TW: this chapter is DARK.
'✧∘* ೃ ⋆｡˚.
Aires pov...
I was slowly losing my mind.
Something was possessing my thoughts, my movements, my mind. Something was corrupting me. And it was driving me fucking crazy.
"Ree?" Allison whispered shakely. "Are you okay?"
I stared back at her mindlessly, not making any move to answer. From the corner of my eyes, I watched as Lydia slowly made her way out of the bathroom with her phone in hand, her eyes narrowed on me.
"Aires, are you okay? Are you hearing voices?"
I didn't know what I was hearing.
I forced a smile onto my lips. "I'm perfectly fine." I hummed, lying through my teeth.
The door bursted open from behind me, grabbing everyone's attention but mine. My eyes remained locked on a spot on the wall. There was a crack on the wooden panel that intrigued me, it had a dark purple rose growing out of it.
Slowly, I made my way over to the flower whilst Stiles, Allison and Lydia burst into a hushed conversation behind me. I wasn't listening to them though, I was too entranced with the flower.
"Aires." Allison snapped, tugging me out of my trance. "Whose clothes are you in?" She asked, a scrunched from on her face.
"Aidens." I bluntly snapped, a blank expression on my face.
"Wait what?" Lydia shrieked.
"Why are you in Aiden's clothes?" Allison demanded.
Cocking my head to the side, I narrowed my eyes on her. "I'll leave that for you guys to figure out."
Just as I started to leave the room, Stiles closed the gap between us by wrapping his hand around the top of my arm and jerking me to a stop.
"Ree." He warned in a low voice, his eyes full of disgust.
"What Stiles." I snapped, loud enough for the girls to hear. "Upset?" I shot back in a sing-song voice.
"Let's not have this conversation here-"
"Oh please, Stiles- what conversation? I have no clue what you're talking about."
"Did you fuck him?" He hissed whilst rubbing his hand along his tense jaw.
"Do you think I'm the darach?" I shot back.
The silence that lingered between us was enough to answer both of our questions. Suddenly, a tall figure moved into the doorframe with a mixture of terror and confusion on his face.
"Aires?" Aiden whispered whilst rubbing at his head.
Before I could answer, Stiles spun on his heel and launched his fist straight into Aiden's jaw.
"You dick." Stiles spat.
"STILES, NO!" Allison and Lydia shrieked in unison, running towards the boy.
I should have stopped them, however, I was revelling in the chaos. With a small smirk, I slipped out the room and made my way up an old staircase that was compelling me. I slipped onto the roof and closed the door tightly shut behind me. The last thing I needed was for one of my friends to find me.
I had only been at the motel for two hours and had already felt several changes within me. My magic was strong, ridiculously strong, stronger than it ever had been before. That wasn't the only change though. There was a weight in my chest, a heavy glum feeling. It was suffocating me.
One minute I was high off of chaos and the next I was wanting nothing more than to scream until the world went silent. There was no controlling any of it, however, there was a solution. One that would fix all of my problems.
It would fix the darach situation, the pain I had caused, the pain inside me.
Suicide.
Stepping further onto the roof, my eyes locked onto a figure just a few feet away from me. Long brunette curls blew about in the gentle breeze as caramel brown eyes stared back at me.
"Sage?"
"Aires."
I knew she wasn't really there, she was dead. However, that didn't stop me from running to the girl and jumping into her arms.
"I missed you." I whispered in her ear whilst clinging onto her.
Even if none of it was real, even if it was all a play on my mind- I wanted to be in her arms for just a minute. It wasn't real, she wasn't real, but I didn't care. I just needed a minute.
"I know, I know." Sage whispered back.
" I'm sorry. It should've been me. You were supposed to live, we were supposed to live. I should've died, I should've been the one to die."
"Aires." She snapped whilst letting go of me and taking my face into her hands. "Don't say that. I wanted you to live."
"But it's not fair, it's not fair Sage. You were supposed to still be here." I shot back furiously.
"Life isn't fair, Aires. If it was, you would have been treated so much better, you would've been happier-"
"But I was happy." I snapped whilst willing the emotion that clawed up my throat to go away. "I was happy with you. And right now, I have never been happier than I am right now, in this moment, in your arms. I miss you."
"I love you Aires Hale, but the world isn't finished with you yet." She whispered, making panic blossom in my chest as she started to retreat. I needed just another minute. "You will be happy again, it might be a while but trust me, you will be. And when you are, I want you to know that then, I will finally be at peace. I love you."
My lips parted to beg her to stay, to make her stay for just another minute. But before the words could get out, I felt the warmth of Sage slip right through my fingers, making a strangled scream rip from my lips.
"No." I choked out whilst scanning the roof for her, only to come up empty. "I didn't get to say it back."
