True Nature

Waiting sounded like, quite possibly, the worst idea her father had ever had. The full moon was about a week away and for that week she wasn’t allowed to leave the house. Her school work was being picked up then taken back by her mother every day. She had no contact with anyone and she was still having issues with her hearing, along with all of her other senses now heightening. It was horrible. Actually, she had likened it to torture on more than one occasion and she was almost positive something bad was going to happen on the full moon but she wasn’t sure what and that anxiety only made all of it that much worse.

Two days before the full moon, something peculiar started to happen and Ambrosia hadn’t thought to bring it up to her parents yet. She wasn’t sure how or what it would mean and it was almost scaring her more than the idea she might turn into a freaky wolf in a few days. She would be sitting at the dinner table with her parents, trying to have a conversation, when she would start to hear her parents. They wouldn’t be speaking to her, but she deduced it was actually their thoughts. She could only hear them clearly or decipher them when she focused on one but it was definitely a thought process and she knew that by their stream of consciousness nature.

She had to tally it all up that night – heightened senses, endurance though not great still better than she had by a longshot, strength definitely improved, and now she was hearing her parents’ thoughts as though they were speaking them directly to her. Unfortunately, they weren’t exactly secrets she wanted to know because the most prominent thought swirling in their heads was their fear for their daughter, though she wasn’t sure why. Didn’t they love this kind of thing? The only thing she could think that would make them nervous is that she might hurt them. Or herself, in the transition.

After cleaning up dinner that night, Ambrosia stayed in the living room and stared into the fire. She had one more night after this before the full moon and everything was going to change – she could feel it. For better or worse she could feel her body preparing her for something. She was feeling everything more intensely – her emotions were going crazy and she had to talk herself down several times before losing her temper at the slightest thing since the bite. She could feel her emotions stirring up again inside of her, ready to boil over as the anxiety rose and rose until a knock on the door snapped her out of it.

It was nearing ten on a school night so she had no idea who it would be so she crossed carefully to the door, curious but suspicious. The more time that had passed the more she realized it hadn’t just been a wolf that bit her and perhaps whatever it was had come back to finish her off. But, peeking through the peephole, she saw that it was no such predator. It was merely Scott and Stiles, arguing in hushed whispers and hitting each other back and forth until she yanked the door open.

“Told you she was fine.” Stiles said, smiling confidently.

“Shut up, Stiles.” Scott sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking her over. “Are you okay? You’ve missed school all week.”

“Oh, yeah … I’m fine.”

“But you’ve been missing school all week.” Stiles reiterated, squinting his eyes at her and leaning in. “You don’t look sick.”

“Well, maybe I’m getting better.” She snapped, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm down. “Sorry. Did you guys come here just to check on me?”

Scott and Stiles exchanged and look and she saw Scott give a slight, nearly imperceptible, nod before looking back at her. “I think we should talk.” My mom was right … something is definitely happening and I’ve already talked to Derek about it and he doesn’t seem to know anything about an attack in the woods but –

“Yeah, we should talk about whatever it was your mother called you about when I was in the hospital.” In all the confusion over what was going to happen to her, she had almost forgotten the phone call she had overheard from Scott’s mom. “And whoever the hell this Derek guy is you keep mentioning.”

“I didn’t mention Derek to you.” Scott said, slowly.

“I think we should come in.” Stiles said, nudging Scott.

Ambrosia opened the door wider and let them in, leading them back to the living room where she had just been sitting. Between the two of them, their thoughts were going a mile a minute and they were loud. She couldn’t focus on either one so it was just boisterous noise to her more than anything else as she collapsed into the chair and put her hands on her head.

The two boys sat on the couch to her right, watching her intently before Scott spoke up again. “What happened, Ambrosia?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Stiles scoffed loudly. “Sure you don’t. Something bit you in the woods and now you’re getting all freaky.”

“Stiles.”

“What? You’re going to have to tell her anyways! It’s obvious what happened and she’s confused and she needs to understand.”

“Maybe just spitting it out isn’t the best way!”

“Oh my God, both of you shut up. Your thoughts, too. I’m getting a migraine.”

“Wait, what? You can hear our thoughts? That’s ... different.”

