"This doesn't seem so bad." Stiles stated as we roamed the dirt covered town. I rolled my eyes. "It's not the town, it's the plan. Frankly, this isn't how I wanted to spend my last weekend of summer."
Just after the school year ended last June, Derek had gone missing. Nobody knows who took him, but we found out they were in Mexico. So that's where we went. Before we went, Peter told us some useful Intel on who captured Derek actually was. He had an idea that it could've been this hunter named Araya or something. Scott came up with the plan that we we're going to sneak into their base and basically blackmail them.
"What's wrong with the plan?" Stiles furrowed his eyebrows as I crossed my arms. "Stiles, This could be the stupidest plan we've ever come up with. Please tell me you're aware of that." He nodded. "I'm aware that it's not our best."
I pursed my lips as we walked down the alleyway. "We are going to die." Stiles sighed. "Thank god you're not a Banshee but stop being pessimistic." I rolled my eyes. "I'm not being pessimistic. I'm a person that doesn't want to die."
"Okay, would you mind restricting any death talk right now." I sighed. "Fine. This plan is stupid and we're going to get killed."
He shot me a playful glare. "Oh, Thank you."
"Mmm."
We walked up to door that Scott described to us. Red with black dots on the sides. Two guards stepped in front of us, arms crossed with heavy glares. "Uh, Esta aqui donde la fiesta?" I asked as the one to the right smirked, shaking his head.
I sighed, glancing at Stiles who reached into his pocket. He pulled out a card with a skull on it, showing it to the guards. The guard's eyes widened before they directed us towards the camera. Stiles held the card up to the camera. The door clicked, opening. Stiles put the card back into his pocket as we entered the building.
The hallway was dim as we made our way down, the door shutting behind us. Stiles and I glanced at eachother before moving down the hallway. Music blared through the door as we got closer. Stiles grabbed the door knob, whipping the door open.
It was like a grind fest. Everyone was grinding up on eachother. Kinda of reminded me of that club Isaac and I went to, trying to save Jackson. "Come on." Stiles muttered, putting a hand on my back, guiding me through the crowd.
We got to the bar, taking a seat. "This is weird." I whispered as Stiles nodded. Two drinks were placed in front of us. Stiles sighed, reaching into his pocket. Suddenly, hands were placed on our shoulders. "No. On the house. Most American teenagers don't cross the border to refuse a drink."
I pursed my lips, not looking at him. "We didn't come to drink." I reached into my pocket, grabbing the bullet, placing it in the drink.
"Come with me." The man said, dragging us out of our chairs. We followed him down another hallway, this one covered in guards. He opened the door to revel another room, with more guards. "Severo hates this music." A lady said as we took a seat. She sat in front of us, wiping a knife. So this was Araya.
"Me? I've always loved the music of youth. This kind, especially. It has a savage energy."
"We're here for Derek Hale." She glanced up at me, smirking. "Is that so?" I hesitantly nodded. "We know you have him. We've heard you can be bought." Stiles pulled out the briefcase, opening it and placing it in front of Araya. "It's 50,000 for Derek."
Araya chuckled. "Now, where does a teenage boy get money like this? Japanese mafia?" Guns cocked in the back of us as Araya stood up. "Not smart to come alone."
Stiles narrowed his eyes smiling. "What makes you think we came alone?" Araya's eyes widened. "You brought a wolf into my home?"
I smirked. "We brought an Alpha."
She walked around us, glaring. "My friends. I don't think you're aware of your poor timing. Do you know what the dark moon is?" I nodded. "The part of the lunar phase when the moon is least visible in the sky."
She nodded. "But do you know its meaning?" I crossed my arms. "Some people say it's a time of reflection. Or grief."
"Grief and loss, mija. I wonder why when you and your friends have suffered so much loss, you would risk it again for someone like Derek Hale." I narrowed my eyes. "Derek was my first alpha and We don't like to lose."
