Battlefield:
"You know when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you black out. It's called voluntary apnea. It's like no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your head's exploding. But then when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting. It's not scary anymore. It's - it's actually kind of peaceful." I murmured quietly in a thoughtful voice as I crossed my legs underneath myself on the chair and gazed out the window to the side of the room in Coral Button Through Tie Front Top, TOPSHOP MOTO Authentic Ripped Skinny Jeans, River Island Grey slub knit dolman cardigan and Sueded Side Bow Mary Jane Pump with my brunette hair in a messy side plait.
"Are you saying you hope Matt felt some peace in his last moments?" Ms Morrell asked me softly from the other side of her desk in the guidance office at the high school and I turned my head slightly to look at her with a faint smile. It had been a few days since the night Matt had held us hostage at the police station, a few nights since I had been shot, a few nights since Scott had accidently revealed to our mother the truth about werewolves and the day after we found out that Matt had drowned the same night.
"I don't feel sorry for him."
"Can you feel sorry for the nine year old Matt who drowned?" she asked me curiously as she tilted her head to the side with a smile playing on her lips and I pursed my lips together as I thought about the story Matt had told us that night in the police office.
"Just because a bunch of dumbasses dragged him into a pool when he couldn't swim doesn't really give him the right to go off killing them one by one." I said firmly as I shook my head slightly at the thought and I smirked a little as I leaned forward on the chair. "Your brother recommended that I talk to you. I don't trust easily, but I trust him."
"I'm surprised that he suggested that you come to me, you are his favourite student." She replied in the same soft voice but I could hear the vague trace of bitterness in her voice as her pupils tightened slightly and I sighed to myself as I untangled my legs from underneath me.
"He mentions you." I told her honestly as I leaned forward to catch her gaze and her eye widened slightly in surprise as she swallowed. "I did some research on you before I came in, Marin. You graduated top of your class at Vancouver University with a master's degree in behavioural psychology, minoring in French. You have over 300 hours of field work under your belt. I also know that you're a Druid Emissary, to which pack I don't think I want to know."
"How about we get back to you?" Marin suggested quickly as she leaned forward on the desk and I smiled victoriously as I sat up in my chair. I tilted my head to the side in consideration as I studied her carefully constructed expression and she quirked an eyebrow at me expectantly as she folded her hands on the desk.
"I'm fine. Yeah, aside from the not sleeping, the jumpiness, the constant, overwhelming, crushing fear that something terrible about to happen. It's called hyper-vigilance, the persistent feeling of being under threat. But it's not just a feeling, though. It's - it's like it's a panic attack. You know, like I can't even breathe." I explained sincerely as I blinked back the tears that had filled my eyes when I was speaking and I took a breath to remind myself that I wasn't actually drowning.
"Like you're drowning?" she asked me knowingly as she tilted her head to the side and I nodded in agreement as I tapped my finger my on thigh. "So if you're drowning, and you're trying to keep your mouth closed until that very last moment, what if you choose to not open your mouth? To not let the water in?"
"You do anyway. It's a reflex."
"But if you hold off until that reflex kicks in, you have more time, right?"
"Not much time."
"But more time to fight your way to the surface? More time to be rescued?" she asked with a small quirk of her eyebrow as she leaned back on her seat and I looked at her sceptically as I shook my head slightly.
"More time to be in agonizing pain. I mean, did you forget about the part where you feel like your head's exploding?" I asked her sarcastically as I stood up from the chair gracefully and walked over to stand in front of the window so that I could see the empty lacrosse field.
"If it's about survival, isn't a little agony worth it?"
"But what if it just gets worse? What if it's agony now and then - and it's just hell later on?" I asked her desperately as I turned around to face her with a small frown on my lips and she looked back at me with a knowing glint in her eyes.
"Then think about something Winston Churchill once said – 'If you're going through hell, keep going.'" She recommended as she slowly stood up from her chair at the desk and I smiled slightly as I blinked back tears from my eyes.
