Secrets of the Starnik

Chapter 13: Stupidity

Stepping into their temporary camp, Craig, Stephanie and a few others walked in on the site that was nothing. Nobody was around, not a sound. It was sunset, where was everyone? It wasn't until Stephanie stepped into a puddle of crimson red liquid that she wanted to retch. Sure she knew who these people were and what the Starnik wanted to do with them. But it was different to see it first hand. Once again, sure she was guaranteed her safety in this as long as she helped the Starnik; she was still terrified to be in this tense place. It was clear what had happened here, their may not have been any bodies, but the scraps in the dirt, arrows, bullet shells and blood all added together, the summery was clear. Craig clenched his fist and a deep growl emitted out the pits of his stomach. The large vein in his right arm tensed. "Sir, what happens now?" One of the five men remaining asked behind him.

"We go to the site, we set up and we wait. We've got everything to lose, so move out."

Aria never spoke a word after she made her decision; Scott never said a word and silently cried to himself away from the others for letting his daughter down. Things were tense, the only different emotion around came from Myka, she was happy and smug; finally she was getting what she wants. Sure, she could have said the blood came from a caribou they were hunting, but no, she had an opportunity to keep the human away once and for all. They washed, cleansing their bodies and freeing it of the wet and dried blood deep in their pelts and skin. Scott had let Aria down, what life could she possibly have in this family? One of fighting, killing, lies, responsibility to wolf and human kind. It wasn't a life he or Rosie wanted for Myka, but she didn't want it any other way, she wanted a family whether she killed or not. Aria, she was too young, she wouldn't understand, this wasn't what he wanted for her.

She packed her things, and after Scott washed he was already communing with Tony and Skye with his mind on a favour he needed. A flight back to London, the next available one and now, he'd pay him back somehow. They agreed, and couldn't help but offer their sympathies that it didn't work out. Of course, Scott didn't give them the full story, if he told them the Ditori were making a move they'd want in, he didn't want them in danger again. He simply told them she wasn't enjoying it here, that she found out what they had done in the past, e.g. the killing. They understood.

Aria however, she couldn't look at any of them again. They were murderers, her family were killers. The great, powerful Starnik were killers! She thought they wanted peace? That they wanted humans and wolves to live in peace. Yet here they are, killing humans. Why? What did they get from the numerous killings? Why did they do it? Did they have a reason? Even if they did, it still wasn't right. To be honest, she thought they should all be in prison or someplace. No matter who they were, even the great Starnik needs to obey the laws. They have no right to avoid these things. She was sick to her stomach the thirty minutes she packed and sat in the den waiting for Tony to collect her. Her father, a murderer, her half sister, who apparently never liked her, a killer just like him. Was he going to make her the same? Did he want her to be like him and Myka? A killer too. She didn't want that, she just wanted to go home and forget of her father. From this point on, she had no father.

It was dark when Tony appeared in the flash of white and green along with the sound of lightening. Myka, wanting to add more to this, approached her human uncle and leapt up onto his chest for an embrace. He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry to hear about all this." Myka only smirked as he looked away from him.

"It's ok; this isn't a life she's used to. It's been too hard on the poor girl."

"I can't see why." He chuckled lightly. She hopped down and continued her saddened face. Scott then walked towards him and shook his hand.

"Thanks for this buddy." He smiled as strongly as he could, it wasn't very. "I'll pay you back somehow."

"Don't worry about it. We're friends; it's the least I could do." Tony replied as he pulled his hand away. Scott turned to face the den so he could call out.

"Aria, he's here." She came barrelling out with no desire to stop. She had a look on her face that showed she didn't care; she didn't care for any of them. She wanted to leave and leave now. This trip had been such a let down. She came in hopes of meeting her father, from what her mother said a great, honest and loving man. What bullshit, it was a cover up. She carried her rucksack in her hand, practically dragging it behind her. He walked to her and opened his arms for her; she simply weaved around him and towards Tony. "Aria please…" He pleaded as he turned to face her. "Just listen." She sighed, dropped her bag and turned to face him.

