DARK PARADISE,
One

IVY'S HOUSE IS FILLED WITH secrets that are kept locked in an abandoned bedroom. All of the secrets Ivy keeps are behind this door that has caution tape over the pink paint that is slowly chipping.

Her hands run down the paint, eyes drifting to the sign above the door handle. The pretty sign with jewels reads Eliza with perfect cursive letters. Ivy remembers how Eliza would always write in cursive. While Ivy scribbled down quick sentences, Eliza would take her time dotting all of the I's in her words.

Sometimes Ivy wishes Eliza left a letter. Even if she didn't know she was going to die, Ivy wishes Eliza had some sort of apology written. For leaving without allowing the sisters to form a strong bond and get out of Beacon Hills together.

Ivy can still see that night in the back of her mind. The sword being thrown in Ivy's direction, but instead of taking both of them to the ground, Eliza took the fall.

Which resulted in her collapsing to the hard ground, a pool of crimson liquid forming beneath her ghostly white body. The blood that spilled out of her mouth as she choked to death and the hole through her body, where her heart once rested.

The picture is like a film in Ivy's eyes. She's unable to blink the sight of her sister's body lying next to her. She's unable to live happily, knowing her sister had a chance of being alive.

Ivy wishes Eliza was still alive. Even if the relationship the two twins shared was weak, Ivy wished they had time to make up for the years they could've spent together. Ivy wishes Eliza didn't risk her life, and instead drove home, like Ivy wanted her to do.

Ivy always knew Eliza was the loved daughter. Even though the younger twin was loved unconditionally by her parents, Eliza still received more of the attention. She was excelling in school and participating in extracurricular activities, such as dance and clubs held after school.

Eliza was the sibling who was showered in love wherever she went. In school, Eliza was popular, and received attention from boys. Meanwhile, Ivy rarely branched out and trying making friends. She would tell her parents that she had enough friends, which was true. She had Scott's pack and that's all she needed.

In public, eyes weren't on Ivy, but instead Eliza, and her perfect facial features and wavy hair. When boys talked to Ivy, they would always ask about Eliza, and if she would be home.

Everything that day had changed. Ivy had received the attention that night and was saved from death. She was so close to passing away but Scott had chosen her, instead of Eliza. Now she has to live with the guilt of what could've been.

There was a shift in Beacon Hills when Eliza passed away. Police had put up caution tape to board up her door, though Ivy tried protesting. Flowers piled up beside Eliza's headstone, where students gathered for her birthday. Her locker now had pictures of her and candles illuminating the once decorated locker.

Ivy's house was accompanied by a ghost. Her parents had slowly stopped thinking about Eliza and filled the void by renovating the house and cleaning out Eliza's room. They repainted the walls and took out the decorations that Eliza had purchased. Like the fairy lights that she loved having on while doing her homework. Or the Christmas tree that stayed in her room throughout the entire year, instead of just the holidays.

The holidays were the worst. On Halloween, Eliza and Ivy weren't forced to take a yearly photo. They wouldn't have to suffer through parties anymore—even though Eliza loved them—and Ivy would have to cancel last minute by telling her parents she was hanging out with Scott and Stiles.

Christmas was by far the worst. Eliza's favorite holiday of all time was fading from the family. Madeline St. James had accidentally hung up Eliza's stocking, resulting in Ivy breaking down in the living room, claiming it was too hard.

The house wasn't decorated with over the top decorations. There was no Christmas card, with the entire St. James family wearing silly Santa hats. Instead, they tossed all of the hats into a box, and buried it in the basement where the rest of their secrets were hidden.

It was like Eliza never existed. Because that's how Ivy's parents grieved. They showered Ivy with attention, afraid they would lose her too, even though she claimed everything was okay. They locked the door to Eliza's room, knowing Ivy had been sneaking in, and curling into Eliza's sheets.

They were aware that Ivy tried to hold onto memories of Eliza. Her scent—her favorite perfume that she sprayed in Ivy's face. The way she styled her hair—in a pretty bow that changed colors every day. Ivy did everything she could to remember Eliza up until the door was locked and she couldn't sneak back in.

