I N S T I N C T | Jackson Whittemore

10: training begins

Training Begins
Chapter Ten

Allison pulled up to the gas station with Annie in the passenger seat. Annie rubbed the crook of her nose as she stepped out to get some fresh air and Allison began to fill up her tank. There was a silence between the two cousins, but it was peaceful, something they both needed and enjoyed.

A man exited the small convenient store that is the gas station, and walked over to his black, slick motorcycle. He hopped on, and nodded to Annie and Allison, smiling, before driving away with the rumble of his engine.

Allison looked over at Annie with her eyebrows raised and Annie shook her head, laughing, "I don't even know."

"Not even going to question it," Allison laughed alongside with Annie.

All of a sudden, all the lights in the station went out, and the two girls were surrounded by darkness. "Weird," Allison took the pump from her car and returned it to its regular spot.

"Yeah, let's go," Annie said, walking to her car door and slipping inside.

Allison did the same, her hands shaking because of the odd and freaky situation, but when she reached for the keys... they were gone. She looked around her floor mat, and then up at Annie.

Annie sighed, "You've got to be kidding me..."

Both of the girls stepped outside of the car, searching in the darkness for the keys. Suddenly, jingling came from behind them, and black sacks were slipped over their heads as they were thrown into some type of vehicle.

Annie pounded at the men with her feet, proving useless. Allison called out for her cousin, panting when she got no answer.

It was a 15 minute car ride. Five left turns and three rights. Annie memorized the way, based upon her training, and stayed silent and still so she could focus on her surroundings. She knew Allison was probably freaking out by her not answering when her name was called, but she knew it was in the best interest for them both.

Annie felt as her body was lifted up and pushed into a sitting position. She knew she was inside based on her senses, and could feel one person beside her. Her theory was proven right when the black sack was ripped off of her head by someone dressed in dark clothing, and she looked to see the same occurrence happen to Allison.

Allison panted as tears streamed down her face as she saw her cousin across from her. There was something wrapped around her head, shoved in her mouth preventing screams, and Annie had the same thing. A white cloth wrapped around her head and mouth to prevent communication.

Annie looked around the room, and blinked rapidly when a voice that sounded familiar to Derek Hale's echoed throughout the room.

"Ever wonder what happens if a hunter gets bitten? Ever wonder what happens if you get bitten? What do you think your father would do?"

Annie watched as Allison fearfully listened to the audio, and she finally realized what this was. They were training her... In all the wrong ways. They were disgustingly training Allison to become a hunter.

"What do you think he'd have to do?"

Annie threw herself backwards in the chair she was bound to. The wood shattered to pieces. She quickly did a back-roll, and maneuvered herself to her feet, pulling her hands free from the restraint. She pulled the cloth from her mouth and went to rush towards Allison, when a brunette boy who looked all too similar to Annie not to be her brother, yanked her backwards.

"When all it would take to change everything is one bite. One bite—"

Chris, Allison's father, stepped into the room and pressed the pause button on the audio. He finished it himself, "And everything changes."

"You son of a bitch!" Annie yelled, jumping for her Uncle Chris but getting escorted from the ruined house by her brother.

Allison watched in tears as Annie was pulled from the room by Sam and Kyle. For a blonde and a brunette, her two relatives showed nothing but wicked ginger. Including her father. She turned towards Chris, "Is this how we're going to have father/daughter talks from now on?!" Allison screamed.

"No," Chris replied, "this is how we're going to train you. Do you know why we use arrows?"

Allison straightened up, "They can't heal until it's taken out."

Bennett, the man from the gas station (Allison finally recognized it was him), walked up to Chris and handed him an arrow. An arrow Allison recognized, as well.

"Look familiar?" Chris questioned his daughter.

Allison looked at the arrow she had shot the fake cop with the other night to stall him from killing Isaac. She gritted her teeth, "You were going to kill him..."

"That's right. And if we find Isaac on another full moon, we will kill him. That's the hard choice we make." Chris inhaled, "But it wasn't my choice."

Allison rolled her eyes, "Gerard?"

"No. See, our family has a surprisingly progressive tradition. Knowing wars and violence are typically started by men, we place the final decisions, the hard ones—With the women." Chris bent down to his daughter, kissing her forehead and placing the sharp arrow in her hands. That way she had something to use to cut herself free. "Our sons are trained to be soldiers. Our daughters, to be leaders. Training starts now." Chris began to walk out of the room and handed Bennett the phone, "Time her."

Bennett held up the stopwatch that he had started. Allison inhaled, thinking of everything that had just taken place. Her mother wanted Isaac dead. Her own mother. She closed her eyes and began to cut through the rope.

* * *

Allison walked out of, what she could now tell to be, the Hale House. She saw Bennett up ahead leaning against her car, and she rubbed her wrists. They were sore.

"Congrats," Bennett stopped the watch, holding it up to her to show her the clock that read

2:36:14

Allison scoffed, "For what? It took me two and a half hours..."

Bennett shrugged, "Took me three when I did it."

Allison smiled and got in her car, driving off to an eventful day of school.