Allspice (Pimenta officinalis)

Allspice berries make wonderful additions to herbal blends for money and prosperity and any focusing on increasing energy, love, healing, and luck.

My body ached from the constant barrage of punches. Each hit waring my defense down. Until finally a swift blow to my gut sent me tumbling to the floor. Gasping, my lungs refused to take in any more air. I stayed on the matted floor breathless, sore and covered in a thin layer of sweat. My opponent grinning down at me as she approached.

I stayed perfectly still as she crouched beside me. Stands of coal coloured hair tickling my cheeks as she lent closer. Before she could gloat once more I swung my lower body to the side and kicked her legs out from under her. With a triumphant cheer I propelled myself upwards and pinned the teen to the mat before she had time to react.

Chestnut eyes glinted up at me as rough lips pressed against mine. Wide eyed I stared back at her. I hadn't expected that particular form of attack. It didn't take long for Sarah to realise I wasn't returning her heated kiss. Wrenching her entire body away from mine she frowned up at me.

"I thought, I thought you, you were?" Her mumbled words barely reached my ears.

"Gay?" I queried. The words jumping from my mouth before I'd even thought about them. Sarah recoiled at the word. Clearly she wasn't feeling too confident about labelling whatever she had thought. Her hackles rose as she shoved me off of her.

"No, well yes but I thought you, well I thought you liked me," she bit back.

I didn't move from my crouched position on the floor. I honestly didn't know how to respond. I had flirted, kissed and occasionally dated multiple guys but I'd never really entertained the thought of being intimate with another girl. Looking back it would have been an amazing way to shake up my mum's outdated image of the perfect family. Well that was before dad left. I guess that wouldn't have been the best reasoning to start a relationship. Though I had done a lot worse to people for a lot less.

By the time I'd finished contemplating my poor life choices, Sarah had left. The gym door swinging violently behind her. Perhaps I took too long to reply or maybe she was just embarrassed by her misinterpretation. Whatever her reason for walking out on me, she stood by it for the rest of the summer. Which was a shame. Sarah had been the one thing keeping me sane in this sleepy little town near the Canadian border.

Why was I so far from home you ask? Well you can thank my mother for that. After Matt's death she had found my moods troubling. As if mourning my friend was a completely abnormal thing to do. At first I'd been surprised by her suggestion to visit dad at his family home in Maine. Though It had all become clear once Josh and I over hear her talking to her editor about a new book tour. She was shipping us off to dads so that she could go explore Europe!

"Why are you here?" Questioned Josh as he strode into the kitchen. Clearly he had expected it to be empty. Which wasn't surprising really. I'd spent most of the summer with Sarah and Dad seemed to live at his work.

"Am I not welcome?" I replied with a heavy sigh.

Josh scoffed as he reached across me to grab the toast off my plate. "Your welcome but you haven't really made an effort this holiday have you?"

"Holiday? Is that what we're calling it now," I quipped back as I pushed the plate toward him, I hadn't really been hungry in the first place. Just looking to kill some time.

Josh ignored my reply as he asked his own question, "has this got something to do with Sarah? Yeah, I thought so. What did she finally confessed that she had a crush, oh. Oh! She did didn't she. God you're such a bitch."

"Excuse me?!"

"You are such a bitch. Don't look at me like that. You are. You just use people for your own gain. I bet you didn't even realise she liked you until she confessed. All you wanted was to learn how to fight." Josh was right. Of course he was right. I hadn't really given Sarah the time she deserved. The local girl had offered to teach me after finding my struggling in the town's old boxing gym. Which I later found out her father owned. "I thought you were getting better but I guess that's why your friends aren't talking to you either."

I didn't bother replying as he left. Nor did I bother to correct him. My friends were talking to me, I just wasn't replying. Well I'd spoken to Lydia a couple times over the past week. However, I'd been actively ignoring any messages from my hyperactive neighbour and his pet werewolf. Maybe I was a bitch.

