Sage (Salvia spp.)

Sage is perhaps the herb most commonly used as a magical herb for protection and purification. An infusion taken as a tea will help settle a sour stomach and ease digestion and can help calm anxiety as well. Magical associations include purification and protection, wisdom, health, and long life.

I didn't go home the night after Boyd's murder. After Stiles dropped me off in front of my house I took my car and drove. The silent ride home in the jeep hadn't been enough to clear my head and driving helped me focus on something other than the terrifying memories that had flooded back hours earlier. I drove through the night, only stopping when my heavy eyelids threatened to close for the tenth time. Knowing it wasn't safe to drive any longer I pulled up beside the curb, I ignored the glaring sun as it rose behind me. I'd been driving all night and my mind was still spinning. Part of me knew sleep wouldn't be comforting. If my conscious brain had struggled to calm after seeing the she-wolf I dreaded whatever my subconscious had in store for me.

And it did not disappoint.

Twisted images swarmed. Each one real enough to invoke heart palpitations but still not quite right. Each one seemed off. Whether it was the goreish red of Scott's eyes as he clawed at my back or Kali attacking me in the school gymnasium. Each time the scene changed a little bit more was lost. Many of the dreams, nightmares, had turned into blank black nothingness by the time I finally woke up. But the overwhelming fear that each of them had created stayed. Waking up to the sound of rain hammering down on the roof, I glanced around to find that the sun that had been coming up when I parked was already gone. I'd wasted an entire day. glancing at my phone I shook my head at the lake of missed calls. I'm not sure why I was surprised, with so much going on I doubt anyone noticed I had missed school. As I went to start my car something moved out of the corner of my eye. Something large. I doubt I will ever know if this something was really there or if part of my brain was still dreaming but the moment red beads flashed in my rear view mirror I bolted.

I ran and I ran and I continued to run until I found myself standing in front of a house I knew. Running to the front door I slammed my fist into the wood over and over again. I only stopped when the door slid up to reveal a tired looking woman. I cringed inwardly at her crinkled scrubs, she must have only just finished at the hospital.

"Emma?" Melissa questioned. "Scott's not here at the moment he left with Stiles. Don't ask what they're up to, I have no idea. I've learnt it is best not to ask."

Why had I knocked? It wasn't like anything had been chasing me besides I was pretty sure my mind had just been playing tricks on me. Even though my heart continued to pound against my ribs I knew I was safe. I assumed I was safe. It was just a bad dream.

"I'll just," I mumbled as I turned to leave.

Melissa frowned. She reached forward to stop me and gasped as her hand curled around my wet jumper. "You're drenched, did you walk here? come inside. Come on."

Scott's mum led me into their house and up the stairs before darting into a room leaving me alone in the hallway. She appeared moments later with a set of dry pyjamas and a towel. Seeing my confusion she all but ordered me into the bathroom. A hot shower helped ease my nerves and I couldn't help but feel better in the soft cotton trousers and button up nightshirt. I felt like a small child. That feeling only grew as I made my way down stairs to find Melissa had set up one of the sofas for me. She said something about the spare room being in use as she plucked my clothes from my hands and wandered off again. She clearly didn't know that I was the one that had brought Isaac here. When she returned she placed a cup of hot chocolate in my hands and pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa around my shoulders. If she saw the tears that had started to fill my eyes she didn't say anything and I was grateful she didn't. With a light nod she told me that I could wake her if I needed anything. The moment she left the room I started to cry.

For the first time in want seemed like forever my sleep was nightmare free. Whether it was Melissa kindness or just the overwhelming emotional exhaustion I'm not sure. When I woke up I was surprised to find Scott tiptoeing around the sofa. Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I glanced around the room. Sunlight was trying to wiggle its way through the closed blinds and my clothes from last night were neatly folded on the table beside Scott.

Scott smiled sheepishly back at me as he placed the cup back down and settled on the corner of the sofa opposite. His large puppy down dog eyes full of sympathy. He was worried about me. Clearly the need to look after people had been passed from mother to son. I knew I had to say something before he could ask me why I'd run to his house in the middle of the night.

"I was looking for Isaac." Nope that definitely wasn't the right thing to say.

Scott cocked his head slightly and frowned. While it hadn't been what he expected it didn't stop him from prying, "Isaac? Are you guys,"

"No," I cut him off quickly. Though I wasn't completely sure where to go after that. "We just, he just gets it."

"Gets what?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Emma, you can tell me."

I thought about leaving, just getting up and walking out of the house but something stopped me. If anyone asked me I would tell them I'm it was that fact I needed to get changed. However between me and you, it was the way Scott was staring at me. Genuine worry, without a single drop of judgment. Letting out a sigh I decided to tell him, "Not all of us were born with capes. You're a hero Scott. brave, kind, an all round nice guy. I'm not."

