CHAPTER 02

Nine identical tombstones all bearing a name ending with Hale stood infront of Darya and she left a sigh as if to let go of a weight bothering her shoulders. After unpacking and lunch at McCall household Derek took her around the town showing her important places and a little sight seeing. Her final place to visit was Beacon hills cemetry. She looked back at Derek who stood a few meters behind her with his back against a large tree. He thought he was giving her space while she wanted him to be right next to her in this heart wrenching moment in which she was introduced to nine ...correction eight Hales, all dead. Cora although Darya had never seen or spoken was living in south America.

She carefully placed a red rose on each grave as if to not hurt them and visibally shook as she placed the last one on Lauras'grave. The young woman who filled up her space for a sister and a friend. Darya had never had enemies at school, she didnt have friends either. She was a word perfect geek, beauthavet and clever. Teachers loved her. Those were the same reasons a lot of students felt as if she was out of reach. So she filled up her vacancy for a friend with more and more learning, that was untill Laura and Derek Hale became her neighbours when she was sixteen. They became instant friends ever since she helped her new young neighbours unpack and poured them with details about roads, good places to takeout or dine in. Derek Hale, a year older than her was her first crush to her own surprise for she never was interested in boys but books. But he was grumpy and she blamed it on the tragic fire that took his whole family. But never the less he exhibited all the signs of a decent young boy and treated her like a sister, maybe she reminded him of someone; a sibling or a cousin he had lost to the fire. Her mother took both of them under her wing and in return Darya got to have girlish moments with Laura and boyish moments with Derek. A single tear escaped her eyes against her will And she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. As if he read her mind Derek had come to stand next to her.

"I don't understand how you managed to escape eichen house with all this" she said to him waving her hand at the tombstones

" if it wasn't for Laura I don't think I would have managed to do that, still I managed to end up the grumpiest person you ever knew"

" you are not that person anymore Derek,Laura would have been very proud of you" she said honestly and a chuckle escaped Derek.

"I'm flattered, come on, lets go grab some dinner, I'll show you the best place for it" he said as he took her hand and guided her away from the graves she looked like she was stuck with and didn't know how to go away.

They went to a fine diner at the fifth street. And Laura felt eyes on her from time to time as they waited for the dinner to arrive.

" I was expecting something like a burger and fries" she said looking around to admire the plush interior of the expensive diner.

"oh, come on, it's your first dinner at Beacon hills. It has to be a night to remember" Derek encouraged her.

" I'm glad the dinner is on you, I'm still paying my student loans" she said as she looked around and noticed that they were clearly not dressed for the place and a few were stealing glances at them.

" some people are looking at us" she said uneasily.

" you want me to be honest about it" Derek asked. Darya nodded smiling because she knew what he was going to do. It was going to be fun just like back in New York. Derek concentrated a little .

" see the couple to my left? The lady wearing a red dress? Her husband used to be a cop and reognized me . He still remember me from the wanted poster. He is wondering what the hell a girl like you is doing with a man like me. And the two girls to their right with the ...make up masks? They are bothered about our clothing than their own food. " then a smile spread across his face. the two guys to your left just said to the other that you would look hot in right clothes."

"Derek!" Darya almost yelled in protest.

"What ? I just said what they were talking.

" so, you wouldn't find me hot in the right dress?" Darya asked abruptly and Derek was in hot water. He was so glad that Darya couldn't listen to his heart beat because it spiked the moment she asked the question.

"Hot...is not the right word " he said without missing a beat. He was being honest. He found her breathtaking every time he saw her. 'Hot' was dishonouring her. But the girl was treating him like he was her brother. If a guy could be more unfortunate after loosing his whole family , he thought it was him. The one woman he found he was most attracted to treated him a brother.

Darya wanted to ask what the right word would be but Derek was already off on to another topic.

"So, lets talk about how you and Deaton became acquaintances" Derek said as the waitress placed their food on the table.

"Laura"

"Laura?"

" yep, when she came back to Beacon hills she spoke to Deaton and he asked her to recommend someone to be his apprentice, on behalf of the Hale pack."

"Hale pack is... dismantled"

"But there is still you and Cora, plus Deaton says since the Hales and McCalls are like one pack, when one day his time is up, they too might need my Services, provided that I am successful as his predecesser.

"He actually said that, about his time being up ?"

" yep, I've read that an emissary gets feelings once they are committed to a pack. They also gets the feeling when they need to start with an apprentice."

"So Laura recommended you how long ago? Five years back? Why now"

" you need to read more Derek" Darya said dissapointed." The Alfa does the recommendation for a new emissary for the pack. The emissary accepts it and when the time is right he starts the process of educating the new apprentice. Its all about the feelings. The Alfa recommendation is not just a recommendation, Laura did it based on her Alfa senses. Remember she once said that the union of she,me and you did happen for a reason, that how we became friends so quickly wasn't just an incident"

Derek shrugged, he could not remember that.

