The Phoenix

Isabella Hernandez

[isabellxhernandx]

codexalpha:

It wasn’t a regular occurrence for Col to get a full day off and not be the pedes surgeon on-call. This usually meant that he could be a little less calculating with his time and just appreciate the day. So even though he hadn’t quite caught some Zs from having pulled an overnight, he still found himself hitting the gym instead of going straight home. Col could appreciate the fact that the staff hadn’t really batted an eyelash at him having spent the better part of four hours in there, but he supposed being the older brother of the owner didn’t hurt. Having cleaned up in the locker rooms, he had just stepped up to the exit when he caught he an unfamiliar scent, and without much hesitation he followed it.

New wolves weren’t anything unusual in this town, but new wolves that didn’t bother to seek out the local pack? That was usually where they encountered trouble. If this person had a reason to be here, Col needed to make sure it wouldn’t be a detriment to the pack members or any other town’s folk. It didn’t take long for him to pinpoint the source, and by the way the woman carried herself, the alpha could tell she was aware of what he was already.

She should have expected there to be other wolves in town, there were in most places. Looking back, she had a feeling that they knew about her too. Instinctively she went on high alert, wanting to keep sage in case of any hostility, that varied place to place. And out of the corner of her eye she spotted him, Must be an alpha, the way he presented himself, that or someone who was stupidly confident and he was following her. Stopping, she turned around to face him, might as well face this now before things could get worse. Isabella presented herself with a harsh confidence, one she kept on her at all times, and she crossed her arms, waiting for him to reach her.

[isabellxhernandx]

atlas-caro:

He had expected to run into some morning joggers, Atlas had never really taken to the practice, but he enjoyed the crisp morning air and the walk at least was nice. He couldn’t help but laugh at her comment, he supposed she had a point and he imagined he might look quite foolish posing such thoughts to complete strangers at the most ungodly of hours. “Guess that’s my problem, I never get to catch enough sleep,” Atlas joked before looking at his watch, it was about time for him to start thinking about work anyways, but he still had some time he could kill here. “It is beautiful though.” He added, more softly this time as his eyes shifted back towards the rising sun reflected off of the waters.

Isabella couldn’t help but smile at his laugh, moving to sit next to him and catch her breath. “Morning’s always been my favorite. It’s a new start, every day.” She responded, before taking a deep breath “Look at me, I suppose I’m sounding philosophical now. Not usually my forte.” Leaning back against the bench, she leaned her head back, stretching it a little. “Any sleep is good, I don’t think I’ve gotten enough sleep in my entire life. That’s just how it is though.” Shrugging, she leaned forward now, taking another breath, heart rate slowing. He was right, it was very beautiful. She had seen many sunrises in her life but they never seemed to lose their beauty and peace.

[isabellxhernandx]

jacksomeng:

Jackson himself wasn’t much of a drinker. However, bars and nightclubs were a cliche place to meet the supernatural.He could almost bet that by the end of the night he would have a new target to purge from the city. He took a slow glance to his left when the woman sat down beside him. She seemed normal enough he told himself..but then again that wasn’t surprising.

Jack swallowed his drink and casually turned his head timing it in sync with her gaze. “I haven’t seen you around these parts. New to town?” He asked curiously furrowing his brows. She wasn’t the worst thing to look at. At least he would be questioning a pretty woman instead of a toothless hobo.

Her mind was focused on her phone, scrolling through the news, messages from her family, the usual things one does to keep occupied when just sitting around. It didn’t pull her too much by surprise when she looked up and the man who had moved to sit next to her started talking. “Is this how you greet everyone you haven’t seen before?” Her tone was, uninterested, she wasn’t really one for small talk so it wasn’t too hard. She did take a look over him though. Pretty handsome, looked like he did something very physical, and she could almost swear she smelled the faint smell of smoke on him. Hm, strange. It made her a little more interested. “I am, though.”

[isabellxhernandx]

The bar seemed like a decent enough place to get her mind off things after a long day at work. Sometimes, as hard as she worked herself her mind couldn’t get off  some things, including her whole situation with her brother. Isabella sat down at the bar and ordered a martini, crossing her legs, looking around as she sipped her drink, looking down at her phone.

@jacksomeng

[isabellxhernandx]

New in town, Isabella was still getting used to the people, the layout, everyone. She could tell that more and more people, it seemed, seemed to not be human. Every time, she could smell it or sense it or, I don’t even know, whatever werewolves did where they could tell. On a beautiful day, sunny and not a cloud in the sky, Isabella had just left the gym and started walking towards where she was staying when she could tell someone was near. A wolf? Had to be. Normally that wouldn’t put her on high alert but something about them seemed... Different, familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Stopping, Isabella paused, looking around, trying to find the source.

