CONTROL ➳ D. HALE [2]

10 ; heartbeat

10 ➳ HEARTBEAT

July 2, 1992

Well, would you look what I found when I was unpacking all of my boxes in our apartment! (My English teachers always told me to never use "you" while writing, but hey, my journal, my rules). Anyway, it was kind of strange going back and reading the entries from before Perry and I really got to know each other. I mean, now that I think about it, I guess I really did feel this way about him, even when I didn't realize it.
Oh, God, look at me. I'm writing about a boy in a journal like some thirteen-year-old girl with a crush.
The funny thing is, I'm not even ashamed of it!
I mean, maybe I would be if I didn't know that Perry feels the same way about me. For once, knowing what everyone else feels about me DIDN'T end with me getting hurt.
Sometimes I wonder why he cares about me so much. I mean, he's this nice, honest guy who wouldn't hurt a fly. And me? Well, I really like to punch things.
Not that I'm complaining, though.

➳

"We're taught to hide when the hunters find us," Cora explained, her eyes glued to the loft window. The Alpha's symbol slowly faded as rain pelted the window of the loft.

"How long will he be gone?" Elise asked, coming to stand next to the girl. Derek had been completely AWOL for two days straight; not even Cora or Elise had heard from him. This wasn't like the last time he'd cut everyone off. This time, he'd left without a word, not telling anyone where he was going or how long he'd be away. Elise wasn't angry at him, she knew how deeply Boyd's death had affected him. She was worried, though. Insanely worried.

"Yeah, can we be expecting him to be gone for a few days or is Derek taking a full-blown vacation?" Stiles asked, earning a venomous glare from Elise.

"Why do you care?" Cora asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Because in the last few weeks, my best friend nearly killed himself, his boss nearly became a human sacrifice, and a girl that I've known since I was three actually was a human sacrifice!" Stiles exclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration. "And Derek is probably the only one that can do anything about it!"

Cora ignored him, looking to Elise for an answer. "I care about him and I'm worried," she said, putting a hand on Cora's shoulder. "I just want him to be okay."

Cora nodded slightly, turning away from the window and leaning against the nearby desk. "He wasn't like this when we were kids."

"What was he like?" Elise wondered aloud, her brows quirking upward slightly. Derek never talked about his past. While he certainly had good reason to try leaving those memories behind him, Elise had to admit that she'd always been a bit curious.

Cora parted her lips to speak but was interrupted as Peter Hale descended the spiral stairs to the girl's left, joining the conversation. "He was a lot like Scott, actually. A lot like most teenagers," he said. "Unbearably romantic, profoundly narcissistic, and tolerable by only other teenagers."

"So what happened?" Stiles asked. "What made him change?"

"The same thing that can change most young men," Peter frowned. "A girl."

Instantly, Elise knew where Peter was intending to take the conversation, so she stepped in. "Are you sure Derek wants you telling them about this?" She asked, crossing her arms.

Peter's brows quirked upward. "He told you?" Elise nodded. Derek had told her about the first girl he'd loved, Paige, when they'd first started dating. He'd been convinced that they could only be together if Paige were a werewolf, but she hadn't been able to survive the bite. Derek had killed Paige himself to put her out of her pain.