Darkest Powers fanfiction
EVERYONE'S SECRET
Derek Souza/OC: Mary Ralluber

Author's Note: Managed to get another chapter out. I think Plastic Promises is going back on hiatus. I just can't figure out what to write next for it. Major writer's block with that story. /: Hopefully this story's not getting boring. I'm trying to pick up the pace; I know it's getting kind of slow. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter. Review, please! Thank you. [:

Chapter O3.

Derek's stomach churned as he walked out of the bathroom, drenched hair combed back and out of his face, and noticed Mary walking back out of her room, hurrying for the bathroom. He thought about what Simon had suggested, that he ask her questions. Still, he was a bit embarrassed. He was already sixteen and hadn't gone through the Change yet. Being genetically modified, he knew something had been tampered with his body, and figured it was one of the reasons why his body wasn't responding well to the Change. That, and he was trying to maintain his humanity. Sooner or later, though, he figured he'd just have to let everything go. It was the only solution. But Derek was scared.

His green eyes met her own, her strange scent filling his nostrils. He could sniff out her strong body odor as well. So she had the same challenges he did. However, he was sure she handled them differently. For one, her odor smelled no where near as dreadful as his. Sometimes he couldn't stand smelling himself and needed to take multiple showers in one day. Secondly, her face was practically clean of any acne, completely opposite of him. How in the world did she manage to control her skin and oiliness? And why was she so tiny? Weren't werewolves bigger? Sure, her body was very well-matured, but she only reached perhaps five foot.

Mary's eyes quickly shifted away and ducked into the bathroom, leaving Derek awkwardly in the hallway. He shook his head and shuffled back to his room to dispose of his shower bag and dirty laundry, then met Simon downstairs for a round of a racing game on the old Xbox.

"Hey bro. Had a nice shower?" Simon said with a grin. He tossed Derek an Xbox controller, and Derek joined him on the ground, sitting against the navy blue couch. Derek grunted a "Sure," and selected a racecar to compete with.

"So have you talked Mary yet?" Simon asked as they began racing, pressing the buttons feverishly, tongue sticking out the side of his mouth and eyebrows narrowed in concentration. Derek's face remained neutral, his fingers also gliding over the buttons, but he didn't appear as interested in the game as Simon did. Simon ended up winning anyway. He cheered.

"So you never answered my question, bro," Simon reminded. "Did you talk to Mary?"

"She can hear you," hissed Derek, his eyes averting towards the hallway. Behind the corner, Derek knew she was lingering there.

"Yes she can," Mary said, appearing with her arms crossed. Derek ducked his head and Simon blushed. She arched an eyebrow suspiciously. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Nothing." Derek stood from the floor, putting his controller away and turning off the Xbox. "I don't want to talk to you." He walked out of the room, leaving the two of them.

Derek met Brady in the dining room, waiting to be served for dinner. He was reading a sports magazine, and briefly looked up when Derek entered the room.

"Where's your girlfriend?" he said snidely. Derek looked at him strangely.

"Mary?" he asked. "I thought you'd already called dibs." Brady rolled his eyes.

"Yeah well, turns out our personalities didn't quite click." Derek snorted.

"That's surprising," he said sarcastically. Brady scowled.

"Yeah, well, she's perfect for you; she's got an attitude."

"Wouldn't that make her perfect for you?"

Brady opened his mouth to spout some nasty names at him, but Mrs. Talbot entered the kitchen. Mary and Simon followed shortly after. Dinner was ready. The argument ended.

Something wrong was happening that night. Derek could smell sweat mixing with Mary's strange werewolf scent. Lots and lots of sweat. Curious, he tossed off his sheets, shooting a wary look towards Simon in the other bed. Anybody who knew Simon knew that the only way to tell if he was really sleeping was if he was snoring. He was. Derek searched for sweatpants to pull over his boxer shorts and a sweatshirt over his naked chest, then left his room to check on Mary.

He could already hear soft growling coming from her bedroom when he stepped into the hall. His blood ran cold. Was she in the middle of Changing? Should he barge in on her to help her? Did she need help?

Her growls transitioned into soft pained moans, which answered his question for him. She sounded like she needed help. As he stepped closer towards her door, he heard her gasp. She knew he was coming for her.

Derek hesitated when he arrived at her door. She'd gone silent. As he curled his fingers around the doorknob, Mary suddenly gasped, as if she had been holding her breath for hours. The sound rang through his ears like sirens and he swung the door open.

The moonlight poured into her yellow room, streaming on Mary's cringing body. She was growling again but not at him, though her wide green eyes flashed at him, her pupils dilated. Her fair skin had gone pale and her back occasionally arched. For a second, he was convinced he really had walked in on her going through the Change, but once his eyes flickered to where her hands were placed, his face burned with embarrassment.

They were placed on her abdomen, clenching the hems of her pajama shorts. He was confused. What was going on? Why was she in so much pain, if not for the Change?

Mary gasped again and Derek quickly shut the door, hurrying to her side. She turned to him, black hair pulled into a messy ponytail and spilled over her drenched pillow. Sweat outlined her body on the white sheets. The stench made his nose twitch.

