Tattoo:
"Boy, it's a good thing you drew me a picture." The burly tattooist said sardonically as he looked up from the roughly drawn picture of two simple black bands that Scott had passed him and I smirked in amusement as I turned away from the displayed tattoos on the wall. Scott smiled shyly as he ducked his head slightly in embarrassment where he sat on the reclining tattoo chair but I could still see the happiness practically shining out of him and I shook my head at my brother with a small smile as I leaned back on the counter behind me. I had decided to wear a grey T-SHIRT BEATA, PIECES Funky Isadora Legging Pl/Crème and Converse Chuck Taylor All Star High Top Optical Black Canvas Shoes with my long curly brunette hair out loose.
"Hey, Scott, sure you don't want something like this?" Stiles asked brightly from the other side of the tattoo parlour and I twisted my head around in curiosity to look at him with a quirked eyebrow. The skinny human as grinned almost manically as he held up a tattoo book with a picture of a green scaled lizard man that looked remarkably like the kanima. Scott gave his best friend a pointed unamused look as I chuckled lightly in amusement and Stiles nodded sagely as he placed the book back down on the counter. "Too soon? Yeah."
"I liked it." I commented with a smirk as I held a hand in the air slightly to further illustrate my point and Stiles nodded gratefully with a pointed finger in my direction as Scott shook his head in a mixture of amusement and exasperation. I gracefully pushed myself up to sit on the counter near the reclining chair Scott was sitting in so that I could look over the tattooists shoulder while he worked.
"I don't know, man, are you sure about this? I mean, these things are pretty permanent, you know?" Stiles asked nervously as he ran his hand over his head habitual gesture and I sighed slightly in boredom because they had gone over this topic at least four times in the last hour.
"I'm not changing my mind." Scott stated determinedly as he lifted an eyebrow at his best friend with a small smile fighting its way onto his lips.
"Okay, but why two bands?"
"I just like it." He said in a small voice as he shrugged his shoulders with a shy smile on his lips and I frowned at him thoughtfully because I could tell that he was lying.
"But don't you think your first tattoo should have some sort of meaning? Like a siblings name perhaps?" I asked him pointedly as I kicked my legs aimlessly and Scott looked over at me with a small smile.
"Getting a tattoo means something."
"He's right, tattooing goes back thousands of years. The Tahitian word "tatua" means "to leave a mark." Like a rite of passage." The tattooist explained casually as he sat down on the stool next to Scott's chair and Scott nodded in agreement with a grateful smile.
"Yeah, you see? He gets it." My brother told us with a grin as he rolled the sleeve of his shirt up to give the tattooist access to his arm and I shook my head with a smile as Stiles gaped at him for a second.
"He's covered in tattoos, Scott, literally." Stiles pointed out as he gestured to the man preparing the black ink and Scott just rolled his dark brown eyes at his best friend as he leaned back in the chair.
"Okay, you ready? You ain't got any problems with needles, do you?" the tattooist asked my brother as he positioned the electronic needle above his upper arm and Scott took a deep breath in preparation as he shook his head in answer.
"I tend to get a little squeamish though, so..." Stiles muttered quietly with a grimace as the tattooist turned on the needle and it made a buzzing hum as he lowered down to Scott's skin. I watched in interest as the tattooist started drawing but quickly turned my head around in concern when I heard Stiles mumble something indistinctly that even my werewolf hearing couldn't detect before collapsing onto the floor.
"I'll go get an ice pack." I said with a roll of my eyes as I slid down from the counter gracefully and carefully stepped over Stiles unresponsive body as Scott chuckled.
I climbed into the backseat of Stiles familiar light blue jeep as Scott got into the passenger side door and Stiles climbed in behind the wall while clutching the ice pack I had gotten him earlier to his head.
"Oh, man." Scott complained lowly with a small moan as he tilted his head back and I leaned in between the two front seats with a concerned frown on my lips.
"You okay?" I asked my brother curiously as he looked down at his heavily bandaged arm with wide dark brown eyes and he shook his head at the question with a grimace on his lips.
"Kinda burns."
"Yes, you just had your skin stabbed about 100,000 times with a needle." Stiles commented drily as he followed Scott's gaze to the white bandage and I rolled my eyes at him in amusement as I shifted forward in the seat to look in between the two front seats.
"Yeah, but I don't think it's supposed to feel like this." Scott said in a strained voice as he gritted his teeth through the pain and I grimaced in sympathy as his face contorted in agony. He cried out as he jumped in surprise at the sudden pain his eyes squeezed shut and I bit the inside of my cheek as he opened them again. "No, it's definitely not supposed to feel like this. Oh, I gotta take this thing off."
"No, no, no, no, Scott. Oh, Scott, please stop." Stiles exclaimed in disgust while looking away from his friend as Scott started ripping the bandage off of his arm hastily and I leaned forward with a frown to the see the black tattoo surrounded by swollen red skin.
"What the hell?" I asked rhetorically in shock with a frown on my lips as the tattoo slowly faded away to nothing right in front of our eyes and Stiles peeked over at the Scott from in between his fingers as though he was scared of what he might find there.
"Oh, no, what? No, no, come on. It healed." Scott muttered in disbelief as he stared in shock at his upper arm with wide dark brown eyes and I gently reached over to touch the recently healed skin in fascination.
"Ah, thank God. I hated it." Stiles said quietly with a sigh as he dropped his hand back down to his side and Scott gaped at him with his mouth open as I gave him annoyed look. He grimaced slightly when he realised what he said and scrunched his nose up cutely as he shrugged helplessly. "Sorry."