My knees gave out from under me, sending me crashing to the floor as my hand pushed against my chest. I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak, the only thing I could do was let strangled shrieks fall from my lips. I had a second chance to say goodbye, and I blew it. I never said it back.
I was so in my head, drowning in my misery to realise what I was creating. A crack of lightening ripped through the clear night sky as another scream fell from my lips. There wasn't supposed to be a storm, not not the type of storm that was brewing.
I was allowing my emotions to control my magic.
I wanted to stop it, to get ahold of myself and stop the sudden rain that came pummelling from the sky, but I couldn't. I was the cause of it. I was making the storm, I was channelling a dangerous amount of magic. And I couldn't stop.
As I let out a final scream, all the anger, pain and grief that roared through my veins escaped. A violet coloured forcefield bursted from my chest, releasing all my pent up emotions and manipulating it into magical energy. The roof shook beneath my knees as streaks of lightning lit up the sky.
"AIRES!" Stiles' suddenly yelled from the other side of the staircase door.
My legs stood with the intent of walking over to him and opening the door, however, I couldn't bring myself to walk in his direction. The universe was fucking cruel, giving me Sage only to rip her away from me in seconds. And I couldn't do it, I couldn't do it anymore
Everything I had been feeling for months, years, was in the forefront of my mind. Pushing me away from the door and towards the edge of the roof. I was tired, tired of it all, tired of the world and the shitty cards it kept throwing at me.
"Aires." Someone suddenly snapped from behind me.
Turning on my heel, I came face to face with the woman who had raised me. "Mom?" I whispered.
"I'm so sorry my sweet girl." She hummed before walking up to me and wrapping her arms around me.
I didn't move or hug her back, to scared to do something that would send her back. I was seeing fucking ghosts, and whilst I was happy to see them, I was also terrified because I knew it meant I was losing my damn mind.
"You lied to me." I whispered defeatedly.
"I know, I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you myself."
"I have messed up so badly. And I don't think I can fix any of it." I shot back.
The drugs, Sage, the mistletoe. Everything was fucked up and standing in may mothers arms, feeling her warmth, I wanted nothing more than to join her on the other side. I wanted to leave the world with her.
"This world has been so unfair to you, but you need to stay strong-"
"I've spent my whole life fighting." I shot back. "Im tired mom." I pleaded, praying she would listen to me. "I have fought my whole life, and- i'm just so fucking tired."
"Go to New Orleans." She suggested, bringing a hint of a frown to my face before I shook it off.
"I can't, Mom." I couldn't leave. "I accidentally helped cause something, something bad. A lot of people are going to die, I have to stay and fix it."
"What if it kills you, what then? What if it turns you back into a heretic, or worse. What if someone really found a loophole?"
"At least then I would have died trying." I snapped.
"You need to be careful, Aires." She shot back whilst untangling her arms to take my face in her hands. "I mean it. You're special, unique. You possess power that nobody in this world could even compare to. If you're not careful, it will control you."
"It already is."
"This person isn't like other druids." She surprised me by saying, stunning me into silence. She knew something, and she was helping me. "They aren't going by a rule book. If they are breaking the rules then you can too. Look at the sky, Aires, you created this storm. You let out a violet force of pure magic, you're strong enough to do it."
"To do what?" I asked frustratedly whilst swiping my drenched hair out of my face.
What was she talking about?
"To get inside the darach's mind."
I didn't know what to say to her, to that. I had stayed away from doing that for all my life. I could do it, but that didn't mean I ever did or ever wanted to. But something pulled inside me, telling me I had to go against myself and do it, I have to get in their mind.
"How? How can I get in it's mind?"
"What connects the two of you? What links you both together? If you can find it then you can manipulate how it connects you."
"Mistletoe." I whispered under my breath. "We're connected through mistletoe, through a spell they put on me to poison me."
"Manipulate that spell." My mother shot back sternly. "Channel it through you. If you can channel their magic inside your veins, you will both temporarily share the same blood. It's risky, there's a chance they can get into your head too, so if you go through it you have to be one hundred percent sure you are in control of yourself. That way they can't manipulate you into doing something detrimental."
Biting back the lie, I swallowed a gulp and frantically nodded my head. I knew I wasn't in control, I wasn't even close to it. However, I knew that if I could get in the darach's mind, it would give us an advantage. And that was what we needed, even if it cost me my sanity.
"You can't break the spell, but you can manipulate it, you can relink yourselves. Once you're in their head, focus solely on finding out their plans and thoughts. Keep your mind focused on theirs, don't give them any opening to yours. As soon as you get out of their mind, you break the link."
"Okay. I got it."