"Mum was working the night you came into the hospital." He didn't need to explain anymore. I knew exactly which night he was referring to. I hadn't realised Melissa had been at the hospital when it had happened. Why would I? I hadn't known Scott or her back then. Maybe I should have asked Scott for help earlier. Maybe I could have had more time to process what had happened to me before Kali had appeared. "She remembered you, when you came round that first full moon with Stiles. She told me about you. Said you saved a woman's life. I could never have done that as a kid. I couldn't even leave the house without my inhaler! Come on, I'll give you a ride back to your car."

Despite my rebellious persona, I had never actually been on a motorcycle before. So when Scott passed the spare helmet to me after I had gotten dressed I couldn't help but feel a bit giddy. I'd always wanted to ride a bike. To my surprise Scott hadn't been annoyed when I reluctantly admitted that I didn't actually know where my car was. After a forty minute ride around town searching for my car, which we had found bumped up on a curb near the woods, we finally came to a stop. Part of me felt bad for wasting his morning. I wasn't overly bothered by the fact we would be late for school but I knew Scott was trying to turn his attendance around.

As I went to pass the helmet back to Scott I paused. His usual puppy dog demeanour has been replaced with a serious state. "I know you're one of the good guys Emma. You found Lydia, stood up to Matt when he was threatening my mum and you took Isaac in when he needed you. What I'm trying to say is we need you."

I kept replaying his words over in my head. A light spring in my step as I manoeuvred my way through the halls. We hadn't been as late as I had thought but that didn't mean I was going to rush off to English like Scott had. Instead I settled for hiding away in the newsroom. With Ms Blake backing the paper I had finally managed to get articles onto the schools websites. My stories were short and a few had been submitted by younger students. Sure I might not be posting as frequently as Audrey had when she was around but at least it was something.

My hiding place was eventually disturbed by another werewolf. Isaac strolled into the room without knocking. He didn't even stop to say good morning as he perched on the side of the desk I was working at. "Have you seen Allison?"

"Good morning to you, I'm fine thank you for asking," I replied without looking up from my computer.

Isaac chuckled at my response before explaining his earlier question. "Scott's worried about her. She didn't turn up for class today."

"She's fine," I told his dismissively with a wave of my hand. A slight flare of envy rolling over me as I thought back to the fact no one had even tried ringing me after an entire day off. Was my attendance really that back that people didn't even notice when I was gone for an entire day?

"So you've spoken to her?"

"No, but this is Allison we're talking about she can," I paused as I thought back to the trouble she had been finding lately. Maybe checking in on her wasn't a bad idea. Guilt replaced my envy as I asked him if he would go and check on her. I'd never forgive myself if something was wrong.

"Why me?" He shot back with the same tone I suspect he used on Scott moments earlier when the other wolf had asked something similar.

"If she is skipping she would have lied to her dad and me turning up at her door would just look suspicious. Plus I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a bad influence."

Isaac rolled his eyes and added, "wonder where he got that idea."

I just smiled back before continuing, "you on the other hand can get in through her window. Just remember she's a skilled werewolf hunter. It would probably be best to knock."

"She's still only human," He said, dismissing my warning. Part of me hoped he did try to sneak in. I know for a fact that Allison would be more than capable of flooring him if she got a chance. Getting up from the desk and making his way toward the door, he paused. I know what he was thinking about as he turned back to glance over his shoulder at me. "Hey Emma about,"

I lifted a hand to stop him, now was not the time to get wrapped up in teen drama. "Forget it, we have more important things to worry about right now."

As I continued to work away I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps I should have let Isaac finish his sentence. Maybe I hadn't known what he was going to say, maybe he was going to say something different. With a shake of my head I returned to the article I was working on. Or at least I tried to. It wasn't long before my second and last visitor of the day let themselves into the room. Did no one knock anymore?

"Most people leave school when they skip class," Ms Blake commented as she crossed the room.

"What can I say I just love this place."

Ms Blake rolled her eyes at my reply before telling me, "I should give you detention."

I grinned back. "But you won't, you like me too much." And to my surprise she didn't. Instead she handed me a note explaining that my work in the newsroom was going to be used towards my class credits and as such my absents from class wouldn't be marked against me. She had even gotten it signed by the principal! As I inspected the signatures at the bottom I noticed the date, she had written this for me yesterday. She had noticed I wasn't in school and had covered for me. Perhaps I was not as overlooked as I had thought.

"Is that a picture of Mr Harris?" She asked before I could thank her.

I glanced back at her to find her frowning at my screen. I guess seeing the faces of your missing colleagues and students on a computer was a bit unsettling. "Yeah Lydia asked me to post a story about the teachers that have been taken," I informed her. Hoping that my explanation was enough to satisfy her. It's not like I could just come out and say I was trying to figure out why these people were taken and killed.