"Being a werewolf was meant to make everything better, but it seems to me that it just makes life more difficult. If I was still human, then I wouldn't be in the middle of this kanima drama, and I wouldn't be in the middle of two rival packs." I explained softly as I wrapped an arm around my waist and turned to face Marin as she approached where I was standing by the window. I scrutinised her troubled expression with a wary eye and frowned slightly as I tilted my head to the side. "Why do I get the feeling things are only going to get worse?"
"Because they are."
I hadn't seen my mother since the night at the police station when Scott had accidently revealed to her that he was a werewolf and I was forced to tell her the truth about myself as well. I had spent all afternoon trying to get her to talk to me but she hadn't left her bedroom except to go to the bathroom, work or eat. I was sitting across from her bedroom door after my guidance session at the school trying to get her to talk to me before I had to go to work at the animal clinic. I sighed tiredly as I leaned my head against the wall behind me as I bit the inside of my cheek and I looked down at the ground sadly.
"Mom, you're going to have to talk to me eventually. You're going to have to leave your room eventually." I called out to her loud enough that she would be able to hear me through the closed wooden door and I vaguely heard shuffled movement from the inside of her room. I reached into my cardigan pocket as I sighed heavily and unfolded the pamphlet slowly as I looked at the closed bedroom room. "I had my first counselling session this morning. I saw a pamphlet when I was sitting in waiting room and thought that it might help." I told her as I smiled slightly to myself and opened the pamphlet as I cleared my throat gently. "Mom. I have something to tell you. I'm… a werewolf. Now, I know you may have some preconceived notions about… werewolves. I know you may not be comfortable with the idea of me being… a werewolf. But I'm here to tell you that werewolves are just like you and me. The first thing you need to understand is that I'm the same person I always was. Being a werewolf isn't the most important thing about me. It's just part of who I am. The second thing you should know is that it isn't a choice. I was born this way." I recited from the pamphlet in front of me but then trailed off when I read the last sentence and Ichuckled lightly as I threw the paper down on the floor next to me. "Okay, so that last sentence doesn't really work, but the rest is absolutely true. It says here that you'll go through six stages: shock. I think we can check that one. The next is: denial. And then: guilt. Expression of feelings, whatever that is. Personal decision-making. And then finally: true acceptance. If you could skip to that one, I would be eternally grateful. I didn't ask to be a werewolf, mom, but I am now and I love it. I'm faster, stronger, I heal. Scott, he hates it though. If he could change it he would." I told her honestly as I closed my eyes with a soft smile on my lips and I wrapped an arm around my waist comfortably as I crossed my ankles. I heard the sound of feet shuffling on the carpet on the other side of my mother's bedroom door and I felt tears enter my eyes as I blinked them away. "I need you to talk to me, mom. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you found out about me the way you did, but I'm not sorry that you found out. Do you know how hard it's been to keep this from you? We used to talk about everything! But how do you tell someone that you're a werewolf without sounding crazy? I miss talking with you. I understand that this is hard for you, but you need to get over it." I said pleadingly as tears rolled down my cheeks unashamedly and I roughly wiped my cheeks with my hands as I sniffled slightly. "I need you, mommy."
Scott and I were both working at the vet clinic that day and it was peaceful to be doing something other than fighting not-so-mythical creatures with my time. Even with all the trouble brewing in Beacon Hills, I still wanted to focus my studies on veterinary science and becoming a veterinarian after college. I was standing next to the metal examination table in a white lab coat with a middle sized dog lying on the table and I patted his hand soothingly as Dr Deaton prepared a needle of painkiller for him. Scott chuckled lightly at me for the opposite side of the table as the dog licked my hand lovingly and I childishly stuck my tongue out at him as I rubbed the do behind the ear.
"Would you mind seeing who that is, Scott?" Deaton asked politely when the bells over the front door in the lobby tinkled to alert us that someone was there and Scott nodded with a smile as he walked to the doorway separating the rooms.
"Who's a good boy? Are you a good boy? Yes, you are. Yes, you are." I cooed at the dog in a babyish voice as I bent down to his eye-level and scratched behind his ears.
