I lit the match

Well, as you can see I’m fine. We are safe in the bayou so. “You’re prisoners, Malia. You might be safe, but I can’t even begin to imagine that you’re happy,” he spoke and frowned, shaking his head in slight disbelief. Taking a long and deep breath, he knew he needed to calm down a little. “You’re–– You’re not allowed to walk around wherever you want. Talk to people you want, see whoever you want, how… How is that fair?” Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Stiles continued to stare longingly at the ground in front of him and he noticed how a tiny leaf laid on top of his shoes. Kicking forward, he watched as the leaf fell onto the ground along with the rest of them and he lifted his head and looked at Malia.

Stiles, we already are separated. Marcel made sure of that. And I’m not graduating. That day Cora came threatening teachers in the school… I left that day and never came back. “Malia,” Stiles spoke and he swallowed thickly, shaking his head in disbelief. Things changed. We all changed and they’re never going to be the same again. It was true, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like it. We’re never going to be close like we used to be again. “W-What?” He frowned and closed his lips, feeling the light pressure of his upper lip touch his bottom one. “It’s not too late, though. You’re still a freaking teenager, for Christ sake. You’re still just a god damn kid, Malia. I think everyone keeps forgetting that,” Stiles spoke and swallowed, crossing his arms, almost in a bit of a defensive manner. “Just because you’re not graduating with us, it doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be part of our pack. Just because we’re on different paths, doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on you. On anyone.” Scott, Malia, Allison, Lydia, Cora… They were his pack, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. 

He hadn’t lost hope in them, even if some of his friends might have. Stiles stopped moving and he looked at her. When she scoffed at him, shaking her head and looking away, he had a tiny bit of a fear that maybe he had lost her. When he had told her that he missed her, and she hadn’t said anything back, Stiles blinked and took another step back, though making sure to stay as close to her as humanly possible, without it being uncomfortable. Did Cora tell you about the plan? Cora. At the mention of Cora’s name, Stiles nodded and he let his eyes drop from Malia’s face. “Yes. She told me. I’m going to be the get away car. In and out, without you getting noticed. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be able to do that without any trouble. I mean, no one really wants to get close to my jeep, seeing as it’s a bit of a hazard, so I think we should be fine,” he smiled weakly as he looked up at Malia through dark lashes. 

No, not fair. He didn’t get to just throw her own pain, anger, and problems at her. Did he think that she didn’t know how hard it was? His words were the tip of that giant iceberg though. Being stuck in the bayou? It was her nightmare on levels that went well beyond being a prisoner, as he’d so kindly put it. “You think that I don’t know that Stiles?” She asked as frustration with him began to surface. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe she could use this to push him away. “But what the hell am I supposed to do about it? No, I’m just gonna sit here and be thankful for what I do have. A life. ‘Round here, still kicking is about all you can ask for.” When would any of them get that through their head? Not that it even mattered anymore. 

She watched him begin to register the fact that she wasn’t the same girl he’d seen around the Quarter. Malia wasn’t sure if Stiles knew that Malia had been there the night that Scott tried to leave them for good. Scott had seen her but Stiles was certainly not expecting Malia to treat him like this. She supposed she should’ve expected as much. “Stiles,” She answered, trying to make her point clear. But her head simply began to shake as he tried to argue with her. “Age doesn’t matter Stiles, not like you’re any safer as a kid than you are as an adult. You gotta grow up quick to stay alive.” But when he started to creep closer to the true heart of this moment between them, Malia had to really dig deep. She knew that Stiles wouldn’t give up that easily. “What pack Stiles? My pack is here. My alpha is here despite the fact that I don’t actually agree with anything that’s about to happen, but that’s another story.” She paused, bringing herself back to the moment at hand. “Stiles there is no pack. Scott made sure of that and you know it. I’m not listening to this anymore. So just stop.” 

A desperation was beginning to build, one that wanted to believe so badly in Stiles’ words. One that wanted to fight for her freedom, one that wanted to be a part of this fight with him, one that wanted to walk through life beside him knowing he’d always be there. She could feel herself beginning to slip as it the feelings only gained momentum with each passing moment. Malia was glad to talk about the only connection they could have any longer. She’d hold onto that for all that was and let him go and jeep that would always represent the people who’d been the kindest and most welcoming to her. But if that were true then why couldn’t she let Stiles in? Was the pain worth it? She just wasn’t sure she could take knowing that another person who she considered to be family wanted to leave her. If she left them first then she’d never have to see it. Besides, her days were likely numbered as it was. It would be easier this way for Stiles too. “Yeah. I know you can do it.” Or else I wouldn’t want you to risk it. “Well, thanks for the help. Cora needs us.” 