"of course you don't remember. All you wanted to do was stay away from wolf business. You didn't even touch a book Laura gave you"

" I had my exams, remember? I was trying to live a normal life of a teenager. And I never even thought for a second Laura was serious when she said she wanted to investigate the fire"

" I had my exams and school life too, but I also paid actual attention to Laura" Darya countered Dereks argument. There were always a wedge between Laura and Derek because she wanted to go back to BH and Derek wanted to take no part in that.

"That's because you were curious, had you the opportunity to actually live in that world and experience the cruelty in it instead of reading about it in a book, I can guarantee you, you would never want to go back to that place where your whole family was burnt alive and your senses are so high as a wolf that you can actually smell the burned and charred skins and bones of each one of your family members' individually and you can never get that scents out of your mind."

Darya looked horridly at Derek. he was right. She could only imagine what he went through but never really feel it in her bones because she wasn't even there.

"Derek...I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright..." he said with a sigh. "I am sorry , I think I ruined your mood, but its not everyday I visit the graves. It just brought so many memories back and ...I think I'm back to being that grumpy you've been talking about" he said bringing a smile back to his face in an attempt to lighten the mood. " and yet I told Melissa that I've let go. Looks like I can never do that".

"Underneth that wolf you are still a human Derek" she said honestly looking right at those green eyes that always shone like emeralds. Derek looked down unable to bear her look. He wished she wouldn't do that...look right at him. He could never take that look which was capableof melting his hard earned grumpyess. Back in New york he had mastered evading her peering eyes. But its been too long without seeing her that he has run out of practice.

"I ruined your apetite didn't I?" he asked breaking the silence that grew between them.

"Kind of yes, but the food is deliious, so lets eat, I'm sure a few bites in to it will bring back the apetite. I am already double hungry. I just want to meet up with Deaton and fall asleep. I'm dog tired"

" so much for a first dinner in Beacon hills" Derek said as he took the first bite in to his food.

" dinner is great Derek, dont downplay it, besides I met you today after five years, you and Laura were my only true friends. So I'm definetely happy"

Derek could see how excited Darya was despite being tired. But he could not shake the thought of how dangerous the world she is about to step in and how naive she is at its tricks no matter how much knowledge she has about it. He could not help but express his thought atleast slightly without breaking her happyness.

"Beacon hills is dangerous Dar, specially now that the nematon is active, I'm strongly against this arrangement of you involving in this"

"You can't change fate, who knows I might not be good enough for Deaton and he might kick me out" Darya answered blind to how worried Derek was. If she knew how worried the warewolf was her response would have been different.

Seeing how happy Darya sounded Derek decided to drop the subject, temporaly.

"Deaton is not a bad guy, just too many riddles in his talk. But you've survived medical shool, I'm sure you'll be ok with Deaton"

Later that night, they met with Deaton who explained her how the process will go, about what kind of lessons she will get, about real life tests she will have to face and etcetra. She decided to take double shifts when ever possible so she could spend more time with Deaon and shorten the period. some of her questions were answered with questions so she noticed Derek was right as he sat silently listening to them. Once they were done Derek wanted to speak to Deaton alone. So he waited untill Darya left to get in to the car.

"Darya said something about emissaries feeling it when their time bein.. Up" he asked in hushed tone.

"She is right"

"What do you mean" Derek asked rediculed.

"I can't explain it in exact terms Derek. Because I don't know much. I just know its time to teach someone everything I know or else you and scott will be left with no one when I'm gone"

"Gone as in?"

"I don't know...maybe dead, maybe run out of emissary wisdom and senses for some reason. What ever it is, I know it's coming at me. "

Derek looked at Deaton in horror. He wasn't ready to loose another person important to him. This was too much and Deaton understood this.

"Nothing can change fate" he said as he patted Dereks' shoulder. A rare gesture coming from him to Derek.

"That is the second time I heard that today, what is really going on Deaton? Have you discussed this with Scott"?

"I do not know as I said earlier. But something soon will happen and no I have yet to tell Scott"

"There is nothing we can do?"

"Even if you do something, the outcome will be the same"

Derek stared at him trying to digest the facts. Why there could be nothing done did not impress him. And how will Scott react to this. The boy loved Deaton and since he is all about saving people Derek could imaging how crazy he will go.

"Derek, Darya needs to go home and take some rest, and I can promise you that I will not die today" Deaton chuckled to a Derek who seemed to be stucked in the clinics' door way. He turned back and burried deep in his thoughts left without even a good bye.

When he dropped Darya at McCall house and she gave a soft peck on his cheeks and said good bye he was still in his thoughts. He had to talk about this with Scott.