"It's okay, Isaac. We're open." I heard Deaton say to someone in the lobby and I stood back up in surprise as Scott came back into the room with Isaac following him. I smiled warmly at the Beta as he hesitantly walked into the room and he nodded back at me as he slowly strolled over to stand at the end of the table. Alan strolled over to stand next to me as I continued to rub the dog's ear soothingly and I looked up at him when he held out the needle towards me. "Ready, Sophie?"
"Really?" I asked him excitedly as I took the offered syringe from his hand and he nodded with a faint smile.
"Why does it smell like that?" Isaac asked us in disgust as his nose crinkled slightly and I chuckled softly as Deaton and Scott shared an amused glance. "What?"
"Sophie and Scott said almost the same thing to me a few months ago. One day they could somehow tell the difference between which animals were getting better and which were not." Deaton explained sadly as I carefully injected the painkiller into the dogs leg and smiled fondly at the animal as I patted his fur soothingly.
"He's not getting better, is he? Like cancer."
"Osteosarcoma. It has a very distinct scent, doesn't it?" I told him knowingly with a small smile as I looked up at him and Isaac nodded in agreement as he stared the dog sadly.
"Come here." Deaton said softly as he moved to the side so that there was a spot open next to me at the side of the exam table and Isaac glanced at us all hesitantly before strolling over. "I know you're well aware of what your new abilities can do for you. Improved strength, speed, and healing. You ever wonder what it could do for others?" he asked with a small smile as he quickly glanced at the dog and Isaac followed his gaze curiously before looking back at the vet. I smiled a little to myself as I shared a knowing look with my brother over the table and stepped to the side slightly so that Isaac would have more room next to me. "Give me your hand." The vet ordered quietly as he held out his own hand and the Beta licked his lip nervously before complying. I bit my lower lip to stop from smiling as I watched Deaton slowly guide Isaac's hand down to rest on the dog's middle. Isaac gasped slightly in shock when the veins in his hand immediately turned black and began slowly moving up his arm like running rivers of black ink. His hand trembled slightly as he slowly removed his hand from the animal and I looked up at his awe-filled expression as he stumbled back from the table.
"What did I do?" Isaac asked us in an astonished whisper as he stared the dog lying on the table unharmed and I had to wipe away a single tear that had fallen from my eye as I sniffled slightly.
"You took some of his pain away." Scott answered him softly with a smile as he patted the dog's head and I moved around to stand next to him with a smile of my own.
"Only a little bit. But sometimes a little can make quite a difference." Deaton informed him quietly as he looked at the Beta with a smile and Isaac held his hand close to his chest as he nodded blankly while still staring at the dog.
"The transference manifests physically with a black liquid filling the veins on your hand and then it dilutes and dissipates as it absorbs into your system." I said knowingly as I leaned my elbows on the table and Scott rolled his dark brown eyes at me as Deaton smiled proudly. I tilted my head to the side as I watched tears filled Isaac's steely blue eyes and he lifted his hand to his mouth as he blinked rapidly.
"It's okay. First time he showed me, I cried too." Scott admitted to him with a smile as he nodded at Isaac and I quirked an eyebrow at my brother as I stood up straight from the table.
"Cried? You bawled." I corrected him instantly with a scoff as I rolled my eyes at my brother and he nudged my side for revealing the truth as he shot me a playful glare. Isaac looked at us all in turn as he chuckled with a few tears running down his cheeks and the sincerest smile I had ever seen across his handsome face.
"Sophie, can you finish up here?" Deaton asked me as he gestured to the dog lying on the examination table and I nodded back at him in understanding before he left the room with a smile at the boys. I walked over to the medicine cabinet to prepare the next shot the dog needed as Scott prepped the bandages and Isaac took a minute to collect himself.
"They're leaving tonight, during the game." Isaac informed us calmly after a minute of silence and I looked over my shoulder at him with an eyebrow quirked in question. Scott stopped what he was doing on the other side of the room as Isaac looked between us and sighed when he saw our matching confused expressions. "Erica and Boyd. They're leaving tonight."
