OH GOD WHEN I SAY I AM SORRY, I MEAN I'M SORRY! School has been sooooooooo time consuming, and I wish I could update here more often. I made this one long, and next chapter, we'll finally see the NEW Isaac we know and love! Again so sorry for the late update, and honestly, I rushed this one, and it's horribly written, so I apologize. But lmk if you guys want a spinoff after this book is done! Do you guys want a new oc for Liam?

_____<•>_____

Bursting through the front door of her house, Aspen's breathing was ragged. Crossed lines creased her forehead as she slammed the door behind her and tossed her keys to the coffee table. Mina and Charlie's necks snapped toward the front door from the sudden disturbance, their eyes slightly panicked from the intrusion. Aspen was too blinded by rage to notice the sound of metal and paper Charlie was putting away in a frenzy.

Aspen's hands felt cold and shook by her side with every step she took into the dimly lit home. Hostility was clouding her head. Derek had tipped her over the edge, and she wanted to let go of all the anger she was bottling up. With the supernatural lizard roaming the town and Derek corrupting Isaac was becoming overwhelming. 

Mina's figure was suddenly blocking her vision, and she felt the woman's dainty hands rest on her cheeks. "Aspen," the woman spoke sternly, hoping to get her attention. "Aspen, hey. What's going on? You're burning up."

With tears lining her eyes, Aspen sniffled and lifted her hands to show her aunt. Her veins were burning white, her finger trembling from the pain. "It-it hurts," Aspen muttered. Charlie gradually moved toward the two, stopping at her mother's side to loom down on her cousin's hands.

Upon realizing what was happening, Charlie's blue eyes snapped up to look at her mother. "She's holding back. She hasn't learned control," she stated.

Control has been the last thing on Aspen's mind. Derek was the first one to voice the apparent situation, but now that her cousin and aunt saw it too, it was only a matter of time before she snapped. Becoming a fully developed Elementalist didn't seem like a wavering burden in the beginning, but now her body trembled with animosity anytime someone stroked her wrong side. And Derek had flipped the switched when he bombarded her in the forest.

Taking her shaking hands in her's, Mina let her thumb graze over the veins on Aspen's wrist, eliciting a gasp from the sensitive touch.

"What's going on?"

The three women looked back to see Grandpa Sam, clad in a brown robe. His white brows immediately furrowed, seeing his granddaughter slumped figure and eyes watering. Mina glared toward the older man, placing a hand over Aspen's shoulder and quickly guided her around the couch to place her on the carpet. Aspen's senses were heightened, and with every move she made, pain racked her whole body. The feeling becoming too much, she collapsed to her knees, but the sting she should have felt on her joint never came when Charlie's arms held her steady to place her on the ground slowly.

"Have you been training her?" Mina questioned the older man, gliding past him into the kitchen in search of a large bowl. Grandpa Sam tossed a glance toward his distressed granddaughter before looking toward Mina. His daughter's words held venom, and he didn't miss how her jaw was set, holding back any curses she wished to fire at her father.

"We've been doing exercises to control her anger," he said, the defended tone only angering Mina more.

"Charlie, take her shirt off. I wanna try something." Mina instructed to her daughter. Charlie was quick to obey her mother and ease the tank top up Aspen's torso. She winced at the feeling, and Charlie mumbled an apology before finally removing the shirt and tossing it to the side. Mina filled a bowl with hot water and carefully walked toward her father, lowering her voice down an octave, her glare burning holes in the man's head. "That's not the training I'm talking about, and you know it. She needs to embrace who she is before she thinks about hiding it like you've been doing for the past 16 years if her life. The Veata moon is coming, and if she's not prepared, she can hurt someone. Worse, she can kill herself. "

Grandpa Sam shook his head, "You sound like Peter." he muttered displeasingly.

"Maybe he had a point then. Beckham and Julia didn't understand, but I do. She needs to learn, and if you don't teach her, I will."

Grandpa Sam's eyes narrowed at her words and paused for a moment to gather his fleeting thoughts. "Wh--who?"

Mina visibly paled at his inquiry that played a tole with his memory. His condition has worsened every day, and it was only a matter of time before he forgets his own name. "I'll take care of her dad. You head to bed," she instructed, softening her voice just a bit to coax the man to listen to her.

"But Aspen--"

"Charlie and I will handle it from here. Now go."

With one last look toward Aspen, who was now pressing her head against Charlie's shoulder, whimpering against the material of her cousin's shirt, Sam forced himself to his room.

