PHOENIX - Isaac Lahey

FIFTEEN - Trying

TRYING

"They say it won't be hard, they can't see the battle's in my heart. But when I turn away, the demons seem to stay."

- Inner demons, Julia Brennan

Hearing that Isaac had escaped from being detained at the police station felt like a punch in the gut. She had walked next to Erica to P.E with her head hanging low. The blonde girl placed a comforting hand on her arm, understanding that this day wasn't going to be easy for her.

Scott almost falling to the ground snapped her out of the worried state. Everyone was laughing except for her, who was the only one that hadn't actually seen what happened.

"Stillinski, Erica, let's go. The wall." Ordered Finnstock.

"You don't have to do this, I could go-"

"I'll do it." Erica cut her words, her eyes glued to the climbing wall.

"Stiles is not worth it, please." Josie feared for her friend, knowing that she was afraid of heights.

"I can do this."

With her body shaking, Erica stepped forward. She was struggling to climb at a much slower pace than Stiles while Josie tried to focus on keeping her own breathing at a calmed pace and don't freak out.

Stillinski soon finished and climbed down while it looked like the blonde girl was stuck. A desperate and scared whimper leaving Erica's lips made Josie curse under her breath and cover her mouth with her hand.

"Help, please." Cried the girl while everyone gathered around her.

"Erica! Dizzy? Is it vertigo?" Asked Finstock stupidly, making Josie roll her eyes while considering doing what was crossing her mind.

"Vertigo's a dysfunction on the vestibular system of the inner-ear." explained Lydia. "She's just freaking out."

"Erica!" called her Josie over the mocking giggles and whispers of the rest of the class.

"I'm fine." She answered, clearly lying to her friend.

"Fuck it, she's not coming down on her own." Spoke Josephine before starting to climb the wall.

"Coach, she's right. Erica's epileptic, it isn't safe." Informed Alison before the Coach could give Josie detention for swearing.

"W-why does nobody tell me this stuff?" Asked Coach running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Wright, just get her down safely!"

"Erica, it's me, okay?" Josie's soothing voice caught the blonde's attention, noticing she had climbed without the safety equipment until she was right next to Erica."Just take my hand and we'll both go down safely."

Erica's shaky hand held on to Josie's for dear life as they jumped back down into safety. Once the harness was off, Erica had to walk through the crowd of people laughing at her, only having the safety of Josie's arm around her shoulder as she guided them both outside.

"S'over. You're okay." Tried comfort her Josie but Erica just kept on crying.

"Leave me alone." She sobbed covering her face on the empty locker room. "Go away!" She ended up shouting at Josephine.

Because Josie didn't understand. She had never been bullied or publicly mocked at like Erica had. Instead, all the blonde could focus on was the way people stared at Josie wondering why a girl so beautiful was hanging around social outcasts like Isaac and herself.

"Erica, you don-" Josie tried to get her to understand that she was just looking out for her when Erica shouted at her again.

"LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"

Not wanting to upset her further, Josie grabbed her bag of clothes and left the building, tears threatening to run down her cheeks.

As she walked back home through the woods she wondered what was it with her that made everyone want to stay away from her. Because everybody left her, one way or another.

Her father was dead, her uncle Peter was missing, Isaac and Erica had decided not to talk to her anymore. The only person by her side was her mother. And it made her heart hurt, sadness overcoming her senses. Was she really not enough?

It wouldn't be until the next day that she would find out that Erica had tried to climb the wall again, only resulting in a seizure that got her straight into the hospital.

"I don't want to go." Groaned Josie while her mother was trying to get her to get up to go to school.

"Honey, your life isn't going to end just because your friends suddenly don't want to talk to you." Cassandra sighed.

"It's not just that, Mother." She huffed and sat down. "My magic has been all over the place since-" she didn't want to say it out loud.

"Since Isaac cut you off?" Cassandra closed her eyes tightly once she got a small nod from her daughter, she had been fearing this. "Okay, fine. You can skip today. But only because your grades are great. if you falter then no more free days with me. Deal?"

"Deal."

Both Wright women were walking through the woods, Josie not having the slightest clue as to why her mother had brought her there.

"Josephine, you have learned so much in such a short period of time under the guidance of the Strigga Coven." Began talking Cassandra looking at the water running down the small creek at their feet. "But there is something they didn't teach you, that I'm not even sure I can teach you."

"Like what?" Josie frowned, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Like listening to the way your magic sings." It only seemed to make the teenager more confused. "I mean, to pay attention to your instincts, to follow them. If your magic makes you sense something is off with somebody or some place, then listen to it. But it also means that, if you feel drawn to someone or somewhere, you should try to follow it, too."

Josie looked down at her feet, thoughts of Isaac running through her mind.

"If you focus hard enough, you could close your eyes right here and now and tell me exactly where Isaac is." Josie's eyebrows shot up in shock.

"Seriously?" Cassandra nodded. "But, how?"

"You need to listen to the way your magic sings, you need to focus on the way it runs through every fibre of your being. And then imagine as if it emanated from you in the form of threads, threads that connect you to people and places, like Isaac."

Josie closed her eyes and tried to focus what her mother was saying, yet felt nothing at all. She opened them again and frowned in Cassandra's direction after catching a grin on her face.

"It isn't working."

"It won't work the first time. That's why we're here, you'll meditate until you establish a connection with your magic. Then, perhaps tomorrow, if you'e lucky, you'll be able to try again and locate Isaac."

Cassandra Wright wasn't joking when she said they would be meditating there the entire day. Josie was embarrased to admit that she even had fallen asleep a few times after having her eyes closed for so long.

But, just as midnight approached, she felt something. It was similar to electricity, running from her head to her toes. She felt it pulsing through her. It was strong, powerful.

"I bet you can find him tomorrow." told her Cassandra, snapping Josie out of her trance.