Clove (syzygium aromaticum)

The small dried bud of the clove plant is used in cooking, baking, and magic. A sachet of rosemary, angelica, sage, three cloves, and a pinch of salt tied shut with red thread or ribbon is a good all-purpose sachet to hang above a door or in your car to turn away negativity and protect the area.

9 years earlier

Camping. Most people have vivid memories of their childhood camping trips. Filled with laughter, marshmallows and pure unfiltered childish fun. Even the King family had fond memories, or at least they did until that day.

Two young children clambered over the moss covered rocks that littered the river bank. The youngest of the pair, who was barely old enough to be in school, followed his older sister faithfully. Calling out in broken English for her to stop or slow down every couple of jumps and she did. She would stop to inspect small puddles that had gathered between the rocks and call back to her brother with encouraging praise. Her wild hair starting to tumble from the neat plait it had been forced into that morning.

All the while their father watched fondly from the river bank. Not close enough to hear their conversations but still close enough to feel secure in the knowledge that his children were safe. His world was safe. Yes as he watched on he couldn't help but think about how much he adored the tiny humans in front of him. Their high pitched laughter bounced off the river banks and echoed through the forest. A sound he would never get bored of hearing. He could only grin with excitement at the idea of watching them grow. Of spending every moment he could with them. But we all know that nothing lasts forever.

In an instant the laughter had stopped and he was on his feet. His daughter crying out to him, the distress in her voice nearly breaking his heart. Frozen in place his eyes followed her gaze. Josh! The tiny child had somehow ended up fully submerged in the flowing river. His legs kicked frantically as he tried to stay afloat. His body moved before he could even process what was happening. Wading into the water he scooped the panicked boy up into his arms. Carrying the boy back to the bank was easy, the river water barely evening reaching the waist of the grown man, but his heart continued to pound against his chest. Tiny fists clenched his jumper tightly.

"It's alright little guy," he tried to sooth the trembling mass in his arms. "let's go find Mummy, we can get into some warm clothes and maybe even have some treats before dinner. Yeah that sounds good doesn't it. Emma, come on."

Without looking back at his eldest child, he headed back to camp. If he had paused for one moment, one fraction of a second, to glance back at his daughter he would have known she wasn't following. Perhaps that half a second would have altered our story completely. But he didn't look back, he didn't know that his beloved daughter had not heard his instructions. The moment her father had plucked Josh from the water Emma had returned to her exploration. Her brother was safe and anyone who has spent more than an hour with a child knows that the attention span of a 8 year old is a fickle thing. She had been busy exploring the rock pools that had been created a further up the river when her dad had called.

Emma continued down the river bank not once wondering why her brother was no longer following. She had assumed he was playing on the shore with their dad, who had realised he was just too little to be exploring the rocks. It was only as the sun started to sink in the sky and the dusk air grew cold that she noticed something was wrong. She had not been keeping track of the time, nor did she have a watch, but she was sure they should have gone back to camp for dinner by now. As if to agree with her thoughts her stomach let out a low rumble.

Turning back she followed the river back to the shallow bank her father had been resting on. He wasn't there! She carried on a little further, maybe she had just walked further than she thought she had. No he wasn't at the next clearing either. Where was he? They wouldn't have left her, would they? With the boundless courage all small children seem to possess Emma marched up the embankment towards the rim of the forest. She was positive that she knew the way back.

She didn't though. Having started out her journey from the wrong embankment it didn't take long for the young girl to become completely turned about. She was lost. Completely and hopelessly lost. Her eyes brimming with tears, leaves tangled in her now completely freed hair and thin scratches from brambles covering her legs.

Emma knew her parents would look for her. Her mother had told her plenty of time to stay where she was if she got lost and they would find her. So she settled down on a nearby log and waited, and waited and waited. The sun was almost kissing the horizon when she finally heard voices. Adult voices. Leaping to her feet she sprinted toward them. It was a woman talking, not her mother's voice but maybe they had asked other people to help. They could have formed a search party for her. Emma had seen them do that on the news before.

However, as she ran past the last line of trees into the clearing she knew instantly that this woman was not part of a search party. Emma was captivated by the woman in front of her. She couldn't see her face yet but she knew it wouldn't be one filled with kindness. This woman scared her the same way the tigers at the zoo did. Had Emma not been a head strong 8 year old she would probably have run. But this Emma was very different to the one we know now, she was brave. She would regularly investigate noises in the dark and scare away monsters from under Josh's bed. She genuinely believed what her parents had told her and in her mind she could do anything. She could change the world if she wanted to. So when Emma saw that the woman was standing over a bloodied animal. She did what any child would. She screamed.

"Stop it!" The words filled the previously silent clearing.

The woman, Kali to us, glanced back over her shoulder. She had known the young girl was there. Her enhanced senses had warned her of the girl's presence before she even entered the clearing but she was just a lost little girl. She wasn't a threat.

"What a brave little pup," Kali cooed back at her.

Emma began to tremble. Her eyes took in the woman, the monster, before her completely. Glaring red irises. Fangs. Claws. She was something out of a nightmare but that didn't stop Emma. The brave, or stupid depending on who you ask, girl marched forward. She ignored the way her feet quaked and her heart thundered. It was only as she got closer that she realised the limp figure at Kali's feet wasn't an animal. It was a human. Another woman. Her face was covered with deep gashes. Her clothes were torn and stained a dark matron colour.