Well, as you can see I’m fine. We are safe in the bayou so. “You’re prisoners, Malia. You might be safe, but I can’t even begin to imagine that you’re happy,” he spoke and frowned, shaking his head in slight disbelief. Taking a long and deep breath, he knew he needed to calm down a little. “You’re–– You’re not allowed to walk around wherever you want. Talk to people you want, see whoever you want, how… How is that fair?” Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Stiles continued to stare longingly at the ground in front of him and he noticed how a tiny leaf laid on top of his shoes. Kicking forward, he watched as the leaf fell onto the ground along with the rest of them and he lifted his head and looked at Malia.

Stiles, we already are separated. Marcel made sure of that. And I’m not graduating. That day Cora came threatening teachers in the school… I left that day and never came back. “Malia,” Stiles spoke and he swallowed thickly, shaking his head in disbelief. Things changed. We all changed and they’re never going to be the same again. It was true, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like it. We’re never going to be close like we used to be again. “W-What?” He frowned and closed his lips, feeling the light pressure of his upper lip touch his bottom one. “It’s not too late, though. You’re still a freaking teenager, for Christ sake. You’re still just a god damn kid, Malia. I think everyone keeps forgetting that,” Stiles spoke and swallowed, crossing his arms, almost in a bit of a defensive manner. “Just because you’re not graduating with us, it doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be part of our pack. Just because we’re on different paths, doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on you. On anyone.” Scott, Malia, Allison, Lydia, Cora… They were his pack, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. 

He hadn’t lost hope in them, even if some of his friends might have. Stiles stopped moving and he looked at her. When she scoffed at him, shaking her head and looking away, he had a tiny bit of a fear that maybe he had lost her. When he had told her that he missed her, and she hadn’t said anything back, Stiles blinked and took another step back, though making sure to stay as close to her as humanly possible, without it being uncomfortable. Did Cora tell you about the plan? Cora. At the mention of Cora’s name, Stiles nodded and he let his eyes drop from Malia’s face. “Yes. She told me. I’m going to be the get away car. In and out, without you getting noticed. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be able to do that without any trouble. I mean, no one really wants to get close to my jeep, seeing as it’s a bit of a hazard, so I think we should be fine,” he smiled weakly as he looked up at Malia through dark lashes. 

No, not fair. He didn’t get to just throw her own pain, anger, and problems at her. Did he think that she didn’t know how hard it was? His words were the tip of that giant iceberg though. Being stuck in the bayou? It was her nightmare on levels that went well beyond being a prisoner, as he’d so kindly put it. “You think that I don’t know that Stiles?” She asked as frustration with him began to surface. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe she could use this to push him away. “But what the hell am I supposed to do about it? No, I’m just gonna sit here and be thankful for what I do have. A life. ‘Round here, still kicking is about all you can ask for.” When would any of them get that through their head? Not that it even mattered anymore. 

She watched him begin to register the fact that she wasn’t the same girl he’d seen around the Quarter. Malia wasn’t sure if Stiles knew that Malia had been there the night that Scott tried to leave them for good. Scott had seen her but Stiles was certainly not expecting Malia to treat him like this. She supposed she should’ve expected as much. “Stiles,” She answered, trying to make her point clear. But her head simply began to shake as he tried to argue with her. “Age doesn’t matter Stiles, not like you’re any safer as a kid than you are as an adult. You gotta grow up quick to stay alive.” But when he started to creep closer to the true heart of this moment between them, Malia had to really dig deep. She knew that Stiles wouldn’t give up that easily. “What pack Stiles? My pack is here. My alpha is here despite the fact that I don’t actually agree with anything that’s about to happen, but that’s another story.” She paused, bringing herself back to the moment at hand. “Stiles there is no pack. Scott made sure of that and you know it. I’m not listening to this anymore. So just stop.” 

