Season of the Witch

Chapter Twelve / Behind The Curtains

The car came to a complete stop and the driver leaned back in her seat. Wren wrapped her fingers around the keys, but did not remove them. She instead stared up at her aunt's house, debating with herself about whether she was going to go in or not.

I don't want to go home, she thought, pulling the keys from the ignition. I don't want to bother Melissa either, as she added mentally as she fiddled with the keys. Going home meant seeing her parents and facing them after what she had said at the school. Wren wasn't looking forward to hearing what they had to say. She was just too tired, and not just from barely sleeping the night before. As the crowd dispersed after the lion was shot, Wren took the opportunity to run away in the chaos, knowing that it was a cowardly move.

After, she had drove and drove and dove, getting to the point where she stopped in the middle of nowhere and burst into tears. She had sobbed, sobbed for her sister and herself and the wreckage her family had been left in after the accident.

Now, she had stopped and it was getting late. She didn't want to stay out all night in the cold but there was still no way she was going to go home, so she decided to try a different option. The only problem was trying to make herself go inside. Her mind went through every worst-case scenario. What if Melissa told her to go home? What if she got angry at Wren? Oh god, what if her parents were there? She really didn't want to get into an argument now.

But their car wasn't there, so surely they wouldn't be there. It would be okay, she could ask Melissa if she could stay on the couch for the night. Tonight would be fine. It was going to be fine.

No, it's not.

Why would Melissa let you in?

It was your fault. It should have been you. The voice in the back of her mind told her. You killed her, you were the one who was driving. It should have been you. It repeated and Wren could feel her resolve crumbling. She squeezed her eyes shut, clenching her fists tightly.It should have been you. Itshouldhavebeenyouitshouldhavebeenyou.

"Wren?"

Her head snapped up to look at the window. Melissa stood there, arms wrapped around herself to provide protection from the cold. "Can I come in?" She asked. Wren nodded, unlocking the car from the inside. Melissa opened the door and climbed in, but not before handing Wren a mug. Wren gave her a questioning look as she took it from her. "It's hot chocolate. I figured you would be pretty cold after being out half the night." Wren gave her a sheepish nod, thanking her before she took a sip.

The pair sat in silent for a moment as Wren drank from the cup. The warmth spread through her, making her feel slightly better. "You know, your parents are worried really worried about you." Melissa said.

"Well, it sucks to be them, doesn't it?" Wren mumbled bitterly, taking another sip of her drink. She really wasn't in the mood to be guilt-tripped right now.

Melissa shook her head. "I'm not trying to guilt-trip you, sweetheart." She replied, as if she knew what Wren was thinking. "But we're all kind of worried about you, especially whenever you run off for half the night while there are so many mountain lion attacks happening."

"I just- I can't- I don't want to be around anyone right now." She rubbed at her eyes, trying hard to not cry again. "Can I stay with you tonight?" She asked, glancing at Melissa out of the corner of her eye. Melissa frowned and Wren's hands tightened around it. Pleasepleaseplease. "Just for tonight? Please, I just- I don't want to go home right now."

"Wren, you can't just hide from your parents forever." Melissa said, shaking her head.

"I know that!" She exclaimed, gnawing at her lip. "But it's too much. I can't see them right now."

They sat in silence for a moment, the only sound was Wren finishing off her drink. Melissa sighed. "What happened tonight?" She asked, her voice gentle like she was afraid to make Wren run off again. "What made you argue with your parents like that?"

She put the cup down, turning away and placing her hand over her mouth. Her fists clenched as the anger in her grew again. "She thinks she can just come back and control my life." She murmured.

"Who?"

"Mom!" She exclaimed, feeling a lump form in her throat. "She thinks that even though she's been ignoring me for months, she can just waltz back into my life and tell me what to do and it isn't fair!" Hot angry tears ran down her face and she tugged her hands through her hair frustratedly.

"Oh sweetheart." Melissa sighed as Wren looked away, pressing her hand against her mouth to hold in her sobs. Melissa stroked her hair. "You're right. It's not fair that she did that, but now I think she's trying to fix things now."

"Why? Because she's bored?"

"Because she doesn't want to lose another daughter by ruining her relationship with you. I think your mom wants to make things better, but she doesn't know how."

"Maybe she wouldn't be worried if she hadn't ruined it already!"

"Has she?" She asked. Wren paused, chewing on the skin of her thumb. She still felt overwhelming anger towards her mother. She still felt abandoned and betrayed, but the idea of not having her mother in her life… The idea of losing another person she loved made her feel like she couldn't breathe. "You have to remember that she was in the car too. Everyone has their way of dealing with grief, maybe closing herself off was her way of dealing with hers."

Wren didn't answer for a moment, before she shook her head. The exhaustion hit her like a train. She was too strung-out, too overwhelmed by everything. "I'm too- I'm too tired, Melissa." She admitted. "Can we leave this alone tonight?"

Melissa sighed, stroking her hair back. "Okay. Let's go inside, alright?" Wren nodded and got out of the car. Melissa placed her hand on her back and led her inside.

