Who: Cora Hale and ghost!foster father, ghost!Boyd. OTA if anyone feels like it What: Cora gets a very unwelcome blast from the past When: 1 September 2014, after she got lunch and things with Derek Where: Around Beacon Hills Warnings: Violence Status: Complete if narrative, in progress if someone tags in
Cora was not looking forward to school, and she still didn't know why she had let Stiles talk her into it. Something about wanting to try the normal teenager life? Whatever it was, she had survived.. barely, but now she had to do an entire year of it and that was going to be even more of a trial. She was bad enough at the socializing thing, she didn't fit in with Stiles' friends, no matter the times he had tried to pull her into things so she'd be more comfortable. She had just accepted that she didn't belong with them and moved on. She had her books. She had her training. She had... things that were not normal teenager things. But it was something.
She was anxious, though. It had been way too long in one area and while she had stability in the Stilinski home, she still was out of place. She couldn't rely on her Pack, which made the question of why even bother. She liked Hayley. Derek and Peter were family, but even that wasn't enough in the long run. She was trying to get to know them here, after years apart, but that didn't make much of a dent. Then there was the fact that Isaac was actually an idiot and that Erin kid was perfectly fine talking to Deucalion despite being warned about him. Said she didn't care what the others thought. And so it left Cora feeling like she couldn't trust anyone. Really. It was a great feeling.
She didn't care if the ghost of Talia said they should give the Demon Wolf a chance. Cora couldn't. Not after everything he had done. And if anyone expected her to, well, screw them.
That didn't matter right now, though. No. She had noticed talk about... visitors or ghosts on the board in a post and she had been wary. Nothing the tree sent was a good omen. And anyone who thought it was, or thought that it was showing a real future was deluding themselves. But this wasn't like the tiny children. This seemed more personal, if that were possible, and Cora didn't like that. She didn't like personal. There hadn't been anything suspicious when she went running on Saturday, but it was Beacon Hills and anything could happen at any given moment.
On her run, Cora came to a complete stop when she saw the figure before her. There were a handful of people who could make Cora's blood run cold, who could make her chest hurt and make it difficult to breathe. Deucalion. Jennifer Blake no doubt, Kate Argent thanks to being kidnapped and tortured by her for a week. And him. Her foster father.
"No. I killed you. You can't be here."
The words were out before she realized it. Of course he could be there. The tree could bring anyone back, dead or alive. It had brought Erica. It had brought a dead Alpha twin, but never Boyd. It had been cruel. Taunting. So what was to say this asshole wouldn't show up as well?
"And yet, here I am, you worthless piece of shit."
Her eyes narrowed as she clenched her hands tightly. He had no power over her. He was dead. She had seen to that. He couldn't hurt her anymore. And yet already she could feel the stirrings of that fear, the worry. She couldn't let him get to her again. She was stronger than that.
"So what, you're here to haunt me because the tree can't leave well enough?"
The look in his eyes was murderous. As if he had pent up all his hatred for her and what she had done since the day she killed him. Which... well, she didn't know much about ghosts. As far as she was aware, there wasn't any folklore that they could use for information, so it was actually fairly possible that's exactly what happened.
"No, but I am going to punish you."
Out of nowhere, a rock flew at her and Cora dodged it before bolting into the reserve. That was her land. Her domain. He couldn't follow her there. Right? Wrong. Skidding to a halt as he suddenly appeared in front of her, Cora struggled to keep her breathing under control. He wasn't real. This was just another trick by the Nemeton.
"You have nowhere to hide, girl." Getting rammed into a tree, the teen was stunned to feel the force from someone who shouldn't be able to touch her. The energy was pulsating, it was a strain but his anger and hatred seemed to be fueling him as he crushed her throat, "You can't avoid me, you can't lie from the truth you filthy murderer."
"S...self d..defense...."
Even the Sheriff had said that it was that. That he wouldn't use it against her. Clawing at the hand holding her in place, she continued to struggle as he leaned in, whispering.
"You know you're a worthless piece of shit. No one wanted you before, and that hasn't changed. You can see it already."
Gasping as she was dropped to the ground (when had she been lifted off her feet?), Cora rubbed her throat. It would heal soon enough. He was gone but she couldn't count on him staying gone. Not when the tree threw things at them in week long intervals.
"Who was that jerk?"
Eyes widening, Cora looked up, hand on her throat at the figure of Boyd. No. No what was the tree doing? She wanted to cry. In fact, there were probably tears that she wasn't aware of because Boyd was there and he was a ghost so it wouldn't even last.