Chapter 15
With only a few condescending and incredibly intimidating stares from Mrs. Argent, the rest of class went on as per usual. I found myself shrinking beneath her gaze every time it landed on me while trying not to draw any more attention to me or my friends. Even breathing felt like a crime underneath the hawk surveillance that was Allison's own mother. Why she was here was not a mystery to me and only validated the idea that the Argent's were beginning to close in on the supernatural. With Gerard and Victoria under the same roof, we were prancing around in the lion's den.
Once the bell rang, I gathered my things up as quickly as possibly, wanting to leave the room as quickly as possible. Scott had the same thought and glanced at me over his shoulder, his tan skin a bit lighter. Allison was following right behind, nearly running into the back of me. Unfortunately, just as she was about to exit into the hallway, her mother's voice floated delicately through the air-beckoning her back. Knowing there was virtually nothing I could do, I gave her a supportive smile and she only nodded in response.
Not feeling comfortable enough leaving her alone with another one of her murderous family members, I waited just a few paces down from the classroom door. Scott had gone in the opposite direction, but I knew that we would all end up on the same page eventually. Scott showing up to school helped ease my concerns, knowing that if he was alive, so was Stiles. It also begged the question of what exactly they had done with Jackson and why Stiles hadn't shown up to school as well. I was still anticipating an answer from the spastic boy and I was becoming worried that I wouldn't.
An hour had passed and I had given myself that much.
Allison suddenly appeared in the doorway and, as if we were communicating with each other telepathically, she turned on her heel to hurry towards my direction. I met her in the middle and she linked arms with me, smiling calmly.
"Act normal. If that's even possible for you." Allison urged out of the corner of her mouth, guiding me towards the front doors of the school. "We're going to meet Stiles."
"What? You know where he is?" I asked, flabbergasted. "How did you find this out?"
"I called him." Allison answered as if it were obvious. "Which is something we probably should've done a long time ago. My family knows. They know about everything."
"Oh my God." I groaned, bile rising up in my throat as my stomach twisted itself into knots. My knees immediately felt weak and the only thing keeping me steady was Allison beside me. "This is exactly what we needed. Not only are we trying to fight off a homicidal lacrosse lizard, we know how to fight off your very experienced, very bloodthirsty family."
"I know." Allison sighed, agitated and then pushed through the front doors of the school, releasing my arms. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and began making her way towards her car. "We have to get to Stiles before anyone else does to warn him. They're keeping Jackson in a police van just a few miles into the Preserve."
"Why am I not surprised that they came up with a plan that involved illegal activities?" I hummed with an air of sarcasm, climbing into the passenger side of Allison's Mazda. "No wonder everyone is freaking out."
"As long as Jackson isn't murdering people, I'm okay." Allison pointed out, starting her car and then peeling out of the parking lot. She began speeding towards our destination. "I can't believe this is happening. I thought we'd have more time."
"I did, too, until your Mom decided to become a substitute teacher for our history class." I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest and shaking my head. "I haven't seen her for a while and, let me tell you, I wasn't upset about it."
Allison snorted softly, the corners of her lips twitching up briefly before it dropped again. "They're gonna find out that I'm seeing Scott and-and I don't know what I'm going to do." She admitted, her voice shaking. "Tessa, how am I supposed to choose between him and my family?"
"You won't have to." I assured her, sitting up in my seat and turning my body to face her a bit more. "They're not going to find out and they're not going to kill anyone."
Allison nodded, unable to force any words out. Her fingers gripped the leather of her steering wheel tightly and her brown eyes stared forward, somewhat glossed over. She repeatedly checked the rearview mirror and remained silent until we pulled up to the small dirt lot of the Preserve. Getting out, she opened her phone to find the coordinates Stiles had sent to her. We began hiking through the trees, both of us throwing on beanies to protect our ears from the chill that had descended on the area.
Finally, we came up on a somewhat open clearing where Stiles was leaning against a police van. He seemed to not suspect our presence until Allison laid a hand on his shoulder and he jumped away from it with a loud yelp.
"They know." Allison immediately told him, not wasting any time.
"What?" He gasped, his neck jutting out resembling that of a chicken.