"Some best friend you are, Stiles. Friends are meant to be supportive." I scolded him mockingly from the backseat as he turned the car on and Scott shook his head in amusement at the two of us as Stiles pulled out on to the road.
"Oh, please. What do you know about the subject? Your best friend is Jackson Whittemore. The words 'Jackson' and 'supportive' don't belong in the same sentence."
"Isn't the sentence, 'the words 'Jackson' and 'supportive' don't belong in the same sentence' a sentence with both the words 'Jackson' and 'supportive'?" I asked him challengingly as I crossed my arms over my chest with an arched eyebrow and he faltered for a second as he ran over the complicated sentence in his head with a perplexed look on his face.
"Anyway…." Scott interjected quickly before Stiles could reply with a sarcastic comment and I smirked victoriously at the human in the driver's seat as he stuck his tongue out at me childishly. "Is he okay? I mean, did everything work out?"
"Well, you know that the doctors looked like total idiots when he turned up alive, but everyone got over it. And Derek and I taught him the werewolf 101, like how not to randomly kill people during a full moon." I replied to him with a tired sigh as I tilted my head to the side sadly and Scott gave me a sympathetic smile over his shoulder. "I can't believe his dad made him move away. Seriously, an American werewolf in London? Like, that's not gonna be a disaster."
"At least you got to spend some time with him over the summer."
"Hm. England was awesome." I agreed instantly with a wistful smile as I leaned backwards on the seat and I thought back to the last time I had seen my best friend.
The departing terminal at Heathrow airport was filled with muddled together voices, the sound of footsteps and the every present beating of million hearts as I stood with my arms crossed over my chest in front of my best friend. Jackson looked at me smugly with a smirk etched onto his handsome face as I pouted childishly and I couldn't help the unwelcome tears that filled my eyes as I looked away from him pointedly.
"Come on, Soph! I'll call you all the time." he promised me with an amused tone in his voice but also detected the sincerity, the longing and the sorrow in his words. I turned my head back around to look at him with a small strained smile on my lips as I blinked back tears and I lifted my chin up with false resolve as I nodded. I knew that moving to London was in Jackson's best interest after what happened before the start of summer but it killed me to say goodbye to one of the most important people in my life.
"Well, I was getting kind of sick of you anyway." I told him jokingly as I cleared my throat delicately and he quirked an eyebrow at me in obvious disbelief. "I think I need a best friend upgrade."
"Please. You and I both know that no one can do any better than me."
"You lack certain traits." I pointed out with a smirk as I pointed a finger at his chest and he scoffed at me as he narrowed his teal coloured eyes. He gave me an incredulously look as he crossed his arms over his chest and I tilted my head to the side playfully as I tapped my lips in mock thought. "Modesty, for one."
"Oh, like you're one to talk about lack of modesty." Jackson countered with a scoff as he shook his head at me and I playfully gasped in mock indignation as I dramatically grasped my chest.
"That's confidence, honey."
"That's arrogance, honey." He corrected me instantly with a small smile playing on his lips as he let his arms fall to his side and I chuckled at him as I scrunched my nose up slightly but didn't argue his point because we both knew that his observation was complete true. it suddenly seemed to hit me that I was saying to goodbye to only of the only people in my life that I would die for and I wrapped my arms helplessly around my waist protectively as I looked down at the ground to avoid his eyes. It was only a few weeks ago that I thought I had watched Jack die twice in the same night and those few moments in the abandoned warehouse when I literally watched the life drain out of my best friend's teal eyes was one of the worse moments of my life. Nothing could hurt me more than feeling utterly helpless when somebody you loved was hurt or in danger and I would always remember the feeling as though it would haunt me for as long as I lived. Jackson seemed to sense my change in mood because he sighed as he grasped my hand tightly in comfort and I turned my head to give him a small reassuring smile as I squeezed his hand back gently.
"You better call me every day!" I demanded softly with a determined purse of my lips as I narrowed my eyes at him and Jack gave me a dubious look as he tilted his head to the side as though he was silently asking me if I was serious. "Okay, so maybe not every day. Every two days at least."
"Once a week." he bargained after a moment of tense silence as we stared each other down stubbornly and I rolled my eyes playfully as I sighed in dramatic exasperation.
"Fine. It's just going to be hard to go from talking to you every single day to only talking to you once a week. Come on, Jack, we've never gone more than a few days without talking." I reminded him quietly as I licked my lip nervously and shifted on my feet as I glanced down at my feet to avoid his eyes. I hated that I was being vulnerable even in front of someone I trusted as much as Jackson and I absolutely didn't want to break down in front of an airport fill of strangers. "You're my best friend. You're always there for me and now you're on another continent. You laugh at my stupid jokes and we put up with each other's worst moods and go along with my crazy ideas. Now, who is going to call me out on being a bitch?"
"Lydia." He replied without hesitation as he quirked an eyebrow at me and I let out a watery laugh as I nodded in agreement with his answer. "Sophie, I love you. You will always be my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you. You understand me better than I know myself and I'm going to miss you so much but Beacon Hills is a stupid place, full of dumbass people."
"Hey!"
"Except for you. London is going to be good for me, Soph." he promised sincerely as he grabbed both of my hands tightly in his and gave them a quick squeeze to emphasise his point. I bit the inside of my cheek lightly to stop the tears that were filling my eyes from falling down my cheeks as I nodded my head in understanding.
"Twenty years from now, I'm going to look back at my time in high school, well pass all the supernatural crap, and remember that you were the one person that could turn my frown into a smile with a few simple words. I'm most likely not going to remember every single Friday night or what made us laugh so hard that our stomachs hurt but I'll sure as hell remember that you were the one I was with."