The last week of the summer passed by without much drama. Sarah was still avoiding me and had even asked me to stop visiting the gym via a very brief text message. We had only seen dad for the short drive to the airport and he had seemed far too happy to wave us off.

Obviously things were never going to stay quiet once we were back in beacon hills. I had been pleasantly surprised to hear that Allison had also returned. Even while I was mourning Matt it had been clear to see she wasn't handling her mum's death well. Though it seemed a bit of time away had done her good.

Once Allison and I had unpacked the majority of our things Lydia had whisked the two of us out. I was happy for the random outing. But the more Lydia explained the more it sounded like I was going to be the fifth wheel on a double date.

"It is not a date. It is a group thing," insisted Lydia.

Allison didn't look impressed. "Do they know it's a group thing? 'Cause I told you that I'm not ready to get back out there."

"You were in France and didn't do any dating for four months?" Lydia looked horrified that Allison had not taken advantage of being away in Europe.

"Did you? I mean, after…" I let out a groan as Allison pried.

Jackson's name hadn't been mentioned aloud in any of our phone conversations. Nor had his sudden relocation which I had only learnt about via an unanswered message from Scott. Lydia had done well to avoid any discussion of Jackson with me but then again I never felt the need to ask. She never mentioned Matt unless I brought him up first, which had only happened once, so I was just returning the favour. That or I really was just a bitch like Josh thought and didn't care enough to ask. Though has Lydia's eyes narrowed I knew I why I'd been avoiding the topic. She wasn't over him. Not yet.

"Do not say his name," warned the redhead.

Allison wasn't fazed by Lydia's shape tone. Instead she continued to pry, "Is he okay? I mean, did everything work out?" To be completely honest I was glad she was asking.

After Escaping Gerard's I hadn't been involved with Jackson's rescue so I had no idea what had happened to the boy. I had been able to piece together some bits from messages but nothing concrete. One arm hooked around Allison's headrest, I leant forward eager to hear the petite girls reply.

"Well, the doctors looked like total idiots when he turned up alive, but everyone got over it." had they? Lydia certainly didn't sound like she had. "And yes, Derek taught him the werewolf 101, like how not to randomly kill people during a full moon."

"So then you've talked to him?" continued Allison.

"Uh," Lydia rolled her eyes and groaned. Since she had stopped at a red light she was able to turn fully. A wry smile forming on her lips as her eyes slide across the car to me. "Why are we even discussing him? You should be asking Emma about her summer fling,"

It was my turn to groan. Sinking but down into the back seat I shook my head at Lydia, "Don't start." I was now regretting telling Lydia about Sarah. The subject had only come up by chance after Lydia over hearing one of Josh's comments over the phone.

Allison twisted in her seat to face me. A toothy grin spreading across her face at the news. "You met a guy?!" Silence filled the car. Lydia began to snigger and my foot promptly kicked the back of the driver's seat. The brunette frowned as she eyed us both in confusion. Something must have clicked as she glanced back at me before asking carefully "...A girl?" That was all it took for Lydia's sniggering to turn into laughter.

"It wasn't anything, just a bit of a misunderstanding," I added. Not bothering to go into detail. Though from the look Allison as giving me I know she wanted to know more.

Lydia opened her mouth to reply but stopped as Allison began to sink down into her seat. What the hell was she doing? Her hand moved up to cover her face as she shied away from the window behind Lydia. Peering over Lydia's shoulder I found myself staring into the window of a mismatching blue jeep. Great. Stiles lifted a hand to wave at us, while Scott mirrored Alison's attempts to become one with the cars upholstery. I didn't bother waving back instead I just settled back into my seat hoping Lydia wouldn't stop to chat.

My stomach churned at the thought. I happened spoken to either of the boys since the end of term and didn't really fancy starting now. I'd stopped reading their texts within the first week or so of the holidays after Scott had mentioned Allison leaving and Stiles had resorted to sending ten messages at a time. I had been honest when I told Stiles I couldn't deal with the supernatural world anymore. I had been honest when I told him I didn't want to lose another friend. I hadn't been completely honest though. I hadn't told him that I had started to think of him as more than a friend. That I was worried it would hurt even more if he was hurt or worse killed. I had hoped after a month or so away from beacon hills that notion would have dulled. It hadn't. God I was pathetic.