"They know Jackson's missing!" Allison reiterated, sounding just as panicked as Stiles looked.
"No, they can't. I've been texting his parents since last night." Stiles defended and held up Jackson's cellphone as if to provide solid evidence for us. "They don't have a clue."
Allison and I shook our heads in unison. "My grandfather told me his parents went to the police." She revealed to Stiles. "They know."
Stiles stared blankly back at the two of us, his mouth hanging agape as he absorbed the new information. He then began to squeal out a noise, holding the cellphone in between his thumb and forefinger as if it were some sort of bug. Then, he dropped it on the ground and scrambled over to the driver side door of the police van, wrenching it open. Allison and I followed him as he switched on the police radio.
"All available units proceed to Beacon Hills Preserve as instructed. Proceed with caution until Sheriff Stilinski's arrival. Repeat: proceed with caution." The voice instructed over the radio, the words sending chills down my spine as I realized they were hiding right for us.
"Get in. Get in the van." Stiles instructed wildly, gesturing for us to get inside. Allison and I exchanged a deep look before returning back to the car.
"There's only one seat, Stiles." I pointed out. "I have to sit in the back with Jackson."
"Wha-no. No, you don't. Just…" Stiles trailed off as he glanced around for a moment.
"...sit on Allison's lap? Yeah, absolutely not. I'll just get in the back." I finished, giving him a scathing glare before marching around to the back doors of the police van.
Wrenching them open, I revealed Jackson who was now wearing sweatpants and was cuffed by his ankles and wrists. He was still shirtless and appeared to be just as angry as I could've anticipated. I shot him a weak smile and then climbed in.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jackson demanded through his teeth, his eyes attempting to light me on fire. "Come to catch a charge as well?"
"I'm here to make sure you don't kill anyone, alright?" I snapped back, rolling my eyes and then plopping down on the metal bench across from him. "It's nice to see you clothed."
Jackson smiled with acidity. "I'm sure you liked it better the other way."
I gagged and held up a hand towards him. "Shut up." I grunted. "I've been trying to burn the image of your junk out of my mind for the past twenty four hours."
"So, you're a part of all this crap?" Jackson demanded, raising his eyebrows and gesturing at the van. "Why am I not surprised? You're always following those two idiots around like a lost puppy."
"You know, for a second while I was carrying your unconscious body around a gay nightclub, I almost felt bad for you." I admitted, shaking my head and crossing my arms across my chest. "I almost felt like you didn't deserve all of this crazy shit that was happening to you-that you didn't deserve to have a target painted on your back."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Jackson admitted almost begrudgingly. "I haven't killed anyone. Nothing happened to me on the night of the full moon. You and Stilinski have it all wrong."
I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "No, we don't, Abercrombie and Dumbass."
"Nothing happened to me!" Jackson roared, jerking against the chains as he attempted to lunge towards me. I shot back, my body slamming against the metal wall of the van as I felt it starting to move.
I stared back at Jackson with an apprehensive expression, trying to remain calm. "I wouldn't lie to you. I never have, if we're being completely honest." I muttered. "I've always told you how much of a jerk you're being and how much you absolutely freaking suck. Why would I try to convince you that you're a murderer with scales and glowing yellow eyes?"
"I-I don't know. Because you're jealous of me?" Jackson suggested boldly.
I let out a bark of laughter. "Jealous? Of you?" I repeated with raised eyebrows. "You're really a piece of work, Whitmore. Even after all the shit we've been through, you're still the same grade A douchebag I met on the first day of school."
"What? You expect me to pity you after your sob story that night we were trapped in the high school?" Jackson asked me, tipping his head to the side and feigning sympathy. His words drilled into my chest like a knife and I suddenly silenced. "Wake up, Tessa. Everybody has problems. I was adopted after both my parents died. At least you have one."
"That doesn't even want me, either!" I defended, leaning forward somewhat and staring at him coldly. "And, surprise, I'm adopted, too. My entire family was burned to a crisp by my best friend's aunt and now my brother wants to murder all of my friends. How is that for a sob story, Jackson? Huh?"
Jackson went mute, his lips pressed tightly together while his hands clenched into fists. "You're related to Derek?" He then asked quietly. I nodded in response, unable to speak. "That's unfortunate."