"… Did you practice that speech?" Jack asked me jokingly after a minute of silence as he frowned at me in mock confusion and I groaned slightly as I slapped his arm in reprimand for ruining the moment.
"Shut up, you loser." I said to him with a chuckle as he laughed at my attempt to hurt him and I smiled at him warmly as I stepped closer to him to wrap my arms around his neck. Jack's arms automatically slinked around my thin waist as I buried my face into his shoulder and I sighed sadly as I closed my eyes for a second so that I could just enjoy the final moments with my best friend. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too."
"You have to promise to always love me more than any new best friend you find here." I mumbled into his shoulder in a small voice as I pouted and I felt his chest rumble as he laughed at my comment.
"No one could ever replace you." Jack reassured me as I pulled back to look at his handsome face with a small smirk on my lips and he cupped my cheek with his hand as he bent my head down to press a lingering kiss to my forehead. "I love you, Sophie McCall."
"I love you too, Jackson Whittemore." I said to him warmly as I leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek in return and he smiled one of his rare genuine smiles as he wrapped an arm around my middle comfortably. "I have a plane to catch."
"Okay. Go, quick, before they leave you here for the good of the United States." He teased as he pushed me away from him gently and I scowled at his taunting as I stepped backwards reluctantly.
"We had a lovely goodbye, but then you had to go and ruin it by saying something horrible about me." I joked in an offended tone as I continued to slowly walk backwards away from Jackson and he raised an idea at me with a smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest. My smiled quickly faded into a small frown as I blinked away the tears that had filled my eyes and I lifted my hand to my mouth before blowing him a kiss goodbye.
"Yo! Sophie, you still with us?" I heard Stiles ask in concern from the driver's seat and I blinked rapidly as I snapped my head around to look at him in surprise. Both Scott and Stiles were looking over their shoulders at me in the backseat and I offered them a small reassuring smile as I leaned forward.
"Watch the road, Stiles. Scott and I are the only ones that can survive a car crash." I ordered with mock seriousness as I pointed a manicured finger at the front of the car and the human instantly spun his head back around in a panic thinking that he was about it crash as he griped the steering wheel harder until his knuckles turned white. He huffed out a breath when he realised that I was just kidding around and shot me a glare over his shoulder that I smiled innocently at. I chuckled under my breath as I turned my head to look at my twin brother and Scott smirked in amusement as he shook his head at our childish behaviour. "So, Scott, have you spoken to Allison recently?"
"Nah, we agreed to give each other the summer... no texts, no calls." Scott replied easily as he looked over at me with a small smile but I could hear the underlying longing in his voice and I offered him a small sympathetic smile in return. The last time I had seen Allison, she had stabbed me with a Chinese ring dagger during a battle and I had given her back my copy of our best friend necklace. I was still a little pissed at the young huntress for letting herself be taken advantage of by her homicidal grandfather but I was slowly getting over my grudge. Allie and I were really good friends before all the mess with the kanima, despite her breaking up with my brother, and I didn't want to lose her completely from my life.
"So then how do you know she won't be back at school then?" Stiles asked him curiously as he loosened his grip on the steering wheel and Scott sighed slightly as he pursed his lips together. We came to a stop at a set of traffic lights as I leaned forward to look at Scott's expression and saw him looking slightly dejected at the thought of his ex-girlfriend.
"After everything that happened, I'm not sure she's coming back at all."
"I think she is. I'd say pretty definite, you know. Like one hundred percent." The human said casually as he looked passed Scott's shoulder at the car next to just at the stop light and I followed his gaze curiously to see Lydia's car with the strawberry blonde in the driver's seat and Allison in the passenger's seat. Scott frowned at Stiles in confusion before as Stiles just raised his eyebrows instead of explaining and then turned his head around to see who was in the next car.
"Oh, my God. Oh..." Scott mumbled in horror as he slumped down in his seat to avoid being seen with a panicked look on his face. "Can we just drive please, Stiles?"
"Scott, it's a red light. Where is he meant to go?" I asked him in amusement as I pointed a finger at the red light in front of us and Scott groaned in realisation as he tried to slouch down even more.
"I think we should talk to her, I just think we should say something." Stiles said in a confident tone as he started rolling the passenger side window down and I chuckled in disbelief as I watched Scott's face pale dramatically at the prospect.
"No. No, no, Stiles, come on. Oh, my God, dude, no." Scott argued as he shook his head rapidly and I pressed my lips together to stop from laughing uncontrollably at the situation as I leaned back a little.
"Hey!" Stiles yelled happily through the open window as Scott closed his eyes in embarrassment but Lydia's car quickly sped off down the road despite the red light. "You know, they probably didn't see us."
"Yeah, that's probably it." I agreed in a sympathetic tone as I patted my brother's shoulder gently and Stiles nodded his head rapidly as the traffic light turned green.
"What are you doing?" Scott asked Stiles in a freaked out voice as we started driving down the street and I quirked an eyebrow at him like he was stupid because it was pretty obvious what we were doing.
"I'm driving." Stiles stated in a slightly confused voice as he looked at his best friend with a frown and Scott sat up straighter as he gestured at the car in front of us even though we could barely see the brake lights anymore.
"We're right behind them."
"Okay, well, do you see any turns?"
"I don't want it to look like we're following them."
"Well, what do you want me to do?"
"I don't know, anything."
"Just stop the car, Stiles." I ordered in a tired voice as I rolled my eyes at their argument and Stiles quickly stopped the jeep in the middle of the road making us all jerk forward slightly at the sudden movement. "I can't believe you're making us do this, Scott. You're going to have to see her tomorrow anyway."
