Part 2: Separation
The next day Chloe picked Nate up at his house. She had been aching to tell Nate about what had happened, but also didn't have the opportunity to ask Derek or talk to him about how much she could divulge. After mulling it over all night and morning she decided to share some of the crazier moments of her night, but not give too much away that might be too personal to Derek.
"Hey Chloe!" Nate said as he entered her car.
"Nate, you will not believe what happened!" Nate's eyes practically popped out of his head. Chloe was rarely energetic in the morning.
"Woah, okay. Did someone put crack in your coffee this morning?"
"No, but I have so much to tell you. So, I was in the woods last night, just talking with Herb right?" Nate nodded. "So, I'm just sitting there and Derek walks up!"
"What, that sounds like the beginning of a horror movie."
"Well, he, like, wolfed out on me! And then I drove him home!"
"What!" Nate's arms went up. "That's absolutely crazy!"
"Right?!"
While Chloe and Nate were chatting away, Derek's morning was a bit different. He had woken up and suddenly felt the need to draw.
Simon was known for being artistic. He was more into cartoon or comic-like drawings and was much more open to people about his work. Derek was artistic, but did not like sharing it with others. He barely shared it with his own family. He didn't do much else besides sketching and an occasional painting here and there that he would immediately give away or sell during one of their garage sales. Derek was interested in drawing nature and other outdoor depictions.
He took out the sketchbook and charcoal pencil from the newly bought desk. They were in a three bedroom home. He shared a room with Simon while Tori had her own room and their Dad was in the master bedroom. The room that Derek and Simon shared was pretty big so they were able to put a desk inside of the room for the two boys to share. Simon rarely used it, he opted for using the dining table to do his homework and study. Derek liked having the space mainly for himself. He had put the sketchpad delicately into the bottom drawer the day they moved in.
He began sketching the trees he had seen in his wolf form as he had been able to run underneath the bright moon. He had a faint smile on his face as he could make out the silhouette of the beautiful gothic girl he had met the day before. She was just faintly in the background of his drawing, you would most likely miss her if you didn't look closely. It wasn't long until Simon woke up and peered over his brother's shoulder.
"Hey, that one looks pretty good." Derek snapped up, his back straightening. He hadn't even realized Simon had awoken, having been entranced by his latest work. Simon chuckled at Derek's stiff reaction. "You know, I wish you would be willing to show people your stuff more."
Derek shook his head. "No. Your's are much more entertaining."
"So, you going to tell me where you were last night? Dad was freaking out!" Simon exclaimed as he gathered his things to get ready for a shower.
"I changed… fully." Simons eyes widened.
"Woah! That's a big deal. I know you said you thought it was going to be a few more tries before it completed. How do you feel?"
"I'm alright. It went quicker than I thought." Derek didn't know why, but he didn't feel like telling Simon about Chloe. Especially about how sensitive he was to her after changing back to a person. It felt like a moment he shared with her and wasn't willing to bring others into that moment just yet. Plus, even though he was obviously beginning to be attached, he had no idea what Chloe thought of him. She didn't reacted negatively to him being a wolf, and helped him out. But helping him in that one moment doesn't necessarily mean she's a good person or wouldn't cross them if the time came. Bringing her into the mess that is his family was something he wasn't ready for.
"Well as long as you are okay." Simon pated his brother's shoulder before heading off to the shower in an attempt to beat Tori to the punch.
Derek decided to put away his sketchbook, deciding to finish his piece later on when he got the chance. He also gathered his things to get in the shower after Simon. Usually Tori was the last one in the shower because she was unwilling to wake up on time, and also took the longest time in the shower. Derek usually showered twice a day. Once when he woke up and once when he came home. He knew that he was sweatier than usual and hoped the shower would help subside some of the stench as well as keep his skin as clear as possible.
When it was his turn to shower he gave himself a once over while his shirt was off. His skin had cleared up significantly after last night. There were still a few pimples here and there, but they looked much less irritated and red than the past couple weeks. He sighed in relief at the sight. The acne that had spread across his face and body had really bothered him. He knew it would pass, but his skin was very sensitive and when irritated it got to him pretty easily. He showered quickly since Tori was already banging on the door for him to get out so she could start getting ready.
As Derek was getting out of the shower he heard a shout from across the hall. "My friend is here to pick me up! See you guys at school!"
Derek couldn't help but grimace. At their old school Simon rarely got picked up by others to go to school. They were both on the basketball team and would often ride together with other teammates to practice in the mornings. If not, then it was a nice time for them to chat and hang out before school started. Simon was much more of a social butterfly than Derek was, but he was usually pretty good at allocating time for the two of them to have one on one moments together.
