Chapter 12
Allison moved to sit beside Lydia and Stiles and I were placed to sit at her old table-her other lab partner elsewhere. I felt like I had been dunked in a bucket of water, the air much harder to breathe and my limbs feeling like they were made of stone. We hadn't spoken since the night in the swimming pool and I had been perfectly fine with pretending like it never happened. Except, it had and now it was staring me directly in the face, rearing its head back to roar the consequences of my actions.
As Harris handed on the instructions for each station, I focused hard on everything he was saying to avoid the boy beside me. His leg was bouncing so viciously that the glass bottles on our table were rattling slightly. His hands were flat on the table, his fingertips turning white as if he were trying to shove the table into the ground. I couldn't blame him for his uneasy demeanor, I was the one who had caused it. If I had just shut up and let him live out his fantasy with Lydia, then we would've just gone back to our old ways. Harris started a timer and reminded us that we would be rotating to a new partner at the end of time.
Stiles and I were tasked with mixing multi-colored liquids together to find out the reaction. We were also instructed to make short hypotheses, guess the chemicals, and then record the reactions they made. It was a simple enough task, but the thought of having to converse with Stiles uninterrupted for a full five minutes was horrifying.
After a few moments of warranted silence, I swallowed past the lump in my throat and then cleared it. "Do you...do you think it's Lydia?" I asked softly, glancing at Stiles out of the corner of my eye. Each look at his pinched expression was like agony. However, when I spoke, it seemed to ease itself by only a centimeter.
Stiles shook his head. "No. No, it can't be." He explained just as quietly. "When I saw that thing, I saw nothing but pure evil. Lydia's not like that, no matter how much she pretends to be."
"I don't think she's pretending half the time." I snorted, bobbing my eyebrows. "But, I agree. Whatever that thing is, it can't be Lydia. And by letting Derek use her as some sort of test dummy is only running the risk of her falling into the lap of somewhere we don't want her to be. How would we ever explain away what he did?"
"That's why it won't happen." Stiles assured me, his brown eyes darting over to mine for a brief moment. "We aren't going to let him get anywhere near her, okay?"
I nodded in understanding, pressing my lips tightly together as I finished writing down which chemical I thought was in the beakers in front of us. "Isaac came up to me this morning."
"What? I thought you said they-"
"He didn't hurt me and I didn't want to worry you in the middle of class where I wouldn't get the chance to explain." I told him quickly. "He-He was just trying to apologize. I told him to screw off, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Good. That guy is just as bad as the rest of them. Even with his pretty blue eyes." Stiles grumbled, frowning deeply and then grabbing a beaker to mix another liquid. "Don't let him get to you, Tessa. What you did was to keep him safe and he doesn't get that, then he's dumber than I thought he was."
"But, what if I am to blame? What if I could've spared him the humiliation and he wouldn't be against us?" I asked Stiles, turning to look at him with a pleading look in my eyes. "You guys always tell me things aren't my fault, but that is starting to become a lot less believable to me. I hurt people, Stiles. There's no explanation for that."
Stiles stared back at me for a few moments with an unreadable expression. Then, to my complete and utter surprise, he covertly reached over to cover my hand with his. I hadn't even realized it had been shaking until his touch calmed it. He then took it one step further by giving it a gentle squeeze.
"None of this is your fault." Stiles said softly, shaking his head. His expression hid nothing and, for the first time in what seemed like days, there was not even a shade of anger in his eyes. It was as though nothing had changed and everything had changed at the same time.
Suddenly, the ringing of a bell ignited the air and broke the two of us out of our stupor. Stiles' hand shot off of mine and I sat back somewhat in my seat, realizing that our time at this station was up. I was required to stay seated while the next rotation began and we said nothing as Stiles gathered up his things. With one last fleeting glance, he moved on to the next station. Scott ejected himself from his seat and nearly sprinted across the room to take the seat beside Lydia, letting out a sigh of relief as he did so. Unfortunately, Stiles had moved onto the station in which Isaac was seated.
I tried to stop my heartbeat from racing, worried I might pass out if I worried any more than I already was. I tipped my head over my shoulder and locked eyes with the blue-eyed werewolf sitting beside the human. "Please," I whispered just quietly enough that any werewolf ear could hear me. "Don't do this."