A desperation was beginning to build, one that wanted to believe so badly in Stiles’ words. One that wanted to fight for her freedom, one that wanted to be a part of this fight with him, one that wanted to walk through life beside him knowing he’d always be there. She could feel herself beginning to slip as it the feelings only gained momentum with each passing moment. Malia was glad to talk about the only connection they could have any longer. She’d hold onto that for all that was and let him go and jeep that would always represent the people who’d been the kindest and most welcoming to her. But if that were true then why couldn’t she let Stiles in? Was the pain worth it? She just wasn’t sure she could take knowing that another person who she considered to be family wanted to leave her. If she left them first then she’d never have to see it. Besides, her days were likely numbered as it was. It would be easier this way for Stiles too. “Yeah. I know you can do it.” Or else I wouldn’t want you to risk it. “Well, thanks for the help. Cora needs us.” 

Stiles walked towards Malia, slowly, his hands stuffed into the pockets of jeans as he kept his gaze on her the whole time. Hi. So, what did you want, Stiles? He stopped in his tracks and looked at the girl who stood in front of him, the girl whom he thought of as family, who he thought of as a friend but right now, Stiles had never felt more distant. “I just… I wanted to check up on you. I haven’t seen you in a while, and I… I’m just worried about you,” Stiles said and swallowed against the lump in his throat as it continued to grow. His conversation with Cora appeared in the back of his head as he remembered how he had asked her to keep an eye on Malia; to make sure she would be okay. It was the truth though. 

He had been worried about Malia; with everything that was going on lately and everything that had happened to her, who knows where she was right now, mentally speaking. Parting his lips ever so slightly, his gaze dropped to the ground for a second or so as he thought to himself. “We’re graduating soon, you know? And… I don’t know, I just… It made me realize how we’re going to be separated soon. Going our different ways.” You’re already separated though; he thought and swallowed as he lifted his head, locking his eyes with Malia’s as he walked to the front of her body, leaning backwards against the tree behind him. 

“I miss you.”

Stiles shrugged casually. “that’s all.”

Malia watched the way he’d stopped so abruptly, eyes taking him all the way in. She could only now feel how hard this conversation was truly going to be start to sink in. Scott may have been the one to take her in but with all he had to deal with at the time, Stiles had often been the one keeping her there. She shrugged though, keeping a straight face as she spoke, “Well as you can see I’m fine. We are safe in the bayou so..” These words may have been true in the physical aspect, or at least, she was physically safe for now. But her head had been spinning ever since she’d arrived here. So much of her wanted to talk about that with Stiles because he knew more about her than anyone. She wouldn’t have to explain it all, but just talk. Still, she refused to let herself get sucked back into it. It would only make him leaving her all the harder. 

She felt a sense of relief when Stiles eyes dropped to the ground. For a moment, she didn’t have to hold her face to such indifference towards him, instead shutting her eyes briefly as she swallowed, knowing how hard it already was and that the conversation had merely just begun. “Stiles we already are separated. Marcel made sure of that. And I’m not graduating. That day Cora came threatening teachers in the school...I left that day and never came back. Things changed. We all changed and they’re never going to be the same again.” We’re never going to be close like we used to be again. 

Malia swallowed again as he came closer but she was sure he’d seen her momentary lapse of fear that time. She wanted to step backwards, away from him, away from his smell that she’d become so familiar with. The closer he got the harder she knew it would be. But Malia had to keep pushing through. Her head shook as she scoffed, looking away from him momentarily before turning back with a change of subject. She wasn’t going to let his empty words deter her because that’s all words were, empty. “Did Cora talk to you about the plan?” 

She knit her brows together, troubled by Malia’s insistence that she had pieces of the puzzle she’d kept to herself. Cami wasn’t convinced of it, but at the same time it was damn-near impossible to argue against such a vague and vehement statement. So instead, she waited. Waited and watched as Malia tried to do… Something. Seconds trickled by filled with uncertainty and a growing tension. Malia squared off in front of her, feet planted to the ground, arms extended, a determined frown creasing her forehead. Cami watched all this in silence; scanning the teen’s body repeatedly for any change, any flicker of something even remotely supernatural or coyote-like about her. But…  N o t h i n g . 

“This has to stop.” It was quiet at first, barely above a whisper. Her eyes raised to meet Malia’s once more, and Cami shook her head. There was no magical secret here; no supernatural key that would unlock the truth about the cracks in her mind and tie up all her problems with a neat little bow. Hope flickered out inside of her, and her chest felt heavier for it. 

