Chapter 1: Echoes of a City

On the sea, on the sea and land over land.
Creeping and crawling like the sea over sand.
Still I follow heartlines on your hand.
And there's fantasy, there's fallacy, there's tumbling stone.
Echoes of a city that's long overgrown.
Your heart is the only place that I call home,
I cannot be returned.
You can…
I know you can…

Just keep following,
The heartlines on your hand.

Heartlines – Florence and the Machine

She breathed heavily as the dark clouds surrounded her, smothering her in an icy mist. Her lungs constricted sharply and her chest tightened as the blanket of freezing cold air consumed her. She strained her bright hazel eyes, struggling to see through the menacing darkness that shrouded her being. The only presence she could distinguish from the pitch-black vacuum was that of the distorted shadows that danced in the corners of her eye. A sudden beam of light penetrated through the obscurity, although it brought her no comfort. She was in the woods. The towering trees looked down on her as their twisted branches reached towards her, their hands desperate. The earthy fragrance of forest was evident, however, suddenly a sharp metallic scent invaded her senses. She furrowed her brow in confusion before looking up to the glowing moon, looming ominously above her, glowing brightly as its rays of light raced to earth. She felt a warm drop of liquid fall onto her cold hand and felt her pulse quicken in horror as the sticky crimson drop stared at her. No. She felt her heart race in terror as she stumbled backwards looking for an escape. She would find none. It was here already. The scarlet gleaming eyes were ignited with fury as they emerged from the trees. She desperately scrambled to retreat from the monster, but its vicious snarl ripped through the wild forest as it lunged at her. A bloodcurdling scream ripped its way out of her throat as she felt its sharp claws sink into her flesh-

Isabelle Argent awoke sharply, gasping for breath as she shot up in her bed. She desperately clutched her covers tightly to her chest in fear. Sweat trickled down her forehead and she panted heavily as she attempted to appease her rapidly thundering heart. She was in her bed, not the woods. She ran a clammy hand through her tangled wave of brunette hair in relief. She was safe.

"BANG. BANG. BANG."

She jumped in alarm as her door was pounded on and her uncle's voice boomed loudly from outside her bedroom.

"Isabelle, it's your first day and you can't be late! Get yourself up and moving now, please!"

Isabelle sighed exasperatedly as she untangled herself from her sheets. Her eyes ached and her head throbbed painfully as her body reacted to the sleep deprivation that the nightmare had caused.

"I'm up-" she yawned wearily.

Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she attempted to dismiss the lingering thoughts on her vivid nightmare and focus on the real problem that she faced today. Her first day at a new school. She felt her stomach clench uncomfortably at the thought. No wonder she'd been having nightmares. She knew she should feel grateful at the opportunity to live like a 'normal' teenager, and she was deeply appreciative of the chance. However, at the present moment, she would undoubtedly prefer to confront the dangers of her old life, rather than endure the torments of high school. She smirked to herself as she realised how ludicrous she sounded. A hunter…you would rather be a hunter, than a high school student.

The Argent family had been hunters for centuries, the responsibility inherited from generation to generation and her family had been no exception to this code. Despite the perils of the occupation, her parents had decided to train her in the art of hunting since she had been a young teenager, deciding it was beneficial for her to be able to defend herself in their world plagued by monsters. Isabelle recognised the obligation the role entailed and prided herself on protecting innocent lives... regardless of the sacrifice.

She sighed as she heaved herself into the shower, trying to wash the worries that plagued her mind away with the scorching, soapy water. Afterwards, she dragged herself over to her dressing table mirror and began to apply her makeup. I need to look somewhat acceptable for society. She groaned internally as she thought about the day ahead of her. She pulled on some black skinny-fit jeans that hugged her legs, accompanied by a black vest top and her pink draping jacket, patterned with delicate butterflies, and then grabbed her beige heeled shoes. She glanced resignedly at her reflection in the mirror as her fingers tapped nervously on the strap of her black leather bag. This will have to do.

She reluctantly trailed down the stairs, although she smiled softly when she saw her Uncle waiting for her in the hall.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her kindly.

"As ready as I'll ever be, uncle Chris" she replied half-heartedly.

He gazed at her for a moment, his kind blue eyes surveying her concernedly, before gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "I know this is going to be difficult for you but you're strong enough to handle this" he smiled at her sincerely. "Your parents are doing what they think is best for you. They want you to be safe, especially after…" he trailed off, regret appearing on his features.

Isabelle bit her lip awkwardly. No one could speak about it. "It's fine uncle Chris" she assured him quietly, ignoring the dull pain in her heart.

He gave her a small smile, "I know you can do this Is."

There was a moment of silence before hurried footsteps could be heard descending the stairs. Chris released her shoulders as Allison emerged.

"I'm ready" she said smiling at the two of them brightly, although Isabelle could sense an undertone of nervousness behind her cousin's mask. At least they were both in the same situation and had each other to depend on.

