"I'm going to fucking die."
The thought kept flying around and around in Skyler's head as she slumped on the ground, fighting back tears. She could hear the Alpha still tearing at the janitor, the sound of the wet flesh ripping was only drowned out by the screams of the dying man. It was a sound that Sky knew would never leave her.
The ragged breaths were starting to calm as the werewolf finished with the older man, and started to move further into the locker room, his claws tapping the tiles gently. Skyler held her breath, head poking around the corner of the locker just enough to see what was happening. She bit down hard on her finger to stop herself from screaming. The janitor was torn apart. Literally. There were claw marks across his stomach and torso, innards practically spilling out onto the floor. His blood pooled around him, leaking further and further across the room. It was nearly touching her at this point.
Skyler pushed herself up onto her knees and stuck her whole head around the locker. The Alpha was nowhere to be seen, but that did little to comfort her. She was much more worried when she couldn't see him. She froze as a little clatter sounded from across the room. She gave a little whimper, glancing quickly in the direction that the sound had come from. She crawled forward as fast as possible, skirting around the janitor's body, shuddering in disgust and rounding another row of lockers, leading her into the shower block.
She stood up, legs cramping as she straightened up. She pressed herself against the wall, side-stepping along. She heard the Alpha's tapping grow louder, accompanied for a moment by a wet squelching sound and a sniff. Sky gagged, realising that the Alpha was clambering over the janitor's body. She paused, waiting for the werewolf to start moving again, but all she heard was a rough dragging sound. Skyler scooted back to the opening of the shower block and leaned around the corner. The Alpha had the janitor's collar in his claws and was walking slowly backwards, away from the locker room door and the shower block, heading in the direction of the gym.
Skyler breathed out a sigh of relief, trying to stop her hands from shaking. She waited until it was out of sight and then gave it another minute or two before darting across to the door of the locker room. She grabbed the handle trying to twist it but it wouldn't move. She tried to pull the door open, grasping the doorknob and leaning her whole weight backwards, grunting in frustration.
A growl tore through the air behind her.
Skyler tensed, knowing what was coming next. She pivoted slowly on her heel, turning to face the Alpha, crouched at the opposite end of the room. It was snarling, lips drawn back, not so much threatening as mocking. She reached inside her jacket slowly, one arm stretched out in front of her like she was trying to soothe an angry dog. Her finger's wrapped around the handle of her Swiss army knife and pulled it out, flipping up one of the blades. She brandished it at the Alpha, staring it straight in the eye and letting the words roll off her tongue like a soft spoken war cry.
"Screw you. I am not afraid."
He lunged for her, barely letting her finish her sentence before springing forward. Skyler rolled to the side, tucking her arms in close to her side. She came out of the roll, and pushed herself up onto her knees. The Alpha was just landing in the spot she had vacated seconds earlier. Skyler brought her knife arm up and stabbed it down as hard as she could through the Alpha's paw that was nearest to her. He roared in pain, his head turning to face hers, jaws snapping a few inches from her face. She twisted the blade, digging it in deeper until she felt it go right through its paw. The Alpha tried to pull away from her and tumbled over, one of his legs still pinned to the ground by Sky's butterfly knife.
Skyler hauled the knife back out and spun, leaping to her feet and ducking back into the shower block. She heard an angry growl from behind her, but didn't bother to turn and check it out. She could smell the salty tang of blood behind her and grinned to herself. She could hear the Alpha climbing to it's feet but she had enough of a head start to make difference. She planted a hand on the shower wall and used it to skid around the corner. Skyler laughed at the insane amount of adrenaline flowing around her body as she hurdled a bench and dashed through the open door to Coach Finstock's office.
She kicked the door closed behind her and grabbed his desk, tugging it in front of the door she had just run through. Her eyes scanned the room for something else to block the door. Her eyes fell on a ratty green couch sitting underneath some medals from when the Coach played lacrosse. She wriggled behind it and pushed it over to the desk, wedging it in at a perpendicular angle between the desk and the wall opposite. It only just fit in the gap, leaving an inch or two on either side. Let the Alpha try and open it now.
She hurdled over the back of the couch, moving to the other door in the room that led out into one of the school's many corridors. She grabbed the door handle, pushing and pulling and turning it every which way she could. But it was locked, just like every other fucking door in this school. She shouted unintelligibly in frustration kicking the door then wincing in pain. She turned back around, leaning in the back of the couch. Something was wrong, but she wasn't quite sure what. The spun on the spot for a few seconds before it hit her. She couldn't hear the Alpha.
He had definitely been chasing her as she left the locker room, she had heard him snarling at snapping at her as she had run, but now as she could hear was the sound of her own breath. She stepped onto the cushions of the couch and then moved to kneel on the desk, crawling forward until she was close enough to press her ear to the locker room door. Skyler couldn't hear anything from the other side, no claws tapping, no heavy Alpha breathing, no snarls, no flesh ripping. The silence was almost more terrifying than staring the Alpha down, face to face.
Sky pushed herself back off the desk, dropping back onto the couch and crouching down onto her haunches. She pulled open the top desk drawer, searching desperately for the keys for the office door. The first drawer was empty of anything except some useless sheets of lacrosse stats hiding a half drunk bottle of vodka. She tutted, smiling fondly. She really did like Coach Finstock. She dropped it back in, moving onto the second drawer. That held nothing but lacrosse players' files. Unhelpful. She couldn't even open the third or fourth drawer because it was blocked by the couch. She sat back onto her heels on the couch, eyes scanning the room. The little key bowl on the desk was empty and nothing hung on the hook by the door.
Skyler threw herself down on the couch, laying out on her back, throwing her legs over the arm that was pressed against the desk, and dropping her head to rest on the other.
"Ow! Fuck!"
She shot back up, pissed off that her little rest had been disturbed by whatever she had banged her head off of. She spun around as best she could on her knees, turning to see what it was. There was a set of golf clubs wedged between the couch and the wall. She laughed quietly at the image of the Coach teeing up, wearing his diamond patterned sweater vest and golf pants with the socks pulled up. She had to laugh right now, because if she didn't she would probably cry at her situation. She plucked one out of the case, placing it over her shoulder like a baseball bat before taking an experimental swing. There was a loud crash as the club connected with an ornate glass ashtray, that looked completely unused, and knocked it to the ground where it shattered into pieces.
"Whoops. Wait. Light bulb. I gotta stop talking to myself."
Skyler grinned, turning to the door as a brilliant idea popped into her head. She hopped over the back of the couch, walking back to the office door. There was a large window of frosted glass in the door, definitely big enough for someone her size to fit through. She stepped to the side, holding the golf club out at arm's length, making sure that the thick end of the club lined up the glass. She took a practice swing, stopping just before she made contact with the glass, and then she took another. When Sky was sure that it was going to work, she took a deep, calming breath and swung the club with all her might.
The smashing sound was so loud it hurt. There was no small hole with spiderweb cracks spreading out like Skyler had expected, instead the glass exploded outwards spilling onto the hall floor, glass dropping with a tinkling sound, like rain. She let the club fall to the floor next to her and slipped off her jacket, wrapping it around her right hand. She used it to pick all of the extra pieces of glass out of the frame. Once she was done, Sky shook out her jacket, making sure all of the tiny shards were gone before slipping it back on. She picked up a swivel chair, hoisting it over the couch and placing it just under the broken window.