"Front door clear. South clear." Voices blared from the radio. "North?" The radio went silent as the man shook it. "Hola?"
"Stiles. Take 10 off the table." Scott's voice said through the radio as Stiles took 10,000 of the table. "Maybe you should just take the deal."
Araya shook her head. "I'm going to have to decline." Stiles groaned. "Aaa come on. Just give us Derek. You don't want him anyway. Haven't you noticed what a downer he is. No sense of humor, poor conversationalist. Just come on, take the money."
Araya smirked, turning to the guard. "Severo? Show them how the calaveras negotiate." He nodded, pressing a button. Araya got up. "Watch them while I greet my guests." He nodded as Araya got up, walking out of the door.
A light mist flooded from under the door, into the air. I stood up, glaring at Severo. "What is she doing to them." He narrowed his eyes. "Sit down." I growled, glaring at him. I held my arm out to the light, closing my fist as the light went out. "What the-" I grabbed his arm, twisting it as he fell to the ground. "You should really do a backup check on who you're messing with."
I went to grab him again as my lungs squeezed shut. I started wheezing, falling to the ground. "Stiles-" I groaned as he stood up. "Aubrey? Where are you?" I reached a hand up towards him. "Down he-" I fell to the ground, my vision turning black.
"Are they awake yet?" I heard Stiles ask. "No, not yet. I think they both got a shot of each others pain." I groaned, opening my eyes. "Aubrey, thank god you're okay." Stiles came next to me, hugging my body.
"What happened?" I sat up against the pillar. "Araya shot wolfsbane at you. All of you." I narrowed my eyes. "Bitch."
"He's awake." I glanced over towards Kira who was leaning over Scott. "Guys, he's awake." I crawled over to Scott who was glancing around the room. "Scott, you okay?" Stiles asked as Scott nodded.
"Yeah. They don't have him. They don't have Derek." Kira sighed, nodding. "We know. But right now, they've got Lydia." Scott's eyes widened. "Lydia? What do they want with Lydia?" Everyone glanced at eachother. "We don't know."
Scott shot to his feet, walking around the room. It reminded me of a meat locker. "We already looked for a way out. I think a lot of people have." Kira commented at the scratch marks on the wall. "I say when the door opens again, we take out whoever's standing in the way and run for it."
"What about Lydia?" Malia shrugged. "What about her?" I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. "We're not leaving without her." She glared over to me. "Why not?" Sometimes she could be so freaking rude.
Stiles noticed the tension, stepping in between us. "Because we don't leave without people. We talked about this? Rules of the wild kingdom don't apply to friends." I still don't know why Scott invited her to the pack, she just cared about killing basically.
"Is that what you would do as a coyote, leave her for dead?" Malia nodded. "If she was weak and injured, yeah. If hunting had been bad that season, I would ear her. Then i'd leave." Kira's eyes went wide as she glanced at Stiles who shrugged. "Believe it or not, that's progress."
Scott sighed. "Alright guys, we're not dead yet. And that means Araya wants something." I crossed my arms. "But if the Calaveras don't know where Derek is, that means they didn't take him from the loft. They could've been set up."
Stiles nodded. "Maybe he left on his own." I shook my head. "I think someone else got to him."
Suddenly the door opened, reveling 3 big guards. They stormed into the room, grabbing Scott and Kira. "No!" I shouted running up to one of them. He held out a gun as they backed out of the room. I stopped, watching them take my brother. "Son of a-" Stiles came over to me, grabbing my shoulders. "It's okay. He's going to be alright."
"What are they going to do to him?" I sighed, sliding down the wall. Suddenly, I felt my volts shock my entire body as I groaned. "What the hell is going on?" Stiles shouted, kneeling down next to me. "Scott." I muttered as the pain faded. "Can you hear him?"
I concentrated on Scott's voice. Come on Aubrey, focus. "I said I don't know." The electricity came back as I heard Scott groan. "It's okay. I don't know." Scott screamed as the pain got worse.