"Why should I listen to anything you have to say?!" She yelled. "You're a liar. All of you!" She looked to the rest of the family standing behind him a little way, Rosie who stood to his left and Myka who stood on his right. "You're murderers." Scott could only hang his head at the words coming from her mouth. He wanted to tell her the whole story, but she wouldn't understand and she'd only be in danger the more she knew. "Yeah, that's what I think." Her eyes began to glow from the anger developing in her. She was mad at him for letting her down, for lying. She didn't want to see him again after this day. She leaned back down to pick up her bag when Scott built the courage to step towards her.

"Just, let me hold you one last time." He asked of her. "Please, just once." As reluctant as she was, and even if it meant anything to him, it wouldn't mean anything to her, so she stepped towards him and dropped her bag again. She did nothing, she only let him put his hands on her shoulders and kiss her forehead and whisper. "I do love you Aria, whether you believe it or not. I love you so much." She only rolled her eyes, thinking "Whatever." Before he let go of her. While she could and before anyone had anything else to say, she bent back down to pick up her bag that lay at Myka's paws. But as her hand passed her, she left her hand acting as a magnet as it passed down her front. She stopped as her hand was in front of her stomach and above the handle of her bag. She felt something, she felt a presence, a warm presence and colours, she heard whispers, she heard a drums gentle beat.

"What are you doing?" Myka asked a little hotly. Aria shook her head to clear them, before going all the way down and taking hold of her bag.

"I guess I should say congratulations." She exhaled loudly while standing back up and slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"What?" Myka scowled. "What did you say to me?"

"I don't care who they are, I'm not visiting them." Aria answered as she started walking back towards Tony. Myka looked down at her stomach, was there something on them? "I want out in this life, so don't make them any part of my life." She stood to Tony's side and looked back to her. What was Aria seeing that she wasn't? It was then a daunting, yet, incredible realisation swung into her eyes as she gazed down at her stomach.

"I'm pregnant?" She looked up to Aria; she didn't move or say anything. She whirled around and faced her mate that stood behind her. "Jack, I'm pregnant!" He was lost for words, and they embraced one another. Lupa looked to Aria, how? How could she know that when Myka didn't even know when she was the pregnant one? She had a theory. As did Chance but to a completely different topic which she'd ponder over some other time. Aria looked up to Tony.

"Can we go now please?" She asked politely. He nodded and put an arm around her shoulder.

"We've got to make a quick stop on the way."

Scott and Aria looked one another in the eye for a split second before Tony smacked the stone in his hand against the rock beside him and together he and Aria vanished, allowing Scott to change and finally let his tears fall. While Rosie comforted him, Jack and Myka were letting their tears of joy fall. Scott was a let down; he was a dead beat dad, a sorry excuse for one. Myka and Jack continued to hold one another; finally they were going to have a family.

"How could she know that?" Dakota wondered. "As amazing as this is, how could she know you're pregnant if you're not even having morning sickness yet?"

"I don't know." Myka grinned. "I don't care either, I really don't care." She was too over the moon to think about anything.

"I think I know." Lupa added while stepping to them. "The Phoenix is a symbol or rebirth and life; I guess sensing new life is another one of her powers."

Meanwhile, Scott was crying into his paws as he laid on his front. He couldn't believe what he had done, he had let down one of two pieces of him on this earth, and he wasn't going to see it again. She didn't know where she lived; she wasn't going to see her again. "Scott, it's ok, she'll understand." Rosie said softly by his side.

"She won't." He cried. "She hates us all; she will never want to see us again. You heard what she said; she doesn't want to be a part of us anymore."

"Scott…" Chance said after a small cough while approaching. "I'm sorry but we can't stay long, we need to go before they start."