The seat beside me was then filled and I glanced over to see who my new lab partner would be. An exhale of gusty air left my body once I realized that it was Allison. Considering the tight expression on her face, I knew she was feeling similar to the way I was. Knowing that at least Lydia would be safe and that there was a chance Isaac wouldn't hurt Stiles, I decided to direct my attention towards my friend sitting next to me.
"I didn't realize that them returning to school meant that they were going after Lydia." Allison muttered, shaking her head as she began scribbling notes down onto her sheet of paper. "This is a disaster and could get us all killed."
"Trust me, I've already ran about twelve different scenarios in my head and all of them end with violence and a lot of death. This is quite literally our worst nightmare." I responded, bobbing my eyebrows and dumping another random liquid into a vial. "I just don't know how we're supposed to protect Lydia from them and be discreet about it at the same time. Your creepy grandpa has an obnoxiously good sense at telling when things are off."
Allison made a noise in agreement. "Not to mention, Erica is trying to rile me up by hitting on Scott right in front of me. She knows I can't do anything and it's infuriating."
I let out a scoff. "Come on, you're going to let yourself get worked up over an overnight bitch Barbie bombshell?" I asked her with a look of disbelief. "Allison, Scott would never turn his back on you. If he was going to, he would've done it when your Dad had the barrel of a pistol pointed to his head after your guys' secret rendezvous."
Allison snorted out a chuckle through her nose and let a smile fall onto her features. "I know you're right. I just can't help it, ya know? Protective instincts kick in." She explained and then let out a sigh. "How are things going for you in that department?"
"Other than the fact that he will barely maintain eye contact with me for more than fifteen seconds and has barely spoken more than twenty words to me in the last three days, it's going super good." I answered, giving her a sarcastic smile. "Look, I know I shouldn't have vomited while we were near death in a swimming pool hiding from a homicidal lizard thing, but I couldn't help it. I'd been bottling it up since the formal."
"I don't blame you." Allison assured me, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "But, I just think you have to give him some time. He's probably trying to work through all of what you planted on him. Especially since he probably wasn't expecting it."
"I know, I know." I agreed reluctantly. "I just wish it wasn't now. We all have to stick together and be together if we're going to get through this."
"And, we are. Stiles would never turn his back on you. I know he wouldn't." Allison reassured me, patting my shoulder gently before giving it a kind squeeze.
Once again, the sound of a bell rang through the air and Allison was scooping up her things to move onto her next station. I gave her a sad wave as a goodbye and then waited impatiently for who would arrive at my table next. I watched around the room as everyone began to shuffle around and I kept my eyes on the strawberry blonde just a few tables ahead of me. A blur of black leather swept by all of the other students and planted itself directly into the chair next to her. An exclamation broke through my thoughts as I saw that Stiles had tried to move from the seat beside Scott to move towards Lydia, but Harris had stopped him from doing so. That also meant that my window of opportunity had abruptly closed and now Isaac was sitting next to Lydia.
"If you're trying to test my patience, Mr. Stilinski, I guarantee it'll be a failing grade." Harris warned, giving the spastic boy a stern look before moving back to the front of the classroom.
With the fear building up, I looked just past Scott and Stiles to see that Erica had conveniently gotten Allison as her partner in the rotation. I let out a soft groan and ran a hand through my hair, realizing there was nothing I could do for the current moment. Lydia was now with the enemy, as well as Allison, and I was defenseless on the other side of the classroom. Another classmate came up to sit beside me and we began to mix liquids together. I watched as, all put together, a small clear crystal began to form in the larger beaker we were given.
The bell rang after a very long five minutes and Harris began to conclude the end of the experiment. "Now, if you've done it correctly, you should end up with a crystal. Now, for the last part of that experiment, I'm sure you'll all enjoy-you can eat it."
I wrinkled my nose up at the prospect and my lab partner volunteered to eat it. I gladly let her go and then looked over my shoulder at my friend. The redhead was being handed the crystal in a pair of tongs from Isaac and that's when the thought struck me. We had all been wondering how they were going to test Lydia to see if she was the kanima and it looked as though that door had been opened wide. It was perfect-Isaac seated next to Lydia with an item she could ingest into her body that wouldn't raise any sort of suspicion from our classmates or teachers.
