HAHA SO I GOT NO SLEEP LAST NIGHT. Fuck sleep. No one needs that shizzle.

I felt really bad about not updating for so long and the entire chapter was alive and buzzing in my brain. There are some Marrish teasers.. But don't get too excited. The slow burn continues.

AnywhoOoOo I hope you enjoy and it isn't too crazy, more notes to come at the bottom 3

()

"Lydia?"

"Scott, something's wrong. The EMTs disappeared, the ambulance is driving itself. Did the EMTs show up anywhere?"

"No, the ambulance that picked you guys up was a fake."

Scott's sensitive hearing picked up Jordan's voice in the background. "That's impossible, I recognized one of the EMT's. His name was Jake Robinson."

Stiles immediately ran over to the ambulance, just as they were about to leave. "Hey! Either of you named Robinson?"

"Nah little Stilinski, Robinson's on vacation. Has been for a week."

He returned to Scott, taking the phone. "Lydia, Robinson isn't even in town. Whatever took you, made you think you were seeing him. You might not even be in an ambulance right now."

"It looks like an ambulance."

"Yeah well apparently fake Robinson looked like real Robinson, so."

"Stiles?"

"We'll find you Lydia, okay? Just tell Parrish if he lets anything happen to you I'll kick his ass."

The Deputy chimed in once again. "Noted!"

As soon as the call ended the boys were off in Stiles' jeep, Scott hanging his head out of the window to try and catch a scent. Stiles glanced to his friend, the scene comical, but he couldn't bring himself to crack a smile. "Deaton have any ideas on what this is?"

"It's two in the morning, he hasn't answered my text yet."

"You'd think the guy would have a siren as his text alert."

"Let him get some sleep, dude. He's a vet."

"Yeah, but-"

"Stiles. We can handle it. We'll find them."

"Right, sorry. It's just.. It's Lydia."

"I know."

()

"Scott will find us."

"Lydia."

"Stiles probably has a tracker on my phone."

"Lydia."

"Not that I could blame him, I don't exactly have the greatest track record."

"Lyds." The use of a nickname jolted her out of her pointless rambling, her brown eyes flickering over his face. "Uh, sorry, that was.. Unprofessional."

"Parrish, you help us fight supernatural bad guys. We're stuck in a self-driving ambulance. I think a nickname is the least of our problems."

He didn't have a clue why, but her tone held a bitter edge, which somehow made him feel guilty. "How are your feet?"

"Fine, a little tingly."

Frowning, he tucked the blankets tighter around her feet, looking up just in time to catch her giving him a small smile. Which he elected to ignore, as there were more pressing matters at hand. "Once we get out of.. Whatever it is we're in, we are getting you to a hospital. You could have frostbite, or.." His green eyes zoned in on her hands, which had stopped shaking. "Lydia, how do you feel?"

"I'm, uhm, I'm okay. Cold."

He grabbed her hand. "Jesus. I'm an idiot. Years of military experience and I can't even recognize hypothermia in a teenage girl who walked through the rain in her pajamas for two hours."

"I didn't want to worry you."

"You knew?"

"I walked through the rain in my pajamas for two hours. My breathing is shallow. My head is a little foggy." She met his disapproving gaze. "Oh, don't give me that look. We were on the way to the hospital, I would have been fine if we hadn't been.. Kidnapped by a ghost ambulance."

"Yeah, well, now we don't know where we're going, you apparently have hypothermia, and this ambulance doesn't seem to have heat on." He stood, pulling back her blankets.

"What.. What are you.."

"Your hypothermia is mild. We're going to keep it that way. Here." First he took off his jacket, handing it to her. "Put this on and scoot forward." He knew there was no way for the both of them to fit side by side on the cot, so he climbed on behind her. Trying desperately not to think about it as she sat back between his legs, he pulled her tight against his chest.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course, why?"

"Well.. Like you said, you didn't notice.. My symptoms. You usually notice those things."

"I.. I guess I was distracted."

"By whatever boogie monster attacked me?"

He rested his chin atop her head, tired of craning his neck back to avoid touching her any more than he had to. "You were hurt. My immediate reaction was to assess your injuries, make sure you were okay. Ironically, that meant I didn't notice your symptoms."