"So, why are you telling us?" Scott asked him in confusion as he looked away from the Beta and Isaac rolled his eyes as I finished filling the needle.
"I'm not telling you. I'm asking you. I'm asking for your advice."
"From me? Why?" my brother asked him curiously with a small frown on his face and I walked over to the table with the prepped needle in my hand.
"Because I trust both of you." Isaac admitted quietly as though he couldn't believe that he was actually forcing out the words and I looked up at him in surprise because I could only guess how hard it must be for him to trust someone after what his father had done to him.
"Why?" I asked him carefully as I looked down at the dog on the table and injected the painkiller into his thigh expertly.
"Because you always seem to want to do the right thing."
"I usually have no idea what I'm doing. Actually I always have no idea what I'm doing." Scott confessed to him softly with a half-smile as he walked over to stand next to me and I bumped him with my hip as I patted the dog soothingly.
"Hmm. Do you want to let me know what you're doing right now?" Isaac asked pointedly as he rested his hip against the metal examination table and rested his hand on his chin as he quirked an eyebrow at Scott in question.
"I'm not going anywhere if that's what you mean. I have too many people here who need me."
"Well, I guess that makes me lucky 'cause uh - 'cause I don't have anyone, so." Isaac said quietly with a frown as he pushed himself off of the table and I glanced up at him sadly as he started walking out of the room.
"Are you gonna go with them?" I asked him gently as I crossed my arms over my chest with a frown on my lips and he slowly turned back around to face us with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Yeah. Yeah, I think I will." He told us as he looked at me with light blue eyes that practically begged me to understand his decision and I nodded back at him as tears filled my eyes but I blinked them back before anyone could see them. Scott could sense my mood because he wrapped a comforting arm around my waist as he nodded at Isaac and the Beta offered us a small smile in return. "Good luck with the game though."
"Well, thanks, but I'm not - I'm not going either. Can't even think about playing some meaningless game right now." Scott said absently as he shook his head slightly and let go of my waist as he walked over to the counter to clean up the empty medicine bottles.
"You weren't at practice last week, were you?"
"No, I skipped it. Why?"
"Then you didn't hear? Jackson was there."
"What do you mean 'there'? Like, he was – " I trailed off uncertainly as dread started eating away at my stomach and Scott gripped my hand sympathetically as he frowned.
"As if nothing had happened." Isaac told us with a nod of his head and a grim expression on his face as I sighed tiredly because I was so sick of dealing with supernatural stuff.
"Really? That means - the game tonight?" Scott asked himself quietly with a frustrated frown as he ran a hand through his hair and I squeezed his free hand that was still holding mine. "He's playing."
"Yeah, sorry, man." The Beta apologised sincerely with a frown and Scott nodded absently as he sighed heavily. I pursed my lips together thoughtfully as I looked over at Isaac where he was standing over in the doorway and shifted on his feet nervously as he looked at the wall to the side of the room.
"Scott, can you take the dog back to the kennel?" I asked my brother pointedly as I discreetly gestured my head towards where Isaac was standing and Scott nodded at me with a knowing smile. I watched as Scott carried the dog out of the examination room before turning back to face the other werewolf in the room. "You're wrong, you know."
"About what exactly?" Isaac asked me as he raised an eyebrow at me and I crossed my arms over my chest as I slowly strolled around the metal table.
"About not having anyone." I explained softly as I stopped a few feet in front of him and his steely blue eyes widened slightly as his expression became blank. I smiled sadly at him because I knew that he wasn't used to having people care about him and that much was evident in the surprise that crossed his face. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, because only you can make that decision but I will miss you, Isaac. I really hope that you find what you're looking for."
