Crowds of people formed outside, and I couldn't help but stare at them through the barricaded windows. People in yellow suits with special breathing tubes like you'd see a scuba diver wear stepped in and out of the building, the only people allowed to set foot in the school. The police as well as worried parents formed a sea of people, waiting to hear the news
Everyone prayed it was a false alarm, that there wasn't some deadly virus that had floated around the school and diseased us all.
The cafeteria had been made into a mini-lab, with the sick isolated in these make-shift bubbles.
There were about ten, all circled in the caf. Coach and the girl who fainted were each in one, and I didn't recognize the rest of the students.
After getting a glimpse of the crowds of worried parents, CDC workers, and numerous new crews, I slipped back into the hallway and headed for the classroom.
I saw Stiles searching through the box of cell phones, looking for his.
"Don't bother," The man with the robotic voice said, "They've probably shut off all outside communications by now. No cell service, no wifi, no starting a panic..." He paused, locking eyes with Stiles in the most eerie way possible. "Looks like we're just going to have to wait here and see what happens." He broke eye contact and licked his index finger, putting the wet pad to the page of the textbook in his lap and flipping it.
I gave the rodent-man a strange look behind is back, before moving around the desk towards Stiles, Malia, and Kira, who were sitting on the desks.
"Creepy..." I whispered under my breath, taking a seat on the desk beside Stiles, across from Malia.
It was scary how coolly this man spoke about everything. As if he didn't care that the whole school could potentially be wiped out by an unknown virus.
"Hey where's Scott?" I asked after a momentary silence.
"No idea," Stiles shrugged, curling his lips over his teeth. "Checking on people, maybe, being the responsible alpha he is."
I nodded, looking at a nervous Kira. She fiddled with her hands, unclenching and clenching them in her lap.
Someone opened the classroom door and slammed it shut, so hard that it shook the whole room, the blinds in the back clattering against the window. For some odd reason, that annoyed me. It frustrated me.
Everyone's head shot towards the person dressed in yellow, the whispers seizing.
"Okay," The woman in the yellow suit said, "We set up a lab in the cafeteria. You will all attend a mandatory blood test."
I froze.
As if the word 'blood' was my name, Kira, Malia, and Stiles all shoot me a worried look. I ignored their stares in my peripheral just stared at the floor bug-eyed.
"There is four tables set up, each in one corner of the cafeteria. Make sure you give them your full name so they can write it down. After the blood test, you'll be free to come back and chat again. And again, it is mandatory."
She placed her hand on the doorknob, opening it, and leaving it open as she walked past it.
Students filed out after her. Everyone except us.
"Get me out of here." I whispered to Stiles. I had the overwhelming feeling to cry, and I had no idea why. A wave of sadness washed over me, as well as stress. It made no sense. Nothing did.
He nodded. "You guys, go, I'll catch up with you later." He wrapped a hand around my wrist, and pulled me out of the class.
"Where are we going?" I asked, already smelling the fresh blood from the cafeteria as we passed it. I shut my eyes.
"To find Scott." He tugged me up the stairs to the second floor, passing a few men in yellow suits.
I could already feel the overwhelming scent that drew me.
"Stiles!"
We whipped around just as we reached the top step. I reopened my eyes, walking down a few stairs to see who called his name. Mr. Yukimura was at the end of the hall, feverishly waving his hand for us to follow.
Stiles looked at me, then back to Kira's father.
He tugged my wrist again, towing me down the stairs. Unfortunately we had to pass the cafeteria again, and I felt my face shift. Students came out, rubbing their forearm where the small band aid was.
In an attempt to protect me from being seen and to drown out other scents, Stiles pulled my face into his chest, pressing it so hard against his shirt that I could hardly breath, which as the point.
I hissed in response, but continued down the hall with him, awkwardly shuffling. I could only imagine the odd looks we earned from other students as we passed them.
When I heard a door shut after us, Stiles let me go.
I gasped for air, although I didn't really need it, and placed my hand on my knees, hunching over.
We were in the locker room. Scott sat on a bench by his and Liam's locker. His eyes were wide open as Stiles and Mr. Yukimura leaned inward to get a good look.
Scott's eyes flickered red, then back to brown. Then red again, and then brown. Red, brow, red, brown. His eyes were like a dyeing flashlight, flickering on and off. His forehead was beaded with sweat and his red shirt had deep pit stains. I could smell the stress and dismay radiating off of him.
"Still happening," Mr. Yukimura said, leaning closer to Scott.
Scott sighed, his eyes still flickering a bright red again.
"What's going on?" I asked Mr. Yukimura with a deadpanned face.
He shrugged his shoulders back. "They won't tell us."
I felt my face turn normal, having the aromatic scent completely washed out of me, and I turned to Stiles.
He gave me a grave look as he ran a thumbnail over his bottom lip.
Stiles leaned over a map that was placed on Coach's desk. It was a map of the school, how he obtained it? I'll never know.
Malia, who couldn't put her claws away, and Kira had joined us. It was affecting the were-creatures in a way that didn't affect humans. In decision to quarantine them, from the quarantine, we decided to search for the hale vault. The hale vault was located by the school. Since the Hale's always had an escape route, there must have been another entrance in the basement.