"Like there isn't anyone you would want to avoid. Are you seriously trying to tell me – Wait, Lydia just stopped the car." Scott said slowly as he leaned forward to see out of the windshield better and I frowned in concern for my friend as I shifted forward as well. Stiles hurriedly undid his seat belt as he frown in concern for the strawberry blonde in the driver's seat and I quickly followed him as he scrambled out of the jeep. The sudden sound of a loud thump, glass smashing and the terrified screams of both Lydia and Allison echoed from the car in front of us and Stiles, Scott and I immediately started running towards them. Lydia and Allison climbed out of the car quickly as Stiles and I ran straight to the strawberry blonde and Scott went towards Allison without hesitation. I could sense the presence of another animal so I looked around and saw that a deer had run straight into the windshield of Lydia's car.
"Are you okay?" I asked Lydia quickly as I grabbed a hold of one of her hands to offer her some comfort and she spun around to look at me with large green eyes.
"It came out of nowhere." Lydia defended herself in a panicked voice as she squeezed my hand back gratefully and I nodded in understanding even though I had no idea what she was talking about. Stiles placed a comforting hand on her back with a concerned frown as she tried to control her rapid breathing and I rubbed her back gently as I quickly looked over her body for injury.
"Are you hurt?"
"It ran right into us." she told me with wide eyes as she ran a hand through her hair in anxiety and Stiles nodded at her as he looked over at the car in confusion.
"Are you okay?" Scott asked Allison in worry on the other side of the road and I snapped my head up to look at them because I had been too focused on Lydia to ask about Allison. Scott had his arm around his waist as she wavered slightly and I frowned in concern as she placed a hand on his arm gratefully.
"I'm okay." Allie assured him with a small smile as she leaned into his touch slightly and I breathed a sigh of relief that both my friends weren't injured when the deer's antlers went through the glass.
"Well, I'm not okay. I am totally freaking out. How the hell does it just run into us? I saw its eyes right before it hit us. It was like it... it was like it was crazy." Lydia exclaimed as she stepped away from me and I frowned at her as I started to sense something abnormal coming from the deer. I glanced over at Scott to see if he had sensed the same thing that I had and saw him already wandering around to the front of the car. I hesitantly followed him to the front of the car from the other side and the feeling only got stronger the closer I got to the deer carcass.
"No, it was scared." I explained to the others in a small voice as I slowly reached out to touch the deer's blood matted fur and Scott looked at me with a small frown as I met his worried dark brown eyes. "Actually... Terrified."
I stood in front of my full length mirror looking at the outfit that I had chosen for the first day of school and tilted my head to the side in consideration. I was wearing a Orange And Blue Flower Print Crop Top, Alice + Olivia Pleated leather mini skirt, Ruthie Davis Women's Halle Caged Platform Bootie and ALDO Myrum handbag with my brunette hair in a perfect bun atop my head. I knew that it was stupidly conceited of me to want to look my best for the first day of school for the year but Lydia had practically drilled it into my mind that what we wore for the first day would set the scale for the whole year. This was the first day of my junior year of high school and I keep mentally telling myself that I'll only get to go through this once. People were going to remember this for the rest of their lives and what I wore will be etched in the memory of every student at Beacon Hills high school for eternity. Girls in our year will be jealous of me, girls in the year below us will want to be us and every guy in the school will want to get with me. It was sort of nice to be worried about normal teenage girl problems instead of homicidal supernatural creatures and I was going to make the best of the time I had before everything got complicated again. I sighed in acceptance of my outfit as I grabbed my cell phone from my vanity table and sent a quick picture of my reflection in the mirror to Lydia for her approval. I grabbed my handbag from the end of my bed as I quickly stuffed my phone into the side pocket and sauntered down the hallway towards Scott's bedroom.
"'Ephemeral.' Lasting for a short time. 'Transient. Momentary.' Ephemeral." Scott recited quietly from the computer screen on the desk and I quirked an eyebrow at him as I leaned on the doorframe to his bedroom.
"You know what's ephemeral?" I asked him rhetorically with a small smirk on my lips and he jumped in surprise at the sound of my voice as he spun around to face me with wide dark brown eyes. "Your life if you keep bending the books I've lent you."
"I haven't bent any of your books!" he protested instantly as he scowled at me as though he was offended by the comment and I gave him a sceptical look as I walked further into his room. I pushed pass my brother as he crossed his arms over his chest and I knelt down next to his desk as I reached for the pile of books on the floor.
"Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens, 'A Farewell to Arms' by Ernest Hemingway, 'The Longest Journey' by E. M. Forster, 'White Fang' by Jack London, 'Absalom, Absalom!' by William Faulkner, 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Ernest Hemingway and 'The Snows of Kilimanjaro' by Ernest Hemingway. And, look at that, all the pages are bent." I said to him sarcastically as I held up one of the novels to display the ruined pages and Scott grimaced guiltily as I quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry, Sophie."
"It's fine." I assured him with a small smile as I gracefully stood back up from the ground and I dropped the book back down on top of the pile. "I'm just glad that you're taking school more seriously. You very nearly failed last year, Scott."
"I know, I know." Scott said with a sigh as he ducked his head in shame and I leaned on the edge of his computer desk with my arms crossed over my chest.
"Hey, I had a thought about your tattoo…" I trailed off with a smirk as Scott's head snapped up at the mention of the tattoo and his dark brown eyes widened as he took a step forward eagerly. He motioned with his hand for me to continue with my sentence as his lips quirked up slightly and I grinned at my brother's eagerness because I knew that he really wanted a tattoo. "Well, it healed because you're a werewolf, right? But there must be a way to make it permanent because Derek has one. The triskele on his back."
