Isaac's POV
"'On strike three I kill you'" I mimicked to myself, rolling my eyes. That girl had some serious issues. Maybe PTSD wasn't her problem. Maybe there was a budding personality disorder lurking beneath the surface. She always walked around with her eyes fixed on the ground as if she could somehow will herself six feet under, her body slumped and rigid like she couldn't remember the last time she had held her head high, her eyes alight for a split second when she first looks at you, before the spark inevitably dies out and you aren't sure if you're talking to a person or a corpse anymore. And yet when provoked, she could sit here and spew out threats and insults like she was the werewolf.
And she could have been. Could have been part of the pack. Derek gave her the option, just like he did with the rest of us. And she said no. Part of me couldn't understand why. With everything she had been through, why not finally be able to feel powerful, like you had some control over something. I mean sure, none of us could control the shift yet, but we'd learn. Derek promised to teach us. After all what good is a werewolf that can't control his changes?
For some reason though, part of me was relieved she had refused. I had been telling myself it was because she was so infuriating, so stubborn and impulsive, that I wouldn't have wanted her in the same pack as I was. But it was more than just that. There's just something about her, something that I don't think would bode well with the bite.
She wasn't like the rest of us, that much was obvious. She seemed content to wither in her own misery rather than helping herself out. I just couldn't understand it and it tugged at my mind incessantly. Maybe she just refused because she was scared. Derek said he didn't even know if the bite would definitely cure her. It might have killed her. Not that it mattered to me.
As I approached the old subway station I shook all thoughts from my head. This wasn't what I wanted to be thinking about. Ryan was out of the picture now. Thank god. She had been consuming my thoughts and distracting me from the mission ever since she had come to Beacon Hills. But I fixed it, fixed myself.
See dad? I can fix it.
"There you are," Erica swung herself around the bannister as I made my way down the stairs. "Where have you been?"
"Out."
"Yeah. I can see that." She stated dryly as I brushed past her, ignoring her remarks. Her nose scrunched up as a sly grin spread onto her face. "You went to see Ryan didn't you?" I hated how she said her name. She sang it like we were in the second grade and she could somehow use it to embarrass me.
"Why would you say that?" I leaned against the metal frame of the subway car, our makeshift bedroom for the time being, my tongue pressing against the inside of my cheek.
"Please," she scoffed rolling her eyes at me. "You reek of her. What were you doing, rolling around in her sheets?" she smirked at me, an eyebrow arching. I let out a curt laugh before shaking my head.
"More like rolling out of her window."
"Ooh, lover's quarrel?"
"Jealous?" I flashed her a smile, folding my arms across my chest. She returned it, slowly walking towards me before reaching up to pet the top of my head.
"As if. Besides," I swatted her hand away from my head as she climbed the stairs next to me, two at a time, making her way into the subway car. "You're not that great of a kisser anyway." I ignored her jeering, trying not to remember how painfully awkward my first kiss was.
It had been right after Derek turned us. We had both just wanted to get it over with, and while it wasn't necessarily bad, it definitely wasn't what everyone had cracked it up to be. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that while there was no denying that Erica was a bombshell now, I just wasn't attracted to her. It felt a lot like I assumed kissing your sister would feel like. There was no feeling, no passion in the kiss. And it only left me feeling like I had missed something.
"It's not like you were any better." I muttered, only slightly offended, as I followed her into the train, making our way down the cars.
"Wait a minute. How did Ryan, frail, jumpy, practically schizophrenic Ryan, manage to shove you, the 6 foot werewolf, out her window?"
"She's not schizophrenic." I snapped, watching the smile tug at Erica's lips.
"Is that so?" She raised her eyebrow, challenging me as I talked myself into my grave. "Then what is she?"
"She has PTSD." Derek huffed, making an annoyed sound as he rose from where he had been perched on the back of a seat. "Now if you two are finished, we have much more important matters to deal with. Like the giant lizard setting off on a killing spree."
"Do we have a plan?" I asked, eager for the change in topic.
"Not yet. We need to talk to Scott and his friends, see if they have any ideas."
"Scott? We're asking Scott for help?" Erica cocked her head skeptically as Derek turned his back on us, prompting us to follow after him.
"That is what I just said."
"Why do we need their help?" I followed Derek out of the subway car, Erica trailing close behind me, a panic rising in my chest. I may have just made myself public enemy number one with one of the people Derek was thinking of allying us with. Great.
"Because it's harder to kill than I thought, and I still don't know who it is."
"And they do?" I countered. Please oh please let us not need their help. For the love of god please-
"They might. Which is why I need one of you to get on their good side." Visions of Ryan shoving me out her window danced in my head. I admit, I may have jumped the gun.
"Well," I let out a rush of air as Derek looked at me, his eyebrows raised expectantly. The kind of look that said 'you're about to ruin my mood I can tell'. "Ryan's out of the question."