Derek got himself ready for school and for some reason decided to take another look at himself in the mirror. His hair still hung in front of his face, practically covering his eyes. He wore a very large grey T-shirt and cargo shorts that hung below the knee. He had a baggy jacket and his plain black jansport to carry his things. He took many of his textbooks home with him in hopes of getting ahead on some of the work that had already been assigned. They transferred only a few weeks after school had just started, so thankfully they didn't miss much. Derek was notorious for being ahead of others academically and that was mainly due to him always having his nose in a textbook.
The large clothing was mainly a form of hiding himself. It was a style he had taken up almost his entire life. He wasn't as interested in wearing any stylish clothes because he felt it just wouldn't fit him like it did Simon.
Kit drove Tori and Derek to school, giving them a nice wave as they rushed onto campus. Derek looked up at the building. The school was divided into two sections. On the West side there was a 3 story building and on the East was another 3 story building. There was a large courtyard that sat in between and two pathways on the north and south ends of the building connecting them. Behind the west side building was an auditorium and behind the east side building was a gym and indoor pool. They were in an area where it snowed heavily during the winter time so it made sense that mostly everything was inside. Derek liked the structure of it, it felt organized. However, from the bustle of students rushing around, being loud and unwilling to get out of the way, the organized buildings were taken over by chaos of human movement.
As soon as they were let out of the car Tori began to strut in the direction of a group of girls that were sitting in the open courtyard. Derek looked at his phone and noticed there was still about ten minutes before his first class started. He aimlessly walked to where his assigned locker was. It felt a little annoying that his locker was inside of the west building when most of his classes were in the east building. Being at school a little early meant that he could take his time getting there and to his first class.
Thinking of his first class made him immediately jump to the image of the blonde girl with red tips. She had been incredibly nice to him during his change and afterward as well. He knew it would be rude not to do or say anything in a way of thanking her. Derek wasn't very good at showing his appreciation, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of nice things being done for him. Once at his locker Derek pulled out his phone to see if Simon had messaged him at all. They didn't share any classes together so it wasn't like he would have much opportunity to see his brother until lunch time.
He arrived at his class a minute after the warning bell. There were a handful of students who had gotten there early as well. Derek couldn't help the tight grip he had on his shorts as he waited anxiously for Chloe to enter the room.
Derek could smell her before she even appeared. She was wearing a black 'Five Finger Death Punch' long sleeve that had holes in the sleeves going from her shoulder all the way down to the wrist. She had on dark grey eyeshadow with some light mascara. Her black cargo pants were riddled with many pockets and chains and she finished the touch with neon pink converse. She looked over at Derek and a faint smile displayed on her lips. Derek took in a deep breath, trying not to be too starstruck as he stared and watched her sit in front of him.
She turned around to face him and said, "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine." Chloe scrunched up her nose at the short answer.
"Were you still willing to hang out after school?" Derek just nodded. "Okay. I don't know if you drive, but I drove here today."
"I don't have a car."
"Do you want to ride with me after school? I have a place I want to show you." Derek was surprised. He didn't actually think she'd want to talk with him much more. Sure, she may have questions about supernaturals, but he wasn't expecting to be taken anywhere. Before Derek could really respond the teacher announced class was beginning. "I'll take that as a yes." Chloe whispered to him before turning back around to face the teacher.
The rest of the day went by relatively smoothly. Chloe was actually excited to talk to Derek. Despite them only meeting, Chloe had never interacted with other supernatural's her age. Derek was broody and didn't seem to like talking much, but she wasn't much of a socialite either.
Chloe and Nate were chatting in the parking lot, waiting for Derek to walk out of whatever building his last class was in.
"I can't believe you're not taking me with you!" Nate gave Chloe a pout.
"Nate, you know it's not because I don't want you there. But, I still don't know how they'll react to me telling you about all this stuff. We just have to wait until I know more."
"Well, Simon seems cool. I think they are cool people!" Chloe rolled her eyes at him.
"You are way to trusting. Just because you have a crush on him doesn't mean that he's going to be a good person."
"Derek's the one who looks mean."
"Hey, technically we look mean, too." She waved at their outfits. "I thought you'd understand that you can't always judge somebody based on their first impression." Nate huffed but nodded in understanding.
Derek saw Nate and Chloe chatting while standing next to her car. He was a part of a wave of students that just exited the west building and took long stride to suddenly be standing next to Chloe.
Chloe didn't realize at first he was standing there and Nate glanced at him with a small smirk. Chloe looked in the direction Nate looked and jumped in the air as she was practically face to face with Derek's chest. "You scared me!"
"It's not like I was trying to." Derek grumbled.
"Alright, well I gotta take Nate home first. Lets get out of here before everyone causes traffic." Nate hopped in the passenger seat which left Derek to the back seat. Chloe's car wasn't very big so he did feel a bit big and his legs were bent close to his body. He didn't mind though.
"My mom wants you to come over this weekend for family game night." Nate mentioned to Chloe.
"Of course. I can't wait to whip you at Risk again."
"You spread like cancer, slow and steady. It's not fair, really. Do you like board games, Derek?"
