XXXXXXXXXX
I yowl, nearly yeeting my freshly made coffee cup at the wall in surprise. I'm gobsmacked. For a second I wonder if I'm not dreaming, but then I feel the scalding drops of coffee on my skin and rule that out. Checking my intuition, I carefully ease around the kitchen table, setting my mug down. "Um, hello?"
"Feenie greets the Queenie," chirps the small creature chilling by my flower vase in the center of the table. I blink, not able to process what I'm seeing so early in the morning.
"Feenie, was it?" The creature nods, bouncing closer. I twitch at the agile movement, valiantly not going into bug crushing mode. No screaming, Layla! Keep it to-fucking-gether!"Well, Feenie. What brings you to my kitchen this early."
The creature was about a foot tall, and female, I think, based on the little sundress and flowery sun hat, had super big eyes and even bigger floppy ears. It had deep brown skin, and big hands and feet, but otherwise, was pretty humanoid.
"Silly Queenie, Feenie is a brownie! Of course she be in kitchen!" She waves her hand at my mug, and suddenly the little puddle of coffee I spilled was gone, and the cup, and my hands were clean. "Feenie been wanting to meet Queenie, but Queenie busy, busy, busy! Never alone!" She throws her little hands into the air in apparent exasperation, and I, feeling a bit faint, pull a chair out and sit before I end up on the ground.
"Right," I agree, weakly. "I'm afraid I don't know much about brownies. Could you please tell me about them?" Feenie beams, plobbing herself down, just on the other side of my mug.
"Feenie chose a wise Queenie! Feenie is relieved," I find the energy to feel smug here, having only just connected that Queenie was probably my dumbass. "Brownies be creatures of the home! We likes cooking and cleaning and fixing. Sometimes we is defending home, too. In return, we is getting magic from others to live! Feenie felt Queenie's magic, so I is cleaning and fixing Queenie's home and taking magic!" Oh dear. That sounds ominous.
"When you say taking magic, how much magic are we talking here." I'm a bit alarmed at the prospect of being drained with out realizing.
"No worry, Sily Queenie! Feenie is brownie, we is only being able to take a tiny bit to be living. No supernatural be harmed by brownie taking bit of magic?" Vibe checking, I can feel her sincerely and relax. "Is Feenie being able to stay and help Queenie?"
Checking my intuition once, and feeling some encouragement from Suhel, I decide it's too early for this shit, so whatever. "Sure, Feenie, but we gotta have some rules." The new resident of my house nods near frantically. "First, there are a few other people in the house I need to introduce you to so no one gets scared. Is that ok?"
"It's okay!" She cheers, and I can't help the grin that slides onto my face, ther brownie was cute as hell, and her mood infectious.
"Alright. There are also some people who don't know about the supernatural, so you gotta hide from them." I worry that might me offensive, but Feenie just happily agrees. "Okay, obviously don't hurt anyone unless your defending yourself, although I don't care if you pick a fight with an intruder so long as your safe and you feel it necessary. Just don't kill anyone without asking." I sigh tiredly.
"Feenie be good, I is promising Queenie!" I feel her sincerity, and magic shimmers and hums around me, and I get the feeling I just got a brownie's oath. Oof, ok, fine, whatever.
"Alright. Now, before I go get the others to meet you, do you need anything from me. You said you feed off magic, but if your living and working here I want you to be happy. Any treats or objects you might like once in a while. I think my little sister might want to give you a dress, as a welcome."
Feenie squeals ecstatically, and it makes me giggle into my coffee. "Feenie doesn't mind gifts! I is liking honey sometimes, and cooking with Queenie, and pretty things!" She does a twirl before showing me a rather sparkly button she pulls out of her pocket. I huff, nodding.