"Lydia just go, Please," Allison begged.

I had expected Lydia to protest. However she sped off as Stiles leant across his friend to wind down the windows of his barely functional car. Clearly Allison's quick breaths and frantic eyes had spurred her on. Reaching forward I gave the brunettes shoulder a quick squeeze as Lydia began to asking her if she was okay. It was a stupid question really, anyone with eyes would be able to see she wasn't okay. Pulling my eyes away from Allison I peered out of the rear window. I narrowed my eyes at the Jeep that was now following us. Couldn't those idiots have waited a couple minutes before setting off. Now it just looked like they were following us and that was surely going to set the Brunette off again!

Then as if they had been struck with the same thought, the car stopped. It's headlights bounce lightly as the brakes jerked it to a definitive holt. The two beams of like hoarding out of the darkness like a pair of eyes. What the hell where they up to?

"They stopped," I informed the girls.

Allison's head whipped around to stare at the pair of lone headlights in the centre of the road. "Why would they stop?"

"It's Stiles and Scott. Do you really wanna try applying logic to those two?" Lydia quipped.

"Maybe we should go back?" Allison asked uneasily. Sure going back to see if they needed help would be the right thing to do but did she actually what to face them right now? From the way her brows where furrowing I doubted she was keen on the idea. Even so Lydia slowed the car to a standstill.

And we waited. Our eyes glued to the dark blue silhouette that sat in the middle of the road, waiting for the boys to do something. Anything.

Glass shattered. Followed by a series of screams. Dark lifeless eyes stared blankly up at us, as the limp corpse of a stag slumped onto the dashboard. Death. It would seem that was all beacon hills had to offer. Well that and teenage werewolves, who always seem to be there to save the day.

"Are you okay?" Said werewolf launched himself toward Allison.

His hands cupping her shoulders gently as he tried to pull her attention away from the dead creature. We had all scrambled out of the car and raced to stand behind the boot, as if the deer might attack if we got to close. A heavy pressure hung in the air as we huddled together. Just us and the bleeding corpse. It always had to be us. The roads were empty and had been during our entire road trip, so why did the beast only run out when we appeared. It was as if it were waiting for the only two vehicles of the evening before appearing. Stupid animal.

Thick tufts of fur twisted around what little was left of Lydia's windscreen. The razor sharp shards cutting deep into the animal's neck. Blood oozing from the open gashes. I hope it died quickly. I hadn't been lying when I told Stiles I knew what it was like to die. I had technically died the night I was attacked in the woods. And it wasn't quick nor had it been peaceful.

I couldn't pry my gaze away from the motionless animal even as Lydia mumbled to herself. "It came out of nowhere. In ran straight into us"

Stiles reached us moments after and edged his way between me and Lydia. Eyes wide and mouth opened, he fumbled for the right words. His body twisting and his gaze flitting between us. Moving in a way of only Stiles could. The stillness that had encased us shattered and my curiosity began to swell. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it has been running from something.

Before I could delve deeper into my thoughts Stiles finally stilled and settled on a simplistic, "are you hurt?"

"We're okay," the lie rolled off my tongue with ease. My tone even and calm even though my nerves were shot.

Stepping forward in unison with Scott, I watched him reach out to touch the poor deer. Only pausing briefly was Lydia all but exploded. "Well, I'm not okay. I am totally freaking out. How the hell does it just run into us? I saw its eyes right before it hit us, It was like it... it was like it was crazy."

"No, it was scared," Scott corrected, "Actually... Terrified."