Derek was surprised that he was suddenly thrown into the conversation. "Uh… yeah. We don't play games together at my house though."
"You should join us! My mom would love to bring another board game enthusiast to the table." Nate smiled brightly at Derek, making him slightly uncomfortable at the sudden invitation.
"Uhh… sure."
"Great! It's going to be on Saturday at my place at 6pm. Don't bring any food, my mom cooks way too much. If you have a game or something bring it! Oh, here's me." Chloe pulled up to the house and dropped off Nate.
"You can jump into the passenger seat." Derek nodded and got out of the car. Nate was waving frantically at them as he backed into his home.
"He's… cheerful."
"Yes, Nate has way too much energy for his own good."
"You guys dress like that so I thought…"
"Thought we'd be all emo and depressed? Nah, we just like the style and the music. Nate is rainbows and sunshine most of the time."
"What about you?" Derek pried.
"I'm not exactly rainbows and sunshine… but I'm also not going to, like, kill myself. I'm somewhere in between."
"Those seem to be pretty extreme."
"Exactly." They sat in the car in comfortable silence, which surprised Derek. It seemed like everything about Chloe just kept surprising him. "So, how are you feeling, for real?" Chloe finally asked.
"I'm fine."
"Okay, well tell me something about being a wolf. Was it weird? Did you feel the need to howl at the moon or something?"
Derek coughed out a laugh. "No, not exactly. I just felt… comfortable. Everything was louder and smelled stronger." A blush covered his face as he recalled just how much he smelled when he turned back. "I felt the need to hunt. I ended up catching a small rabbit."
"I figured that's why you ran off." Derek nodded. "Well, I'm glad you are okay."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Well, there is actually one other person who is supernatural in this town." Derek stiffened. "You don't have to worry, she's super nice. And I'm actually just taking you to her shop. She's not there very often." Derek just nodded.
Most of the people that him and his family have interacted with have given him grief for being a werewolf. Most other supernatural races felt that werewolves and shapeshifters were lower on the social scale. He wouldn't be surprised if however this was reacted negatively to him as well. While Chloe seemed to be holding it together, the normal reaction was something he always prepared for mentally.
They pulled to the side of the street and parked. The buildings that surrounded them were all stone or brick buildings designed creatively inside and out. "This is our downtown area." Chloe said before turning the car off and motioning to get out. "It's not much, but we have a few neat shops I like to go to."
Derek followed closely behind Chloe as they walked a few shops down. The one they stopped at was relatively small and had a red sign that read: Magic Potions. Derek frowned. It felt… too obvious.
"Obvious, right?" Chloe laughed as she looked at Derek's expression. "But people love it. She doesn't usually sell real potions. It's more like herbs and scented oils that housewives buy."
"Oh." Chloe grabbed Derek's arm and pulled him into the store. His arm suddenly felt like it was on fire where Chloe touched. He was becoming incredibly sensitive to her the more they interacted and it worried him to no end. Flashes of skin on skin contact flew through his mind and he had to visibly shake his head to rid the dirty thoughts.
"Hey Chloe!"
"Hey Brian. How's the shop doing today?"
"Oh, the usual customers, nothing too crazy yet. Who's this?" Brian looked at Derek through squinted, judgy eyes. Brian had worked for Beth since he was still in high school. He was only two years older than Chloe, which meant that he had graduated last year. He had known Chloe mainly through the shop and had developed a nice friendship with her. She rarely ever brought people around other than Nate, and it was usually someone Brian could recognize in some way, shape, or form. Having someone completely new come in with her made him slightly concerned.
"This is Derek. Him and his family just moved here so I thought I'd show him my favorite spot in town. Nate already invited him to a family game night." Brain immediately softened at the explanation.
"Of course he did! No one can escape that once they've been invited. My condolences." Brian smiled brightly at Chloe and glanced at Derek every so often. Derek had the itching feeling that maybe Brian held somewhat of a torch for the gothic girl, but kept his observation to himself.
"Well, now we are going to the Cafe down the street. It was great seeing you, Brian!" Chloe then pulled Derek out of the store and they began walking down the street.
Derek couldn't help but feel how warm Chloe's hand felt on his arm. It was as if she could burn him through his own sweater. Chloe was ignorant of the feeling. Her hand felt warm everytime she was able to touch him. Her pale face was no doubt tinged pink and she was hoping Derek was staring too intently at her and her warm expression.
It was only about 3 more shops down and across the street that they found the Cafe. The building itself was entirely bright green, a color that Derek was not used to seeing in such large quantities.
"Does a witch own this, too?"
"No, just a hippie millennial that was raised here." Derek grunted, and Chloe almost could mistake it for a laugh or chuckle.
Derek ordered an herbal tea which made Chloe give him a strange look. She had thought he was definitely a coffee guy, but it turned out Derek was aiming for inner peace, not chaos. Chloe stuck her tongue out at him and payed for their order before he could attempt to pull out his wallet.