Sky scooped up her golf club, and stepped up onto the chair. She held onto the frame of the now nonexistent window and trying not to let the chair spin under her feet. Once she had gained her balance she threw the gold club into the hall and raised her arms, fingers gripping the top of the door frame. Skyler flexed her practically useless muscles once or twice before tightening her hold on the door and raising herself up like she was on a pull up bar. She brought her legs up to her chest, sliding her feet through the gap in the door. She let her legs drop through the door and let go. There was absolutely nothing graceful about the way she exited the office. Skyler smacked her ass off the window frame, having to wriggle slightly to fit her hips through, the tiny leftover shards of glass tore at her back, pulling the hem of her shirt up and leaving scratches up her back. She raised her arms above her head, having to brace them on the door and push her chest through the opening. She finally dropped to the floor, landing on her feet then overbalancing and falling to her knees.
Sky laughed in triumph, raising her arms above her head in a Rocky-esque celebration of victory. She pushed herself up onto one knee, legs shaking. Taking a minute to catch her breath, she leaned against the door, doubling over to pick up her golf club. With the other hand, Sky patted down her jeans and jacket. She spent a minute searching her pockets before remembering that she had thrown her phone into the door well in the Jeep earlier after texting Rebecca to tell her that she was going to study at Stiles'. She would just have to find them the old fashioned way, by wandering aimlessly through the enormous school and hope that she found either Scott or Stiles before the Alpha found her.
Her first task was to find a map and get her bearings. Right now, Sky wasn't sure where she was in relation to anywhere else in the building besides the Coach's office and the boys' locker room. She took off down the hall directly in front of her, then took a left and a right, then left at a fork in the hallway. It took her nearly five minutes to find a bulletin board with a little map of the school on it. She was a corridor away from the pool, and if she cut through there, she could take a right at the biology lab and then another right and she would be in the lobby.
Skyler jogged as silently as possible to the swimming pool, pausing just outside the double doors. She was sure she could hear someone moving around in there. It couldn't be Scott and Stiles, because there was no way they'd split up, and Sky could only hear one pair of footsteps. It could be the Alpha in his human form. If Sky stayed quiet for another minute she could surprise him, and hopefully beat the living shit out of him. She pressed herself against the doors, staying low, golf club poised on her shoulder. She just had to wait until it came close enough that it would be within clubbing distance. She heard the person grow closer and closer to the door until they were just on the other side.
Sky threw herself forwards through the door, yelling and swinging the golf club . She heard a very effeminate scream and saw a flash of dark hair dropping to the floor. The club connected with the tiled wall, harsh vibrations running up the metal handle and making her whole arm shake.
"Skyler?!"
She looked down at the figure sprawled on the ground. "Allison?! What the hell are you doing here?"
"I was meant to be going out with Scott tonight, but he never showed," Allison told her. Skyler held out a hand, grasping Allison's and pulling her to her feet. Allison's eyes were wide and she was chewing nervously on her bottom lip. "And then I got this text from him to meet him at the school, so Lydia and Jackson drove me over, but know I don't know where they are, and Scott just called and told me to meet him in the lobby and something bad's going on, I know it."
"Lydia and Jackson are here?" Allison nodded, trying to calm herself down. Skyler huffed and ran her hands through her hair before realising that they were coated in something sticky. She looked down at them and blanched. They were smeared with blood. She remembered throwing herself to the ground in the locker room, her hands landing in the janitor's blood as she stabbed the Alpha. "Fuck. Alright. Where was Scott? Did he say anything else? Is he okay? Was Stiles with him?!"
"All he said was to go to the lobby straight away." Allison placed her hands on Sky's shoulder's, fingers digging into the skin. "Let's go, and you can ask him yourself when we get there. And you guys need to explain what the hell is going on."
Skyler gave a short nod in agreement, turning away from the door to cross the room. They walked in silence, making their way through the pool's changing rooms and back into the maze of corridors. Sky held the golf club out in front of her, wielding it like a sword. It made her feel powerful, even though she knew she could probably never take down an actual Alpha werewolf with just that.
"So, what the hell were you doing here anyway?" Allison's question made her heart jump in her chest. Sky hated having to lie to her friend, it was the same sick feeling that she had had when she told Lydia that it had been a mountain lion that had attacked them at the video store.
"Oh, Stiles, uh," Sky racked her brain for a moment, searching for any reasonable excuse. "He forgot his geography book."
"I didn't know Stiles did geography," Allison looked at her skeptically. "I take geography and Stiles isn't in it. He also told me that he didn't take that subject before."
Fuck.
"Did I say geography?" Sky laughed nervously, giving her a weak grin. "I meant... chemistry."
Allison snorted disbelievingly, glaring at Skyler. "So why did Scott want me to come to the school of you guys had just stopped to get a chem book? And why are you holding a golf club?" Allison snapped.
"You'll have to ask him," Sky tried to avoid answering the question properly. "And I just borrowed it. From Coach."
They took the first right, turning into another pitch black hallway. She felt Allison draw closer to her, shivering. Sky moved almost imperceptibly in front of her friend, tightening her grip on the golf club. The patter of their shoes were unnerving, the only noise in the otherwise empty hallway. Allison was scared due to the fact that they were on their own in an abandoned school, Skyler was scared because she knew that there was a giant Alpha werewolf prowling around.
They stopped at the corner, pressing their backs to the wall. Sky put a finger to her lips, shushing Allison, before poking her head around the corner. The lobby was a few meters down the next hallway and a small flight of steps. She jerked her head to the side before turning the corner and jogging down to the lobby, Allison on her heels. Just as she hopped down the steps, Sky heard more footsteps running into the lobby from the opposite direction. She held the club out, stopping Allison in her tracks. Just as they were about to backtrack, Scott skidded into the lobby, sliding across the floor.
"Why did you come?!" He demanded, staring right past Skyler at Allison, who sidestepped the golf club and moved to Scott in the middle of the room. "What are you doing here?!"
"Stiles..." Sky whispered, eyes darting around, looking for the teen. "Scott, where's-"
Stiles tripped into the room, nearly going headfirst down the steps. He was breathing heavily and had obviously been running very fast for quite a while. His head snapped when he heard Scott and Allison talking. His eyes scanned them for a moment, before passing over them and moving to Skyler, who was still standing behind them, brandishing her golf club. His brown eyed were slightly bloodshot and puffy like he had been crying.
"Skyler."
They both started to run at the same time, Sky skirting around Scott and Allison. They collided just behind Scott, Stiles hitting her so hard she stumbled back a few feet into their werewolf friend. She dropped the golf club, letting it fall at her feet. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him as tight as she could until she was nearly choking him. He gripped her waist, burying his face in her hair. She was several inches shorter than him, and when he held her that tight she was lifted right off the ground. She nearly sobbed into his neck in relief. She hadn't even entertained the thought that something had happened to him, it was too much to even consider, but it was still a huge relief to have him in her arms, with solid proof that he wasn't dead.
"Are you okay?" He murmured into her hair, letting her fall back to the ground.
"I'm fine. You?" She wasn't sure that he even heard her, her voice was too muffled against his skin. Her face flushed darkly as she remembered the last time that they had touched, when they were shut in the locker together. Her entire body tingled at the memory of the feel of his lips and the soft warmth of his skin.
He took a step back, holding her at arm's length and searching her body for any injuries. His eyes ran over her bloodied hands, which she had tried to wipe off on her pants. He picked them up, holding them close to his face and inspecting them.
"What the hell happened?" Stiles' eyes were filled with worry, taking her chin and tilting her head so that he could look her right in the eyes.
"It's not my blood. It's the janitor's." Skyler whispered, making sure Allison couldn't hear. "I'll tell you later, when we're not around Ally."
"Did you drive here?" Stiles cut in, staring at Allison.
"Jackson did," she squeaked back. She was holding her phone up for Scott to see. Sky stepped over, glancing at the screen.
'Meet me at the school. URGENT - Scott.'
She looked up over Allison's shoulder at Scott. He shook his head vigorously, mouthing 'I didn't send it'.
"Jackson's here too?" Scott groaned.