@codexalpha

[isabellxhernandx]

atlas-caro:

Despite his predilection to solving crime and generally contributing in a positive way to humanity, Atlas wasn’t fond of most people. In fact, being in their presence was a bit draining and worrisome. It had been half a century since his last episode and he had no intention of losing control ever again: avoiding people was an important catalyst in that. Plagued by nightmares that only seemed to get worse upon coming to Fallcrest, Atlas considered himself lucky if he got a couple of hours of sleep each night.

The hours where he couldn’t sleep made his living quarters feel as if the walls were beginning to close in around him. Currently staying at the Radcliffe, Atlas left the hotel shortly before dawn with the intention of getting into the office early enough to plug through the mountain of backlogged information he still wanted to get through. It was no big surprise that mysterious deaths and disappearances were a trademark here, but if he could identify accurate causes of deaths that weren’t chalked up to generic ‘animal attacks’ then Atlas might be able to identify a pattern.

Instead however, Atlas found himself wandering a bit, finding his way to a particularly scenic body of water as he watched the sun slowly rise over the waters. He stood at the water’s edge, looking out into the distance and tried to work through the barrage of images his nightmares plagued him with. Violence. Violence. Violence. It was ever-present, and yet here in this moment Atlas could feel a distant tug of tranquility: some light at the end of the tunnel. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Atlas posed, suddenly aware through the sound of falling footsteps that someone was lingering close by, perhaps drawn by the same sight he saw now, “the dawn promises hope for a new day, too often I think I take it for granted.”

Isabella knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Being here had her mind racing, thinking of the past and future and just, everything really. Since she had arrived she had spent a lot of time at the gym, blowing off some excess steam, but sometimes the best thing was to be outdoors. Quietly and quickly she slipped on some running clothes and headed out, breathing in the cool morning air, on alert as it was still dark out and who knew what would be out here, not that she couldn’t handle them.

She was focused on her breathing, the patter of her feet against the concrete, trying to keep her mind focused until she came up to a lake. The sun was slowly peeking behind the horizon and Isabella slowed to a walk, feeling as if this would be a nice place to relax, watch the sunrise, until her heard someone else speak. Cautiously, Isabella walked forward towards him “That’s awfully philosophical for 5 in the morning, you know.”

[isabellxhernandx]

stefanknott:

Stefan flinched a little at her touch but didn’t pull away, too focused on holding in the ugly sobs which was threatening to break free. His breathing became uneven as he tried to understand this, understand that his sister had finally returned for him. A part of him still wanted to scream at her, tell her that she wasn’t there when he had needed her and he didn’t want her now. But he was starting to think a little more clearly and the fact that she hadn’t given up after twenty one years – it was something he was grateful for. Even though it hadn’t helped him with anything. As much as it was him who had gotten the worse deal between the two of them, he had given up on her so many years ago to the point that he barely even thought of his old family nowadays. But she had not forgotten him and that gave him a sense of peace which he didn’t know he needed. He squeezed her hand and it didn’t seem like enough, it didn’t seem like anything would be enough, he didn’t know if he would ever get used to her sister being back. But she was. And she was here. And Stefan felt the love and trust return, which he had when he had been an innocent seven year old. He threw his arms around her and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, tears slipping from his eyes as he began to sob uncontrollably, not really registering anything more of what she said.

Isabella felt whatever walls she still had up collapse as he pulled her into a tight hug. That made it really sink in to her, that she had him back after all these years, her baby brother. Tears fell from her eyes as she hugged him back just as tight. She had waited too many years to hug her brother again, even just to be near him. It was real, they were together again, their parents would be so happy to know that he was alive and well and safe and she would be happy killing those terrible people that tore them apart. Isabella was never one to kill, she only had once before but she knew it would be no problem for her with all the rage inside her, as she had trained herself to take them down. “Stefan..” She whispered his name, just for the sake of saying it.

[isabellxhernandx]

macyxkennedy:

Macy enjoyed working at the cafe, even on days when it got so busy that there weren’t many seats left open. Today, however, the cafe was pretty dead, with only a couple people staggering in and out throughout the whole day. When she heard the little bell on the door ring, signalling that someone else had just walked in, Macy glanced over and smiled at the person who entered. “I’ll be with you in just a moment!” She called out, carrying a couple drinks over to another table before she approached the person by the door. “You can sit wherever you’d like.”