Isabelle had a deep connection with her cousin, despite the fact they had not been able to see each other in recent years due to Isabelle's family's separate hunting commitments. She had always gotten along well with Allison, who radiated kindness and beauty, internally and externally. The two shared a bond of friendship and trust, which always made Isabelle feel guilty that she could not share her deepest secret with her. Allison had no idea about their family's heritage and Isabelle knew that Allison's mother and father wanted things to remain that way. That was one of the reasons why her own parents had sent her to Beacon Hills, to experience a normal teenage life. Isabelle had always been told about her responsibility as a hunter to protect people from the dangers of the supernatural world. However, her parents had not been explicit about the heavy burden that accompanied the role. Sacrifice. It endangered everything from normality, innocence and loved ones. The blood split revealed the brutal, harsh, cold realities of the world to Isabelle and she resented that she could never hold the naivety she had once held, ever again.

Her parents had sent her to her cousin's home in order to try and give her that innocence back. But it was too late. They had abandoned her.

"Mom, three calls on our first day is a little over-doing it" Allison complained as she answered her phone. She rolled her eyes as listened to her mother's reply before she hung-up.

"I think she thinks I'm completely incapable of having any intelligence" Allison moaned as she looked through her bag. "Do you have paper? Do you have a pen-" her face dropped.

"What is it?" Isabelle laughed, fixing her long hair with one hand whilst putting the book she was reading away with her other.

"I don't have a pen" she whined.

"I'd give you one but you know how I can barely organise myself so I've only got one" Isabelle snickered.

"Fantastic" she exclaimed sarcastically.

Isabelle looked up at Allison after zipping her bag shut. "It's going to be okay" she reassured her gently. "Not just about the pen situation, but about the whole new school thing" she joked lightly.

"I know. I'm just glad that you've come to live with us. I hope we don't move again anytime soon." She stopped speaking as she looked at Isabelle, her brown eyes filling with sympathy. "You know you have me as well…this must be a lot harder for you than me."

"I know… we have each other" Isabelle smiled softly in return. "Not that your presence can stop school from being so dire and depressing, that's a battle even you can't win" she teased jokily.

It was going to be a long day.

After a predictably, mind-numbingly boring lesson of biology, Isabelle practically ran to her locker. She flung it open as she shoved her books inside and grabbed her English equipment; hopefully the day would get considerably better in a subject she actually enjoyed. As she turned around she was greeted by an unfamiliar face. A girl, around her age, was staring at her, her hazel eyes burning with curiosity.

"That jacket is absolutely killer" the girl said admiring, flicking her red bouncy curls. "Where did you get it?"

Isabelle smiled politely, but her eyes wrinkled in confusion. Why was she speaking to her? Weren't new pupils meant to carry the social plague with them? "My family is involved with buying for fashion boutiques, my aunt used to work for a shop in San Francisco."

The girl was about to reply when Allison walked over to the pair. She greeted both of them with a smile.

"I was just saying about your mom being involved in fashion buying" Isabelle told Allison, half-hoping that she could escape the conversation. She hated talking about herself.

"You two are cousins then?"

"Yeah we are" Allison smiled warmly, "we just moved here."

"Well I'm Lydia Martin and you two are my new best friends" she smiled brightly at them, before a boy came up and embraced her. She greeted him with an enthusiastic kiss.

Isabelle turned away awkwardly. She was brought back to reality when the Lydia commented.

"This is my boyfriend, Jackson!" Isabelle and Allison both returned small smiles at him as he grinned at them. "So this Friday, there's this party-"

"A party?" Allison questioned.

"Yeah, maybe you two should come" Jackson replied.

Isabelle saw Allison hesitate out of the corner of her eye; she knew Allison did not have any desire to attend the party. "It sounds absolutely amazing, but, sadly we have our lame family night on Friday" she lied coolly, a habit she was all too used to.

"You sure?" Jackson questioned, taken aback.

Isabelle fake grimaced, furrowing her eyebrows. "Unfortunately. We have a wretched Argent family tradition that means we have to stay in on a Friday night, playing Monopoly, whilst every other teenager goes out to have fun!"

Jackson and Lydia laughed warmly.

"Well that sucks" Lydia sighed. "Then you'll have to come to lacrosse practice now with us then!"

Before either of the two girls could open their mouths in protest, Lydia had grabbed each of their arms and started leading them away to the sports field.

"I have to say I think I'm more of a football girl" Isabelle commented casually, as the three girls surveyed the lacrosse field.

Lydia giggled. "Lacrosse is the 'it' thing here and my boyfriend is Captain of the team" she gloated smugly.

"Who is that?" Allison asked, curiously, as she pointed at a figure on the field.

"I'm not sure who he is" Lydia commented, flippantly, before turning her attention elsewhere.