"Scott!" I hissed beneath my breath in horror, my hands coming to clutch the side of my lab table. The skin over my knuckles began to turn a stark white as the panic bubbled up inside of me with rage. "Scott!"
"Lydia!" Scott suddenly exclaimed, shooting up from his seat just as she was about to put the crystal in her mouth.
The entire room went silent and all eyes turned to the werewolf who had just raised a fuss for what appeared to be no reason. Lydia gave Scott a thoroughly perplexed look. "What?" She followed with.
Scott gaped around for a moment, turning to look over at Erica before back at Lydia. "Uh, nothing." He choked out, grabbing his stool and once again taking a seat.
Then, Lydia returned back to her original plan. She placed the crystal in her mouth and then took a bite, crunching delightfully. I felt all of the blood turn ice cold in my veins, the realization settling in that she had not been affected by the paralytic goop whatsoever. There was no way it hadn't been on the crystal and this statement had just come to show that she was immune right in front of two witnesses. I was still determined to believe that the kanima was not Lydia, but now I really had no ground to stand on.
The sharp shrill sound of the bell signaling the end of our class broke into my ears and I nearly jumped at the sound. I shot to my feet and, before I could even make any decision about where I was going to go next, I felt two hands wrap around my biceps and nearly drag me out of the room. Stiles was on my right and Scott was on my left.
"Okay, look, you know you can just ask me to follow you, right?" I asked, walking on my tiptoes as we made it out into the hallway. "This whole hostage situation is still not cool."
"Scott thought you might try to follow Lydia." Stiles revealed, releasing my arm just as Scott did as well. "Really couldn't let you do that."
"And why not? Erica and Isaac are going to be on her ass!" I squeaked, a bewildered look overtaking my features as I glanced between them. "Are you two out of your minds?"
"Probably." Scott replied back, turning a corner towards the locker rooms. "But, we have to come up with a plan without them around. And since we can't be seen with Allison, we had to make sure you didn't get anywhere near her first."
"It's like having divorced parents." I grunted, rolling my eyes and then following them into the locker rooms. When we finally made it into the Coach's office, I was surprised to see the previously mentioned girl standing there before us. "Oh, wow, you're fast."
"Derek is outside waiting for Lydia." Scott told Allison, the alarm apparent on both of their faces. I took my spot beside Stiles, crossing my arms over my chest and glancing over my shoulder as if at any moment Derek was going to pop in here and murder us all.
"Waiting to kill her?" Allison asked, raising her eyebrows.
"If he thinks she's the kanima, then, yes." Scott replied and Allison let out a sigh of frustration.
"How-How do we even know that the stuff was on the crystal? It could've just been a part of the experiment, right?" I demanded, turning my attention over to Scott with a desperate look.
Scott frowned and then shook his head. "It was it. I-I could just tell and the way Erica was looking at her, I knew they had put it on there somehow." He answered. "It was the test they were waiting for."
"It's not her. We can all agree on that, right?" I asked the group but Scott seemed to hesitate for a moment.
"I mean...after what happened at the pool…" He began.
"It's not her." Stiles interjected sternly, taking a step forward into the center of the circle.
"Stiles, she didn't pass the test, man." Scott murmured, looking apologetic as he said it. "Nothing happened."
"It can't be her." Stiles repeated, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket and shaking his head.
"It doesn't matter because Derek thinks it's her." Allison reminded everyone, her voice edged with emotion. Her eyes had glossed over and I could feel my own feelings pressing against the bones of my chest. "So, either we convince him that he's wrong, or we've got to figure out a way to protect her."
"Well, I really don't think he's going to do anything here, not at school." Scott mentioned, shaking his own head.
"What about after school?" Allison demanded as she leaned herself up against the desk.
"Derek knows no bounds and will go after her the second he thinks he has a chance. We already know that he-he's reckless and his dogs are just as crazy." I stated, clenching my jaw and then swallowing hard. "That much is clear from chemistry."
"What if we can prove that Derek's wrong?" Allison suggested.
"By three o'clock?" Stiles countered quickly.
"There could be something in the bestiary." Allison then went on to say and I shut my eyes, letting my chin tip down towards my chest.
