"Here, where the sky's falling

I'm covered in blue

I'm running and I'm crawling

Fighting for you"

Homesick by Dua Lipa

Derek turned to me. "You think you can keep up?" he asked.

"I'm faster than you," I guaranteed. I quickly turned to Allison. "My keys are in my bag. Take Lydia home." Then Derek and I took off running, chasing after the lizard monstrosity that terrorized the town.

Wrapping the chain around my body tightly to keep it from jingling, I followed closely behind Derek as he tracked it by scent. A tall fence came into sight, so we ran up and flung ourselves over the top, landing on our feet. Derek shifted and my eyes glowing bright orange. He growled and we followed the kanima into an industrial area.

Derek slowed to a stop, so I did, too, unfurling the chain and letting the kunai hang low to the ground. "Where'd it go?" I asked quietly, my eyes darting around.

"Up," he replied, looking up at the bridge above us. "Give me a second to figure out which way."

He didn't get his second as we turned around and spotted the kanima who had dropped down from the bridge. Derek growled at the sight of it, and I began swinging the blade. Derek avoided blows by its claws while I stayed a good distance away and took shots at it with the kunai, but it seemed incredibly aware of both our positions. Derek swung his fist with as much force as he could but missed, hitting the concrete column behind the creature.

The kanima shoved Derek towards me. I narrowly avoided slicing through Derek, diving to the side. Derek picked up a discarded car door and the kanima began slicing at it, so I swung the kunai towards it, allowing the chain to wrap around its claws. For a moment, I naively thought I had it, but the kanima used the tight chain to hurl my body towards the closest column and climbed up a different one.

Derek growled again as he helped me up, pain shooting up my spine. The kanima perched itself into the underbelly of the bridge and hissed. An explosion of light blinded us, allowing it to jump down and attack, throwing Derek to the side and kicking me away.

A car skidded to a stop nearby, illuminating the creature with the headlights. I looked up from the ground to see a man holding a gun out and begin shooting, emptying an entire clip into the kanima's chest. A hunter. I immediately took off and hid behind one of the bridge supports a good distance away with my hand covering my mouth to muffle the sound of my heavy breathing. The kanima had fallen to the ground. That meant it was dead, right? The hunter had killed it. Killed Jackson. None of that sat right with me, but I couldn't let the hunter see me.

I allowed my breathing to slow, only to be alarmed by the sound of the kanima hissing once again. I didn't know if it was necessarily good or bad. On the one hand, Jackson was still alive. On the other hand, that meant he was still the kanima. Some might've seen that as a lose-lose situation, but as much as I loved pissing off Jackson, that didn't mean he deserved to die. It wasn't his fault the bite didn't turn him into a werewolf. Well, technically, it was his fault for being a bad person, but still, he hadn't chosen to be a homicidal lizard, just a homicidal wolf.

It wasn't until the hunter left that I got out of my poor hiding spot. I folded up the chain and kunai and shoved it in my jacket pocket. Rubbing my face with my hands, I groaned aloud and began walking. If only I had Allison's number so she could pick me up with my own damn car. Or even Stiles or Scott's numbers.

I had lost Derek, meaning I couldn't chase after the kanima any longer, so instead, I made my way towards the abandoned train station. I had to check on Isaac no matter what Boyd or Erica would say about me being there.

My footsteps down the stairs echoed throughout the station. I raised my hands in surrender at the sight of a wolfed-out Boyd who growled at me as I reached the bottom step. "Chill, Boyd," I requested. "I come in peace."

"Why should I trust that?" he asked.

"Because if I wanted to hurt you, I would've." I lowered my hands and looked around, seeing a still paralyzed Erica laying closeby. "When she's no longer paralyzed, you should bring her home and also go home yourself. Wouldn't want your parents to worry."

Boyd folded his arms over his chest, his wolf-features disappearing. "And Isaac?"

"I just wanted to make sure he was alright, I swear." I put my hands in my jacket pockets and took a few steps closer. "Where'd you put him?" Boyd nodded towards some of the crates in the opposite direction of Erica. "Thanks." I made my way towards the spot Boyd gestured to, only to see a small sleeping area behind the crates that had been set up and a still unconscious Isaac laying on a bedroll. It must've been where he usually slept.