"Chance, we going to have to…" Rosie never got a chance to finish. Scott sniffed and wiped his cheek while getting up.

"No, she's right." He replied. "Thank you Chance, you're right. We need to go, we can't hang around." As much as she was against it, Rosie knew they couldn't hang around for long. They still needed to find this Charlie girl before the Ditori and stop them in the process. Myka bounded towards her father and crashed into him, he still had to be happy for her.

"Dad this is amazing isn't it?!" She squealed in delight. He couldn't help but chuckle as he wrapped his paws around her.

"It certainly is baby girl, congratulations." She swapped with her mother as Scott shared his congratulations with Jack, but as Myka began to move away from her mother, Rosie had to object to something.

"Myka, you need to stay here this time." Instantly, her face dropped.

"What? No, no way. I'm coming with you."

"She's right sis." Dakota added. "It's not safe for you or the little ones, you need to stay here."

"And I agree with that." Lupa stepped beside him.

"Listen, I killed Sam, if he's coming back then I want to see his sorry ass back to hell again." She retaliated. "I'm going, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

A little while later, Tony, Skye and Aria appeared in Kalispell airport. Of course, people stared and gasped at the sight of the three people suddenly appearing in the light and sound the stone Tony had made. Even if the world knew of Supernaturals, it was still an incredible ting to see, and it took a while for people to continuing going down the airport. Aria didn't stop for anything; she took the ticket in Tony's hand and seeing as she knew where to go, and wanted to just go home, she was already walking when Skye called to her. "Aria wait." She wasn't impressed and turned back to face them with an impatient expression.

"If you're going to stand up for him, don't bother. I don't want to hear it."

"Scott's a good man." Tony told her. "He would want nothing but happiness from you."

"So he kept the truth from me." The two adults shared a look. "Yeah, he told me everything, and I guess as his best friends you either knew about it or didn't."

"We know." Skye nodded. "But it's not the reason you think."

"I don't care, it's not right and not what my father would do." She started walking backwards. "Thanks for the help." She then turned around and started walking towards the check-in, eager to just get home.

It was also in this time, just a different place, that Lupa and Rosie jumped to the home of the witch the Ditori wanted. It was your everyday apartment complex, Lupa simply memorised her face enough to track her through the mental mind map she could create and tracked her here. The same way she found Myka when she resurrected them, and the single the witch gave off led them here. It was night, so with any luck she'd be asleep or getting ready for it. "Which floor honey?" Rosie asked. Lupa took her paw and the two faded, only moments later to reappear where Lupa sensed that signals strongest presence. A large apartment living room, neat and tidy. The funny thing is...the lights were off and on the wooden coffee table in the middle of the room and before the couch, a Wiccan pentagram with five white candles on each point sat on it. Taking a closer look at the candles and by how much wet wax lay around them, it was clear they had been lit for some time. Lupa scanned with her radar again, her presence was here but the woman wasn't. There wasn't anyone in this room.

"Did they take her?" She questioned.

"It's too clean." Rosie shook her head. "If they did then she went willingly. She didn't fight them."

"You think maybe she was practicing the spell? It looks an awful lot like Dakota said with the star."

"Maybe, come on, let's get home."

Things were discussed, thoughts and final retaliations were shared and plans were developed before the family all left to do what needed to be done. They had to get their head in the game, they had to be ready for anything, Scott couldn't, he couldn't focus. "Do you think she got on the flight ok?" He asked to his mate literally as soon as they landed. "Do you think she'll be ok?"

"Now Scott? We'll talk about this later." She whispered. He nodded, he couldn't be thinking about these things right now. He took an arrow from his quiver and strung it as all seven of them crept towards the hedges. It was dark, pitch black, so why was there orange light coming from over the next set of hedges? They looked over, passed and through them, they were too late.

