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Lacy here with season three A! Who is excited for all the drama headed our way? You know what's coming, but let's start with the first episode; Saving Isaac from a scary looking alpha and something's going on with Effie. But what? Read on and find out!

Disclaimer: I own only Effie and the twists she's about to take.

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Effie leaned against the wall of the tattoo parlor she'd been dragged to by Stiles and Scott. Why she was there, well that was an answer that had Effie intending to smack her boyfriend next time she saw him.

"I know Derek asked you to keep an eye on me," Effie said to her brother as they avoided looking at Scott's arm being tattooed. Her own still stung, even though it was a few days old. "but I don't think that meant dragging me everywhere you go."

Stiles shrugged. "Hey, he wasn't specific so I took it how I wanted. And since Derek is Mr. Big Bad Alpha, and you're my sister, I'm gonna watch you like a hawk."

Effie sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she couldn't actually murder her brother for being an overprotective bone head. Or her boyfriend for being an overprotective Alpha. It was who they were. And she was trapped in the middle.

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"Dad! Come on! Just five more minutes!"

Effie shook her head as she adjusted her skirt and straightened her sleeveless blouse. Her flat strappy sandals already on, she finished brushing her hair, grabbed her bag and stepped into the hall just in time to take her brother's arm from their father and pull him towards the stairs.

"Come on, Stiles," she said. "let's let Dad get to work and not be late for school. We can figure out the mystery of the suicidal deer later."

Stiles huffed. "Not you too."

Effie gave him a look. "You know I'm just as curious as you are but just like with Jackson four months ago, we have to put the research aside at some point and act like normal teenagers."

"My best friend's a werewolf," Stiles muttered. "your boyfriend is an alpha wolf. Normal died a long time ago."

"With you as a brother," Effie shot back. "normal died in the womb."

Sheriff Stilinski heard Effie's parting shot to her brother as they left the house and laughed with a shake of his head. He definitely had to agree with his daughter on that one; his son was not normal a day in his life.

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Effie frowned at her cell as she stood in front of her locker. Why was Melissa calling her?

"Melissa?"

"Effie, thank god. Do you have any idea where Derek is?"

Now Effie was really confused. "No, last I checked, he and Isaac were off doing their wolf thing."

"Well, he's out by himself then because Isaac was brought in last night," Melissa said. "and he's here, now. Healing. And scheduled for surgery."

Effie ran a hand through her hair. "Crap, that's not good." she looked around. "I'll find Scott and send him to come get Isaac or something."

"I don't think you should come," Melissa said. "your dad's here and I doubt he'd take you skipping school very well."

Effie shut her locker, frowning as her mind started to wander. "I want to, Isaac is my pack, but-"

"You're not,"

Effie smiled a bit. "No, I'm not a wolf, too. But," she leaned back against the lockers. "I picked Derek's betas so, in a way,"

She could hear Melissa's understanding smile over the line. "Yeah, I get it. Okay, you get Scott here as fast as you can. I'll see what I can do about stalling Isaac's surgery."

Effie sent Scott a quick text and then shut her phone and gripped it. What was this feeling? Jerking her head towards the double doors that led from the school, Effie found herself walking towards them without any real decision. What was happening?

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Effie hadn't been barely made it home when her automatic running came to an end. She had just made it to her room when, while glancing at her blank canvas, the urge to paint struck her. She grabbed her nearest brush and paint and just attacked the stark white material. She ignored the paint flying everywhere, paid no mind to the splatter on her clothes. All she saw was the image that needed to be created.

She didn't know how long had passed before she stepped back, panting heavily. Five pairs of glowing red eyes stared back at her, each slightly different than the other. Except two, which were nearly identical with only small differences.

"Effie!" Stiles came charging into her room, freezing in his tracks when he saw the painting. "What the hell?"

Effie looked at him. "Alphas. That's what's coming."

"Okay," Stiles nodded, approaching slowly. "but what about the face?" he pointed to the faint face behind the eyes, one with slashes across it. "Is it another alpha?"

Effie shook her head, frowning in concentration. "No, it feels like something else. I just," she dropped her brush on the easel. "I don't know what."

Stiles grabbed a moist wipe from Effie's dresser and started washing the paint off her face, arms and hands. "We'll figure that out later. The alphas are known so we'll focus on them. But we need to go to Derek's first."

"Isaac?" Effie asked.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, Scott got him out, but something happened." he dried Effie's face. "You good to go?"

Effie exhaled, feeling a bit better than before she made the painting. "Yeah, I think so."

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Effie stood at Isaac's head while Derek prepared what looked like wolfsbane to help heal his wounds. She wasn't sure how something that could kill Isaac would heal him but Effie trusted Derek.

"Go back to being a teenager," Derek said to Scott, ending their talk.

Effie saw the look Derek was giving her. "Go ahead, try and send me home. Isaac won't be the only one in need of healing."

Derek smiled and shook his head. "I was going to say, can you get the mortar and pestle from the kitchen."

Effie returned the smile. "You're learning." she kissed Derek's cheek before heading further into the house, where they still had some supplies stored from before. Moving around the kitchen as if it were her own, she collected the mortar and pestle quickly and turned to head back when she saw Stiles standing behind her with her painting. "Stiles,"

Stiles watched Effie for a long second before stepping forward. "We need to ask Derek about it. I think he might know what's going on."

