::
Scott McCall.
He's got the eyes of an alpha and the heart of a human.
fragile and bleeding
And as he holds his dying love in his arms, he thinks that it was never supposed to be like this.
He was supposed to sit on the sidelines with his best friend during lacrosse games and admire Allison from afar because a girl like her could never go for a guy like him.
He remembers the day everything changed and wonders if it was worth it.
And then he closes his eyes and remembers the secret meetings and stolen kisses and thinks that yeah, it was.
I'll always love you.
No matter how many times he washes his hands, he can still feel the blood.
He can still hear Lydia begging him to bring her back, her fingers clutching his shirt desperately.
(please she's my best friend, please this can't be real)
He can still feel Stiles sag against him, too weak to stand.
(scott, why did it pick me, why me?)
He can still see Isaac watching him with wide, trusting eyes and all he can think is that he failed and imsosorry.
So he scrubs and scrubs until his skin is raw and red and promises himself that he won't fail again.
::
Lydia Martin.
Her hair is like a halo, but even angels fall.
And even a banshee's screams can't save her now.
Because she's going down down down.
Just like her best friend.
So she folds herself against Scott and closes her eyes and tries to pretend that this is all a dream.
Because she doesn't know who she is without the only person that loved her unconditionally.
He holds her until her tears stop and tells her that it's going to be okay.
She wishes she could believe him.
But in the end, even he can't protect her from this.
Because she's just Lydia and he's just Scott and they're both in love with a memory.
She may be broken, but she's not stupid and she can feel the weight of Stiles's stare and the way he's never more than a few steps away.
And when he presses his lips to her forehead, she thinks maybe Allison wasn't the only one that never expected anything from her.
It would make her smile if the circumstances were different.
But they aren't.
So she screams instead.
::
Stiles Stilinski.
He's used to being the comic relief, not this shell of his former self.
But it's too late for him to do anything about it.
Now that Allison is gone, it's too late for all of them.
It's all your fault,the little voice in his head whispers.
He puts his hands over his ears and cries out that he didn't do it. That he wasn't in control. That it wasn't his fault a monster stole his face.
He digs his fingernails into his palms hard enough to draw blood and holds his breath until his lungs are about to burst.
(he doesn't deserve to be alive when she's not)
And he doesn't deserve to have Lydia holding his hand or Scott holding him up.
But when she does, it doesn't feel like the world is falling apart.
At least not completely.
And his best friend's arm around his shoulders is the only thing keeping him standing.
Lydia kisses him hard and he can taste her tears, but her lips are hot when the rest of him is cold, so he pretends he doesn't notice.
But then she leaves.
And he curls up on the bathroom floor, trying to forget.
::
Isaac Lahey.
He wraps his arms around himself and says the same phrase over and over again.
All my fault. All my fault. All my fault.
He didn't love her.
Not like Scott did.
But he cared.
And now Allison is dead because she cared back.
He can still see the look on her face and he can still hear Lydia's scream ringing in his ears.
He should have been paying attention.
Don't find me.
He should have understood.
He skips school more often than not, analyzing that night over and over again until his thoughts are jumbled and he can't distinguish what's real from what's in his head.
She shouldn't have had to save him.
He watches the circles under Scott's eyes darken until they seem to be a permanent fixture and he sees the way Lydia squeezes Stiles's hand like a lifeline.
And all he can think is that he should have noticed.
::
Derek Hale.
He may not be an alpha anymore, but he's still a leader.
But he doesn't feel like one when he watches his friends fall apart.
One by one.
He misses Allison too.
They weren't close, but he respected her.
And now he's watching her death destroy his pack from the inside out.
Lydia walks around with haunted eyes, her fingers twisting the silver arrow over and over and over.
Stiles follows behind her, shoulders low and emotions high.
Isaac doesn't talk to any of them anymore, choosing instead to suffer in silence with the guilt eating away at his sanity.
And Scott... Scott is the worst. He mumbles apologies under his breath and trembles when the pain is too much.
I should have listened.
He doesn't know how to fix this.
And that's a new feeling for him.
So he watches them all silently from the shadows, waiting for the moment one of them breaks.
And then he'll be there to pick up the pieces.
After all, he always has been a leader.
::