"Wow, aren't you intuitive?" I hissed, attempting to keep my voice level. "My point is that we're trying to protect you. The least you could do is be somewhat nice."
"You're protecting me from nothing, Tessa." Jackson insisted, jerking his head from side to side in a dismissive motion. "You're holding me here against my will for no reason."
"I can't make you believe me. I can just make you stay here." I murmured, shrugging my shoulders weakly. "And make sure that you don't end up as another victim of the Argent family."
"The Argent's?" Jackson's expression turned from irritated to somewhat confused. "Why are they after me?"
"Because you killed some of their people, Jackson."
"No, I didn't!"
"Whatever! They're still going to come after you whether you want to believe that or not." I exclaimed, throwing my arms up as I felt the van suddenly come to a stop. "God, now I really regret offering to sit back here."
I stood up and shoved open the doors of the van, hopping out. I slammed them shut behind me, blowing out a blustery breath and pushing hair out of my face. Allison and Stiles joined me, another figure appearing in the distance.
Scott looked just as worried and defeated as we all felt, kissing Allison on the forehead swiftly. We then began to make our way closer towards the cliff edge Stiles had parked beside. I had to admit, the spot did look further away from civilization than before and I hoped that the police wouldn't make it out this far.
"I went to go see Danny at the hospital." Scott revealed to us, rubbing the back of his head. "He said he was doing some editing for a video Jackson took."
"A video?" I repeated, my brow knitting together in confusion. "Did he say what kind of video?"
"He said I could find out if I got his tablet from his car at the nightclub. When I got there, all of his stuff was gone. If Jackson doesn't remember being the kanima, he's definitely not gonna remember stealing Danny's tablet." Scott explained.
"Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't even know what's on it?" Stiles asked frustratedly.
"What if someone else took it?" Allison suggested, tucking her hands into the pocket of her jacket, glancing between the four of us.
"Then somebody else knows what he is." Stiles answered, holding his arms out at his sides.
"Which could mean someone's protecting him." Scott said optimistically, his voice giving me hope for only a moment, but it fizzled away quickly.
"The bestiary says 'the kanima seeks a friend', right?" Allison added on.
Stiles let out a sigh through his nose. "Okay, hold on, so somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into the kanima, and then just erases part of it so he wouldn't know?" He inquired for clarification. "I mean, who would do that?"
"Somebody who wanted to protect him?" Allison proposed just as Scott had done only moments before.
"There's something else." Scott spoke up, turning his head to look at Stiles. "You said the only thing you found online about the kanima is that it goes after murderers. What if that's actually true?"
"Well, no, it can't be. It tried to kill all of us, remember?" Stiles reminded him, gesturing at the friends surrounding him. "I don't know about you three, but I haven't murdered anybody lately."
"I mean, I've been super close." I responded softly, bobbing my eyebrows and wrapping my arms around myself.
"But, I-I don't think that it was trying to actually kill us." Scott admitted, placing a hand in the pocket of his jeans as he spoke. He then looked at his girlfriend. "Remember when we were at Isaac's the first time, it just went right by us, didn't it?"
Allison nodded in agreement. "You're right. It just ran off."
Scott then turned his head back to his friend. "And it didn't kill you at the mechanic's garage."
"Well, yeah, but it tried to kill Derek, Tessa, and I in the pool." Stiles argued somewhat weakly.
"Did it?" Scott probed almost immediately.
"It would've. It was waiting for us to come out." Stiles insisted, his brown eyes turned to me. "Wasn't it, Tessa?"
"Maybe Scott is on to something." I murmured, shrugging a gentle shoulder and giving him a weak look to which he sighed at.
"What if it was trying to keep you in?" Scott entertained, his voice far off as if he were connecting puzzle pieces together inside of his head.
"Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?" Stiles whimpered, appearing entirely uncomfortable at the idea of the kanima actually trying to protect us.
"Because there's something else going on." Scott persisted, urging us to understand what he was explaining. "We don't know what it is. We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson, or why someone's protecting him."
"Know thy enemy." Allison suddenly broke in, her voice flat as she stared out over the cliff's edge just directly ahead of us. We all turned to look over at her with confused expressions and she gently shook her head. "Just something my grandfather said."