"…Thank you, Sophie." he murmured gratefully after a moment of silence and I blinked back tears as I nodded once with a small smile. For as long as I had known Isaac, his presence had been a haven from the stressful nature of being in the so-called popular crowd at high school with the pressure to appear perfect and even though we hadn't been close recently, I was still going to miss him. A single tear ran down my cheek as he turned to leave the room and I quickly wiped it away as I cleared my throat gently. I turned around to face the back wall so that I didn't have to watch him walk out of my life and leaned both of my hands on the metal table as I bowed my head sadly. The sound of footsteps approaching me from behind made me frown in confusion and I felt someone grab my elbow before spinning me around. I gasped slightly in shock as my eyes went wide at how close he face standing in front of me and I back hit the edge of the metal table behind me as my hands shot behind me to steady myself when I stumbled.
"What are you – " I started to ask him but I was caught off suddenly when Isaac pressed his lips against mine roughly and I froze in shock for a second before my eyes closed on their own accord as I began kissing him back. His lips were slight chapped but also incredibly soft as our lips moved together in perfect synchronisation and his hands grasped my hips as my arms slowly wrapped around his neck. I could feel the heat coming off of his body as he pulled me closer to him so that our chests were touching and I tangled my fingers in his tawny dirty blonde curls as I parted my lips slightly to give him access to my mouth. Isaac eagerly tangle his tongue with mine in a small battle for dominance as he wrapped an arm around my waist and I moaned slightly in the back of my throat as he pulled away from my lips. We were both breathing heavily as I slowly opened my eyes to look at his steely blue eyes and I ran my thumb over my bottom lip as I tried to control my racing heartbeat. "What was that?"
"That was two year overdue. Goodbye, Sophie." He said quietly with a smirk as he let go of my hips and slowly backed away from me as I chuckled lightly at the comment. Isaac offered me a genuine grin as he turned around to walk out of the vet clinic and I leaned back on the metal table as I bought my fingers up to my lips with a small smile.
I wrapped my arms around my body tightly in a vain attempt to block out the cool night air as I glanced around the crowded lacrosse field for any sign of my brother because I wanted to wish him luck for the championship game.
"Sophie!" a familiar voice called out to me from behind me and I only vaguely heard them through the chattering of spectators in the stands. I spun around quickly in surprise to see my mother jogging towards me with a frown on her pretty face and I immediately felt my insides run cold because I knew something bad must have happened with she was talking to me.
"Mom? Is everything okay? Is it Scott? Where is he?" I asked her in rapid secession as she got within arm's reach of me and I gripped her upper arms as I shook her slightly in panic.
"What? No, Scott's fine." Mom told me in confusion as she frowned at me in concern and I sighed in relief as I let go of her arms.
"Then what's going on?"
"I love you. I'm so sorry, honey." She told me apologetically as she grabbed my hands tightly in hers and tears sprung to her dark brown eyes as she stared at me pleadingly for me to forgive her. I felt my heart clench at the tremor in her voice as I blinked back tears and I nodded briskly as I squeezed her hands. I understood how unnerving it must have been for her to find out that not only were there supernatural creatures in the world but her two children were werewolves. I smiled shakily at my mother as she tucked a fallen strand of my hair behind my ear like she used to do when I was little and I wrapped my arms around her tightly as though she was going to disappear the moment that I let go.
"I love you, mommy." I murmured in a voice muffled by her shoulder as she rubbed my back soothingly and I felt her press a kiss to the top of my head as she pulled back from the embrace.
"Let's go find your brother, okay?" she suggested with a hopeful smile and I nodded in agreement because I knew that she wanted to reassure Scott that she was okay with our new species before the game started so that he wouldn't be distracted. I wrapped my arm through hers comfortably as we started walking towards the boy's locker room where I knew Scott would be with the rest of the team. The team members were milling around aimlessly as we walked into the room and I noticed mom looked a little uncomfortable to be in there with half naked teenage boys but I sauntered like I owned the room. I looked around the room for a sign of Scott but couldn't see him as I bit my lower lip a little nervous that maybe something had happened to him.
"'Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will be joining others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind.'" Coach declared loudly through a speaker from the front of the locker room and I tilted my head to the side with a frown on my lips as I turned to face him.