"Don't feel bad. It's just because you care a lot."

"Too much."

"I'm not sure that's actually a thing. Caring too much."

"Tell that to my commanding officer. He said it made me soft."

"Well he's a dick." Jordan chuckled. "I'm serious. You're definitely not soft, caring doesn't make you weak. Look at Scott."

He hummed in agreement. The Deputy counted Scott among some of the strongest people he knew. Then again, the entire group of teens were making their way onto that list one by one. Knowing it would be good to keep Lydia talking, he grabbed at a subject change. One that didn't involve his past. "You've made some pretty good decisions as far as friends are concerned."

"I didn't always."

"Oh?"

"Yep. I was your typical high school mean girl. All I cared about was popularity and dating the best player on the lacrosse team."

Jordan had a hard time believing that, but he wasn't entirely surprised. Lydia gave off an extraordinary amount of confidence, even when she didn't actually have any. "What changed?"

"Allison." Her voice was growing stronger, and he felt himself relax the slightest amount. "It wasn't just her, but she kick started everything. She was beautiful and popular and she didn't have to be mean to get people to respect her. She made me realize I didn't have to be a bitch to go places in life. I didn't have to be hard and uncaring.." Realizing she was rambling, Lydia pursed her lips.

"What is it?"

"You're just keeping me talking so I don't doze off or start freaking out because we're in a self-driving ambulance with no clear way to stop it."

Against his better judgement, Jordan let his fingers ghost over her hand. "It's not exactly boring conversation."

The redhead turned as best she could to look at her companion and current personal space heater. It was always difficult to figure out exactly what the Deputy was thinking, especially in moments like this. She felt vulnerable around him, in the worst and best kind of way. It troubled her, especially since she couldn't figure out what it meant, and Lydia hated not knowing things. As she was about to respond to his vague comment, the ambulance was shaken by what sounded like a large object landing on the roof. Jordan tensed around her, but he didn't have time to react before there was a loud popping sound, followed by a metallic shriek as the vehicle slowly came to a stop. As it did there was the sound of metal tearing, and suddenly the ambulance went dark.

That is, until the back door was wrenched open, dull light filtering in. Their own gazes were met by piercing blue eyes, thankfully set in a familiar face. "Well? You guys coming?"

()

"How did you find us before Stiles and Scott?"

Malia tapped her foot impatiently, checking her phone once again. "Stiles isn't the only one who listens to the police scanner. I just didn't waste time going to Scott's house. They take too long to get things done themselves."

"They're out looking for us-"

"I know. I texted them after I called Kira. Whatever took you guys is apparently invisible or has some mind juju or both, so I figured we might as well call the cavalry."

From her place curled against Jordan's side, now shivering slightly, Lydia raised an eyebrow at the reference. Jordan, however, was still focused on his small charge. "Hey, Malia?"

"Yeah?"

"Does your.. Coyote, stuff, come with the higher core temperature that canines have?"

"Kind of, I think? Stiles says I'm freakishly warm."

He nodded towards Lydia. "Lend a hand? Or, a side, really."

Hopping over, Malia pressed herself against Lydia's not already occupied side. It was so that Kira pulled up, catching an unamused Lydia squished in a Malia-Jordan sandwich. Much to the trio's surprise, Derek stepped out of the passenger side of the car, wearing his big-brother worried face. "Lydia? What happened?"

Jordan stepped forward, pulling Lydia with him. "She has mild hypothermia, her feet are covered in cuts and she has a gash on her arm. She needs to get to the hospital now."

Derek nodded, taking Lydia from him and leading her to Kira's car. Jordan was unwilling to let her out of his sight, but knew he had no other choice. They needed to figure out who or what they were up against, and he was needed on the ground, not at Lydia's bedside. However, that didn't stop him from grabbing Derek's arm before they got too far. "Keep me updated." The man nodded, giving Jordan a look that made him think the werewolf knew something he didn't.

As Kira and Derek drove off, Jordan turned to see Malia giving him an intense look. "What?"