"Alright, I got it. Kill Jackson. Problem solved." Stiles interjected, nodding curtly and looking somewhat pleased with himself.
"And killing Peter solved problems for us, right?" I countered, raising my eyebrows at the spastic boy who's mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to come up with a proper response.
"He risked his life for us against Peter, you remember that?" Scott added on, giving his friend a stern glare.
"Yes, but what did we just find out?" Stiles argued. "He got the bite from Derek. It's funny how he just got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us. It's funny."
"Yeah, it doesn't mean he's still not worth saving." Scott responded heroically, the goodness of his heart beginning to shine brightly as he defended the boy just behind us locked in the police van. As infuriated Jackson made me, I couldn't help but admit that I didn't want to see him dead either. Just like how I never wanted to see Derek dead.
"It's always something with him though."
"He doesn't know what he's doing."
"So, what?"
"So, I didn't either!" Scott exclaimed, becoming agitated with his best friend. He pressed his lips tightly together and spun around to face Allison once more. "You remember when I almost killed you and Jackson?"
"How could we ever forget?" I mumbled to myself and rubbed my eyes as I felt myself becoming more exhausted as time passed.
"I had someone to stop me." Scott continued on. "He has nobody."
"That's his own fault." Stiles muttered, still sticking with his stance.
"Stiles, come on." I begged softly, giving him a beseeching look. "He's just a kid."
"You should be the last one to defend him after the horrible crap he's said to you!" Stiles squeaked, gesturing to me with his hand. "You can't be serious."
"It doesn't matter. If there's a chance to save him, we have to try." Scott told him confidently.
Stiles glanced between the three of us for a few moments, as if hoping one of us would disagree. Once he realized that none of us would, he let out a defeated sigh and rubbed at his forehead. "Okay, fine, whatever. But, after this, we are done letting the douchebags live!" He said sternly, marching away from the group to go stand on his own.
"What do we do now?" I asked Scott, deciding to let Stiles cool off before going to speak with him. "I have to tell Andre where I am. She's going to worry."
"We have to wait here. If there's any chance we hear the cops coming, we have to be ready to move." Scott informed me, wrapping an arm around Allison as she began to shiver slightly from the cold. "I'll have Allison pull her car up so we have somewhere warm to wait."
"Oh, this is not how I wanted to spend my Wednesday." I sighed, reaching to pull my beanie tighter over my head. I glanced back at the van and then towards Scott. "How long do you think we'll have to wait?"
"Until we know for sure that Jackson isn't going to hurt anyone. He's safe in the van." Scott assured me, nodding and giving me a comforting look. "We're going to do this."
I repeated Scott's action and smiled as confidently as I could. "Right." I whispered, then exhaled deeply. "Go pull up the car. I'll wait here with Stiles."
Scott and Allison took my order, marching off back through the woods towards where we had parked earlier. Once they were out of my line of view, I looked over at Stiles who was leaning against a tree, tossing rocks off the side of the cliff. The pinched expression on his face told me that he still wasn't entirely happy with the outcome of our current situation and I wasn't sure if he would be willing to talk to me. Regardless, I crept over and came to stand on the other side of him.
"How can you defend him?" Stiles asked me, his voice timid after a few moments of silence. "I mean, he treats you terribly and uses the crappy things that have happened to you as a way to bully you."
I shrugged and looked down at my sneakers, the autumn leaves covering them somewhat. "I don't know." I admitted. "I guess I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was the reason for someone's death. No one deserves to die, Stiles. Not even Peter."
"Damn you and Scott with your good conscience." Stiles grunted, angrily tossing another rock off the cliff's edge. "It makes it very hard to stand by my own morals anymore."
A smile fell upon my lips and a soft snort emitted from my nose. "Damn us." I agreed sarcastically. "You aren't a bad person, either. You're just…passionate."
"That's one way to say it." Stiles scoffed, dropping the handful of rocks he had and then turning his head to look over at me. His golden brown eyes danced across my face for a moment, as if analyzing every single feature on my skin. My cheeks felt hot and I tried not to look over at him.