It had been such a long day. Isabella had been driving for what felt like ever until she finally reached town, what she hoped would be her final destination. Seeing a small cafe, the woman let out a sigh as her stomach grumbled at the thought of fresh food and she quickly gave in, pulling in. Grabbing her bag she got out and slung it over her shoulder, taking in the place. Quaint. It smelled so good from outside and as soon as she opened the door it smelled even better. Only a few people here, that was fine, at least it wasn’t closed. Seeing a girl walk up to her, she assumed a waitress, Isabella nodded and found a small table before pulling out her laptop.

[isabellxhernandx]

stefanknott:

His gaze went down to the floor at her question. “Yes.” he said quietly. “I did think you had given up on me.” It had been so long ago, he didn’t really remember exactly when he had given up hope. But after he decided that no one was coming for him, the pain had gotten easier. The knowledge he had created for himself that nothing better was out there waiting for him had broken him in a way, but it had also saved him. It had forced him to grow stronger. He imagined it had been around the time they had begun to mistreat Gabrielle too, he had been unable to stand that and he had decided that he needed to keep his foolish dreams of his parents and his sister coming to save him aside and he had to do the saving instead. “But thank you, for not giving up.” His voice was cracking and his face showed how vulnerable he was feeling in the moment but he didn’t really care. “I really didn’t think I will ever see you again.”

Biting her lip, Isabella hesitated before reaching out to put a hand on top of his, hating to hear his voice crack like that. She had no clue the pain he had endured and part of her didn’t want to know, wanted to imagine that he was happy growing up as foolish as it was. Their parents had called her foolish to keep her hope up, to look for him and bring him home “I’m so sorry,” Her voice was soft, tender, full of the pain that she had felt for so long. “I would never give up on you.” She knew he had to basically be a stranger from the little boy she knew as she had to be for him and Isabella hated it. He was her brother. “Stefan-” She cut herself off before adding the o, in respect of what he called himself. “Stefan I swear I’m going to make them pay for what they did.”

[isabellxhernandx]

stefanknott:

He winced when she called him Stefano. He didn’t know if he liked it or not. It felt like she was referring to some other boy, not him. A boy who had a happy, loving family and absolutely no worries in the world. A boy who’s life had been so much easier and a boy who he wished he could have grown up as rather than as the mess of a person that he had become. The person he was now was someone entirely different, someone new. And the person he was now, his sister would never accept as her family if she found out his deepest secrets. He wasn’t Stefano. “I go by Stefan now.” he said bluntly and looked at her again. The pain she felt, he could see plainly on her face. He believed her pain. And he believed her words when she said she never had given up on him. Because he had always needed her, or his parents to come and tell him that. That they had been trying all this time. That he had been wrong to give up on them. That they did still care about him. She was late, so late, but she was here now and Stefan couldn’t stop himself from whispering hopefully, sounding like a small child – a lost kid who had just been given a way back home. “You never gave up?” he repeated hopefully, only just considering the idea of spells being used to cloak him in this town. Those witches gave no one room to catch them in their acts, it made sense. He had learnt several tricks from them himself. “You really were looking for me all this time?”

Isabella went quiet when he said I go by Stefan now. Of course he would go by a different name, why would those bastards that took him call him by his birth name, they wanted to hide him, didn’t they? It didn’t help that they put that damn cloaking spell on him, they wanted him to be untraceable. But she had found him, by god she found him, and they were going to pay for what they did. Feeling her anger rise again, she pushed it down knowing this wasn’t the time. The time was going to be when she ripped their heads off. Looking back at Stefan, Isabella took a deep breath before nodding “Did you really think I had? You were my best friend, I wasn’t going to stop looking for you until I was dead. Or found out you were.” She said the last sentence quietly. It was a relief that wasn’t the case, that he was alive and living his life, she hoped to the best he could.

[isabellxhernandx]

stefanknott:

The silence was painful. But he let it linger on for a long moment before he looked up at her again. She was still standing at the doorway, looking like she had no idea what she was to be doing. And he didn’t either. This was all too sudden for him. Too unexpected. And if he was being his usual self, he would have pulled it together and would have hugged her perhaps, welcomed the sister he had lost. But he wasn’t. He was the eleven year old boy who had endured so much pain and had given up on them. He was the boy who had been broken down to the point that he forced himself to think that they didn’t want him and they weren’t ever coming for them. It had been easier to give in that thought that hold on to the hope that someone was out there looking for him and would rescue him. But with the silence dragging along, he couldn’t help it – he had to break it, he would lose his mind otherwise. “Just get inside, please.” he said, his voice cracking. He hadn’t realized how emotional he was becoming. He was trying hard to hold himself together but it was getting increasingly impossible. He waited till she had taken a seat before he looked up at her again, his eyes showing all the vulnerability he was trying desperately to hide. “Why are you here?”  His voice was a whisper when he spoke. “I was used to the idea that you would never come for me. I was used to the idea of you having given up on me. Why are you here now?”