"Taken?" She parroted, as if it had never crossed her mind. "I doubt it is something that sinister. Lydia asked you to post it?"

I nodded. At the time I had assumed this was the best action. How could I have possibly known the trouble I would be causing Lydia. After Ms Blake left I worked straight through to the evening. I hadn't left the news round so I didn't know about Lydia's meltdown in front of Ms Blake or Allison's run in with the Darach. All things I would learn about later after it was too late.

Happy with the work I'd done I head down to the concert. When I turned the corner I found Lydia hovering in front of the auditorium doors. Her eyebrows knitted together and lips pursed. She was Placing a hand on her shoulder I asked her what was wrong. Sure this was a memorial but she hadn't been class to any of them.

"I don't know, I just can't explain it," she replied vaguely.

"Then don't, I trust you Lydia. If you think we need to be somewhere I'll follow."

We marched purposefully through the school despite Lydia not knowing where she was heading. Finally, we stopped in a class room the interlocking circles Lydia had drawn earlier still fresh on the board. I inspected the room while she stared at the board lost in thought. My eyes narrowed as a figure began to form behind Lydia.

They seemed familiar but in the darkened classroom I couldn't be sure, "Ms Blake?"

"You girls should have stayed at the concert."

My entire body went numb. A searing wave of betrayal washed over me. Sharp needles twisted in my stomach threatening to force my dinner up as I stared back at the teacher I had been so fond of. Everything made sense now. She arrived just after the alphas. She had accepted Derek so easily. She had known so much about everything! How could I have been so stupid! Once again I had missed all the signs.

I moved myself closer to Lydia, my mind racing. Ms Blake had spotted my tentative movements. Within seconds I found myself pinned to the blackboard. The desks legs firmly wedged into the cracked slate behind me. She had moved it with just a flick of her wrist. I hadn't realised that was even possible.

My mouth opened to scream at Lydia. To tell her to run but my words caught in my throat. How had I been so stupid! Part of me wished I'd talked Lydia out of it. I had known she was going to find something, hell the last couple of times she had had these feelings she had ended up finding dead bodies! Why did I think following her death sense was a good idea? When had finding dead bodies ever been a good thing!

Lydia spoke before I found my words. Her words trembled lightly, "What are you doing?"

"What's necessary," Ms Blake quipped back almost instantly. "I'm still surprised none of you seem to get that. You call them sacrifices, but you're not understanding the word. It's derived from the Latin sacrificium, an offering to a deity, a sacred rite. A necessary evil."

Lifting her hand she struck Lydia across the face. I let out a cry and the redhead crumbled to the floor like a puppet that's strings had been severed. Blood covered her forehead and rouge droplets rolled down her check. Tears welled in my eyes and a wave of helplessness rolled over me. Shoving my fists into the wood that pinned me I struggled desperately to free myself. My frantic attempts grew wilder as Ms Blake began to lift Lydia's limp body into an empty chair.

"Please! Don't hurt her!" I cried out pitifully.

"You'll understand soon Emma, can't you feel it. Surely you've noticed. With every sacrifice I, we grow stronger."

"I don't understand!"

She paused and peered at me curiously. "You really don't remember, do you, no, no you remember I saw how you reacted to Kali. You just don't want to remember, do you. You shouldn't be scared by it. You saved me. Without you I would never have been able to do any of this."

How did she know about Kali? What the hell was going on! Before I could question her Lydia began to stir. Her groans of pain pulled Ms Blake's attention back and the older woman started winding a wire around her hands. She moved around the chair until she was behind Lydia.

"Lydia! Lydia wake up! Ms Blake please, Please you can't sacrifice her!" I pleaded desperately.

"Oh she isn't a sacrifice. She's just a girl who knows too much. Actually, a girl who knew too much."

I'm not sure how to describe what happened next but I'll try. Lydia's eyes snapped open and her hand shot upward to grip the wire before it could cut into her neck fully. Her mouth opened wide to scream. Clapping my hands over my ears I doubled over the desk. What the hell was that! She carried on screaming, the piercing cry carrying through the school. Ms Blake looked just as surprised as me by the sound. As the noise finally stopped Lydia slumped forward into the wire. Her eyes watered as she glanced around the room too tired to talk. That scream had obviously taken all her energy to produce.

"Unbelievable. You have no idea what you are, do you? The wailing woman. A banshee, right before my eyes. You're just like me, Lydia. Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it. It's too bad, though... And too late."

True to her word Ms Blake didn't stop. She pulled back forcing the wire to cut deep into Lydia's flesh. The girl let out a strangled cry as the action jarred her from her daze. LIt was my turn to scream. Tears streamed down my face as I shouted and pleaded for Ms Blake to stop but she wasn't listening. Lydia was going to die. She lifted her blade to Lydia's neck.

