Okay, so there is a warning of slight seizures, so be advised! Also, there's a lot of typoes since I rushed to write this! I'm so sorry for my absence, I've just been busy with school, but I'm really trying to find time to write. This is more of a filler chapter, but I promise better ones will come soon.

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A blue, glowing hue of water was wrapped around Charlie's head as she lay unconscious on the floor of the Veata living room. Aspen sat on the heels of her feet with her hand on her knees as she stared intently at Mina's hands go to work as she was using healing techniques on her daughter. After tonight's events, Aspen had cooled down under the full moon, and Scott helped bring Charlie home. Derek was quick to get Isaac to safety, not giving the air Elementalist the chance to say goodbye. Even during the short moment they had together, Aspen had never felt so close to Isaac. But as soon as he left, a tinge in her heart told her things would be different.

Grandpa Sam was displeased with Aspen's actions tonight, but Mina was able to lessen the blow and told her father his granddaughter didn't need someone yelling at her, especially under a full moon.

A veil of darkness overcame as Mina's hands moved about on her daughter's head that was set on her lap and the glowing water being the only light source. Mina's eyes were glowing just like her daughters were just a couple hours ago, and she was mumbling things that she couldn't quite comprehend.

Aspen had never had a moment alone with her aunt, and she still wanted to ask their reason for being in Beacon hills. But considering her daughter was limp on the rug in the middle of her living room, now didn't seem like the appropriate time. Aspen stayed quiet, amazed at how skilled Mina was working.

The older water Elementalist felt her niece's eyes and peeked upward through her lashes. "Doing alright over there?" she teased, her raspy voice low and playful.

Aspen flashed a closed smile and shifted awkwardly in place. "Yeah--yeah, it's just really cool how you guys can heal people like that."

"It takes some practice, but Charlie was a fast learner." Mina shrugged, knowing her daughter was a master prodigy in the art of water healing.

"She helped clean up the scars on my back. It hurt a bit, but it was relieving almost."

"Water heating is an intricate practice. I had to learn from grimoires," Mina looked up momentarily to see confusion etched on her niece's face from the term used and chuckled, "yes, like witches but their much different. We call them scrolls too."

The subject of what her daughter had done lingered in the air. And as if Mina could hear her thoughts, her eyes shot up, making Aspen tremble in place. Her eyes looked deadly but suddenly softened. Like her mask had almost slipped off. "Something on your mind?"

Aspen bit down on her lip, looking down at Charlie. "It's nothing." she murmured.

"I can tell when you're lying."

Aspen let out a sigh of defeat and tilted her head when she met her aunt's eyes. "Isaac almost died tonight, and yet I was weak. I thought I was supposed to be stronger under the full moon."

"No, you were aware," Mina corrected sternly, finishing the treatment on her daughter and opted to run her hands along with her defined cheekbones. "You knew what was going on around you. Meaning you had control tonight. And I'm not saying it'll be like that all the time, but for your first full moon as a fully developed Elementalist, I would say you're pretty strong."

"Then why did I have an urge to kill that man? Why didn't I?"

"Because some part of you knew you wouldn't be able to live with the consequences."

"Would Charlie be able to live with it?" the words tumbled from her mouth, and realization washed over Aspen's face.

Mina fixed her posture and stopped stroking Charlie's hair. "What do you mean?" she asked, her words dangerously quiet, her eyes narrowing.

Aspen gulped and gazed down at her hands that were fighting with each other. "She uh--well I don't know. It was almost like she was controlling him. Like a puppet."

Mina sighed with a light chuckle. A chuckled that Aspen couldn't decipher properly. "What Charlie did...you must know she had no control over herself. The moon gives more power to water Elementalist than any other. Do you know why that is?" When Aspen shook her head in response, Mina continued. "people bodies contain water, and if one is strong enough, they can control the water in their bodies. Of course, it could only be performed under a full moon when we're at our strongest. The art is looked down upon, and I am against it as well. Just know Charlie wouldn't think of taking another life, and the last time we discuss this. Understood?"

Her command was almost threatening, but Aspen didn't bother saying another word. Mina was a mysterious woman, and tonight, she had more questions than ever.

<•>

Aspen's head was craning upward with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched Allison and Scott climbing the rock wall in PE the next morning. Her hair was picked up into a ponytail, wearing a blue t-shirt with the school logo felt smaller than usual, and her shorts were riding up her thigh. She wasn't sure if her clothing shrunk or if she was simply getting taller. Which Lydia would see as a loss considering she was the shortest between Allison and Aspen.

