Nothing is as it Seems

Chris and Gabriel sat on the living room couch, while their sister paced in front of the fireplace.

"The one that attacked me was big. It had width and power." Kate explained. "But the one I shot was lean and fast."

"Well, that would be Derek Hale." Gabriel noted, taking a sip of his Whiskey,

"Are you sure?" Kate asked.

"Mostly." Gabriel answered.

"Well, how do we know it's just two of 'em?" Kate questioned, leaning against the fireplace.

"We don't yet." Chris reminded. "But if Derek's still alive, he will lead us to the Alpha."

"Take the pack leader, and then take the pack." Kate deducted, smiling.

"And we do it according to the code." Gabriel reminded.

"You boys and the code." Kate scoffed, rolling her eyes. She took a match stick from the holder by her feet.

"It's there for a reason, Kate." Chris told her.

"Of course." she replied, lighting the match and tossing it onto the wood, the fire roared to life. "I always play by the rules."

Calla leaned back in her desk chair, running her fingers through her hair. She wore pink flannel pants and a grey, long-sleeved Hollister t-shirt. Her History book was open, and a half-finished worksheet rested beside it. Her cell phone started buzzing next to her arm.

She checked the caller ID and sighed, "Hey stranger." she greeted.

"Sorry for not getting back to you earlier." Derek replied on the other line.

"It's okay." Calla told him. "I just thought I saw you at the high school earlier and I guess I was worried." she chuckled. "Are you okay?" she pushed herself away from her desk.

Outside the Argent house, Derek stood in the backyard, looking up at the second story window. Calla moved to stand in front of the window, her back turned to him.

"I'm fine, I was busy." he answered.

"Busy doing what?" Calla asked, leaning against the window.

"Planning our next date." he replied. "Turn around."

Calla raised an eyebrow and turned around, seeing Derek meeting her eyes from outside. "Wow, this is unexpected." she chuckled.

Derek smiled. "Now either you come down or I'm coming up."

Calla bit her lip. "Stay there." she hung up her phone and tossed it onto her bed.

Calla unlatched her window and lifted it up, letting the cool, night breeze blow into her room. She carefully slipped out and scaled the roof, getting as close to the edge as possible. Putting her gymnastics training to use, she flipped off the roof and landed perfectly on the ground, her face inches from Derek's.

"So, care to explain exactly what brings you here this late?" Calla asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"I figured it would be better to explain to you in person than over the phone." Derek answered.

Calla nodded. "Okay, what's going on." she pressed.

Derek took her hand and caressed the top of it. "I was planning something for the two of us to do on our next date." he told her.

"And when is that?" Calla prided.

"All I'm gonna tell you is that's soon." Derek answered. "It's a surprise."

Calla chuckled. "I'm not a big fan of surprises." she admitted, taking a step closer to Derek. "But, I guess I can keep an open mind."

"That's all I'll ask for now." he replied. He closed the gap between the two of them and leaned down, capturing Calla's lips in a kiss.

Calla's eyes widened for a split second before closing, her body relaxing into Derek's. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. Derek's arms tightened around her lower back, as their kiss deepened. He opened his eyes for an instant, to take in the sight of the girl who's captured his heart.

Calla went in for another kiss, tightening her grip around Derek's neck. Her heart raced in her chest, something Derek picked up on.

He pulled away and caressed her cheek. She met his eyes, her hands still wrapped around his neck.

"You should get some sleep." Derek advised, not breaking away from Calla's eyes.

She nodded. "Yeah." she agreed. She leaned up and pecked his lips. "Goodnight Derek."

Derek kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams Calla." he replied, stepping back.

Calla smiled and walked back towards her house, slipping in through the side door. She noticed her aunt's Kia parked near there and caught the sight of something glistening by the driver's side window. It was a piece of glass, from the window, like it had been smashed in by someone. She peeked inside and saw a single powder burn, like someone shot a gun point blank into the hood.

Calla bit her lip and shook her head, slipping into the house without anyone noticing.