"That's right!" he exclaimed excitedly with a grin on his face as his dark brown eye practically lit up at the solution and I giggled at his adorable enthusiasm as I smiled back at him. Scott stepped forward as he shook his head slightly with a same dorky smile and pressed a kiss to my cheek as I laughed at him. "You're a genius."
"Well, thank you, little brother."
"Do you want a ride to school?" he asked me as we both started strolling towards his bedroom door and I knew that he was talking about having a ride on his new dirt bike that he had saved up for.
"Ha, thanks, but dirt bikes and miniskirts do not mix. Trust me, I've learned from experience." I told him honestly with a small laugh as we exited his room and he grimaced at me over his shoulder as we started down the stairs. "Plus, I have my new car!"
"I can't believe Derek sold you his Camaro." Scott commented in disbelief as he shook his head at me with a scoff and I grinned excitedly as I practically skipped down the stairs.
"He brought a new car and didn't want the Camaro to be disrespected. I've loved that car since the moment I saw it and Derek knew that I would kill to have the pink slip."
"Okay, I'll see you at school then." He said happily as we reached the front door and he held it open for me to exit out of first. I blew him a kiss with a smile as I sauntered pass him and he waked over to his second hand green dirt bike with a number 32 on the front. I climbed gracefully into the front seat of the new Camaro with a smile on my lips and I pulled my sunglasses out of my handbag before slipping them over my eyes. I watched until Scott had zoomed away on his bike before turning the car on and driving to school with the radio turned on. I pulled into the school parking lot slowly because students were crowded around and I smirked when I saw people staring longing at my car. I parked my car at the front of the school where Jackson's Porsche used to occupy every morning and I sighed happily as I turned the engine off. I slipped my glasses off as I climbed out of the car and I placed them into my handbag as I smirked confidently. I waved at the familiar people with a smile as I walked towards the school but then paused in front of two M.V. Agusta F3s parked nearby as I gaped at the beautiful machinery. I shook my head slightly to myself as I gently ran a finger over the slick metal before and then started walking towards the school with my head held high.
"Lydia! Allison!" I cried happily with a smile when I saw them standing by their lockers and I strolled down to meet them as they turned around too looked at me in surprise.
"Sophie! I love that outfit." Lydia said in approval with a firm nod of her head and I laughed brightly as I spun in a small circle for her to see the whole outfit.
"Thank you. You look stunning as usual."
"I know."
"You do look great, Soph." Allie told me with a small hesitant smile on her pretty face and I could see the regret in her dark brown eyes. "Listen, about what happened before the summer…."
"Water under the bridge." I assured her with a dismissive wave of my hand as I smiled at her warmly and she raised her eyes sceptically at me. "Seriously. It's a new semester. You'd just lost your mom. Your grandfather was a dick. And I am too happy to spend time hating you. I spend the summer in England. Derek sold me his Camaro. Plus, I kinda love you." I told her nonchalantly with a shrug of my shoulders and she laughed at me with a bright smile as she pulled me into a brief hug. "But I do want my necklace back."
"I'll bring it tomorrow, I still have it at home. Now, on to the important question, did you and Jackson hook up in London?" Allison asked me slyly with a coy smile on her lips and I noticed Lydia tense up slightly as she pretended not to be interested in my answer but I could tell by the slight glint her green eyes as she was listening intently.
"No, why?"
"Well, I saw you kiss him that night in the warehouse…"
"Please, I thought he was dying. I would've kissed anyone in that situation. Isaac, Derek, Stiles…. okay, maybe not Stiles." I argued as I grimaced at the notion of ever kissing Stiles because he was practically my brother for all intents and purposes. "I probably would've kissed Lydia or you as well. Well, maybe not you, Allison, since Scott would've kicked my ass."
"Well, thankfully, we have tons of options for kissing. Freshmen. Tons and tons of fresh men." Lydia said to us with a smirk on her lips as she placed one hand on the metal locker and Allison breathed out a laugh as she opened up her locker door.
"You mean fresh boys. Lydia, they're 14." Allie reminded her pointedly with a small smile and I just rolled my eyes at the huntress's naivety on the matter.
"Eh, some are more mature than others."
"I prefer more mature individuals. As in ones that can drive something other than a push bike." I said absently as I gazed down at my manicured nails before looking over at Lydia with a smirk and she rolled her green eyes at me.
"You know, it's okay to be single. Focus on yourself for a little while, work on becoming a better person." Allison told us as she fumbled around in her locker and I frowned slightly as I leaned my back against the metal lockers.
"I think that was an insult. I'm already a pretty perfect version of what I am, Allie." I countered with a quirked eyebrow as I shared a knowing look with Lydia when Allison couldn't see and Lydia pursed her lips in slight annoyance.
"Allison, I love you. So if you need to do that thing where we talk about me and pretend like we're not actually talking about you, it's totally fine. But I don't want a boyfriend. I want a distraction." The strawberry blonde declared firmly as she started looking around the hallway and I giggled in agreement just as I felt the air around us shift slightly. I frowned slightly in confusion as I glanced down at the end of the hallway and I sucked in a sharp breath when I saw what had caught everyone's attention.
"Brothers?" Allison asked innocently as she tilted her head to the side in consideration and a small smirk spread across my lips as I shook my head at her.