Charlie and Lydia were standing on either side of her; neither of them interested in the stupid extracurricular activity. Her cousin hadn't said much about last night's situation; the girl, for the first time since meeting, had been quite the majority of the day. She wouldn't even make snarky comments about students in passing or sport her signature smirk. Stiles was really the only one she would talk to.

Aspen felt an extra weight place on her and turned her head to see Lydia resting her head on her shoulder. "You okay?" she asked, a smile touching her lips, seeing Lydia so touchy.

The strawberry blonde heaved out an exasperated sigh. "Has Jackson seemed...I don't know, off to you?"

Aspen jutted her bottom lips, perceiving to actually think about her inquiry. How was she supposed to tell her best friend that Jackson has been running with the wolves? "Mmm, no. No, not that I've noticed. Maybe talk to him?"

Lydia scoffed, flicking a har away from her face as she adjusted her purse. "Like I would stoop so low to check up on him when he doesn't even have the decency to talk to me."

The discussion was cut short when Allison kicked Scott's leg, making the boy fall back until the wire caught him. The students erupted in laughter, and Aspen stifled a giggle as she looked up at Allison, who shot her a wink before dropping down to the mat below. Coach Flinstock chuckled as she sat down on the mat next to Scott's graining figure, a grin wide upon his lips. "McCall, I don't know why, but your pain gives me a special kind of joy." the man stood up, his demeanor back to the headstrong coach he was. "Alright, next two! Stilinski, Erica, let's go!"

Aspen's hand drop to her side, her eyes slightly widening as she found her friend in the small crowd. Erica's hair was especially rowdy that morning, a small cut on her chin, most likely from an irritable rash she had been picking on. Her sweater covered her hands, and her eyes were filled with doubt. Aspen heaved through the students as quickly as possible until she was by Coach Flinstock's side.

"Uh, hey, coach. Hi," Aspen rambled quickly, nearly scaring the man to death.

"Jesus Veata..." he sighed, pressing his palm against his chest, "What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?"

Aspen furrowed her brows, not seeing her gentle approach as terrifying but brushed it off for Erica's sake. "Coach, I don't think it's the smartest idea to let Erica climb," she suggests, hopefulness in her tone that the man would listen to reason.

Coach Flincstock put a hand on his hip, giving the girl a bewildered look. "Veata, are you telling me don't know how to run my job?"

"What? Wh--no. Sir, no, absolutely not. I'm saying-"

'You're just saying that my seniority here doesn't mean anything to you."

Aspen laughed in amazement at how small the man's brain was. "I literally never said that. Not once!" from the corner of her eyes, she already saw Stiles descending from the top of the rock wall, shooting a fist up in victory. Heavy breathy tickled her ear, and her eyes shot to Erica, who was frozen halfway up on the wall.

A cry broke from Erica's lungs, a whimper shaking her lisp. "Oh, please...." she gasped, her breathing uneven. Aspen followed coach Flinstcok as she rushed toward the bottom of the wall, other students surrounding them.

"Erica! Dizzy?" Coach questioned. Aspen shot a glare toward the back of the man's head, using all her control not to punch the man across the face. "is it vertigo?"

Lydia scrunched her nose to his use of poor terminology to diagnose the girl's near panic attack. "Vertigo's a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She's just freaking out."

Allison crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at her friend for being insensitive toward the situation. Aspen's heart was wrenching, wishing she could have taken the girl's place to avoid this situation. "Erica!" she called out gently.

"I'm fine," Erica mumbled, pressing her temple against the cool rock.

"Coach, it's not safe for her. You know she's epileptic." Aspen reminded the man in a hushed whisper.

Coach abruptly whipped his head toward the girl, seeing Allison nodding along with her statement. "Why doesn't anybody tell me this stuff?" he roared, missing how Aspen nearly pounced on him but was held back by Allison and Lydia. "Erica, y-you're fine. Just kick off from the wall. T--there's a mat to catch you. Come on." It took a few moments, but Erica eventually let go of the wall, and her feet safely made it to the mat. The blonde let out a breath of relief as Coach Flinstock unhooked her from the safety cables. "See you're fine—you're on the ground. You're alright. Shake it off, you're fine."

Aspen's eyes threatened to glow bright when she heart teasing laughs from students around her. Erica faked a smile and moved around the other students to get away from the crowd. "Asshole." Aspen murmured as she pushed through teenagers with a harsh shove, not caring if they complained.

"What was that, Veata?" Flinstock questioned.

Aspen spun on her heal, attracting the attention of all her friends and fellow classmates. "I said your an insensitive, asshole!"