Eliza wasn't the only loss in the pack. Allison Argent had tragically passed away and was unable to be saved, resulting in her dying in Scott's arms. Ivy had watched, feeling as though death was knocking at her door, and surrounding her.

She felt guilty for Allison's death. If she had paid attention to the Argent girl when she needed help, she could've been saved. Allison could've been helping Ivy in her journey of grieving. They could've gotten through it together.

The next person who left was Isaac. Ivy's world had came crashing down that day he told her that he had to leave Beacon Hills. She had pleaded for him to stay, claiming she needed her brother.

Even if Ivy and Isaac weren't blood related, he was always a shoulder she could cry on. When Isaac opened up to Ivy, she would console him, and promise she'd never leave. He'd cry about his family trauma and how everyone he loved was dead.

Ivy would comfort him and tell him that she was always going to be there for him. She was always there for Isaac, no matter the situation. But when Eliza passed away, everything was too much, and Ivy shut down.

Isaac had tried his hardest to comfort Ivy but she didn't let anyone help. She just stayed silent during pack meetings and didn't speak to anyone. She'd occasionally tell everyone she was okay, and that she was just tired.

Which was true. Ivy had barely slept a day after Eliza's death. She would try her hardest but the image of Eliza's dead body replayed behind her eyes, and she couldn't change that.

After Isaac left, Ivy learned that she needed to change. She couldn't continue to live this way. So she'd slowly begin speaking to the pack again and would offer to have pack meetings at her house, knowing her parents would be out of town.

Ivy had realized that she needed to protect herself. After Scott had given her the bite, she had trouble controlling her emotions. She felt as though everything she went through was so much deeper than it used to be. She felt like her emotions were so much stronger and she couldn't control them. Which resulted in her either panicking in her car, or punching a hole into a glass window.

All Ivy wanted was a normal life. Where her sister and Allison were still alive. A life where she was still human and wasn't a werewolf. A life where Isaac didn't leave Beacon Hills and she could still call him her best friend.

But she had to deal with knowing that wasn't the case. She had to slowly put herself back to normal, with the help of the pack, including a new member.

Liam was just as angry as Ivy. All he wanted was to be normal. After Stiles and Scott had broken his leg at lacrosse practice, Liam had been furious with the two boys. He had claimed he didn't want the bite, and wanted to be normal. A normal boy who could play lacrosse without having to manage his anger.

Ivy didn't trust Liam at first. Even after he told her that he was incredibly sorry for the death of Eliza. He claimed that he had heard of her and that what happened to her was tragic.

Ivy finally began trusting Liam after he saved Scott in Mexico. She had began talking to him more, resulting in them sharing a strong friendship. Liam reminded Ivy of Isaac in a way. Sometimes she'd remember Isaac when talking to Liam and would snap out of him when Liam began speaking.

Liam was Ivy's friend now. That didn't mean Isaac wasn't either. Ivy and Isaac would occasionally call each other, and Isaac would tell her about Paris. He'd hand the phone to Argent, who would ask Ivy how she was doing.

Ivy began healing slowly. With the help of the pack, she knew she wasn't alone. She still lived with the guilt of Eliza dying but she slowly gained an ounce of her happiness back.

"A LITTLE HELP!" Liam's voice says from behind Ivy.

Ivy's currently sitting on top of Stiles's Jeep, handing him the tools he needs, as Scott and her stare at the moon. The girl cranes her head in Liam's direction and she sucks in a breath.

Ivy helplessly shrugs before looking back at the moon. She knows that Liam is still adjusting to full moons. Ivy still remembers the precautions she had to go through during the first full moons. Chains and angry growling.

In this moment, Scott and Stiles are talking about finding a place where they can live together. Ivy had been discussing the topic with her close friend, Ariella Bloom, who had been complaining about where they were going to live.

Ivy wouldn't consider her and Ariella the closest, but they had became friends shortly after Eliza passed away. Ariella had send her condolences to the St. James family and Ivy had ultimately invited her over for dinner.