"Everyone thinks I don't see things. Like how some stuff I say makes people uncomfortable, or the way Stiles looks at Lydia. But I do. And I get it. I know I should be worried because he used to have feelings for her and he'll always love her, but I'm not. Because I also see it's different than the way he looks at me, or the way Scott looks at Kira. I'm not ignorant."

He wasn't entirely sure why she was telling him these things, opening up to her, but he wasn't one to shut her down. "No one thinks you're ignorant. But no one expects you to learn everything overnight. You've been through a lot."

"I don't get the way you look at anyone though. You're really hard to read."

"But?"

"But you care about Lydia. You care about all of us, but it's different with her, isn't it?"

Her question made him pause. It was something he purposely didn't think about. "She introduced me to all of this, in a way, and she's been trying to help me figure out what I am. I'd say she's my friend, but.. It's not really appropriate. She's just a kid."

"I think we both know that's not true."

Before the awkward conversation Jordan never wanted to have could continue, Stiles and Scott pulled up. They both jumped out immediately as the jeep came to a screeching hault, demanding in unison where Lydia was.

"Derek and Kira are taking her to the hospital. She has symptoms of hypothermia, her feet are cut up from walking to the warehouse and she has a gash on her arm from whatever attacked her. Any idea what that was, by the way?"

Stiles tossed him a small, rectangular object. "Well, it wasn't a Berserker. But someone wanted to make her think it was."

Jordan pressed play, a chill traveling up his spine at the sound. It was something he would have been okay with never hearing again. "It worked, she was terrified. How would anyone even get this? Who would go through all the trouble of to get a recording of a Berserker, a fake ambulance and some sort of hudu vision magic crap to kidnap Lydia?"

"Who wouldn't?" The group gave Stiles a confused look. "I mean come on, of all the supernaturals to be drawn to Beacon Hills, we've only met one other Banshee, and she was half out of her mind. Lydia is fully functional, and her abilities seem to be becoming.. More than just finding dead bodies. Compared to what's out there, we probably know basically nothing about the extent of the supernatural community or the value of a Banshee as powerful as Lydia, or what kind of.. Things could be after her."

They all went quiet, obviously unsettled by Stiles' little rant. It was obvious he had a point though, it seemed like they were constantly discovering that the supernatural world was more than anyone had originally thought. More than even Deaton knew about, or was letting on. Jordan didn't like the thought of more unknown bad guys coming after Lydia, or any of them. He had made an unconscious decision to protect their little pack, even if he didn't entirely feel like he was a part of it. Scott turned to him, obviously not comfortable with the Deputy's silence. "What did you see in the ambulance?"

"It looked like any other ambulance I'd been in. It all seemed completely real. Robinson seemed completely real." He poured over their interactions with the fake EMT, and he remembered something. "I don't remember him ever actually touching her. I mean, they had to have gotten her onto the stretcher somehow, but I didn't see it."

"Okay, okay." Stiles began pacing, then started towards the ambulance. "It's just visual. Just.. Visual…" He ran his hand over the side of the vehicle, staring hard at the metal. "Parrish, come here."

The Deputy did as instructed. "What is it?"

"I want you to look really, really hard. Tell yourself what you're seeing is a trick. It won't be easy, but if you concentrate hard enough it should work."

Jordan gave Stiles a somewhat doubtful look, but turned his gaze to the side of the ambulance. He always prided himself on having an open mind, but this felt a little beyond that. Trying to think that what he was seeing wasn't actually what he was seeing was just confusing, if not a little ridiculous. But after everything else he'd seen it really didn't sound all that crazy. He took a few deep breaths, his eyes flickering over the writing that identified the vehicle. It's not real. It's a trick. It's not real, it's not real.. His vision blurred for a moment, but once his eyes refocused he staggered back a step. It was still an ambulance, but the metal was rusted and the paint had begun to peel in places. "Well that's.. So it's an ambulance. Just one that's not in use, obviously."

"It means that whatever this is, has limits. They had to use a face you already knew, they had to use an actual ambulance… Did you touch anything in the ambulance?"

"Uh, yeah. I had to get blankets and some gauze for Lydia, but that's all I could find."