"Who is it Scott? Someone who could have turned without you knowing. Turned, but not by a bite?" Araya asked. "I don't know." The pain continued.
"They're killing him." I panted as the pain continued to get worse. "I don't know!"
"They're using Kira's electricity to hurt him." I groaned. "Kate." The pain stopped as my eyes widened. "Kate." I muttered. "What?" Stiles asked. "What did you say Aubrey?"
"Kate. Kate is alive. She's supernatural." Stiles' eyes widened as Malia came over to us. "That's impossible. It's impossible. That can't be what he said."
Malia shrugged her shoulders. "Why? Who's Kate." Stiles glanced up at her. "She's a hunter. An Argent." Suddenly, the door opened, reveling Scott, Kira, and Lydia. "Come on guys, we're leaving."
I ran up to Scott, pulling him into a hug. "Are you okay?" He nodded, hugging me back. I"m fine." He turned to Araya. "So you're just letting us go freely?"
She nodded. "I sent four men out to where Kate was rumored to have been seen. None of them come back. Let's see if you can do better." Scott narrowed his eyes. "You could've just told me she was alive."
She shook her head. "You wouldn't have believed me. Now I know what kind of Alpha you are. And where your next step lies." Scott furrowed his eyebrows. "What next step?"
Araya smirked. "When you take the bite of an innocent, when you make a wolf of your own, when you do that, then, I will cross your border and come knocking at your door." She opened the door for us as we walked out. "So what now?" Stiles asked as we walked through the town.
"She think shes knows where we can find Derek." Malia nodded crossing her arms. She gonna tell us where?" Scott scratched the back of his head. "Uh actually, she's giving us a guide." As if on que, a motorcycle pulled up in front of us, reveling a girl. Scott's eyes widened as Stiles turned towards him.
"You know her?" He questioned. Scott nodded. "Braeden." Malia crossed her arms. "Who's Braeden?"
"She's a mercenary." Braeden nodded. "Right now, i'm the only one who's gonna take you to la iglesia." I furrowed my eyebrows. "The church?"
Stiles turned towards me. "What's The Church." Braeden shook her head. "It's not a place you'll find God."
We all piled into the car, following Braeden through Mexico. "Okay, i'll ask again. Who's Kate Argent?" Malia asked as Kira nodded. "Uh, i'd like to know too."
I sighed. "Well, we were at her funeral. So, i'd like to know how she got out of a casket that was buried six feet underground." Scott shook his head. "She was never in it." Lydia turned towards Malia. "She was Allison's aunt. And a total sociopath."
Kira coughed. "You don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to." Malia shook her head. "Um, yes he does." Scott sighed. "Yeah, she's right. You guys should know. You need to know."
I crossed my arms. "Alright, Kate was the one who set the fire that killed most of Derek's family." Scott nodded. Some of them survived, like Cora and Peter."
"A very angry Peter." Scott nodded. "Yeah, he's the one who bit and turned me."
"And the one who finally caught up to Kate and killed her." Stiles rolled his eyes. "And we saw her buried."
Scott shook his head. "No. We saw a casket, remember? She wasn't in it. The calaveras heard that Kate had been killed by an Alpha's claws. They wanted to make sure she was really dead. Her body was healing. More and more as she got closer to a full moon. She was coming back. So they switched out the bodies. If a hunter is bit, they have to take their own life before they change. The Calaveras, they treat the code like law. They make it their responsibility to enforce it."
Malia nodded. "Good for her. I wouldn't do it either." I rolled my eyes. "Would you kill half a dozen people to get out? Because that's what she did." Malia glared at me as Kira spoke up. "So Kate's a werewolf now?"
Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You know, there's a saying , sometimes the shape you take reflects the person you are." I crossed my arms. "What kind of shape is a sociopathic bitch?" Suddenly, the jeep bounced up, a thud coming from underneath it.
"Uh Stiles, what's going on?" He shook his head, pulling over to the side. "I don't know." We got out of the car as Braeden stopped in front of us, getting off her bike. "What happened?"