"Alright, I'll get the rest. They are loud, but nice, so please don't be scared." She just hums a little tune, twirling a bit in her excitement. I shake my head, going to wake Stiles first so he can help me wrangle Derek, who definitely won't take well to a supernat hiding away in our house for who knows how long. The territorial Sourwolf is gonna be pissed. I cringe at the thought.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Stiles! Stiles, I need you up, ASAP, Dude." I hiss, shaking him. Luckily, he had decided to bunk with Isaac in his new room instead of in the Den with Derek, Scott, and Sunya. Lydia was upstairs in my room, and Boyd, unfortunately, had to go home. Irritated, and not about to face Derek alone, I flop my whole body wait on him, take his pillow, and start hitting him softly with it. I'm convinced that he and Sunya go comatose every time they shut their eyes, because anything short of screaming and water won't even faze them.
"Uh, Layla?" I pause, pillow in air and shift to look at Usaac on the otherside of the bed, accidentally rolling Stiles right to the floor. It was unintentional, but I'm quite pleased he's waking up now. I snicker at the groaning from the ground, looking back at Isaac with a grin.
"Hey, Honey, sorry about this, but he doesn't wake up easily, and I need his help telling Derek something." Isaac smiles a bit weekly, seemingly remembering what we had planned today. I reach over and pat his head, hoping it comforts him. "I found out who was cleaning our house, and Derek will not be pleased he missed it."
Stiles pops his head up over the edge of the bed, hair sticking up wildly. "Wha- Layla! Why?!" I laugh, helping him to his feet and pulling him into a hug, which is just me squeezing and holding him up, and him leaning all his weight on me.
"Stiles, I need help telling Derek about the new supernatural that will be living with us." I know damn well what I'm doing when I say that, and just as expected, my best friend perks right the hell up at the prospect of new magic and creatures to explore.
"Oh hell yes. What are we waiting for, Layla? Let's go!" He drags me out by my hand, Isaac chuckling as he trails after us. "Wait, what is it?"
I snort. "We have a brownie named Feenie joint us. She's the one who has been cleaning up the house."
Stiles's eyes go big Bambi on me as he ducks his head to brush a cheek against mine. "Oh, I kinda feel bad, now. I honestly thought you were just being paranoid. Sorry, Midnight."
I wave it off as we descend the steps to the den. "It's understandable. Now, we gotta tell Derek."
"Tell me what?" Derek is resting on his back, Sunya sleeping on his chest and Scott across his legs. I bounce closer, bending down to kiss Sunya's forehead, smiling at his sleepy eyes and limp posture. It's always good to see him relaxed and comfortable.
I bump my head to his in greeting, nuzzling the hand he places on my cheek, Stiles flopping down for a wolfy greeting as well. "Hey, so I need you to stay calm," Immediately, I regret saying that, watching his face turn to stone, eyes sharpening and alert, and I mourn the loss of his contentment. "It's nothing bad! It's good, I promise!" He doesn't look like he believes it at all. I look to Stiles for help.
"We have a brownie. Her name is Feenie. Layla's letting her stay." I stare, shocked by the utter betrayal my bestie just did, throwing me bread first under the bus. Derek's eyes blaze blue, a low, vicious growl filling the room, as he starts to get up, carefully trying to shift Sunya off. Sunya, being thre gem she is, just clings harder, ignoring everything and everyone.
"Wha-" Scott slurs, unfortunately rolling off Derek and freeing him. Swearing, I take his spot, hoping I can at least slow Derek down.
"Okay, here me out here. She's a brownie. They survive off eating a bit of magic from the owner-" Derek snarls, finally managing to detach our pack pup, but Stiles, finally getting his head into the game, wraps himself around Derek's back like a koala. "And my instincts say it's completely safe!"
He pauses, his hand clenched in Stiles's shirt from where he's started to pry him off, eyes narrowed but blazing. "I don't fucking like this."
"I know," I soothe, feeling safe enough to stop pinning his legs. Crawling closer and bearing my neck, hoping it will appease him, I continue, "I really think it's fine. We have ground rules, and she is waiting to meet us. She said that she really only needs a tiny amount and that brownies can't hurt supernats that way. Or won't. Either way, she wasn't lying." Derek growls, teeth bared, before he sighs, eyes shutting. He tucks his head into my bared throat for a minute, before pulling back. This time, when he glares, kts just a normal, stunning hazel.
