Matt's POV
This was it. I had failed at keeping Chloe safe. Here she sat beside me sobbing half human half werewolf, now realizing the extent of her power. And all I could do was say everything was gong to be ok. But to be honest I don't know if it was all ok. Maybe Chloe would be better off going home to Tess where her powers wouldn't be tested so much. She wouldn't be in situations that forced her into using them there.
I scooped Chloe up and brought her to the bathroom. Kyle rinsed up in one sink while I cleaned up Chloe at the other. Wiping blood away and pulling out little pieces of glass. How had no humans come to see what happened here yet? The vampires or 'serial killer' really was scaring this town into not leaving their homes.
"We don't want to draw human attention," I said. "So Chloe I want you to wear your hood up until we get to the car. It's not too far of a walk."
Chloe nodded. She pulled her hood up and stuffed her hands into her pockets.
We exited the diner and started walking in the direction of the car.
"Kyle would you mind calling the other groups for updates?" Matt asked.
"We're calling it in for the day?" Kyle asked.
I nodded, "I think we need to regroup."
Chloe shook as we walked, she was terrified of what the others would do when they saw her. I tried to think of the right thing to say the whole walk back to the car. Except for Kyle's chatting on the phone, it was dead silence.
We approached the car and I opened the door for the two to slide in. Chloe got in first so she would be sitting in between us. Kyle shut the door and I rounded the car to get in my side.
I sighed as I shut the door and buckled.
"Listen Chloe. I'm not going to make you go face them if you don't want to. I can take you and Kyle home first then get everyone else."
Chloe brought her knees onto the seat and hugged them.
"I don't know how to fix this," she said.
"Chloe," Kyle joined in the conversation. "You just proved how powerful you are. You can fix that if you put your mind to it. No problem."
"I can't use my power like that again," she said. "That scares the hell out of me."
"What's our other options then?" I asked. "I don't know if Tori's magic can alter appearance."
"Changing," Chloe's gaze was fixed on the radio instead of either of us.
"Excuse me?" Kyle asked.
"Changing," she repeated. "Make me change into a wolf and back. It'll go away."
My heart broke for her, she was so scared of her true level of power that she was willing to go through the pain of changing species. God what had I done to this poor girl.
"If you're sure about this," I said. "I'll bring you two home to do it. I don't think that should go down in the car, there isn't enough room."
"I'm sure," Chloe nodded.
I put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking space.
"You remember Tess of course," I started awkwardly.
"Yeah."
"Sweetie, I think maybe you should go stay with her for a while after this. I think you need some time in a calmer environment."
"What?" Chloe exclaimed. "Absolutely not. Nothing against Tess, I love her. But I'm not leaving this team."
I had a feeling that Chloe was just trying to prove she could handle it though. She probably did want to go home to Tess. No one stayed around me for very long.
Chloe's POV
Kyle and I got out of the car and Matt started backing out of the driveway to get the others. He told us he would give us as much time as he could but once Derek knew what was going on he wouldn't be able to stall.
"I'm going to stay outside," I told Kyle. "There's more space out here."
Kyle shook his head, "Chloe we are standing in a foot of snow. There is no way in hell I am letting you do that out here."
I sighed and came inside with him. Kicking my shoes off once we got in the door.
"So I take it that you're also not letting me do this alone," I said.
Kyle smiled and nodded, "You are correct. I've seen this go down before. I can see it again."
I sat down on the living room floor, it was the room with the most space. Kyle locked the front door before coming over to me.
"Why did you lock it?" I asked.
"So it takes them longer to get inside," Kyle smiled like he was a genius. "We have no warning if they can just step inside, if the door is locked we will hear them coming because the door handle will jiggle."
He sat down beside me.
"Are you sure you don't want to try your magic?" He asked. "No one is here, no one will know if something goes wrong."
I closed my eyes and mentally put myself back in the factory, remembering all the confidence that flowed through me as I used my necromancy magic. If I chickened out now I might lose that confidence I built.
"Alright, I guess I can try."
Kyle moved so he was sitting in front of me facing me and took my hands.
"Just close your eyes and focus on drawing your power in," Kyle said. "I'll be right here the whole time."
I shut my eyes and focused on my power but instead of scanning for bodies or shoving souls into bodies; I focused on picturing my power. I imagined that it was surrounding me just like air and I was pulling it in. I pulled it from the house into the room. From the room to around me. From there into me. I imagined the magic absorbing into my skin like water.
Every time a drop of magic was absorbed it traveled to my head and hands, transforming them back into human characteristics.
I sighed and opened my eyes.
"This is stupid, no one just changed their body by imagining magic changing it."
Kyle raised an eyebrow at me with a little smirk.
"What?" I asked. Was he happy that he would get to watch me change or something?
Kyle moved his fingers off of mine. I was looking down at normal human fingers!
"Now do you believe how powerful you are if you just focus?" Kyle said.
"There is no way," I didn't believe it.
I touched my teeth, normal and human.
"It didn't hurt though," I said.
"Because you didn't want it to hurt," Kyle pointed out. "Your magic, your choice."
This was going to take some time to wrap my head around.