As a hint of a smile ghosted my lips, I stepped away from my mother, ready to do what I knew I needed to do. A gorgeous smile rested on her lips as she looked at me in the same way she did when I was little. She wasn't my biological mother, but she was the woman that raised me. And even though I had hated her at times, I loved her in an unconditional way a daughter would always love their mother. She lied, did unspeakable things to me I could never forgive, but she was my mother.
"Aires." She suddenly choked out as her face contorted in pain.
My hands reached for her, but I couldn't grab her. I was paralysed in place, watching as a blade ripped through my mothers skin and coated her in blood. Crimson red trickled from her mouth, whilst I stood helplessly watching.
No.
No.
No.
"Run." She whispered before her lifeless body fell to the floor, bringing a choking gasp from my lips.
My whole body trembled as I stared down at my mothers body, limp and lifeless against the wet concrete.
"Aires Hale." A sickening voice croaked out from in front of me, making me lift my head to find the earache holding the knife that just pierced my mother.
The darach was here, they were in the motel- in front of me.
"The Eve Witch. You are the answer, Aires, you are the solution. Do you know how powerful we could be together?"
"You." I choked out with a shake of my head. "You."
"Me." It shot back mockingly, making the realisation of how screwed I was suddenly dawn on me.
They got into my head before I had the chance to get into theirs.
"What do you want from me?" I hissed.
"I don't want your help, Aires." They muttered, sending a chill down my spine. "I want you dead. I want you to become what you're supposed to be. I want you to be at your full potential. Your abilities are already growing, your strength is increasing. I want you to become a heretic. If I'm the one to kill you, it will seal everything. It will complete the plan."
I was a pawn.
"No." I snapped with a scowl.
I wasn't giving myself over, I wasn't helping anybody and I needed to get them out of my head. The darach was in my fucking head and I needed them out.
"See, here's the thing, Aires. I don't really care about you. You are just another step in my plan, you're not that valuable to me. However, together, we could become unstoppable. You have much worse things coming your way, with me by your side, we would be the most feared people in the world."
Cocking my head to the side, I slowly shook my head. "You're not the only person who wants me dead."
As a hand wrapped around my throat and slammed me onto the concrete, I realised I was in far more trouble than I had originally realised. Not only was the darach in my head, but they were also in me, connected in a way I wasn't going to be able to find.
As they lifted my head to slam it back down into the concrete, I wrapped my hands around their neck and used my last strength to get into their head. And I did, I got in.
Lydia.
All I saw was Lydia.
"Get out." I hissed through clenched teeth as I clawed at the hands wrapped around my neck. "Get out of my fucking head."
"It's too late." The Darach hissed before picking me up and throwing me across the roof, making me tumble and roll and stop at the very edge.
With trembling hands, my hands flew to my head whilst I peered over the edge of the building. I was high up, high enough that a fall could kill me, it could end it all. I could finally give it all in. I could find a loophole, I could stay on the other side forever.
The Darach was in my head, linked to my body and soul, it had made a move before me and was suddenly ten steps ahead. I was completely and utterly fucking screwed. And I refused to fall into the hands of a monster again.
"AIRES, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Allison suddenly screamed from across the roof as the door swung open.
Somehow, they had made it past the door and were standing across from me, all with tears in their eyes.
"Ree Ree." Stiles whispered.
It wasn't just the thought of her being a heretic again that scared me, it was what I had been warned about multiple times throughout the night. Something worse was coming, something much worse, something I would be the cause of. I needed to die, or else I would be the cause of someone's death. I needed to stay on the other side, stuck in translation between a heretic and a human for the rest of my life. I could do it. It would be the only way.
I couldn't fight anymore, I had caused so much damage, hurt so many people. The world needed to be rid of me for good.
Turning to meet Allis eyes, I gave her a small smile. My fate had been sealed from the start of the night, I was going to die. At my hands. On my terms. I gave my best friend a hint of a smile before I threw myself over the edge of the building.
"NO!" Allison screamed.
My eyes locked onto the ground, the wind nipped at my cheeks and the rain smacked against my skin. I was in the air, ready to fall until someones hand wrapped around my wrist, making me dangle mid air.
Scott.
A single tear fell from my eye as I glanced up at the boy that was always like a brother to me. Tears stained his cheeks as he stared down at me. We were both two silent messes. One hand, that was all that stopped me from plummeting to the ground. All I would have to do is wriggle out of his hold and I would finally be free. Scott's hold on my wrist was the only thing that would keep me dangling over the edge of the building, and he wouldn't be able to hold me much longer.
"Aires."
"I have to Scotty." I shot back pleadingly.
"I'm gonna pull you up and we're gonna talk, okay?"
"You don't understand." I hissed with wide eyes. "I shouldn't have come back. I'm gonna get you all killed."
"Ree-"
"Scotty, please. Let me go, please? I promise, everything will be okay, I will be okay. Just let me go please."
