Chapter 8

A couple days later, as I wake up on a Wednesday, I see that it is snowing, but know there will be school. We have already missed so much, we can't afford to miss much more. I jump in the shower, and wash my hair. I blow dry my hair, I don't usually do this, but because of the current weather, I don't relish my hair becoming an icicle. It is wavy and I pull on a tuke, a nice burgundy one. I brush my teeth and then I look in my closet. I grab a pair of black leggings and a cream coloured wool-knit sweater. I didn't want to look nice and put together, it was cold and I wanted to be warm. I went to my sock drawer and grabbed a pair of wool knit socks and pulled them on. I grabbed my boots and put them on, my feet felt so nice and warm.

I skipped down the stairs, feeling great today. I put my kettle on and grabbed a banana. I peeled it open and ate it, I wasn't really a fan of breakfast, but I would eat it today. I packed an apple for school in my bag. Cala was sleeping on my bed, but I could hear her pouncing down the stairs and she entered the kitchen. She jumped up on the counter, I scratched her ears and the purring began.

I looked outside, and saw that the snow was finally slowing down, no blue sky though. It was going to stay cloudy all day. I saw my Bug, and grimaced. It was covered in snow. I threw on my gloves and grabbed my car brush. I opened the door and headed to my bug. I might as well do it now, while I was waiting for my water to boil. The snow was almost two feet deep, and I had to make my way through my old tracks. I had made them when Stiles and I had to study. It was quite funny actually, I hadn't even thought of studying, but he phoned me and asked if we could yesterday. I agreed and around two o'clock I had made my way through the heavy snow and harsh wind that had arrived. It was a normal study date, with music and food. We studied the symbols of the periodic table. Remembering what two letters were iron, Zinc, Gold, Silver, ect.

I was there for a long time, and eventually as the subject tired on studying we talked. It was nice to talk to someone else about people. Mainly people at our school…

"So Stiles," I ask with a flirtatious look, "does Lydia know how you feel about her?" I ask. She has never said that she did to me, but I was curious. Stiles took a sip of his water and answered,

"I don't know. Maybe, I mean well I am one of the few people who know the true Lydia. The caring one, the sweet one." His eyes gaze off into the distance, but he comes back to reality than I am used too,

"I think I know who you mean." I say with truth. I think she had been caring when I told her about Tyler. She knows her stuff, and it was more than I knew. I just had a lot of experience with shity guys. If girls wanted to know what not to do, I was the one to come too. I smiled as I thought this, Stiles caught it,

"What's so funny?" he asks with a smile also. My smile fades, not wanting to go there. I shake my head, and he gives me an exasperated loo, "Look, Aiden. I'm not going to judge your past. Hell, I actually care about what you've been through, who has hurt you," I sense something in his voice, but I ignore it knowing he can't, "I really do care." He says looking at me. I stare at him, searching his eyes for some kind of deceiving plan to get me to open up. To figure out my secret weakness. I can't see one, I bite my lip, considering telling him.

"I, well," I say trying to get the words out, "I haven't exactly had the best past. Back home, about a year ago," I say a year because it seems more legit. If I said two, I would seem like a slut, "I was at my old school. And well, there was a party. One thrown by hockey team's caption, Tobi and his friend Tyler. Well, drinking and music can lead to things. Good, like dancing and laughing, then there's the bad." I say. I look at him, and he is so intent on my story, it will be the short version, but the horrid is there.

"What kind of bad?" he asks. I blush from embarrassment, and don't look up at him. I can feel the past tears coming, but I tell myself to be strong,

"The really bad. That leaves a memory on you, that won't ever let you forget," say starring off into space. I see Stiles is confused, "now, don't freak out, but I'm going to show you what I mean," I say. He nods and I lift my shirt up midriff and shoe him the scar. I trace along it, "Before he did this," which was true. He had wanted more, but I refused and then he sliced my stomach and slapped me until I did it. Eventually, I need to heal, so I complied but was scarred. I stay silent for a couple moments, thinking of how to say this. I stare at Stiles, feeling my eyes swelling with tears, "Tyler, he- he threatened me. At first though, I thought it was all innocent, but then he wanted…" I couldn't finish it. I couldn't I could feel the tears slowly going down my cheeks. I see Stiles staring at me, then I see realization. HE clenches his jaw,

"He hurt you, didn't he?" I knew what he meant. I looked at him. He didn't look like that awkward boy, he looked concerned, wanting to know the truth. Like he was angry. I feel the tears coming now, faster dripping down my cheek. I nod at him, unable to speak. I was caught off guard when he embraced me in his arms. He embraced me in a hug, and I was thankful for it. I started to tremble, telling him, even if he didn't know the real reason. He let me go, and saw my fingers were hysterically trembling. I laughed lightly,

"crap," I stared at my fingers and tried to wipe away the tears. Stiles went to the bathroom, and when he returned had a roll of toilet paper,

"It's all we got." He handed it to me and I ripped off some. I dabbed my eyes, knowing that I wouldn't smudge any makeup what so ever. Stiles on the other hand, was expecting to see racoon Eyes. I threw the toilet paper in the garbage and somehow, felt more free. I didn't know why, maybe keeping in this secret for two years has been hard, even draining. I told Lydia, but that was because it was part of my life. Stiles actually wanted to know, he was concerned. Like a friend should be. Stiles was watching me, surely scared I would burst out in tears again. I didn't. I just smiled. It was all I could do now, I wasn't having my cocky smile or my seductive smile, but a genuine one. Then all the other bad memories disappear and one specific one floods my mind.