What had scared it? The question buzzed at the back of my brain for the remainder of the evening. Animals were known to predict natural disasters. Could they predict supernatural ones? Because at this point I was more likely to belief a supernatural force was on its way over something as normal as an earthquake. Very little was said as Lydia made arrangements to get her car sorted. I examined the scene again. Taking a few quick photos out of habit. While, Allison shooed her ex and his best friend off. She didn't like the idea of her father and Scott running into each other this soon. Much to my surprise the boys hadn't put up much resistance. After that the three of us fell into a morbid silence. We didn't speak until Mr Argent came to ferry us all home. Even then it had only been a few quick goodbyes and polite thank yous.

Once I was home I toyed with my notebook, which had almost doubled in size thanks to the argents bestiary and had various torn pages hanging haphazardly from it. Lydia had spent a few weeks of her summer translating the remaining pages for me. It would be easy to search it. I shook my head. Shoving the book back into my bag I fell back onto my bed with a groan. Why was I even thinking about it! It had been one spooked deer. There was nothing suggesting anything supernatural had occurred. No this was just some fluke accident. Nothing strange. Nothing occult about it. Or at least that was what I told myself.

Despite trying to settle, my thoughts kept returning to the bizarre events. I had barely slept. Even now as the sun fought its way through my blinds, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it all. I spent the early hours of the morning fussing about my room. Trying and failing miserably to think about anything else. Anything other than the dead eyes of the deer's corpse. In the end I had dragged myself into school early just for a change of scenery.

I'd chosen to busy myself in the newsroom. Which seemed eerily quiet now that Audrey had graduated and Matt had... gone. I managed to waste a good hour or so organising old photos and arranging articles that had never been printed before being interrupted. A well-dressed woman strode into the room. Her heels announcing her arrival as they clicked against the worn wooden flooring. Despite looking quite young, she was clearly a teacher. Her well-groomed hair falling just over her blouses collar as she paused and gazed around the room. She looked lost.

"Can I help you?" I asked from behind the desk. I had considered ignoring her and seeing if she would just leave. But this was a new year and the last thing I needed was another member of the faculty hating me.

She looked up. Her eyes widening as if she hadn't noticed my presence. "Oh sorry I must have taken a wrong turn. I didn't expect anyone to be in this early. Are you on the newspaper?" her words rolled off her tongue in such an eloquent manner. Each word oozing with the well-spoken tone of a scholar. It was instantly clear that she was not like the other teachers, who seemed to have been scraped from the bottom of the barrel. With their endless snark and clear dislike of their pupils.

"I was."

"Past tense?"

I shrugged back half-heartedly as I replied, "Well hard to be part of a paper if there isn't one." I had been upset, no that's not the right word, I had been annoyed when I had found out the paper was being stopped. I knew I wasn't thought very highly of by the staff but I had thought at least one of them would keep the club going. Even if it was just for the younger students who had been finding their feet. "Audrey, The editor, left and without her the old staff sponsor backed out. Didn't want the extra work," I added after seeing her confused looked. Yes she was definitely new.

"Yet you're still here." It was a statement not a question.

She had pinned me with a curious look. It was almost as if she was remembering something. I fidgeted under her gaze. Not bothering to answer her. Instead I returned to tidying the images that I had spread out on the desk in front of me. As I reached for one of the furthest photographs it was plucked the desk. My eyes snapped up. She was inspecting the image closely, which one had it been? I prayed to whichever deity would listen that it hadn't been of Scott. I was running out of excuses to explain the lens flare that occurred in every picture.

Finally she spoke, "you took these?" I nodded carefully. My palm turning clammy as I tried to remember which image had been in the furthest corner of the desk. Oh god, what if it was one of the Scott with his fangs out! That was going to be hard to explain. A light filled her eyes as she brought them up to meet mine. She looked like she had finally remembered what ever had been evading her. "I assume you're Emma King." She knew me? "I've heard lots about you in the Staff room." I almost laughed out loud at the comment. I didn't want to think about the things that some of the staff might say about me.