At his request Isabella came inside. Some small part of her took in his place- how it was nice enough, how in the back of her mind even after he was gone she had always hoped for the best for him. That Stefan would have food to eat and and a comfy bed and people he loved surrounding him. Isabella knew that couldn’t have been what happened. She saw the look in the man and woman’s eyes and saw no love, just cruel desire, desire that tore their family apart and haunted Isabella. For a while she had nightmares about them, of them taking Stefan away again and again and torturing him, and she had always hoped those were just nightmares. How for years every time she closed her eyes she could see seven year old Stefan. Her brother, her best friend. After taking a seat, Isabella looked at him again, feeling her heart jerk at the look on his face, it reminded her of that day. “I’ve been looking for you ever since that day, Stefano.” Voice quiet, it broke a few times in the middle as she was unable to hide the pain, the overwhelming emotions of seeing him again. “I never gave up, I had to find a way to get around the spell they masked you with, I didn’t even know they did that at first.”

[isabellxhernandx]

stefanknott:

I can’t believe you’re here. He didn’t know how to respond to that. He couldn’t believe she was here either. For years he had just pushed her and the rest of his family to the back of his mind. Except for the feeble reminders he got during their birthdays or something when he was reminded of them. But they were nothing. Just fleeting thoughts. He had given up on the idea of them coming to find them a long time ago. But she was here now. After he had to fight for his life all alone. After he had to fight for his sisters’ lives and having failed –he had killed one o them with his own bare hands. She was here now. And she was in tears. And Stefan could feel the little hopeful eleven year old boy return. His own eyes threatened to tear up but he blinked those tears away, turning away from her and walking towards the couch before taking a seat. “Well, I guess I managed to survive without you.” He wanted to ask so many questions about her, their family, mother, father – but he couldn’t make himself do it, not yet. Gabrielle was his family. He didn’t have anyone else, he had spent too many years believing that to make himself change his mind simply because she was here now. He glanced back at her when she said that she couldn’t believe he was alive, the word barely almost slipping through his lips but he stopped himself. She didn’t earn the right to know about his life. Not when he hadn’t even told people like Noelle and Thalia, people he was close to and had been by his side all these years. “Took you long enough to find me.” he said harshly, his eyes glaring down at the coffee table.

Isabella remained in the doorway. She didn’t know if she was welcome in his house and despite her personality she was one to respect privacy. He was a different person now, there was no doubt in her mind that he was, she was too. But some part of her still saw the little boy he used to be when she had seen him last. That day played in her memory often, him being ripped from her arms by a cruel man and woman, trying desperately to get hi back but they just pushed her away while she couldn’t do anything. She was just a little ten year old. That was the past. Isabella had trained every goddam day of her life since then so she was physically and emotionally strong. She wanted to make sure nothing like that happened to them again and if she ever found the sons of bitches that took Stefan she could tear them limb from limb without mercy. Now though she couldn’t be strong. Isabella could hear the anger in his voice and she could swear she could see tears threatening to push through. She had to look away, trying to regain control but this wasn’t how she wanted this to go.

[isabellxhernandx]

stefanknott:

He took a confused step back when he saw the plain display of emotions on the other’s face wondering what on earth was going on. But he stopped in shock at the name she called him by. It had been years, decades, since anyone referred to him by his birth name. And it took only a second for all those memories to rush back – memories that he had pushed to the back of his mind when he had been around eleven. Everyday was hell at home but after a particularly brutal day spent enduring his father’s magic, he had come to the conclusion that no one was ever coming for him. No family was coming to help – that he was all alone and he really only had the other children he lived with, no one else. “No.” he said taking a few more steps back, his gaze going to the floor as he held one hand up at her. “No!” Why was she here now? He was okay now. Everything was over. He was safe. Gabrielle was safe. And Annabelle was gone. He didn’t need her now. Where had she been when he had really needed her? He took a deep breath, his eyes looking up into hers again. “What do you want?”

Part of her still couldn’t believe that it was really him, after all these years looking for him, they were there, in each others company. But then he got cod, angry, Isabella didn’t understand why. Maybe some part of her wanted him to be happy to see her but it had been 21 years,, maybe he didn’t recognize her? No he recognized her, the look in his eyes showed that. “I’ve been looking for you for years, twenty one years. I can’t believe you’re here.” Isabella quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to return to normal, unemotional state that she usually was but this was the most emotional she had been in years, probably since the day that she had been attacked, or since he was taken. “I can’t believe you’re alive.”