Chloe didn't necessarily flash her money. She didn't buy crazy expensive clothes and didn't feel the need to have too many material things. What she didn't want the most, was for other people to pay for things for her. She was the last person who needed to be treated. More often than not, she didn't allow others to even debate her and she would immediately pay herself. Nate has gotten her to stop on certain occasions. Usually, when it comes to food, Nate isn't one to complain about being treated. But, when it came to the movies and other things for when they hung out, he was adamant about paying for himself. His family wasn't exactly lacking in money.
Derek didn't know how to feel about the situation. He was grateful to have free tea, but knew that traditionally the guy usually pays for things. Not that Derek was rolling in money or anything. He had a part time job on the weekends where he lived previously and was able to save a significant amount on that. But, most of that money was meant to be saved so he could eventually buy his own car or pay for college. He had no doubt that Chloe had plenty of money to spend if her house said anything about her financial status. However, he also feared in the back of his mind that this could be some kind of rich pity, and pity was one of the things he hated the most. Deciding to make a mental note to try to pay the next time they went out, Derek was suddenly hit with the idea that this was like a date. After all, it was only the two of them. Chloe was showing him around town and paying for his coffee. Did she feel like it was a date?
Suddenly, Derek's mind couldn't wander from the idea that Chloe may have a similar attraction to him that he has for her. Of course he didn't want to rush anything as this was the second day of interaction, but couldn't help the warm feeling that filled his chest at the thought it could happen. Chloe wasn't shying away from him, and wasn't scared that he could change into a wolf. Was there something he could hope for in Chloe? Or was he just rushing into the intense feeling too blindly?
"Okay, so tell me about your family." Chloe said as after they picked a table to sit at. Derek was suddenly interrupted from his own chattering mind.
"Oh, well. What do you want to know?"
"Well, Simon and Tori are warlocks and witches, right? How… did you end up with them?"
Derek had figured this would be one of her questions. "Well, when I was a baby my parents weren't exactly the best. Kit, my adoptive dad, had an opportunity to take me away and give me a better life, and he did. I don't talk to my birth parents, and they haven't tried to reach out either."
"I see. So Simon and Tori are both Kit's kids? What about their mom?"
"They divorced a long time ago. They were together when they adopted me. I was about seven years old when they split up. Her name is Diane and she lives in New York. Simon doesn't talk to her much, but Tori keeps tabs on her pretty well. Tori and her just have a better relationship. I also think she just didn't like me much overall and hasn't tried to talk to me much."
"Well she sounds kind of a bitch, no offense."
Derek shrugged. "None taken. I'm not a huge fan of hers, either." Chloe's name was called and she jumped up to grab their drinks and sat back down with them.
"Okay, so how did you learn about all this? Did Kit teach you everything about…" she gestured at the two of them, not wanting to be too explicit as anyone could be listening to them.
"Yeah, Dad taught us everything we know. He had a couple of other people he knows come by and teach us other things. Most of them were witches or warlocks. I've met a handful of other werewolves. Most of them live in packs and tend to live off grid."
Chloe nodded. "That's what Beth told me."
"So you've learned everything from this Beth witch?"
Chloe nodded. "My mom was a necromancer, but she died when I was little. My dad doesn't have any powers and neither does my Aunt, who's my mom's sister. I went into Beth's store one day and she said I had a very powerful glow and was able to teach me a few things. But, she's really old and has lived in this town forever, so even her knowledge is limited."
"That makes sense. You're Aunt didn't know anything even though she was your moms sister?"
Chloe nodded again. "Yeah. They are half sisters and they share the same Mom. It turns out my Mom's dad has the gene for a necromancer but didn't tell her. He also left when she was young, leaving behind my grandma and she met my grandpa that I know and had my Aunt. My Aunt doesn't like talking about my grandparents or my mom very much anymore so it has always been hard to get anything from her."
"I've actually never met a necromancer before. I've heard of them, but never had the chance to actually interact with one. So, I'm sorry I won't be able to tell you much on my end."
"That's okay. It's nice to still learn about everything else. So, how powerful are Simon and Tori? Or even you dad? Beth does some simple potions but I don't think she can do much else."
"Well, it seems like this Beth person may be pretty powerful. My dad did a spell to check to see if any other supernatural beings were in the town and didn't find any. Then, yesterday we ran into you, so it really threw me off. Beth probably put a protection spell so she couldn't be found, or so both of you couldn't be found."
Chloe suddenly brought her hand up to her pendant. "My mom gave me this when I was young and told me it would help suppress my powers. When I was a toddler I used to see scary ghosts and we had to move around a lot. Finally, we found a house here with no ghosts, no creepy basement and she found Beth and Beth charmed this necklace for me. Ever since then I hadn't seen anything super scary. That is, until…" Chloe couldn't help but blush a little bit at what she was about to share. "Well… I started my period, and the pendant didn't really work to stop me from seeing ghosts anymore. But, from the sounds of it, it may keep me shielded still."