"Exactly, things that are easy enough to get that would give the appearance of an ambulance if anyone glanced around."

"So they were thorough, prepared. This had to have taken weeks of planning. So why did the fake Robinson disappear? I never would have realized anything was wrong, we wouldn't have contacted you guys.."

"You weren't supposed to be there. They didn't plan for you. Lydia must have met Robinson before too, and it worked on you because you also knew him. You got there before they could make a clean getaway, and they left this behind. The ambulance was a distraction, it gave them more time to get away with Lydia before anyone could realize what was going on. Someone being with her was a wild card they didn't plan for."

"But they will next time."

"Next time?" They turned at the sound of Malia's voice, as apparently both she and Scott had joined them.

Stiles gave a solemn nod. "Whoever did this didn't go through all the trouble to pull this off just to give up after one failed attempt at abducting her."

Scott pulled out his phone. "I'm calling Derek." They waited anxiously, all relieved when he answered. "Derek, are you guys at the hospital yet?" The other spoke for a moment, and Jordan's stomach tightened when Scott and Malia exchanged wide eyed looks. "We're on our way. Start tracking."

When he hung up, they all stood there, quiet. Stiles was obviously too afraid to ask, so Jordan forced the words from his mouth. "What happened?"

Scott swallowed. "Something jumped into the road, and they crashed. Lydia's gone."

()

Lydia slowly regained some consciousness. She could tell she was warm, and in a bed or a cot of some sort. The hospital. Vaguely she remembered being in the car with Kira and Derek, and then she remembered crashing. Can't be. Pushing it off as a nightmare, seeing as she had plenty of those, she tried to drift off back to sleep.

"She's waking up." The voice sounded familiar, and she figured it was a nurse she had met before.

"Give her more of the sedative." Two nurses? Sedative? Why were they giving her a sedative for hypothermia and a few cuts? It didn't feel right. Despite their weight, she forced her eyes open. It took her only a moment to realize she was far from being in a hospital. The room was small, decorated in earthy tones and very warm. A moment later she heard the sound of wood crackling, and as she was able to lift her head she spotted a fireplace across the small room.

"Good morning, Lydia." The first voice spoke again, and her eyes found it's source. The woman looked familiar, but Lydia couldn't place her.

"Morning? I've.. Been out for hours?"

The woman chuckled. It wasn't an unpleasant sound, necessarily, but it gave Lydia a sick feeling in her stomach. "Oh sweetheart, you've been out for three days."

()

They had searched all night. None of the wolves (or Malia) could catch a scent. They had called the Sheriff right away, and after a night of no results the department was organizing a grid search with civilian volunteers. The Sheriff had ordered a very grumpy group of teenagers home around 8 o'clock, to be supervised by Deputy Parrish. He cut them some slack, letting them all bunk up in the McCall living room instead of forcing them to their separate residencies. Kira was sprawled across the couch, Scott lying on the floor next to it, Malia curled awkwardly in an armchair. Stiles, however, was pacing the kitchen, mumbling to himself about things they were missing, and everything that needed to be done. At first Jordan had tried to talk him into sleeping, but now he just sat at the dining room table, watching and listening.

"It has to be some kind of magic. Deaton said it's not Druid magic, but it has to be something. Witches, shamans, witchdoctors. It's the only.. Logical explanation." Stiles had already come to this conclusion several times, then continued to talk himself out of it. However, it seemed that he was finally reaching the point of his inevitable exhaustion as he swayed and gripped the counter top.

Jordan immediately went to his side. "Woah, hey, come on." He lead the boy to the living room, letting him slump against the chair the were-coyote currently occupied. "Sleep, Stiles. We'll find her." The Sheriff's son nodded before drifting off, continuing to mutter in his sleep.

()

Lydia awoke once again, gaining her faculties quicker this time. She was almost scared to know how long she had been out this time around, but there was no one in the room to tell her. Immediately she leapt from the bed, darting towards the closest door. However, she was quickly and painfully brought to the floor, tripping due to a rope tied around her ankle. Her fall had created a loud thud, and the door swung open, allowing Lydia to see that it led to another, larger room with a table and what looked like a small, old kitchen. It was the familiar woman, who was called Minerva, and she held an amused expression.

