Getting Isaac out of jail wasn't going to be as easy as they'd originally thought
Whilst Rachel had been contemplating the idea of gouging her eyes out with a pencil in english class, Scott & Stiles had been following through on their plan of finding out more information on the police's investigation. In hindsight, it all seemed like a great idea; if they had no evidence, the police would have to release him; providing no witnesses came forward.
Problem number one hundred point five came in the form of a boy Rachel had hoped not to encounter again for awhile. After her day-long guilt trip for nearly killing him, she was pretty well done with him; until he decided to give the police some incriminating evidence against Isaac. According to Scott, Jackson hadn't strayed from his usual asshole self, recapping that Isaac's father was "kicking the crap out of him."
Upon learning the aforementioned information, Rachel's instinctive response wasn't to kick the crap out of Jackson for not telling someone (like it probably should've been.) In fact, her first thought was of the person who'd caused the problem to begin with; her brother. If indeed the information Jackson told the police was true, Rachel had finally discovered yet another missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle.
She knew why Isaac had been out in the rain, (a fight with his dad) and she knew why Derek had picked him, (because teenagers have the best chance of survival) but she never fully understood why Isaac said yes. As far as she knew, Derek told him everything from the hunters, to the pain of transforming. Of course the offer of becoming a creature of the night would be tempting, but with the two cons combines, it wasn't worth it to Rachel.
But to someone being beaten by the last surviving family member? It'd be an escape. A chance to become powerful, and a chance to be strong enough to defend themselves. Rachel felt sick just thinking of the possibility of that being the reason her brother had chosen Isaac. It made sense, but she didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe that Isaac's dad beat him, and she didn't want to believe that Derek had reached the lowest of all lows.
Rachel had to know for sure. She needed proof that the information wasn't just another illusion, this time induced by the immense amount of stress, combined with her one hundred problems. She had to see it for herself, and in order to do that, she had to find out what really went on in the Lahey house. If what Jackson said was true, then there was going to be evidence of something. Rachel wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know what that something was, but her options were dwindling.
With Jackson's statement, it wouldn't be long before the police did a search of the house. And if they did happen to find anything, they could very well use it to not only keep Isaac in a holding cell overnight, but they could build an entire case against him. If Detective Tanner managed to lock up Alison DiLaurentis for a murder she didn't commit, then surely Sheriff Stilinski could find a way to lock up Isaac. Even if there wasn't a psychopath planting evidence, there was a something supernatural (and very lethal) lurking within the shadows, and that qualified as the same thing in Rachel's mind.
Hearts didn't lie, and Isaac was no exception. He didn't kill his father, and Rachel intended on proving that; even of she had to land herself in a holding cell, too. (or an actual jail cell, if she got caught in the act of breaking & entering)
And that's why Rachel soon found herself standing just beyond the front door of the Lahey house, with regret hanging heavily on her shoulders. She felt like she didn't belong; almost as though she were an intruder. Even if the house had no occupants, she still seemed to be intruding on the mere emptiness. Her heart was in the right place, but her methods were becoming slightly unorthodox, courtesy of Stiles & her brother. Between Stiles' ways of defying the law on a daily basis, and Derek's habit of breaking into peoples' homes, Rachel was certain she'd soon find herself on a blacklist in the police station (that is, if she wasn't already on one.)
But unlike her teachers, Rachel was lost once she'd entered the building. She didn't have the first clue of where to start searching. What was she supposed to look for? Blood splatters across the walls? He was being beaten, not slaughtered. This was a terrible idea, and the reality was really starting to set in. It'd be pointless to leave now, thought; she was already inside the house (and she sincerely hoped nobody would notice the doorknob missing from the backdoor.)
She wouldn't be doing anything wrong if she just walked around a little. It was just a house; it's not like she was reading his diary. After all, it was her or the police; and unless she found (and destroyed) the alleged evidence before they did, Isaac was as good as gone. And for the sake of her family's supernatural secret, she couldn't let that happen. The brunette exhaled loudly, taking a step forward cautiously. She hadn't brought a flashlight with her, and the last thing she wanted to do was knock something over & create noise. The entire purpose of sneaking in through the backdoor was to remain incognito.
The aged wooden floorboards creaked softly beneath her feet, reminding her almost of the noise that would sound each time she entered the charred frame of her old home. Her eyes (which were currently a pale green) scanned over the room, taking in the scenery of an average home. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. A table littered in framed pictures sat along one wall, triggering a faint ache in her heart. Though the memories were vague, she could remember a point in time that the walls & tables of her home were scattered in family photos, all of had been lost to a fiery abyss.