"Twins." I corrected her quietly as I watched the two identical twins saunter down the hallway in jeans, t-shirts and leather jackets while carrying motorcycle helmets under their arms. They were around 6ft with short sandy brown hair, brown eyes and I could make out their impressive muscles through their shirts. People stopped what they were doing to stare at the newcomers as they walked down the hall and I rolled my eyes at myself as I reluctantly turned away from the hot new guys. "I have the feeling things are about to get interesting."
"Ooh, I have all kinds of feeling for that." Lydia replied softly without taking her eyes off of the twins as they disappeared from view and I hummed in agreement with a smirk as I pushed myself off of the lockers.
"You're both drooling." Allison commented in amusement as she closed her locker down and I shot her a reproachful look a I linked my arm through hers.
"Lucky for us, they seem to come in pairs. One for Lydia, one for me, and none for Allison." I said brightly with a smile as I threaded my other arm through Lydia's and we started walking down the hallway to our first class.
"Not that I want one, but why can't I have one?"
"Because I am a badass werewolf that can kick your ass and Lydia is very, very vicious when annoyed."
"That's true." Allison agreed in mock seriousness as we entered the English classroom and I smiled at her as I went to take my seat in front of Stiles while Lydia sat down in an empty seat by the window next to Stiles. The only vacant seat left was the one in front of Scott and Allison hesitated at the front of the room before wondering over. "Is someone..."
"No, no, no, no. No, it's all you, all yours. Uh, it's totally vacant." Scott assured her quickly as he sat up straighter in his seat and Allison smiled at him slightly as she sat down gracefully. I chuckled softly to myself as I leaned over closer to Allie desk next to mine and she looked at me in question.
"I just thought of another reason." I whispered tauntingly as I sent her an overdramatic wink and laughed as she scowled at me while blushing bright red. I set my handbag down on the floor at my feet just as my cell phone buzzed to alert me that I had a text message and I frown in confusion as I pulled it out of my bag. There was a message from an unknown number and I hesitantly opened it to read, 'The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds and the tranquil waterway", leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.'
"'an overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.'" An unfamiliar voice recited out loud from the front of the classroom as I looked up from the text and I saw a pretty brunette woman in her early twenties standing at the front of the room with a smile. "This is the last line to the first book we are going to read. It is also the last text you will receive in this class. Phones off, everyone."
"Is anyone else concerned about how she got our phone numbers?" I asked the people around quietly jokingly as I slipped my phone back into my purse and they all laughed softly as they followed suit.
"I'm Jennifer Blake, your new English teacher." Ms Blake said with a small smile as she leaned back against the desk in the middle of the front of the classroom. "Now, can anyone please tell me what novel that quote came from?" she asked us patiently with a slightly raised eyebrow and only a few people raised their hands in the air. Blake's smile widened slightly with the knowledge that her students weren't totally stupid and pointed a manicured finger at a person in the font of the classroom.
"It's from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad." The person answered in a slightly smug tone of voice and I rolled my eyes at her obnoxiousness. I crossed my legs gracefully with a bored sigh as Blake nodded in acknowledgement to the right answer and then turned to face the door when it opened noisily in the silence room. Blake frowned in concern as she walked over to the student that had poked their head into the classroom and I turned my gaze out the window as they spoke in hushed tones.
"Sophie and Scott McCall?" Blake asked loudly from the front of the room and I snapped my head around to look at the teacher with a quirked eyebrow in question. I glanced over at Scott as he frowned at me in concern but I just shrugged my shoulders and stood up from my seat before grabbing my bag from the floor. Scott followed my lead as I strolled up to the front of the room and Blake ushered us before out of the door so that the three of us were alone in the hallway. "Uh, I'm sure it's an emergency if your mother needs both you to leave school, but I'm gonna give you a warning in the nicest possible way. I am well aware of your attendance record. I don't wanna see you slip back into old habits."
"I won't. It's gonna be different this year." Scott assured her firmly with a determined expression as he nodded once and she offered him a small smile as I shifted on my feet impatiently.
"Resolutions are only good if you stick with them, Scott."
"I will. I promise it won't be ephemeral."
"Oh, dear God." I mumbled under my breath as I rolled my eyes at him and Blake looked at him in a mixture of amusement and confusion. I smiled at the teacher tightly as I grabbed Scott's elbow and began leading him down the hallway as fast as I could without looking suspicious. We hurried out to the car park and towards my car because we couldn't take Scott's bike. I slipped into the driver's seat of the Camaro as Scott jumped into the passenger seat and I zoomed out of the school car park before I realised that I didn't know where I was going. "Scott, check your phone. I have no idea where I'm going."
"Oh! Right." He mumbled to himself as he got his phone out of his pocket and held it up to his ear with a concerned frown on his lips.
"Scott, why aren't you answering your phone? Right, you're probably in class. Listen, last night Isaac was admitted into the hospital. He's injured, Scott. Really injured, but he's healing. The doctors can't find out that he's healing and they're about to take him into surgery. Oh, god, what do I do? I've tried to call Derek like five times but he's not answering. I need you and Sophie to come to the hospital, please, Scott. I have no idea what to do." I heard my mother's voice through the phone line and I quickly headed towards the hospital where our mother worked as a nurse. Scott groaned slightly under his breath as he hung up the phone and I spared him a quick look as I sped off towards the hospital. we stayed silent we rest of the way until I parked at the front of the hospital and we both jumped out of the car before running in. I caught sight of our mom standing near the nurses counter and I pushed Scott's shoulder in the right direction.
"Why didn't you tell us before?" I asked our mother loudly as we approached her and she spun around in surprise before sighing in relief when she saw us.
"Honestly, I was hoping I didn't have to." Mom said apologetically in a low voice so no one would overhear us as we started heading down the hallway and I pursed my lips in annoyance as we hurried.