"You're bringing the Jeep?" Scott's voice cuts through Ivy's thoughts.

"You know the plan." Stiles reminds him. "No one gets left behind. That's the plan."

Ivy raises an amused eyebrow. "Stiles, don't you think the Jeep is going to collapse?"

Stiles pats the hood to his Jeep before glaring at Ivy. "I'm ignoring that." He mutters before turning to Scott. "Lydia's not going to have a problem with getting into Stanford. Kira's thinking USF. Ivy here is also considering Stanford. Malia's, uh, gonna— she's gonna figure something out! The plan is perfect."

Tilting her head back, Ivy glances at Liam, who is growing more impatient by the second.

"Or we could wait until we actually get into college and then figure out where we live." Scott suggests.

Ivy sends him a thumbs up before jumping off of the car. Liam has a hopeful expression on his face but it quickly dies when Ivy gets into Stiles's car and grabs her book.

"I have a vision, dude. Okay?" Stiles argues. "And it is a beautiful vision."

The brunette girl jumps onto Stiles's hood again, just before propping open her book, and resuming it. Her eyes read over the words until she's interrupted.

"Senior year." Ivy hears Scott conclude.

She closes her book and glances over at him. "Nervous?"

"Senior year, come on, that's, that's nothing. That's gonna be easy." Stiles assumes, stumbling over his words.

Ivy laughs but disguises it by coughing incredibly loud. Stiles shoots her a look and she sheepishly shrugs.

"It's more like something Deaton told me once." Scott begins while Stiles runs a hand down his face. "You ever hear of the regression to the mean?"

"No, I don't think so." Stiles counters.

"It was basically his way of saying that life can't ever be all bad or all good."

The smile on Ivy's face falters but she hides it by burying her nose into her book.

"You know, eventually things have to come back to the middle." Scott explains, his voice fading as Ivy escapes to another world. "So, think about the last few months. Things have been good, right?"

Too good.

"But not amazing."

"Yeah, but no one's tried to kill us in six months either."

Ivy looks up and clicks her tongue, demonstrating that she agrees with Stiles. Things could always be worse. Way worse.

"Right. We've been pretty much in the middle for a while." Scott agrees. "Which means, at some point, the scale has to tip one way or the other. Things are gonna get really good again..."

"Or really bad." Stiles finishes for Scott.

Ivy closes her book and glances between them. "Don't you guys think maybe we can just be happy?"

Both of them look at Ivy, who is sitting in the middle. Before they respond, the sound of thunder crackling disturbs the peace the group had been experiencing.

"Think it's been long enough?" Stiles asks both Ivy and Scott.

"Yes!" Liam yells from the tree, chains restraining his movement.

"Hey. Trying to have an adult conversation over here." Stiles quips when Liam scowls at the older trio.

"All right, you're two years older than me. And I'm fine. Plus, Ivy isn't chained up and she's also a werewolf!" Liam argues, huffing when the others glare at him.

"Yeah, because I know how to control it." Ivy speaks from the Jeep, flaunting her fangs and glowing eyes on cue.

Liam frowns. "Just let me go."

Slowly, the trio approaches Liam, and begin to undo his chains. With a relieved sigh, Liam waits for them to finish.

"It's not that we don't trust you—" Scott begins.

"I don't trust you." Stiles interrupts from behind Scott.

"But after that last full moon—"

"It was a slip up!" Liam whines, throwing his arms up.

"Slip up? A dozen calls to the Sheriff's Department about a "monstrous dog-boy running around the streets of Beacon Hills completely naked." Stiles shoots back. "That's a slip up?"

Ivy begins to giggle but Liam shoots her an angry look, to which she just shrugs. "Malia definitely would've done that, too." She tells Stiles with a laugh, reminding him that Malia has ran around Beacon Hills naked as well.

"Why were you naked?" Scott asks as he pauses.

Liam blushes. "It was really hot out that night, okay? Let me go."

"You sure you're okay?"

"It won't happen again." Liam promises, looking into Scott's eyes.