"It's probably somewhere in this hallway," Stiles leaned over Mr. Yukimura, pointing at the blueprint.
Suddenly feeling a wave of dizziness, I gripped the table for support. My world momentarily span, splitting my vision in two. I took a few deep breaths, and eventually my vision became one again.
I glanced over at Malia, who was attempting to scratch her face without the use of her claws.
"It might be in this corridor," Stiles started, but was cut off by him toppling towards Mr. Yukimura. "Woah," he said, regaining his balance on the desk. I put an arm on his back, making sure he was okay. He didn't flinch at my touch, like he normally did, he just profusely blinked, holding his head.
Mr. Yukimura leaned to Stiles, pulling back his jacket sleeve to reveal the same rancid mark Sydney had. "It's happening to you too. You're getting sick."
I lifted my hand to my mouth, gnawing on my short nails.
"You all are," He continued, facing us.
"I don't feel sick." Kira interjected.
Her father peered down at her. "I think it's affecting you differently. Neurologically." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper. "I found your test answer sheet in the pile with the others." After unfolding it, he placed it on the desk for us all to see.
It was the most bizarre thing. Kira had attempted to answer every multiple choice question. But instead of filling in the bubble to answer the question, she put random circles all over the page.
I watched Scott give Kira a worried look.
"W-What about me?" I asked.
He sighed, "I'm not quite sure how it's affecting you. How do you feel?"
I shrugged. "I mean, I don't feel like I'm going to puke my guts out, but I'm definitely not a 100%. My head hurts. I'm hungry, cranky. This whole quarantine thing is annoying."
I just wanted everything to be okay, I wanted it to be a false alarm.
His lips tightened into a line. "Maybe it's affecting you emotionally, as oppose too physically and neurologically. That would make sense, wouldn't it?"
I thought about if momentarily. My emotions were normally all over the place, but today exceedingly supplementary.
I just nodded in reply, which was enough to send everyone in a dreading rush out the door.
Ditching Mr Yukimura, we ran down the stairs to the basement.
We all filed into the mediocre-sized room. There were shelves stocked with paper, writing utensils, flashlights, and other school necessities. The room was dark, but not completely free of light. There was a dimly light motion sensor in the corner of the room, which was enough for us.
Without exchanging words, we all wandered to different sections of the basement, searching for any sign of a secret door.
The last time—well the only time— I had been down here was with Scott, a possessed Stiles, Ethan, and Aiden, who undoubtedly had tried to attack Stiles. I missed them. Both of them. Aiden had started to rub off on me in his last few moments with me, I just wish he knew how much we started to appreciate him. Ethan hadn't called since his departure, nor had he returned my few calls. I didn't even know if he was alive, which was heartbreaking.
For some reason a felt a stray tear run down my cheek. I caught it with my thumb. I blinked away the tears and continued my search for the anonymous door.
"Hey, guys, over here." Stiles said in a monotone voice, pushing a rolling shelf out of the way with the help of Scott. It left trails of dust as it rolled past the five of us, causing Kira to let out a petite sneeze.
"Look at the cracks on the wall." Stiles lifted a finger, tracing along the was a giant triskelade carved into the side of the wall with some kind of moveable stone in the middle of it. The stone had an intricate Mandela carved with thick lines. It was the lock. And a Hale's claws were the key. "It only opens with claws, anyone's claws right?" He turned to Scott.
In unison Scott and I shook our head, hoping Malia wouldn't catch it.
Stiles eyes widened and then he nodded. His eyes went from Scott, to me, and then he rolled them toward Malia, without moving his head.
Picking up his idea, Scott nodded. "Um," He turned to Kira and Malia, "Malia... can you t-try?"
"Why me?" She asked in concern.
Scott's gaze fell. He didn't know what to say.
I snatched up Scott's human-like hand and shoved it towards Malia, "He doesn't have control." Scott wiggled his fingers in my hand, "See?"
Her eyes darted from Scott to me, and back to Scott. Her eyes narrowed in on us but after a few suspenseful seconds she shrugged. "Okay, I'll do it."
Stiles raised his eyebrows in surprise at her gullibility and let Malia move past him.
She fit her claws in the thick cracks in the Mandela. She turned it to the right till it could move no more, then shifted it to the left, where it made a bright yellow beam shoot out, and then back to the right again, pushing it further in the wall.
The wall made a creaking noise and then started to squeal, sliding open for us.
Malia looked back at us, bewildered and then back to the big room in front of us. We all started to walk forward, heads darting back and forth and up and down as we observed the ancient room. It was entirely open concept. To be honest, it didn't look all that different from the boiler room beside us, shelves everywhere, chairs broken and dusty, a huge vault one one side of the room, a set of stairs that led to the other entrance, random herbal teas and potions, boxes, and old crates.
There was a layer of dust over everything except the floor.
"What now?" I asked, feeling an irritating itch in my chest.
Scott shrugged. "We wait, I guess."
I blew out a raspberry, sliding against a pillar and onto the floor.