My proposal. My Burt. I hadn't told Lydia about this though, just that Gerard killed my family, thinking I was in the house. I wasn't though, I was out on my walk through the woods. I would go on them alone, my time of peace. I would pick wild flowers and bring to show in the front room. It was two nights before my wedding to Burt and I was getting all giddy whenever I thought about him. About becoming his wife. His one and only. It wasn't usual for witches to marry Mortals, but it wasn't unheard of. It was though, now, seeing how we were one of the few witch families left in the world. Many had been wiped out, we were all scared we would be next but I knew better. I never panicked about being killed, we were the most powerful family. We had the most pure witches in our clan, and all of them were present at my house as I walked. Maybe it was a too good chance to through away, maybe they were told to do it, despite the mortal in the house. But when I heard the screams, my sister's. I dropped everything and ran for the house. When I exited the woods, I couldn't move. I was frozen. MY home, the screams of loved ones, were burning.

I tried to shake away the screams, but they would go away in the house. I kept on trembling, their screams haunting me. I shook away the thought and returned to my Bug.

I had cleared away most of the snow off of my Bug, I scrapped away the ice frozen on the windshield, I snapped my fingers and the ice melted away. I pulled on the door, but it was frozen shut. I looked around, no one was around. I placed my hand an inch away from the handle, and felt the heat from my body transfer to the lock. Whenever I heated something, it would come from my body, leaving me freezing. I rubbed my hands together and open the door with ease. I put my key in the ignition and heard nothing but a trying engine. I turned the key again. Nope, nothing. It would not start.

I banged the wheel and swore. I opened the door and got out. I leaned against the bug and groaned. I locked my bug and went back into the house. I poured myself some tea into a travel mug and grabbed my bag. I would have to leave now to get to school on time, I wrapped myself in a scarf and I grabbed my tea and headed out. When I was at the end of my drive way, I snapped my fingers, putting up a charm again. I felt some it go up and around the house, like a sort of dome-like structure. I turned and headed out to school. It wasn't too far away, but I just wasn't sure I would make it due to the snow. I walked past Stiles' house, I saw a face in the window and waved. Stiles had to peer through the window, but then he waved back. I walked on, through the dense snow, the roads were cleared so as soon as I saw openings from vehicles, I would hope onto it. I passed the area where I healed the deer, and soon passed the place where I would leave Lydia to head back to my home. I was passing houses among houses. I passed Lydia's, and saw that her car wasn't there. She must be at school already. She could be, it was the last week before Christmas vacation. I trudged through the snow, about thirty minutes away, and had forty to get there.

I tried to use my spells to hurry myself along, but all it did was make me colder. My tea had gone cold and all I had was my scarf, tuke, and gloves concealing my heat. I heard a car behind me and moved off to the side. I could hear it slowing, fearing it was the Argents and praying it was Stiles. I didn't look back, I waited for them to pull up beside me. They were coming up close, I looked beside me and saw Stiles and Scott.

"Wanna a lift?" asked Scott. I smiled and graciously answered,

"OH yes. Freezing out here." They stopped and open up the door. I jumped in the back and groaned. Beside me was Isaac. I couldn't tell if he was happy to see me or not. I looked up \t Stiles through the rear-view mirror. He seemed to read my mind

"Yeah, he asked for a lift." He says and starts driving again. I shrug and look over at him. Isaac is staring at me, curious. I nod at him, he just smugly smiles. I turn back to Scott and Stiles,

"So, you guys going to Lydia's Christmas party Friday?" I ask. She asked me about it late last night when I returned back home from Stiles'. I told her I would go. Scott and Stiles look at one another and shrug,

"Probably, you?" asks Stiles. I nod,

"Oh yes. I don't think I have a choice in the matter." I say with a smile. As the drive goes on, I notice that there is snow starting to fall again. And just as it starts to pick up, we arrive at school. Scott and Stiles exit the car, and I follow. I stare at the school like everyone else around me. The snow was covering it, from top to bottom. No one seemed to care that we had school, and there was a good crowd. I hear a whistle behind me and turn. There is Mr. Finstock, the coach, with shovels,

"Boys and girls," he says in a clear voice, "well, mainly boys, it is time to shovel." He throws a shovel at Stiles, who fumbles to get it. He drops all his books, and scrambles to get everything. I bend down to help, knowing all the guys will be staring at me.

"Well, chop chop to it boys." He claps and I grab Stiles' books. I stand up and hand them to him,

"have fun!" I say, teasing. He huffs and begins to shovel. The girls make their way through the high snow inside the school. Thankfully they heated it and the doors were not frozen. This was going to be fun.