"What?" I whispered to myself in confusion as I shared a look with mom before turning to see Stiles standing in front of us and I dragged mom forward a little so that we were right behind him.
"'Mankind - that word should have new meaning for all of us today.'"
"What the hell is he talking about?" mom asked Stiles quietly as she leaned in a little and Stiles jumped slightly in surprise as he looked over his shoulder at us.
"He does this every year." Stiles explained casually with a small shrug of his shoulder before turning back to the front and I quirked an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Seriously?" I asked him sceptically as I stared incredulously at the front of the locker room where the lacrosse players had gathered in a loose circle around the coach and Stiles nodded absently as he crossed his arm over his chest.
"'We are fighting for our right to live.'" Coach continued passionately with a maniacal grin on his lips and I glanced around at the lacrosse players who were entranced with his words.
"Wait, is this…?"
"Yeah, it's the speech from Independence Day." Stiles confirmed nonchalantly as he looked over his shoulder at us and I shook my head in amusement as mom pursed her lips together to stop from smiling at the absurdity.
"'But as the day the world declared in one voice – '" coach proclaimed avidly as he raised his clenched fist in the air and I leaned my head on mom's shoulder as that I didn't have to look at him because I thought I might break out in laughter if I did.
"It's Coach's favourite movie."
"'We will not go quietly into the night!'"
"He doesn't know any sports speeches?" mom asked Stiles in a strained voice as she tried not to laugh at the man standing at the front of the room.
"I don't think he cares." Stiles replied with a thoughtful frown on his lips as he cocked his head to the side and I giggled slightly as I pressed my lips together in a tight line.
"'Today we celebrate our Independence Day!'" coach shouted at the top of his lungs as he threw his fist in the air and all the lacrosse players cheered loudly. I clapped my hands together rapidly as I cheered mockingly with the rest of them and mom laughed lightly at me as she slapped my arm gently in reprimand.
"Well spoken, coach. I might have chosen something with a little more historical value, but there's no denying your passion." Gerard said calmly as he stepped forward to stand next to coach at the front the locker room and I immediately fell silent as I stared at the hunter through narrowed eyes. I felt mom tensed besides me as her heart rate sky rocketed and I glanced over at her in concern but she was staring Gerard in distress. "And while I haven't been here long, there's no denying my pride in having a winning team for this school. I know you'll all be brilliant tonight, even with only one co - captain leading you. Now, I'm your principal, but I'm also a fan. So don't think I'll be content to watch you merely beat this team. Get out there and murder them."
"You heard the man. Asses on the field!" coach cried with another slightly creepy manic smile and all the team members cheered loudly as they started leaving the locker room. I gave Stiles a pat on the shoulder as I walked pass him on the way out and mom grabbed my hand so that we didn't get separated as we strolled outside in to the cool night air. Mom and I walked over to the audience stands by the side of the field and saw John sitting by himself in the third row so we headed to sit down next to him. The two adults smiled at each other as mom sat down next to him and I offered him a small wave before looking out on to the field for Jackson.
"Oh, no. Why is my son running out to the field?" John asked himself with a groan without taking his eyes off of the field and I turned my head to see Stiles jogging onto the field clumsily.
"Because he's on the team?" I suggested lamely with a small smile as I leaned around my mom to see the almost horrified look on John's face.
"He is. He's on the team. He's - he's on the field." He murmured quietly in realisation as his face broke out in a huge grin that made me smile back and he abruptly stood up from the bleacher with his arms in the air. "My son is on the field!"
"Oh, god." I murmured to myself in a mixture of amusement and embarrassment as everyone looked in our direction and I shook my head as John slowly sat back down. Lydia approached us almost hesitantly with a small smile on her lips and I patted the seat next to me with a warm smile. She nodded in greeting to my mom and John as I linked my arm through hers and we watched as the umpire blew the whistle to start the game. The first half was filled with blunders by our team and many of them were caused by Stiles but we just made excuses for him like 'he's probably just warming up' and 'oh, he's just a little nervous. Plenty of time to turn it around.' I grimaced in sympathy each time a member of the other team tackled him to the ground and Lydia grasped my arm painfully as she watched in concern. I knew that Scott wasn't able to play the game because of his grades but it seemed like we really needed him if we were going to have a shot at winning and I sighed in relief when I saw Isaac sitting next to my brother on the sidelines.