An overwhelming sense of anxiety filled the room. We were now enduring in the waiting game. I watched as Scott sat on a crate, his hands folded together, Malia lay against an old broken chair, and Kira starting to pace the room.
A migraine started to form in my temples. I rubbed them, groaning. This was all so annoying. Why did we have to be here? I felt angry, rueful, furious, but I tried to push the emotions back. I know it's just because of this virus or disease or whatever's going around.
An aching feeling established in my back. Shooting pains inoculated in my spine. I winced, knowing I wasn't the only one enduring in this. Malia was almost asleep on the floor, Scott seemed to be uncomfortable too, and Kira seemed exceedingly antsy.
Stiles was apprehensive of the situation, not knowing what to do.
When he sat down beside me, I felt calm. I felt even more relaxed when he wrapped his arms around me. And when he placed my head in his laps, I almost fell asleep. Especially when he added the hair brushing motions.
He stroked my skin and brushed my hair and occasionally planted a kiss on my forehead. I felt his leg shake nervously underneath me. The vibrating sensation sent me into a drowsy state.
I heard him and Scott talking but I didn't pay much attention. I was half awake and half asleep. If I were to fall asleep and never wake up again, I would be content with that because this was the most emotionally heart-warming feeling to be in his arms.
The vibrations and crackling noise his chest made when he talked to Scott and Kira was the only thing I could focus on. I felt guilty for being in high spirits right now.
Occasionally I picked up bits and pieces of the conversations when I awoke. They were talking about the money, but Stiles' soothing strokes sent me into a barely conscious state again.
Malia laid on my shoulder, practically resting her whole weight on me. Her chest heaved up and down, making a disgusting phlegm-y noise as she did so. Copying Stiles' motions, I stroked her hair. She was not in good shape at all. Neither was Scott, but he was an alpha. Neither was I or Kira, but we weren't werewolves and for some unknown reason that seemed to take a different effect on us.
She coughed every now and again, and when she did Kira would hold her so she didn't burst into an uncontrollable fit.
She was so focus on staying awake that she probably couldn't hear Scott and Stiles talking by the door about her, debating if they should confess that she was Peter's daughter.
"Hey," I nudged her gently, "Are you okay?"
She finally opened her eyes staring up at me. "Yeah…" She panted.
It was a complete lie, but I took it. If she had an effort to lie at least I knew she had some strength left in her.
Kira, Malia, and I all rested on each other and eventually we all fell asleep again, feeling the disease itching at our brains, dictating us to rest.
"Hey," I heard a voice, but I didn't open my eyes. I was so damn exhausted. This was the most sleep I had received in a while. "Anna," My body shook and I groaned, forcing my eyelids to break out of their drowsy state. It took a brief moment before my vision straightened and my pupils dilated so I could make out the face in front of me.
Stiles hovered in front of me, one hand placed gently on my shoulder. "I'm going to leave for a few." He brushed the hair out of my face as I propped myself up on an elbow, "Okay?"
"No." I panicked before he could even finish his sentence.
"It's just for a little while," He whispered attempting to not wake Malia beside me.
I blinked, trying to block the sleep out of my eyes. "Where are you going?"
"Whatever's happening— It's worse for Scott and Malia." I looked over to Scott, who was sitting on the crate again, with Kira beside him, trying to keep him awake.
Malia was close beside me, asleep as well. If it wasn't for the rise and fall of her chest, I would have assumed she was dead. Black blood dripped from her nose, mouth, and nail beds. I widened my eyes.
"It's not just people getting sick, there's another assassin."
"Okay." I nodded, licking my dry and cracked lips. "Okay," I repeated, closing my eyes. I was scared for him. I'd prefer him safe and in my sight, but I had to overcome my selfishness for the sake of my were-friends. I shivered, re opening my eyes.
Being the night in shining armor he is, Stiles removed his jacket and slipped it around my shoulders. I was immediately encompassed in warmth and a familiar smell which made me want to shut my eyes again.
"You're coming back, right?"
Stiles lips quirked up, giving me a small smirk. Once again, he brushed back my hair. "Of course," He said tucking the strand behind my ear. "I'd never leave you behind." He whispered.
In a swift movement, he leaned forward and planted his warm lips onto my cold forehead. "Ill be back," He breathed against my skin, "I promise."
He started to stand, removing himself from me. He pivoted, ready to undergo his journey.
"Wait." I seized him, catching not only the attention of Stiles, but Kira and Scott as well.
He turned back to me, his mouth open in curiosity. I grabbed his hand, pulling him towards me. I placed both hands on either side of his face and crushed my lips to his, feeling the burning sensation of the two opposite temperatures.
A smile started to form on his lips, and he started away from me, but still clung to my hand. When he walked far enough that our hands couldn't touch anymore, he let go, looking back at me.
I watched his back pace away from me, and I felt depressed again. A tear fell from my eyes when the door shut behind him, its echoes vibrating throughout the room.
I felt sad, I felt like crying, and I couldn't hold the emotion back. I knew it was just this disease but I couldn't help it, and it was slightly embarrassing. My emotions seemed to spring out of me. If I felt the slightest bit of sadness, I'd cry, if I felt a little bit of rage, I wanted to scream. I clenched my fists together, blinking through the tears, and turned back to Malia, feeling Scott and Kira's piercing gaze on me.