"You're recovering quickly. That's good. The tea should have helped you heal." They had forced Lydia to drink copious amounts of some herbal tea when she had been conscious, which apparently contained a sedative and some supernatural healing agent as the gash on her arm was now just a puffy pink scar. "We want you to be well, Lydia. We have no reason to hurt you."

"So is that why you kidnapped me and ran my friends off the road?"

Minerva chuckled, a sound Lydia had grown to hate. "Your friends are fine, and desperate times call for desperate measures. You have so many people protecting you, when really all they're doing is smothering you."

"And I suppose tying me to a bedpost is your way of nurturing my free will?"

Her amused expression began to falter. "I have only so much patience for your attitude. You will appreciate what we have done and will do for you. We want to help you harness your powers."

"Well maybe I don't want your help."

Minerva stepped forward, kneeling down to be eye level with Lydia. "Oh, but you need it. Don't you wish you could have somehow prevented your precious Allison from being pointlessly murdered?" Lydia's lips pursed into a thin line, and she was silenced by the woman's harsh comment. "That's what I thought. We have things to teach you, Lydia. Anyone with psychic abilities can harness and practice a certain amount of magic. And we'll show you how."

"Magic?"

"Yes, haven't you figured it out yet? You're supposed to be brilliant, I thought you would have at least had a few ideas." When Lydia didn't present any, she stood. "My sister and I are witches, Darling."

()

After four days with no sign of her, they were beginning to fear the worst. No one dared say it out loud, because none of them could imagine losing her. Losing another friend. Scott was overwhelmed with guilt, angry that he hadn't been able to save Lydia. Derek was no where to be found. Jordan spent everyday participating in the grid search. Stiles was at his wits end, and had snapped at Malia, who had fled to Kira's house. The two girls were sprawled in silence on her bed, Malia's head resting in Kira's lap. Kira stroked her friend's hair, trying to be as soothing as possible, but she had never been good at the whole comforting thing.

"He didn't mean it."

"I know."

"He's just stressed out."

"I know."

"Lydia is one of his best friends."

"I know. They have a special connection, two sides of the same coin or however that goes." Malia let out a heavy sigh. "Are you my coin?" Kira looked down, her black hair falling around her face and she smiled despite everything that was weighing on her heart with Lydia still missing. "I mean, I feel comfortable around you. Just being me. And I like that you sort of silently understand me instead of explaining to me how I'm wrong."

"Do you want me to be your coin?"

"I don't think you really choose who your coin is. Like, I think Allison was Scott's coin. And maybe Lydia's too."

"I think Allison was kind of everyone's coin."

Malia nodded in agreement. "Sometimes, when they talk about her, I feel like I'm intruding. I mean, I don't feel like they're leaving me out or whatever, but like.."

"I get it. I mean, I knew her, but barely. She was amazing, though. But yeah, I feel like you and I will sort of always be a little different because we didn't know her like they did, and the three of them share her loss."

"Maybe that's what makes you my coin."

"Maybe."

()

Lydia sat on the bed later that day, glaring at the tray of food in front of her. She was starving, and she knew she should eat, but didn't trust that there wouldn't be more sedatives. Deciding that sedatives were better than dying of starvation, she gave in to her hunger. After an hour of not feeling any side effects, she decided it had been drug free.

Minerva's sister, Shai, entered the little bedroom. "You ate, good. Now we can talk." Shai took the tray of food, setting it on the bedside table. "I imagine you have some questions."

While Lydia would rather hit the woman over the head with the tray, she knew it was pointless. She had attempted to untie the rope binding her to the bed, but it was impossible, and she assumed it had been spelled. Since all signs were pointing to her having to wait for a rescue, she figured she might as well learn as much about her new enemy as she could. "Why haven't I ever heard of witches? I know a Druid, and he's never mentioned witches before."