Coach was taken back while Allison, Stiles, and Scott all exchanged puzzled looks as Lydia and Charlie smiled proudly.

Aspen didn't bother listening to Coach Flinstock's threat to give her a detention as she exited the gym to follow Erica down the hall. "Erica, wait!" she called out. The blonde wouldn't stop, tears already pooling her eyes. Aspen snatched her wrist and spun the girl around to face her. Her angered expression softened upon seeing her friend in distress, showered in embarrassment.

"I hate myself," Erica murmured around the lump in her throat. "I hate them. I hate...everyone. Like what is wrong with me..." the blonde croaked out before a sob took over.

Aspen wasted no time pulling the girl into a tight embrace, stroking her hair gently. She let her shake against her, and her shoulder was soaked with her tears. "there's nothing to hate, Erica." Aspen assured quietly, tightening her grip around her shoulders. "screw them. Screw them all."

"I feel pathetic. Every day is just the same, and I can't do it anymore." Erica divulged with a sniffle, her tone croaky as her strained throat struggled to push the words out.

Aspen has never felt the way she felt. She didn't know how to find the words to comfort th girl. She peeled away from Erica and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me. If I'm being honest, I don't know what to say about all this. I've never been in your shoes, but I want to be here in any way I can. We're friends, Erica, and the only advice I can give you is to face your fears head-on. You go to those losers who talk down on you and show them that you're worth so much more."

Erica's eyes glistened with an ever-flowing stream of tears down her paling complexion. She buried her face into Aspen's chest once again, warping arms around her torso. "Thank you," she muffled into her shirt.

<•>

"So what? He's a criminal now?"

Aspen leaned her shoulder against the lockers as Stiles stood behind her, his hand resting just next to her head as she looked down at her when she voiced her anger regarding Flicntocks warning. He told the PE class that if anyone saw Isaac Lahey, inform the principal immediately.

"We did help break him out of jail." Stiles reminded her.

Aspen shrugged, gripping her bag by the straps. "Because he's innocent,"

"The cops don't know that Aspen. We can't exactly tell them a supernatural with a tail killed his dad. Besides, he's Derek's problem now."

When Scott told her that Allison and himself saw a creature standing on his two feet with a tail in Isaac's house during the full moon, she laughed in his face. But seeing as he didn't take it as a joke, she knew something more serious was hovering over their head.

Aspen tucked her hair behind her ear, choosing not to comment on Stiles' opinion of Isaac. "Are we still heading to the ice pick tonight?" she asked Scott.

The young werewolf passed her a wary look before fixating his gaze back on his books. "I'm not so sure it's the best idea." he shrugged.

Stiles scoffed, throwing his free hand up. "What do you mean tonights not a good idea?"

"I don't know. That thing that we saw last night, Isaac missing, Allison's grandfather. All this stuff happening with Derek just doesn't feel right."

"No, you're not backing out. Do you wanna know why?" Aspen rolled her eyes, pressing her back again the lockers to watch Stiles give his stupid explanation. "Because you and Allison are obviously having quite a good time together. And you know who else wants to have a good time? Stiles! Stiles wants to have a good time. Many many times. Several times in a row. In several different positions."

Aspen nearly gagged, her face screwing in disgust as she moved away from the boy to stand on the other side of Scott. But she didn't miss how the hair on the back of her neck began to stand up, and she stopped moving altogether. Stiles noticed Scott and Apsen's off nature and moved closer toward them. "Guys, what's up? What's wrong?"

Aspen could hear coughing, and she shot her eyes to Scott, and the boy was already looking at her with worry. "Erica." Aspen murmured. Before Stiles could question anything, Aspen and Scott dashed down the hallway until they made it to the gym.

Aspen's eyes widened in horror upon seeing Erica on the rock wall without protection. Her body began to shake, and she went limp as she started falling to the ground. Scott was already speeding toward her, and without his supernatural abilities, she would have hit the ground. But Erica fell right into his arms.

Aspen came herding toward them, sliding to the floor, and she could hear Stiles close behind kneeling next to Scott. "Put her on her side," Aspen demanded.

Slowly reaching out one of his hands, he felt her body stiffen, her muscles moving in an awkward jerking motion. Trying to ignore the panic that was swelling in her chest, Aspen saw the saliva build-up in Erica's mouth, paired with some blood. With closer examination, it appeared that she had bitten her tongue. Over the chatter of other students that had joined the circle because of the commotion, Aspen could hear gurgling emitting from her throat.

"How did you know?" Aspen asked Scott. Though he was a werewolf, it was a fact that her hearing was much keener than a werewolf's.

"I just felt it."