Chapter Text
Chapter 1
STILES
I was tired of suffering, of always being second best to everyone. I was never anyone's priority, friends or relatives. I was the spare tire, the one to contact if there was a problem they couldn't solve... but anyone's priority? Never that.
I was at the cemetery, cleaning my mother Claudia's grave. By now I was spending a lot of time near her gravestone; it was the only one I confided in, even though she obviously couldn't answer me. Dad never came to visit her; he was always busy, or at least that's what he told me, while I knew that in reality, when he wasn't at the station, he was at Scott's house.
I felt betrayed by him too. Forgotten and abandoned to myself. What made me suffer the most, however, like a truly pathetic teenager, was the pain of love. At first, I was in love with Lydia Martin. I thought she was perfect. I even had a plan developed over ten years to win her over. But then, she always chose someone else: Jackson, Aiden, and now Parrish. To her, I was invisible, and little by little, I realized I only admired the confidence she displayed, not the girl.
Then he came along, Derek Hale. My personal torment. At first he was unpleasant, distrustful; it was easier to touch a cactus than him. Then, somehow, I started to look at him differently. I had fallen completely in love with him. He was strong, handsome, and completely out of my league. At meetings with the pack, which I was now deserting more and more often, I sprayed myself with a mixture that neutralized my scent so they wouldn't smell the feelings I had for him. I didn't want to be humiliated anymore; it was enough for me to see him every week with the latest doll, Kelly, Sasha, Candy, or some other silly Barbie name.
Dear Derek was working out hard, and the loft was increasingly busy with his meetings, which was why the gatherings had become rarer.
"You know, Mom, it's better this way, right? It's obvious he has no feelings for me and is only attracted to women. So I borrowed a book from the crypt. I know what you're about to say, but it's really a loan. I'm going to cast a spell to forget all my feelings. I'll become cold and numb, because otherwise... I don't know if I could go on like this."
I added some new flowers, arranging them as best I could, and stood up.
"I just hope I don't forget how I feel for you too. I'll always love you."
I left. I had everything I needed to cast the spell, and tonight was a new moon, the best time.
I didn't see the ghost of a woman staring at me sadly, nor the words she said:
"Derek Hale, you're going to pay dearly for hurting my son."
At home, all the lights were off; Dad was with Melissa and his dear Scott.
I climbed the stairs to my room. I sprinkled the floor with salt to form the magic circle described in the book. I lit the candles and sat in the middle of the circle. In the center, I placed photos of all the people I loved, except my mom, because I wanted to feel love for her.
At the top was a close-up of Derek. I took the kitchen knife and cut my hand several times until all the photos were covered in blood. I began to recite the spell with a firm voice, and when the photos caught fire, I felt it was done. For a moment, a shock ran through my body, and then the cold enveloped me.
The candles went out on their own, and the circle broke. The spell was over. I got up and cleaned everything up. I had to test it.
That evening, Derek had a date. I went out in the Jeep and stopped outside his house. Usually, I felt a pang in my heart, but instead, nothing. I was free of those annoying feelings like love. I could move on.
The next day, I got up for school, bandaged my injured hand, and when I entered the building, I politely greeted the people who called me, but nothing else. I didn't approach the pack; I attended classes, and most importantly, I dropped out of the lacrosse team.
The coach was stunned. It had taken me almost four years to make the first team, and he didn't understand why I'd quit.
"I'm not interested anymore, I'm sorry," and in fact, I'd never liked it as a sport; I'd done it to spend more time with Scott.
I liked running, though, so I asked the track club if I could join. After a test to see my level, they were surprised by my times and accepted me immediately. I had years of experience running while being chased by dangerous predators.
After school, I went home. I didn't cook dinner, just ordered a pizza for myself, and watched some television.
My father came home two hours later and was surprised to see nothing was ready.
I looked at him, and the cold inside me was wonderful. He was my father, but for once I wasn't forced to be his maid or his problem child, whom he was ashamed of.
He saw me on the couch, the cartoon and some empty pizza left on the couch.