She lay on the floor, heart still thankfully beating, and panted.
I attempted to sit her up so she would find it easier to breath.
I felt her cold skin against mine, which usually burned hot because she was a were-coyote and her blood pumps slightly faster than normal.
Giving up the sweet scent, I took off Stiles' jacket and wrapped it around her.
Another excruciatingly painful hour passed. We all worsened by the second. Me crying and angry for no reason, Scott and Malia practically half-dead, and Kira shaking from God knows what.
Malia shifted beside me, and my head dropped down to her. She was in a fetal position, but she was now conscious. She pulled a slip of paper out in front of her and opened it up.
It took me a few seconds to realize what was in her hand. I perked up.
"Malia," I said, trying to pull it out of her hands.
She dodged my grip and looked at the paper again.
"Malia!" Scott said louder, trying to hold himself up on the crate.
Malia held the paper in front of her for an exceedingly long time, which made everyone curious.
"Malia?" Scott repeated her name in a questioning tone.
She started to tremble, her eyes rising to Scott and Kira. "I can't see…"
"What?" I asked, trying to look into her eyes. She didn't react what so ever to my attempt at locking eyes with her. She just peered out into the distance.
"I can't see anything!" She panicked.
I gripped her arm, ready to bombard her with questions, but Scott looking at his hand seized me.
He turned his hand, flipping it over and back. He looked at it like it was a foreign object, like it shouldn't be attached to his arm.
"What's happening?" I asked Kira, who still seemed to have her sight.
"I don't know." She shrugged and stood up to help a blind Scott.
Malia clutched onto a crate, as if that was her only savior now. I kneeled towards her placing both hands on her shoulder to reassure her I was there.
Both she and Scott started to freak out, wondering why this sudden blindness came upon them.
"What do we do?" I asked Kira, trying to hold a hyperventilating Malia.
Kira shrugged. "I don't know!"
"Malia." I tried to reassure, blinking profusely because my vision started to go blurry again, assumingly due to lack of sleep and migraine.
At least, that's what I thought. "Mal—" I started to say again, but was cut short by blackness overpowering my point of view. It was like a cloud of darkness sprayed across everything, and I couldn't see anymore. It wasn't painful, but it was terryfing. "I can't see!" I panicked. "Everything's black… Oh my God… Kira!"
"What!" She squealed, "What? Wait… what? You can't see either?" I heard her footsteps, but shoved her back to Scott. Well— tried too. I knew her vision would go soon as well, and she shouldn't leave Scott alone.
I tried to find Malia's hand. I started to tremble uncontrollably now too. I was afraid, blind, sick, and felt like crying because of my emotions. Not to mention this new found hunger. I hissed under my breath, closing my eyes. Not that it did anything— it was all black. That itching feeling in my chest returned, as well as a headache.
So many things started to happen at once. "Scott!" Kira squelched. So she hadn't found her way back to Scott. "I can't… I can't see…" She cried, thumping against something.
I felt my face transition. I was so hungry, so mad, so sad, and so scared. Once my shaky found eventually found Malia's I intertwined my fingers with her, not wanting to stray away from each other. She gripped my hand so tightly when we found each other that I felt like it was going to break.
I heard water splash, and one of the rusty shelves made a banging noise. "Scott?" I asked. "What are you doing?"
He didn't reply, just grunted.
I started to moan in despair. We were going to die. We were all going to die. I squeezed Malia's hand tighter, and she squeezed back.
The only noise was water splashing, a few thumps every now and again, our panicked, trembling bodies, and a few anxiety-ridden beating hearts. At least they were still beating.
Next thing that went was my sense of smell. I wasn't sure if it was just me, but I'm ssure the others had lost it as well.
My hearing was fading, but never actually went completely away. I just felt like I couldn't focus on noises as well as I normally did. Words echoed, making it hard to make out, and it sounded like it was in slow motion, to slow to hear.
"Scott…" I wasn't sure if I imagined the voice or not. "Scott!"
Malia coughed beside me, and I squeezed her hand again, making sure she'd squeeze back so I'd know she's still alive.
"Vault… Tea.. Only way.."
These words repeated over and over but I couldn't remember if they were real or not.
"Open the door!" Thump thump thump.
"Jar… Shelves… Scott.."
Thump Thump Thump
Then finally, silence.
It was Stiles! That was Stiles. Or was it not real? It was our only shot either way.
"Scott…" I croaked, barely able to talk. "A jar on the shelf. The tea. It's the only way." I just repeated the words I heard, knowing Kira and I were the ones who could hear the best.
"Scott." I breathed again. "Scott."
I was so tired… I tried to stay awake but it seemed impossible. I wasn't even sure if I was asleep or awake right now.
So sleepy.
I squeezed Malia's hand, but she didn't squeeze back this time.
Was she still alive? I don't know. I couldn't really hear anything. I couldn't see anything. I could hardly feel anything. No smell, nothing.
Nada.
Maybe she was asleep. Maybe I should sleep too.
