"You didn't answer the question,"
"Neither did you."
It only took that night for Charlie Swan to realize Azazel's bravery and nonchalance was a front. If the way she awoke from night terrors was anything to go by. Charlie Swan was content to let her live with him but Sam had re-convinced his mom that Azazel was a good person and it took five weeks for the paperwork to go through.
At some point Charlie Swan had told Azazel that if she wanted to visit Sam she could, as long as she was home before ten PM. This was more freedom than she had honestly expected to receive from the Chief of Police. So this afternoon, the last weekend before her first day at school on La Push she made it a point to visit the seventeen year old.
"So I guess we really need to figure out how to control the shifting huh?" Sam snickers at her as she glared at him from behind a towel. "This is the third time you've shifted today, and over a video game! I'm running out of old clothes!" He tossed another pair of his old clothes her way and she slid on the Jean cutoff and shirt. At this point she had grown accustomed to him seeing her body enough times that he could describe the tattoos on her body easily. The tattoos that were another testament that she had indeed lived another life before the car crash, a testament that she wasn't actually insane.
"Oh? You're one to talk! Haven't you shifted six times?!? If your girlfriend found out how many other times I've seen you naked she'd be the one tearing me to shreds."
"Oh it's not like it's a bad view."
A low and threatening snarl emanated from Azazel's lips as she bared her teeth. Sam put his hands up in a innocent gesture before Azazel spoke "Well, first things first. We need to learn how to control our furry problem. You first."
-_-
"This feels weird."
"I would only expect that it would."
"I'm serious Az. I'm standing in the middle of a forest naked! What if someone saw me?"
"They'd think there was a nudist community nearby."
"Very funny."
-.-
They spent that day focusing on shifting and slowly the pair was getting a better handle on it. Currently Azazel was in wolf form focusing on shifting back into a human. Something that Sam has managed to get a better handle on then she did. So there was Azazel in wolf form with Sam coaching her on. "Come on its simple." Came Sam's encouragement. Simple my white fluffy ass! The white wolf snarled at the human holding a towel.
Sam only chuckled before scratching behind the white wolf's ear, "Is your tail wagging Az?" Sam seemed to laugh and began petting Azazel before watching as Azazel suddenly pulled away again and then growled harshly, teeth bared.
At this exact moment there was a scream. At this both the white wolf and Sam looked up to see Ms. Uley screaming before she promptly fell to the floor unconscious. The wolf seemed to rush into action before Sam could but than Sam suddenly grabbed her tail yanking her back which caused a yelp before Sam commanded in a voice that made her freeze "Stop!" And then that same commanding voice was gone as he asked "What are you doing? You think she wants to see the white wolf snuggling up to her trying to make friends?! Go shift back into a human."
And with that Azazel let Sam tend to his mother. In the time it took Azazel to finally shift back into a human and put clothes on, Sam had set his mother on the couch in the living room and trying to wake her up by calling her name repeatedly. "That won't work. Do you have smelling salts?" At the look of confusion Azazel backtracked "Do you have rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs?"
With a nod Sam left Allison Uley in Azazel's care as Azazel checked the heart rate, too high, and the pupil dilation, normal, hands, sweaty and clammy. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked his voice shaking and Azazel paused glancing at him and grabbing the bottle and cotton balls.
" She's going to be fine. She just fainted so this ought to bring her back. Quit your whining." Azazel drawled at him sloshing some of the alcohol on the cotton. As she wafted the smell under Ms. Uley's nose she did her best to hate how this small touch of familiarity made a lump in her throat grow.
"What are you doing?"
"It's to help her wake up. My brother and I learned this when our dad would pass out from fear." Azazel answered and Sam did his best to keep himself from asking further questions. He never knew she had a brother... but suddenly that little boy that he'd see in her minds eyes made sense.
Sam's mother stirred and any curiosity For Azazel's past was replaced by a curiosity for his mother's wellbeing. "Mom? Are you alright?" As he slowly pulled her into a sitting position he couldn't help but confess. "You scared me mom."
Ms. Uley pinches the bridge of her nose "I'm alright... I could have sworn... that girl was here. What's her name? Azula? A-"
"Azazel." The girl made her presence known setting down two cups of tea. "This isn't the first bout of fainting I've seen. It's caused by lack of sleep, Ms. Uley I don't wish to nag but those circles under your eyes are starting to look like bruises. This is chamomile, helps you rest better by relieving some of that anxiety you've been feeling." At this she threw a glare Sam's way making him realize that she had noticed his lack of sleep as well.
Ms. Uley remained silent before asking "You have a brother?"
Sam's jaw dropped while Azazel's tightened. "Had." She set down the cups onto the table and without much else action she was gone.
~~~~~~
Two hours later Azazel was sitting on the beaches in La Push, well past her curfew. Her toes were in the cold icy water and if she closed her eyes she could swear that she could hear her father telling her, "This time of year isn't meant for a swim. Come on, let's get a cup of tea."