“Son, what’s going on? Why didn’t you make anything for dinner?” he asked.
“Should I?” I asked impassively.
“You usually do that all the time.”
“True, when I was still harboring false hopes of seeing you come back to our house to spend time with me. I thought you’d go to Melissa’s tonight too, so why waste me?” I said seraphically.
“You know about me and Melissa,” he asked, astonished.
“You keep forgetting that I’m smart, Noah. I know when you’re at work and when you’re not. I know you squandered the money Mom left me when she died by gambling. I know you’ve been having an affair with Scott’s mother since before she got sick, and I know you prefer him to me. So, you see, why should I waste time with you when you’ve never had any for me?”
I saw him gasp.
I grabbed a stack of papers from my folder and tossed it on the coffee table.
“I applied for emancipation today. I'm almost eighteen now, but I don't feel like playing Cinderella for much longer. I've already found an apartment, my things are ready to move. Sign the paper and I'll be out of your way right now.”
“Son, you're catching me off guard. Let's talk about it,” he said.
“I don't see what there is to talk about. You don't want me. You already have a replacement family. Go to them, stay here, or sell the house. Do what you want. I'm done begging, love.”
“Stiles,” my father said.
“Sign it, Noah,” I said in the coldest voice I could manage.
He sighed and signed the papers. See? He hadn't even tried that hard to convince me to stay.
He didn't want me.
I grabbed the things I'd packed and loaded up the jeep. The apartment was a two-room apartment not too far from the city center. I'd gotten it at a bargain price because the family before me had been murdered by a serial killer...aka the Nogitsune. I had a lot of savings, I'd been a hardworking little ant and had even opened a savings account. I'd managed to hide the few things Mom had left me from Noah, and some of them were stocks that were worth a lot. Financially, I was fine; I just had to finish the year and get as far away from here as possible.
DEREK
Something wasn't right with me. I was an alpha again, and that was great—stronger powers, a pack. I was rich, I lived in a loft that was a hangout for a lot of kids. Lately, I'd been having fun with a lot of girls, nothing too demanding, just a quick hop to keep myself moving. This morning, I woke up feeling like I'd lost something, and from that moment on, everything went wrong.
The coffee maker had broken, the Camaro had all four tires slashed, and I had a date with a very cute blonde, even though I couldn't stand all the shrill giggles she was making.
I'd already warned the gang not to come by tonight because I had to have fun.
She looked fabulous in a tiny dress, she was a great kisser... the problem? Little Derek showed no signs of life, zero, downright dead. The girl... Dolly maybe or Susan... tried everything but nothing, she showed no signs of recovering. Had I perhaps become impotent at my age?
I sent her home and decided to sleep on it. Maybe I was just tired.
The next day I approached another girl at a club and again nothing. Why the hell couldn't I get an erection?
I returned to the loft and found my uncle reading; he looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Have you already done it? You were quick,” he said.
“I didn't do anything at all! I have a problem, uncle.”
“Don't you know how to choose the right partner?” he said.
“I can't get an erection anymore, not even alone, nothing!”
He burst out laughing, he was even holding his stomach.
“There's nothing to laugh about, it's serious.”
“Oh my God, nephew, did you use it so much that you finally broke it?” he said.
“What should I do?” I asked.
“Go to an andrologist, maybe? What do you expect me to know? I've never had these problems and I don't want them.”
I ran my hand through my hair.
“Could it be stress?” I asked.
“But even half dead, you managed to do that Darach thing! Don't talk nonsense. Put some ice on it, go to church and light a candle, go to Deaton.”
“He's a vet,” I said, offended.
“Then go to the hospital,” he said. “Now, I'd really like to stay here and tease you some more, but I have to file some paperwork at the town hall. You know, I did a favor for a friend.”
She walked away, and I was alone, at least until I saw her.
A ghost, a very beautiful woman who looked like someone I knew, but I couldn't remember who.
She pointed her finger at me.
“You'll bitterly regret this.”
And she disappeared, fantastic, a ghost had cursed me.