I took one last large gasp of air, and then sighed, relaxing into the uncomfortable side of the crate that now seemed quite comfy.
Crash.
I opened my eyes, awakening to the loud noise but I still saw nothing.
Everything was in slow motion. I heard a noise, it sounded like wind. Something fell and it was now slowly making its way towards us. Scott was yelling something, but it was like we were underwater. It was too slow to make out.
The broken glass collided against the floor, and I felt it tumble against my pants leg.
There was an odd aroma that filled the room.
That I could smell. I could smell it.
I breathed its odd scent in repeatedly. It was painful, like breathing in razorblades that scratched against my trachea as it filled my lungs. Weather it was good or bad, it was unavoidable, so I just closed my eyes, and breathed it in, trying to hang on to Malia's hand. She sent me a small squeeze, but I was too weak to reply with one. I rested my head against the wooden crate, and waited.
A few seconds later I heard the cement door creak open, and people were talking.
My vision. It was back! I could see. It was blurry, but it was slowly reoccurring
I tried to look up, but it was so difficult. Malia shifted beside me, releasing my hand. She fiddled with something, but I was too weak to look.
There was a sharp intake of breath. She threw a piece of paper to the floor, and I froze. She was looking at the Deadpool. The one with her name on it. The one that said "Malia Hale" as oppose to "Malia Tate," It was too late now.
Feeling energy fill me again, I propped myself up. "Malia," I tried to explain to her that we were keeping it from her for a reason. I knew she would run away. I was scared. Despite being seventeen years old, part of her still had the mentality of a 9 year old. Part of her was still a coyote. If she ran I didn't know if she would come back.
She just blinked back a few painful tears, stood up, and slipped Stiles jacket at me. She tossed it onto the floor, the sleeve falling in a puddle, and walked away from me. I could smell her anger and depression.
"Malia!" I called again, trying to sit up.
I watched her back as she took large footsteps away from me. Kira, Scott, and Stiles all tried to stop her, but she just kept walking.
I sighed.
"Are you okay?" I heard Scott ask. It made me laugh that he was asking Kira if she was alright, when he was the werewolf who could've been killed by this.
"Hey," After Stiles broke his daze of staring at a mad Malia, he turned to me. "Hey, are you okay?" He placed his hands on my shoulders.
I nodded, "I'm fine. What happened?" I pointed to his face, that was splattered with blood. It looked like someone sprayed him with a hose. His shirt was red, his face, his hair.
He just shook his head, stuttering something to low for me to hear.
"What?" I cocked my head.
His eyes locked with mine, and he just gazed into them.
I blinked.
He bit his lips, wrapped his brawn arms around me, and hugged me tight.
We sat like that for a few seconds, and so did Scott and Kira, which made me blissful.
My vampirism, infamously reoccurring at inappropriate times, took over me and I felt my face transition. It wasn't his blood that tempted me; it was the fresh blood on his face.
Sensing my transition, Stiles let go of me, hands placed on my shoulders again. His gentle, soulful, cow, eyes just gawked into mine. Instead of shying away at my monstrous condition, he just smiled in pure bliss. It was a close-lipped smile, but filled with more happiness than I had seen in some of his usual grins.
Frankly, I was kind of confused.
"What happened?" Scott asked, interrupting or gaze.
"Long story short, the assassin was the test supervisor. He tried to kill me but your dad saved my ass and said that there was a cure in the vault. Your mom called him because she was with Deaton, Satomi and Derek. He seemed pretty confused but just told me to go. Everyone else is getting better, they stopped the quarantine. People are healing. The PSAT's are rescheduled."
All I really got out of that was that Stiles was in danger. "Why did he try to kill you?"
"It doesn't matter," Stiles shook his head and looked back at Scott over his shoulder.
"It does to me."
He didn't look back at me, obviously avoiding my brooding eyes.
"Stiles…" I tried.
He sighed. "I wouldn't tell him where you guys were." He finally turned back to me and cupped his hands together, massaging them against one another in nervousness.
No one said anything. We just let that sink in. That Stiles had risked his life for us.
"Come on," He said in an undertone. He hooked his arm underneath mine and lifted me to a standing position.
He planted a small kiss on my hair, and we all shuffled out of the Hale vault, terrifying memories left behind us.
"Liam I swear we're okay. We're all okay. Just a little shaken up." I held the phone closely to my ear, eyeing Stiles briefly. His eyes were on the rainy, hardly visible road ahead of us.
"A-Are you sure? Is everyone alive?"
I smiled, "Yes Liam. Everyone is alive. Barely, but yes."
"You're sure?"
I rolled my eyes, "No, actually you're right. Stiles might be dead. Let me just take another look." Stiles smiled. "Shit, yup. He's dead."
"Ha. Ha. Ha." He said sarcastically. "So funny."
"We're all alive and healthy. Okay? No need to worry."
"Okay…"
"Get some rest Liam."
"Alright. Night."
"Night." I answered, hanging up the phone after. I shoved the phone in my pocket.
"So is he still worried?" Stiles asked, shifting in his seat.
"I don't think so. He's always like this though. He's gets so worried about everything." I replied, looking at the rainy road, the headlights the only visible sight. "I don't know why. I had 12 missed calls from him, Scott had 32."