That witch, sat on her heels on the floor in the centre of the Wiccan Star, speaking aloud in rhymes and riddles while leaning back and forth. Each point of the star had a small fire lighted on them, giving off the light they needed. If she was here, so was the Ditori. But where were they? They looked around; they weren't anywhere to be seen. In the shadows, in the trees, no, they weren't.

"Baby, do you mind." Dakota nudged his mate, and she nodded before straining her eyes to full effect. She didn't see anything, they weren't here either. But surely, if she was here then they had to be too.

"I can't see them." She answered after a moment. "Maybe they've left her for a moment."

"And leave their only chance unprotected?" Jack muttered. "Unlikely."

"Perhaps she needed to be alone for this part of the spell." Myka suggested.

"If so we need to move now." Scott clipped in the arrow. "Let go." As quickly as a flash, they all leapt out from behind the bushes, growling, snarling and drawing back the arrow. "Get up and shut up!" Scott ordered as they moved in towards her. She didn't look at them, she didn't say anything, she continued speaking that same rhyme over and over again, and now they could hear what she was saying.

"From where they came, for now and forever, use these words and take her power." She said these words great and loud over and over again, what did they mean, how was this a summoning spell.

"We said stop!" Rosie snarled, she still didn't move. Suddenly, and over her talking, flares fired high into the sky and illuminated more of the dark forest, quickly followed by Frisbee like projectiles that spewed out a liquid. It covered everything under them. Dakota licked a drop that landed on his muzzle and tasted it.

"It's… it tastes like oil?" Charlie continued to speak the rhymes, it had to stop. Scott moved in to stop her by force, but then a creaking noise poised him to shoot in the direction of a bush…falling? Wrong, it was a metal pallet, covered in leaves and paints, a clever camouflage. It was aluminium lined, something Chance's X-ray or even hospital X-ray couldn't see through. Craig, Stephanie and one other stepped from behind it, all but the woman holding a weapon towards them. Quickly, it was followed by five others pushing over two more separate pallets and bearing them down with more weapons. This was the last of the Ditori, this was their last stand.

Scott now had a new target in sight, the leader. "What a pleasure Starnik." Craig voiced to them. "I've never had the privilege before."

"I've got the three to the right." Myka whispered.

"I can take Stephanie." Dakota added.

"The two on the left are mine." Rosie growled.

"Well no you get that honour." Dakota made his move, he went in for Stephanie, but something devastating happened. He didn't move anywhere. He tried again, nothing happened, not even his eyes flashed.

"Scott, I can't jump." He panicked.

"What?" He asked in disbelief while keeping his eye on the leader before him. Myka waved her paw in the direction of the three to her right, once again, nothing happened.

"Dad, I can't do anything." This was bad, even Scott tried to thrown them all back at once, they had lost their powers. Craig and his fellow men only began to laugh. He removed from his pocket a test tube gloopy, brown liquid.

"Meet Serum 138." He said and waving it around. "The newer and stronger baby sister of Serum 76. Put simply, the liquid on Sam's gun." Scott growled angrily, they were fooled again, but how was this possible? "Put the toy down." He had no choice. Myka couldn't believe the trap they had fallen into; her pups were in danger, so she couldn't blame how close Jack was pressed again her. She jumped when suddenly that witch was standing next to her and looking intently into her eyes. Jack repositioned himself and snarled aggressively at her, readying to lash out if need be. She only stood there, speaking those same words while keeping her piercing gaze locked on her.

""From where they came, for now and forever, use these words and take her power." Quickly, Myka caught onto what she had planned, but before she could react, she slipped as her legs turned to jelly. Charlie took a deep breath as she felt a rush of great and powerful energy flow her and Myka had it drained from her. This didn't last long, and soon she stopped talking and walking back to the centre of the circle.

"I'm ready." She said to Craig.

"Then start." He ordered. She nodded and sat back on her heels again in the middle of the star to repeat a different spell good and loud.

Myka picked herself back up, seething as she tried to get over the stinging over her body. "Honey, what happened? What did she do to you?" Jack asked worryingly as he helped her up.