“What do you mean ‘different’? What’s going on? And, no, Stiles … this is brand new and I couldn’t read your thoughts the last time you were here.”

Stiles audibly sighed in relief as Scott leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and took a deep breath. “I need you to listen very carefully and not freak out. I think you’re transitioning. You were bitten by a werewolf – judging by the books on your coffee table you are no stranger to folklore and have probably heard of them.”

“Yes we need to talk about these weird books with your father’s name on them at some point …”

“Stiles. Look, when you get bitten you transition. I was bitten a while ago so I understand what you’re experiencing though I can’t read anyone’s thoughts so I’m guessing you won’t be turning into a wolf. If you turn.”

“First of all, what? You’re a werewolf?” She laughed incredulously and shook her head. She didn’t want to believe it but suddenly it was starting to make sense. “And I’m turning into one?”

“Maybe. It’s not always certain you’ll change.”

“What does that mean?” Stiles and Scott shared a worried look. “What does that mean?”

“It means you’ll either change into … something or, well, you’ll die.”

Scott’s words swam around in her head as she closed her eyes and tried desperately to keep a handle on her emotions by breathing in and out slowly. She couldn’t wake her parents, she couldn’t tell them either that, in two days, she’ll either be different or dead. Dead. She could die. No wonder her body was flipping out on her lately and no wonder Scott’s mom was freaking out in the hospital. Everything was started to spin. She needed air. She needed to run. She needed … something.

“Scott … I think she’s freaking out.”

“I’m aware, Stiles. Ambrosia … listen to my voice. I need you to keep breathing slowly like you’re doing and I need you to think of something – think of something to keep you grounded and from flying off. Something to anchor you down and keep you calm. Can you do that?”

She was trying to – her parents could keep her grounded but she could hardly focus on them in her mind right now. She was losing control. When she opened her eyes again, both of the boys jumped back in surprise. “Well, that’s new, too.” Stiles muttered, both of them wide-eyed. Sensing their fear for her – actually almost feeling their fear – she closed her eyes again and tried to bring herself down. It actually started to work and her pulse slowed back to normal within a few minutes.

Both boys were staring at her when she opened her eyes again and she flushed out of embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to freak you guys out.”

“I think the word ‘surprised’ is better than ‘freaked out’. We’ve just seen the different things people can turn into and become and your case is really strange. Your eyes …” Scott stopped and tried to gather his thoughts. “Wolves – betas and omegas – they can have yellow eyes that glow but your eyes were almost like that but not.”

“They were like molten gold. They even kind of swirled instead of glowed.” Stiles said. She was surprised that he hadn’t run away. Scott mentioned being different but Stiles hadn’t. Maybe he was just used to being friends with people who were different.

“We need to find Lydia and Kira. Maybe they know what all of this means.” Scott stood up to go but Stiles stayed put. “What?”

“Well … I don’t know, maybe one of us should stay with her. She’s kind of …” She could hear in his head the word ‘unstable’ but he didn’t say it out loud. “And I mean, it seems like her parents know some stuff but …”

“You’re right. If you need anything, call me. Ambrosia, try not to worry so much. You’re exhibiting signs of transitioning, not of dying. I think you’re going to be okay. We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

Once Scott was gone, Ambrosia peaked over at Stiles on the couch and he had scooted closer to her in the newly vacant spot, staring at her. “So, you can really hear my thoughts?”

This could prove to be more than a little problematic, I’m going to have to really be careful about –

“Why would you have to be careful about what you think around me?” His eyes popped open even wider. “I can only really hear it if I’m focusing in, otherwise it’s just like low mumbling in my head. Or if there’s more than one person around it gets really jumbled and loud. It just started the other night.”

“Research time – I’m exceptionally good at finding things out. I was the one that figured out Scott was a werewolf before even he did.” He laughed to himself and stood up. “Well, come on.”

“Excuse me?”

“Research. We’re going to find out just what kind of creature you are.”

“Don’t you have school tomorrow? Or a home where a worried sheriff is sure to be?”

“The worried sheriff has bigger things on his plate and is working the late shift tonight and school, well, it’ll still be there next week.”

Reluctantly, she followed him upstairs.