"Fine. Tell me all the rules, and then we meet your brownie. But if I feel it's to dangerous-"
"I'll hear you out, Future Alpha. I promise." His glare softens, and I tell him everything.
XXXXXXXXXX
In the end, even Derek can't find fault in Feenie. The pack gets to know her as we make and eat breakfast, Feenie being rather helpful. Sunya is entranced, and I'm a bit concerned Feenie is about to become a living doll, but she seems pleased by the attention. I have to remind Stiles to eat his eggs twice because he's so busy scribbling notes about brownies.
On her own request, we leave clean up to our new friend. I offer her the honey bottle, but apparently, it's important I actually serve it. So, shrugging, I pour some out into a bottle cap for her. Squealing happily, she starts drinking it, and then glowing, according to Isaac, a leafy green to match her hair and eyes. After that, she seems even giddier, nearly tipsy actually.
As everyone disperses to start their days, I pull Isaac aside. "You still want this?" He nods, but he's shaking. "Hey, it's going to be fine, I promise. Derek is coming as muscle. Is that okay?" He shifts uncomfortably, glancing at Derek, and then at me, and for the first time in a while, he feel wary of me. At first this confuses me, before the lightbulb in my head clicks on.
"Oh! I don't tell him anything. He might have guessed, but he just wants to make sure we're safe." His baby blues widen, and I huff, "Yes, he wants to keep you safe, too."
Isaac bites his lip, grasping my hand, eyes shut in concentration. With a deep breath, he lifts his chin up. "Yes. I-I want this."
I pull him into a tights hug. "I'm really, really fucking proud, but you can back out at anytime and that won't change." He shakes his head, and I feel the movement against the top of my head.
"No. I'm ready." His dtermination makes me smirk.
"Okay, go and get ready." He nods, and vanishes into his room. "Derek, Stiles, we don't eavesdrop on private matters unless it's our enemy's or a matter of safety." Stiles sqwauks at ther call out, ending up on the floor. I'm not impressed, and I know my face shows it.
"Isn't this a safety matter?" Stiles whines.
"No, now stop being invasive. You too Der-Bear." Both give off a bit of guilt, but the worry is why I let them off the hook.
"Anyways, Stiles, I need you to show me how that thing we ordered works. The one we ordered with the camera for Isaac. I need it ASAP."
Stiles perks up. "Oh, shit, that's awesome. You're gonna use it?" I just smirk in response, and he cheers, darting forward to drag me off, Derek trailing along.
XXXXXXXXXX
My intuition decided we should take the Camaro. Why, I have no idea, but here we are. We make it to Isaac's house pretty quick, and the boys know their mission objectives. We climb out, and head for the door, Isaac doing his best to hide his trembling.
"Remember, go in, get whatever you want. Take your keepsakes, anything you would like from Camden or your mother, your birth certificate, social security card, middle school diploma or awards, shit like that. Don't worry too much about your replaceable things, like clothes. Do not stop or come back to check on us. Ignore anything he says. Understood?" I'd normally try to be softer, but now really isn't the time. There will be plenty of cuddling later, but if I'm soft, Isaac could fall apart right here.
"Got it," he whispers, seemingly hyping himself up. I pat my high braided pigtails down as we get to the front door, adjusting my sunglasses to block more of the bright California sun, and then taking a deep breath, letting my magic flow just below my skin. Then, leaning an item up against the house, and putting on the fakest smile in existence, I ring the doorbell.
I beam when the door opens, revealing the pathetic bastard that is my friend's sperm donned. I take in the grimminess even I can see, a tall and thick stature this fuckers been using to beat his child, the dirty clothes, the reek of alcohol and overall general repulsiveness, and I have to smile wider to cover the sneer fighipting for dominance on my face.
"Hello, Mr. Lacey. I'm here to take Isaac off your hands." I say cheerfully.
"Excuse me, you little bi-" he cuts off, as Derek steps up, his chest presssed to my back. I don't turn to see what kind of petrifying look he must have put on his face, instead enjoying the fear I feel spiking in Mr. Lahey as he staggers back into his house.