Walking around the crates, I knelt next to him and brushed a few curls out of his face. He looked at peace while asleep, like an angel. Thankfully, Isaac didn't seem to be in any pain. The long slice down his perfectly toned torso had already healed, but he would need a new shirt. I blushed and looked away from him.

I'm watching my incredibly handsome best friend sleep, I thought. This is weird. Sighing, I moved to lean against one of the crates next to him. I pulled out my phone and texted my dad to tell him I'd be staying at a friend's house to study for the Econ midterm the next day. My parents did not need to know what I was truly up to. Resting my head against the crate, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax. I could hear Boyd rustling about, making sure Erica was comfortable, but her paralysis wouldn't wear off for at least an hour unless they started draining some of her blood to draw the toxin out.

The abandoned station was quiet until the werewolf next to me groaned and stretched. Isaac sat up and rolled his neck. Scott must've hit him pretty hard. Once Isaac realized where he was, he looked around more and spotted me sitting behind him. A puppy-dog smile sprouted across his face like we hadn't just fought in Scott's living room.

"Hey," he greeted, fully turning to face me with his legs crossed. "Didn't think I'd see you here, honestly."

"Just because I don't agree with Derek's methods, doesn't mean I don't care about all of you."

He nodded, still smiling, and reached up to rub his head. "I'm sorry. . . about everything, I guess. We should've been working together, not against each other."

"It's alright. No hard feelings."

He dropped his hand to his lap and chuckled. "What did I miss?"

"It's not Lydia."

Isaac frowned. "Wait, what? But the venom didn't work on her."

I shrugged and shook my head. "Yeah, I have no idea how. But Derek and I chased the kanima after Lydia walked out of Scott's house. Plain as day, everyone saw. Well, except you, I guess."

Isaac's jaw dropped open a little and his eyebrows furrowed. "Why the hell did you chase after it?"

I shifted forward, waving my hand, and not liking his tone. "What the hell was I supposed to do?"

"Let Derek handle it!"

"No!"

"Guys!" Isaac and I snapped our heads in the direction of Boyd's voice. He stood with his arms across his chest nearby, obviously having heard us in the echoing underground station. "Stop yelling at each other." Isaac and I sighed together and looked away from Boyd. "You're both children. Anyway, where's Derek?"

"I dunno," I told him honestly, shrugging my shoulders. "Lost him after a hunter showed up. The hunter emptied all his bullets into the thing and it just got up. Derek probably kept following the kanima but I couldn't tell you where. If he needs help, he'll howl." Neither beta looked particularly happy, but they begrudgingly accepted it.

Silence passed between us as Boyd returned to Erica's side. It was mildly tense and I folded my knees closer to my chest to set my chin on them.

"Hey," Isaac said quietly, crawling closer and sitting next to me. "You should go home and get some sleep. It's been a. . . a long day."

I gently smiled and moved my head to his shoulder. "I already told my parents I wouldn't be coming home tonight. They think I'm studying at a friend's house."

"You didn't tell them? Aren't they kitsune, too?"

"My mom is, but. . ." I took in a deep breath and huffed. "They stopped telling me things when my brother died in the Hale House fire. I figured out on my own that hunters moved in and an alpha was on a rampage. I don't really want them to know that I've gotten myself involved. I doubt they'd approve."

"That was how Riichi died?"

Sometimes I forgot the occupants of the house fire weren't common knowledge, especially since Riichi had been a child, so his name hadn't been disclosed to the public. Of course, a fair amount of people knew, like friends of my parents and the police, but he wasn't listed in the newspaper like most of the others. "Yep. He and Derek's little sister had the day off from school, so he was hanging out with her. Doubt Kate Argent knew he wasn't a werewolf when she decided to light it up. Or she didn't care. I mean, there were humans in the house, too. Either way, it hit us all pretty much the same way. We withdrew from each other. It seriously sucks when a river kitsune dies."

"A river kitsune?" I picked up my head to see Isaac's pinched features and smiled sadly. He looked so adorable when confused.

