Bloodlines

Part 5

Xxx

All my friends are heathens. Take it slow

You eyed Derek from the passenger seat as he reached a cruising speed after six or seven sickeningly tight and fast turns.

Glancing your way out of the corner of his eye briefly before turning back to the road, his face remained neutral. "What?"

"When I touched the Nemeton.... Something happened." You looked forward out of the windshield, gripping the handle to the point of white knuckles, but not for fear of the swerving car anymore. Out of fear for what you felt since that night. Like something was pawing, pacing around in your brain, trying to get out, trying to.... Howl for lack of a better word. Simply trying to be free. You were going crazy, constantly on edge from whatever was in your head.

"Do I get a little more to go on besides that?" Derek asked after a moment, eyeing your tight grip on the handle before letting his eyes flit back to yours, then back to the road.

"I just..." Looking out the passenger window, wringing your death grip on the handle like maybe you could squeeze some sanity out of it. "I feel like something.... Woke up, for lack of a better word. And now it's like there are two of me in my head. Not voices, but two sets of.... Instincts, I guess? I don't know."

Derek sighed what sounded like a knowing sound, heavy and tired. "Stiles was right, you shouldn't have come back-"

"Oh, my God!" You groaned, tossing your head back against the headrest. "Look, I'm here now, so deal with it, Derek."

"Doesn't mean I like it."

"You love me, you know that, so hush, my werewolf friend."

Derek grumbled an annoyed agreeance, making you smile before he sighed again. "Anything else happen at that God forsaken stump?"

You waited a moment, biting your lip as you debated whether to tell him. "I remember what happened before I left, Derek."

"What do you mean?" He turned a corner sharply, pulling up to the loft before sliding the gear into park, letting the engine idle as he turned to you.

"We were best friends. When you started getting cozy with Kate, your mom must have sensed something coming, because, she took most of my memories pertaining to you and your family. I don't know if she felt I was a danger to your family, or if I was a danger to mine, but either way, I always knew about werewolves, and I have a feeling it started before I knew the Hale family secret." You looked down to your lap for a second before looking back up to meet his hard stare. "That's why I ran out of the loft like that. She must have created some failsafe for times like this, knowing I would need to remember someday. All these memories were playing in my mind, and they wouldn't stop until I got by that stump, which I swear was a whole tree when I sat down there."

Derek was about to respond when Scott pulled up on his bike beside his car, stopping and ripping off his helmet. "How in the hell did you beat me?!"

"To my own house? Gee, I wonder, Scott...." Derek was smiling as he cut the engine, removing the keys and got out of the car. Looking at you, his eyes said you would finish this discussion later, and you nodded almost imperceptibly.

Wait for them to ask you who you know

To say you paid very little attention to the pack meeting was an understatement.

Flashbacks to your years before, spending time with the Hale family filled your mind.

And the oddest part of all, was you saw not only yourself there, but your entire family as well.