"Yes, Deaton. He's fairly well known and respected in the magical community." Shai pulled over a chair, sitting a few feet away from the bed. The witch was obviously not oblivious to Lydia's ill will. "I'm not surprised he didn't tell you about us. As my sister told you, anyone with psychic abilities can practice magic, to a point. You'd never be a full blown witch, but I imagine, being the smart girl you are, you would have sought out answers." She wasn't wrong, and Lydia's face told her as much. "That is exactly why the Druid didn't tell you about us. As far as the magical community goes, witches are.. They're sort of like the weird cousin who went through a goth phase so the rest of the family stopped talking to them." Lydia narrowed her eyes, not following. "A few centuries back a coven of witches broke a few little rules and ever since then everyone's been all grumpy. But we're not all bad. A lot of witches make remedies for illnesses, or help people on their way. I'm not saying we can cure cancer, but we don't go around hexing families as often as some people might want you to think."

"No, you just kidnap teenage girls."

"Listen, sweetie, it was for your own good. A girl like you doesn't need to get caught up with druids and shapeshifters. That bunch has been nothing but drama for centuries. And what with Berserkers and La Loba getting thrown into the mix.. We got you out just in time."

"You know about Kate?"

"Oh, is that the blonde she-devils name? Yes, we know about her. My sister and I haven't lived in Mexico for many years, but we keep in contact with our old coven."

"So you're not a member of a coven?"

"No. We'll always be welcome back to our family coven, but it's not uncommon for witches to leave and start their own."

"But you haven't."

She grinned. "We want to start a different kind of coven. We've been searching for people like you. Not just Banshees, but with special abilities tied to magic. We plan to create a coven like no one has ever seen before."

"And I'm your first recruit?"

"You'd be surprised by how hard it is so find someone with active psychic abilities who hasn't gone completely off the rails. Take your friend Meredith for example. We don't want an unstable coven, we want a strong one."

"So you've obviously been watching me, or Beacon Hills. My abilities manifested over a year ago, why now?"

"Because you're in more danger than you've ever been, and we needed to get you out while we still could. We didn't want to hurt any of your friends, we have no reason to. But then that little deputy and the coyote got in the way, so we didn't have a choice."

"You went through a lot of trouble when you could have just talked to me."

"No, we couldn't have. You never would have left your friends, this was the only way to keep you safe."

"You can't keep me tied up forever."

Shai stood, picking up the tray. It seemed as though she was going to leave without any further comment, but as she reached the door the woman gave pause. "We won't have to, Lydia. You'll see our way sooner or later."

()

Five days. Lydia had been missing for five days and there was still no sign of her, not a trace. No one could pick up her scent, or find a trail by the crash. Jordan was going out of his mind. Every day he was calling hospitals within a fifty mile radius, and on the third day he had started calling morgues. He'd had to compartmentalize as he gave her description every time, pushing down the panic that rose in his throat as he waited for an answer. He'd been able to remain relatively calm, until their only lead had been a dead end. Some anonymous tip about two women and a red head that had led to an empty car, and once again neither Derek, Scott or Malia could find a scent. Jordan and several other deputies had scoured the area, but found nothing. Feeling completely useless, he decided to go back.

It was about a 45 minute drive out, right at the edge of the fifty mile radius he had been checking in. However, once he reached the road where the car had been found, he went in the opposite direction. It was a generally unpopulated area, so he slowed by the few residences he came across, looking for any unusual activity. After he had been driving for nearly another thirty minutes, he decided to turn around and pulled down a dead end drive. Just as he was about to back up, a glimmer of light separate from the fading sun caught his attention. He drove further down, and came across a small cabin. At first it looked abandoned, and he hadn't a clue where the light had come from, until he saw a flash of movement and a streak of red as three figures took off into the woods.

()

Lydia had spent her fifth day of captivity basically having a history lesson. It would be a lie to say she wasn't intrigued, the girl absorbed information like a metaphorical sponge. More So, actually. What they told her was fascinating, even if they left some details out. Like, what rules the ancient coven had broken that started a feud between witches and the rest of the magical community, and why it continued even if the original coven wasn't around. Lydia, however, gathered that the rules were still being broken to some extent, as it was the only explanation they would stay in exile from their magical cousins.