From her place near the door, through narrowed eyes Rachel could distinguish the imagine of an older man alongside two young boys; one of whom looked eerily familiar. It was evident by the mop of blonde curls that it was Isaac, but she couldn't help the strange feeling creeping up in the back of her mind. Whilst the older, teenaged version of Isaac she'd seen during their supposed first-time meeting at the abandoned train warehouse appeared to be a stranger, she couldn't help but feel as though she'd seen the young boy before, somewhere.
Nonetheless, the thought was pushed away as she noticed the second boy; an unfamiliar face, yet still of resemblance to Isaac. He had a brother? He never mentioned anything to Derek about a sibling, though due to the age gap he could've moved away. Other possibilities raced through her mind, but Rachel forced herself to remain with her first thought.
He moved away.
Rachel let out another sigh, taking a few more steps forward into the living room. The fading daylight was becoming more & more prominent, and with that, came the reminder that her time was slowly ticking away. The full moon would be at it's peak in approximately five hours, and then, it was game over for everyone. She came here to find the evidence before the police could, and that was what she was going to do.
Think, Rachel, think. If you had a dirty little secret, where would you keep it? She thought to herself for a moment, before slapping a hand over her face. Of course; nearly every house in Beacon Hills had one; even if it was sealed off. How could she have overlooked it? The old wooden door with a loose knob, the seemingly innocent room in every household; one of which held a deep, dark secret in her own home.
The basement.
The Hale house cellar was complete with it's own dungeon, one of which was once used to safely hold betas through full moons in order to help train them to resist. She'd spent her fair share of full moons in there; chained up & out of her mind. As much as the thought sickened her, who's to say the same wasn't happening elsewhere? The truth hurt, but it was a well known fact by many, that when you're far enough underground; nobody can hear you screaming. Especially when the walls are made of stone, with little to no windows; the classic build of a basement.
Rachel could already feel heart beat speeding up, with each tiny step she took closer to the basement door. The anticipation only made it worse, but she couldn't help herself from stalling as much as possible. By the time her hand touched the cold metal knob, she was practically shaking out of fear. As soon as she opened that door; if what she believed to have happened, really did happen; it would hit her like a brick. She almost regretted remaining a werewolf this close to the full moon, especially with her senses cranked up to a hundred & fifty. She wouldn't just smell blood; or see the weapons. She'd feel it.
Everything that ever happens in a location leaves an impression; one of which is commonly referred to as residual energy. All the pain, suffering & sadness remains long after the people are gone; and though average humans are unaware of it, those who have the abilities of a werewolf can not only sense it, but they can feel it. Which, unfortunately for Rachel, was her. She'd learned about residual energy from an episode of The Dead Files, back when she'd taken a deep fascination in the world of the paranormal. Derek called it a phase, but truthfully; she still secretly watched it when he was out. Lately, it was beginning to seem like she secretly did a lot of things; most of which ended horribly,
Rachel was more than certain that this was going to be by far the worst ending of all. Nothing good had ever come from breaking & entering, and this time it was the icing on the cake of crimes. She was going straight to hell for this; even if she was saving Isaac. Rachel learned pretty quickly that every action in life came accompanied by consequences, and in this case, it would be making Mr. Lahey look like an innocent man who'd been mercilessly killed. If there was no evidence, there'd be no way to ever prove what he'd done, if he had in fact done it.
The bite would've healed all bruises & scars by now, leaving Isaac with a clean slate. All that was left was memories; and those, of course, couldn't prove anything. But it wasn't just his fate she had to take into account. It was hers, Scott's & Derek's, too; and any other supernatural creatures residing in Beacon Hills. If the secret got out, they'd all be paying the price; one of which would likely include their lives. Rachel had to make a choice.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly began opening the door; her suspicions being confirmed as soon as she took a step into the dark room. A suffocating combination of sadness, fear & pain, felt as though it'd punched her in the neck & breathing instantly became a struggle once her foot reached the first step. It was only an illusion, an impression left by what had been felt by others at some point, but it still took a toll on her. In order to navigate in the dim light, Rachel gave in slightly to the rising moon's sway & allowed her eyes to take on a bright red glow, enhancing her vision immediately. Once she could see clearly, the basement seemed relatively normal. Stone walls, stone floors & wooden rafters bordered the room, whilst a dirty freezer (that she once assumed to be white) sat off to the side. The freezer part was a little odd, but Rachel assumed it'd been used for storage at some point. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she'd initially expected?
