Ch. 7

Isaac smiled to himself, watching Lennon sit on his messily made bed, and glue things to their poster for English class. He had printed and cut everything out at school, and she met him at his house. Isaac was thankful his father was working, getting a grave ready for a funeral tomorrow.

"I love Greek mythology." she murmured, pressing her hand down on the picture of a statue of a Greek God. "It's so fascinating. I mean, setting aside the rampant incest, the stories are so cool."

"What's your favorite story?" Isaac asked. He watched as the smile on her face grew bigger.

"I don't know," she said. "I think I just like that there's no real villains. The Gods are literally proof that nobody's perfect. I mean, in our culture, Hades is considered evil because he's the god of the underworld, but really, he's just a mad doing his job. The underworld isn't Hell, it's just where it was thought you go when you die. You couldn't go up to Mount Olympus with the Gods, you had to be a God."

"You sure know a lot about this stuff." Lennon looked up at Isaac and grinned.

"I just love myths and folklore." she shrugged. "I just-I don't know, I've always had this thing, like oh! You know that colony in New England that just like, disappeared? Roanoke? How did it happen? What happened? There are literally no accounts of illness or anything and then just one night, everyone is gone. It's a ghost town. I've always wanted to know what happened."

"You know," Isaac got up from the desk chair and sat next to her on the bed, taking the glue stick from her hand and capping it, tossing it to the floor. "You're really cute when you get passionate about things."

"Oh really?" Lennon smiled, feeling his fingers on top of her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed, it, the leaned over and kissed her lips. Lennon turned and smiled into it, just like she always did when Isaac kissed her. Pushing the poster to the floor, he moved, pushing Lennon back so she laid down and he hovered over her. Isaac continued to kiss Lennon, both teenagers letting their hormones take over the controls.

Isaac lowered his body, giving a small grind to their hips and Lennon responded with a gasp as his kisses trailed down her neck. Her hands went to his waist and back, pressing him closer as their clothed bodies moved together. Lennon moved her hands down and ran them along his side. Isaac pulled back, inhaling sharply. Lennon sighed and looked up at him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you just pressed on that bruise." Isaac nodded, moving to kiss her again, but for Lennon the mood was gone.

"Isaac, are you going to tell me how you got that?" Lennon asked, sitting up, forcing him to sit back on his knees.

"Lennon, it's not a big deal."

"Yes, it is a big deal. You didn't play in the lacrosse games the last two weeks, and you've had to work during practices, so I know it's not that." she said. "And there are only so many times you can say you fell off of the digger and expect me to believe it."

Isaac looked to his bedroom door, a habit triggered by caution. He nodded and moved, sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of Lennon. Taking her hand in his, he rubbed his thumb across the smooth skin, willing the words to leave his lips.

"Lennon, you can't tell anyone." he stated quietly. "Not your parents, or Allison, and especially not Stiles or his dad."

"Okay." Isaac took a deep breath. Then another. And another. He kept breathing in and out, keeping the steady rhythm until he could figure out the right way to tell her the truth.

"When I-My dad, he just gets angry sometimes, when I don't do something like I'm supposed to." Isaac struggled with the words. Lennon's forehead creased, beginning to understand. "Sometimes he hits me."

"Isaac, I-" Lennon took her hand back, only to wrap both her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, finding comfort in her embrace. "I'm so sorry, Isaac. I-Is there anything I can do?"

"You do enough." Isaac assured her quietly, pulling back. "Just being with you makes me forget and feel better. I think about you when he locks me in-" he stopped again.

"Locks you in what, Isaac?"

"There's a-a big freezer downstairs, in the basement. . ." Isaac took a deep breath, his hands shaking on her back. "He puts me in there and chains it shut, Lennon."

"Isaac, you don't deserve this." Lennon had tears welling in her eyes at the thought of Isaac locked up in the dark, cold freezer. Her hands reached up to cup his face, her hazel-green eyes filled with warmth and concern for him. "Isaac, we have to tell someone."

"Lennon, no, you said you wouldn't." Isaac pulled back, grasping her hands in his. "You promised."

"Isaac, I can't just let you to continue to get hurt like this." she took her hands back and gestured towards his bruises. "What your dad is doing isn't right."

"If he gets locked up, I get put into foster care, and away from everything I know." Isaac tried to reason with her. "Lennon, this has been going on for years, I can handle it." Lennon crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips.

"Promise me you'll come to me?" she asked quietly. "The next time it happens, promise you'll come to me. I won't tell anyone, but just. . .I want you to be safe."

"I'll try." Isaac nodded. "It's tricky when he's in his moods."

"I'm so sorry this is happening to you." a tear escaped and she brought up her hand to wipe it away, but Isaac beat her to it. "I don't know why he does it to you, but I guarantee you that it's not what you deserve. You're my person, Isaac."

"Your what?" Isaac broke out into a grin and Lennon rolled her eyes.

"You know, everyone has that one person who makes life suck less. I mean, I wanted to move here, I was excited, but lately everyone seems to be giving me the short end of the stick. But one person is making it better." she explained. "You're that for me."

"Lennon," Isaac smiled. "You're the same for me, and so much more." he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. Lennon cupped his face again, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hate to break up the party," the teens broke apart and looked to the doorway. Mr. Lahey was standing there with his arms folded over his chest. Lennon did her best not to glare at him. She couldn't imagine what would happen if Mr. Lahey knew that Isaac had told her. "But Isaac's got work to do tonight."

"We were just working on our English project." Lennon said, bending down to pick up the poster. "I can finish it at home, though."

"I'll see you at school, Lennon."