"Really?" Stiles cocked his head
"Yeah. It's like if we don't answer our phones he just assumes we're dead."
"I don't blame him," Stiles shrugged, "With the dead pool out and all it's kind of terrifying."
"I guess," I retorted while Stiles' jeep pulled into my driveway.
He shifted it into park and pulled the keys out of the ignition, which told me he wanted to come inside for a bit. Normally I wouldn't mind but I was pretty tired and wanted to take a long shower.
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah," I lied with ease.
He narrowed his eyes, and then hopped out of the vehicle.
We walked to my doorstep, unlocking the front door and greeting Melissa just before she headed out for a night shift, and then strutted to my room.
"Not too late!" She yelled down the hall.
I smiled. "No promises!"
I was so lucky to have her as my guardian.
I heard Scott walk in, alone. Kira must have just dropped him off then went home.
"Can I ask you something?" Stiles plopped down on the edge of my bed.
"Sure." I replied, pulling off my sweater and placing it in the bean bag chair across the room. I slipped off my socks and, feeling scandalous, I even took off my tank top.
"I…uh—"
I turned to him. But his eyes weren't on me, they were on my shirtless torso. I let out a small laugh.
"Haha.." he laughed, "Um.. Normally I would love this. And I mean really love this. Like this— well you know. You look great and all and I would really love to—"
"Stiles." I arched a brow, "What did you want to talk about?"
"Right! Okay. Well…" He trailed off. He still wasn't looking at me. He couldn't be more obvious.
"Stiles," I snapped my fingers in his face.
He blinked. "Um, I hate myself for saying this, but could you please put a shirt on? I's excruciatingly distracting."
I laughed, taking no offense, and picked up my pajama shirt, slipping it over my head.
"Okay…" he said once I sat on the bed, focusing himself.
"What did you wanna ask?" I inched closer towards him.
"Well I don't really need to ask you something. It's more just me wanting to tell you something."
"Okay..." I said, not quite following his words. "Shoot."
"I'm worried."
"So am I." I said, thinking he was talking about the deadpool.
"No," he shut his eyes briefly. "No I mean I'm worried about you."
I tried to deny the fact that he was catching onto my odd behavior, but there was no doubt now.
"Elaborate?"
"Well… You know… Lately you've been different."
I blinked profusely.
He leaned closer to me, placing his hands together in his lap. "You've just been acting weird, and I'm not the only one that thinks it. Ask Scott. Sometimes you're hungry, sometimes you're not. Sometimes I can be around you, sometimes I can't."
I shrugged. "It comes in waves I guess."
"I don't think that's normal. And you're emotions are crazy."
"I know." I nodded.
"And I hate to bring this up, but your mom."
"What about her?" I said, wincing slightly.
He narrowed his eyes at me. "Anna, your mom died. She died, and the only time I saw you upset is when you received that phone call. You haven't talked about her; you haven't been depressed, it's not normal."
I just stared at him, unable to form words.
"It's not healthy. And I don't think it's some weird kind of coping method, I think it's you. Being a vampire. We hardly have any knowledge on you. And the only people that do know kidnapped and murdered you. So I need some kind of explanation. I know you know something. And if you don't, at least give me something. Something to cling to, to not freak out."
I blew out a raspberry, my deadpanned expression still remaining the same.
"If you think I'm going to be scared of you or afraid of you, I'm not. I'm more afraid of not knowing then knowing."
"Okay."
I think he was surprised at how easily I gave in. He went bug eyed, but formed an roughly unnoticeable smile. "Okay?"
"Okay." I nodded.
He smiled. His arm snaked down my wrist and fell into my lap. He wasn't holding my hand, but he wasn't just leaving his hand to lay there either. It was a comforting gesture.
I just gazed at his arm as I spoke, avoiding any looks from him.
"I think my mother's death is what set it off."
"Set what off?"
I ignored him, continuing the speech that I would probably regret telling him later on.
"After I got home, I started to feel depressed. So I just pushed all these emotions back. I don't know how, but I just compartmentalized them so I wouldn't feel. I didn't want to feel anything." I cleared my throat. "After that I started to feel overwhelmed with everything, including hunger. I think I started to get addicted to your blood, which helped to push off the emotions, but then I felt like attacking everyone, like I did when I first turned."
Now curious to what his expression was, I raised my face to his. It was hard to read him, but he appeared mostly confused. "I've been having these dreams, or visions. I don't really know what they are."
"What happens in them?" Stiles squeezed my right thigh.
"You're there. Everyone's there, but they're all different. Some of them are scarier than others. There's one where I'm in a hallway, but I never reach the end. Or one where I'm just falling and then I hit the bottom of this cliff and I die. Over and over."
No doubt Scott was listening, but I didn't care anymore. I really did need help now. Scott knew the most, but he didn't know it to its full extent. "
"The first was the worst. It started off in the hallway, but it got worse. I was in the bathroom, and there was blood everywhere. I kept slipping on it. The blood was all over me, and monster was written on the mirror. Then everyone appeared and you all started screaming at me. Lydia's neck was ripped out and you all called me a murderer and a monster. The worst part? I believed it. And just when I think I wake up, I'm in a forest. Sebastian and James are there and they keep repeating the same words— over and over."