Derek looked closely at the pendant. It was a purple gemstone in the center. He had noticed it yesterday, but didn't think much of it since Chloe's style seemed to lean in that direction anyway. He made another mental note to ask his dad about charms like that later. "Well, Simon is pretty weak. He can't do much more than a kickback spell or make fog appear. Tori's way is different. She can do things way more harmful. She's still pretty young so she hasn't accessed all of her power yet, and I do not look forward to the day she does. I'm sure she's going to cause a lot of problems and get into a lot of trouble because of it.
"My dad is a little different. I haven't seen him do much, but I know he can do it. He doesn't like to use his magic in front of us unless it's for teaching or for an emergency. He wants us to be aware, but also wants us to live as normal as we can." Derek scratched the back of his neck and winced as he accidentally scratched off a pimple. "Which is a bit harder for some."
Chloe smiled and Derek's heart skipped a beat. "Well, I'm glad you guys moved here. It's nice to talk to somebody about this for a change."
Derek scoffed. "Like you don't talk about it with your friend, Nate?"
Chloe choked on her coffee and her face went red. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"It's pretty obvious he knows. He won't leave Simon alone and I assume he was your friend when you started seeing ghosts again."
Chloe sighed deeply. "Yeah, okay. Nate knows. Is that going to be a problem? Are you going to have to kill him to keep your secrets or something?" Chloe asked tentatively.
Derek just rolled his eyes. "No, we aren't evil. We just prefer to not tell people because… well the witch trials existed for a reason. If you trust Nate, that's your problem. But just don't go telling him everything about my family, okay?" Chloe nodded.
Suddenly Derek felt his phone buzz and looked down to see a text from his Dad.
Everything okay?
Yes. With Chloe.
The necromancer? Why don't you invite her over for dinner!
I don't think that's the best.
Nonsense, I want to meet her. Invite her over.
"Everything okay?" Chloe asked, slightly concerned at the furrowed eyebrow look Derek had as he texted on his phone.
"Mm yeah. My dad. He wants me to invite you over. I said no."
"Oh, okay."
"Oh, I just didn't think you'd want to…" Chloe shrugged. "Well, if you want, you can. But no pressure. We told my Dad about you. Plus you drove me home last night so I think he's just curious to know who you are."
"That's fine with me!"
Derek sighed. He wasn't sure how he felt about her meeting his family already. It did make sense. She was wanting to know more about supernatural people and the best person to ask was his dad. But, he couldn't deny he was starting to like Chloe, so it just felt weird to have her meet his family so soon.
She said she'll come.
Excellent!
Derek smiled slightly at his dad's text, and Chloe got red seeing how cute Derek looked when he smiled.
The rest of the day went by relatively smoothly. Chloe and Derek decided to actually do some homework while they were in the Cafe and then Chloe drove Derek to his house where they sat down and ate dinner.
Simon and Tori both balked at seeing Chloe and Derek drive up together. Kit was a bit surprised at Chloe as well. When he had seen her drop off Derek the night before she had been wearing no makeup and in pajamas. Now he was seeing what his kids meant about her style. She was definitely gothic, and Kit could almost laugh at the stark difference between his son and his new friend.
Dinner went by smoothly as well, Kit would ask the usual questions about family and whatnot. That was when they learned that Chloe was alone most of the time. And Kit found out Derek had been invited to Nate's family game night.
Honestly, it threw Kit off. He was used to Simon and Tori mingling quickly and being interactive with their peers, but Derek had always been more closed off and reserved towards others. He also made mental notice of how much Derek was glancing in Chloe's direction throughout dinner.
Chloe also asked casual questions about being a supernatural and about their lives. Nothing too personal; she made sure not to talk about Derek being adopted or his adoptive family and also stayed away from the topic of Simon and Tori's mom. Derek couldn't help but feel slightly pleased. He didn't know what to expect, but was glad to see that Chloe was respecting his personal boundaries about those topics.
A few days had gone by and things remained normal, which was weird for Derek. He wasn't used to having people to hang out with outside of Simon. It did help that Simon seemed to be ditching him more often than not. Derek was actually starting to feel hurt by it. If not for Nate's obsession with Simon, Derek doubted that Simon would take the time to hang out with them. Derek was surprised at how comfortable he was getting with Chloe and Nate. Even at Nate's family game night he felt… like a normal person. Like someone who deserved to be a kid and be happy. There was no looming group of people breathing down his neck about being worthless and unworthy because he was a werewolf. As every day went by he couldn't help the feeling in his heart. Like it was yearning for love, for acceptance. Something he didn't think he needed or wanted before.
But, everything was so much different with Chloe. She was different, just like him. She was reserved, but not shy. She laughed and it made his heart race, and he hoped he could find more ways to make her laugh, just so he could see the happy expression on her face. He wanted to suddenly move the world, the sun, the moon, if it meant that Chloe would be happy and would be safe. These feelings became overwhelming. It filled all of his senses.