The hopeful string of thoughts soon crumbled to dust as she reached the final step. That's when she saw it. Thrown into a pile on the floor, was at least twenty feet of chain. The old & worn silver metal (tinted red, courtesy of her alpha eyes) had a hint of rust on it, signifying it'd been well used. Rachel knelt down beside the pile, picking up a piece of the surprisingly heavy metal. Almost as though it'd been triggered by her action, a sense of panic overtook her. It was a brutal mixture of paranoia & hopelessness, one which made her muscles twitch with the need to run as far as she possibly could from the Lahey house & never return.
Reluctantly ignoring her instincts, Rachel soon followed the metal over to an old freezer, one of which was revealed to be unplugged from the wall. A sickening feeling formed in her stomach as her eyes moved up to the open padlock, sitting still on a staple. The hasp was opened wide, allowing the freezer to be opened freely without removing the lock, only strengthening her feeling of disgust.
Rachel swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she reached for the rust-covered padlock, her hands shaking as she lifted it off the staple. She bit her lip almost instantly drawing blood. She used metallic blood taste in her mouth as a miniature distraction, one of which quickly became ignored as she sat the padlock on the floor. Every part of her was screaming not to open the freezer; but a deadly little voice by the name of curiosity whispered for her to continue. She knew exactly what she was going to find, and she knew it was going to destroy her. That's the thing about curiosity, though. It takes advantage of that small part of you that needs authentication. It can turn even the tiniest sliver of doubt into a conspiracy theory, and it'll destroy you.
Rachel came here to see for herself what really happened to Isaac; and she knew she wasn't going to be able to leave until she knew for certain. Curiosity killed the cat, and rumour had it, it also had a thing for reflectors; the only difference? Satisfaction wouldn't bring her back. In fact, maybe satisfaction would be the one to finish her off. She wasn't strong enough to fight it, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to walk out of the building until she knew the truth. It was as though the curiosity dwelling in her brain had realized that, too, because Rachel couldn't even find the strength to reach into her pocket, take out her phone & call Derek. But she was strong enough to lift the lid off the freezer.
And at that point in time, she regretted every choice she'd made in the past hour. No, scratch that; the past few days. It all started with her wanting one night of normalcy with Stiles at the formal. If she had've gone with Lydia, maybe she could've stopped Peter from biting her. Then, Lydia never would've been in the graveyard (or anywhere aside from doing her normal human activities), and Rachel could've been with Derek, possibly talking him out of offering the bite to Isaac right before a full moon.
It's always the small things that trigger disasters.
A pebble can start a rockslide, a snowball can start an avalanche & one little choice can end a life in seconds. Rachel knew all too well, and the fact that she continued making the same mistakes only hurt her even more. Standing there, staring blankly at the countless nail marks covering the walls & lid of the freezer; all she felt was pain, and knowing that she could've done something about it only shoved another knife through her heart. Rachel wanted to blame her emotions on the full moon, heightening all her senses; but in truth, she couldn't lie to herself anymore. Her weren't sharpened, in fact, they were growing more & more numb by the second. She couldn't handle feeling so much pain all at once.
Her eyes grew watery, a few tears managing to slip out unnoticed as she shakily moved her hand up to the freezer's roof. The nail marks were slightly farther away than her own fingers, though she still chose to trace over them lightly. Rachel was barely five-foot-four, and she could tell just by observation that she wouldn't fit comfortably into the small box, she couldn't even imagine what it's be like for someone like Isaac. She'd been mildly claustrophobic for years, but this brought torture to a whole new level. Panic attacks, lack of oxygen, claustrophobia.. It could've killed him.
Rachel finally dropped the freezer lid, backing away slowly in a daze. Once her back connected with the stone wall behind her, she slid down to the floor, still staring at the closed box in horror. The brunette clamped a hand over her mouth a second later, wanting nothing more than to scream for hours on end. She wanted to curl up in a ball & violently sob, scream & throw things; anything to make herself feel something other than pain, but she couldn't.
Perhaps compassion was even more devious than curiosity. It took hold, and sometimes; it never truly let go. Maybe that was a good thing for a girl like Rachel Hale; someone who'd never taken others' emotions into consideration. But for a girl who constantly suppressed her own pain on a daily basis, it became a recipe for disaster. She could barely manage her own form of post-traumatic stress, let alone the residual energy left from years of relentless monstrosity.