She left pretty swiftly after that. It wasn't until English that I found out who exactly she was. I had purposefully sat away from Lydia this lesson knowing that Stiles would be drawn to sit with her. Lydia had spent the first few moments of the lesson glaring back at me from her spot near the window. She only stopped when her phone chimed. Well when all our phones chimed, buzzed or flashed. Each one of us receiving the same message from a mystery number. "'An overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.' This is the last line to the first book we are going to read. It is also the last text you will receive in this class. Phones off, everyone." The young woman I had met this morning strolled into the room. Her head held high and her heels beating rhythmically with each steady step. I had been right about Ms. Blake, she took her role as an educator seriously.

As the lesson began I sunk down in my seat. Stiles had tried to catch my eye a couples times, eager to include me in his conversation with Lydia. I had successful blanked him and after a few unanswered notes he seemed to get the hint. Instead I tried to listen to Ms Blake's lecture but found my mind drifting back to the dead deer. I couldn't shake the ominous feeling that had been swelling in my stomach all morning. Something bad was going to happen. I don't know why I felt that way but I did. Trying one last time to shake the heavy cloud, I shifted my eyes to the window. Letting them follow the trees lazy movements in the wind. Calm. Tranquil. Screams?

My entire body shot upward as the dark body of bird slammed into the glass paneling that run along the side of the classroom. Blood smeared the clear material as the creature fell backwards to its death. Another propelled itself into the window and another and another. Until the majority of the flock had crashed into the side of the school. With each one deep cracks began to fork their way across the panel. Finally the window gave way and all hell broke loose. Black feathered projectiles launched themselves into the classroom. Swooping down in a frantic whirl of beaks and talons.

"Get down, everyone! Get down, down. Get down! Get down!" Ms Blake's sudden orders seemed to snap most of us out of our daze.

Diving down we huddled under the desks. Some were trembling. Some crying. Ever the hero, Allison had found her way to the desk in front of me and was pulling others down to join her. While Stiles had thrown himself over Lydia, who had been one of the closest to the smashed window. Me? I was cowering under my desk armed with just my camera. I had taken a few shots before the windows had broken but know I couldn't bring myself to move from my hiding place. Then as quickly as it had all started it stopped. An unnatural stillness filling the room.

What the hell had just happened!

"You okay?" a hand waved in front of me. Pulling myself up, I eyed the room. The Sheriff had arrived with a few deputies and was that Mr. Argent I spied in the corner with Allison. Most the students were up and moving. Some had cuts on their faces but most people seemed to have gotten through the event unscathed. I couldn't stop myself flinching as he plucked a dark feather from my hair. "Uh, sorry, just... that. You have any theories?"

Blinking back I parroted dumbly, "theories?"

"Well the deer, these birds. You usually have some sort of idea what's going on," He replied quickly. His eyes darting from side to side as if her were worried about who might be listening.

"I told you I didn't want anything to do with this."

Stiles looked horrified by my answer. His face twisted from disbelief to amusement until it finally settled on understanding. Had he only just realised why I had been avoiding his messages? Had he just thought I was too busy enjoying my holiday to reply? "But you can't-" he began.

"I meant it Stiles," I told him firmly. Leaving him to deal with the aftermath.

The problem was even if I didn't want anything to do with it, the supernatural just seemed to keep pulling me in. I caved once I was home and pulled my notebook from my bag. Skimming the scribbles for anything that might be remotely useful. I paused on a small print out I had stapled in the year before. It had a series of animal names and their associated meanings with the occult. There wasn't anything about deers but there was a whole section on black birds. It talked about ravens and crows in equal footing. Which I was happy about because even after reexamining the photos I'd taken I couldn't say which the birds had been. The sentence that worried the most was near the end. Two dark lines underlining it. I must have done that when I'd first printed the information. 'The crow and raven appear in folklore going back to early times. Sometimes, they're seen as harbingers of doom, but more often than not, they are seen as messengers.'

Harbingers of doom. Well that didn't do much to settle the growing feeling of foreboding that was building inside me.

. .

Sorry for the wait!

I've mapped out season 3a and b. I'm so excited to write about how Emma got her scars and VoidStiles!

I kinda know were season 4,5 and 6 are going but I'd love to hear peoples thoughts and ideas.