"Come on, come on." Lydia said to herself as she rubbed her hands in front of her body and I nodded in silent agreement with a frown until I saw Isaac jogging on to the field. I jumped up from my seat making both mom and Lydia look at me in shock because of the sudden movement but I just grinned widely as I clapped.
"Whoo! Come on, number 14!" I called out loudly as I cupped my hands around my mouth and Isaac glanced up at the stands where I was from the middle of the field. I sat back down with a smile as Lydia laughed at me and I nudged her playfully as I winked at her while clapping my hands. I cringed automatically as I watched Isaac once again knock out one of our own players and I shook my head at his tactics to get my brother into the game but couldn't deny that it was working out well because coach only had one more player to put in the game before he had to resort to using Scott. I gasped in shock when I saw Isaac collapse onto the ground after a really bad tackle and all the players as well as coach rushed onto the field to catch on his condition.
"It's not broken. But I can't move it. I think Jackson nicked me 'cause I can feel it spreading." I heard Isaac say to Scott with my werewolf hearing from down on the field and I frowned to myself in concern as I bit my lower lip nervously.
"Hey, something's happening, isn't it? Something more than a lacrosse game?" mom asked me softly so that no one else could hear her and I looked over at her with pleading eyes. I knew that something supernatural was going down with Jackson on the field and that I was probably going to have to help Scott with whatever he was trying to do but I didn't want her anywhere near here when it went down.
"You should go."
"Oh, I'm not going anywhere. If you can do something to help, then you do it. You have to." She told me firmly as she looked into my eyes and I could see her sincerity as she took my hands in hers.
"I will." I assured her softly as I nodded sagely before I pressed a kiss to her cheek and then stood up from the bleacher. I quickly ran down the metal steps without drawing attention to myself and once my feet hit the grass at the bottom, I took for in the direction of the locker room because I knew that was where they would've taken Isaac.
"It was a good effort, Isaac. It was. This would be so much more poetic if it were halftime." I heard Gerard taunting my friend as I rushed down the empty hallway towards the locker room and then I heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. I internally swore to myself as I quickened my pace so that I could get there before the hunters could perform a hemicorporectomy on Isaac. The door to the locker room was open as I skidded to a stop just outside of the door and I slowly crept inside so that I didn't alert the hunters. I saw Gerard standing in the middle of the room with the sword in his hand being flanked by two hunters in their early twenties and I had no doubt in my mind that I could take them on my own. Gerard was toying with Isaac by scraping the sword slowly across the floor as he strolled closer to the Beta and Isaac pushed himself to his feet using the sink for support as he glared at the hunter. As the old hunter reared back to swing the sword, I caught Isaac's eye with a smirk as I placed a finger in front of my lips to tell him to be quiet and a relieved smile crossed Isaac's handsome face. I saw Gerard's cruel smile falter in the mirror's reflection when he saw the cocky smile on Isaac's face and he looked up into the mirror just as I stepped forward into the room with my eyes flashing bright amber.
"Didn't you know wolves travel in packs?" I asked the hunter mockingly as I tilted my head to the side in fake confusion and Gerard straightened up with his arm dropping as he plastered an emotionless mask on his face. I heard the sound of footsteps coming at me from the side of the locker room so I quickly ducked to the ground just as one of the other hunters took a swing at my head. I stuck my leg out as I spun around to knock him onto the ground and when he landed with a thud, I quickly stood up back to block the attack the other hunter had tried to land from behind. I grunted in pain when one of the hunters landed a kick to my ribs but I grabbed his ankle when he tried the same move and used his own momentum to push him to the ground. When he fell, the back of his head hit the floor hard and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as I panted for breath for a second before the other hunter pushed me to the ground from behind. I cried out in pain as his heavy weight landed on top of me and I struggled to move my arms when he gripped my wrist in his hand. I thought about my options quickly as the hunter grinned maliciously before I smirked at him and hit him in the forehead with mine as hard as I could. He rolled to the side as he automatically let go of my wrists when he passed out and I rolled my eyes in annoyance as I pushed his body off of me. I slowly climbed to my feet as I tried to control my exhilarated breathing and looked around for Gerard but he wasn't in the locker room anymore. "Where's Gerard?"