"Why are you so interested?" Isabelle whispered to Allison, moving closer to her cousin.

"He's in my class…he lent me a pen…" she trailed off, a dreamy look glazing over her brown eyes.

"He's cute." Isabelle stated, amused at her 'besotted' cousin.

Allison blushed prettily before turning her attention back to the sports field, intently gazing at the boy in question.

Practice soon started and as it turned out Allison's 'boyfriend' had some remarkable lacrosse skills.

Isabelle sighed as she inhaled the fresh forest air, each breath calming and relaxing her further. After school she had decided to go for a walk, to have some time to herself. The Beacon Hills' woods were uniquely beautiful, she supposed. The moss covered grey boulders, the fallen maroon leaves and the towering trees, all created an aura of allure which captivated her. She could sense secretiveness as if the trees held dark secrets in their branches, as if these woods had witnessed something.

Isabelle was abruptly snapped out of her thoughts as she heard voices pierce through the air.

"I could have sworn this was it-"

Isabelle walked towards the voices cautiously. She emerged into a clearing where she saw two teenage boys, one of which was the boy that Allison had been inquiring after.

"Maybe the killer took it-"

Isabelle frowned in confusion. What were they talking about?

They looked up as she walked towards them, brushing her hair out of her face to see them staring at her in alarm.

"Sorry, I just heard voices and-" she began to explain.

"No, it's fine" Scott smiled at her kindly. "You're Allison Argent's cousin right?"

Isabelle nodded, feeling a bright smile cross her face. It would seem that this boy had a mutual interest in her cousin. "Yeah, she's mentioned you to me as well. I'm so sorry but I can't recall your name?"

"I'm Scott McCall and this-" he gestured to his friend "-is Stiles Stilinski, my best friend."

Isabelle smiled warmly at Stiles. "It's nice to meet you" she addressed him kindly.

She noticed a faint rosy blush creep across his face as he stared at her. Isabelle stood waiting for a reply, but one wasn't coming.

"Dude!" Scott hit Stiles in the arm.

"Oh-eh-sorry-" Stiles stammered in apology. "Yeah, it's great to meet you!"

Isabelle tried to supress her amused smile. "So what are you two doing out here?"

"Looking for my inhaler" Scott replied, he bent back down to the floor to return to his search.

Stiles however moved forward to talk to her, he shot her a smile "So…" he trailed off as a look of pure horror appeared on his face as his attention was drawn to something behind her.

Isabelle frowned as she turned around. There was a man standing a few feet away from them. He was dressed completely in black with a black leather jacket over his top. He had dark brown hair and wore an angry expression on his face. Isabelle felt a shiver go down her spine as he began to stride towards them. In this moment, she was comforted by the fact that she possessed hunting skills.

"What are you doing here? This is private property" he barked harshly at the three teenagers.

Isabelle felt her body tense as he halted near them. She could almost sense the danger radiating off this man.

"Sorry we didn't know-"

"Yeah we were just looking for something…forget it"

"He's lost his inhaler, it's quite important for him" Isabelle stated bluntly, unintimidated by the threatening figure…she had faced a lot worse.

His attention focused on her, his emerald eyes glowering at her. She felt another shiver shoot down her spine. Suddenly the man threw something towards her, Isabelle caught it swiftly, her hunter reflexives reacting quickly. The man looked rather surprised, considering the suddenness and force he had thrown it with. She turned it over in her hands and observed the inhaler.

She heard the crunching of leaves and looked up to see the man retreating in the opposite direction.

"That was Derek Hale" Stiles whispered excitedly. "You remember the dude Scott; he's only a couple of years older than us."

"Remember what?" Scott whispered back.

"His family they all burned in that fire like ten years ago!"

Isabelle felt a surge of involuntary sympathy for the man. She had experienced loss personally and she could not imagine the pain of losing everyone you loved.

"I wonder what he's doing back" Scott whispered.

Scott and Stiles began to hastily walk away, gesturing for her to come with them. Isabelle began to follow them, however halted when she felt a gaze on her back. Slowly, she turned her head around and her hazel eyes locked with emerald green ones. Derek Hale.

I'm actually obsessed with Teen Wolf, needless to say that Derek Hale is one of my favourite characters out of that flawless cast. I hope you like the idea and this chapter. I'm determined to keep Derek, in particular, in character and keep him true to his character. Isabelle's appearance is based off Lily Collins because she just has the look I was looking for! Please let me know if you like it because I'd really like to continue it! xx

Isabelle's Outfit - .

UPDATE: I've recently been inspired to return to this story. Firstly, I'll be editing the existing chapters, I've already found so many typos and plot mistakes (it's driving me crazy). But once I've finished editing I'll try my best to get some new chapters uploaded. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favourited this story, it means a lot and I'm so sorry that I'm such an awful updater! I hope that you enjoy the improved chapters and will carry on reading! xx