You'd think that with time the pain from losing her brother would be easier but it was six months and every waking moment was still haunted by what she had lost. She dug her fingers into the wet sand and could taste the salt water on her lips.
~~~~~~~~~
"Ajax! Wait for us!"
"Marcel, can you blame him for being eager? Oh if you're so concerned, my little cub do you mind following him on the playground?"
"I can take care of him Ma."
~~~~~~~~~
"I didn't expect to see you-" a voice Azazel recognized began to speak but then suddenly grew silent. "Are... are you okay?"
"Why the fuck are you here?" Azazel snapped looking away and wiping her tears off her face but leaving a trail of sand across her cheeks.
"She's apologizing." a young voice made the fifteen year old with emerald eyes look to a thirteen year old boy. "I'm Seth Clearwater. Leah's little brother." And he threw Azazel an infectious warm grin that didn't even falter at the sight of Azazel's watery eyes. "You must be the girl that's always hanging out with Leah's boy toy."
"Seth!" Leah scolded her little brother, and his response was a cheeky grin that made Azazel lift an eyebrow. Leah crossed her arms looking away before she was nudged by her brother again. "What?"
"If she doesn't want to apologize she doesn't have to Seth..." Azazel found herself speaking. "I am sorry though." At this Leah looked to the girl who remained sitting in the sand with her toes in the icy water. "I shouldn't have lost my temper."
"No... anyone would have lost their temper in your position. I knew that you're in a rough patch and I was acting like a bitch."
"Mom wouldn't approve of that word." Seth spoke in typical little brother fashion that made Leah scowl. Seth's only response to his older sister was to sit on the sand next to Azazel.
"Well your Mom would approve of your sister being the bigger person wouldn't she?" Azazel bantered with Seth which made the boy wrinkle his eyebrows. While the boy pondered on the statement Azazel looked up to Leah. "Apology accepted." And with that Leah sat down next to her brother.
It's quiet for a bit and then Seth jumps to fill the silence. "You know today was a really good day today!" to which Leah groans mumbling a 'Here we go.' in the way someone fed up but amused would. Seth grins before bouncing up and down chatting about school and a girl named Katie and football and Jake and Quil and how-
Well you know how kids talk. Once they start they don't seem to stop do they? The three spent their time watching the sun set and listening to Seth talk.
And the two siblings probably didn't realize how something as simple as hearing a thirteen year old boy ramble about his day at the park made a girl feel just a little bit less alone.
-_-
"Where were you!?" Is the first thing Azazel is greeted with as she steps into the Swan's household as quietly as possible. Charlie Swan is standing in his uniform still and a phone has remained in his hand and two plates of dinner remained untouched. "It's- you're soaked!"
"I was at the beaches swimming..." Azazel answered before giving him a full detailed description of her whereabouts. She had stopped dripping a long time ago but her clothes still remained damp.
"This isn't the time of year for a swim!" Charlie Swan speaks almost scandalized and then wrinkles his nose and sighed. "Let's get you into some dry clothes and cup of tea... while you were gone I have some news." He exhaled noting to himself how the moment she had caught sight of the uniform her hands had trembled slightly.
Charlie Swan had to wanted to scold her for being gone so late but she had been honest about her tardiness and didn't seem to keep that same Secrecy policy in current events as she had when it came to her past. When Azazel returned in dry clothes he beckoned her to sit down while he put a plate in the microwave. "So the paperwork went through and you'll be able to live with the Uley's starting tomorrow. Once a week though you will meet with me to discuss if you enjoy the quality of your living spaces or if you feel uncomfortable at all." He announced before he looked at her.
"Yes sir." Azazel mumbled looking away and the moment he set down two warm plates she moved to grab the plate and eat outside before noticing Charlie picking up his plate and cup as well. "What are you doing?"
"Having dinner on the porch. What about you?" He asked lifting up a single eyebrow as his mustache twitched in what could have been a smile. Azazel didn't say anything but walked out the porch to have their last dinner living together. "You nervous about school tomorrow?" He asks and there's a snort which catches him off guard enough to miss his mouth.
"Are you trying to bond with me Chief?"
"You didn't answer the question,"
"Neither did you."
"No I'm not nervous. Why should I be? It's just a bunch of teenagers." Azazel took a bite of her food remembering her past time in high school. Now that she thought about it high school should maybe be a bit more fun this time around.
She had the subjects on lockdown so maybe she could join the dance team, the wrestling club? It's a new fresh start...
And despite it being something as frivolous as high school she looked out at the night starry sky and assured the Chief of Police,
"I think going to school in La Push would be a bit of a peaceful experience." She grinned showing all teeth and Chief Swan repressed the urge to chuckle and call her 'kiddo' once more.