.." He'd flinched. Why'd he flinch? Nothing made Derek- oh. "Derek, that's not what I meant." She whispered, stepping closer. He distanced himself, almost defensively. His shoulders were curved inward, arms crossed to protect himself.

"It's alright. There's nothing for you here. Except maybe your aunt. But she's still a part of something you don't want, right? So what do you plan to do?" He wasn't looking at her. Chloe felt a sort of wrench in her heart; she'd hurt him.

"Derek, that's not what I said!" She snapped, then her lips trembled. "I can't handle all this crap!" She kicked at something and a piece of wood flew through the air, spinning and hitting the wall. "I don't want this! I don't want any of this! All I wanted was one of those stupid-fricking-kids' lives! I wanted to be like them! I hate being me!" She shouted, kicking at something else. Derek was watching her in fascination, though still positioned sort of defensively.

"How can you hate yourself, Chloe?" he asked softly.

"-hate this life and this crap and this running! I hate-"

"It's how we have to live until we're safe. It's not that bad once we settle..."

"-and I hate pretending I'm happy." He paused, body stiffening as he caught that. Chloe sighed in exasperation, but continued her rampage through her already torn up room. What did it matter? It was already destroyed. She felt something crunch under foot and paused. She made a little noise when she saw it and she felt her knees give. Derek was by her side in seconds, catching her as she fell.

"Chloe? Chloe, what's wrong?" She turned into his shoulder, sniffling, but not crying yet. "It's going to be okay." He whispered, stroking her hair and cradling her closer. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You're stronger than I give you credit for. I...I forgot that you're used to some distant sort of stability. I forgot that you never knew what you were." He meant he'd forgotten how fragile normal people's minds were. Chloe knew that. "But you're really strong, Chloe. You can do this. We have to shoulder a lot of crap, but at least we're...all...together as we do." He whispered. "We can do this, I promise." She clutched her fingers in his shirt. He was right.

"I know." She whispered. "It was...this. All of this." She breathed. "It was seeing my dad's house like this. All torn up. Violated. I hope he wasn't here." She was trembling and she finally managed to force herself to look up at him. "I'm sorry I didn't mean you when I said those things. Actually..." She blushed. "Actually, you make it a little easier to deal with, but just...I don't know what I'm saying any more." She shrugged. "But I hope you know that you help a lot." He shrugged, not speaking for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Alright. I think we should go tell the others we have to leave." They stood up together. Chloe looked at the picture she'd stepped on, then picked it up and pocketed it- without the frame, or glass, of course- and then followed Derek outside.

Simon and Tori were bickering. Kit and Lauren looked exasperated but were ignoring them pretty well. Lauren saw Chloe's face and grimaced, then walked over to hug her. Chloe moved away rather quickly.

"He's not whole place is a mess. Someone was here. We should leave." She said mechanically.

"There were no unusual smells in there." Derek shrugged. "But no one's been there in a while, either way." He looked at his father, who nodded just slightly. Simon frowned deeply, eyes lit with sympathy. Chloe looked at Derek, who wouldn't look at her now. Lauren sighed heavily and lead Tori and Simon away to the van. Chloe nudged Derek.

"What's going on? Why is everyone looking at me like that?" She asked quietly.

"Because we're pretty sure we know who did that to the house- to your room, Chloe."

"Who?" She asked eagerly, leaning forward toward him. Derek still wouldn't look at her; he appeared to be addressing his shoulder.

"Chloe..." he said softly, almost like he was in pain. "I think it was your father who did that." Chloe's mind went blank.

"What?" She asked flatly, in a voice that was a little bit too loud. Derek winced.

"I believe that your father destroyed the house."

"Why would you say that?" she whispered, backing up from him, stung. "How could you say something like that?" He reached for her.

"Chloe, please." He breathed, eyes anguished as she stepped back from him some more. Kit looked like he was in pain, too. "It's the truth. It may not be entirely true- but your father was - has been the only one in there for a long time."

"No. No! It's not true! He'd never do that! Stop it!" She screamed, and turned around to run. She heard Derek call her name. Heard Kit tell him to let her go. She kept running. She had to keep going, to get away from it all. It was a lie. It had to be a lie. It couldn't be true.

She ran until she collapsed. She was on an empty sidewalk, panting, as the rain started falling. She let her tears fall then. Everything was so cracked and fractured and different that she didn't have anything of her old life left any more. She had honestly not wanted to be who she was before any more. But she wanted some normalcy, something, anything that was old. New. Everything was new and scary and challenging. She never got a break. She was exhausted.

Something slapped into her back, large arms wrapping around her from behind. They tumbled together a few feet, Derek on top suddenly, holding her wrists down to the wet side walk. His hair was soaked, his t-shirt sticking to him; he was shivering. His eyes were bloodshot.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry. I had to tell you. I'm sorry." He repeated, still trembling. "Don't run away again. I'm sorry. Just...I'll lie next time, I'll say what ever you want. Don't run away."

"I won't..." She whispered, starting to shake herself.

"I'm sorry." He looked haunted and Chloe wondered how long she'd been gone before Kit let his son go after her. She wondered how long she'd been gone, period. She just looked at him for a while. They were both shaking- the rain was cold- and both just staring at each other. Finally, Derek said, "But it was. Your father, I mean." He looked away. She knew he wanted to lie to her but that it went against his instincts. "It's the only explanation. Chloe, stop it." She'd been shaking her head, struggling against his hold now. "Look at me! It's me, Chloe, it's me! I'd never say this if I didn't think it was true! Why would I want to lie and hurt you like this?" He was begging her to understand. She went limp again. "I just- I think when you disappeared and no one found you, I think he... I think he went crazy with worry for a while. If you've ever seen him drink...he might've been drunk...He's alive, though, he can't be dead." He sounded worried. "He's probably working to distract himself. Chloe." She looked at him. "I'm sorry."

"No." She whispered. Derek shuddered and finally accepted that she was refusing to believe him, just going quiet. Finally, he stood up and took her with him.

"They'll find us eventually. Come on." He whispered, moving under a thick tree. The rain was coming down less here. Chloe felt numb and confused and dazed. "You can't do that again. You scared me."

"Sorry."

"Don't ever do that again."

"I won't." They sat like that for a long time until the rest of the group showed up. When they were found, they were found huddled together, holding each other, quiet, not looking at each other but holding on just the same.

So how was that? Crap? Not crap? Please reveiw! I've also started ANOTHER story called Icarus. Check it out! ^^