Earthshine

“I needed someone to translate the passage, which is in Archaic Latin—Lydia knew archaic Latin!” Allison explained as she went through her locker. “She only got some of it though. I didn’t want to leave it with her, she’d look into it no doubt.”

“I know archaic Latin. Wait, so your parents are werewolf hunters?”

“You know it too?” She stared in disbelief. “How smart are you people?”

“Parents… hunters… not an everyday thing…”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. It’s a long story, I just found out not too long ago. It was a big secret, and then my aunt wolf-napped Derek, then she died, and now my family is vengeful. You know, that sort of thing. Kay, so the library to finish translating, yeah?” she smiled pulling Rowan along.

The two girls walked into the library. Alison wore a light pink ensemble, while Rowan stuck to her usual dark attire. She wore a tight black tank layered with a thin, heath gray, quarter length sleeve cardigan. She had her satchel strung across her chest. The dark black leather bag was distressed in texture, with various paint-smeared patterns across it. Her hands gripped the leather strap that rested in front of her.

The two girls walked into the library. Allison checked over her shoulder just as the camera moved in their direction. No doubt Allison’s mom was controlling the camera. “Over here,” Allison steered them down the medical reference section. They were out of sight from the camera, but various teachers and students still roamed.

“Hey,” she whispered through a shelf. Rowan could see Scott and Stiles on the other side.

“Did you get the translation?”

“Lydia was very confused…”

“What did you tell her?”

“That we are apart of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures.” She smirked and Scott chuckled.

“I am apart of an online gaming community that battles mythical creatures.” Stiles said seriously staring blankly at everyone. Allison quickly went on to change subjects. Rowan bit at the inside of her cheek as Allison dug through her bag.

“Rowan’s going to translate the rest.” Allison swiped her finger in several different directions before handing the tablet to Rowan. “From here,” Allison pointed.

“Um…let’s see. The bond between master and servant grew stronger until the mind or will of the master became that of the Kanima's and whoever the priest deemed unworthy, the Kanima served his vengeance. The Kanima is a mutation of the werewolf gene that cannot fully transform until it resolves that in its past which manifest it.” At least I think that’s right.” She raked her eyes across the screen once more. “So he is a werewolf…sort of.”

“Yeah. He’s just the kind that as scales instead of fur.” Stiles nodded sarcastically on the other side.

“But Stiles was right about the murderers.” Stiles did a victory dance, knocking his hand against once of the shelves. She shrieked slightly and brought his hand to his chest.

“From his past? What could that be?”

“His parents.” Rowan stated thinking back eleven years. “He’s adopted. They told him several years ago. He’s been bitter ever since.”

“And what happened to them?”

“I don’t know, I never asked.”

“Lydia might know.” Allison didn’t like Scott’s idea of bringing Lydia back into this. She knew too much just by translating what she did.

“WE don’t have restraining orders. We’ll go talk to him.”

“We?” Rowan repeated. “I don’t know about that.” Scott glared at her. “Let me know if you see any unicorns Stiles.” She smirked leaving the trio to talk it out in the stacks.

“Hey. Unicorns are evil!” he called after her, gaining the attention of a few onlookers. Scott slammed a book against his chest. “What? They have horns? What do you expect!”


Rowan followed Stiles and Erica as they exchanged information. Stiles had let it slip that Jackson was the kanima, and Erica would without a doubt tell Derek who would in turn kill Jackson.

They made their way towards the locker rooms. Allison should be down there, she thought, which means Jackson is too.
“I had the worst crush in the world on you—yes, you Stiles.” Erica poured her heart out, although Rowan was beginning to believe she didn’t have one. “and you never once even noticed me. Exactly how you’re not noticing me right now.” She smiled. Stiles was preoccupied with the ground. Rowan followed his gaze to a large puddle of water that was spilling from the boys’ locker room. As if on cue, Scott and Jackson came tumbling out of the door. Scott was on his back as a shirtless Jackson stalked after him. Erica jumped in restraining Jackson.

“Hey,” Rowan felt a warm hand on her forearm. “You’re gonna want to get out of here.” Isaac was towering over her.

“Why? So you guys can kill him in the middle of school?”

“No, so you and I don’t get detention,” he smirked nodding his head to where Mr. Harris was pointing a tablet and Jackson and Scott. “Come on,” he lightly pulled her arm to where they weren’t visible to their chemistry teacher.