“This has to  s t o p , Malia…” Cami repeated, more audibly now. Her voice felt hoarse and she was afraid that tears would follow. “If you care about me - which I’d like to believe, given how far you traveled just to find me - then I want you to drop this. Forget about it, don’t bring it up again.” The young woman turned on her heel, grabbed the opened package of ravioli, and emptied it into the pot of boiling water. “I’m-… I’m actually doing well for myself, I haven’t had an episode in at least two weeks - I’m making healthy decisions for once, a-and-…” Sure enough her voice cracked and a tear trickled down her cheek, but Cami brushed it away quickly, grateful that she was no longer facing Malia. She stirred the pot, gave herself time to regain composure, before letting the wooden spoon rest and turning slowly to face her friend. 

“Please, Mal. I just need you… To drop it.”

“No--no Cami just wait please.” Malia refused to give up. She could tell that she was losing Cami, possibly for good. It just wasn’t something she could bare. Malia hadn’t planned to get so attached to Cami but it’d happened. The persistence and unwavering kindness that Cami had showed her had swept Malia up into the human world. Cami was one of the few adults she managed to actually look up to and respect. But as she stood there, wishing and praying that her claws would appear, Malia could just feel Cami slipping out of her clawless grip. The defeat immediately showed as Cami reiterated her request that Malia stop trying all together. 

A costly failure. Not only had Scott left her, but Cami had done the same. It was funny that the two people who had once been adamant in helping her get over her trust issues, were the two who’d left the quickest. Actually, it was extremely far from funny given that the two people she’d managed to trust most had betrayed her. She may not be as angry with Cami as she was with Scott, but the facts still remained. Words weren’t worth shit. And since Malia couldn’t bring the proper actions into this, they weren’t worth shit either. 

“But Cami--” Though Malia was cut off as Cami continued, making it very clear that she’d failed and she’d lost Cami forever. When Cami had said that she hadn’t had any episodes, she immediately wanted to protest in showing that she hadn’t had any episodes because super naturals weren’t messing with her anymore. But she kept her mouth shut, hands writhing together in front of her as she felt tears developing beneath her eyelids. Malia looked down at the ground.

“Fine Cami!” She burst out after a moment. “Just give up! Leave like the rest of them! One day someone in your life will prove it to you. Father K! He knows all about it and I’ll bet your brother was mixed up in it too! One day you’ll be back but I’ll be gone. Don’t expect me to wait around just for you to leave again!” She burst out back as tears began to fall down her cheeks. The tears partly for losing Cami, partly for failing herself and Cami, and partly for feeling guilty for all the mean words she’d spewed at the woman. But maybe it was supposed to be better this way. That’s what she was supposed to take away from it right? That was a sign of strength. But in all reality all that she’d ever done was fail Cami. Why should today have been any different. So maybe the real truth was that Cami would be better off without Malia. She was probably safer away from New Orleans right? Why had Malia so selfishly wanted to bring her into this world? The pain, anger, and frustration that Cami was normally a part of relieving just began to pile up in the blonde woman’s kitchen. 

Matt kinda felt that she missed and needed him. For a short moment he thought about all the things he wanted to do with her. The cinema, that small new bar downtown, icecreams, a run through the park. He had never really been good at coming up with those things, but it seemed that now the whole thing wasn’t gonna happen he was full with ideas. It was strange how that worked. And he hated that he couldn’t do anything with it. 

So he tightened his grip and kissed her even greedier. “You know I’m not safe out there…” Matt knew it was probably the wrong thing to say, something she didn’t wanna hear. She had too much to worry about already, but he wasn’t gonna lie to her either. “There are still the vampires and the witches and after what you’ve told me…” He felt a shiver rolling down his safe. “Next time I’ll bring us pizza or those good scones I love.” He tried to smile. “I’ve got another year of summer studies ahead, but…” He hesitated. “I’m not sure if I should continue. I don’t know if I want that…”

The way he kissed her with such vigor left her melting in his arms. A sudden sensation that she’d never known was capturing her up in this moment with Matt. She felt so lucky that a guy like him had found her. He was everything she wished she could be, and more. It was scary too though. Knowing how easily she could find a way to trust someone and similarly, how quickly that trust could be broken. Scott’s betrayal had shaken her to the core but she refused to let it affect how amazing she was feeling with Matt. Whatever would come was something she would handle at the time. 