"Oh, you mean the nine hundred page book written in archaic Latin that none of us can read? Good luck with that." Stiles bit out.
"Hey, cut it out." I reprimanded softly, lifting up my head and looking over at Stiles with a tired look. "She's just trying to help, alright?"
"And what is your great idea, huh?" Stiles demanded of me, raising his eyebrows and giving me a harsh look. I immediately shrunk underneath it and then turned my cheek to him, trying to hide just how hurt I felt by his tone.
"I think I know someone who might know how to translate it." Allison spoke up, filling in a void that had been left by Stiles' mild outburst.
"Uh, I can talk to Derek, maybe see if he can give us a chance to prove it's not her." Scott then suggested, shrugging his shoulders and looking somewhat unconvinced by his own idea. "But, if anything happens, you guys let me handle it, okay?"
"What does that mean?" I inquired, crossing my arms over my chest and furrowing my brow at the young werewolf.
"It means you can't heal like I do." Scott answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I just don't want you getting hurt."
Allison gave her boyfriend a weak look before rising from the desk. She then reached inside her bag, grabbing what looked to be a metal stick jammed together. In a matter of seconds, she swung her hand down and it transformed itself into a crossbow.
"Jesus!" I swore aloud, jumping back slightly as the weapon came to life.
"I can protect myself." Allison told Scott, holding the crossbow up beside her head. The sight of her made me anxious, the image reminding me vaguely of Kate. Her tone of voice also was reminiscent of the night we trekked through the woods after she'd found out about the supernatural. That was a side of Allison I had hoped to never see again-the huntress that was buried deep inside of her. It was then I realized Scott was looking at Allison with a wounded expression. "What? Did something else happen?"
"I just...don't want you getting hurt." Scott reiterated and moved in closer to Allison. I suddenly felt as though I was intruding on a personal moment between the two and directed my eyes down to my feet. I could feel Stiles shifting beside me and knew he felt the same way. However, this was something I was used to-the mushy, lovey part of Scott and Allison. They were in love. This was the way people who loved each other acted. "Seriously, if anything goes wrong, you call me, okay? I-I don't care if your Dad finds out-call, text, scream, yell-whatever. I'll hear you and I'll find you as fast as I can. We have until three."
Allison nodded in understanding, her expression softening a bit as her huntress cooled off. Scott seemed satisfied with her response and turned to leave with the sound of a sharp whiz cut through the air. In a matter of seconds, Scott had turned around and cut an arrow that had been heading directly towards his chest. My eyes widened and I quickly looked at the boy standing beside me, his mouth hanging agape with a crossbow pointed directly towards Scott.
"Ah...sorry." Stiles muttered and handed the crossbow over to Allison who expectantly retrieved it back from him. "It's a sensitive trigger...on that."
Once the weapon had been concealed, Scott returned back to his previous intention of leaving the room. It then occurred to me that he was going to speak with Derek and he was going to be alone. Last time we had gone to Derek together, I had been just barely able to save him from getting his ass royally kicked by the elder werewolf. The thought of Scott having to face someone who only wanted to see him beaten terrified me to no end. There was no way Allison could go and there also had to be someone who could protect Lydia. There truly was no one better than Stiles if I wasn't there.
"Scott, wait up!" I called out and moved to follow him when an arm suddenly barred across my chest.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Stiles demanded, a bewildered expression crossing his features as he came to stand in front of me. "You're not going with Scott."
"Yes, I am." I insisted with a stern glare and went to step around Stiles, but he moved with me. "Will you move?"
"Absolutely not!" The boy exclaimed. "How many times do we have to go over this? You aren't safe near Derek."
"And how many times do I have to remind you that he won't hurt me?" I countered, cocking up an eyebrow. "I'm going with Scott to help him convince Derek that Lydia isn't a freaky, murderous lizard and you're going to stay here and protect said redhead."
Stiles smacked his lips and let out a weak noise before shaking his head. "Do you really think that letting you walk into a near death trap is going to just happen? I swear we keep doing this every time Derek is involved-you throwing yourself on the grenade."
