Author's note :
This is the new version of the first chapter!
Please review to tell me what you thought about it!
*Like always, english is not my first language, sorry for the mistakes.*
My name is Isabel Ashford
Home.
Hell, I never imagined that one day I would have consider the little town of Beacon Hills as my home and yet, that was what I felt when I saw the stupid sign that was welcoming the visitors into town. Welcome to Beacon Hills. It almost seemed that it was expecting me. As if, in the last two years, it stayed there for my return. It was a silly idea, I know, but still, it felt like it was the first witness of my arrival. This freaking sign had seen me leave and now it saw me come back. Turning quickly my eyes from that pathetic piece of wood, I pressed a little harder on the gas pedal. It was almost time.
The city hadn't changed, like not changed at all. So much so that it seemed that the time had stopped. The shops, the decorations and even the streets were remained exactly the same as in my memories. The florist that I loved so much was still at the same place and the seasonal flowers were still on the sidewalk. I continued my way for a few minutes before turning the car into the street where I had spent most of my teenage years.
It took me a while to find the house, but when I saw it, I know it was the one. The house had not changed at all, much like the rest of the city. Well except for my flower pots that were nowhere... The exterior walls were still of the same color and the grass always at the same height. Once the car in the driveway, I cast a quick glance at myself in the rearview mirror and sighed. Despite the years, I haven't changed that much. Certainly my hair had grew a little and my face and had lost its teenage looks, but I was still the same old Isabel Ashford. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips when I realized that Melissa would surely have a stroke when she was going to see the gold ring in my nostril ... Maybe the tattoo was going to wait a little. All I had to do was to get out of the car... It was going to be easy, right? I stayed motionless, looking at the house for a long moment before checking the time on my watch.
''Shit...'' It was almost seven p.m... I had spent fifteen minutes sitting in my car, looking at the house like a crazy woman. Come on Isabel, you can do it. I'm a stong woman and I will kick my ass. I didn't ride that long for nothing!
Without letting the fear take over, I quickly got out of the car and walked up the steps that led me to the front door. Taking a deep breath, I banged repeatedly against the door and waited... Five... Fifteen... Twenty-two seconds before the door opens on a boy with tanned skin and dark hair.
''Hey.'' I said softly before making a small smile. I will not cry... I will NOT cry.
Without understanding what was happening, I was drawn against something hard as I felt two arms that encircle me firmly. A hug... It was a hug... He was hugging me. It was so good to be finally back.
''Hey...'' He replied softly before pushing me a little and giving me his brightest smile.
He had grown up. God, he was almost two heads taller than me and he was definitely more muscular too. Since when Scott McCall played the muscular guy? Still, behind all of this, he had remained the same. He had always his sparkling look, his little smile and his hair were still slightly messy. Yeah, definitely the same guy. While I was going to open my mouth to say some stupid things surely, a movement behind Scott caught my attention.
''Oh my God!'' Exclaimed an unmistakable voice.
Stiles was in the doorway, mouth open and eyes wide. It looked like he had just seen a ghost.
''Close your mouth Stiles, you're ugly like that.'' I said before I find myself in his arms. He was now taller than me, but unlike Scott, I didn't feel like I was hugging some kind of a brick wall.
''Thank you...'' He said softly into my ear. ''For everything. Thank you.''
I closed my eyes before returning his embrace even stronger. Yep. It was good to be back home.
Once the embraces ended with no tear (thanks God), I was surprised to see the boys running to my car to get my things. Though I shouted after them that it was not important right now, they continued to do as they pleased.
''Go into the house, we got this!'' Exclaimed Scott.
Running a hand over my face, I threw them a last look before doing as I was told. As I walked into the house, I was surprised to see the number of photographs on the walls. There had to be three times more than before my departure. I continued to look at them one by one until one of them caught my attention.
''Mom always like this one.'' Commented Scott who had just entered, while I was still looking at the picture.