The next day was spent trying to avoid her family. She had gone to school the next day, trying to avoid the stares and the whispers that she had 'gone pyscho' at the parent-teacher conference. She spent as much time in school and away from the house for as long as she could. She had snuck in that night and planned on going to school as early as she could. Unfortunately, that didn't go according to plan.

Wren sped down the stairs and grabbed her jacket from the railing, before heading towards the kitchen. She had been trying to avoid her parents for the last day and a half, hoping to put off the talk and inevitable argument that would follow. If part of that meant running around like a headless chicken to get out of the house as quickly as possible, that was fine.

She entered the kitchen and only upon seeing her father did she realise that it was a mistake. I can just get lunch in school. She turns to dart backwards, only to hear "Come back."

"I really need to get to school, dad." She said, leaning from one foot to the other impatiently.

"This will only take a minute." He said.

"Dad-"

"Wren, please just listen." Her dad's tone was firmer than it usually was. Something about it made Wren pause. "You, me and your mother need to sit down and have an actual conversation. We're not having it now, but we're having it tonight so make sure you're here Wren."

She scowled in annoyance. "Listen, I have a lot to do for school so I should get going," She said, raising an eyebrow towards her father, "Don't you want me to better in school now?"

"You know I do, Wren, don't try to twist this around and ignore this." He said. "This is what this family does, we bury our heads in the sand and pretend everything's fine when it's not. We need to talk about what's going on."

"Dad, come on!" She groaned, throwing her hands up in annoyance. He left this alone for months, why is he bringing it up and deciding to have a big family talk now?

"No." Logan said. "No. You don't get out of this, none of us do. I'm at fault too for letting this go on for so long." He looked up at her. "For letting you feel like this for so long."

"Dad, I'm fine-"

"Oh really, so the panic attacks and the screaming matches and the running off, that means you're fine?" Wren turned away from him, unable to answer him. "You're not sweetheart and that's why I have asked if you could speak to the school counsellor."

Wren gaped at her dad. "I don't to see a counsellor dad!"

"And why not?"

Because then I have to stop pretending that I'm okay and everything will hit full on and I don't know if I can cope with that.

"Because I'm okay! I don't need to see a counsellor, it's a waste of time and school resources and is just a waste for all parties involved, alright?" She said, grabbing her thing and trying to make her way to the door so that she could leave as quickly as possible.

"Look, will you please just go for my sake?" He asked pleadingly. "Just go for today and see what it's like."

Having a talk was on the bottom of the list of things she wanted to do today, but there's something in her mind that stopped her from making a sarcastic remark. Maybe it's Melissa's comment from the other night that stuck in her mind. 'Maybe she does want to make things better. She just doesn't know how.' Maybe this was her dad trying to make things better. That made her feel a little worse for saying no.

But she hated the way her dad made her feel guilty. The feeling twisted at the bottom of her stomach, making Wren bite her lip. She finally caved in. "Fine." She snapped. "I'll go for today, but if it's pointless, I'm not going anymore, okay?"

"Alright." He replied, the exhaustion clear in his voice. "Thank you, sweetheart. It's with Miss Morrell after school today, okay?"

"And I have to stay after school, great." She muttered. There was just a petulant part of her that wanted to make her father feel bad for forcing her into this.

"I'm sure you'll make up for it." He replied. "Have a good day. Love you!" He called out as Wren picked up her stuff and headed towards the front door.

"Love you too." She called back, slamming the door behind her. Wren got in her car and started the journey to school, arriving in a couple of minutes. She pulled the car into the space and sighed, turning the engine off and taking a minute to look at herself in the mirror. Tired eyes looked back at her, making her sigh.

She pulled her concealer out of her bag and applied more to the dark circles under her eyes. Today is going to be okay. She repeats to herself. If I pretend everything is fine, then maybe no one will ask me about the other night. It worked yesterday. It was a long shot but it was the best she could tell herself. She let out a sigh, put on a smile and got out of the car.

She took the steps two at a time and went inside, spotting the back of her cousin's head as he threw it back in annoyance. She watched as he went up and down the hallway and could hear him let out an exclamation, but couldn't hear what. "Hey!" She called after him, wanting to know why he was being weirder than usual. "McCall!"

Scott jumped in surprise and whipped around to face her. He let out a sigh when he realised it was just Wren. "Oh, it's just you."

"Well, that's always the reaction you want." She muttered, raising her eyebrows. "What's going on, why are you being weird?"

He frowned at her and copied her expression, raising his own eyebrows. "I'm not acting weird." He replied.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Running around the halls and muttering to yourself is pretty weird, Scott."

He cringed. "Was it that noticeable?"

"You being weirder than usual? Yes Scott, yes it was." She replied, placing her hands on her hips. "What's going on with you?"

He turned away from her, his eyes darting away to look anywhere but Wren. "N-nothing." He said.