I rolled my eyes. "And you're always being totally overprotective and unreasonable." I noted. "If Derek was going to kill me, he would've-"
"He said he didn't care about you anymore, Tessa! He said you weren't worth it." Stiles cut in harshly, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking directly into my eyes. His words stung like a slap to the face and I was rendered speechless. "But, you are. You are worth every single breath you take on this planet regardless of what Derek freaking Hale has to say."
The pleading look in his face gave me pause and it suddenly felt like we were the only two people in the room, Scott having stopped at my exclamation earlier. Allison was watching the two of us closely, her hands crossed in front of her. However, neither of them mattered at this moment. What mattered was the boy close to me, begging me to stay and telling me that I was worth something.
"Stiles," Scott's voice cut through the silence like a knife, his tone soft. "I wouldn't let him hurt her, you know that."
"You're actually agreeing to this?" Stiles gasped, spinning around to face his best friend. "You must be out of your mind!"
"She is the only person who I've seen Derek actually care about. If there's a chance she can help us convince him, then I have to take it." Scott explained, shaking his head. "You've got to trust me on this. I've never let anything hurt her."
Stiles looked over at Allison who gently nodded her head in agreement, as much as it pained her. A choked noise erupted from Stiles' throat and he looked as though he wanted to protest. However, he silently scooped his backpack off the floor and then stormed out of the office, refusing to look back as he disappeared. The three of us also said nothing and Scott glanced over at me to signal that it was time to go.
"Please, be careful. Don't do anything stupid." Allison told me as I walked by her, giving me a knowing look.
"Trust me, I'll be surprised if I can actually articulate a full sentence." I replied back, exhaling deeply and then bobbing my eyebrows. Then, I became more serious and swallowed hard. "Make sure he is okay. I-I can't have him be upset with me again-upset with Scott over something I want to do."
"He'll be fine. It's you we're talking about." Allison hummed with a sneaky smile before she scooped up her things and quickly hustled out of the room. I looked over to Scott who seemed to be trying to hide his own grin.
"Say one thing and I'll buzz your hair off in your sleep, McCall." I grunted, shooting him a sharp glare.
"I-I wasn't going to." Scott stammered, holding up his hands in mock surrender and then picking up his pace to lead us out towards the locker rooms outside of the office. "But…"
"It sounds like you actually do have something to say, Scott, and, in that case, please save it because the last thing I need to hear is that you all think Stiles has feelings for me and I just need to give myself the chance to believe that." I ranted, turning to face him as we came to a stop. "Look, I know you're his best friend and he probably talks to you the most. That means that you should know that he has been obsessed with Lydia since he hit puberty. It was obvious to me the second I became friends with him. The way he talks about her...it's like she's the most perfect human he's ever seen."
Scott sighed and then ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, yeah, maybe that was true before you moved to Beacon Hills." He admitted. "But, a lot of things have changed since then-including how Stiles feels about Lydia. He still cares about her, sure, but he talks about you the same way I talk about Allison. You guys frustrate the hell out of us, but we would still do anything if it meant you were safe and alive."
I was quiet for a few moments before I wrapped my arms around myself. "He told you about the other night, didn't he? When we were stuck in the swimming pool with Derek?" I questioned softly, keeping my eyes poised down towards my feet.
Scott nodded. "Yeah, uh, he did." The boy answered. "He said that you basically admitted that you, um, liked him, but you thought he was still in love with Lydia."
"Fantastic." I grunted as I felt my cheeks heating up, most likely turning a bright shade of red.
"He also said that he felt bad. That-that he didn't mean to make you feel like you were second best. That he just wanted to comfort Lydia, not hurt you." Scott added on, his voice sounding almost pleading. "You have to talk to him, Tess. Be honest. It's the only way he'll figure it out. It's the only way I ever figure things out."
"Come on, you're smarter than that." I encouraged with a soft snort, giving him a humorous glance. "You figure things out all the time."
"I got lucky with all of that." Scott responded, nodding his head and then, he smiled. "And I get help from the best friend's in the world."
I couldn't help the genuine smile that fell onto my features. Then, Scott's posture suddenly straightened and he stared at a spot behind me. For a few moments, I kept my silence and then the boy shot forward to grab my wrist gently, beginning to pull me towards the door that led out to the lacrosse fields.
"What? What's going on?" I demanded, picking up my step to avoid tripping over my own feet.