She smiled half-heartedly when he spoke with a small shake of her head. “People out there are protecting you--like Chris and other hunters. It’s illegal to kill humans in the Quarter. You are safer than you think. It’s--” She cut herself off with a gulp, not wanting to admit it to him, but she pressed on knowing it was the truth. “It’s your association with me that makes you less safe.” She finished sadly, eyes meeting the ground. But she perked up as soon as he started talking about food. “That sounds perfect. I can’t wait.” It seemed that the danger she was putting Matt in wasn’t enough for her to push him away. She hoped that day never came but she also hoped she wouldn’t be too late to see it coming. The thought terrified her. Malia nodded at him, understanding. “Well what would you do instead? I didn’t really get to finish school. I ditched with Cora one day and just...never really went back.” 

A lot of people have been pushing Stiles always lately, and the fact that graduation was right around the corner too and people slowly getting their acceptance letters, definitely didn’t help the anxiety that he had been feeling lately. First Scott, then Cora and now Malia. Honestly, Stiles was beginning to question whether it was something about him that made them leave. No, stop it; he told himself and swallowed against the lump in his throat as he sat behind the steering wheel, driving down the road and towards where the bayou was. He knew about Marcel and the ban and thought it was fucking ridiculous, but at the same time, he didn’t want any of his supernatural friends to be in any danger, so he complied and kept his mouth shut. Until they would find a way to get things back to normal. As normal as it could get, at least.

Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, he tried to calm himself down. He knew that Malia would be able to notice if there was anything off about him straight away. That was one of the things that was annoying about his friends being werewolves and werecoyotes; they could read him as if he was an open book. Within a second, they would know there was something wrong with him. Pulling his car off the road and onto the side road, Stiles looked at the location that Malia had texted him and he realized he was getting closer. He slowed down as he could see a body in the distance, because of the headlights, and he came to a halt not too far away from the rock she sat on. Killing the engine, he pulled his keys out and jumped out of the vehicle, leaning against the frame of the door. Looking at Malia, he took a deep breath and closed it before making his way over to where she sat. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, his fingers tightened around the keys. “Hey,” he spoke, his voice was low and soft, as if he would wake up the whole world if he spoke up. Stopping next to her, he kept his brown eyes on her and he realized how much she had changed since the last time he had seen her.

Malia knew that there would be some caution in this conversation, more so on her side, or so she expected. She wasn’t quite sure what Stiles knew and didn’t know at this point. But she hadn’t expected his smell to be quite so pungent. Malia gulped, knowing that she couldn’t let his smell suck her back into trusting him. She had no idea what was going on with Stiles on the outside. She hadn’t heard much but they were supposed to friends, nearly siblings with the way they’d talked at certain points. But Malia was leaving him, just like she’d promised over and over again that she wouldn’t do. Could she really bring herself to be like Scott? She wasn’t sure. But one little reminder of how useless words seemed to be around here anyway was enough to bring her back to reality. 

She stood up to greet him abruptly, “Hi.” She answered, merely as a formality than anything else. “So what did you want Stiles?” 

“Marcel has taken care of the witches responsible. That’s all I know. As soon as it was clear, I left.” Half truths were so nice. It was harder for people to catch you in them because they could never quite figure out where the truth ended and the lie began. “Honestly, I still can’t believe it happened at all…”

“I’ll bet he has.” She mumbled out. “His punishment against the wolves is clear enough about his whole attitude right now. Fucking King of the Quarter my ass. Terrible leader. The vampires are idiots.” It was nice to let out some of her anger at Marcel. She’d known that he was hardly a King for a while now though, with the way he paraded about. It was all about power. The only thing he’d ever cared for was Davina and with her gone, all that was left was power. “I’ll believe just about anything these days.” She waved it off. “So what’s your plan then? You sticking around here? Gonna fight with the wolves and all of that madness?”

Matt curled his lips up into a smile. He was kinda glad that she texted him for these things now. He knew the whole texting and asking for help kinda thing was new to her and the last thing he wanted was giving her the feeling that wasn’t okay. “I totally missed you too…” He kissed her once more and he wished things were different. 

He wanted to take her on dates. Real dates. Restaurants, bowling. He’d have to work some extra shifts for it, but classes were over anyway. He failed all of them, but it seemed it didn’t really matter as long as he was still kinda good enough as a quarterback. It was the only nice thing happening to him at the moment. “I’m sorry you’re stuck here…” He sighed. “But you don’t miss much. It’s not that great without you there.” O damn, that sounded cheesy.