"Drop it!" Sheriff Stilinski glared down the barrel of his gun at Ms Blake. His words forced her to pause briefly, which in turn let Lydia suck in a deep breath.

With no intention of standing down Ms Blake threw her knife at the Sheriff. The blade struck. Lodging itself deep into his chest. As he staggered backwards his gun fell to the floor, forgotten. His knees gave way and he joined his discarded weapon on the ground. Before anyone could make their next move a familiar roar filled the room. Once I had cowered under a desk at the noise but now I welcomed it. Scott had arrived.

Though the fight didn't go as well as I had hoped. Scott couldn't land a single hit. Not that he wasn't trying, it was just that no matter how fast he was she was faster. In the end it only took one well placed shot to his chest for him to be taken down. Blood oozing from his mouth as his body slammed into the floor. Just as Scott's limp body landed, Stiles rounded the corner. He had been inches from the door when it slammed and the desk, with me still pinned behind it, was flung across the room to barricade it shut.

Pulling himself to his feet the Sheriff began to speak, "There was a girl. Years ago, we found her in the woods, her face and body slashed apart. We found her while we were out looking for a missing child. While we were out looking for Emma. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Julia?" The name escaped my lips in a soft whisper. Was she really the woman in the forest? Is that what she had meant when she said I'd saved her?

"Maybe I should've started with philosophers, with knowledge and strategy," she replied to the sheriff coolly.

As she strode toward the Sheriff he raised his gun. A single gunshot rang out forcing Ms Blake to stop in her tracks. She glanced down at the bloodied hole in her leg as her flesh knitted itself back together. Her face twisted and her eyes narrowed. Grabbing the Sheriff by his collar she thrust him backwards against a table and lifted him until his toes barely reached the ground. I couldn't hear what she said to him as she leant in but from his expression I doubt it was anything endearing.

Snatching his badge from his chest she crumbled in with her fist and threw it to the floor before pulling the grown man closer. A window smashed forcing everyone in the room to shield their eyes. By the time we looked up Ms Blake was gone and she had taken the Sheriff with her.

With Ms Blake gone whatever had been holding the desk again the door weakened and with one last push I was able to nudge it forward enough to free myself. I darted toward Lydia knowing that once Stiles and gotten in he would assist Scott. Oh so I had thought. As I reached Lydia, her eyes still wide and dazed, a hand gripped my shoulder and hauled me backwards. For the second time that evening my back hit the blackboard with an unnecessary amount of force. I could already feel the bruises forming.

"Where's my dad? Emma, Where the hell is my dad!" Stiles spat as he pinned me against the board.

Scott was by his sign instantly. "Stiles stop it man."

"She knew her name! You heard my dad. She knew her!"

"Stop," Scott ordered. This time he forcibly removed Stiles arm and gave his friend a light push. Stiles continued to glare at me but he didn't say anything else. It was clear that even with Scott's trust I was still top of Stiles' watch list.

"Derek, she might go to Derek, they had a thing," I whispered. My voice hoarse from the shouting and my entire body exhausted. Why couldn't things ever just go our way?

Love Mama McCall!

Many thanks to: DanieMarieBoo1999, ravenclawlovejournal, JadedBark

So along with my thank yous I'd like to give a warning. I got a 'delightful' review from a guest account. I was really impressed with their use of the word harlot, that was a first for me. I didn't even realise the word was still used. Within their review was a link to another author's page. When speaking to this author I found out that this is now a thing. So I've just copied what that author has put as he has worded it nicely.

WARNING TO EVERYONE ON FFN: Recently, a troll has been going around, mostly in the Invader Zim section but also making appearances in others (I've heard of them showing up in the sections for Teen Wolf, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Victorious, Power Rangers, Once Upon A Time, Danny Phantom, and Five Nights at Freddy's for starters). This troll has been leaving some truly disgusting comments, usually calling the stories they're flaming "pigshit", and also sometimes throwing in homophobic, racist, or downright threatening remarks, even demanding that writers leave the site. And what's truly terrible about this jerk is that they're not even settling for just hiding behind the anonymity of Guest reviews. No, they're taking things a step further by signing these reviews with the names of actual account holders in order to frame them and make them look bad. I have seen such forged reviews bearing the names of SaintHeartwing, Invader Johnny, SolemnGlory, Zim55, xXCelestialDarkness666Xx, otherrealmwriter, IBGarry, and even myself; I'm sure there's more I haven't seen. So, if you get a blatantly insulting review with the name of an actual account but it isn't logged in, assume that it's a fake, not the real account holder. Do not let this troll win by getting angry at actual writers or reporting them, just delete the review and move on, and maybe think about warning the real account holder that they've been impersonated. We all need to look out for each other, after all.