"Bye Isaac." Lennon hopped up onto her tiptoes and kissed Isaac on the cheek. She grabbed her bag from his desk and passed by his dad, saying a short goodbye. Isaac saw his father turn and watch Lennon walk down the hallway and then turn back to him, an impressed expression on his face.

"I'm surprised Isaac." he said, walking towards the boy. "She's a good one. How much?"

"H-How much what?"

"How much are you paying her?" Mr. Lahey asked. "A grade A piece like that wouldn't be slumming it with you without a cash flow."

"I'm n-not paying her anything, dad." Isaac's eyes were on the ground.

"Yeah, I'll believe that." Dave snorted. "Come on, get to work. You have to finish the grave tonight." Isaac nodded and luckily his dad left, shaking his head, leaving Isaac to get ready for a long night of work.


Lennon quietly snuck around the kitchen, letting the light on the microwave be the only source, other than the bright, full moon outside. She smiled as she finished packing a paper bag full of goodies. Her mom had made snickerdoodle cookies earlier in the day while stuck in a writing rut, so Lennon made sure to pack a heap of those, along with a large thermos of hot chocolate, a ham and turkey sandwich, and a small plastic baggie of potato chips. She wrote 'Isaac' on the front of the bag and pulled on her shoes, quietly snatching her keys from the table and grabbing the bag, heading out the door. She walked to her car and was about to get in when a hand fell on her shoulder.

"Holy shi-!" she brought up her hand to keep from yelling too loud. Stiles stood before her, his eyes wide and panicky. "Stiles Stilinski what the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed in a harsh whisper.

"I could ask you the same thing!" he replied. "What are you doing out so late?"

"Isaac's working, so I was going to take him some food." Lennon gestured to the bag in her hand. "What are you doing, besides scaring young girls half to death?"

"Lennon, it's a full moon!" Stiles groaned, his eyes up toward the moon. Lennon rolled her eyes.

"Stiles, I've got mace and a taser." she sighed. "I grew up in Los Angeles, not Green Acres. I can handle a few weirdos on a full moon." she unlocked her car and began opening the door when Stiles reached and shut it.

"It's not safe, go back inside." Stiles demanded, trying to push her towards her house. Lennon shook her head and moved away.

"Stiles, I don't know what's going on, but if it's because we kissed at the dance, I'm sorry." she crossed her arms over her chest. "You're in love with Lydia, and I'm really liking Isaac. We kissed, and that was it."

"What? Oh yeah! Yes this about that kiss." Stiles nodded vigorously. "I want to do it again, I really do."

"Stiles, what?!" Lennon looked at him as if he were growing three heads. "Oh my god, if you come any closer I'll use the taser." Stiles stopped in his tracks.

"Lennon, just go back inside. I'll take Isaac his things." Lennon just shook her head.

"Stiles, I'm a big girl." she rolled her eyes and passed him, opening her car door. "I'm just going to the cemetery and back. It's barely two blocks. I'll be okay." she shut the door and started the car, backing out as Stiles stood, watching, mumbling something to himself and looking up to the moon.

Lennon parked at the cemetery and looked in, seeing the digger not to far, and Isaac working it. She had come prepared this time, a handful of pebbles already in her pocket as she approached. She tossed a few at the window, and this time it didn't take long for Isaac to notice her.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked, stopping the machine and looking down at her.

"I brought you a midnight snack." she held up the bag and shook it a little, grinning as his face broke out into a bigger smile. He held out his hand and she took it, stepping up on the wheel and finally into the tiny car of the machine. There wasn't a lot of room so she sat on Isaac's lap, twisted a bit so she could talk to him as he opened the bag and looked through the contents.

"You brought me an entire meal, Lennon." he smirked, leaning over and kissing her cheek. Lennon shrugged.

"You're out here working all night, I just figured you'd need some fuel." she put an arm around his neck, her fingers idly playing with the short hairs at the back of his neck as he unwrapped the sandwich and took a large bite.

"Did foo nee oouw?" he asked with his mouth full, and Lennon laughed.

"Kind of." she replied, taking a napkin from the bag and wiping at a dot of mustard on his lip. "Stiles caught me, though. He was so incessant about me not coming here tonight. He kept using that defense about weirdos and the full moon again. I mean, his dad's sheriff, so I suppose he'd be the one to know of the town looney-toon's but the only thing I've heard about are mountain lion attacks, and that thing that attacked Lydia."

"He's just being a good friend." Isaac shrugged. "I'm worried about you being out this late too."

"Yeah, but I've got you and this giant machine to keep me safe, don't I?" Isaac nodded, finishing off the sandwich. He leaned over and kissed Lennon fully on the lips after taking a swig from the hot chocolate thermos. After sharing a few cookies, Lennon decided to get back home, before anyone knew she was gone. As she walked back to her car, she heard a rustling in one of the bushes. Lennon pulled her taser out, and heard a short growl. Her heart began beating faster, and she hoped that her little taser could take down a mountain lion. She stared into the bush, and a noise sounded behind her. She spun on her heels quickly, aiming the taser into the dark, but see nothing.

Cautiously, Lennon turned back around, looking at the bush again, and freezing when large, red eyes stared back at her. She regained her shaky composure quickly, and moved slowly towards her car, bringing a hand to the key fob and unlocking it. The eyes disappeared at the sound of the locks and she mad dashed the rest of the way, throwing open the door and climbing inside, and speeding home. Those red eyes chilled her to the bone.

Lennon had decided as she laid down that night, that whatever those eyes belonged to, it certainly wasn't a mountain lion, but they were the eyes of a killer.


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xoxo

k