Charlie sat before Aspen, letting her balance her figure on her body. She held the girl by her shoulder, keeping her upright as she watched her mother place the bowl by her side and kneeled behind her cousin. Aspen gasped at the cold fingers that grazed her back around the scar the alpha left her. It had made a speedy recovery, but it was still sensitive to touch.

"June, I want you to tell me what happened. Why are you angry?" Mina's voice was swiftly soothing and relaxing. She lowered her voice, and she picked up on the sound of water being moved about in the air behind her. Charlie continued rubbing her thumb on her cousin's arms, attempting to keep her grounded to reality and not spaz into an Elementalist craze. 

"My-- my bones feel... oh god. Like their gonna snap in half." Aspen breathed heavily, her hands curling into a fist against the carpet.

"Your body is holding back, and the air is pressing against you. You need to tell me what happened now." The water wrapped itself around Mina's hands and glowed blue as she placed them upon Aspen's scar. The brunette gasped, and her eyes shined white.

"Derek...it was Derek," she muttered, her body shifting uncomfortably as she felt the water flowing through her scar like an empty trench. "He's hurting my friends...he's hurting Isaac."

Charlie swallowed and met her mother's eyes, who's were reflecting the glow in her hands as she worked on her nieces back. "Whos' Isaac Aspen?" mina asked steadily, dropping her gaze to her hands.

"Derek is the Alpha. He turned Isaac to a werewolf, and now he's changed, and I don't know what to do," Aspen flared. Her mind blurred for a quick moment, an image appearing behind her closed eyes lids. It was the ocean again. Bubbles were blinding her sight, and the blurred vision of someone drowning her mother came into view. A voice that was neither Charlie nor Mina's abruptly sounded in her ear.

"It's in her blood...."

Aspen's eyes shot open when Mina spiked a particular nerve, and her body jolted upward, but Charlie kept a firm grip to keep her down. She wasn't aware where the vison had come from, but she didn't have time to question before Mina's voice broke the pants that sounded about the room. "Aspen, I need you to embrace your anger. Let it take over and use it to your advantage. " Mina's encouraged, proceeding to peg the nerve that she had grazed over.

Aspen shook violently and shook her head, strands of hair falling along her face. "I can't, I'll hurt you."

"If you don't, then you won't find control. You must accept the pain to get through it. This is only the first step."

Before Aspen could protest, Charlie cupped her cousin's face in her hands and forced her to meet her eyes. "Just shut the hell up and get angry. You need to ground yourself to something. Someone. The angrier you are, the stronger you become."

Letting her eyes flutter shut once again, she browsed her memory for the warmth she was seeking. Scott's encouragement, Stiles's hugs, Allison's laugh, Lydia's heart, Grandpa's love...

Isaac.

Just Isaac. His cerulean eyes, his tender touch, his shining smile. The sound of his voice was enough to render her useless. The way his smile filled every crevice of self-loathing, doubt, and hate. Her chest began to warmth with the mere thought of his nature. How does such a simple person make her chest heave and stomach fly? He was consuming her every thought without even realizing it.

Mina removed the water once she felt Aspen's shaking cease and let it drop back into the bowl. Aspen stared blankly ahead as Charlie sat back and sighed deeply, relieving the pain on her heels from staying in that position for so long. "Congratulations, cousin, " Charlie sighed with a sly smirk, bringing Aspen to look up. "You found your anchor."

<•>

After a sleepless night, Charlie took the liberty of driving them to school. The throbbing in her back was still apparent in Aspen's mind, but she pushed it aside after hearing what happened to Lydia at the ice rink. Allison tried getting the words out of her, but all she knew was that Lydia's screamed was horrifying and throat throbbing. The pretty strawberry blonde claimed to have seen a man in the ice along with purple flowers sprouting from the cracks. They assumed the mysterious slower was wolfsbane, but they could be too certain, so they added it to the list with everything else they had yet to figure out.

Allison took notice of her best friend's drowsy behavior and stayed by her side the majority of the day, weaving through the loud halls of beacon hills high school. Charlie was back to her chirpy, ignorant self as she sauntered behind the two, a grin playing on her pink lips as her hands swayed by her side. It was evident that Allison never took a liking to Aspen's cousin and avoided all and any conversation with the blonde.

"How are you holding up?" Allison asked, sidestepping a teacher and smiling kindly before looking to Aspen again.