"What do you mean?" Scott asked her in confusion as he frowned at her and she grimaced guiltily as we came to a stop at the end of the corridor.
"Everything that you've been doing... the extra reading, the summer school, saving up for the bike, even though it scares me half to death... honey, I just didn't wanna disrupt a good rhythm."
"It's not gonna stop. I-I'm gonna be better this year. A better student, a better son, a better brother, a better friend, a better everything. I promise."
"Okay. He's in room 215 if he isn't already in surgery." Mom informed us softly with a small smile as she touched his arm and wrapped an arm around my waist supportively. Scott and I both pressed a kiss to each of her cheeks at the same time before we took off down the hallway towards the elevator. I pressed the up button at the side of the elevator as I shifted uneasily on my feet and Scott frowned in concern as he repeatedly pressed the button as though that would make it come faster. We hurried inside the elevator just as the double doors slid open while it dinged and I reached over to hit the third floor button just as the door was stopped from closing by a cane. I looked up in surprise at the attractive middle aged blind man with dark glasses on and a cane in his hand as he slowly walked into the elevator with us.
"Would you hit the button for the second floor, please?" the blind man asked politely in a British accent as he folded his hand over the top of the cane and I shrugged my shoulder at Scott as I hit the button he asked for.
"Sure." I replied easily as I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the wall as I waited for the elevator doors to open again.
"You wouldn't mind helping me out for a second, would you?" the man asked in the same polite accented voice as the metal double doors slid open and Scott frowned in concern as he glanced nervously out into the hallway. I bit my lower lip as I pushed myself off of the wall and I tapped Scott's arm to get his attention.
"Scott, you go find Isaac and I'll meet up with you later." I assured him with a small smile as I nodded my head towards the hallway and he shot me a grateful look as he took off towards Isaac's hospital room. I turned my attention back to the handsome British man next to me and I gently placed a hand on his elbow as we started walking out of the elevator.
"Thank you for the assistance."
"It's no problem. Really, it's more of a blessing. I don't really like hospitals and any excuse not to be in a hospital room any longer than necessary is very welcome." I told him honestly with a small laugh as we strolled slowly down the hallway and he chuckled lightly as he ducked his head slightly in amusement. "I'm Sophie, by the way."
"Duke. Pleasure to meet you, Sophie." Duke said charmingly with a small smile as he lifted my hand to his mouth to press a gentle kiss on top and I let out a small giggle at the old-fashioned move as I let my hand drop back down to my side. "Do you know what the name 'Sophie' means?"
"I know it's French, but I have no idea what it means."
"That's right. It's the French variation of the Greek name 'Sophia'. They both mean 'wisdom'." He informed me with a small private smile that I didn't understand and I frowned slightly as we came to a stop at the end of the corridor.
"I think Sophie is more lively and down-to-earth, while Sophia is more sophisticated and buttoned-up. Sophistication isn't really something that can be associated with me." I whispered jokingly as though it was some big secret and he grinned charismatically as I let go of his elbow.
"It was an honest pleasure to meet you, Sophie. Hopefully, we'll see each other again." Duke said in a knowing voice that made me frown in confusion as he nodded at me once before making his way to the hallway by himself. I shook my head to myself as I started heading in the opposite direction and tried not to let my imagination get away from me. I ran down the hallway towards the elevator and caught sight of a familiar head of black hair walking in front of me.
"Hey! Derek!" I called out as I jogged towards him with frown on my lips and he turned around to face me with a serious expression on his handsome face. Derek nodded at me in greeting as I approached him and I nodded back at him as we continued walking without stopping. We heard the elevator ding as the doors started sliding open and I saw a man's back holding Scott up by his throat as my brother choked slightly. My eyes widened in horror as I skidded to a stop and Derek paused next to me as well before we both started running forward at the same time.
"Don't you realize what you're dealing with? I'm an Alpha." The werewolf holding Scott by the throat hissed angrily as he tightened his hold and Derek's eyes glowed bright red as he lengthened his claws threateningly.
"So am I." Derek said menacingly as he stabbed his claws into the other Alpha's back under his ribcage and Scott fell to the ground as the Alpha dropped him onto the ground. The unfamiliar man hissed angrily as his eyes rolled back into his head and Derek tossed him effortlessly out of the elevator just as the doors closed. I ran over to Scott's side in concern as I crouched down next to him and grabbed his hand in mine as he looked up at Derek in shock. The Alpha looked over his shoulder at us with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk playing at the edge of his lips. "Aren't you two supposed to be in school?"
I followed after Derek as he carried an unconscious Isaac into the living room of the burnt remains of the abandoned Hale house while Scott trailed behind us on his phone.
"We got a serious problem at school. Ms. Blake's class..." Stiles said through the phone line as I sat down on one of the chairs in the living room and Derek carefully placed Isaac door on the table in the middle of the room.
"Hey, can you tell me about it later?" Scott asked him hastily as he came to stand next to me while frowning nervously at Isaac and I looked up at him in concern as I quirked an eyebrow in question.
"Well, no, pretty sure this qualifies for immediate discussion."
"Okay, then meet us at Derek's."
"Derek's house? What the hell are you doing at..." Stiles started to ask in outrage as I smirked in amusement that he was still harbouring some hatred towards Derek and Scott shook his head at me in annoyance.
"Just meet us here, okay?" Scott interrupted him in irritation before he hung up without another word and he sighed as he rolled his dark brown eyes. I stood up from the seat with a sigh as I walked over to where Derek was checking Isaac's pulse and the Alpha looked up at me as I stopped next to him.