I step through, casually strolling in as if the home owner wasn't a sputtering mess in front of me. I toss myself into an old armchair. Making myself right at home, I take in the numerous empty bottles and stains, pretending not to smell the lingering scent of vomit. My beaming smile doesn't falter once, even as I have to mentally beg my magic not to lash out.
The boys had taken my entrance as the distraction needed, and Isaac zooms to his room, as Derek prowls right into this garbages space, and then past it to stand at my side.
"Who the f-fuck do you think yo-" he stops closer, fists clenched, before abruptly freezing at Derek's sharp step back towards him. Oh, it's going to be so much fun playing with this waste of space.
I grin innocently. "I think I'm the person who's going to be taking Isaac from this trash heap." I know exactly what I look like to other people. Small and young with a round face and big eyes. Long hair in pigtails chosen just to add to the effect. Nothing to indicate how far I would go to protect my people, or how dangerous I can get. I smile till my dimples are on full display, "I'm here to offer you a choice."
"You stupid little cunt-" Faster then I, or Mr. Lahey can comprehend, he's slammed into thre nearest wall, being held up by his throat as Derek growls in his face. …Crap. Wait! We can work with this.
"Apologies to her, or I'll rip you intestines out, tie you up with them, and then fucking skin you." I…shouldn't be feeling so touched by that, should I? I work to shove the warm fuzzies away, as Mr. Lahey stutters and chokes, struggling to breathe. "Hurry up. My patience was gone before you even opened your door."
"I-I-I'm sorry! Okay, I'M SORRY!" He aqueels like the fucking animal he is as Derek starts to apply more force. "Call him off. I'm sorry!"
"Derek." I state flatly, pretending to be bored and play with my phone, as I snap a few personal mementos. Derek drops him like the sack of shit we know him to be, before he stalks back over, all danger and power, and I have to suppress a shiver. Damn, that was Sexywolf at his finest, oh lord. I pointedly don't react to the bit of smugness Derek sends through the bond, knowing he totally caught me appreciating him. Yup, I'm blocking that bit of traumatizing mortification from my memory forever. Nope. Never happened.
Mr. Lahey has plastered himself to the wall, truly terrified now, but also enraged and humiliated. "I-I-I'm gonna call the police! I'll have you in jail for this!"
I toss my head back, braids swaying, falling into a giggling fit, high pitched and bright, and the mirth is genuine as he just seems to get more unsettled. "Please, Mr. Lahey, I'd love that. I'm sure they would be interested in the state of the house, or even better, the basement. We have some photos and videos in case any of it disappears, too! You think they might want to ask you some questions? Maybe more than us?" For the first time, I drop the act looking him dead in the face, my face and voice turning frigid. "That could be fun."
From this distance, I can see the faint tremors overtaking the abusive asshole, and I can't help the dark satisfaction curling in my gut. I can hear Isaac scrambling around down the hall, nervous as fuck, but trusting me to take care of him. And really, that's all the motivation I needed.
"What do you fucking want?" He spits, almost hiding the crack in his voice.
"It's so simple even someone like you could understand." I pull out some papers from a folder in my bag. "You sign these papers giving permission for Isaac to be emancipated. And you never have to see us again. You don't, and, well we have a lot of evidence against you for the shit you put Isaac through. I heard prison life was reeeaaall bad for those that hurt their own children. How would you feel about trying to survive 30 years?" I tilt my head face blank.
"You-you have to be bluffing! This is blackmail. You can do this!"
I laugh, much darker this time. "Are you sure?" Pulling off my glasses for a second, I raise my palm up and bring it viciously across my own cheek. Everyone in the room freezes with shock, as the slap echoes in the room, Derek tugging violently on our packbond, both pissed and worried. I hum, rubbing thre skin, as though I'm inspecting a piece of art. "The laws on harming one's own children are pretty lenient in my opinion. But harming someone else's? A tiny little high school girl?" I giggle, childlike again, ignoring the burning from the stretch of my cheek. "Good luck. And, well, if you were to acquire several broken bones in our struggle? That would just be this guy protecting his friend." I point at Derek, who's furiously cracking his buckles, eyes burning blue in supernatural rage, teeth on full display. He takes a step forward as I put my glasses back on, and the worm panics.