"And Lydia, apparently." Skyler chipped in, grimacing. "But we don't know where they are."
Her stomach clenched painfully at the look on Stiles' face. Pure, unadulterated care and concern. She knew it was selfish and stupid right now and that she should be glad that Stiles cared so much for her best friend, but it just made her jealous. She wanted to be his top priority, the only one Stiles worried about, no matter how immature and childish the notion was.
"What's going on?!" Allison demanded shrilly, "Who sent this text?" She stared pleadingly at Scott who just stared back without saying a word. After a moment, his gaze flickered over to Stiles and Skyler, eyes begging them to tell her what was wrong. Sky just ducked her head, feeling like absolute shit. Stiles' eyes flickered to the ceiling and he rocked backwards and forwards on his heels.
They all jumped as Allison's phone went off, breaking the awkward silence. She shot a final half glare at everyone then looked down at her phone, tapping the answer button and holding it up to her ear.
"Lydia, where are you?"
The double doors across the room from where Skyler and Allison had entered swung open, and Sky bent down and scooped the golf club back up. Lydia and Jackson strode in, both looking thoroughly irritated and a small bit scared.
"Finally," Lydia huffed throwing her phone back in her bag, then glancing up to see Skyler standing there. "Sky, why are you here?" Sky opened her mouth to reply, but never got to the chance to let the words out. "Know what, doesn't matter. Can we go now?"
"Good idea, come on," Sky grabbed Stiles' hand and took a in the direction of the main entrance to the school.
There was a creaking noise overhead, quiet at first, but enough to make everyone fall silent and stand still. And then again, the same creaking noise, but louder and closer, followed by a snapping sound.
"Run." Scott said.
Skyler waited until she had seen all of the others run past her, Stiles tugging on her hand to get her moving, before sprinting after them. She leaped up all three steps at once, pushing herself to move faster and faster. There was a huge thundering crash behind them, and Scott, Stiles and Skyler knew that it was the Alpha crashing through the ceiling and picked up the pace. Sky could only just hear the pounding of Alpha's paws against the floor over the sound of everyone's laboured breathing.
They spun around a corner, all six bumping into each other in their haste. Stiles was gripping her hand tightly, making sure she stayed close as they tried to find somewhere suitable to hide. Skyler was delighted that she had chosen to worn escape savvy boots, unlike Lydia who was struggling to run in her heels. They were halfway down the hallway when she heard a low growl behind them, and turned her head, shooting a glance over her shoulder. The Alpha was turning the corner, sliding uncontrollably on the lino floor.
"Faster, faster, faster!" She shouted, putting on a burst of speed and hauling Stiles along after her.
They crashed through the doors into the cafeteria, spilling apart as they entered. Sky spun on her heel, eyes flying to Scott. He was standing at the door, trying as hard as he could to lock the doors behind him. Jackson stood next to him, looking more scared than angry at this stage.
"Help me get this in front of the door." He darted to a large refrigerator near the door and Jackson followed. They started to drag it over, trying to block the only way into the cafeteria.
"Scott, wait," Stiles let go of Skyler, drifting over to the windows on one side of the room. "Not here."
"What was that, Scott?" Allison sounded terrified, unable to keep her hands still. "What was that?"
"What came through the ceiling?" Lydia asked, her voice shaking. Skyler took a few steps over, taking one of Lydia's hands in hers and looking her best friend square in the face. She felt so sick and absolutely hated herself right now. She wanted to sit Lydia down and explain everything to her, but it was not her secret to tell. She was worried, though. The sight of the Alpha at the video store had torn Lydia up. Skyler had received several middle of the night calls from Lydia, claiming she just wanted to talk or was bored, but Sky could always hear the quiver in Lydia's voice, and knew that it was really nightmares that were keeping her from her sleep.
"Lydia, we just need to focus on staying safe right now, and we can talk later," Sky wrapped an arm around Lydia's shoulders, squeezing her gently. "We can explain."
"Will you just help me?!" Scott exclaimed, finally heaving the refrigerator into place. "The chairs, stack the chairs," he instructed, waving his hands all over the place. They all jumped into action, darting around to grab any furniture they could and pulling it over to the door while Skyler tucked the golf club through the handles of the door.
"Guys, can we wait just a second! You guys, listen to me! Wait!" Stiles was shouting over by the windows, but no one was listening but Skyler, the rest were too busy stacking chairs out of fear. "Guys, Stiles talking!"
"Stiles, could you please help us?" Skyler snapped, holding a three high tower of chairs.
"We needed a room without windows, Sky," Stiles hauled the chairs out of her hands, slamming them down and pushing them away across the floor. He gestured to the wall behind him, comprised nearly completely of windows.
"Oh, shit," Skyler breathed out, eyes widening and sucking in a deep breath.
"Can we hang on one second please?!" Stiles started up, yelling again at the four others that were still stacking chairs and tables against their one escape route. "Hello?"
"STOP!" Skyler shrieked, raising her voice so high that she felt it waver and break.
Scott, Jackson, Lydia and Allison froze, spinning to face the screaming girl.
"Okay, nice work. Really beautiful job everyone," Stiles told them, voice overflowing with sarcasm. He stepped to the side, throwing his arms wide, presenting the windows like they were a grand display. "Now, what are we going to do about the twenty foot wall of windows."
Scott groaned, gripping Allison's hand tighter. Jackson and Lydia were standing close together, but not touching. Stiles took a few small steps over to Skyler, sliding and arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. She could feel him trembling slightly, and wrapped her arms around his waist in return, giving him a quick hug. They locked eyes for a second, and she could see just how scared he was.
"It's gonna be okay," she murmured, resting her head on his chest. It was comforting to hear his heartbeat, the only steady constant in this complete whirlwind of a night.
"Can somebody please explain to me what's going on, 'cause I am freaking out here?" Allison was quiet, voice uneven. Sky had never seen Allison cry, but she could hear the sobs that she was barely holding back. She looked at her boyfriend, begging for him to let her in on the secret. "And I would like to know why, Scott?"
Skyler knew how it felt to be in that position, but knew that it must have been much worse for Allison, seeing as it was Allison's boyfriend that was lying to her and even though Skyler had known that there was something weird going on, it had never gone so far as being trapped in the school with the Alpha while she was still unaware of the werewolf problem. Scott looked back at her, face contorted as he searched for something to tell her. He settled for sighing loudly before walking away, burying his head in his hands.
"Somebody killed the janitor," Stiles spoke out, making everyone turn to him instead. He moved closer to the others, drawing Skyler along with him, but not letting go of her waist.
"What?" Lydia squeaked, eyes focused on Skyler rather than Stiles.
"Yeah," Sky glanced down, not wanting to look any of her friends in the face. "The janitor's dead."
"What's he talking about?" Allison let out a little laugh that was in no was real or convincing. "Is this a joke?"
"Wait," Jackson spoke for the first time since all six of them had met up. "Who killed him?"
No, no, no, no, no," Lydia whispered, eyes still fixed on Skyler, who was still blatantly ignoring her gaze. "This was supposed to be over. The mountain lion killed-"
"No, don't you get it," Jackson snapped, taking a step towards Lydia. He shot an accusatory glare at Skyler before turning back to his girlfriend. "There wasn't a mountain lion!"
"Hey! Back off," Sky snarled, pushing away from Stiles and pushing between Lydia and Jackson. She placed her hands on Jackson's chest, shoving him back a few steps. "Talk to her like that again, and you and I are gonna have a problem."
"Who was it? What does he want?!" Allison's sudden outburst made everyone jump. She was running her hand through her hair, watching Scott is apprehension. He was leaning on a table, entire body was shaking gently. "What's happening? Scott?"
"I - I - I don't know," Scott stammered, glancing at everyone, eyes conflicted. "I - I, I just... If we go out there, he's gonna kill us!"