"What words?" He croaked.
"Turn it off."
I watched him try to process that but it was impossible for him, just as it was for me at first.
"I tried attacking Melissa."
He made a small choking noise, which made me feel sad inside.
"I did it in my sleep. If Scott didn't wake up I would have killed her. You should have seen her face Stiles. She was terrified of me."
I shut my eyes.
He squeezed my thigh again. His hand was now shaking slightly, and whether that was because he was cold or slightly scared, I didn't know. I didn't want to know, because something told me it was the second.
"And I feel like I haven't recovered from the school. I still feel emotionally unstable, but a vampire can't exactly go to counseling."
He snorted.
"Maybe you should just kill me."
"What?" Stiles perked up. "No. Anna, stop being funny."
"I'm not being funny. I'm being serious, Stiles. I hate it. I hate it all. I always want to rip your throat out. I can't control anything… I can hardly sleep anymore. Everyone's dyeing…"
"Anna." His face grew with seriousness and concern.
My eyes closed. "Just put me out of my misery. Please."
I heard Scott shuffle upstairs.
I wasn't sure where this was coming from, but I felt like I was overflowing with words. I had just said everything that was on my mind. I was releasing a waterfall of stress.
"Allison's dead. My mom's dead."
My mom was dead. My best friend and my mom were gone.
"Oh my God. My mom's dead. Allison's dead, Aiden's dead, Ethan and Isaac are gone and my mom. My mom is dead."
Sadness gushed through me. My mom was gone! Everyone was dying one by one.
I raised my hands to my mouth and felt my eyes brim with tears.
"Anna, it's okay. Calm down. I'm here." His hands were well over my body but it was like I couldn't even feel him anymore.
"I'm insane." I hadn't meant to say it aloud but it came out that way. "There's something inside of me." I pointed into my chest, where the annoying itch was.
"What are you talking about? You're freaking me out." He shook my body again, "What's wrong?"
"There's something inside of me!" I stood up, pacing back and forth as the tears finally fell. The little monster was clawing inside of me, telling me to let it free so I could turn it all off. My bloodlust wanted out. I ran a hand through my wet hair.
"My mom…. Aiden… Allison…" My knees fell to the floor, and I slipped into a depressive state once again. "It's my entire fault. Don't you see Stiles? I'm a monster. They died because I wasn't there. They died because I'm selfish. I could have saved them."
I started to sob. I tried to repeatedly gulp down the lump that formed in my throat, but it was impossible. Peristalsis was not in my favor right now. I couldn't swallow it down. I just kept crying and crying and crying.
"Anna please!" I don't know how long Stiles was shouting at me, but I could only now hear him. "Talk to me. Tell me what's going on. Push down your emotions, l-like you did before."
I slid onto the floor and went into a fetal position on my dusty rug. "I-It's not healthy…" I repeated his earlier words.
"Anna, I… Don't! Don't listen to me. I mean— Listen to me, okay? Talk to me."
I started to shiver.
"I'm just some reanimated corpse, Stiles!" I spat.
I felt like climbing into a six foot hole, burying myself and never coming out again. Stiles doesn't say anything. And at first, the silence around me is comforting, but then it is overwhelmingly scary. Then I feel it. I feel all of it. The depression, the sorrow, the guilt, the regret, the anger. It's like a cold shiver, running through my body but never seizing.
Stiles is yelling for Scott now, but I ignore his shouts.
All those feelings I pushed back are exploding, breaking like an overflowing dam.
I feel like an anchor being pulled to the ground. I hug my knees closer to my chest, cry some more, and let the emotions take over me.
I deserve this.
I deserve to feel all this guilt and sorrow. I deserve it all.
I feel it all. And then, I start screaming.
My fists clench together tightly, causing blood to draw due to the aggressiveness of my force.
I raise my bloody hands to my ears and cover them.
Everything is so cold, Despite my screams, I only hear silence, Silence and despair.
I am not what they want me to be. I am a vampire. I just want to turn it all off.
My heart was spiraling into a deep, black, hopeless abyss and it wasn't stopping anytime soon. Everything shattered inside of me. The sense of security diminished and I felt alone. Shame filled its absence.
No one understood my struggles! No one knew what it was like to be a vampire, except a vampire.
Sebastian and James, my enemies, might actually be the closest people to me.
Stiles and Scott's hands were all over me. Only moments later did I realize I was crying in Stiles' arms, hardly standing up, and still bracing the sides of my heads as my screams faded to sobs.
"What's happening to me." I sobbed, tears falling to the floor.
"It's okay." Stiles brushed my hair. "It's okay. Shh…" It seemed like he was reassuring himself more than he was me.
"Call them." I told Stiles, looking up at his blurry face. It was impossible to blink back the tears.
I could see the concern in his face, and the dilemma to whether or not to actually listen to me.
"Call them." He told Scott. Scott nodded, and snatched up my phone, dialing the only other vampire's I knew number.