The brunette shrugged, shouldering her backpack as her teeth found home on her bottom lip. "I'm alright. Just a lot on my mind." Aspen sighed regarding Allison's frown from her peripheral. "How's Lydia?"

"The same," Allison muttered, taking note of Aspen's dismissive tone, "She stayed home. Made up some excuse that she's sick or something. I'm really worried about her, though."

"Me too. She seemed off the other day."

"You don't think..." Allison faltered in her steps with a frown, bring Aspen to turn her head and match her slower pace. "the bite I mean. Do you think it's affecting her?"

Aspen let her eyes narrow at the ground, the mere thought aching her chest. "No, it wouldn't make sense. The bite shouldn't be affecting her now. Not after so long."

"But it's possible. We can't be too sure about this stuff. Especially with the supernatural."

Aspen peered her surroundings before wrapping her hand around Allison's forearm and pulling her to the side by vacant lockers. Charlie supposed Aspen would snap at her for trying to intrude in the private discussion and chose to shand back while the two spoke, "What are you saying?" Aspen asked.

Allison huffed through her nose, her mind whirling with the possibility that she could regretfully be right. "What if it's like the same thing that happened to you? Since birth, you've been an Elementalist, and you just recently started feeling the effect because of a trigger. What if its the same thing with Lyds?"

"You think the bite did affect her? But she's not a werewolf..." Aspen's words trailed away when she caught onto Allison's meaning and her eyes slightly enlarged at the accusation. "You think Lydia is that walking Lizard you saw at Isaac's."

Allison put her hand up slightly, shaking her head. "I hate the idea just as much as you do, but it's not impossible. We both know that. It's like you said. You either die from the bite--"

"Or accept it." Aspen finished, worry pooling in both their eyes. "we'll keep an eye on her then but let's not assume the worst."

Allison's red lips parted to speak when something behind Aspen caught her eyes. Her hands instinctively reached for Aspen's and squeezed gently. Once she caught her attention, she nodded in the direction where her eyes were now glaring. Aspen raised her brows as she turned around to see Erica and Scott alone in the empty hallway. The blonde dressed more seductively, her breast practically pouring from her tight leather jacket and a purple tank top.

Aspen could hear Allison's breathing getting heavier, and she decided to listen in on their discussion as she watched Erica close in on Scott. The werewolf seemed displeased with the blonde's actions, and she strode closer to him.

"Two's not enough for Derek, I know he needs at least three," Scott said in a low tone, his eyes glaring at the blonde. "So whos' next?"

Erica Scoffed, shutting her locker to face Scott. Her blonde twirls lay effortlessly on her shoulder as she tilted her head. "Why does there have to be a next when we've already got you?" she cooed with a teasing pouty lip.

"Who's next?" Scott growled, his tone stronger, but Erica didn't flinch.

"You know," Erica sighed, "I never knew what I looked like during a seizure until someone took a video of me once and put it online."

The words alone broke Aspen's heart, and though Erica had changed, she was still her friend, and she knew deep down the girl she knew was still there.

I don't care," Scott seethed, though his disdainful tone didn't reach his eyes, a part of him feeling bad for Erica.

"It happened during class," Erica continued, "I started seizing in my desk, and everyone was saying how they should put something in my mouth until some genius--" Erica cut her self off as he felt salty tears prickle her eyes and her tone hardened, and aggression now laced her voice, "reads the card on my key ring which tells him not to cause it could break my teeth!"

"Erica..." Scott tried, keeping his voice steady.

Erica scrunched her brows, her voice breaking. "Do you know what happens next?" she pauses and shakes on her legs as Scott hindered on a reply. "I piss myself." Erica scoffed and began to advance gradually toward Scott, the boy taking steps back in response. Aspen thought about approaching but from the grip Allison had on hers, she felt it best to stay by her friend's side. "And they start laughing. You know, the only good thing about seizures is that I never remembered them..."

Erica was now inches from Scott's face, her expression soon contorting into one of anger. "Until some brilliant jerkoff," she shouted, shoving Scott's back against the locker, "had to go and put cameras in everybody's phone." Erica placed her hands on either side of Scott's head, resting her palms against the cold metal. She tilted her head and smiled up at the boy, admiring his handsome features up close. "Look at me now, Scott."