"Us?" Lydia asked, grabbing Skyler's upper arm and dragging Sky over to stand next to her. "He's gonna kill us?"
"Who?!" Allison demanded of Scott, obviously losing her temper with him. "Skyler?!" She turned to her friend who just held her gaze.
"Ally," Sky whispered, shaking her head. Allison turned away from her, but not before shooting her a look of disappointment.
"Who is it?!" Allison stared at Scott again, her expression filled with hurt.
"It's Derek." Scott straightened up, chin held high, eyes determined. "Derek Hale."
"Excuse me?!" Skyler yelled, eyes wild. Scott avoided her gaze, having the sense to at least look slightly ashamed. She rolled her eyes in her best 'Are-You-Fucking-Kidding-Me-McCall' look. "You're serious?!"
"Skyler," Stiles hissed in her ear, dragging her back to stand with him.
"Derek killed the janitor?" Jackson's voice was filled with a nervousness that was very unusual for him.
"Are you sure?" Allison was shaking her head, disbelief colouring her features.
"I saw him, we all did," Scott insisted, look a bit offended that Allison hadn't believed his complete and utter lie.
"I didn't," Skyler snarled, glaring at the two boys.
"Sky, we really need you to back us up on this," Stiles begged quietly, gripping her arm tight and staring her right in the eyes. She huffed and pulled away from him, but nodded gently.
"The mountain lion..." Lydia started, voice trailing off.
"No!" Scott spoke over her. "Derek killed them."
"All of them?" Sky knew that Ally just wanted to understand what was going on, but her constant questions were giving her a headache.
"Yeah, starting with his own sister."
Skyler felt a rush of horror as she remembered being told about Laura Hale. Laura, Derek and their practically comatose uncle Peter were the last surviving members of the Hale family. With Laura dead at the hands of the Alpha, and Derek missing, presumed dead also at the hands of the Alpha and framed for several murders by Scott, Peter was the last of the Hales. Sky felt for a second like she should visit him after they got through this, but then shook her head and the idea disappeared. Derek could visit him when he healed, because he was not dead.
"The bus driver?" Allison asked weakly, watery eyes still fixed on Scott.
"And the guy in the video store," Scott added, his little rant picking up steam. "It's been Derek the whole time" He's in here with us! And is we don't get out no... he's going to kill us too." By the time he finished, Scott was practically shouting.
Everything was silent for a second until Lydia made a small whimpering noise. Skyler shook Stiles off and darted across to her, pulling her into a hug. Lydia buried her face in Skyler's hair, taking a shuddering breath. She felt someone's eyes on her and looked up to see Jackson watching them, the doubt was evident in his face. She remembered lying on the floor of the video store with Jackson as the Alpha stalked through the aisles, Jackson had seen the Alpha, felt its claws on his neck. There was no way in hell that he'd believe that Derek had committed the murders.
"Call the cops," Jackson demanded, looking at Stiles and Scott.
"No."
Jackson stared at Stiles incredulously. Skyler knew that Stiles didn't want his dad going up against the Alpha because their regular guns wouldn't work on a werewolf, it would be harder to explain why they didn't want the entire Sheriff's department taking on one man.
"Wh-what d'you mean 'no'?"
"I mean no." Stiles' voice was firm and he was staring Jackson down. "You wanna hear it in Spanish? Noh!"
Skyler laughed despite herself, gaining weird looks from everyone but Stiles and Lydia, who was still tucked against her.
"Derek killed three people, okay," Stiles continued, voice growing heated. "We don't know what he's armed with."
"Your dad is armed with the entire Sheriff's department," Jackson growled back, "Call him."
"He said no already, Jackson," Sky let go of Lydia and faced Jackson. "Drop it."
"I'm calling." Lydia rooted in her pocket, pulling out her phone and walking away from the group.
"Lyds, please," Skyler begged softly, moving to take the phone from her friend's hand.
Jackson stepped between them, taking hold of Skyler's shoulders roughly and pushing her back a few steps. She stumbled backwards hitting a chair, Jackson still holding onto her. She pulled up a foot, kicking Jackson viciously in the shin. He let go, cursing at her but backing off. Stiles appeared in front of her, glaring at Jackson like he wanted to kill him.
"Don't touch her again, I'm warning you."
She had never heard Stiles that angry, and it was a bit worrying to say the least. He turned around to face her, his eyes alight with an angry flame.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she replied quietly, not sure what to say to him. "I'm fine."
"Yes, we're at Beacon Hills High School," Lydia told the officer on the other end of the line. "We're trapped and we need you to... but... She hung up on me." She looked shocked, staring at her phone in confusion.
"The police hung up on you?" Allison asked Lydia in disbelief, she nodded in reply.
"Are they even allowed to do that?" Skyler wondered aloud.
"She said they got a tip warning them that there are gonna be prank calls about a break in at the high school," Lydia told them, eyes unfocused. "She said if I called again they're gonna trace the call and have me arrested."
"Okay, then call again," Allison suggested, waving a hand at the phone.
"No, they won't trace a cell," Stiles shook his head, looking at each one of them in turn. "They'll send a car to your house before they send anyone here."
"What the... what... what is this?" Allison turned to Scott, hands running through her hair again. "Why does Derek wanna kill us? Why is he killing anyone?"
Lydia and Jackson swiveled to face Scott again, shuffling to stand closer to Allison. Stiles placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her over closer to their four friends. Stiles looked at him, searching for any indication that Scott had a plan.
"Why's everyone looking at me?!" He glanced at each of them in turn.
"Oh, well seeing as you know that it was Derek that's been behind all these murders, we thought that maybe you might have some more helpful little insights on the case," Skyler's voice dripped with sarcasm, eyes narrowing as she glared at Scott.
"Sky, enough," Stiles snapped, hauling her backwards by her shirt.
"Is he the one who sent her the text?" Lydia asked.
"No! I mean, I don't know."
"Is he the one that called the police?" Allison spoke up.
"I don't know!"
"Oh," Skyler yelled, still pissed with Scott for blaming Derek, knowing how much trouble Derek would be in with the cops when he popped back up. "But you are absolutely sure that Derek killed everyone. Great fucking work, Magnum PI."
"All right," Stiles said in a soothing voice. "Why don't we just ease back on the throttle here, yeah?"
He twisted his hand in the hem of Skyler's shirt, dragging her behind him as he moved over to Scott, grabbing him by the arm. He led them away from the rest of the group, shushing Sky as she tried to protest. When they were far enough away that they were definitely out of earshot, Stiles released her and Scott, but made sure to stand between them.
"Okay, first off," Stiles started, turning to Scott, and Sky could tell that his patience was wearing thin. "Throwing Derek under the bus, nicely done."
"I didn't know what to say! I had to say something!" Scott exclaimed quietly, glancing apologetically over at Sky who just glared angrily back at him. "And if he's dead then it doesn't matter, right? Ow! Don't hit me, Sky. Except if he's not dead. Oh, God. I totally just bit her head off."
"And she'll totally get over it," Stiles spoke over him. "Bigger issues at hand here. Like how do we get out alive?"
"But we are alive," Scott countered, "It could've killed us already. It's like he's cornering us or something."
"He's right," Skyler agreed, feeling much less angry with Scott now that she had vented some of her frustration by hitting him, however gently. "When I got stuck in the locker room I stabbed the Alpha in the paw and ran for Coach's office. He started chasing me, but when I got into the office, he completely gave up. He could've easilt made it through the door."
"You stabbed the Alpha?" Stiles was staring at her, mouth hanging open slightly. She nodded back and smirked a bit. "Badass, Gray. So, what, he wants to eat us all at the same time?"
"No, Derek said it wants revenge."