"Wait! Wait, okay I'll sign, I'LL SIGN!" I smile, sweeeping my leg out to knock several bottles of the table and to the floor, ignoring the shattering glass as I set the papers and a pen down on the empty place.
He nervously approaches going through the papers and signing. As he makes his way through them he seems to regain his bravado. Some people are so shameless, or just terribly foolish. Do it now. I curl my lips, showing teeth, as I pinch the side of my sunglasses and adjust them to better align with my eyes.
He finishes the stack, slamming thre pen down just as Isaac ducks into the room, slipping behind Derek. "Fine, you want that worthless little shit, you can have him." He hissed.
I raise by eyebrows, motioning for Derek to double check the papers. "You've agreeing to give up all parental rights to your son, Isaac."
He scowls, looking at Isaac as he spits his venom, unable to pick on anyone who can and will fight back. "He was only ever a disappointment and failure anyway."
"Isaac," I state with icy truth and all my belief, enraged at the hurt i can feel from my friend, "is a treasure and amazing and his future is nothing but bright. Derek, are we done here?"
"It's all filled out." He states, putting the paperwork back into my bag. He hands it to me, but I gesture for him to hold on to it. I look at Isaac, who's shaking, but has a steely look in his eyes, and he nods silently letting me know he has everything,
We head for the door, Isaac first, then me, with Derek bringing up the rear. Reaching up, I end the recording on my sunglasses, pulling them off and tucking them into Derek's collar. Isaac's ex father is a few feet inside the house, smart enough not to get closer.
"Ah, one more thing!" I step back into the house, taking the bat leaning just beside the door frame, rear back, and slam my steel toed combat boot into his gut. Mr. Lahey goes down with a startled yell and a crash, taking a few bottles with him. Lifting my bat high into the air, I bring it down hard on his arm. He howls, curling up, panic shooting into his aura as I feel my eyes and hair start turning silver. "That was for laying hands on your innocent, defenseless child."
I bring the bat down on his beer belly. "That was for not feeding him when you could have." I bring the bat hard across his jaw, hearing the crack, letting a ruthless smile slide on my face, as I hiss at him. "For every filthy, nasty lie you told him that hurt his sweet heart."
The worm is cowering, dragging himself to the corner to get away, the sound and smell let's me know he's officially pissed himself, and I can't help the disgust on my face as the burning rage and hate I've been pushing down since I met Isaac finally has an opportunity to comes spilling out. That day in class, I met a broken boy wanting to kill himself, and every bit of my heart and soul wanted to help. So I did. But as the days went by, I found out he wasn't beyond my help. He is clever and witty and funny and talented, and most importantly, he is a good friend. There was no way in fucking hell this piece of utter scum was going to get away scott free. Fuck that!
"The only reason you get to keep your fingertips when you made him claws his to shreds is because I don't feel like getting dirty. The only reason I haven't taken your dick is because the only thing, the best thing, you ever achieved came from it." He whimpers, curling into a ball, trying to shield his groin. "The only reason you aren't being shoved down those dark stairs is because I want you alive. ALIVE TO SUFFER FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN!" I bellow, and every last bottle in the room shatters.
The pathetic creature is limp on the ground and all I feel is disgust. Shaky hands curl around my waist, and a face buried itself in my neck. Isaac. I…should take Isaac home. The magic inside me settles into a quick river in my veins rather than the tsunami it has grown into. Panting, I crouch down, leaning against Isaac's legs to keep contact, and finish in a quiet, flat tone.
"Listen very closely, Mr. Lahey. You're going to tell anyone who asks that you had a bit too much, and fell down the stairs. You know that excuse, I know because it's the one you made your child use too many times." He sobs pathetically at my feet, and all my anger is gone in the face of Isaac's pain. Is he gonna hate me for going this far? "You're never gonna try and hurt or force Isaac back, or even contact him first, or we will ruin you. You're never gonna talk about monsters you saw. I suppose it doesn't matter considering your drinking. What was it you always said to Isaac? Ah, I remember." I stand back up, kicking and making him cry out. "No one will ever believe you."