"Boyd's here." Scott answered, his voice tight. "Whatever happens, stay behind me at all times. I don't want you anywhere near him, alright?"
"Yeah, o-of course." I agreed, swallowing passed the sudden ball of nerves that had climbed up into my throat. It made it significantly harder to breathe and I found myself wishing I had just gone back inside the school with Allison and Stiles.
Scott pushed open the door and the bright sunlight of the afternoon struck my eyes with ferocity. The chill bit my exposed skin, having left my jacket inside my locker. The t-shirt I had on was doing me little justice against the winter that was settling upon us in California. However, standing closer to Scott allowed his newfound, werewolf body heat to provide me with some warmth. I looked across the field to find that Derek was nowhere to be found, probably hiding in the shadows. Instead, Boyd stood across from us-stoic and also clad in a leather jacket.
"I want to talk to Derek!" Scott demanded sternly, just now releasing me wrist to allow me to walk freely beside him.
"Talk to me." Boyd countered, his voice much stronger than it had been that day on the ice rink. He had made a complete transformation and mimicked the other guard dogs that had been given their "gift".
"I don't want to fight." Scott insisted, keeping his voice calm yet serious at the same time.
"Good, because I'm twice the size of you." Boyd responded smugly and then his eyes landed on me. "And much stronger than her."
I shrunk beneath his gaze and Scott's arm came out to provide a barrier between me and the other werewolf. "True." Scott said in response to Boyd. "Really, really true. But you want to know what I think? I'm twice as fast."
"Oh, my God." I muttered to myself and covered my face with my hands, already not enjoying where this conversation was going. Suddenly, Scott's hand landed flat on my stomach and he pushed me backwards a few steps. In a matter of seconds, he had jumped forward and tackled Boyd by the waist. "Scott!"
Scott slammed Boyd to the ground roughly, their grunts both filling the air. Both of them jumped back to their feet, ready for another round, but another body came between them both.
"She failed the test." Derek told Scott, his eyes darting back towards me for only a second.
"Yeah, which doesn't prove anything." Scott argued, shaking his head. "Lydia's different."
"I know. At night, she turns into a homicidal walking snake." Derek said, his tone embarking closely to false enthusiasm.
"No, she doesn't!" I exclaimed, taking a few large steps towards the group of wolves. "We're not going to let you kill her, Derek."
"And what the hell are you doing here?" Derek demanded, raising his eyebrows. He looked between Scott and I. "Was that part of your plan? Bring Tessa here to appeal to my emotions and try to make me believe Lydia isn't the kanima when she so very obviously failed the test? I will applaud the effort, but it would've never worked."
"Derek, you can't kill Lydia." I begged, the panic evident in my tone. "She-She's my best friend and I would know if she was doing this. This is all just-just a mess, but it isn't her."
Derek was silent for a few moments as he stared at me, his expression hard for me to predict. "I thought I made my intentions clear at the swimming pool."
"When you told me that I wasn't worth fighting for?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows and then letting out a disbelieving scoff. "You're still standing by that after I nearly died trying to save your life? Truly, you are incredible."
Derek let out a bark of sharp laughter. "I'm incredible? I distinctly remember multiple occasions where you told me that we weren't family-told me that I was a terrible person and that I was only out to get your friends." He argued, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yet, all I've done is try to keep you safe."
"By killing my best friend?" I whimpered, my eyes suddenly stinging with tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes. My vision of Derek became blurry and I sniffed hard. "Derek, if you do this-if you follow through with this stupid plan-and Lydia dies, I will never forgive you for as long as I live. There will be no hope, no thoughts of redemption. I will never even consider the idea of allowing you into my life. If you are my brother, you won't do this."
I let my words hang in the air, a single tear rolling down my cheek as I stared at the alpha werewolf across from me. Trembling, I wrapped my arms around myself to provide some sort of comfort. I searched his eyes for any sign of what his voice might be, but it was difficult-just like it always had been. Derek had a talent for being incredibly unpredictable. And then, for just a moment, I felt my heart swell up with hope-hope that maybe he'd hear how desperate I was, hope that he found it deep within himself to do what was right.
"Who said I was going to do it?"
