Midnight Scarlet » Stilinski

Seventeen

A/N: Season 3 premieres tonight at 10 on MTV!! To celebrate, I'll be uploading a chapter of Midnight Scarlet every night (well, trying, since I also have finals this week). Even though season 3 is happening, this is still my version of what I had planned it to be. I wonder if there'll be any parallels...

As always, VOTE. COMMENT. FAN. ENJOY. :D

                                                        Chapter Seventeen

                                                                • Aubrey •

I wake up to the smell of bacon and eggs, drifting in through the door. It’s just another reminder that I’m not at the Hale house anymore. As if I needed to remember that.

            Yesterday, after my departure from the pack house, it was decided that I couldn’t stay at the Hale house anymore, since Roxanne’s hunter had already tracked me there. Derek had to explain everything to Peter, who wasn’t happy― not that I think he’s capable of that emotion. Surprisingly, Stiles had been the first one to volunteer, saying that his dad wouldn’t mind me staying at their house; it was quickly dismissed, since Stiles didn’t have a way to protect me― this filled me both with joy and disappointment, causing me to silently chastise myself. Scott’s house was next, but his mom was opposed to having a girl in the house, even under the circumstances. That only left one option: Allison’s house.

            At first, everyone was completely against the idea, on account of the Argents being hunters. “It would be ridiculous,” Derek had said “to harbor a werewolf in a house full of werewolf hunters.”

            “Not to mention dangerous,” Stiles added.

            “That’s why it’s the perfect idea.” Allison twirled a strand of hair around her finger, jingling the metallic arrow earrings she was wearing. “If anyone comes for Aubrey, she’s protected. My dad and I can keep her safe.”

            When Stiles started to object, I interrupted, “It’s okay. I trust Allison, and I think staying at her house is the best idea, what with a bunch of weapons and everything.” Letting out a breath, I fidgeted with my hands, picking the dried blood out from under them. “Besides, you have to let me make my own decisions. If you don’t, then you’re really just as bad as the alpha pack.”

            And that’s why I’m now laying on the floor of Allison’s bedroom, staring up at the blank ceiling; when I lived with my family, the ceiling of my room had been lit with glow-in-the-dark stars. More than just her ceiling is bare, though; there’s nothing to show that someone actually lives here, except for the clothes in the closet and the sweet smell of skin that lingers in her bed. No photographs; no posters lining the walls; nothing that would signal that this is a teenage girl’s bedroom.

Sighing, I get up and stumble across the hall to the bathroom and shower. The water runs down my feverish skin, washing away the blood and dirt. Then, I quickly change into a black t-shirt and jeans, the blast of air raising goose bumps along my flesh.

I stare at myself in the mirror, wiping the steam off the surface. Only three days ago, I was shopping with Lydia, amazed at how human my reflection looked. Hard to believe that my appearance has already changed, in subtle ways that add up to a big difference; so little time, and yet so much has changed. Dark shadows have been drawn under my eyes, which have lost a bit of their light; the bones beneath my skin are more prominent, the skin stretched over them. I feel constantly tired, and I look sick.