"Derek? Are you okay?" Derek snapped back to reality. Chloe, Nate, and he were parked outside of a cemetery. He had been sitting in the backseat and the smell of Chloe and her car had overwhelmed him where he could feel his pants slightly straining underneath and had been wrapped in it.
"Yeah." Was all he said in return and followed the other two out of the car. Derek looked around at the tombstones and felt a chill go down his spine. His skin was warm, practically radiating and he suddenly realized his body was preparing to change. It wasn't going to happen immediately, but he would need to make sure he found a good spot after he was done with Nate and Chloe. "So, remind me again why we are at the cemetery. Isn't that like, not good for you?" He asked Chloe.
"No, I actually like it here. Most of the ghosts are old people who didn't get to say their last goodbyes, or they died when they didn't want to. It makes for interesting conversation."
"So you just sit around and listen to Chloe talk to herself?" Derek asked Nate and Nate shook his head in response.
"You'll have to wait and see." Chloe said with an excited look in her eye. She was also holding a small string bag. Derek wasn't completely sure what it was, but it smelled of some herbs and was earthy.
Chloe directed them to a spot where there was no tombstone yet and sat down and began to pull contents out of her bag. There were a few candles, some dried sage and a few large rocks. "You literally had rocks in your bag?" Derek eyed it all peculiarly.
Chloe just stuck her tongue out at him which made him smile but also roll his eyes. Chloe was feeling very excited for this moment. She felt like she had grown close to Derek within the past few weeks and wanted to trust him. She had a tick that she could do very well and wanted to show him. It was something that Nate loved and had actually pushed her to show Derek. She started with arranging the rocks in a large circle shape. She only had a handful of the rocks she liked to use so it wasn't a closed circle but loosely scattered in a circular shape. She motioned for Nate to sit on her left and Derek to sit on her right. "This feels like the beginning of a horror movie. I will be very angry if I die first." Derek proclaimed and Chloe laughed and bumped her shoulder to his. She was enjoying Derek even more as each day passed. She was happy interacting with him and felt she could be herself, which she didn't feel around most people. Chloe finished putting the candles around the three, lit them and then began to burn some sage.
"I thought you didn't need a ritual for seeing ghosts?"
"I don't." Chloe said. "I can see most of them already, they've gathered around. But I want to show you something else I can do. And that requires a clear head and positive vibes only! So no being a sour puss." Derek rolled his eyes but remained quiet and watched intently as Chloe laid the burning sage in the center of the circle. She crossed her legs and took 5 deep breaths with her eyes closed. Nate was doing the same next to her.
"I want you to clear your head, Derek."
Derek couldn't do that. But, he did sit quietly and attempted to focus only on his breath. Chloe's eyes opened and she gasped. Derek opened his eyes in a hurry, worried. He looked at her and saw her eyes glowed purple.
"Cool, right?" Nate whispered behind Chloe and Derek could do nothing but hang his mouth open in astonishment.
Chloe suddenly clamped her hand down on Derek's arm that was resting on his folded leg and Derek's whole body felt euphoric. His skin was covered in goosebumps and his hair stood on end and he felt a chill in his spine. He squeezed his eyes shut, the pressure in his head making it feel like they would burst from his face.
"I see you've brought a new friend! Oh, what a handsome boy. Quite the lady killer I'm sure." A voice Derek couldn't recognize echoed in his head. It was as if his brain was a CD player, his skull a soundproof room. He wasn't hearing the voice through his ears, he was hearing it in his head and it was surreal.
"Open your eyes." Chloe murmured.
Derek did and he was taken aback at what he saw.
A crowd of ghosts hung outside of the circle of rocks. He could see ghosts! He looked over at Chloe in astonishment. "Are you making me see ghosts?"
"It's so cool, isn't it!" Nate exclaimed.
"Beth gave me a book about necromancers and I read that only a few could do this. I thought I'd give it a try for the first time last year on Nate, and it worked! I wanted to show you…" Chloe suddenly became worried that Derek didn't like it. He was tense and was scanning the large crowd of ghosts. "I can stop if you want…" Chloe slowly began to loosen her grip on his arm.
"No." Derek reached out and held her hand in place. "No, I'm just shocked. I've never heard of someone who could do this. I never thought… Why can't they pass the rocks?"
"It's a barrier I created. I use rocks that I find in the forest behind my house. So it's like we are in my personal spiritual bubble and other ghosts can't get through it unless I let them in. It's to make sure that you don't get too overwhelmed by them getting in your face. They really like to be close to your face and scream if they are messing with you or are mean. So I do this to stop that from happening."
Derek was completely amazed. He felt almost outside of his body and didn't know if that was good or bad. Everything felt fuzzy, like his body was the static of a TV.
Then, they had casual conversations with ghosts. It was probably one of the craziest experiences that Derek had ever been through. And he's been through some crazy experiences, even if he didn't want to fully admit it.