"And why is that?"
I remained silent, thinking of the best way to phrase 'I pissed her off by pissing off her parents on her behalf, and then she pushed me out her window' and make it sound not so bad.
"Isaac, what did you do?" His expression immediately shifted from annoyed and impatient to serious and disbelieving. I glanced over at Erica, watching us silently, her mouth turned down in an open frown, her brow slightly creased with worry.
"I…uh…"
"Isaac!" I flinched, my arm instinctively rising in front of my face, before Derek let out a defeated sigh. "What did you do to her?"
"I got her in trouble with her parents so she'd be on lockdown. It was for the best, both for her and us. It's not a problem, I took care of it."
"The whole thing is a problem Isaac! Ryan is dangerous."
"I doubt that." Erica laughed, until Derek shot a glare in her direction, instantly silencing her.
"She is," Derek repeated through clenched teeth, obviously aggravated. "And it would be in both of your best interests to not piss her off." Derek turned away from us, making his way down the steps of the train car.
"I bet I could take her." Erica smiled, letting out a confident laugh as she followed him out. I stayed behind for a minute, running my hand over my face and letting out a sigh before trailing after them. Good going Isaac.
"Well, she's killed more people than you have." Derek's voice boomed throughout the space, radiating even more confidence than Erica, and I was suddenly wondering if there was enough room for me in here with all of these egos. "And she seemed to handle a werewolf just fine with nothing more than a toaster."
I instinctively rubbed at the back of my head, remembering said the toaster scene all too well. Erica looked at me and rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
"That was Isaac, not me."
"The point is, unless you're gonna play nice, stay away from her, alright?" Derek shot me a pointed look and Erica and I both nodded, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
"Okay, so…Scott or Stiles?" Erica purred, following Derek over to an ancient looking chest.
"Either."
"You know the full moon's coming Derek." I stated, my mind racing for ways to avoid working with Scott and his so-called "pack". If we had more capable wolves on our side, then maybe Derek wouldn't need Scott, or Stiles, or Allison. Or Ryan.
"I'm aware of that." He shot me a look before opening the chest, retrieving dozens of metal chains.
"Boy, these look comfortable." Erica mused, reaching in and grabbing a few chains herself before handing them over to Derek.
"You said you were going to teach us to change whenever we wanted." I felt anger boiling up inside of me, anger towards Ryan, anger towards Derek, anger towards myself. If Ryan had never come to Beacon Hills, I wouldn't have had to deal with her. I wouldn't have tried to help and made things worse. I would've have annoyed Derek. If Derek had just taught us to control the shifts in the first place we wouldn't have been so powerless and such a liability.
If I had just been able to control my emotions, if I had just been able to be a better student, a better son, a better werewolf, everything would have been fine.
"There hasn't been time." He brushed me off, unloading the last of the chains distractedly.
"But if you have to lock us up during the full moon that means…that means you're alone against the Argents."
"They haven't found us." He shut the chest, sounding completely disinterested as he began walking away from us.
"Yet." I emphasized, growing increasingly frustrated at how focused Derek was on this whole Kanima thing. "So how about we forget the Kanima?"
"We CAN'T!" He shouted, spinning back towards us again. "There was something about the way Gerard looked at it. He wasn't afraid. At all. Now I don't know what he knows or what he's planning. But I'm sure about one thing. We have to find it first."
There was a loud slamming sound, and within seconds smoke began to fill the room, the door to our little hideout blown open.
"The Argents?" Erica yelled over the white noise still filling our ears. We crouched back, preparing ourselves as the smoke settled back to the ground. A small girl with bright blonde hair stood perched on the entryway steps, dressed in tight black leggings and a crop top, a flannel shirt tied around her waist.
Derek stared at her, half in awe, half in horror as she folded her arms across her chest, inspecting a fingernail before looking back at us again.
"Derek," she smiled politely, nodding her head in greeting.
"…Avery?" Derek squinted at the girl as if he might be dreaming.
"Where is she?" the girl asked, leaning against the wooden banister of the stairs.
"It's really you? Ava?! When did you…How did you…" He sputtered for words, his brow furrowing in distress or confusion. I wasn't sure which. I shot Erica a look before taking a step towards our alpha. I had never seen Derek like this. Ever.
"Cut the crap Derek. Where is she?" she said in a voice so harsh it was startling coming from someone with such a small frame. "Where's Ryan?"
"Why?" The word slipped out before I had a chance to stop it. She shifted her gaze to mine, cold but amused. Her eyes flicked behind me to Erica before settling on me again, a grin spreading onto her face.
"Oh look Derek, you made yourself some more pets. This one's pretty cute actually." I rolled my eyes, narrowing them at her and her condescending tone.
"Who are you? And how do you know Ryan?"
"Do you tell them anything Derek?" She shot another look over at him, where he stood, still frozen in his spot.