As if feeling eyes on him, Scott turned his head toward Aspen, Allison, and Charlie, all of whom were staring right back. Aspen gave him a knowing look while Allison's eyes narrowed all the while Charlie shook her head with a smirk. He looked back to Erica, and Allison took the chance to brush past Aspen and Charlie.

Aspen groaned and sped her feet to fall in tow with Allison with Charlie laughing on the other side of her. "Allison..."

"I'm not jealous," Allison shrugged, though the snip lacing her tone said otherwise.

Charlie snorted, "Debatable," she murmured, earning a glare from both girls as they entered the cafeteria.

"She's with Derek now, isn't she," Allison asked Aspen. The girls found the nearest table away from prying ears and placed their belongings on the table. "Like Isaac."

The mention of the boy Aspen had suddenly gained feelings for made her roll her shoulders uncomfortably, and she took a seat. "Yeah, she is," she answered simply, but Charlie noticed her behavior and arched a brow across from her.

"Scott can't get caught in the middle of this." Allison shook her head, placing her fiddling hands on the table. Both Charlie and Aspen leaned forward to listen to her, and even if Allison didn't trust Charlie, the heaviness on her chest was enough for her to spill her concern. "Don't you see what's happening? My grandfather coming here, Derek turning Erica and Isaac, its..." she cleared her throat to silence herself as a few students walked by, lowering her voice in a whisper, "It's like battle lines are being drawn."

"I know," Aspen said, biting her inner cheek, "There's always going to be crossfire, but what are we supposed to do? What is Scott supposed to do? We can't just stand by and pretend to be normal."

Allison turned to her friend, pleading in her eyes. "I don't want Scott to be normal. I want him to be alive. I want you to be alive, Aspen."

With a longing stare, Allison gathered her belongings and walked away to be alone with her thoughts. Charlie gathered she was on the verge of crying from the way her hand brushed along her cheek.

"Well, you guys got a lot of shit going on," Charlie voiced with a chuckle, digging through her bag to pull out a packet of chips, ignoring the way Aspen rolled her eyes.

"It's still none of your business Charlie," Aspen grumbles, sitting back in her chair, not bothering to eat lunch, her appetite drained.

"Oh, come on, June. Seriously? You still don't trust me?" Charlie asked around a mouth full of chips.

Aspen gazed at her cousin incredulously as she sat forward. "You're one to talk about trust. Like you haven't been hiding things."

Charlie scoffed, but Aspen didn't miss the hesitation in her eye contact. "The hell is that supposed to mean--"

"The blood thing Charlie. During the full moon, you were controlling the hunter by blood. Mina told me it was an accident, but it seemed like you knew exactly what you were doing."

Charlie visibly paused and swallowed her chips thickly. Her smile deterred, and she sighed, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. It seems her cousin wasn't as gullible as she thought she was. "Its called Blood-Arcing. It's not something I'm proud of, but I did it okay? Yeah, I know how to do it, but I swear it wasn't intentional. So don't act like I didn't save your asses that night."

"Yeah, your intentions might have been sincere, but it doesn't mean you didn't have anything to gain from it." Aspen was edging forward, her words stinging, and she glared across at Charlie.

"W--what--"

"Why are you in Beacon Hills?"

Silence loomed over the two girls, the air becoming thick around them. Charlie remained quiet, her lips parted when she couldn't find the words to reply. But her silence answered everything, and Aspen knew Stiles was right to question their "visit".

The scrambling of feet hurriedly approaching their table brought both girls to break their trance. Scott fell in the seat beside Aspen, and Stiles struggled to pull the chair out next to Charlie. He waved quickly at the seamlessly intimidating blonde, and she merely winked in his direction, bringing the boy's cheek to flush red.

"What's going on--" Aspen barely had the chance to mumble her inquiry before Scott pointed to a far table in the corner of the cafeteria. Aspen gave her friends a confused look before staring off to the empty table.

"Do you see that?" Stiles asked, tapping his fingers anxiously against the table.

Aspen parted her lips, trying to wrap her head around their point. "What, it's an empty table." Aspen shrugged, turning to look at her friends once again. From their panicked expressions, she knew there was a deeper meaning she was yet to catch onto.

"Yeah, but who's empty table?"

It took a moment, but Aspen's eyes suddenly widened, and she spun around to lay her eyes on the table where a boy always sat. A boy who happened to work at the ice rink. A boy who Aspen used to ride the bus with. The same boy who gave Scott and Stiles the keys to ice skate. The boy who was now mysteriously missing from lunch.

"Boyd."