After Lizzie had covered up her own scent with the cheap perfume, she had rushed to first period and slipped in just before the bell rang. Aside from the awkwardness that came with being new, everything went relatively smoothly. Even when she found herself in classes with other members of the pack, she was more prepared and expecting it, so her reaction was not as severe as the first time.
Still, in between each class she reapplied the perfume. In the past she avoided using it whenever it wasn't necessary, because the fake smell messed with her head. But, on the plus side, it had the same effect on other werewolves and disguised her true scent.
When possible, especially at lunch, she avoided the cafeteria and hung out in the library. It allowed her a few stress-free moments when she didn't have to be on high alert. However, it also prevented her from getting to know anyone. Lizzie was naturally a hermit, not really talking to anyone and keeping to herself. Even at her old school though she had made a few acquaintances that she sat with at lunch and talked to between classes.
By the end of the week, she knew all of the pack member's names, at least those that went to Beacon Hills High School. Lizzie wasn't very familiar with pack politics, but there was a combination of both werewolves as well as humans in this one. Even through her perfume-clouded senses, Lizzie could tell that Scott McCall was the alpha. His best friend Stiles was the only true human that she could tell, and Stile's girlfriend Malia was part werewolf. There was also Scott's girlfriend Kira, and their mutual friend Lydia, who were not quite human, but not werewolves either.
The unknown made Lizzie nervous. She wanted to fully understand the pack. It wasn't that she wanted to join them. On the contrary, she would rather be killed than be forced into a pack again. Her past experience had ended with so much pain and heartache. She didn't think she could endure that again.
She also didn't trust them. Even the beta, Liam, who was the one in her economics class with Coach Finstock, and then later during gym. He seemed like a normal teenage boy. They all seemed like normal teenagers really, but Lizzie knew better. She herself probably looked like a normal, if somewhat shy and awkward girl from first appearances.
Someone like her shouldn't have been as fast as she was though. Someone like Liam shouldn't have been as strong as he was. Those were the thoughts that ran through her head as she cleaned off in the shower after gym class on Friday. Already she could feel some of the tension easing away from her muscles as the warm water rained down on her body.
She had made it through an entire week undetected. Admittedly, Lizzie was a little proud. A smile almost crept onto her face until she realized that with the two day break over the weekend, she wasn't entirely scot-free. It wasn't like she had forgotten the circumstances of her home life. Sometimes she just got caught up in the busy rush of school that, just for a few fleeting moments, she could pretend that there wasn't anyone waiting for her.
Lizzie no longer felt like smiling as she turned off the shower head and wrapped the thick towel around her body. In fact, her mood had shifted show quickly that she was shivering, anger and stress causing her body to shake.
"Freezing, isn't it?" a voice asked, ripping Lizzie from her thoughts. To her left stood the redhead, Lydia, one of Scott's pack members.
"Um… What?" Lizzie asked, voice cracking. She tried not to meet the other girl's gaze as she began changing back into her school clothes.
"It's cold in here, don't you think?" Lydia continued, already dressed in a pretty blue blouse and flowy white skirt, and walking over to the mirror to comb out her hair and put on her makeup.
Lizzie inhaled before saying anything, dropping her towel and beginning to pull on her underwear and tights. "Yeah," she responded, voice shaking to match her body. It was cold now that she thought about it. That's not why she was shivering though; werewolves didn't get cold easily, but she of course couldn't tell this stranger that. She faked a laugh. "It is cold in here. Is it like a conspiracy or something to get us out of here as fast as possible?"
Lydia laughed loudly and turned to look over shoulder. She looked at Lizzie with renewed interest. "That's exactly what I was thinking." Lydia smiled. "Great minds think alike… Oh! What happened to you?" The girl's face turned quickly into a frown when she spotted Lizzie's body.
Lizzie was in the middle of pulling her long-sleeve black dress over her head, which gave her a moment to think before she had to say anything. Although, she had enough practice that she could have given a believable answer anyways without the extra time. "Sports," she answered, voice distorted slightly by the fabric. Once she had her arms through the tight sleeves, she smoothed down the short skirt of the dress and continued. "It gets kind of rough out there."
Lydia nodded as though she perfectly understood. "That's why I usually stand off to the sides…" She paused there, putting a finger to her lips in thought. "Increasing your intake of Vitamin C has been shown in controlled trials to help bruises heal more quickly."
"Thanks for the tip," Lizzie said, pulling her worn combat boots on over her tights. She pulled an elastic band off of her wrist and combed her hair up into a bun before getting out her perfume bottle.
Lydia finished her makeup and walked back over right after Lizzie had doused herself in the floral scent. Already feeling nervous around the girl, Lizzie hurried to throw all of her belongings into her bag and gather her books that she had brought with her so that she didn't have to stop by her regular locker before leaving for the weekend.
She had just finished packing everything away when she realized that Lydia had gone still beside her. Lizzie felt a lump form in her throat and shut her locker, turning to leave at once.
"Wait!" Lydia shouted, causing Lizzie to freeze in place. She paused before turning around, knowing what was coming. All week she had been so careful and here it was. They had found her out. The expression on Lydia's face when she turned around was annoyed.
"Yeah?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level. Although it came out almost as a whisper, Lydia seemed to have heard her.
"What perfume are you wearing?" Lydia asked. Her nose was crinkled in disgust, which caused Lizzie's heart to race even faster. She probably could smell right through it. Smell that Lizzie was different. A werewolf. A threat.
"Um…" Lizzie stuttered, trying to figure out what she could say. But words failed her as she realized that she couldn't do anything to salvage the situation she hadn't gotten herself into. Lydia was rooting in her bag, probably for a weapon, and Lizzie went to hold up her hands to beg for mercy.
Instead though, some kind of bottle was tossed through the air. Lizzie was startled for a moment, but her werewolf reflexes kicked in before it almost hit the floor. She looked down to see a large bottle with a fancy script, written in some other language. Lizzie squinted at the words, trying to make sense of what she was seeing, and then looked up in confusion. "You don't want to be caught dead wearing something like that." Lizzie flinched at the word "dead," but Lydia had already turned back to her own locker and didn't seem to notice. "Use that instead, it's made from real flowers." Lydia's face broke out into a grin as she continued, "Yours smells terrible."
Lizzie smiled back before leaving the locker room. She paused briefly outside to try out the perfume. It wasn't quite a strong as her own, but it didn't make her want to sneeze either. She dropped the bottle into her bag and headed towards her bicycle outside of the school. She made a mental note to learn more about Lydia Martin, and in the meantime to stay as far away from the girl as possible.
I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. I've been chugging away and have even more chapters now to post. It's kind of exciting to just see where the story takes me and I'm not trying to push it into any confined lines or space. It's going to be how it's going to be, although I do have a few plot points planned for future entries.
Lizzie is kind of a contradictory character, which I think you'll see in the way she acts and talks. Part of her very much wants to make friends and be accepted, but the other part of her (the part right now that's most prevalent) is trying to stay removed. The girl's got a lot of secrets and in Beacon Hills secrets never stay that way for long...
Thanks to anyone reading this! I know OC stories aren't incredibly popular, but it's appreciated all the same. Please follow, favorite, and leave feedback on what you think!