"Tell us what?" Erica chimed in, slowly looking from Derek to the blonde girl, Avery apparently.
"Ava this is not the time for this. Or for you to see Ryan. She's still too unstable, you don't know what could happen if-"
"I know a lot more than you do. I did my research. I know exactly what could happen. But I also know what will happen if she's not stopped. Are you really that blind Derek? The Kanima may be doing the killing, but she's letting it happen."
"Wait a minute, are you saying that Ryan has something to do with all of this?" Erica demanded, her eyes narrowing.
"I'm saying that Ryan usually has something to do with everything." Avery shot back, narrowing her own eyes as well. She shifted her attention back to Derek, who seemed to be slowly regaining functioning of his body. "The longer you let her wander around blindly, the more people you're going to have to bury. Wasn't my sister enough?"
"You know that wasn't Ryan's fault. She did Casey a favor. She was going to die anyway." Derek looked down, unable to look Avery in the eye.
"Yeah, and she has you to thank for that." I heard him suck in a breath, closing his eyes for a moment as I tried to make sense of what was happening.
"You're…Casey's sister?" I deducted, my words slow and careful as I tried to unclutter my mind.
"I was." She stated bitterly, giving me a rueful grin. "Until Ryan murdered her."
My hands clenched into fists and I felt my face growing hotter. Everyone kept saying Ryan was so dangerous and powerful and capable of these things, but they weren't true. Sure Ryan was feisty and hot headed, she had a short temper and she packed a hell of a punch when equipped with a metal kitchen appliance, but she could never, would never just callously murder someone.
Avery cocked her head, her eyebrows arching ever so slightly as her mouth fell open slowly.
"You don't believe me?"
"I think murder is a strong word." Maybe she would have murdered somebody. Who was I to think I knew her so well? Ryan had so many walls up to begin with, and I had only known the girl for a few days. Why was I getting this defensive? Did being a werewolf make you extremely irritable and moody? Maybe that was why Derek acted the way he did all the time. "Murder insinuates intention. And if your sister was really Ryan's best friend, and if her death is something Ryan is still struggling to cope with, I highly doubt she had the intent to murder her."
"Hmm, so you're more than just a show dog, you've got a brain too." Avery hopped down from the steps, walking over to me. She was half my size but gazed up at me with a confidence so strong I almost contemplated taking a step back. "Regardless of intention, my big sister is dead."
"And playing the blame game isn't going to bring her back." I shot back, watching her own fists clench and unclench as she glared at me. "So why don't you drop it?"
"Because Ryan is a danger to all of us unless someone can stop her."
"Why does everyone keep saying that? Okay, your sister accidentally died and apparently Ryan's at fault. But so what? That doesn't make her extraordinarily dangerous. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time." Erica rolled her eyes, clearly fed up with this entire encounter.
"Do you know how Casey died?" Avery made her way over to Erica, and for a minute I thought one of them would hit the other. But instead Avery hopped up and sat down on one of the crate stacks piled against the side of the subway car, her feet swinging back and forth in front of her. She reminded me of a small bird, unable to sit still for long.
"Do you think I really care?" Erica shrugged, crossing her arms.
"She drowned." Avery ignored her, tapping her fingers against the crate on either side of her. "And when they pulled her out of that lake, she was covered in blood."
"Maybe she had Tuberculosis." Erica challenged, swaying back and forth on the balls of her feet. They looked like two lionesses ready to pounce. The question was, who would strike first.
"My sister did not have Tuberculosis!" Avery shouted, bringing her foot back hard against the crate. "Her blood was black."
"Listen, I'm not a doctor honey. So either get to the point or get out. Because you're still not making any sense."
"The point is that drowning shouldn't have killed Casey that fast."
"And why is that?" I asked, equally as aggravated as Erica at this point.
"Because," she shot Derek a look before turning to me, almost daring him to stop her. "Casey was a werewolf."
A/N: Dun dun dunnnnn. Helloooo friends! Long time no post. Again I apologize for the wait, school is a bitch.
This chapter is a little different since it's in Isaac's POV. Generally I don't like writing different POVs in the same story because I get so invested in writing as one character that when I change POVs it's kind of hard and tends to not be so great. But I just really wanted to write this scene, and there are a few other scenes I have planned that just have to be told from Isaac's POV. So it's not going to be a regular occurrence but there will be some more Isaac chapters. Let me know what you guys think!
Thank you so so so much to all who have favorited and followed, and a special thanks to kaljara, Janedoee7, Red Constance, Sworn Pledge, WhatsGoingOn, CourtneyxWolf725, Guest, BrittWitt16, AllThingWeird35, Guest, MessintheMirror, BriancyyD, and lalala!
Enjoy and feel free to send me any comments or questions you have regarding the story, either on here or on tumblr! I love talking to you guys! :]
-Briana