There were apparently four main magical communities. Druids, those with psychic abilities, shifters, and witches. Supposedly, they originated with four sisters. The eldest, Rayna, was born with an affinity for nature, and soon discovered she could draw power from the element. The second, Shai, discovered at a young age she was able to predict the deaths of those in their village, speak to the dead, and move objects with her mind. The third, Malia, could transform into various predatory animals at will. However, the fourth sister, Lea, showed no signs of any special abilities. Her entire life she felt like an outcast, constantly living in the shadow of her three elder sisters. Shai, however, was always kind to her youngest sister. The two would spend hours trying different things to see if Lea had any dormant powers. They found nothing, until one day while hiking through the woods Shai fell down a ravine. By the time Lea was able to reach her sister, the young woman was near death. In her moment of desperation Lea was able to summon power to heal her sister and subsequently save her life.

However it was discovered that, since she had no control over her abilities, they came with terrible side effects. Upon reaching their village, it was discovered that several villagers had fallen grievously ill. A witch's magic draws on pure energy, and since Lea didn't know how to do so safely, she hadn't been able to control it. Her two other sisters scolded her, saying her abilities were an abomination. When Shai did not defend her, Lea became enraged. She swore that the descendants of her sister's would be plagued: For Rayna, if any Druid used their magic for dark purposes, the darkness would consume them. Malia's descendents would only be able to transform into one animal, and would be plagued by the full moon. For Shai she gave some mercy, declaring only that her powers would be split in three, never to inhabit the same soul again. The magic it took to cast the curse drained all of the villagers of their life, leaving the three sisters to fend for themselves in the wilderness until they could find a new home.

"And that's not what drove a wedge between witches and the rest of the magical community?"

"Well after a while it was regarded mostly as a myth, and people were able to recognize that not all witches were as emotionally unstable as Lea was painted to be."

"Until the witch community broke some big rule."

"It was hardly a very important rule. But that's for another day. Want to take a shower?"

Lydia nodded eagerly. She'd been allowed to take one the first night she was awake, but she still didn't feel totally clean. First, though, she had a question that had been brought to light by a certain name in the tall tale of the original sisters. "Do you know anything about the Desert Wolf?"

Shai seemed shocked by the question, which told Lydia the answer was yes, but before she could get any information Minerva burst into the room. "We have to go. We've been found."

()

Jordan raced through the woods, his gun drawn but pointed safely towards the ground. "Lydia!" After five days of searching, and basically finding her on sheer dumb luck, there was no way he was letting her get away. "Lydia!"

The response was muffled, but loud enough for him to hear. "Jordan?!" At the sound of her voice he found himself running faster than he knew he capable of going, and soon he saw another streak of her red hair. "Jordan!" His heart lurched; she sounded completely terrified.

"Lydia!" He could see her, approximately fifty yards ahead of him, with two other women. She looked over her shoulder, and as soon as they made eye contact she stopped dead in her track. This seemed to wildly confused her captors, who didn't immediately notice. "Lydia, get down!" The red head dropped to the ground and he fired three shots as one of the women turned back to Lydia, missing on purpose. It seemed enough to startle her, as her eyes landed on him they grew wide with fear. She said something to the other woman and the two took off. While Jordan would have liked nothing more than to run them down, his immediate focus was Lydia. When he reached her he safely holstered his weapon, kneeling down. "Lydia, are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?"

"I.. I don't.. Where am I?"

"We're in the woods about an hour outside beacon hills. Lydia do you know who those women were?"

"What women?" Her eyes were wide, full of fear and confusion.

"The ones who were holding you captive?"

"Captive? I.. How did we get here? What happened?"

Realization painted itself on Jordan's face. "You don't remember?" She shook her head, her entire body beginning to shake. Without a second thought he drew her to him, easily lifting her in his arms. "Hey, it's okay. We're going to get you out of here. You're safe."

()

I hope you enjoyed! I'm already working on the next chapter, but I'm going on vacation in a few days so it will probably actually take me at least a week this time.

Also, the ever lovely Notomys was able to guess that the big bad is, in fact, witches! However, still keep an eye out for La Loba..