I wanted to fall, to let the darkness swallow me up. It wasn't just because of the darach, because of that was to come. I was tired, so fucking tired from fighting. I had wanted to die most of my life. I wanted it to all go away.
"I can't do that." Scott sobbed. "I love you. You are my best friend. Please let me pull you up, okay?"
"If you love me then let me go."
"I understand what you're feeling, okay? I promise you I understand, I understand exactly how you're feeling right now. I feel it too, I want to go too. I almost did ten minutes ago, but when I heard you were missing, that you could be trying to take your own life, it made me realise that I wasn't alone."
"I'm so tired, Scott." I muttered through clenched teeth. "We are so young and yet we have this weight on our shoulders, the weight of the world. I don't want to feel it anymore."
A sob fell from his lips as he nodded at my words. He understood what I was feeling, he was feeling it too. "It's okay to want to go, I understand." He whispered to me. "But I need you here just a little bit longer, okay?"
But I didn't want to be in the world any longer.
"I saw Sage today, and I saw my Mom." I whispered with a shake of my head. "After seeing them I realised how long I've wanted to leave the world, how long I've prayed I wouldn't wake up the next day. I fell out of love with living a long time ago."
"They loved you Aires, they loved you so much, they will never stop. It's okay if you want to go, I'm sure they would understand. You have lived a nightmare. It's okay to be tired. I love you, I will always love you."
"I love you too, Scotty."
Please let me go.
"We all love you. Me, Stiles, Lydia, Allison."
At the mention of her name, a strangled sob slipped past my lips. I knew I couldn't leave her. Despite only knowing each other for a year, we had a bond nobody else had. It was unexplainable. I knew I couldn't live without Allison, and Allison without me. I knew that if I was to go, she wouldn't be far behind.
That's what prompted the next words from my mouth.
"Can you pull me up please?"
I couldn't let her follow me, and I knew she would. I didn't want to be alive, and as a smile blossomed on Scotts face, I felt devotion claw at me. I wanted to die so badly, but I didn't want her to die. I had a choice, and I chose her. I didn't chose me, I chose her.
He reached for my other hand and pulled me up and back onto the roof. The second my feet touched the floor, I was swept into a tight hug.
"I love you." Allison whispered in my ear.
"I love you too, Alli."
As we separated, I was pulled into another tight hug by Scott. "Thank you for staying." He whispered.
"Thank you, for staying."
'✧∘* ೃ ⋆｡˚.
After long emotional hugs with everyone, the five made their way back down the staircase and towards the bus. Scott had tried to take his life, as had Ethan, Boyd, Alex, Isaac and Aiden. A sigh of relief fell from the girl's lips as she spotted Aiden leaning against the wall.
And before she had time to realise what she was doing, her legs began to move and before she knew it, she was in the boy's arms.
Her arms tightly wrapped around his neck as his wrapped around her back. She wasn't sure what drove her straight to the boy, but in that moment, she knew she was in trouble. It shouldn't have happened, she shouldn't have been suddenly drawn to him the way she was. But the second she saw his bloodied and bruised face, she couldn't help but run to him.
Quickly detangling herself from him, she pushed her hair out of her face before plastering a blank expression on her face. He may have almost killed himself tonight, and it was the memories of the boy she thought she knew that drove him to her, nothing else. It was a lapse in judgment on her part.
"You're okay?" Aires whispered in a detached mutter.
"I'm okay. Are you?"
"I will be."
From across the parking lot, Stiles watched the pair with tears pricking at his eyes. Hate for himself burned in his chest, he couldn't help but think if he never voiced his thoughts on Aires being the darach then maybe he wouldn't have driven her straight into his arms. He longed to be the one that held her, he wanted to be the one she cried to, not Aiden.
"When Aiden found out she went missing he went crazy, I think that was the first and only time we will ever see him cry. I've never seen someone that distraught over the thought of someone taking their own life." Allison whispered with a sad smile.
"You were distraught, we all were." Stiles whispered back.
"Yeah but not in the same way." Allison shot back with a faint shrug. "Aiden didn't react the way you would if she was only a friend. He really loves her."
A heavy feeling settled in the boy's chest. He knew the Argent was right, though Stiles had also fallen in love with Aires. He fell in love with her the second he saw. He realised it too late. He knew he would never be able to protect her the way Aiden could.
Even though it hurt, he wanted the Hale to be happy, even if it wasn't with him.
With a forced smile, Stiles nodded his head. "Yeah, he really does love her."
✧∘* ೃ ⋆｡˚.
THIS CHAPTER... WOW
Allison's death is gonna hurt so much. Also, WE THE SCENE WITH SAGE :(
The scene with Scott and Aires made me think of Nat in Endgame :(
LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!!! THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET CRAZY, NEXT CHAPTER WE MEET ANOTHER ONE OF MY OC'S.
XOXO