We leave Mr. Lahey in his own piss and blood on the ground, shutting the door behind us. Isaac cries softly in the back of the car the whole way home, and I'm worried and a little sick, not sure if I hurt our friendship.
He told me he didn't want his dad in jail, but I don't remember us agreeing on him being healthy. Did I forget? I couldn't leave him without any consequences! But,…this wasn't about me, was it?
The guilt and shame is pretty much eating me alive when we get home. As we climb out, I realize Isaac is still inside, and when I open the door he's having a full blown panic attack. "Shit! Isaac! Hey, Honey, can you hear me?" He reaches out, gasping painfully, pulling at my clothes. With Derek's help, I get Isaac's legs out the car and pull him into my chest, rocking him and asking him to listen to my heart beat, to count by breaths, anything.
It takes a while, but he comes back to himself, still crying. "Hey, Isaac. Are you back, Honey?" He nods, hands still tangled in my hoodie. I give a wet laugh that is a bit of a sob, and pull him into another hug. "Can you tell me 5 things you can see?"
He does. I lead him through a couple more grounding exercises used for panic attacks, and he follows obediently. "Hey, hi. Are you feeling a bit better?" I murmur, brushing at his cheeks.
He nods, a hand twisted in the end one of my braids. "M' sorry."
"No. No, not your fault. It's mine, shouldn't have beat his ass in front of you. I'm so sorry. You can be angry or hate me or-" Isaac hurtles out of the car, hitting my chest, and landing me right on my ass on the hard ground with an arm full of lanky teen boy.
"What, no, I-" he chokes, hiding his face into my neck. After a few moments or shaky breathing, he looks up, locking eyes with me. "I was just overwhelmed. But, you… the stuff you said about me. How I'm worthy. No one's ever said it before you, not since Mom, I think. I could never, ever hate you. I don't care that you kicked his ass. If anything, I feel bad because I was so relieved by it. He's always been this…undefiable monster that I could never even dream of fighting back against, and you just-" he laughed breathlessly, awed. "Maybe I was just too weak."
"No," I coo, cupping his face in my hands, "it's always easier to fight someone else's demon than your own. Especially, if you want to protect them." I bumb his forehead into mine, before trying to wipe away my tears. Isaac gives me that tiny sweet smile, and the tightness in my chest fades.
"Anyway, Derek and I talked about it and-" I look for the wolf and see him leaning a few feet behind Isaac, his aura and bond radiating pride and warm affection, and dare I say, even love.
"We wanted to ask you if you wanted to be pack," Derek says softly, coming to sit right in the middle of the fucking driveway with us. Isaac pulls away sitting up slowly, shock and disbelief waring with hope. Deeek sees it, because he reaches out and set his palm on Isaac's head, and firmly states, "We want to be your family."
Isaac agrees tearfully, and later that night, when Boyd also accepts without any hesitation, both are entered into the pack. The first feeling of the new packbonds has everyone crying, especially as the two lonely boys feel the full strength of how much they are cared for. The rest of the night is spent trying not to make one another break down into happy tears and outrageous levels of cuddling.
The next day, Maria, my lawyer cousin-in-law gets some paperwork and camera footage from some expensive sunglasses, and Mama Mel hears from a coworker at the hospital that Mr. Lahey seems to have had an accident and fallen down the stairs.
XXXXXXXXXX
It's been about a week since I beat up Isaacs dad. It hasn't been entirely easy going. Both parental figures were a bit hesitant and taken aback when I suddenly declared Isaac a permanent addition to my house, but after I filled them in, with Isaac's permission, they understood. They were kinda upset with me for "being reckless," and "keeping secrets," but they begrudgingly accepted my reasoning and desire to keep Isaac safe before anything else.
When Papa Sherif looked like he was going to strap on his gun and have a "chat" with Mr. Lahey, Stiles came to the rescue, simply handing over a photo of me breaking the bastard's jaw. After the whole story was told, Papa Sherif just told me he was proud, to the exasperation of Mama Mel, who is definitely our sanest packmate. I think both ended up with a bat keychain as a commemoration, though, so I don't really think she was upset after all.