Effie sighed. "Yeah, I think so, too." she motioned her head to the living room. "Come on, let's take care of Issac first."

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"Derek," Effie hated the small tone of her voice, but she was scared. Not of Derek but of the reasons behind her making the painting. "I think we need to tell Stiles and Scott."

Stiles and Effie caught his brief pause.

"Why?" the older man asked.

"Wait," Stiles held a hand up, looking at his sister. "You know what's going on? Why didn't you say anything?"

"I asked her not to." Derek stepped in. "She didn't want to keep it a secret, but she did, for the pack." he turned to Effie. "Why do we need to tell them?"

Effie turned her painting towards them. "Because they're all I can see right now and I have no idea why."

Stunned by what he was seeing, Derek walked over to Effie and took the canvas. Effie followed him back to Stiles, moving to stand beside her twin.

"You painted this?" Derek questioned.

"Yeah," Effie crossed her arms. "I came home from school, just walked out actually, like I had no control, and the moment I looked at the blank canvas, I just started painting. I couldn't stop, not until it was done. But now that it is," she gestured to the picture. "it's like every time I close my eyes, I see theirs."

Derek sighed, eyes focused on the red again. "So much for keeping you on the side lines of this, Ef."

"Side lines of what?" Stiles asked, taking a step forward. "Derek, what's going on? And what does it have to do with Effie?"

Derek set the painting down and faced the siblings. "We need to wait for Scott to wake up. He needs to hear this, too. For now, tell me everything that's happened since you started seeing the eyes."

Exchanging looks, Stiles and Effie laid out for Derek all that had occurred in the last forty-eight hours. Effie included some details she had yet to share with her brother, earning dark glares from her other half, but it all came out to the same; Beacon Hills was about to come under one serious attack.

As Derek paced away from them, Stiles turned on Effie.

"Why didn't you tell me about the feelings and dreams?" he asked. "Thinking you're being followed and dreaming about magic trees is not something to keep quiet, Ef. Not in this town."

"I was scared." Effie admitted. "This town's already seen werewolves, kanimas, psychotic hunters and whatever the hell Lydia is. The last thing it needs is one of its humans turning out to be not so human." she turned away some. "I don't need to turn out not so human."

"Hey," Stiles turned Effie back, hands on her arms. "whatever's going on, we'll figure it out. Together. Just like everything else. If you're different, I have to be, too. We're too similar for us not to both be different."

Effie laughed. "That doesn't even make sense." she wiped her eyes. "But thank you. And I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner."

"Nah, I get it." Stiles brushed it off. "You don't know what's happening and the last thing you need is me researching it to hell to find an answer and come up with fifty wrong ones."

A gasp from Scott drew the attention of the twins and Derek back into the room. The beta looked down at his arm, seeing the two bands of black back in place.

"It worked." he said. Effie wanted to roll her eyes and add the obvious 'no duh' but the looks she, Stiles and Derek gave Scott said it for her.

"Well," Stiles said as Scott pulled his shirt on, sleeved pulled up over the tattoo. "looks pretty damn permanent now."

"Yeah," Scott agreed, pulling his sleeve down. "I kinda needed something permanent. Everything that's happened to us, everything just changes so fast. Everything's so," he smirked a bit. "ephemeral."

Stiles nodded. "Studying for the PSATs?"

"Yup."

"Nice."

Scott opened the door and looked back at Effie, who hadn't moved from the living room. "Ef, we gotta go."

Effie shook her head. "Not yet." she looked at Derek.

Scott frowned before noticing the door had been painted. "You painted the door." he looked at Derek, too. "Why'd you paint the door? And why only one side?"

Derek cursed and moved to stop Scott but it was too late. The beta used his claws to scratch the new paint from the door, revealing a black symbol that had been painted underneath.

"The birds at school and the deer last night," Scott started connecting dots. "just like the deer I got trampled by the night I got bit by the alpha. How many are there?"

"Five." Effie answered before Derek could. She carried her painting over. "There are five."

Scott took the painting as Derek had. "You made this?"

Effie nodded as Stiles spoke.

"And now she can't stop seeing them." he turned to Derek. "What's going on?"

Derek sighed. "It's a pack of 'em. An alpha pack."

"All of them?" Stiles questioned. "How does that even work?"

"I hear there's some kind of a leader." Derek said. "He's called Deucalion. We know they have Boyd and Erica. Peter, Isaac, Effie and I have been looking for them for the last four months."

"Let's say you find them." Scott said. "How do you deal with an alpha pack?"

"With all the help I can get." Derek answered simply.

"You've got it." Stiles said. "You know that. But do you have any idea why Effie is seeing their eyes? Or the face behind them?"

Derek shook his head. "No," he looked at Effie. "and I wish you weren't. This is going to be the hardest fight we've ever faced and I hate the thought that they might be linked to you."

Effie crossed her arms, rubbing them like she was cold. "You're not the only one. I can talk to Deaton, see if he has any idea."

"Where is she?" Isaac's voice startled the four. They turned, seeing him sitting up on the table. "Where's the girl?"

"What girl?" Derek asked.

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So, if you're confused, go check out the recently posted one shot, Bonded, and it'll explain things a bit more. The rest of the explanation will come in the next chapter, promise. And if you want to know what Effie's tattoo is, as I only hinted at it in the very beginning, that'll be coming in a later chapter, as well. For now, let me know what you think, flame policy stands and thanks for reading!

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