It was the first picture that I sent them after I left. The photo was taken at Matthew and Sara's ranch and it was the first time I rode on horseback. My smile stretched when I saw how much I looked terrified on the picture. Even today I swear that this horse was the legitimate child of Satan. A small chuckle escaped my lips while I turned to look at Scott.
''Did she keep all the photos that I sent to you?''
''Follow me.'' He said simply before heading to the kitchen.
Shrugging my shoulders slightly, I followed him into the kitchen to the refrigerator, which was struggling to appear under all the pictures. They were all there. After a few seconds I realized that none was missing. Melissa had always been a romantic. She loved romantic movies and happy families ... At that simple idea, my heart clenched so hard that I stopped breathing.
''By the way, where is she?'' I asked, trying to change my mind. ''Is she at the hospital?''
''No, she's out of town for a weekend with her new boyfriend.''
''I'm sorry..What?''
Since when Melissa was in for a romantic weekend? No, since when she had a boyfriend? This woman was married to her job! It was impossible... Right?
''Yea I know. I'm not sure, she met him at the hospital and since, he's like her new world.'' He said, opening the fridge to get out two bottles of water.
''You have to tell me everything!'' I exclaimed, accepting the bottle he handed me. ''Like... EVERY-FREAKING-THING!''
''Calm down Isa.'' Laughed Scott, taking place against the kitchen counter. ''I don't know his name! He's just an ex marine who give her flowers time to time, that's it.''
''You're telling me that you, Scott McCall, don't know a single thing about the guy your mother is fuc... Kissing!''
''She's a mom and mom don't kiss.''He replied quite seriously, which makes me smile. ''But no Isabel I don't know anything about him.''
''And Stiles and you didn't investigate?'' I think I will remember all my life the moment that Scott and Stiles learned that I had a boyfriend. They had followed him EVERYWHERE and thanks to them I found myself being single shortly after their ''investigation''... ''Don't bullshit me Scott.''
''He's telling you the truth. Scott and I didn't find a single thing about the guy.''
I turned to look at Stiles and raised an eyebrow at him. Was I supposed to believe them?
''Honestly Isa.'' Scott began, looking at me. ''Currently we have things a little more urgent than mom's love interest.''
''Urgent? Like what?''
''Eh...Well.. We have... Well...''
''School!'' Exclaimed Stiles, coming typing Scott's shoulder. ''We have so much homework with school! It's crazy!''
''Yea, school is crazy!''
I watched them for a moment before shaking my head. It was official, Scott and Stiles were crazy...
•••
I don't know where I was, but the feeling of the wind on my skin made me shiver. The house in which I found myself was in darkness and the ground beneath my bare feet were covered with dead leaves. It was so... Lonely...
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
The big bad wolf
The big bad wolf?
I quickly turned around at the sound of the voice. I had heard it so often that hear it again gave me the sensation of receiving a punch in the gut... It's not her voice... It can't be! I thought, but it sounds so like her...
''M..Mom?''
Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?
I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf.
The big bad wolf.
The big bad wolf.
Hesitantly, I began to follow the voice into the house, until I find myself in front of an old wooden door. How could she be here..?
I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf.
''Oh... But you should be scared little girl...'' Murmured a voice so low in my ear, that I want to scream.
I jerked up, my heart was pounding in my chest and my hands were clutching the blankets. It took me some time to get used to the darkness in the room before I let my breathing calm down a little. I hated that kind of dream, everything had seemed so real.
Slowly I threw a glance at the clock on the living room and sighed. Two thirty in the morning. ''Great...''I whispered, running a hand over my face. I must have fallen asleep on the sofa while Scott was in the shower... Knowing fully well that it would be completely impossible for me to sleep after that damn dream, I quickly put on my sports clothes and my running shoes that were in one of my bags at the entrance and go out for a run.
It was one of the things that had changed the most about me. Now I was some king of a ''sportswoman''. I could run five kilometers every morning and never complain and I liked punching against a sports bag. It was something that calmed me. Something that allowed me to channel my anger and my emotions.