"I'm tired of this." I finally admitted quietly, my eyes poised on the ground as an overwhelming feeling swept over me. "Tired of...fighting with myself-fighting with you."
Stiles' brow knitted together and he straightened his spine a bit. "Fighting?" He repeated. "I'm not mad at you."
"I don't mean that we're mad at each other. I mean that we just keep fighting...ourselves." I explained further, shaking my head and sniffing hard. "I don't want to pretend like I'm okay with just...being your friend or-or that nothing is going on between us. It's exhausting, Stiles."
Once he realized what I was talking about, his expression seemed to drop and guilt washed over his face. "Oh," He whispered. "I know what you mean, now."
Swallowing hard, I ultimately found the courage to look directly at him. My green eyes were poised on his own and, in that moment, I felt like every single planet had aligned. There were no gray areas or unfinished lines. There was no confusion or unease. It was as though everything seemed to fall perfectly into place without cutting corners or seeming off. At that moment, I understood that when I looked at Stiles, everything felt right. Regardless of what our current situation was, I felt like everything was at peace the moment my gaze met his.
"Please," I then begged in a hushed tone, entirely against my will. "Please, Stiles, just kiss me."
As if there had never been a moment's hesitation in his mind, Stiles surged forward rapidly. His pale, lukewarm hands came to grip either side of my face and I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of his touch against my skin. Only seconds later did the sensation of his lips against mine overwhelm every single synapse in my body. My own lips moved naturally against his, my own hands now reaching up to grab either of his wrists just like they had done on the lacrosse field nearly a month ago. Stiles stepped closer to me, the body heat emitting from him almost too much to resist as my own form inched forward.
Finally, his lips separated from mine and I felt like the spell had been momentarily broken. My eyes fluttered open, lips still parted from where they had been pressed against his own. My green orbs scrolled from his lips to his brown eyes.
"You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that." Stiles admitted in a soft whisper, the corners of his mouth twitching up to reveal a genuine smile. "Every time I looked at you, it was all I could think about."
A bubble of light laughter tumbled out of me with ease. "You don't know how long I've been wanting you to do that." I refuted playfully. Stiles tipped his head up for a moment to press his warm lips against my forehead, sighing out through his nose. Then, he tipped his head back up only to rest his forehead against mine.
Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat behind us made us jump apart wildly. I adjusted my jacket on my body and spun around. Scott and Allison stood side by side with an amused expression on their faces, Allison looking like she might explode.
"Are we…" Allison began.
"...interrupting?" Scott finished, raising his eyebrows and grinning devilishly at his friend.
"Yeah, actually." Stiles responded stiffly. "Because I always ruin your guys' little public displays of affection, huh?"
The boy then reached out to grab my hand and began tugging me away from the other couple who whispered frantically to each other, giggling loudly enough for me to hear. I glanced over my shoulder at Allison who gave me a thumb's up and an enthused grin. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her with a smile before returning back to Stiles.
"Where are we going?" I asked after a few moments of walking. "Now that we've finally gotten over ourselves, are you going to kill me?"
"I am not going to kill you." Stiles assured me with a roll of his eyes and smack of his lips. "That would be a really crappy move on my part. And I have made plenty of those. I'm trying to put some distance between us and those two lovesick rabbits."
"Fair enough." I agreed, bobbing my eyebrows and nodding curtly. Stiles eventually stopped and perched himself down on the ground, patting the spot beside him. Once I did, he leaned against a tree trunk and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, gently pulling me into the side of him.
"I always thought it would feel weird to hold you like this." Stiles admitted, his voice rumbling in his chest against my ear. "But, it feels...almost natural."
"I agree." I murmured, allowing my body to relax into his own. "It feels right."
Stiles and I began to talk with each as we had when we first met, poking jabs at each other and sharing random stories about our rambunctious childhood. Things began to almost seem calm and peaceful-as though we weren't hiding in the forest from the cops with a kanima. The sun began to set against the skyline, casting a bright orange glow of the autumn scenery of Beacon Hills, and I felt my eyelids becoming heavier with each decrease of daylight. Just as the moon was revealing itself to the world, I lost my battle fighting my exhaustion. My eyelids fluttered shut and I descended into a pit of mindless sleep.