[isabellxhernandx]

stefanknott:

Stefan’s work schedule was nor what one could describe as regular. It was almost noon but after that very tiresome later night shift, Stefan was asleep when Isabella got there. He had woken up earlier to have breakfast with Thalia but after she went out, he had fallen asleep on the couch again – only to be woken by the knocking at the door. He had no idea who it was visiting at this time. Stifling a yawn, he ran his fingers through his hair to hide the horrible mess that it was and forced himself to get off the couch and get the door. The woman standing there looked familiar, something inside him said that he knew her but he could not pinpoint where he knew her from. Maybe it was one of Thalia’s friends whom he had met before? He never really forgot people and so not being able to recognize her was mildly annoying. “Hi.” he said, his tone uncertain, although the smile on his lips was genuine. “I – sorry – do I know you from somewhere?”

Footsteps approaching the door, she heard them. Closing her eyes, Isabella took a deep breath, opening them again when he approached the door. When he opened the door, she looked up at him, almost in disbelief. He was grown, she couldn’t say she was surprised as that’s how life worked, but part of her was expecting her little seven year old brother. Taking in his appearance, she saw the same eyes, the same face albeit more mature, an adult. How old did he have to be, 28? Her baby brother. It didn’t even occur to her that maybe he didn’t want to see her, maybe he didn’t remember her. God, she remembered him and she felt tears form in her eyes, an unusual occurrence for her. “Stefano.” Isabella whispered, in disbelief that it was him. Her brother.

[isabellxhernandx]

nathanieladamson:

He had just finished wiping the kitchen counter down when he heard the knock at the door. He had been expecting her for a while now – since when she had texted him that she was on her way. Glancing at the clock he made his way to open the door, a smile appearing on his face as soon as he saw the dark-haired girl. “I have missed you, Iz.” he said, wrapping an arm around her in a quick hug before taking her bag and ushering her inside. “Do you want something to drink? Tea? Juice? Scotch?”

@isabellxhernandx

Everything she had been through had brought Isabella here, to this town. The anticipation of being so close was killing her and she just wanted to be with her brother again but she knew it would take time. At the very least she had someone she knew, somewhere to stay, and possibly a job to hold her over while she did business in town. When Nate opened the door, she gave him a charming smile though her eyes were tired, it had been a long trip and she could use a god rest. “Nate, hey.” Isabella hugged him back before following him inside “Thank you.” She said when he took her bag. It wasn’t particularly heavy to her but she liked the gesture, and the fact that he was taking her into his home “Ah, I’ll take whatever’s strongest.” She rubbed her temple, feeling how tired and anxious she was, wanting something to just get her to relax.

[isabellxhernandx]

Twenty-one years. Twenty-one years since the day that tortured Isabella, where her baby brother was ripped from her arms and taken away by monsters, the day she lost everything to her. Every day since then she had trained, fought, searched, forcing herself to prepare so next time no one could keep her away, no one would take her brother away again. Twenty-one years had lead to this exact moment. Isabella stared at the door of address she was given, part of her worried that he wasn’t there. She knew very well this wasn’t the time to hesitate and so she strode up, trying to hear any sounds that might indicate his presence. The smell was there, the one she knew oh so faintly.  “Dammit.” She cursed to herself before knocking on the door, tensing up in case of the worst happening again.

@stefanknott

[isabellxhernandx]

garrettsinclair:

Despite the life he once lived, there was a freedom that came with the move. He was cautious nonetheless, but being able to live a life without the fear that lurked out of eyes sight was more of a relief than he could explain. This is how nightly jogs had become part of his routine. Tonight was clear, the moon bright against the sky as he made laps around the shore. He seemed to be lost in the music, but when the figure came into view, it was too late. He collided with them, he stumbled back, but didn’t fall. “Are you all right?” he panted, as he pulled his headphones out. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

Isabella knew she was close. She had spent so many years searching and now fate led her here, and she was at a dead end. Despite all her frustration she knew she had to keep going, it had been over 20 years and it was ridiculous to give up now. As thoughts of the past and future swirled in her head, Isabella knew what would help, what she always did. Exercise. She was a personal trainer so all of that came naturally to her. Tonight, not a full moon but enough to light up the night sky, good for a run. Maybe, a sprint, definitely a sprint. Off she went, eyes forward, trying not to listen to anything in particular. That was until she heard the patter of someone else running which she heard too late as a young man stumbled into her. While he stumbled back she stood like a rock, looking at him “I’m fine.” She seemed more distracted than hurt not that a stranger would really notice “I didn’t see you either, it was my bad,”