![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
teleios } { for malia
“Cora.”
She’s sitting on the stairs that lead up to her room, arms looped over her knees and a very determined look on her face. She may be the smallest of the Hales, tiny for her age even at eleven, but she was twice as stubborn to make up for it. She glances up at the sound of her name, but she doesn’t move from where she’s sitting. She can already feel the itch of the moon under her skin and while there’s still a lot of it that’s new, she’s already become an expert at pushing it back. Keeping in control. Or, at least that’s what she’d like to believe which is why she’s staring down her uncle at the base of the stairs, who has his arms crossed in front of his chest and is looking at her with an expectant expression.
“What are you doing?”
There’s a look of grim determination in her eyes as she keeps eye contact, giving him a nod of certainty as she does. “I can do it, Uncle Peter.” One eyebrow raises in a look that’s part curiosity, part amusement. She just keeps eye contact, willing to do whatever it takes so that she doesn’t have to go down into that basement. “I can control it.”
“Can you?” Peter doesn’t sound convinced, and he’s teasing, but it’s a bit gentler than he would do with Laura or Derek. “Eleven years-old and you have complete control of your shift. That is impressive.”
Her eyes narrow and she straightens up a bit. “I can. So I don’t have to go in the basement.”
He sighs, watching her for a moment before moving up the stairs so that he can sit on the one beneath her. “You’re still a kid, Cora. I have no doubt that you can keep control of your wolf, but there’s nothing wrong with being careful.”
She makes a face. “Derek and Laura don’t have to be careful.” They were both out
“Derek and Laura have been doing this longer than you have, little one. They’ve had a lot more practice.”
Cora looks skeptical. “Derek almost lost it at his basketball game.”
“All the more reason we should be absolutely sure before we unleash you on the world.”
Cora’s face fades to something a little more frustrated, a scowl that comes with being severely displeased with the situation. Peter chuckles softly, before holding out his hand to her.
“Tell you what. You make it through this month all on your own, and I will talk to your mother about keeping you out of the basement next month. Deal?”
She looks a little dubious, almost as though she isn’t sure she can trust this just on Peter’s word alone. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Cross your heart and hope to die?”
“Do you need me to pinky swear too?” He thinks she’s being ridiculous. She’s not kidding. She holds up her hand, little finger out, and gives him a very expectant look. His eyebrows go up in return before he sighs and does as she requested, linking his finger around hers. “The things you get away with for being the runt of the litter.”
She beams up at him, letting him take her hand and pull her towards the basement. As they get close to the door, they pass by an open window and Cora stops, catching an unfamiliar scent wafting in from the outside. She stops short, squinting at the window for a moment, before glancing back to her uncle. “Uncle Peter, what’s that smell?”
His head snaps towards her, and the next thing she knows the room is a tidal wave of light and heat. Peter scoops her up off the floor just in time for the fire not to singe her. He presses her face down against his shoulder, moving quickly to the opposite wall but before he can get there, another wall of fire rises up around then and they’re trapped. She’s clinging tightly to his shoulders, trying not to be scared but the moon is cresting and those urges she was trying to press back are starting to rise to the surface.
Eventually they wind up somewhere dark cooler than the fire in the rest of the house and she pulls back just enough to see where they are. It’s the downstairs bathroom, but she can smell smoke and hear screaming and on instinct, her hands come up to cover her ears, but Peter catches them before she can.
“Listen to me, Cora. I need you to listen very carefully. I know you’re scared but I know you can do this.” Her hands come up to rest against the side of her face to keep her eyes on his. “I’m going to put you out this window and I need you to run. Run as far and as fast as you can and hide.”
“What about you?”
“I’m too big, sweetheart, they’ll see me. And I have to go find your mother. But you run and hide and I will find you when this is over, okay?”
She stares up at him for a moment wide eyed and scared. The smoke was starting to gather and she knows that they don’t have a lot of time. “Promise?”
He watches her for a moment, before leaning forward and kissing the top of her head. Then he pulled back to force the window open and scoop her up to place her outside. “If they catch you? Don’t hold back.”
Cora glances back at him and nods, before taking off and running as fast as she can for the woods. Once she hits the tree line, she never looks back.