If Malia had it her way, she wouldn’t text him and make him come all the way out to see her, but knock down his door herself. Or maybe, scale the outside of his home and climb through his window as a surprise. Yeah, that sounded fun. But alas, none of that was available to her. Thinking about how fun it would be only ended up making her sad. But being stuck in the bayou was the least of her issues with the wolf banishment. She kissed him back, feeling a calmness wash over her that wiped away her stress for at least that moment. 

Malia rolled her eyes at his comment about being stuck. She’d just let go of the frustration that came along with it. But it was always going to be an issue when he lived outside the bayou. Could she see why the wolves were upset that they were banished here? Well hell yeah, but that didn’t mean she wanted to repeat history. Were her fears preventing her from protecting what mattered most again? That thought haunted her too. Her headspace was never safe anymore. A smile grew on her lips as she shook her head at him, “Well thanks but I’m sure it’s at least better than here. You are safe out there.” She curled her arms around him, leaning her body into his with a hug. “What’ve you been up to lately?”

She was surprised when he actually offered an answer to her question. His brutal honesty was refreshing in ways that she couldn’t even understand in that moment. Stiles had mentioned time again how honest Malia could be, but this guy was sure giving her a run for her money. And it suddenly made him all the more easy to trust. Still, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing and wouldn’t hang her hat on anything just yet. That said, she was more than intrigued by this wolf, this going well beyond the fact that she felt like she could also relate to his turning story. “Right. Well then. Mine was a bit like that too though, I wasn’t so lucky.” Her eyes shifted down momentarily but she lifted them back up just as quick, utterly perplexed by the words she’d just spoken to him.

But just as quickly as he’d opened up, he seemed to tighten up that lock once more. “Well it’s too late for that.” It was interesting, intriguing to say the least, yet the most glaring feature was that she could once again relate. This whole conversation held one surprise after the next, all of them pretty decent at that. But what was she doing getting all hyped up when he was nothing more than a stranger? It was all a bit confusing too. His next words seemed to solidify all her thoughts too. “I know that.” She spoke back softly, feeling a deflation. But it was a good kind of deflation where she felt like she was coming safely back to earth. An earth where there was no smaller pack to be found, nor even a strong chance this wolf would live to see that day with the way he was going around this town. 

But once again, his words caught her off guard. There was a pregnant pause as she stared at him in shock for a moment. “You too.” She answered. 

‘I wasn’t so lucky.’ He wonders what she means by that, but decides to keep nursing the question rather than ask it just then. She’s a stranger after-all, and a part of him feels like it’s better not to get involved in her story, better to keep outside, un-invested and uninterested. Maybe it doesn’t matter, maybe he’ll never see her again after this night and never have to wonder about other weres in the Quarter whose lives might be more similar to his than he’d ever considered. Maybe the thought makes him uncomfortable.

“Right.” He cuts in after a contemplative pause seems to take hold of them both. “Well then, I should get goin’. Still gotta work.” He explains, before wondering why he feels the need to excuse himself anyway. It occurs to him that he doesn’t know her name, and there’s an instinct that pressed on his tongue and pushes him to ask - but he represses it. Just a kid… Just a strange, lonely-looking kid that reminds him a little more of himself than he’d like. He’s already got Isaac to worry about - he doesn’t need to become a full-time babysitter. “Stay alive.” Quentin merely tells her with a nod, before turning on his heel and heading back towards the club’s double-doors to finish the rest of his shift. 

“Thanks.” Hayley murmured, stepping inside the small cabin. She set the box down on the table before dusting off her hands. She turned back to the younger girl and shrugged. “That should be the last of everything you’re gonna need. I put some silverware, bathroom stuff, and a few other necessities in there, but if you need anything else, you can just let me know.” The alpha offered. Leaning back against the table, a sigh broke through her lips and into the silence.

“How are you doing with being back here? I know it wasn’t really the ideal homecoming.” Hayley knew that Malia didn’t want to be in the Bayou, but with Marcel’s rules, that choice had been taken away. So, the wolf would do everything in her power to make sure the younger girl adjusted the best she could. “I wish I could do more, but Marcel’s really cracked down on us.” She said quietly, toying with the edges of her fingernails. 

The last few weeks had been the hardest of her life, but Marcel was kicking her while she was down, and god did it hurt. Hayley needed time for herself in order to get over all that had happened with Derek, but with the wolves and vampires at odds, a break for her sanity wasn’t really in the cards. “-We’re just gonna have to wait it out, but it won’t be so bad. At least you’ve got a place of your own, and you can have your friends over. Just be sure to mention to someone they’re coming. Everyone’s a little on edge after everything” Hayley admitted. It seemed Derek’s death and the Harvest were far reaching, even the Bayou wasn’t safe from the darkness.