"The spiral, right?" Skyler asked, trying to remember what Stiles had told her about the symbol of revenge.
"Yeah, that's it," Stiles smiled at her, making her stomach clench delightfully. "But, revenge against who?"
"Allison's family?"
"So, you think the Alpha's a werewolf that the Argent's pissed off somehow, and now he's taking his revenge by killing Allison?" Skyler asked, eyes flickering between the boys.
"Maybe that's what the text was about," Stiles suggested. "Someone had to send it."
"Okay, assheads, new plan." An irritating voice cut through their conversation, setting Skyler's teeth on edge. She moved to take a step towards Jackson, but felt Stiles' hand wrap around her wrist, pulling her back. His long fingers managed to wrap themselves the entire way around her wrist, overlapping where they met.
"Woah, cool it, tiger," he whispered, giving her a half grin, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Sky could see that he was starting to lose the calm demeanour he had been wearing all night.
"Stiles calls his useless dad, and tells him to send someone with a gun and decent aim." Stiles' back was to the other boy, but Skyler still felt him stiffen in anger at Jackson's words. "Are we good with that?"
She closed her hand around Stiles' wrist in turn so that they were standing nearly chest to chest with him, clasping each other's wrist. She squeezed it gently, feeling his pulse thudding under her fingertips. "You cool it too," Sky whispered back. "Ignore him, he's a fucking jackass."
"He's right." Scott's voice was so quiet that Sky had to strain to hear him. He couldn't be serious, could he? He couldn't put the Sheriff's life in danger, right? "Tell him if you have to, just... Just call him."
"I'm not watching my dad get eaten alive," Stiles' voice was low and firm, his eyes locked with Scott's, fingers constricting almost painfully on Skyler's wrist.
"All right, give me the phone." Jackson moved forward, shoving Sky away and reaching to grab hold of Stiles' shoulder.
Stiles spun, fist already flying as he moved. It connected with Jackson's jaw, creating a harsh thudding sound. Jackson stumbled backwards, falling to the ground, still holding his mouth in pain. Skyler took a few faltering steps over to Stiles, placing her hands flat against his chest and pushing his back several feet. He looked down at her, eyes blazing. She never thought she would see that level of anger in Stiles, even if it was a calmly controlled sort of anger. To be perfectly honest, Skyler found it kinda sexy.
"Nice swing, Stilinski," Sky told him, not even trying to hold her grin back.
"Jackson, are you okay?" Allison gasped, dashing across to him and crouching down. She shot a angry and disgusted look at Stiles and Skyler. It really pissed her off, and as much as much as she liked Allison, Ally was one of her best and closest friends, she really wanted to tell Allison to go fuck herself. Since when had Allison given a shit about Jackson. She should be comforting Lydia, or holding Scott's hand and helping them through this insane ordeal.
Skyler heard a click and looked down to see Stiles thumb hovering over his dad's contact. She reached down, taking one hand off his chest and using it to cover his hand that was holding the phone.
"You don't have to do this, Stiles," she whispered, looking him right in the eye. "You don't have to put your dad in danger. Not for us, not for anything. Your dad is your anchor, you told me that not three hours ago. Remember?"
"We need to get out," Stiles brought his hand up, placing it against Skyler's cheek. The heel of his hand rested on her jaw, his fingertips touching her hairline. "I can't let you get hurt, and he's out best bet at getting out of this thing alive. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you." She pressed her head into his palm for a second, closing her eyes tight to stop herself tearing up. He pulled his hand back, nodded at her once and turned away, like he was ashamed to make the call in front of her.
Sky turned to Lydia as Stiles dialed. She was standing on her own, a little ways away from everyone else. She was wearing the same look that Scott was as they both watched Allison and Jackson crouched together on the floor. It was a look of a lot of hurt, a little anger, and a tad of betrayal thrown in. She shuffled to Lydia, placing a trembling hand on her shoulder. The redhead jumped at the sudden contact, spinning to face Sky, eyes wide. Unsure what else to do, Skyler gave Lydia her best shot at a reassuring smile. Lydia smiled back, admittedly a much weaker, barely there smile. She grasped her friend's hand, pulling her close until they were pressed side by side.
"Dad, hey, it's me. And it's your voice mail. Look, I need you to call me back now. Like, right now." A loud bang sounded from the doors of the cafeteria. Everyone jumped, Allison helping Jackson scramble to her feet. They gravitated closer together, backing further and further away from the doors until they were nearly on top of the the counter where the food was served for lunches. "We're at the school. Dad, we're at the school."
Stiles backed up even quicker until he was standing directly in front of Skyler and Lydia. The banging came again, even louder and more ferocious this time. The doors shook, rattling their makeshift barricade. The golf club bent as the doors started to push in. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes meeting Sky's for a second. She could see her own fear reflected in them. She reached forward, sliding an arm around his waist from behind. She pulled him back until his back was flush with her chest, chin resting on his shoulder blade.
"Oh, my God," Lydia breathed out next to Sky, clutching her arm like boa constrictor.
"The kitchen." Skyler could feel the rumble in Stiles' chest as he talked, her hand still splayed across his chest, holding him back. "The door out of the kitchen leads to the stairwell." There was a particularly loud bang on the doors and Sky could see them shaking, nearly ripping off the hinges.
"Which only goes up," Scott pointed out, still backing away from the door.
"Up is better than here." Stiles replied, spinning around and grabbing Skyler's hand.
Lydia let go of her, racing to keep pace with Jackson who had been the first the bolt for the door. Allison after him, then Scott. Stiles pushed Skyler through the stairwell door first, squeezing in after her just as they heard the doors splinter and crash open. Her breath caught in her throat as she dashed up the first flight of stairs, knowing that the Alpha would have no problem catching up to them and tearing them limb from limb. They exploded through a door on the second floor, spilling out into the hallway. Jackson trying the nearest classroom door, which was, unsurprisingly, locked. They spread out across the corridor, checking each door as they went.
"Here!" Scott shouted, holding open a door leading to one of the chemistry labs. The six of them sprinted in, getting as far away from the door as possible. Scott slammed it behind them, forcing a stool under the door handle.
"Is this Harris' room?" Skyler asked, leaning on the table and leafing through through the papers on his desk. "I think I'd rather take my chances out there than be stuck in his room." Stiles let out a bark of laughter as he leaned over, hands on knees, panting from exertion. She looked back up, but froze as she looked at the door. A shadow passed the glass, darkening it for a few seconds, then moved on without stopping. It felt like there was air in the room until Scott spoke again.
"Jackson, how many people can fit in your car?"
Uh, s-six," He stuttered, taking a quick head count. "If someone squeezes onto someone's lap."
"Six?" Allison asked, scoffing. "I can barely fit in the back."
"It doesn't matter," Stiles said, sounding disinterested in the entire conversation. "There's no way of getting out without drawing attention."
"Always look on the bright side, Stiles," Skyler muttered darkly.
"What about this?" Scott bypassed everyone, walking to the door set in the wall. "This leads to the roof. We can go down the fire escape to the parking lot in, like, seconds."
"That's a deadbolt." Skyler had to stop herself smashing something as Stiles pointed out another flaw in their already terrible plan.
"The janitor has a key."
"You mean his body has it," Stiles corrected.
"I can get it," Scott insisted, lowering his voice so only Stiles and Skyler could hear. "I can find him by scent, by blood."
"Well, gee, that sounds like an incredibly terrible idea," Stiles rolled his eyes. "What else you got?
"Scott, if you go out there, you have no chance against the Alpha," Skyler hissed, leaning in closer to the boys. "He'll tear you apart."
"I'm getting the key," Scott replied, raising his voice and straightening up so the others could hear him. He stepped between Sky and Stiles, making for the door.
"Are you serious?" Allison stepped in front of him, her eyes wide and glassy.