After it was over, Chloe let go of his arm and that feeling disappeared. It almost made him sad, like he yearned for that wonderful feeling again. But, seeing what Chloe could see really put things into perspective. She was seeing these things all the time, and most of them looked normal. They looked like regular old people. If Derek hadn't known the cemetery was empty before she touched him, he would have thought there was some kind of party with all the people he had seen after.
Chloe was glad Derek seemed to enjoy the experience. She was nervous and anxious about his reaction. For the most part it seemed like he was just trying to take everything in. She was glad she hadn't said anything before out of fear he would refuse to even try it. Sometimes she felt she needed to push him out of his comfort zone a little bit. Derek helped her pick up the rocks and other materials and she couldn't help the blush that formed on her face as she stared at his butt when he bent down. Nate coughed sarcastically and pumped elbows with her which only made her blush in embarrassment for being caught staring. Derek looked perplexed at the engagement but didn't say anything as he finished collecting and poured the contents back into the bag. Chloe and Derek walked side by side, Nate trailing behind a few steps. There arms brushed and Chloe's whole body felt warm.
She couldn't deny she was starting to develop a crush on Derek. She wouldn't say it out loud, even refused to admit it to Nate. But, she knew deep down that something was developing and it scared her. She had only ever had one relationship before and it had ended badly. Most people weren't interested in her because of how she looked and the fact she was standoffish. Derek seemed to like hanging out with her and she very much enjoyed his company. Sometimes they didn't even have to talk, they sat together during lunch, letting Nate do most of the talking. Or they sat together in silence at the Cafe doing work or reading. Everything just felt… comfortable when they were together.
"Are you free tonight?" Derek murmured, hoping only Chloe could hear and she nodded. "Can you meet me in the woods behind your place?" Chloe nodded again.
Of course Chloe knew what that meant. He was going to change again, and she had told him before that she wanted to be there for him. However, Chloe couldn't help but feel there was something more she wanted. Her mind began to wander about the different things they could be doing in the woods, but made sure not to voice it.
Chloe dropped Nate off first before driving in the direction to Dereks. "When do you want me to meet you?" She asked.
"I'm going to grab a change of clothes just in case. Do you actually… would you maybe just wait for me? I feel off… like its going to happen soon I just don't know when." Chloe nodded.
Derek rushed inside. Kit was in the kitchen. "Hey, what are you in a hurry for?" Derek stopped and looked at his dad.
"I… I feel bad. I'm going to head out to the woods." Kit nodded, understanding what he meant immediately.
"We'll talk more when you're home. Be safe." Derek nodded and rushed up the stairs.
Simon was in the room playing on his switch when Derek burst inside. "Hey man. Be careful. You should knock first."
"I'm not going to knock to get into my own room." Derek huffed. He began to gather some clothes and Simon took notice.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing." Derek mumbled.
Simon looked at Derek and noticed he was sweating badly and scratching. "You're changing tonight. Why didn't you want to tell me? I can come with you."
"No, I don't need you to come."
Simon huffed, looking irritated. "Why not? Before we used to talk about me being there for you."
"Well, you haven't been around lately, why would you want to be around now?" Derek couldn't help feeling frustrated himself. Simon had pretty much ditched him for the popular kids around school and barely ever acknowledged him outside of the house.
"What the fuck? Why would you say that? It's not my fault you're running around with freaks." Simon scoffed.
"Don't say that." Derek growled, surprising Simon at his defensive tone. "Remember you're a freak, too." Before he could say anything else to his brother he might regret, he headed out the door, rushed down the stairs and jumped back into Chloe's car.
"Everything okay?" Chloe noticed the angered look on Derek's face.
"Yeah, just kind of argued with my brother."
"You want to talk about it?" Derek shook his head. Chloe nodded in return and they sat silently with faint music in the background.
Derek could feel the change coming quickly. He pulled Chloe as he could feel his muscles moving and changing to head out to the forest immediately. Chloe didn't resist and followed him out to the trees. The sun wasn't down just yet. The sky was pink and orange and it was beginning to fall.
They found a comfortable spot where no house was in sight and Derek tore his shirt off of his sweaty body. Chloe marveled at how in shape he was. He mentioned before that he worked out at least three times a week, but Chloe couldn't help how attractive his body was when he took off his clothes.
Chloe turned around at first while he continued to undress. She didn't want him to feel embarrassed or nervous from her watching him. He grunted to signify she could turn now and he was completely naked, writhing on the ground. Black fur was already trying to push its way out of his skin. She knelt down and began to rub his back and whisper soothing words like she had before. At that point she didn't care about the fallen leaves or the cold dirt that was rubbing into her black jeans. It was nearing October and the weather was decreasing more every day. She wondered how Derek wasn't freezing being naked on the ground. Then again she didn't really know what it was like to have your muscles and bones move against your will.