Wren rolled her eye, tilting her head at him. "Scott, I am your cousin, I can tell when you're lying." Scott froze, but didn't turn back to her. "McCall." Wren said warningly.

He turned back to her, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, something happened…" He trailed off.

"What, did you eat something? Someone?"

"What!? No!"

"Okay, then why are you being weird?" She asked.

"Derek came to see me." He told her. "And says he'll agree to train me if I don't see Allison anymore."

Wren frowned and crossed her arms across her body. "Why doesn't he want you to see Allison anymore?"

"I'll explain later, but I want to find Stiles first." He replied.

"So what's happening with you and Stiles?" Wren asked, trying to ignore the way her stomach twisted when she saw someone looking at her for too long. They're laughing at you. They saw what happened and they're all laughing at you. She noticed Scott looking at her out of the corner of her eye and snapped out of her daze. "Do I need to break out the divorce papers?"

He shot her an impressed look. "You're hilarious." He deadpanned.

She flipped her hair, giving her best Lydia impression. "I know."

He rolled his eyes before continuing on. "He blames me for what happened with his dad. I know it was my fault and I should have been there, but it was a genuine mistake and I have apologised to him."

"While I do think it's kind of unreasonable to expect you to be everywhere at once-"

"Thank you!"

"Hold on teen wolf, I wasn't finished." She said, getting an annoyed look from her cousin. "I do kind of agree with him. You shouldn't have ditched school on the day of parent-teacher, dude. Even I went to school that day."

Scott tossed his head back in annoyance. "Come on, I thought you would be on my side."

"Listen buddy, I am on no one's side." Wren said, waving her hand towards him. "I am Switzerland, I am neutral."

Scott cocked his head to the side, raising his eyebrow. "Did you get that from Twilight?"

"No Scott, I learnt that in class because, you know, I actually go to class." She deadpanned. Scott let out a long, drawn-out groan and started to walk away from her. Wren rolled her eyes and chased after him, catching his arms. "Okay, okay, I'll shut up. But seriously, what has gotten you so jumpy? There's like five minutes until class, so I doubt you'll find Stiles anytime soon."

Scott went on to explain what had happened with Derek the night before as the pair walked to class. Wren gave an unsure nod. "So Derek has agreed to teach you the ways of the wolf."

"Yes."

"But you have to stop seeing Allison to do so."

"Yes."

"Because she distracts you."

"Yes."

"And have you?"

He suddenly looked away from her and did everything to keep from meeting her eyes. "Uh- yeah, totally."

They turned the corner into the classroom, as Wren raised an eyebrow at him. "You're a terrible liar, dude."

Scott's only response was an eye roll as they both took their seats, with Stiles sitting beside them in silence. Scott leaned forward and made an attempt to talk to Stiles, only for Stiles to turn his head to the side to speak to Wren. "Wren, would, you please tell Scott that I have nothing to say to him."

Wren rolled her eyes. "I'm not your messenger owl, dude."

"Wren, could you tell Stiles that I'm really sorry and I feel really bad about it?"

She threw up her hands in annoyance. "Did you not hear the part about me not being an owl?"

Scott let out a sigh and threw his head down on the desk, before lifting it back up again. "What if I told you I was trying to figure this whole thing out and that I went to Derek for help?"

That finally got Stiles' attention. "If I was talking to you, I would say that you're an idiot for trusting him." He paused. "But obviously I'm not talking to you."

Wren snorted. "Obviously." She repeated in a deadpan voice.

The bell rang for the beginning of class and Wren pulled out her books, waiting for the class to begin only for her attention to be caught by Stiles. "What did he say?" He said, swivelled around to face Scott. Wren smiled to herself, feeling like The Boys Are Back In Town should be playing in the background.

Unfortunately, Scott didn't get the chance to answer before their teacher began to speak, so Scott didn't get the chance to explain until they were leaving the classroom.

"Wh- He wants you to tap into your animal side and get angry?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah." Scott replied.

"All right, well, correct me if I'm wrong, but every time you do that, you try to kill someone, and that someone's usually me."

"Or me!" Wren exclaimed.

"Or both." Stiles added.

"I know." Scott said. "That's what he means when he says he doesn't know if he can teach me. I have to be able to control it."

"You know what just occurred to me, how can you control it if he doesn't teach you how to?" Wren asked, raising an eyebrow. "Damn it Derek, that makes no sense."

"Exactly." Stiles added. "How's he going to teach you anyway?"

"I don't know. I don't think he does either."

"He better! I don't want you ending up like that mountain lion." Wren said. "And I don't want to end up like the victims of the 'mountain lion'." She said, using her fingers as quotation marks.

"Thanks." Scott deadpanned.

"When's wolf sensei coming to pick you up then?" She asked.

"After work today. He said to me I just have to act normal and make it through the day." He explained.

"Alright." Stiles muttered. "That's good."

"What?"

"That gives me to the end of the day to teach you myself." Stiles explained, before turning on his heel and walking in the opposite direction.

Scott and Wren exchanged a look before they sprinted after him.

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