As for Isaac, the transition to a home where he is cared for has been a bit of a system shock. He's doing well enough, all things considered, but he told me it hasn't really sunk in yet. The pack thinks he might have a bit of an abandonment issue, and although we can't really diagnose that, Mama Mel knows a fair bit of psychology, and Stiles and I inhaled all the research on how to help abuse victims that we could find. Additionally, he tends to be hesitant to voice his wants and thoughts, and not yet convinced that I won't toss him out at his first misstep.
The worst issue is his really awful nightmares, and sometimes he ends up outside my bedroom curled into a ball on the ground, but not daring to wake me up. After a few times of nearly stepping on him and many assurances that it's okay, he'll now usually get me up so I can comfort him. We often end up downstairs in the den, sometimes with Sunya, cuddling in a blanket nest. To be honest, on any given night, several pack members will sleep over in the den, so he doesn't need me, but he isn't quite ready to take comfort from the others.
That is, of course, excluding Sunya. It took exactly one conversation with the pup for her to understand Isaac was now our brother, and needed extra love. Isaac has been thriving on the unconditional, simple love of a child, and those two have practically glued themselves to each other and me. When I asked, he agreed to consider therapy, but I don't think it will actually come to fruition. Currently, the two are drawing together on the porch as I train.
Isaac seems to enjoy spending time with Stiles as well, which makes sense because Stiles is fucking awseome. I've seen them hanging together often, usually Isaac just listening as Stiles rambles, but it seems to soothe him, and I even found them playing video games at 4 am at one point. Scott's a bit preoccupied, but he still joins whenever possible.
Stiles also has a new scrapbooking hobby, I guess. Apparently, besides the pictures I took of Derek grabbing the fucker by the throat, Derek also snapped a few of me glowing and breaking bones with my trusty bat. Stiles is getting them printed for an album. He's calling it the Book of Badassery. Of course, this is in addition to the new family album, and beastierary he started. Feenie wars the first entry in the later, and the brownie was so honored and excited, she made so many utterly exquisite cookies that we had to send literal dozens out to our friends, (Madam Angelique, Danny's fam, Lydia, Coach so he stops harassing Scott and Stiles, and Alison, even though I was slightly tempted to poison the last one for her family).
Boyd has been around and opening up more. He's become rather talented at using the bonds, meaning he actually speaks less, but expresses more. He is thriving under the full brunt of pack affection, although he hasn't yet told me why he seems a bit hesitant around Sunny. Almost scared actually. I make a mental note to check in with him soon.
Today, however, is another training day for me. We've been trying to replicate me pikachu-ing Peter through a wall, but so far, we have been highly unsuccessful. Derek has tried attacking me to scare a reaction out of me, but my ability to sense him, not only with packbonds, but empathy and intuition kinda makes me unafraid and unscarable, even when suddenly tackled by a roaring werewolf. I ended up cooing at him, making him sulk for the next several hours. He only cheered up when Stiles tracked him down, pointing out it was just a sign of how much I trusted him.
I shake all my thoughts away, turning away from where Mama Mel and Papa Sherif are lounging next to Isaac and Sunya on a rare afternoon off. I try to focusing on some advice I got from Suhel when I went for a visit yesterday. It was very quick, just a bit of blood spilling, but he did say some interesting things.
"Little Guardian, you are a spark. You don't have magic, you are magic. What you will, shall be."
That sounds like utter bulllshit, but fine, I'll try it. I'll try to treat it like the mountain ash. I shut my eyes, reaching for my magic, pushing it to flow to my palm. Then, I imagine electricity forming bright and sparking, magic feeding it. I want to wield this power. I need it to protect my pack.
Feeling heat in my palm, I open my eyes to see white-blue lightning dancing over my palm. I howl my excitement for my achievement….and that howl promptly turns into one of shock and alarm when a spark sets my grass alight. "SHIT! PAPA!"
XXXXXXXXXX