It seemed like days had passed before they finally arrived. I wasn't really aware of their actual arrival. I just saw Stiles glaring at the corner of my room, where two men were.
It had been weeks since I had seen them.
James still looked the same, but Sebastian looked older somehow. Although it was impossible.
I wondered how Scott had convinced them to come here. What kind of deal he made. These weren't nice people who did favors out of the goodness of her heart.
"What the hell is wrong with her?" Stiles wrapped his arms tighter around me and I pressed my hands harder against my ears, but still didn't drown out any noise.
The older one stepped forward, gazing into my eyes. "I know what's wrong."
"Then tell us." Scott pushed.
"She's a ripper," Sebastian said behind James.
James nodded, still looking at me.
"What the hell is a ripper?!" Stiles shrieked.
James frowned. "A ripper is a name given to a sadistic vampire who stops at nothing to feed."
A discerning silence filled the room.
James continued. "She's feral, hard to control, and tragically consumed by bloodlust, my friends."
"No no no no no…" I whimpered. It was all like a bad dream. I buried my face into Stiles' chest, hoping that this was a dream, and that I would wake up in his arms, alive, fine, and not bloodthirsty. "Make it go away!"
Stiles gripped my skin so tightly that I let out a small scream.
"Give her to me." Sebastian removed himself from the corner of my room, and walked towards me.
"No." Stiles retorted, pulling me closer, as if I could get any closer.
"What are you going to do?" Scott asked.
"Fix her."
Stiles, with wide eyes, looked down at me, and back to Scott. Scott, for once, didn't know what to do either.
Neither did I. I was hoping they would make the decision for me.
"I can help you." He says, "I can fix you," he repeats over and over.
He actually almost seems comforting, as oppose to the vicious torturing side of him.
Stiles, disinclined to give me over, holds me tight.
I almost felt intrigued. I wanted to be fixed. I wanted to be cured of this depression.
Stiles looked at Scott for conformation, and when he nodded, he finally released me.
I moaned in response, not wanting to removed from his touch.
James moved out of the way, and Sebastian stepped forward. He sat me on the bed beside Stiles and placed both hands on each shoulder.
"Your mom's dead." I let out a small whine. "Your friends are dead. Its partially your fault, and you know that."
"No..." I whimpered, blinking back the tears again.
"Hey, woah— what are you doing?" Scot asked.
Sebastian held up a finger, not even turning to him.
"Listen to me." He ordered when I tried to place my hands over my ears again. He pulled my wrists down. "This man, beside you," he nodded at Stiles. "He doesn't love you. He's terrified of you."
"What the hell—" Stiles started, but was cut off by James hand covering his mouth.
Sebastian continued once again, and I couldn't help but cling onto his words, whether he was speaking truthfully or not. "He's terrified of you, no matter what he says. Want to know how I know that? Because I was in the exact same situation decades ago. She ended up killing herself because she was afraid of me, and she told me death was the only escape. I trusted her, just like you trust this fellow. But eventually, he's going to leave you."
"No." I whimpered again, falling to the side. My head hit the pillow, making a 'poof' noise.
"Yes." He nodded. "Yes he is."
Stiles mumble underneath James' hand and Scott tried to move towards me but was stopped once again. "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to break her." He spat through his teeth. "Anna, you can't be with him. He'll grow old, you won't. He can have a family, you won't. He'll go to college, live his dreams—"
"I won't."
"Exactly," He whispered, brushing hair off of my face.
My face contorted, and I tried to contain the sobs in my chest. "He'll graduate. He'll fall in love. He'll grow old with someone."
"And you won't."
A small sob escaped, and I hiccuped. "Oh God…"
"He'll die. And you won't. You're immortal, so learn to embrace it."
"No!"
"Yes, Anna." Sebastian's eyes flashed red. "Everyone around you is going to die. Over and over. You can't make friends without watching them die. You can't fall in love without killing them or watching them grow old. Trust me, because everyone I ever loved is buried ten feet under the ground, rotting in a cemetery."
He broke me. I reached my breaking point and everything inside my exploded.
I broke into a fit of hiccups, cries, and trembes. I felt like I was having some kind of seizure.
I started to scream again.
"NOOOOO!" I shrieked. "Make it stop! I can't— I can't it hurts… Make it stop." I can't be strong anymore. I was never strong. I could never be as strong as Allison… I can't live with the knowledge that everyone around me will die. "Please make it stop!" I screamed.
I could see Stiles break beside me, seeing me like this.
My cousin watched in terror and anxiety and James, finally letting go of both Stiles and Scott, sadistically smirked.
"I can help you," Sebastian explains again.
"Help me," I beg. "Help me."
He grabs the sides of my face and peers into my soul. I see his oceanic blue eyes, and then his lips move to my ear.
My nightmare became a reality. "Turn it off." He whispers.
And I do.
A/N: I'M SO SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG. I hope this chapter makes up for it, part of the next one is in a rough draft too. It was a busy few weeks and I just had no time to right! Anyways I hope you like this and please tell me what you think! Thanks for the previous reviews :) They made my day and I love reading the long ones!
Anyways, tata for now! See you again in a few days.
R&R please :)