"She took my Wicca." She answered with a groan.

"What? Why?" Lupa gasped at the fear of what she could do with that power.

"I'm the only one strong enough to bring back the dead, so she took my strength and is channelling it right now. She has the power, she can bring back Sam."

Meanwhile, Aria sat back in her chair after sliding her bag into the over head slot. She buckled her seatbelt and leaned again the window and watched the men prepare the plane. It was a big one, a massive commercial airplane. An eight hour flight awaited her, she was glad she'd probably fall back to sleep. It was late, getting into the early hours of the morning; she'd be home by just before mid-day tomorrow, including the drive as well. She was eager to get home; there was nothing for her here. She wanted her mother, she wanted her grandfather. She wanted the horse she had, her dancing, her friends, she wanted England and to forget this foreign country that was America. She was happy, she wanted and was going to be happy once she got home and was once again in the arms of her mother.

She had already thought of an excuse to her journey. She looked for the entire time; she wondered the streets of Kalispell, staying in that hotel her family had booked for her before she even came here. She searched the surrounding villages; she found a few friends of his but haven't seen him since. All in all, her verdict was that she never found him. She already promised herself that she wasn't going to think about him or ask about him ever again, even if he turned up on her doorstep. She wanted to sleep, it was the only way this journey would become shorter. So she smacked her lips, turned to face the window a little more and looked at her reflection for a moment, and even the wolf's sitting behind her… Wait…huh?

She looked to the seat behind her a black and white wolf sat behind her. How? How could a wolf be on here? She looked to the people sat in the seat on the other side of the aisle; the lady saw her and simply smiled, like the wolf wasn't even there. "How are you…?"

"Only you can see me Aria." He said. "My name is Shadow." He answered. "Sarah asked me to come and talk to you."

"Sarah, as in my supposed spirit guide?" She asked and once again unimpressed that this murderous side of the family was still following her. "So you're dead to?"

"Sadly, I am." He chuckled. "But I'm also here to help you."

"Help me how? I don't need any help; I can get home by myself." She replied gruffly. Shadow needed a new approach; he hadn't dealt with anyone like this since Lupa was young and rebellious.

"Listen." He whispered and taking a new approach. "Your step-mother, Rosie, she is the love of my life, and Dakota and Lupa are my everything." She looked back at him; he was now getting her interest. "They are my children and mate, before I died; I wanted to protect them from everything, much like what Scott wants for you, to protect you."

"Who's Scott?" She asked sarcastically. "I don't know anyone by that name."

"You know, I sometimes wonder that myself." He nearly laughed. "But honestly, your father and sister have done what they did for all of you."

"For me? Please." She scoffed and fully turned to face him again and readying her comebacks. "My sister hates me, their both murderers as are the rest of them. They're all wolves and my dad is one. I don't belong in that family; it's not what I do." He listened inattentively; he didn't want her to stop because of him. He wanted her to let it all out. "They track, they howl, they hunt when I can't even look at a heart. I can't use my powers like dad and Myka can and I…"

"You said "dad"." He stopped her there; a key point had just been made. "There's a part of you that still thinks of him as a father." She thought she had her comebacks ready, but as she opened her mouth nothing came out. Quickly, he waved his paw slowly across her face and afterwards he stared at his pads as if something was written on them. "Your greatest fear is being a disappointment to your father."

"No it's not!" She shouted, to everyone around her that heard, into thin air. She realised this and quickly quietened down. "It's not."

"But it is." He nodded as she brought his paw back down. "I can tell, no matter how buried it is, it's still there." Once again, she had no come back. She leaned back in her chair and exhaled loudly while she fumbled with her thumbs.