"There are thirteen types of kitsune. While we all have some of the same abilities, there are some that are specific to each type, and if you know a kitsune's type then you can kinda figure out their personality from it. My mom's an ocean kitsune, very go-with-the-flow but quick-tempered. Riichi. . . Riichi was a river kitsune. They're kind and good and patient. They're healers." My voice broke as a tear rolled down my cheek. Isaac wrapped his arm around me, holding me close. "He was the glue that kept us all talking and together, could calm the rest of us down. Probably why I've latched myself onto this shit, so I don't have to go home." I picked myself up and out of his hold, wiping away the stray tear. "Sorry, that was like a lot of exposition you probably didn't need."

Isaac smiled at me. "Sara, it's okay. You spend so much time trying to help me, I think I can return the favor."

The first thing I noticed the next day at school was people putting up security cameras. At my side, Isaac was eyeing them warily. He leaned down as we walked passed the technician on a ladder and said, "I don't like this."

"That makes two of us," I replied. Adjusting my bag, we continued on to our lockers, silently making note of every camera we saw. He leaned on the locker next to mine as I dug out the stuff I would need for class. "They're covering every inch of the school."

"What does that mean for us?" he asked, keeping his voice low and watching the students passing by.

"Allison's grandfather is the principal, right?" Isaac nodded in response. "It means hunters are keeping tabs on the students. They'll know who talks to who. They'll keep an eye on anything suspicious. They're monitoring the supernatural." Isaac pinched his nose in frustration and I couldn't blame him. "I'll see you in Chem, kay?" I patted his shoulder and walked away only to be stopped by Allison halfway down the hall.

"You see what I see?" she asked slowly, eyes glancing around the hall but trying not to act too strange.

I begrudgingly nodded. "Yeah, way to go Eagle Eye on us. Do you have my keys? I got my bag from Scott when I got here but he said you still have my keys."

"Oh, right!" She dug through her pockets and pulled out my Fullmetal Alchemist keychain, handing it to me. "Not a scratch, I promise, and it's in the parking lot. Only used it to bring Lydia home then I came and got mine, so yours has been here all night. I also wanted to say thanks for, you know, helping us out. I don't think I would've been able to hold off Isaac and Erica alone before Scott got there. And Stiles definitely wouldn't have been able to deal with either of them."

My head bobbed up and down slowly as I waited for the chance to bow out of the conversation. "It was no problem. If you need help with anything else, feel free to ask. Now I gotta-"

"Actually, there is one-"

I raised my hand, which effectively silenced her. "I'm gonna stop you there, Allison. While last night was a real bonding experience-super fun-my offer was mostly rhetorical. Save it for solving a puzzle, protecting someone else, or fighting something. I'm not actually friends with any of you. Me not thinking Lydia should die without concrete evidence doesn't exactly put me in your weird friend group. I'm friends with Isaac, and that's about it. Sorry for being blunt, but honestly, this is the first time we've actually had a real conversation, so forgive me for not being warm and fuzzy. Now, I've really gotta get to class, so see ya."

With that, I saluted her and went to boring ole class. The day passed by slowly and I didn't see Stiles or Jackson at all, which creeped me out. Allison and Scott were jittery the whole time and Lydia seemed like she was the only one acting normal, despite the previous night. Found out the next day that Stiles had kidnapped Jackson and held him in a prison transport vehicle. Figured that was what Allison wanted help with.

A few days later, the first thing I was greeted with was a smiling Isaac leaning against my locker with his hands behind his back. Usually, his smile was welcomed, but something was off about it. I quirked up an eyebrow as I walked up to him. "Good morning," he greeted, moving out of my way so I could open my locker.

"Why are you so cheery?" I asked, cutting right to the chase as I pried open the metal door.

"What, I can't be happy on a sunny morning? Life is short, and if school is the only sense of normalcy I can get right now without talk of hunters, the full moon, or a killer lizard, then I will gladly smile and enjoy it. Especially if I'm with my best friend." Sometimes I absolutely hated the word "friend." Regardless, I didn't buy any of his shit for a moment, never losing my skeptical expression. He pulled his hands out from behind his back, one of them holding a small paper bag. "Muffin? They're banana bread, your favorite."

He was definitely up to something and not good at being subtle about it. It made me torn between smacking him and kissing him. But I could smell the banana bread and I hadn't eaten before driving to school. Clearing my throat, I gingerly took the bag. "I don't know what you're up to, but if it gets me free food, I will gladly fall right into the trap." Unfolding the top of the bag, I peered inside and beamed at the sight of two muffins. I folded it back up and set the bag on the floor of my locker. "Ask what you wanna ask."