Malia stepped back cautiously, though her eyes were eager to discover what might be in the box. She needed Hayley of course, despite how much of her wished she could just go it alone. But that wasn’t going to work around here. She wasn’t yet sure what living here was going to look like, nor what sort of strategies she’d need to enact to keep herself alive. It was a crapshoot. And having her own place on the outskirts could be her first wrong move already. But she couldn’t bring herself to act as though she was fine with all of this, even if that might’ve been the right call in first place. Then again, why was she making this so hard on herself when she could simply follow along with the pack like her wolf seemed to beg of her. “Thank you. I’m sure it will be fine--great. I’m sure it will be great.” 

She gulped at Hayley’s question, knowing she’d have to talk about how she was feeling eventually. Malia wasn’t really sure that Hayley was the right person to confide in, but then again maybe she was the exact right person to confide in. “It’s less about the living here. Well--that actually really sucks but I am just going to ignore that because I’m more worried about what could happen next. I don’t want to go to war with the vampires Hayley. I’m not risking my life for a pack that--” She gulped again, cutting herself off, unsure of what she meant to say or how she felt. All of her feelings were so fresh, raw and untamed. Here Hayley was, bring her a box of necessities, always offering her a place to stay. Yet here she also was, feeling more alone than ever before. “I know he has and I don’t blame you.” She quickly responded. “No one should blame you or Jackson and I hope they don’t.” Malia at least, knew that for sure.

Malia didn’t like the words that came next though, feeling like she were in jail or suddenly had some sort of family that was supposed to mean something to her. They wanted to regulate how she lived her life when she’d been left alone by this very same pack for so long? No. “Or they can just get used to seeing my friends around and recognizing that I don’t make friends with the wrong people.” She cut back, only softening with the way Hayley’s face seemed to fall. 

“How are you doing with everything?” She wondered, taking a step closer to the alpha.

She couldn’t help a snort at that. “Malia, I’ll let you believe anything you want to believe but not that you failed me! This isn’t on you!” She insisted, pitch rising as though it would help convey just how ludicrous she found the notion. “None of this, is on you.” Cami had stopped what she was doing and had turned around to face the teen; speaking those words slowly as she held Malia’s gaze as solemnly as she could. For a split-second, the girl reminded her of her best friend. @crcscnt There was that same destructive streak of taking on guilt and blame that didn’t belong on their shoulders. She wondered if the two had ever met.

But her breath caught when Malia brought up the supernatural; a category she hadn’t allowed herself to think of ever since Davina had told her that witches, in fact, weren’t real. That it was a joke gone wrong; that she’d imagined it all. The packet of ravioli lay forgotten for a moment as Cami stared at the girl, mouth agape. Maybe two minutes passed, maybe ten.

“Sh-Show me.” She demanded, voice wavering slightly over the words. She hoped this wasn’t Malia’s idea of a bad joke, or that she wasn’t making a fool of herself in hoping - hoping with everything that she had - that Malia’s words were true; that there was a bigger picture here which might imply she wasn’t just crazy. What she might’ve laughed off a year ago, Camille was not currently in any position to soundly dismiss.  As for her ego, how much further could she fall? What did she really have to lose at this point? “… Prove it.” 

Malia scoffed. “You can say that all you want but I’m not going to stop believing. There are pieces of this that you don’t have that I did. And I didn’t help. I didn’t do what I could’ve.” She shook her head, slamming her fist on the nearest surface. But all was not lost. Cami was still alive and safe, she was just far away. But Malia needed her home in New Orleans, everyone did, not just her. And if she could right her wrongs by at least bringing Cami home, maybe that would help to erase her failures.

She wasn’t sure what Cami would make of her admission, but surprisingly, or not so surprisingly--Cami was pretty smart after all--she didn’t laugh her off like she had about the witches. A part of her must know, deep down. Or maybe she just believed Malia to be a part of her craziness problem. But either way the time was now to prove it. 

Malia closed her eyes, c’mon coyote, I know you’re in there. She just prayed that when she opened them, that blue glow would appear. Malia squared her feet a part from one another before simultaneously opening her eyes and releasing her balled fist in hopes the claws would reveal themselves.