reborn. - ONGOING

7.

We decided to step outside and try to make sense of the situation. Detroit was alive with the sounds of car horns, people chatting, and kids shrieking. It was the usual hustle and bustle of the city. Alli and Scott got into a heated debate about whether it was possible for a girl who had been dead for ten years to be alive and dancing in a nightclub. The girl, rooted in her scientific beliefs, insisted it was impossible. But there stood the proof of the impossible right in front of her—a freaking werewolf.

My mind went blank. I didn't know what to think, let alone say. "Ava is dead, end of story, Scott," Alli's patience was running thin. "But Alli—"

"No, you know damn well how long it took us to move on from her. This just opens up old wounds, especially for Stiles."

She was right. Even just hearing Ava's name after all these years sent me into a blackout. I felt Scott's eyes on me, trying to hold back his anger. With the full moon in two days, he couldn't afford to lose control now.

"Allison, it's not just Stiles who suffered. Just because he was in love with her doesn't mean you can downplay the pain of others. I loved her too. And don't forget about Derek," Scott paused, wanting to say something else, but he chose not to say whatever thought had crossed his mind. "Derek cared about her so much. You all saw how her death affected him. Or, well, her supposed death?"

Scott's unnervingly calm tone sent a shiver down my spine. Allison looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm just so confused and overwhelmed, Scott." And she wasn't the only one.

"You know what? I'm gonna head to Beacon Hills right now to find out if she's still there." His words hit me like a punch, and I glanced at Alli, who was about to protest but was silenced by a dangerous growl from Scott. "In the meantime, you two go to Derek.
Somehow, he's involved in all of this. And I swear, if Derek knew about this the whole time, I'll fucking kill him." Without even sparing us a glance, he stormed off to his car and sped away.

There we stood on a Saturday night, bewildered and alone.

"I can't believe he just left us like this," I whispered, disbelief coloring my voice. Alli stood frozen, shocked beyond words. "Damn it, Stiles, what the hell is wrong with him? I know the full moon is coming, but I've never seen him this scattered."

"You know, when it comes to Ava..."

I remembered Scott's comment about Derek. Coincidentally Allison seemed to have thought the same as she said, "I know you probably don't want to talk about it right now, but do you think Derek and Ava were a thing when she moved in with Scott?" Alli referred to the endless rumors that circulated in high school, fueled by their increasing closeness after our breakup. Some of the nastiest rumors suggested she left me because of Derek or that she had an affair with him.

My teenage self would have jumped to a definitive "yes" without a second thought. But looking back, I realized how much my jealousy clouded my judgment. Sure, they spent a lot of time together, and maybe they had their secrets, but the idea of Derek and Ava being anything more than friends seemed highly unlikely, especially considering the timing of our breakup. Derek would never betray me like that. So, I replied, "She was like a little sister to him, Alli. Come on, she was 18 and he was 25." I held her gaze, not backing down. "Whatever their relationship was and if it's really her, they must have been close enough that made her trust him instead of us." The thought left a bitter taste in both of our mouths.

Later that night, we drove to the outskirts of town to meet Derek, Scott's former Alpha. Derek had always had this serious and brooding aura, probably due to his entire family dying in a fire caused by Allison's family. At first, he couldn't stand Alli, but things had gotten better between them over the years.

During the car ride, the weight of the upcoming meeting settled on me. It felt like a make-or-break moment, one that could completely change everything. My heart raced with anticipation, uncertain whether discovering Ava was alive or not would be the better outcome. Because if she was alive, then the big question remained: how the hell did that happen?