"Well it's the best plan," Scott told her frustratedly. "Someone had to get the key if we wanna get out of here."
"You can't go out there unarmed," Allison countered, and Sky could see her lip starting to quiver.
Scott glanced around the room, looking for anything that could be used as a makeshift weapon. He reached over to the desk and picked up the the teacher's pointer, a long, thin plastic handle with an equally thin and useless plastic hand on the top. He brandished it in the least threatening manner Sky had ever seen.
"Well it's better than nothing," he exclaimed seeing everyone's exasperated expressions.
Skyler yanked the pointed, smacking Scott upside the head with it. "Don't be stupid, McCall."
"There's gotta be something else," Stiles groaned.
"There is." Everyone turned to Lydia, who stood there with her small smile that screamed superiority. She tilted her hear towards the chemicals cabinet and smirked.
"What are we gonna?" Stiles asked, face screwed up in confusion. "Throw acid in him?"
"No, like a fire bomb," Lydia pursed her lips, giving them all a look like she pitied their inferior intelligence. "In there is everything you need to make a self-igniting Molotov cocktail."
"Self-igniting..." Stiles repeated.
"Molotov cocktail." Jackson and Scott stared at her in surprise, the other three already knew just how smart she was. "What?" She asked innocently. "I read it somewhere."
"Lydia, you goddamn genius," Skyler laughed and Lydia grinned back at her, glad that someone appreciated her.
"We don't have a key for that either," Stiles pointed out.
Jackson took a deep breath like he was trying to come to terms with the amount of stupidity in the room. He rolled his eyes and stepped up to the cabinet, lifting up his arm and threw his elbow into the glass. It shattered easily and Jackson moved away so that Lydia could find what she needed. Sky stood back and watched her friend at work. It was like a finely oiled machine. Lydia didn't even have to stop and think about what she was doing. She had a mixing flask in one hand and was adding various chemicals without a second's hesitation.
"Jackson, hand me the sulfuric acid." Skyler looked over to Jackson, he was looking between two different corked beakers, eyes flickering with indecision. His hand hovered over one of them for a minute before he changed his mind and picked the second one. He handed it to Lydia and she carefully poured half of the beaker into the mixing flask along with the rest of the chemical concoction. She whisked it around one final time and corked the flask, handing the green mixture to Scott with a nod.
Allison pushed away from the door, pressing herself close to Scott. "No. No, this is insane, you can't do this." She shook her head continuously, placing her hand on his chest. "You cannot go out there."
"We can't just sit here waiting for Stiles' dad to check his messages," Scott murmured to her, pressing close.
"You could die! Don't you get that?!" She snapped back. "He's already killed three people!"
"And we're next," Scott responded, keeping his cool. "Somebody has to do something."
"Scott, just stop! Do you remember..." She took a shuddering breath, trying to keep Scott away from the door. "Do you remember when you told me you knew whether or not I was lying? That I had a tell?" Her voice wavered as a sob built in her throat. "Well, so do you. You're a horrible liar and you've been lying all night." Her eyes finally spilled over, tear tracks making their way down her face. Everyone but Scott shuffled backwards, uncomfortable at the couple's display of raw emotion. "Just... just please, please don't go. Don't leave us. Please."
"Lock it behind me."
Scott pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers gently. It looked like a goodbye kiss. Skyler turned away, embarrassed. She felt like she was intruding on a private, intimate moment between the two. She looked over at Stiles and saw that he was staring right back at her. He gave her a half smile, and she could see that he was just as worried about Scott as Allison was. Scott pulled away from Allison, his face a mask of apology. He pushed her back to hold her at arm's length for a second, then let go, walking to the door.
"Scotty," Sky called out, making her way to him. "A bit of extra protection." She placed the Swiss army knife into his hand, pressing it down into his palm. "Just in case. And I expect it back," she added with a soft smile. He nodded at her, giving her a small thankful smile, then he was gone. Sky jammed the stool back against the door and turned to face the others. Jackson was angry and Skyler also thought she saw a hint of a self-satisfied smirk on his face, but that passed within seconds. Lydia had gone back to her scared and confused state, Allison's gaze was accusatory and Stiles was simply staring at the floor.
"How could you do that to me?!"
"Do what, Ally?" Skyler asked, genuinely confused.
"Send him out there with nothing but some stupid chemicals for protection against a serial killer!" Allison screamed, waving her hands in the air.
"Firstly, he has a self igniting Molotov fucking cocktail, you can thank Lydia for doing that. Protecting your boyfriend when you did nothing but fucking complain at him for going out and trying to save our lives!" Sky yelled back, her patience evaporating. "Secondly, I gave him a fucking knife to protect himself. Alright?! He's not gonna die, so get over it. And believe me, Scott is so much more capable then you think." Skyler was spitting the words out now. "He is probably the most capable person here, he-"
"That's more than enough now."
Stiles caught Skyler around the waist, pinning her arms to her side to stop her from throwing a flask at Allison's head. He steered her towards the back of the room, sitting her down on her seat at one of the lab stations.
"Hey," he said, ducking his head until they were face to face. "It's alright, she doesn't get it. She's just worried about Scott."
"I'm worried too, Stiles, and so are you. He's your best friend." Sky pointed out, running her hand over her head. "You don't see us whining and flirting with Jackson."
"You think she's flirting with Jackson?" Stiles asked, his ADHD popping up unexpectedly.
"That's what you're gonna focus on? Really, Stilinski?" She asked, letting her head fall forward and laughing softly. He laughed back, eyes scanning Jackson and Allison for a few seconds before moving to Lydia. She was standing a few steps away from the other two, watching Jackson closely as he held one of Allison's hands. Skyler made a disgusted noise, glaring at them.
"They are un-effing-believable," Skyler hissed, clenching her fists. "Jackson is being such an asshole."
"As opposed to most of the time when he's such..." Stiles trailed off, remembering their argument at the bowling alley which had started just the same. "Never mind." He breathed in through his nose, giving her an unreadable look. "So," he started, "What the hell happened when you were on your own in the locker room?"
She saw that he was just trying to keep her mind off of the present situation, but she also heard the strain in his voice and decided to play along. She gave him an in depth account of her adventures in the locker room and coach's office, telling it like she was reading a child a bedtime story. He 'oohed' and 'ahhed' and winced and admired in all the right places, happy to play their little game. When she was finished they were quiet for a second. The spell her story had cast over them faded away, leaving them in heavy silence again.
"I thought you were dead."
Stiles' voice broke on the word 'dead'. His head was bent so Skyler couldn't see his face, but she was sure his eyes would be glassy and jaw set. "When Scott and I were running from the Alpha after the locker room, I was sure we were gonna go back and you..." He trailed off, breath catching in his throat.
"Hey, hey, I'm fine," Skyler soothed, standing up and taking hold of Stiles' biceps. "I'm okay, there's nothing to worry about." She ducked her head, trying to get Stiles to look at her. Her hair fell around them, creating a curtain that separated them from everything else. He raised his head, meeting her eyes. She had been right. They were glassy, holding in unshed tears. He tucked her hair behind her ears then rested his hands on either side of her face, tilting it up. He leaned forward and her heart leaped in her chest, thinking just maybe he was going to kiss her. A proper kiss this time, not something hurried and frantic in a gym locker. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pressure on her lips, but it never came. Instead, she felt him rest his forehead softly against hers. She cracked open an eye, seeing that his were still closed. She took the time to study his face.
Stiles' eyebrows were gently furrowed, creating a crease just above his nose and crows feet at the sides of his eyes. His eyelashes were oddly long for a boy, the lower ones brushing off his cheeks. There were dark circles under his eyes from the recent all-nighters he had taken to pulling in order to research anything that could help their friends. His cheekbones stuck out above his mole covered cheeks. She wanted to reach up and trace them like a constellation of beautiful stars. His mouth was open slightly, bottom lip jutted out a bit as he blew out a small breath of air.