It felt like I had only just closed my eyes when I felt someone shaking me somewhat roughly, snapping me back to consciousness.
"Tessa, wake up!" Stiles urged frantically, both of his hands on each of my shoulders. I blinked a few times to regain some conception of where I was and rubbed my eye sockets with my fists. "God, you are the slowest person to wake up ever."
"What the hell is going on?" I demanded somewhat gruffly, unhappy about being woken up.
"We have a problem. A very huge problem and I need you to get up." Stiles explained, his voice still terrified. I suddenly felt his arm grab me gently underneath my bicep and haul me to my feet. Then, he placed his hand in mine and began dragging us back towards our homebase. My vision was still somewhat blurred as I attempted to shake the sleep out of them.
Once it cleared, I glanced around to see what could possibly be the problem. My gaze landed on the police van who's backdoors were wrenched wide open, revealing a vacancy. My stomach dropped down around my feet and the sound of sirens began to scream in my head with intensity. Stiles walked over to Allison's Mazda where the couple was curled up together in the backseat. He knocked, waking the both of them up.
"You guys might want to come take a look at this." Stiles told them, gesturing towards the van.
Both of them began to pull their shirts back on before exiting the car, walking with Stiles and I over to the van. The four of us stood in front of the empty space, eyeing the handcuffs that had been torn apart.
"I have to tell my father." Allison spoke aloud, her voice thin. Scott said nothing as his body turned and began to walk slowly away from the ground. "Scott? He's going to kill someone."
"Okay, tell him." Scott relinquished quietly, unable to look at the three of us. "Tell him everything."
"Scott, I have to tell mine, too." Stiles said from beside me, his expression drawn.
"This is all my fault." Scott grunted, shaking his head.
"It's not!" Allison assured him quickly, taking a step towards her boyfriend. "But, we have to tell them. We're just a bunch of teenagers. We can't handle this. Andre can't do this all on her own, either."
"I can't give her that kind of responsibility. She's already doing the best she can." I choked out, clenching my fists tightly at my side.
"You're right." Scott said in response to all of us.
Allison then turned around to look at Stiles. "How are you going to make your Dad believe all of this?" She asked him weakly.
"I don't know." Stiles answered, sighing out deeply through his nose and shifting nervously on his feet.
Scott then turned around to look at all of us. His eyes suddenly shifted and they were no longer normal chocolate brown, they were bright yellow. "He'll believe me."
My lips quivered and I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling a sinking in my chest. "I don't want to do this." I whimpered. "This is what we've been trying to avoid this whole time."
"I know." Scott replied, looking just as devastated as I felt. "But, right now, Jackson is loose and the Argent's are looking for him. There's nothing we can do without getting our own selves killed."
"We've made it so far." I choked out. "It can't just...end like this."
"You said it yourself, there is only so much Andre can do." Allison reminded me, shaking her head. "She's already done so much, but it hasn't been enough. My Dad could help us stop this thing."
"You think this is going to be a team effort? That your grandpa is just going to let it slide that we've all been going under his radar with the supernatural? That we've been protecting a werewolf?" I asked Allison, raising my eyebrows and giving her a disbelieving look. "I'm related to a werewolf, Allison. He'll kill Derek and he'll kill me."
"I'd never let that happen." Allison argued stoically. "My father would never hurt you."
"He would if it meant protecting you." I pointed out, feeling my eyes sting intensely with unshed tears. "I mean nothing if it means you. We all mean nothing if it means you, Allison."
Allison was silent for a few moments and her eyes dropped down to her boots, lips pursed. "We don't have a choice and-and if there is anything I can do to stop my Dad from hurting anyone besides those who need it, then I will do it."
"I'll protect all of you." Scott added on, taking one step closer to all of us. "Nothing will happen to you or your sister, Tessa. I promise."
"Scott-"
"I promise." Scott reiterated sternly. I swallowed hard and met his look, seeing that he was being incredibly serious. Believing him wholeheartedly, I nodded in understanding. "Right now, we all need to go home."