"I don't know." Isaac informed me in a strained voice from the other side of the room and I immediately spun around to face him in concern.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He told me as he pushed himself off of the sinks with a weak smile and I nodded back at him as I ran a hand through my now loose hair.
"For the record, these guys were harder to knock out then you were." I teased him with a playful smirk on my lips as I gestured to the two unconscious hunters on the ground and he frowned as he followed my gaze. He gave me an incredulous look as he stammered off an excuse and I just shrugged innocently as I started strolling out of the locker room. "You might want to look into that!"
"Oh, come on!" he called out indignantly as he followed after me with a smile on his lips and I grinned over my shoulder at him as we exited the school. the cheers from the game immediately drew my attention as we both walked onto the field and I cheered along with everyone even though I didn't see the end of the match. Isaac laughed at my enthusiasm as he mocked my cheer by imitating it and I playfully pushed his shoulder with a giggle just as the stadium lights all turned off leaving the field in total darkness.
"What the hell?" I muttered quietly as I looked around in the darkness but couldn't see anything and everyone started screaming as I blindly grabbed Isaac's. I felt Isaac squeeze my hand reassuringly as we began moving in the direction we thought the field was in and I was grateful that I wasn't alone at the moment because that would just be too much like a horror movie for me to deal with. The lights suddenly came back on all at once and I looked around in confusion as everyone froze in an almost comical fashion.
"Move! Back away!" I heard coach yelling in the middle of the field and I turned in that direction in concern. I saw a huddle of people crouching around a person lying on the grass in the middle of the field and I frowned in confusion as I slowly walked forward a few steps.
"Jackson? What's happened to Jackson?" I heard someone ask over the loud chattering of spectators and my insides froze in horror as I stared blankly at the figure in the middle of the field. It couldn't be Jackson that was injured because he was a supernatural being now and it wasn't possible that he was hurt. I didn't even notice that I had started calmly walking towards the growing group of people on the field until I was right in the middle of it and I glanced around in shock as I took a deep breath.
"Can we get a medic over here? We're gonna need a medic!" coached shouted from where he was crouched next to the body and I blinked once as I started moving slowly forward. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd so that I could see who they were all staring at and saw my mother leaning over my best friend's motionless body.
"Jackson…" I mumbled incoherently as I stared at my best friend's blank face and mom looked up at me in surprise that I was standing there but I didn't move my gaze from Jack.
"He's not breathing. No pulse." Mom explained sadly to the surrounding audience and I gasped in shock as the situation finally hit me all at once. When I saw who it was laying there I was completely immobilized as I felt my whole body go numb but now I collapsed to my knees next to Jackson's head and blinked rapidly as tears filled my eyes. Everything went blurry except for Jackson's handsome face and my mouth fell open in shock as I tried to form words of some sort but couldn't.
"Oh, my God. There's blood. There's blood." I heard Lydia exclaimed wildly from somewhere behind me but I couldn't bring myself to look away from Jackson's face as I gently lifted his head so that it was cradled in my lap. I felt someone get down on their knees next to me as the first single tear ran down my cheek but once one fell it was like flood gates had opened so I started crying unashamedly for my best friend and I bent my head so that my forehead was resting against Jack's as I sobbed with reckless abandon. Jackson Whittemore had always been my home and now he was just gone. It didn't make sense to me. Nothing made sense to me anymore.
Fourteen reviews?
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Fourteen reviews for one chapter… hmm, I think that is a record for this story.
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