It felt like a knife had suddenly been jammed through my chest and all of the air left my lungs. My mouth dropped open, shuddering breaths slipping past my lips when I came to the sudden realization that Derek's plan was already in motion while we stood out here on the lacrosse field. There were two characters missing from this story and they were probably already halfway to Lydia inside of the high school. It was also at this time that I concluded that there was never going to be any hope for Derek. He would never climb down off of his alpha high horse and do what was right. He would never change his mind-not even for me-and we were going to be stuck with the consequences of his actions.
I didn't matter to him.
Once Scott noticed that Isaac and Erica were missing, he went to take a step forward but Boyd was on him before he even got the chance. Boyd's arm clotheslined Scott and the boy went flying onto his back, hitting the ground with a hard thud. Scott coughed a few times, clutching onto his chest and grunting in pain.
"Scott," I whispered weakly beneath my breath and went down to kneel by his side, supporting him with a hand on his upper back. I checked for any other injuries I might've missed as my friend struggled to recover from the blow he'd just taken.
"I don't why you think you have to protect everyone now, Scott. But, even so, Lydia has killed people and she's gonna do it again. And next time, it's gonna be one of us." Derek talked down to us.
"What if you're wrong?" Scott demanded.
"She was bitten by an alpha. It's her." Derek insisted diligently.
I helped Scott push himself up a little higher, still keeping him suspended with one of my hands. "You saw that thing up close. You know it's not like us."
"But it is!" Derek barked. "We're all shapeshifters. You don't know what you're dealing with. It happens rarely, and it happens for a reason."
I rolled my eyes and then gave the alpha a harsh look. "What reason is that exactly?"
"Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are." Derek finished and I flinched at his words. Then, to my surprise, he extended his hand down towards Scott. A few moments passed before the beta took the help and let Derek pull him to his feet. I followed in suit, wiping dirt off of my pants. "Even Stiles calls her cold-blooded."
"Well, what if she's immune?" Scott inquired, his voice sounding much weaker and less confident than before. "What if she's got something inside of her that makes her immune to the bite, which is why she didn't get paralyzed?"
"No one's immune!" Derek answered as if it were the most incredulous thought in the world. "I've never seen it or heard of it. It's not-It's never happened."
"What about Jackson?" I exclaimed, the conversation I had with him in the hallway suddenly revealing itself. "He-He told me he was bitten and that nothing happened. He couldn't understand why nothing had happened to Lydia, too."
"Jackson told you what?" Derek demanded through gritted teeth, his blue eyes suddenly turning much darker. "And you didn't think to tell me?"
"I didn't think it mattered until Lydia's life was on the fucking line, Derek." I spat and then shook my head. "Again, what about Jackson?"
"That's why you tested him, isn't it?" Scott then realized, the pieces all seemingly falling together all at once. "Because you gave him what he wanted, didn't you?"
"You're the alpha who bit Jackson." I uttered, shaking my head in disbelief.
"Guys-"
"Peter said the bite either kills you or turns you." Scott continued on, not relenting for a second. "You were probably hoping that he would die. But, nothing happened, right? And you have no idea why, do you?"
"No." Derek seethed, his eyes piercing into Scott's soul like he was trying to light him on fire with his mind.
"Well, I have a theory." Scott muttered. "Lydia's immune and somehow she passed it on to Jackson. You know I'm right."
"No!" Derek stated once more, except with more anger.
"You cannot do this!" Scott yelled, reaching out to gently take my wrist again as tensions seemed to be rising once more. I instinctively moved closer to him, shutting my eyes against all the noise. Everything that had just happened was all becoming too much-too overwhelming. Reality was starting to feel fake and I was trying to wake myself up from some terrible dream I was having.
"Look, I can't let her live!" Derek yelled back. "You should've known that!"
"I was hoping we would convince you, but then...I wasn't counting on it."
A/N: This chapter ran a bit longer than I had anticipated, so the rest of the episode will be concluded at the beginning of the next chapter. I thought it was more important to include some character interactions considering there hadn't been much in the last one. I hope you all enjoyed.
I did get a review asking me to not allow Tessa to forgive Isaac easily considering what is currently going down. The answer is that Tessa is incredibly talented at holding grudges and trying to murder her best friend will not be let go easily. So, don't you fret. Thank you so much for the review and I hope to see more!
- Laura