"I dreamed for so long of meeting my father." She said a little more calmly. "I grew up learning that he was a great, caring and loving man my mother once loved." Once again Shadow listened in keenly. "I wanted to meet him, when I started hearing the voices and moving things without touching them as well as growing too quickly, it was the right time. My family wanted answers that maybe my dad could give, so I came to find him in those hopes." Her voice then turned a little more disappointed and angered. "But now I find they're all killers. That probably right now there are a group of people lying in a pool of their own blood, innocent people." Shadow lifted his paw again and started moving it to her forehead.

"I want to show you something." He said. "May I?" She looked at his paw, reluctant.

"Nothing is going to change my mind you know."

"Maybe this will." He then placed it on her head, and quickly her eyes were weighed down and she began to see things on the back of her eye lids. Her father and step-mother, her siblings, both half and step, all of them, and the reasons they fought. She saw men and women, hunting, killing and torturing wolves and the occasional human in cold blood and in gruesome and horrid ways. But it was how her family fought them to defend their kind and to make the world as it was. She didn't know, these "Ditori", these people, they were the cold blooded killers, not her family. Her family fought to defend the world as it is now; they fought because they had no choice. She watched as Scott and Rosie were taken all those years ago by these people and massacred some pack, pups and all. They started it; they were the ones who started a war, not them. The Starnik were innocent, they had no choice but to kill. They were innocent!

She opened her eyes just as Shadow pulled his paw away; she blinked rapidly to try and get over what she just saw and heard. It was like years of knowledge and memories just flashed before her very eyes. "Now you will understand why they do what they must."

"Oh my god." She brought a cupped hand to her mouth as her eyes started to water. "That happened to them?" He nodded a single time.

"They love you so much Aria, they want you to be in their lives, especially Scott." But she shook her head.

"How?" She asked. "I can't do the things they do; I can't use my powers like they can. I can't hunt, I can't do anything right. Myka hates me; she told me herself that she never liked me when in true honesty I loved her like a sister the moment we met. Heck, I can't even look at a dead deer." He could now see that she was getting upset, it made him think back to the times Lupa was in a state like this and he was there to comfort her.

"I think I can tell you something." He shuffled a little closer to her. "You might not think it, but your family need you know more then anything."

"Why would they need me?" Once again, she suddenly felt her eye lids weighed down, and before her very eyes and as if she was really there, she found she was standing in a clearing, a woman chanting on the floor, men standing around with weapons and aiming weapons at… She opened her eyes again; her heart beat rapidly as she feared what she saw. "What was…?"

"That was them." Shadow answered. "That is happening right now." Her eyes widened. "Those people, they're not done with the world yet, they still want to make it a world they think should be. You must help them Aria."

"Me? What can I do?" She looked out the window as the plane quickly jolted and the engines started to grow louder.

"You can do anything to change the playing field." He answered. "You are the one thing the Ditori didn't think of. You are the secret of the Starnik, you're their secret weapon. You have the power to save them." She looked out the window again; the bridge connected to the plane door was starting to move away. He father, her sister, they were in danger. The answer to her questions was in jeopardy, they were going to die! Unless she did something. "Only you can save them Aria." Shadow added. She looked back down to him as the airplane's engines started to grow louder. "It's now or never, what's your choice?"

They aren't going to be many chapters to this story left guys. I'm sorry, but i couldn't think of anything to further extend it, other then something that doesn't make much sense and would make it completely random and not fit in with the story. However, the next, and i'm series when i say last, series to my Starnik Series will be out shortly after this one.

Anyways, being the Starnik's secret weapon, will Aria choose to go home or save her family? Will she get there in time if she chooses to? Charlie, does she understand what she's doing? Does she know who she's going against. Now with Myka's added Wiccan strength, she has to power do do anything Myka could. Now she can resurrect Sam. Will she be stopped? Review and Read on to find out.

On another thing, for those that don't really know, i like to make a list of people to thank in the Authors Note, so if you want me to put your name down, leave a review so then i can thank you so much for reading my Series. Until Next Time. :D

The FalconWolf