“I don’t need to be escorted,” she pulled her arm away after noticing he still retained a light grip on it.

“Sorry,” he spoke softly.

“Why are you doing this anyway?”

“I just wanted to talk to you. You need to know my side of things.” He stopped and faced her. His blue eyes seemed strained. Could werewolves strain their eyes? She asked herself. “I didn’t mean for you to find out the way you did.”

“I knew before I saw you that night at Scott’s, I just—part of me didn’t believe it.” She lowered her gaze. She felt his thumb and index finger rest under her chin, and ever so slightly he lifted it. He looked into her eyes; from his perspective the right was a clear turquoise, leaving the left to be mainly dominated by a deep hazel. On the outside corner of her eyes there was a small scar. Absentmindedly he reached out and touched it.

“Just hear me out, please?” Self-conscious, she pulled his hand away, not letting her fingers linger against his.

“Why should I?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” he shot back.

“Maybe because you were a fugitive gone MIA, who happens to be a werewolf and also wants to kill some, if not all of my friends… and Scott and Jackson. Also you follow that brooding creep around like you’re a lost puppy.” He cocked an eyebrow. “No pun intended. Honest.”

“Touché.” He agreed. “But, please?” he asked. She didn’t know if it was the sincerity in his voice or the comfort she seemed to always find from those blue orbs, but reluctantly, she nodded in agreement. A grin spread across his face.

“And I assume you two were involved in the mess down the hall?” Mr. Harris stood with his arms crossed. Rowan pulled on the strap of her bag, nervous all of a sudden.

“No, sir. I’m afraid we’re not aware of what mess you speak of,” Isaac didn’t skip a beat.

“Is that so Mr. Lahey?” he took a step forward and uncrossed his arms. “So then Ms. Vimur, what was it you to were doing then?” he challenged. Isaac went to speak; “I believe I asked Rowan here.” Isaac tried to retain his glare.

“Chemistry,” she answered simply looking back into his glass lenses.

“Of course you were.” He sneered before sidestepping them. Scott, Allison, Matt, Stiles, Jackson, and Erica followed behind him.

“Smells like something’s burning.” Erica’s red stained lips pulled back over her teeth. “Must be that chemistry,” she mocked, hissing the last syllable.

“See? Didn’t think you’d want detention with her,” he smiled.

“That, you might be right about.”


“I was glad you weren’t at the cemetery that night.” He explained as they walked to the bleachers. Rowan sat two rows up from him.

“I still can’t grasp it.” She thought for a moment of his story. Between him getting bitten and losing his father she’d been completely entranced. “Wait, where are you living?” she asked quite concerned now.

“I stay with Derek in the underground cars, at least until we can find something a little more permanent.”

“Erica? And Boyd?” he laughed.

“They live at their houses.” She wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them up to her chin. She hid the small smile on her face behind them. “What about you?”

“Where do I live?”

“Anything.”

“I live with my aunt at the edge of the preserve.” She looked at him through narrowed eyes. “But something tells me you already knew that.” His lips pulled back to reveal a toothy grin. “Do you like it? Being a werewolf and all?”

“I’m not afraid anymore; I’m fast and strong; and hey, I’m really attractive.”

“You and your new found sense of cockiness.” She scoffed standing up.

“Wait where are you going?” he stood following her.

“I’ll need to go home eventually, you know,” a small grin spread across her face causing one small dimple to appear in her cheek. “Besides, we’ve been out here for two hours.” She rolled her eyes. The action was light. He walked tentatively beside her to her car. She slowly opened the door, turning to face Isaac when she realized he was still behind her.

Isaac rested his left arm on the edge of the open door, looking down at the small girl. A sly smile reached her features as she looked up to the smug look on his face. She felt her phone buzzing in her pocket, and reached for it checking the caller ID. Shaking her head a little, she answered the phone once it was to her ear. “Hey Aunt V,” she greeted trying to avert her gaze from Isaac, who still relaxed against the top of the open car door, the other hand now resting above the main frame of the car opposite Rowan’s head.

“When will you be home?” Isaac heard her Aunt ask on the other end of the line. He smirked watching Rowan fidget slightly. He was sure she’d forgotten that he could hear their conversation.