"I am so, so sorry for leaving you, Skyler. His voice was pained, and he nuzzled his head closer to hers.
"You didn't have a choice, Stiles," she whispered in reply. "The Alpha could've killed Scott. He could've killed you to get to Scott. What if you'd gotten hurt? I couldn't live with myself if something had happened." She echoed back a somewhat changed version of his earlier words.
"I left you, and you could've died. And I will never do anything like that again. I swear."
She looked at him for a moment, wondering whether or not it was the right thing to do. She went with her first instinct, pressing up on her tiptoes, she ran her tongue over her lips and pressed them to the corner of Stiles' mouth, holding them there as she felt him stiffen under her hands. Her mind was screaming. It felt like end of 'V For Vendetta' in her brain and every nerve ending in her body felt like it was on fire. She pulled back, seeing Stiles' eyes were wide open now.
Skyler watched him, trying to gauge his reaction. His eyes narrowed, hardening with a confidence that was just as unusual for Stiles as fear was for Jackson. He slid one hand around to the back of her head, his other running down her body. He brushed the side of her breast, making her shudder in delight, a shock running right down her spine to her core, and he ghosted past her waist, landing on the curve of her hip. He squeezed it gently, pulling her even closer to him and she had to bite her lip to keep in her satisfied moan. He dropped his head, bringing it to back to hers until the tips of their noses were touching. He tilted his head, pushing forward and-
A loud howl tore through the air making them jump apart. Skyler crashed into the table, her back crying out in pain. Her entire body, like every single part, even her down there, was pulsing wildly. Her whole body was overtaken by a heat that told her she was flushing everywhere, like absolutely everywhere, when she remembered that she wasn't alone in the room with Stiles.
"Ahhhhh!"
Jackson fell to his knees, gripping the back of his neck. Allison and Lydia crowded around him, standing just over him, exchanging worried glances. Stiles ran around Sky, trying his utmost to keep from brushing against her. He rushed over to Jackson, attempting to get a look at his neck.
"Goddamn cockblocking Alpha," she hissed under her breath, following Stiles over to the boy on the floor.
His yells died out after a minute and the four people standing around him hauled him to his feet. His was pale, his face was sweaty and his entire body trembled.
"No, I'm fine," Jackson complained, shooing all of their hand's away. He stepped away from everyone without releasing his neck. "Like, seriously, I'm okay."
"That didn't sound okay at all," Allison's voice was still shaky, and she was looking at Jackson with the kind of concern that Skyler would usually associate with Lydia. This entire night was an emotional mind-fuck.
"What's on the back of your neck?" Stiles inquired, reaching out to pull down Jackson's collar.
Jackson spun, knocking Stiles' hand away with an angry noise, nostrils flared. He looked around, then turned away again, rubbing the back of his neck vigorously. "I said I'm fine," he snapped.
"Chill out, Whittemore," Skyler replied in a bored tone, rolling her eyes at him. "Remember, Jacky, we're all friends here."
"Well it's been there for days," Lydia huffed, crossing her arms in a defensive pose and glowering at her boyfriend. "He won't let me take him to get them checked out."
"As if you actually care!" Jackson snarled back, throwing the words in Lydia's face.
Lydia flinched away from, pulling herself in and trying to seem smaller. Sky's face flushed with anger this time and she stepped to Jackson shoving his shoulder with one hand.
"What the fuck did I say," she punctuated each word with a shove, "About the way you speak to Lydia?!"
"You better fucking watch yourself, Gray." Jackson advanced on her, making her fall back a step. "I'm warning you."
"Alright!" Stiles pushed inbetween Skyler and Jackson, forcing them to move apart. "Can we not argue to half a second here?"
Everyone dispersed again, Jackson and Skyler avoiding each other, Lydia and Jackson avoiding each other, and Skyler and Stiles avoiding each other. Sky went to Lydia, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and letting the girl fall against her.
"Where's Scott?" Allison looked at Stiles questioningly, then over to Skyler who had to bit her tongue to stop herself snapping at the girl. "He should be back by now." The end of her sentence was cut off by a loud click at the door. Everyone in the room jumped, snapping their heads to the door of the classroom. Skyler squeezed Lydia so tight that she wondered if it hurt the girl. If the Alpha was done with Scott, he would be on his way to find them. But it wasn't the silhouette of the hulking werewolf against the glass door, it was the decidedly human silhouette of Scott, floppy hair and all.
"Scott!" Allison shouted, throwing herself to the door and ripping away the stool. She rattled the lock, trying to open the door, but Scott had locked it. Whether to protect them, or for his own, more inexplicable reasons, none of them knew, but they were all glad that it was locked. "Scott!" The shadow was still for a second then moved on, passing on by.
"Where's he going?" Lydia asked. No one was sure what the answer was, so instead stayed quiet.
"Scott!" Allison was still desperately calling out for Scott, tugging at the handle and slamming the palm of her hand against the glass. "Scott!" Her voice was failing as she started growing louder and louder. "Scott! SCOTT!"
"Shut up!" Skyler snapped, waving her hands at Allison who stared at her in astonishment. "Seriously, cut it out! Listen."
"Are you seri-"
"No." Lydia cut across Allison. "She's right."
"What, you think I should shut up too?" Allison spat.
"Stop. Stop!" Lydia's voice rose a few octaves. "D'you hear that?" Stiles, Jackson and Allison were confused at Lydia's sudden outburst, but Sky was grinning, knowing exactly what Lydia was talking about. "Listen."
Sky sprinted to the window, dragging Lydia along behind her. Pressing her face to the glass she watched the lights of the police cars in the distance coming closer and closer. The sirens were like a heavenly chorus from on high to the the five teenagers, and a tear rolled down Lydia's face, even though she would never admit it. Skyler laughed a little, letting out a few relived sobs as she slumped against the window.
She could feel Lydia on one side, her hair tickling the side of Sky's face. She knew that Stiles was on her other side, she could smell the cinnamon scent. She didn't even look at him, she didn't think she could handle it just then. She just leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling the soft fabric rubbing her cheek. She laughed again and felt him look down at her.
"We're saved."
She wasn't going to die, anyway. That was what the EMTs told her. Jesus, if she kept seeing them like this she'd have to ask for a loyalty card. All the scrapes and bruises were totally superficial, but they had warned her against any strenuous physical exercise for a week or two until the cut on her thigh had completely healed, seeing as she had torn the cut open twice since she had originally cut her leg open at the video store. She had been forced into a shock blanket, despite the fact that she was not in shock and brought over to the Sheriff to answer questions with the boys.
"You're sure it was Derek Hale?" Stiles' father was asking, looking more at Skyler than the other two. She assumed it was because he knew them too well to trust them fully when it came to these odd situations they seemed to find themselves in more often than not.
"Yes," Scott piped up, seeing Sky's uncomfortable twitch at the question. She had been distraught when they'd exited the school and were unable to find Derek's body. Of course, she couldn't tell anyone that so they just chalked it up to shock, hence the shock blanket.
"I saw him too," Stiles chipped in.
"Skyler?" The Sheriff hadn't taken his eyes off of her the entire time.
"It was dark, and it all happened so fast," she swallowed and met the Sheriff's eyes. "I can't be a hundred percent sure, but it definitely looked like him." She could practically feel the boys relax at her answer, but her stomach rolled at the idea of selling Derek out.
"That's okay, anything you tell me is helpful," Sheriff Stilinski smiled kindly at her.
"What about the janitor?" Scott asked, and they could see he was getting antsy.
"We're still looking," the Sheriff sighed.