947 words
She’s sitting on the stairs that lead up to her room, arms looped over her knees and a very determined look on her face. She may be the smallest of the Hales, tiny for her age even at eleven, but she was twice as stubborn to make up for it. She glances up at the sound of her name, but she doesn’t move from where she’s sitting. She can already feel the itch of the moon under her skin and while there’s still a lot of it that’s new, she’s already become an expert at pushing it back. Keeping in control. Or, at least that’s what she’d like to believe which is why she’s staring down her uncle at the base of the stairs, who has his arms crossed in front of his chest and is looking at her with an expectant expression.
“What are you doing?”
There’s a look of grim determination in her eyes as she keeps eye contact, giving him a nod of certainty as she does. “I can do it, Uncle Peter.” One eyebrow raises in a look that’s part curiosity, part amusement. She just keeps eye contact, willing to do whatever it takes so that she doesn’t have to go down into that basement. “I can control it.”
“Can you?” Peter doesn’t sound convinced, and he’s teasing, but it’s a bit gentler than he would do with Laura or Derek. “Eleven years-old and you have complete control of your shift. That is impressive.”
Her eyes narrow and she straightens up a bit. “I can. So I don’t have to go in the basement.”
He sighs, watching her for a moment before moving up the stairs so that he can sit on the one beneath her. “You’re still a kid, Cora. I have no doubt that you can keep control of your wolf, but there’s nothing wrong with being careful.”
She makes a face. “Derek and Laura don’t have to be careful.” They were both out
“Derek and Laura have been doing this longer than you have, little one. They’ve had a lot more practice.”
Cora looks skeptical. “Derek almost lost it at his basketball game.”
“All the more reason we should be absolutely sure before we unleash you on the world.”
Cora’s face fades to something a little more frustrated, a scowl that comes with being severely displeased with the situation. Peter chuckles softly, before holding out his hand to her.
“Tell you what. You make it through this month all on your own, and I will talk to your mother about keeping you out of the basement next month. Deal?”
She looks a little dubious, almost as though she isn’t sure she can trust this just on Peter’s word alone. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Cross your heart and hope to die?”
“Do you need me to pinky swear too?” He thinks she’s being ridiculous. She’s not kidding. She holds up her hand, little finger out, and gives him a very expectant look. His eyebrows go up in return before he sighs and does as she requested, linking his finger around hers. “The things you get away with for being the runt of the litter.”
She beams up at him, letting him take her hand and pull her towards the basement. As they get close to the door, they pass by an open window and Cora stops, catching an unfamiliar scent wafting in from the outside. She stops short, squinting at the window for a moment, before glancing back to her uncle. “Uncle Peter, what’s that smell?”
His head snaps towards her, and the next thing she knows the room is a tidal wave of light and heat. Peter scoops her up off the floor just in time for the fire not to singe her. He presses her face down against his shoulder, moving quickly to the opposite wall but before he can get there, another wall of fire rises up around then and they’re trapped. She’s clinging tightly to his shoulders, trying not to be scared but the moon is cresting and those urges she was trying to press back are starting to rise to the surface.
Eventually they wind up somewhere dark cooler than the fire in the rest of the house and she pulls back just enough to see where they are. It’s the downstairs bathroom, but she can smell smoke and hear screaming and on instinct, her hands come up to cover her ears, but Peter catches them before she can.
“Listen to me, Cora. I need you to listen very carefully. I know you’re scared but I know you can do this.” Her hands come up to rest against the side of her face to keep her eyes on his. “I’m going to put you out this window and I need you to run. Run as far and as fast as you can and hide.”
“What about you?”
“I’m too big, sweetheart, they’ll see me. And I have to go find your mother. But you run and hide and I will find you when this is over, okay?”
She stares up at him for a moment wide eyed and scared. The smoke was starting to gather and she knows that they don’t have a lot of time. “Promise?”
He watches her for a moment, before leaning forward and kissing the top of her head. Then he pulled back to force the window open and scoop her up to place her outside. “If they catch you? Don’t hold back.”
Cora glances back at him and nods, before taking off and running as fast as she can for the woods. Once she hits the tree line, she never looks back.
947 words