I continued to run for a while until I start to follow a small road leading me to a forest. Where the fuck was I? I had never seen this place in my life. Turning quickly on myself, I saw a house in the distance that appeared to be relatively new. Perhaps it was some kind of a new development? When I saw that there was a semblance of a path who was leading into the forest I decided to follow it.
After a short walk I sighed. What has taken me to come here... As I turned to go back to the road, my foot got caught in a root and I fell on the ground. ''Oh fuck me.'' I said before I got up, throwing a dark look at the root.
''Oh you're so brilliant Isabel! Going for a walk at night without a flashlight! What a great idea!'' I cried before removing some dead leaves and dirt on my pants. Now my thighs were completely wet. It was perfect. Everything was so fucking perfect!
I continued to berate with myself for several minutes or at least until a tree that was a few meters away from me caught my attention. Deciding that it was finally time to stop shouting at myself for nothing, I began to move toward the tree, taking care not to repeat the scene that had just happen. Once in front of it, I was surprised to see how huge it was compared to the trees surrounding it. With a slow motion, I passed my hand over the bark until my fingers were touching something too hard and too cold the be a part of the tree.
''What the hell is that..?'' I mumbled before touching the piece of metal that had been nailed to the bark.
Pulling with all my strength, I managed to snatch the piece before quickly passed my hand over, trying to remove the tree pieces that were stay hooked. The thing was like a symbol or at least it had a particular shape. But why some kind of a symbol would be nailed to a tree in the middle of nowhere?
It is always in this kind of situation that you have need of a light... I thought, before putting the cold thing back into the pocket of my yoga pants. With my legendary luck , my new little treasure will surely be a very big beer cap...
''What are you doing here?''
At the sound of the voice, I suddenly turned to come face to face with three men each holding a gun in their hand. What the actual fuck was happening to me tonight? Did I broke a mirror in the last twenty-four hours? Seeing that the men didn't seemed to be happy to see me, I sighed.
''Can you, please, lower the guns?'' I didn't want them to shoot me and certainly not in the middle of nowhere. Honestly I was getting a little too much nervous for my liking.
''I ask you a question young lady.'' Replied a man who seemed to be the leader of the group.
The man was tall and his face was covered with a light beard. At first he seemed like a harmless man, but something in his eyes showed me that he was far more dangerous than he let show. It was the look of a man who had seen and done too many things in one lifetime. It was exactly the same as mine.
''I was taking a walk. Now, sir, can you lower your guns? Please'' I slowly raise my hands in front of me to show them that I had no desire to hurt them, and by extension, no desire to suffer myself either.
''A walk?'' He asked me as if I was crazy or stupid. Okay, maybe even both. ''A walk in the wood? At three in the morning? On a saturday night? And with the curfew on?''
Okay, maybe I was a little stupid but ... A curfew? Since when Beacon Hills had a curfew?
''I know this sound crazy. ''I started, scratching my throat with my hand.''But I've just come back from traveling and with the jet lag I couldn't sleep. So I opted for a small night run.''
It was definitely the worst lie of my life, but at least it looks credible since the three men seemed to relax a little bit as they lowered their weapons.
''You should go home kid.'' Replied one of the henchmen of the group leader. ''It's not a place for someone like you.''
A small smile tugged at my lips, but I mask it quickly when I noticed that the bearded man had it seen it. Maybe it was a bad time to be cocky... They had guns after all.
''Yeah. I'm sure you're right... Well thanks for the advice and I'll be more carefull about my midnight run.'' I replied quickly. I need to go back to Scott ...
And before they have time to say anything, I turned back and began to walk in the direction of the road. I think it was time to have a little talk with Scott about all the changes that the city had had since my absence.
Everything will be fine.
Nothing can go wrong...
''Oh... But you should be scared little girl...''
Author's note :
Thank you for reading my chapter. I would really like your opinion on what I wrote. I am open to criticism! So please, leave a review!
See you next chapter,
A.