"Did you check under the bleachers? Under them?" Scott clarified.
"Yeah, Scott, we looked" the Sheriff replied, exasperated at the line of questioning. "We pulled them out, just like you asked. There's nothing."
"I'm not making this up!"
"I know, I believe you," Sheriff Stilinski spoke to him in a voice that would usually be used to soothe a child that was throwing a tantrum. "I do."
"No, you don't!" Scott yelled. "You have this look like you feel bad for me! Like you wanna believe me, but you don't!"
"Listen, we're gonna search this whole school again. We're gonna find him, okay? I promise."
Scott's body sagged in defeat, he knew that the Sheriff didn't believe anything he was saying. He was just trying to placate him. Skyler huddled in closer to the boys, shivering in the night's wind. She hadn't found it in her to look Stiles in the face yet, but she knew that if they didn't talk this through it would just get bigger and bigger until it blew up in their faces.
"Sheriff!" Stiles' dad turned to look at one of his deputies that was standing at the top of the steps. He turned back to the three teens behind him.
"Stay. Both of you," he motioned at Scott and Stiles, then turned to Sky, looking just over her shoulder. "If you're happy that you're all patched up and good to go, you can head home with your dad. Home safe, Skyler." He walked away, climbing up the steps and entering the school.
"My dad?" Sky asked, looking over her shoulder. "Oh, God." Nick was hurrying across the parking lot, Rebecca on his heels. Whereas her face was overtaken with worry and even had a few tear tracks on her face, Nick just looked pissed and was checking his phone every few seconds as he walked.
"Well, fuck," Skyler breathed out, rubbing her eyebrow. She shrugged off the shock blanket, and turned to Scott, wrapping it around his shoulders with a smile. "Keep warm, wolfie. I gotta go." Scott nodded at her and gave her a comforting smile. "Call me later and fill me on on everything I miss, yeah?" She turned to go but at the last second, Stiles grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him.
"We need to talk." He didn't bother lowering his voice because he knew that Scott would just hear him anyway.
"We do, but not right now," Skyler agreed, pulling her arm out of his grip. "Nick's pissed, so I really gotta leave before he busts a vein or something." She gave Stiles a quick one armed hug and left, crossing the distance between her and her dad in a few seconds.
"What the hell have you done now?" Nick asked as she reached him.
"I haven't done anything!" She protested, coming to a halt just in front of him. "It's not my fault that there's a psycho killer in Beacon Hills."
"You were stupid enough to go out past curfew with five of your little friends to the school and break in because... Why was it again?" He turned his back to her and started walking towards his car.
"Stiles needed his chemistry book," Skyler mumbled, slouching along behind him as Rebecca threw an arm around her shoulders and hugged Sky to her side.
"And that boy," her dad scoffed, glaring at her over his shoulder. "That's another thing we need to talk about. He's a bad influence on you. He may be the Sheriff's son but he is nothing like his father, and I don't think I want you hanging around with him anymore. He's nothing but trouble."
Sky's mouth dropped open. He couldn't be serious. After all the shit she had gone through when she was fighting with Stiles and then making up again, her dad was going to try and stop her from seeing him. No way in hell was she taking.
"You can't stop me from seeing him," she told him, raising her eyebrows and pouting her lips slightly. "You know that, right?" She stopped dead, forcing Rebecca to stop alongside her. Skyler placed her hands on her hips and watched her father, anticipating the fight that was about to come.
Nick froze and Sky could see her shoulders tensing. She braced herself as he turned to face her, his movements slow and deliberate. She could see several people in the immediate area craning their necks to get a better look at them.
"What did you just say?" He hissed, narrowing his eyes and glaring at her.
"I just said that you cannot stop me from seeing my best friend," Skyler enunciated every syllable like she was talking to an idiot.
"I can stop you from doing whatever the hell I want, I am your father," he snapped, stepping closer until there was only a foot inbetween them.
"I don't give a shit, Nick," Skyler answered, making her voice as condescending as possible.
"How dare you?!" He was getting louder and Sky knew it would just take another small push to knock him over the edge.
"What are you gonna do, Nick?" She smirked, knowing that it was wrong to keep pushing him like that, but she had no tolerance for his bullshit tonight. "Ground me? That'll for for the next six hours until you fuck off somewhere else for weeks and bring me back some cheap shitty gift to make yourself feel better that you're basically abandoning me, just like you abandoned me and mom."
All of the colour drained from her father's face as he stared her down, neither wanting to look away. Sky knew she had crossed the line by mentioning her mother, but she was too angry to care. She had always felt like her father had resented her. They hadn't planned to have a child that young, and Nick had never been that involved with Skyler as a child, preferring instead to go on long business trips and seek comfort with numerous other women. When her parents had split up, Sky felt like she was to blame. Two years of counselling had cured that problem, but she had never quite shaken the feeling that it was at least in small part because of her.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" She hadn't expected her father to yell that loud and jumped in fright. She felt Rebecca lean closer to her, hand wrapping around her wrist. "DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I AM YOUR FATHER AND YOU WILL DO WHAT YOU ARE TOLD!" He took a step forward, his hand twitching up, and for a second Sky was sure he was going to hit her.
Everyone around them had fallen silent, watching their little altercation. She looked back quickly, seeing Scott and Allison standing at the bottom of the steps and Stiles standing further away. The Sheriff was just walking back out of the school and she saw him pause, watching them with barely concealed interest and worry. She Stiles start moving towards them in her peripheral vision but she was distracted as she felt someone take hold of the arm that Rebecca wasn't already holding.
"Sky, sweetie." It was Natalie Martin, sweet but slightly neglectful at times Natalie. As usual, there was not a hair out of place. "I was, uh, just wondering," Natalie's eyes roved over Nick for a minute before returning to the young girl. "I don't think Lydia would feel comfortable on her own tonight, and I don't think that you would either. We wanted to know whether or not you wanted to stay with us tonight?"
Skyler looked over Natalie's shoulder and caught sight of Lydia hovering by her mom's car, sending her nervous looks and motioning Skyler to come over with her head. "Yeah, Natalie," Skyler breathed out, smiling at her friend's mother. "I'd really like that, thanks." She turned around to Rebecca and pulled her into a hug, resting her head on the older woman's shoulder. "I'll be back tomorrow, I just wanna make sure Nick's outta the house first." She drew away, Rebecca smiling at her but Sky could see the sadness behind her gaze. It must be really shit for her to have to live in the constant war zone between Skyler and Nick, always trying to be the peacekeeper.
She started to walk towards Lydia, Natalie's hand guiding her along. She knew that they would have to relay their entire story to Lydia's mom once they got back, and she could only hope that Lydia wouldn't be mad at her for everything that went down tonight. She knew that Allison would be pissed, but she also knew that Allison would get over it sooner or later. Lydia was already kind of mad at her for the video store incident, and Sky had been trying to make it up to her ever since. She wanted to go back to Lydia's and curl up in baggy t-shirts that Lydia wouldn't be seen dead in otherwise, watch terrible romance movies, watch terrible horror movies and fall asleep at six in the morning after eating pint upon pint of cookie dough ice-cream.
She stopped a few feet away from Lydia, one arm crossed across her chest, holding onto the other. She wanted to apologise but she wasn't quite sure what to say.
"Lyds..." Lydia surged forwards, wrapping Skyler in a bear hug. She sagged against her friend, the exhaustion of the entire night crashing down on her and she felt like she could fall asleep standing up.
"Come on," Natalie stepped up to the two girls, putting her arms around the two girls, pulling them into a quick group hug. It felt comforting for Skyker to have two people she cared about wrapped around her and she took a deep breath in, letting the tension flow out of her body for the first time since they realised that Deaton was not in the back of Derek's car several hours earlier. "Let's get you girls home."