True Nature

Stiles crashed into the locker next to his best friend, Scott, at the end of the school day. If Scott didn’t have super senses, he would have jumped. Instead, he merely raised an eyebrow while his friend caught his breath, leaning against the lockers on one arm. Scott figured he would probably collapse if he didn’t brace himself. “Is she?” Stiles panted, his free hand raising to his chest where his heart thudded wildly against his ribcage.

“Is who what?” Scott asked, slamming his door and shouldering his bag to walk out.

“New girl. Supernatural.” Stiles said, still slightly out of breath from running from his final class to catch Scott before he left with Kira.

“I can’t always tell. You know that. But, she’s not a werewolf or a kitsune.” Scott answered, walking slowly to let Stiles keep up since he was still panting. He just shook his head and chuckled. After all, you would think with all the lacrosse practice he wouldn’t get out of breath so easily.

“Good. That’s good.”

“You like her?”

“What? No … just … with the Nemeton …”

“You’re a horrible liar, Stiles. And I know – there’s a possibility but I can’t sense anything so for now let’s not freak her out with anything and just pay attention to her.” As they walked out, he noticed Stiles not really responding and he looked back to see he was staring off towards the lot where Ambrosia was unlocking a classic car. “Which, apparently, will not be a problem for you.” He teased, clapping him on the back.

“What? Come on, man. She’s … she’s so …”

“She is, but constantly staring at her might freak her out so try to be a little more subtle about your gawking in the future.”

“I’m not gawking, I’m studying. If she’s supernatural it would be helpful to know. Hard to keep track of them all lately.”

“I know what you mean.” Scott watched with Stiles as she slid into her car and took off. “She seems normal enough, though.”

“Yeah … maybe.”

“Talking about the new girl?” Both of them jumped and whirled around to see Lydia.

“What? No.” Stiles said, scoffing. “Eavesdropping?” He accused, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Lydia with an amused expression. She looked both disinterested and skeptical at the same time while checking the new girl out.

“She does seem … weird.”

“Weird how, exactly?” Scott asked, crossing his arms. “That’s an unbiased opinion, I’m hoping.”

Lydia scowled and shifted her weight to the other foot. “Of course it is. She’s got this weird … I don’t know. Something.”

“She’s likable. That’s why you think she’s ‘weird’.” Stiles said.

“No – but don’t you sort of feel … I don’t know … like she can see right through you when she looks into your eyes?”

Stiles and Scott hadn’t really thought about that. She did have somewhat of a piercing gaze but they hadn’t really given it much thought until Lydia brought it up. That was one of the reasons why Stiles had been so awkward in talking to her – it was almost like she knew what he was thinking and that would be very embarrassing. He was just glad that she hadn’t been his partner in science otherwise he might have accidentally blown up the classroom with her distracting him. He’d have to ask Danny what he thought of her tomorrow at lacrosse practice.

Ambrosia dropped her bag at the front door and meandered through the house where she heard her parents chatting in the kitchen. Both of them stopped and looked up at her when she walked in, smiling as though they hadn’t just stopped their conversation short. “Uh … what’s going on?” She asked, hopping up on one of the barstools at the island next to her father.

“What do you mean?” He asked, shuffling the papers in front of him.

“Well, you’re both acting even weirder than usual.”

“It’s nothing. What would you like for dinner tonight?”

“Mother … No. We have an open household, remember?” Ambrosia mocked, smirking. “That means we talk about things – everything – so I don’t get blindsided the next time some sort of monster/demon/something attacks our house. And I know we moved here for some strange reason that neither of you will fully elaborate on so start spilling, Mrs. Hemlock.”

“She gets that from you.” Her father teased, chuckling. “You’re right. Full disclosure – we came here because according to some rumors and what little research there is on the subject, Beacon Hills is actually a beacon … for supernatural things.”

“And that’s due to something called a ‘Nemeton’.” Her mother finished.

“Why would a sacred Celtic ruin be in California?” Ambrosia had heard that term once before when her father was trying to find one in Paris. It hadn’t made sense then and it most certainly didn’t make sense now.

“Well, we have it on good authority that there are some druids here. Druids that have been here for a long time.” Her father slid over a piece of paper to her which happened to be a map. “This is a map of the Beacon Hills preserve. This weekend, I’m going to go and look for it.”

Ambrosia looked from the map to her father and then her mother who had busied herself with getting stuff ready for dinner. “You really think one is in Beacon Hills?”

“It would explain why, as rumor has it, the supernatural population is so high here. It acts like a real beacon – calls to them and draws them here.”

“Your father could use some help looking for it …” Her mother said, shooting Ambrosia a smile.

“Of course he could.” She rolled her eyes and stood up. “Fine. But, I made some friends today and maybe I could invite them over without you too freaking them out? So if I go with dad then you two have to be completely normal when they come over. No potions, no books on werewolves and vampires laying out on the coffee table. Got it?”

They looked at each other before her and smiled. “Deal.”

Ambrosia took her bag upstairs to her room which was still littered in some unpacked boxes from the move. This was the first time in all her trips where every box was accounted for and it made her wonder that maybe this place really would be different. Her parents seemed to genuinely believe in the whole Nemeton thing but she knew her father had struck out the last time he thought there was a Nemeton so she wasn’t holding her breath. Though, she hoped they would find something worth sticking around for – moving so much was tiring and she really liked the kids she had lunch with. And even though he was a bit weird, there was something charming about Stiles Stilinski. Not to mention, he was ridiculously cute.

She shook her head and got into some comfy clothes to unpack another one of her boxes, one full of pictures of her and people she had met all over the world. She had opened up her balcony doors to let in the night breeze, a crisp autumn air that made her tug on a sweatshirt. Not even a moment after she walked away to pull out more pictures did she hear the distinct howling of a wolf. Curiously, she walked back over to the balcony to look off towards the preserve, which she could see easily from her house. The moonlight was bright enough to cast a glow on the tops of the trees, but nothing more. Looking up she could see something that, unfortunately, made sense to her through all her discoveries.

It was a full moon.

She took a deep breath and gripped the railing with both hands as she looked back to the woods. A part of her believed that maybe there actually was something here. Something drawing in all kinds of creatures. After all, she had never actually crossed paths with a werewolf before though her father was intrigued by them.

“Get inside, Ambrosia.” She turned and saw him leaning against her doorframe. “And lock those doors behind you.”

“You heard that, didn’t you? It’s wolf.”

“Yes, now come inside.”

“It could just be a regular wolf.”

“No. No, I don’t think it is.”