Everyone murmured their agreement and we all piled into Allison's car. She drove back town, Scott getting out just before anyone could see him and running off into the darkness. She dropped Stiles off first and then me next, informing me to call if anything seemed out of the ordinary. Scott was already watching out of his bedroom window as I exited the car and went inside my house where Andre was waiting in the kitchen.
She had a glass with an amber liquid in it, her arsenal already displayed on the kitchen counter like it had been since the night we had gotten home from the lacrosse game. I could see the tired look in her eyes, dark bags beneath them and wrinkles on her forehead where her brow was pursed. Andre lifted her head from it's tipped position once she heard my footsteps and a feeble smile appeared on her face.
"I got your text." She murmured. "About Jackson."
I bit down on my bottom lip and shakily lowered myself into a seat at one of the bar stools. I stared into the metallic reflection of a pistol in front of me. "I don't know what's going to happen next." I admitted sadly. "We've run out of options and this is the only one we have."
Andre nodded slowly. "It's unfortunate." She agreed. "I wish there was more that I could so that we didn't have to resort to telling the parents."
"You've done enough." I assured my sister, turning my attention towards her. "We all appreciate all that you have done, We don't want to risk your safety any more than we have."
"If Gerard gets any ideas, I won't hesitate to stop him." Andre revealed seriously. "I will protect you no matter what."
"I'm hoping it doesn't get to that." I said to her with a sigh. "There are bigger fish to fry and I am the least of his concerns."
Andre bobbed her eyebrows and hummed in agreement. "Anything else interesting happen today? Anything semi-normal that we can talk about for a moment to pretend our world isn't on fire?" She inquired, hopping up onto an empty space on the counter to sit.
Unable to stop myself, a bashful smile fell onto my lips and my cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, the temperature in them rising. "Maybe."
"I know that look." Andre gasped excitedly, pointing at me. "That's only the look you get when things are good with Stiles."
"Things are really good with Stiles." I admitted to her, biting down on my bottom lip and nodding. "We actually...talked it out today. And...he kissed me."
"Yes!" Andre cheered, thrusting a fist in the air and grinning enthusiastically. "Finally. You two were dragging that on forever."
"Oh, shut up." I dismissed her with a wave of my hand, unable to wipe away my own smile. "It wasn't that long."
"Yeah, sure. I had to watch you mope around the house for a month." Andre scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm glad that something good could come out of this crap storm of a day."
"Me, too." I agreed, nodding and then pushing some hair behind my ear. "I just wish that it could be all that I had to worry about-that I could actually enjoy it without fearing for the lives of the people I cared about every five seconds."
"Welcome to our world, honey." Andre sighed woefully, jumping down from the counter. She grabbed her whiskey glass and downed the rest of her drink. "I have to get some sleep, if I can even do that. If we're getting ready to go through a bunch of shit, I can't be slacking. So, goodnight and sweet dreams, little sister."
She wandered over to the other side of the counter and pressed a kiss to the top of my head, wrapping an arm around my shoulders for a quick hug. Then, she disappeared up the steps, shutting her bedroom door behind her.
I found myself unable to move for a few seconds, staring at all of the weapons displayed out before me. My brain trailed off, floating away from the kitchen of my home and thinking about all of the events that had transpired in the past twenty four hours once more. We were about to tell Mr. Argent and Mr. Stilinski about the kanima. We were about to tell Mr. Stilinski about the entire supernatural and I wasn't sure how that would end. Stiles had worked so hard to keep his Dad out of it-keep him safe-and now we had no other choice but to throw him into the line of fire. Mr. Argent would find out that Scott was still seeing Allison and Gerard would come to find out about all of us being in on everything that had happened in this town. My argument with Jackson in the back of the police van did nothing to help soothe any of my worries, only making me feel even more overwhelmed by my own internal thoughts. Saying the things I did out loud made them feel even more real.
A text appeared on my phone and I reached over to read it.
"I'll be at your place in the morning. Try to get some rest. Sleep well. Goodnight."
-Stiles.
A/N: Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for. I had been trying to find the right time for them to finally get over themselves and shared a much needed, intimate moment, and I realized as I was writing that part of the chapter that this had to be it. I figured I had made everyone wait long enough, haha!
As always, please leave reviews. I appreciate them more than you could ever know.
- Laura