"What do you mean?" Isaac questioned, not so nonchalantly.

"Your face screams, 'I'm up to no good,' so out with it. Why are you buttering me up with food? The last time you brought me one of my favorite foods, it was a white chocolate raspberry scone and you had forgotten to do a homework assignment for English and asked to copy mine. So, what do you want this time?"

His small scoff turned into a chuckle. "Nothing gets passed you. Derek wants us to get close to Scott and Stiles to figure out who the kanima is. He said they probably know. I doubt they would wanna be friends after what happened with the whole Lydia thing, and you seem to be on their good side, so I just figured I'd ask you."

Did Derek not hear Scott that night? Scott literally said it out loud. "It's Jackson, duh. Scott told me that after Derek sliced the kanima's throat, it changed back into the biggest douche in the school. My words, not Scott's. Also, Jackson was the only other person at Scott's house, but we didn't see him at all when we saw the kanima. Seriously, Derek can be as thick as a bag of bricks." I pulled out one of the muffins before slamming my locker shut. "But good call on realizing Jekyll and Hyde would be skeptical with you getting cozy with them."

"Maybe he just wanted confirmation. . . So even though the venom paralyzed Jackson, he's still the kanima? That doesn't make any sense." Isaac shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. If only it was my hands running through his hair.

I hummed and shrugged. "It is weird, but maybe it's because the kanima and Jackson are two separate things. I mean, Jackson is the captain of the swim team but the kanima is afraid of water."

"True." Isaac still didn't look particularly pleased but accepted the answer. "I'm still very curious about Lydia though."

"You and me both, Izzy."

Later, while on my way to lunch to meet up with Isaac, Erica, and Boyd, Stiles slid to a stop in front of me, looking freaked out and out of breath, but what was new? "I need to talk to you," he started with, skipping over any potential pleasantries.

"Hi, Stiles," I greeted, my voice heavily doused in sass. "How are you doing? How's your day been? It's lovely to see you, too."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Look, sorry, but it's more important than asking about the weather. Lydia, for whatever amazing reason, knows Archaic Latin and translated more pages from the bestiary for Allison. Apparently, the kanima is being controlled by someone and is supposed to be a werewolf but is conflicted about something so it can't be one until it resolves whatever problem it has. Allison thinks Jackson's problem has to do with his parents."

"You know, I could've told you about like half of that. Derek, too."

"What, really?" Stiles frowned and slouched in an exaggerated manner. "And you didn't tell us?"

"Dude, I grew up on tales of the boogeyman kanima. It's kinda hard to figure out what's actually real and what's made up for a story." Then I pointed at him. "And, to be fair, I did tell you it was supposed to be a werewolf but fucked it up and none of you asked for more info."

Stiles stared at me for a quick before conceding. "Totally forgot about that. It was a tense day."

"Probably no tenser than Jackson getting a restraining order on you and Scott. I'm going to lunch now. Talk to me when you have something important to talk about." I waved him off and hurried down the hall, completely annoyed with everyone and their lack of paying attention and communicating well. Some of the problems we were all facing could be solved faster if Scott and Derek decided to work together, but no, they're doing a dick-measuring contest instead.

Only an hour was left in school when Isaac and I found out Erica mysteriously had detention with none other than Stiles, Scott, Allison, Jackson, and some other lacrosse player named Matt. All I knew about him was his status as a lacrosse player and his proficiency with a camera.

"I used to be friends with him," Isaac told me offhandedly after Erica split ways with us at my locker.

"Really? And what happened to that?" I asked while closing my bag and shouldering the strap.

"I dunno." Isaac shrugged. "He kinda just stopped talking to me. Then shortly after that, I met you, so it wasn't a huge loss." He nudged me with his elbow and grinned.

I snorted and rolled my eyes before shutting my locker. "Wanna get pizza or something after school? I don't know about you but lunch didn't fill me up at all. Boyd's got work and Erica got herself into her own mess, so they can both suck it." If only it could be as a date, but I couldn't make that distinction.