“Probably soon, I’m just leaving the school.” She looked up to Isaac. He heard the woman ask what she was doing and Rowan responded with ‘hanging out with a friend.’ It was then Rowan realized Isaac could indeed hear both sides of the conversation.

“Are you with that boy? The cute one you and Lydia were talking about?” her Aunt shrieked excitedly. Wolf hearing was not needed to hear her aunt that time. “What did Lydia say his name was—Isa--”

“Bye Aunt V, be home soon!” Rowan fumbled removing her phone from her cheek. A light hue of red had consumed the tops of her cheeks, hoping that Isaac would ignore what he’d just heard. However, the grin that had stretched across his face showed that he had.

“So you talk about me, huh?” he cocked an eyebrow, slightly straightening his posture.

“Well when you attend school with a fugitive, and you end up paralyzed at the scene of a homicide, people start to question your safety.” He still smiled down at her. He could hear the fast pace her heart had jumped too.

“Uh huh,” he lowered his eyes until they were almost even with hers. Rowan could smell his breath laced with the mint gum he often chewed as the inches slowly disappeared between them. “And where does Lydia come into play?” he tilted his head examining her features a bit. It was easy for him to tell that she was lying: between her jump in heart rate, the shallow rise and fall of her chest, and the way she’d almost cornered herself between the open door and the car.

“Uh- She, um, She was trying to cover for me.”

“Cover what?”

“The kanima,” Rowan explained.

“Except for, Lydia doesn’t know about the Kanima.” Isaac’s smirk on grew as well as his physical closeness to her. “Does she?” his voice was just above a whisper, proving they were as close as she thought. Rowan was at a loss for words, whether it was because of their current closeness or because she was running out of excuses. She went with the latter choice. She watched Isaac’s eyes for a moment, staring back into the inviting blue hue of his eyes. He, too, shifted his eyes between hers, capturing every piece of detail.

Rowan found her eyes fleetingly wandering over the rest of his facial features. She started at the line of his cheekbone to the small curve to the tip of his nose in just seconds, and stopped when she realized her eyes were flicking to his lips. They were slightly parted, his tongue barely running against the inside of his bottom lip. Feeling heat rise to her cheeks again she lowered her face from his and looked at the few inches of pavement that rested between their feet. But once again, she felt the familiar warm fingers grip her chin and slowly lift her gaze back up. If possible he was even closer now, looking hard into the eyes that drove a side of him completely mad. It was the wolf side of him that was giving him this courage, the confidence to talk to her—to touch her face.

She felt his warm breath tickle just above her lip at the curve of her cupid’s bow.

Once again Isaac could hear the jump in her heart rate, and that provided him the confidence to lean forward ever so slightly. He watched her lips as he did so, seeing them part ever so slightly, in what he hoped was anticipation.

Rowan’s eyes watched his, as the found a new focal point. She felt him moving in closer. She had the instinct to close her eyes but she couldn’t—she couldn’t bring herself to look away as she could now inhale the breath that he exhaled. Her heart thudded loudly through the veins in the side of her neck. She felt Isaac’s fingers that were currently still under her chin, and the movement of his thumb as it briefly caressed the skin between her chin and lower lip.

Isaac’s eyes fluttered shut, gaining their want as her lips parted more under the touch of his thumb. He leaned in further, preparing for the soft skin of her lips to meet his.

A cough behind them pulled them away from the dizzy haze that had surround both. Rowan’s eye flew open in time to see how close Isaac had gotten. When he pulled away, his ora of warmth retreated as well. “So I was thinking maybe a trip to the mall,” Lydia stood smiling innocently, her designer bag hitched on her forearm. She looked between the two suspiciously. “Hmm?”

Rowan struggled to find words, but her mouth proved too dry. Isaac moved to where he wasn’t in front of her anymore, a draft of cool air replaced the atmosphere around her that had quickly become warm with Isaac so close. Nervously, Rowan ran her hand back, combing the unruly waves to one side. “Um, yeah, uh, sure.” She said of regaining her voice, but not her train of thought. Isaac smirked slightly looking at her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Isaac spoke before turning and walking off to no particular direction.

“Yeah, tomorrow.” She whispered into the wind, no doubt carrying the words to him.

“Nothing at all, right?” Lydia smirked opening the passenger door. Rowan jumped in the car buckling herself in. Ignoring the question and burning of her cheeks, she threw the car into drive and sped away.