It took about 15 minutes of agony for Derek. He only puked once and Chloe had sat through it all. The sun was down and Derek was a large black wolf. He nuzzled Chloe to sit and relax by a tree and he rushed out into the forest to do a little hunting. It was about 15 minutes before he came back and ran around Chloe in happy circles, tail wagging. Chloe giggled, this was the happiest she'd ever seen Derek. "You want to play fetch."
He yelped and pushed her over with his paws making her back land on the ground. Her hands went up in surrender. "Okay geez, I was just kidding." He looked down at her with bright green eyes and softly licked her shoulder. Chloe blushed, not entirely sure how she feels having a crush on someone who is literally in wolf form and licked her.
Derek was really enjoying being a wolf. For some reason he just felt more himself, more in tune with his body. He recalled how he felt when Chloe helped him see ghosts. How euphoric it was to truly open his eyes to the world. He felt similar when he was in wolf form. He could feel his true urges. He could run as fast as he wanted and could feel the cool air on his warm fur. When he was around Chloe he could smell her even more. Her scent wrapped around him and made him feel relaxed in some ways, and tense in others. He nuzzled against her neck and took a deep breath and then tentatively stuck his tongue out and licked her neck. She squeaked and her face went red. He rose and looked at her questioningly, trying to ask if she was okay. She just reached up and pet the top of his head in between his ears and he laid down resting his snout in the crook of her neck again. Suddenly, a different smell wafted towards him. His mouth began to drool a bit as he realized the smell was coming from her. It was her own desire to betray her, even if she didn't know it. Derek inwardly groaned as he wished he could touch her intimately. Warmth rushed through his body and he could hardly hold back the urge to nuzzle somewhere a little bit lower. He held back though and enjoyed the closeness they shared. He changed back and took the extra clothes from Chloe before they began to head back to her house.
"Are you okay?" Chloe tried to ask Derek. He didn't know how to answer. The day had been filled with intense smells and emotions and he was barely holding it together. "Do you maybe want to eat something?" Derek nodded as he could feel his stomach cramping. He hadn't eaten since lunch and it was getting to him.
They were about to enter her house from the back door before he grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Wait."
Chloe turned and looked up at Derek. Her back porch light had turned on from the movement and she could see his eyes looked hazy. His skin had almost completely cleared at this point and she couldn't help the buckle of her knees as he gazed at her. "Yes?" she murmured, barely audible because she was beginning to shake under his intense stare.
"You… smell… so good." He breathed out every word softly. He sniffed and pulled her closer. "When… when I turn I can smell everything. And… I don't know how to describe it. You have completely overwhelmed my senses."
Chloe felt confused. "Is that bad?"
"No!" Derek shook his head, his black hair waving back and forth. "I'm not explaining this well." He reached his hand up and moved a strand of her hair out of her face. "You are… amazing." Chloe shivered under his touch and from the cool breeze that was nipping at her face. She was tinted pink from blushing and her body felt hot all over. Derek couldn't hold back and longer. He leaned down and Chloe met him halfway, their lips touching.
It was as if everything made sense. Derek pulled her closer. One had was resting in her hair and the other wrapped around her waist. The euphoric feeling filled him and his body felt buzzed. She was so soft and gentle in his arms. It was as if she was meant for him, felt like a perfect fit in his arms. His skin was still scorching hot from the change and his breath was swept away from him as he awed at how her touch made him melt.
Chloe's center burned. She could feel herself clench but it didn't stop her body from growing wet in between her legs. She squirmed a bit and pushed up, getting on her toes so she could fully lean in to the wonderful kiss. Her hands reached up to his hair and gripped tightly. She opened her mouth and Derek's tongue spilled in. They began kissing feverishly and Derek slid his hand down underneath her thigh and pulled so she would wrap her legs around his waist. He pushed her up against the door and it made Chloe moan slightly. Derek's pants grew tight and he ground his hips into hers while they passionately kissed. It felt too quick but also forever before Derek pulled back to take a deep breath. His chest was pressed against hers as he had her squished between him and the back door. He pressed his forehead to hers, panting. He looked down into her blue eyes while she gazed at him. She loved the color of his eyes. Chloe thought they looked like the earth. Like a mossy forest floor that thrived with life. They reminded her of something she may one day call home.
"I've been wanting to do that for… a long time." Derek breathed out. Chloe could just nod. Her body was still on fire and she couldn't stop thinking about what was pressing into her waist.
Finally after a few long moments she leaned forward and kissed him again. He released her so she was standing and they smiled warmly at each other. "Let me make you something. She intertwined her fingers with his and pulled him into the house.
"Oh, hey Chloe. I saw your car and figured you were out-"
Chloe froze as she entered the back door to the kitchen and her dad was in there making food. Derek also froze behind her as her dad turned around and saw the disheveled look of their clothes. Derek didn't have much dirt on him but Chloe was covered in leaves and dirt and her father stopped in his tracks.
"Well, hello there."