"You're in complete and total control?" Scott asks him with raised eyebrows.

Liam takes a few moments to answer. "Yeah. Complete and total."

Scott finishes taking off the chains and the group begins walking back to the car, Liam trailing behind them.

"I call shot gun!" Ivy rushes to the passenger side of the car, while Scott just sighs. "Yes!"

Scott and Liam both climb into the back seat while Stiles turns on the car. Ivy turns her head towards Scott and sticks out her tongue.

"Hey!" Scott gasps.

Stiles begins to drive down the roads of Beacon Hills. Ivy cracks open her book again and flips to the next page, beginning a new chapter.

"Is it a party?" Liam asks from the back seat.

"It is not a party." Stiles quips.

"Then what's at midnight?" Liam curiously questions, tilting his head.

Ivy sighs.

"Your bedtime." Stiles shoots back at Liam.

"Why aren't the girls going?" Liam quizzes Stiles with raised eyebrows.

"I think they're meeting us there." Ivy finally speaks before closing her book and placing it into her bag that is resting between her feet. "I'll check in with Lydia."

"Just stop asking questions, all right?" Stiles impatiently responds. "It's a senior thing. You'll know when you're a senior."

Liam huffs and Ivy chokes down her laughter.

"You guys having trouble with your phones?" Scott asks from behind Ivy, who pulls her phone out to check.

Before Ivy can respond, Stiles's engine begins to sputter. Ivy glances from beside him, eyebrows knitted together. The Stilinski boy groans while Ivy shakes her head.

"Oh. What the hell?" Stiles curses.

The car halts to a stop and the group all groan in sync. From the back seat, Liam leans forward. "You out of gas?"

"No, it's electric." Stiles replies before getting out of the car. "Probably the alternator again."

"Want me to come with?" Ivy asks, glancing at Stiles from the side.

"No, it's fine." Stiles says. "Scott, come with me. Ivy, babysit Liam."

Liam scowls at Stiles as he watches both him and Scott go to the front of the car. Ivy grabs her book from her bag—again—and tries to begin reading.

"So it's not a party?" Liam asks, breath tickling Ivy's ear.

Ivy cranes her neck in Liam's direction and meets his confused gaze. She rests her head against the seat before exhaling a long breath.

"It's a senior thing." Ivy repeats Stiles's previous words. "I don't even know what it is."

Liam widens his eyes at her before masking the look of shock on his face. Ivy shoots him a confused glance.

"What?" Ivy blinks. "Liam, what?"

"Your eyes—" Liam gets out. "Ivy, do you have control over your body?"

Ivy folds down the vanity mirror and looks into it. She stares back at her reflection, heart dropping in the process. Blood drips from her lower lip while her fangs cut into the skin. Her eyes are glowing a shade of orange even when she tries blinking away her emotions. And her claws dig into her palms, tearing the soft skin.

"I do—" Ivy chokes out. "Fuck, what's going on?"

Stumbling out of the car, Ivy hides behind the car. She makes sure Scott and Stiles don't see her—knowing they would tie her up within seconds to prevent her from doing anything.

She's always had control over the full moon. The first few months had been difficult but she had taken control over her own body and found ways to maintain her strong emotions. This was different. Like something was controlling.

Ivy's chest heaves up and down, her breathing coming out unsteady. She rests her head against the cold Jeep, whimpering as pain drowns out her other emotions. She feels like she's being stabbed over and over again. Pain is coming from everywhere and she can't do anything.

"The sun—" Ivy growls, grabbing her heart. "The moon—" Chokes out a cry. "The truth."

Ivy takes a deep breath. "The sun, the moon, the truth."

Leans her head against the window of the car. "The sun, the moon, the truth."

Ivy watches her claws turn back into her broken nails. In her reflection, her eyes transition into the original turquoise color, instead of the shade of copper. She sighs and feels the cut on her lip mend itself together.

"Ivy, you okay?" Scott asks, making his way towards her.

"Yeah," Ivy smiles. "I am."

"Stiles got the car fixed. Ready to go?"

The St. James girl nods. "Always."