How could Isaac's dad do that to him? Parents were supposed to love their children no matter what, they were supposed to support them and always care for them. It didn't matter if they were an outcast, on death row, or an abomination like Rachel; parents were supposed to be the one person you could count on in this world. Despite growing up without her father, Rachel had only ever known of families sticking together. Family was forever; as was the love that was supposed to exist within it.
The pain, suffering & death came when you allowed strangers with unknown intentions to intrude into your life. It was never supposed to come from those of blood relations. Rachel knew Derek had shattered all of that as soon as he'd killed Peter; but she made an exception. Because in her mind, the alpha werewolf was never truly Peter Hale, her favourite uncle; it was merely a monster wearing his face.
But now, no exceptions could be made. The proof was in front of her tear-filled eyes, and it hurt her more than it should've. Isaac's dad locked him in a freezer for god knows how long, and by the looks of the scratch marks; it obviously wasn't a one time occurrence. He beat him, and it was clear he felt no remorse for even a second of his monstrous actions; ones of which ultimately drove his son to accept a deadly offer.
Isaac knew about the hunters, and he knew about the risk of dying, yet he still chose to become a creature of the night. He would've rather died than remained in the company of his only remaining family member any longer; and that fact was enough to bring on another round of tears for Rachel. She couldn't even bare the thought of what could've happened if Derek didn't offer him the bite. Would Isaac still be alive? Something told Rachel that she really didn't want to know the honest answer of that question.
By now, Rachel was a complete mess; her mascara had managed to create dark lines beneath her eyes & she couldn't stop from shaking. Her hands were like ice, tucked inside the pockets of her jacket in attempt to regain warmth. The basement in itself was practically a freezer, and she wanted to get out while the opportunity still existed.
But sadly, that door slammed shut as the floorboards above her creaked, sending her into a panic. Were the police there already? No, they couldn't be; they'd still be interviewing Isaac & attempting to piece together the previous night. Rachel knew for certain they'd never get a decent story out of him, Derek sure as hell couldn't. Still, that didn't stop her from sliding in behind a shelf in order to remain hidden as the footsteps grew louder. The steps reached the bottom of the stairs & at that moment, Rachel knew she was well beyond screwed. Through the shelves, she managed to catch sight of none other than Derek, accompanied by Scott McCall; who looked far beyond confused, as usual. She couldn't let Derek catch her here.
Rachel would've been fine if it was just Scott, but not Derek; anyone in the world but Derek. He couldn't know that she'd snuck away from school & broken into Isaac's house, then proceeded to break down & cry. There was nothing she hated more than crying. It was pathetic, a time of weakness in which people often chose to inflict even more damage upon you, when you no longer had the will to fight back. She had more than enough will to fight back, and rest assured if Mr. Lahey wasn't already dead; Rachel would've killed him.
Nobody should ever have to live the way Isaac did.
Rachel forced her thoughts back to the two werewolves she was attempting at hiding from. She had to focus on masking her scent, otherwise Derek would find her in seconds. One slip up, one small second of breathing too heavily, and it'd be game over. But by the looks of things, she was still playing (and winning.)
Scott was kneeling beside the pile of chains, repeating Rachel's earlier actions & following them to the freezer. Little to his knowledge, he'd soon be greeted by the same brutal sight that caused the reflector to lose it. The werewolf narrowed his eyes in confusion, despite having a decent idea of the secrets hidden within the appliance. He turned back to Derek, questioning, "What happened down here?"
"The kind of thing that leaves an impression." Derek stated, nodding towards the freezer. "Open it."
"No-" Rachel blurted out, immediately regretting it afterwards. The brunette smacked a hand over her face, annoyed at her inability to keep quiet as she stood up & stepped out of her hiding place. In an attempt to look relatively alright, she managed to wipe away the majority of the black underlining her eyes with her sleeves before finishing her statement. "-you'll regret it."
"Rachel? What are you- wait, what's inside?" Scott asked, finally deciding on which question was priority.
"I'm here because I wanted to find & destroy the evidence before the police got a chance to use it against Isaac. You can look in the freezer if you want, I'm not going to stop you." She admitted, running a hand through her tangled hair. She couldn't very well lie to the two werewolves, fully capable of hearing her erratic heartbeat. Even if she was beginning to regain composure & push away her emotions, she wasn't focused enough to control her heart rate enough to attempt lying. It'd be a waste of energy; which she needed to save in order to execute the back-up, prison break plan she'd overheard Stiles talking about.