"What's going on?" he whispered frantically. Mary's teeth were bared and the heels of her feet dug into the mattress. It appeared as if someone was pinning her down against her will and she was struggling to wriggle free.

"D-Derek," she choked. Her eyes were bloodshot and were piercing through his own eyes. He felt genuine worry for her, and he didn't even know what was going on.

"Mary, what's happening? Are you Changing?"

She choked out a humorless laugh, buying a dirty look from Derek.

"Not … Changing," she said in between heavy gasps. Her eyes suddenly closed shut and she bit her bottom lip. Derek could see tiny beads of blood rising from underneath her front teeth. He ditched the dirty look and returned to his concern expression. He once again peered down at her hands, cupping her abdomen. What else could be causing her so much pain?

Suddenly, one of her hands flew out and grasped his as her breathing became choppy. Derek's eyes widened and his gaze flew to her face, but Mary's eyes were still glued shut, her face tight with pain. The moans and growls continued to get louder and Derek found himself shushing her gently. Surprisingly, it helped her and she regained control of her breathing, however the grip on his hand tightened, her nails digging into his skin, cutting him. Derek wasn't worried about that, though. He focused on quieting her and helping her calm down.

Another hour passed with Mary in this pained state, and Derek still had no idea what was going on with her. Finally, though, her tossing and moaning slowed and quieted until she remained still. Her eyes opened halfway as she took long, deep breaths. She slowly turned Derek's way and he could see the makings of a small smile. A smile of relief. Derek was actually relieved to not see her in pain anymore.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. A steady breath and wider smile told him yes. And then, with her hand still gripped around his hand, though not as tight, her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

Mary walked into the dining room that next morning, showered and not as pale as she was last night. She hadn't returned to her fair color yet, but she didn't look so weary. Derek figured the shower must have helped her rejuvenate. He caught her eye, and then noticed her blush feverishly and look away.

Breakfast was already at the table, and Brady was picking out the honeydew in his fruit bowl. Simon was in the bathroom, testing his blood sugar before coming down. Derek had taken advantage of the bacon and eggs, stockpiling it on his plate. He knew Mrs. Talbot was only making this big breakfast because there was a new member at the group home. Meals like this were only for special occasions.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Brady teased, waving the honeydew he was about to dispose in her face. Mary glared at him before taking a seat across from him. Derek shyly looked away and focused on his bacon and eggs. He tore into his toast and shoveled eggs into his mouth, thinking about what had happened last night. He'd never seen anyone like that, not in pain like that. And yet, he still did not know what had gone on with her.

Simon entered the room a little while later and he beamed at Mary's plate.

"Wow, Mary! It's so awesome to meet a girl who isn't afraid to eat something," he chuckled. Derek's gaze averted to Mary's plate and he noticed that it contained a bit of everything. Her plate looked like it was for a grown man, rather than a small teenage girl. "Where do you put it?"

Mary shrugged. "Exercise." She scooped a forkful of hash browns into her mouth.

"Really?" Brady chimed, genuinely interested in the conversation now. "You like sports?"

"I said exercise, not sports," Mary corrected. "I run."

Derek remained neutral. Running was a common interest among werewolves. He would have been surprised if she didn't like to run. Still, it was nice to share something in common, other than their race.

"Cool. Derek likes to run," Simon said, taking a seat next to her and getting himself a plate. He began to pile it with fruit and added a couple of small scoops of scrambled eggs, even when Derek's gaze told him he disapproved.

Mary's eyes briefly glanced Derek's way when Simon mentioned his name, but then looked back down at her plate when he looked back at her.

"And, for the record, running is a sport. Ever heard of track or cross-country?" Brady input. Mary ignored him, and Simon and Derek did the same. Brady rolled his eyes and scoffed.

Derek and Mary were put on clean duty after breakfast. Miss Van Dop monitored them for a few minutes before walking out of the kitchen. For a while, the two of them were quiet and didn't make any eye contact, but Derek was secretly dying to know what was wrong with her last night. Why was she sweating up a storm? Why was she cringing and moaning and tossing around in her bed? Why had she held his hand?

He finally asked her what had happened that night.

Mary stopped scrubbing the dish and let the water run. Derek had to reach over and turn it off for her. When he looked back down at her, he noticed her cheeks flushing bright red.

"That was embarrassing," she muttered finally, sighing.

"What was? Last night?" Mary nodded.

"It's a … well, girl thing …" she said carefully. Derek's eyebrows knitted together as an idea of what she was talking about entered his mind. Not really what he wanted to hear.

"I think I know what you're talking about," he grumbled and turned his head away from her, his own cheeks flushing. Well, that was embarrassing. Derek had walked in on Mary going through her "womanly problems."

"Yeah." The word was stretched in many syllables. "Because of the lycanthropy, when that time comes, it's a lot worse than when an average girl gets it. My cramps are extreme. It almost feels as if someone is stabbing me over and over again."

Derek's eyes widened. "Ouch," he said. Mary chuckled, and sighed again.

"Yeah. Ouch is right." They were quiet again. A few moments later, though, Mary spoke again, her words, for some reason, making Derek's stomach tighten.

"Thanks, Derek, for staying with me."