Stiles opened the hood of his vehicle. "I don't know. It felt like we hit something." Brenden sighed, turning to Scott. "Scott, we need to get there by night. It's too dangerous otherwise." Scott sighed turning towards Stiles and I.
"Go." We said as Scott shook his head. "Not without you both." I crossed my arms. "Scott, someone needs to find Derek. We'll figure something out. We always do. Just go." Scott sighed. "Okay."
"Scott, I can't think of anything else to say except for be careful. And I know be careful sounds kind of lame and i'm totally sure the second you're gone i'm gonna think of something much better, but i-" Scott cut her off, chuckling. "Be careful works for me."
"Scott, the sun's going down." Scott nodded, turning back to Kira. "Hey, I gotta go." She nodded as Scott walked over to Braeden, getting onto the bike. Braeden got into front as they rode off.
"Stiles. I don't think we hit something. I think something hit us." Malia stood up, pulling out a huge claw. Something really didn't want us getting to the church.
"Maybe we should just walk." Lydia sighed as Stiles grunted. "I will never abandon this jeep. You understand me? Ever. Ever. Ever." Lydia held her hands up as Malia stared into the distance. "Work Faster, Stiles. There's something out here with us."
I rolled my eyes. "You wanna try fixing the jeep?" She glared at me before turning away. "That's what I thought."
As the sky got darker, Stiles got frustrated as I held the the light down the engine. I shivered as the cold breeze passed over me. "Aubrey, could you please hold the light still for a second? It's really hard to see anything if you keep shaking it like that."
I tried to contain my shaking as I glanced around. "I'm shaking it like this because we're in the middle of nowhere with your broken down jeep and we're being attacked by yet another razor-clawed monster. And i'm terrified." Stiles glanced up at me. "Well, just be slightly less terrified. And hold this."
He handed me some weird part. "What's this?" Stiles shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hoping it's not important."
"Anything." I heard Kira ask as Malia growled. "It's too hard to see. We should've brought another flashlight." I heard Kira gasp. "Did you see that?" Malia roared as footsteps ran through the sand. Glancing over, I saw Malia running up a hill.
"Malia, wait!" Kira shouted running after her. "Hey, Malia!" Stiles yelled as I grabbed his shoulders. "Kira, go! You, fix the jeep. If Malia wants to ruin around like an idiot, then let her, but focus." Stiles sighed, going back to the jeep.
Suddenly, the motor started as Stiles sighed. "Finally, now where are the others." Malia and Kira came running down from the hill. "Come on, get in."
Lydia got into the back with Malia and Kira as I got into the front. "Don't do that ever again." Stiles sighed as he drove down the road. "Do what?"
"I thought you just took off. I thought you were running." Malia rolled her eyes. "I was running." Stiles shook his head. "No, I mean like, I thought you were leaving."
Malia shook her head. "I wouldn't leave without anyone." Stiles nodded. "Good."
"That doesn't look good." Lydia commented as I glanced in back of me, noticing a deep cut on Malia's thigh. Malia shrugged. "It's okay."
"Are you sure? It looks deep?" She nodded again. "I can feel it healing." Lydia raised her eyebrows. "You didn't see anything?" She shook her head. "Barley. It had a strong scent thought."
"Like what?" Stiles and I asked. "Like death."
We arrived at the church as the sun peaked over the horizon. "Where are they?" I muttered as we walked down into the ditch. "They have to be around here somewhere." I heard coughing as Scott and Braeden came out of the building, holding a young boy.
"Is that him? Is that Derek?" Malia asked as the boy looked up. "Uh, sort of."
My eyes widened. "Oh my god." It was indeed Derek, but he was years younger. It was like the movie 17 again had actually happened.
So that was the first chapter of Hiraeth. I hope you all enjoyed. I can't wait to start another journey with all of you and I really hope you enjoy the book as it goes on :). Let me know what you think about anything, the title, etc.
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