"I don't think the cafeteria pizza legally counts as pizza, so hell yeah."

The moment the final bell rang, Isaac and I hightailed it out of school, practically running to my car. After the quick drive to one of the local pizza places, we slid into a booth and ordered a large meat lovers pizza. When it was brought out by the waiter, we both picked up a slice and raised them like we were toasting with drinks.

"To the craziness that is our lives," I said with a smile and a small bow of my head.

"I think it's evolved passed crazy." Nevertheless, Isaac also smiled and we tapped our pizza slices together before digging in. He groaned after taking a bite. "Best pizza in town, I swear."

"Any pizza seems that way after school pizza."

"Right, you are."

I could only eat two slices before I became full, but Isaac easily finished the rest of the pizza. Strange mix between being a teenage boy and a werewolf. While mildly disgusting to watch, I still found it entertaining. Before his dad's death, he mostly picked at his food and ate only what he had to. Part of it probably came from needing more calories, but the other part was his increased confidence and surety in himself. It was nice to see.

Isaac wiped off his fingers with a napkin but didn't notice the spot of pizza sauce on the corner of his mouth. I chuckled a little and grinned. Isaac didn't miss my reaction. "What?" he asked, looking at me strangely, setting the used napkin down slowly.

"Nothing." I picked up my cup of water and took a sip. Don't be a cliché, I told myself.

"You're a filthy little liar."

I simply nodded. "I know."

"I hate you." His smile said otherwise.

"Except you don't."

Once I had paid, Isaac confided that he really did not want to go back to Derek yet, so I took him to my house instead. I couldn't blame him. Derek was an acquired taste and had serious issues to work out. Hopefully, him being proved wrong might change his attitude a little bit.

The house was empty when we walked in, except for our orange tabby, Simba. Isaac slowly took a few steps further into the entryway, looking around as I shut the door. He hadn't been over in about a month. Not since before he had been bitten. Simba meowed as he ran to the entryway.

"Hey, buddy," I greeted Simba, then I quickly added, "Shoes," before Isaac passed from the linoleum to the hardwood floor, setting down my bag and taking my boots off as well. My mom wouldn't be happy if she saw any dirt or mud tracked in.

"Oh, right, sorry." Isaac fumbled as he struggled to take off his shoes, almost falling over in the process. I smiled and shook my head at the adorable brunet as I picked up the ridiculously calm cat. Seriously, someone could start strangling him and he would just take it. He set his shoes next to mine by the shoe rack. He then stood up straight and we walked into the living room together. "It's been, what, a month or so? Your mom makes the best bread."

I playfully punched his shoulder and made my way to the couch, sitting down on it the long way with Simba still in my other arm. Simba moved to lay on my stomach. "When she gets home, I bet if you ask her, she'll make you some. You've always been her favorite. Maybe a homemade loaf will put a smile on Derek's face for once."

A loud laugh escaped him which he quickly tried to stop but failed miserably. I couldn't help but laugh with him. He shook his head erratically, body shaking with laughter. "You don't have to live with him," he finally got out. Isaac picked up my legs and sat down under them, my knees over his lap. "I doubt anything will put a genuine smile on his face."

I scratched behind Simba's ears and he started purring, my grin slowly leaving my face. "You know," I started slowly, Isaac turning his head to look at me, "you don't have to live with him. Betas don't always live with their alphas, especially if they're not blood-related. My parents have always loved you, and we have an extra room."

"Riichi's room."

I shrugged. "He's not using it."

Isaac gave me a small smile. "I appreciate the offer, but you don't actually mean it." He raised his hand to stop me from replying. "And don't ask how I know that. I'm probably one of the few people who do. If our roles were reversed, I'd offer you Camden's room to be nice, but I wouldn't actually want anyone in it. Because it's his and no one else's. And it's okay to think that."

The corners of my mouth twitched up. "What did I do to deserve you?"

He leaned towards me conspiratorially, with a smirk and one of his eyebrows raised the slightest bit. "You fell from the sky, of course."

"Oh, and you crawled out of the earth? If anything, you've got it backward, angel."

Isaac shook his head and tut-tutted. "Always with the nicknames. What will I ever do with you?"

I can think of a few things, I thought, but I couldn't let myself say it out loud. "I guess you'll have to think of something."