"I said stop it," Emma's voice trembled as she spoke again, "You shouldn't hurt people, it's bad. You'll end up in trouble."

"I don't think I'm the one in trouble," Kali told the child before her. The woman on the floor tried to call out but she could only let out a strangled whimper as the she-wolf struck the little girl.

Emma's entire body was lifted from the ground. The sheer force of the hit sent her into the air before she crumbled to the ground like a rag doll next to the bloodied body of the other woman. Emma cried out for help. Tears streaming down her dirtied checks as she reached forward trying to get help from the adult in front of her. It was pointless. The woman couldn't even turn her head to look at the girl fully. Kali tutted loudly as she watched her old friend try to reach out for the tiny figure but she could barely move her fingers. A twisted smile slid onto her lips as she approached the girl from behind. Creating a soundscape that would haunt Emma's dreams well into her adulthood. The sound of fallen leaves breaking under bare feet, a low growl, the snap of twigs caught under sharp claws.

Emma screamed again, a primal, fear filled scream. Kali pressed a foot into the girl's back, the loose summer dress her mother had picked for her offered little to no protection from the talon like claws that hovered above her neck.

"See Julia, I don't need to kill you. You're worthless, powerless. You can't even help this little girl."

To make her point clear she dug her claws deep into the child's flesh and pulled her foot backwards. Leaving a gruesome trail of torn skin and blood in her wake. The monster left soon after that. She didn't say anything else as she strode from the clearing and neither of her victims could talk.

The sun sunk out of sight and the moon, which Emma would later remember was full, rose into the air. An eerie ring of light encircling it. Emma's sobs finally stopped. Her tear stained face pressed into the ground as her eyes turned to the woman before her. Adults were meant to help children and Emma had seen the woman try. She had seen the slight movements in her fingers and wide eyes when the monster had struck her.

Yes adults were meant to help children but there wasn't a rule that said children couldn't help adults. Ignoring the searing pain in her shoulder she crawled forward. As she reached the woman bile filled her mouth. She looked like a monster from one of the horror films she and a friend had watched at a sleepover. But Emma knew this woman wasn't the monster. Movement brought Emma's attention to the woman's hand, she was trying to point at something. Glancing behind her Emma noticed a large tree stump it's roots twisting in and out of the ground around them.

Without further instructions Emma hooked her working arm around the woman's body as best she could before shuffling backwards on the ground. Despite the constant protest from her wounds, she only stopped when her back hit the tree stump. With her arm still wrapped around the woman she slumped into the twisted roots beside her. Her eyes heavy and her body overcome with exhaustion. Julia had eased into the tree in a similar fashion her hand curling round the root tightly as she coughed out a string of low whispers.

It didn't take long for the search teams to find them. The sound of Emma's screams had traveled through the woods and the gut wrenching noise was something many of the searchers would find hard to forget. When Emma finally regained consciousness she found herself in a hospital room. Heavy bandages encased her upper body and thin snake like wires curled around her bed.

Her mother had been by her side the moment her eyes opened. Soothing her hair and gushing about how happy she was that Emma was okay. It took Emma a few moments to figure out why she wouldn't be okay. Then it hit. The glowing red eyes, the blood and the excruciating pain. Eyes wide she couldn't stop the tears that fell.

Her father stood back. His eyes, which had heavy bags under them, never settled in one spot for long. He didn't say anything as his daughter cried. Though part of him was happy to hear a different noise to the harrowing scream that had been echoing through his mind all night. If only he had looked back and checked she was following. If only, shaking his head he left the room to inform the sheriff that his daughter was awake.

"Okay Sweetie, it's okay you're safe now. I just need you to tell the sheriff what happened," her mother whispered as she settled on the bed.

Emma glances between the adults in the room before declaring honestly, "there was a monster."

Even though it was the truth, her answer didn't seem to please her parents. Her father frowned from the doorway and her mother pinned her with a stern look. "Emma you need to tell us the truth."

"A monster did it," she repeated again with the same conviction as before.

Her mother stood from the bed her patience clearly wearing thin as she scolded her daughter, "Emma, this isn't a game."

"It's okay. Rest up. I'll come round tomorrow alright," Sheriff Stilinski finally spoke. His level voice was a welcome contrast to her mothers.

As he left her mother tutted before settling into the armchair in the corner of the room. She didn't say anything more on the issue and instead sent a dark glare at her husband, who knew from experience that this particular glare was her signal for him to help out. Without moving from his spot in the doorway he let out a light sigh, "you shouldn't lie to Sheriff Emma. He is trying to help"

"I'm not lying. It was a monster."

Bit of a short one but I want this to stand alone. Hopefully Jennifer's interest in Emma makes a bit more sense now. Hope you enjoyed I think this has been on of my favourite chapters to write.

Thank you Thelastfewtimestoremember, Freed0m2a11 and AlecLightwoodMangnusBane for the favourites and follows

Thanks for the review DemonSlayer76: Yup it was Kali! Even though I have a rough idea where I want the story to go until the wild-hunt I still haven't settled on Emma and Deaton's relationship fully so it was great to hear your thoughts! Hope you enjoyed it x