"You shouldn't have come here." Derek stated firmly, clearly unimpressed by his sister's attempt.
"You don't think I know that?" Rachel snapped, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. She wasn't expecting a hug, but the least he could've done was ask if she was mentally stable. "I finally figured out why you picked Isaac. You knew he'd say yes; no matter the price, because he had nothing left to lose, right? Right, Derek?"
"Everyone wants power." The alpha responded, whilst Scott stayed quiet. He was equally as surprised as Rachel by the initial response, but it was the additional part that really caught her attention. "You see this? Look around you, Rachel. He was practically on death row, and I gave him a way out."
"You might've saved him from his dad, but who's going to save him from you?" Rachel stepped forward & ignoring Scott, (who was beginning to feel as though he really didn't belong in their conversation) she wasn't about to back down. Derek might be able to scare the majority of the town, but she saw straight through his act. "You know Gerard's drawing battle lines, and you're creating an army of supernatural soldiers to protect you. Derek, don't you get it? You have me; you've always had me, and whether or not you've figured it out yet, I'm not made of glass. I'll help you-" She paused, turning to glance at Scott for a second. The boy simply nodded, knowing what she was about to say would go along with his thoughts on the situation. "-we'll help you, but you need to stop. Until we deal with Gerard, you have to promise me you won't turn anyone else. Please."
"I can't make that promise." Derek deadpanned, not changing his opinions in the slightest. He was stronger with betas, and once the word of him being the new alpha in Beacon Hills spread, Gerard wouldn't be the only threat they had to face. As much as Rachel liked to think she was invincible, she wasn't superwoman.
"Did you tell Isaac about the Argents? About being hunted?" Scott cut in, before Rachel had a chance to continue on with her speech.
"Yes, and he still asked."
"Then he's an idiot."
"And you're the idiot dating Argent's daughter." Derek shot back, a smug look soon appearing on his face. "Yeah, I know your little secret, and if I know, how long do you think it's gonna take for them to find out? You saw what happens to an omega. With me, you learn how to use all your senses. With me, you learn control; even on a full moon."
"If I'm with you, I lose her." Scott frowned, clearly not even tempted by the offer. His undying love for Allison would've almost been inspiring to Rachel, if they weren't wasting time that could've been used to get Isaac out of jail. She'd had enough of their little fight.
"You're gonna lose her anyway, you know that." Derek pointed out. Though it was inevitably true, Rachel wasn't about to agree with him. Not when he was being an asshole.
"Stop it!" Rachel hissed angrily. She could tell her brother was getting ready to walk out, and if he did; their plan of saving Isaac with no casualties along the way would be toast. "You're acting like a pair of pre-teens, for fuck sakes! Are you twelve, or are you twenty-something, Derek? I honestly can't tell, because the brother I know would never sit here & argue with a teenager when an innocent person's life is in the line. And you, Scott, are you joking, right now? What happened to keeping everyone safe? What happened to the Scott McCall that wanted to save everyone?"
She shook her head disapprovingly, shoving past Scott & heading for the stairs. Derek caught her wrist on the way by, pulling her back to question, "Where are you going?"
"Unlike you two cowards, I'm going to find Stiles & Allison. We'll do the plan without you." Rachel snapped back, flickering her eyes to a bright red as she tore her wrist from Derek's grip.
And with that, she was gone.
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Sad Rachel.. To badass Rachel. All in 4,640 words.
Not gonna lie, this is the first time I've ever made myself tear up while writing. I never really thought about how sad Isaac's life actually was, and when I did; woah. It just kinda hit me all at once. I don't even wanna talk about everything that happens to him in 3A.. and then 3B.. I NEED TO STOP.
So I almost deleted & rewrote this completely because I was really unhappy, but I ended up editing it (somewhat) and changing a lot of the words so it sounded better. Obviously, I ended up deciding to keep it, and I'm actually pretty proud of it. Please don't call Rachel weak or anything, because you need to keep in mind that she'd never seen or heard of anything to this extreme. Put yourself in her situation; not only did she witness the aftermath, but she felt the pain left behind, and that's what caused her to really lose it for a few minutes.
I mainly listened to Snow Ghosts (Covenant/Lament like 3 times each, oops) & Digital Daggers (Bad Intentions, yo) whilst writing this; one song in particular (Still Here) which happens to be my favourite was a pretty big inspiration for this, so I added it alongside the gif c: Give it a listen, if you haven't already. It gives me goosebumps every time, I love it so much.
So, lastly.. Comment opinions?