"You don't still live here, do you?" I asked him with a quirked eyebrow as I sat down on the edge of the table that Isaac was lying on and Derek shook his head at me as he walked towards the fireplace.
"No. The county took it over, but there's something here that I need. It'll help heal a wound from an Alpha." Derek explained as he crouched down to the floor and lifted up the loose floor broad easily.
"Yeah, but it did heal." Scott stated like it was obvious as he walked over to stand on the opposite side of the table and I shook my head at him as I gently lifted the edge of Isaac's T-shirt to see the already healed scratch marks on his side.
"It's not healed on the inside." I said softly as I ran my finger over the skin with a small frown before I lowered the material back down and Scott looked over at me with a confused expression that I shrugged innocently at. There was a lot that I had learned from my lessons with Dr Deaton that Scott didn't know about and I had also spent a lot of time reading the bestiary we had stolen from the argents as well as the one I had 'borrowed' from Peter at the start of the summer. I turned my head around to face Derek with a frown as he came to stand next to me with a herb in his hand. "Hey, are you gonna tell us who that was back there? That Alpha."
"A rival pack. It's my problem." Derek answered me after a moment of hesitation as he looked between Scott and me with a concerned frown and I quirked an eyebrow at him with disbelief as I held back a scoff. "I know you wanna help, and you did. I owe you one. Now go home. Go back to being a teenager."
"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere. I'm pack adjacent." I said defiantly as I linked my fingers with Isaac's and narrowed my eyes at the green eyed werewolf.
"I'm not getting rid of you, am I?" he asked me with a annoyed pursed of his lips and I smiled innocently at him as I shook my head in answer. He sighed heavily as he nodded once at me with a small smile on his lips and Scott kissed my forehead as he passed by me on his way out of the room. Isaac shifted slightly in his sleep as he made a grunting noise in the back of his throat and I turned my attention back to the Beta as Scott stopped at the entrance to the living room.
"Uh, hey, Derek. If you wanna repay back that favour now... There is something you can do for me." Scott told him with a small smirk as his dark brown eyes lit up and I breathed out a laugh as I realised that he was thinking about his tattoo.
"What is it?"
"He tried to get a tattoo yesterday but it healed." I explained to Derek with an amused smirk on my lips as I remembered Scott's horrified face when he healed last night and Scott strolled back over to where I was sitting.
"Scott! Sophie!" Stiles' voice echoed throughout the house as his footsteps hurried up the porch and I turned my head around with a quirked eyebrow as the skinny human came scrambling into the living room with a panicked expression. His brown eyes were wide as he looked around the room frantically and his breathing was heavy as his heart beat went wild. "Hey… guys. Need... to... tell… you...something."
"What do you need to tell us?"
"After you left English class, a huge flock of black birds came flying at the school. They started striking the windows until a few broke through. Then it was just pure chaos in the room with live birds scratching and pecking at students and smashing into walls and dying. It was really gross."
"Wait. A flock of birds attacked everyone at school?" Scott asked him in shock as his dark brown eyes went wide and Derek crossed his arms of his chest with a serious expression as he listened intently.
"Right." Stiles said in a high pitched voice as he nodded rapidly and I groaned slightly as I stood up from table with a frown on my lips. "Okay. What if it's, like, the same thing as the deer? You know, like, how animals start acting weird right before an earthquake or something? That's the third weird animal occurrence."
"Third?" I asked him in confusion as I crossed my arms over my chest just as my cell phone beeped with a message and I frowned as I pulled my phone out of my handbag. I bit my lower lip as I read the message from Deaton and then I looked up at the others who were watching me curiously with a small smile. "I found the third. Deaton just messaged me. Apparently, the cats at the clinic killed themselves."
"What? They all killed themselves?" Scott asked me in disbelief as he stepped closer to me and I shrugged helplessly as I recrossed my arms over my chest with a frown.
"Your tattoo, Scott?"
"Right. Derek, can you help me?" Scott asked him almost pleadingly as he turned towards the Alpha and Derek lifted an eyebrow at him as he sighed but nodded his head. Scott grinned happily as he followed Derek over to the chairs on the other side of the room and I shared a look with Stiles as I trailed after them to watch curiously.
"Yeah, I see it. Its two bands, right?" Derek asked my brother as he turned on his bright red Alpha eyes to look at the ink still under the first layer of skin and sat down in front of Scott with a blank expression. "What does it mean?"
"I don't know. It's just something I traced with my fingers."
"Why is this so important to you?"
"Do you know what the word 'tattoo' means?"
"To mark something." Stiles answered knowingly with a smug smile on his lips and I rolled my eyes at him in amusement as I leaned back on the table.
"Well, that's in Tahitian. In Samoan, it means 'open wound.' I knew I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned 18. I always wanted one. I just decided to get it now, to make it kind of a reward." Scott said softly as he looked down at the ground in embarrassment and I perked up a little in interest because I wanted to know his real reason.
"For what?" I asked him curiously as I leaned forward slightly and Scott looked up at me with warm dark brown eyes as he shrugged slightly.
"For not calling or texting Allison all summer. Even when I really wanted to, even when it was so hard not to sometimes. I was trying to give her the space she wants. Going four months later, it still hurts. It still feels like a, uh..."
"…like an open wound." I finished for him with a smirk as I felt a pang of sympathy for my twin brother and he nodded in agreement as I looked away from him. Scott's love for Allison was something that I had tried to understand in the beginning but I just couldn't grasp the concept of loving someone to that degree except for family or friends and that made me feel both jealous and relieved at the same time. I knew that I would never have to experience what Scott was feeling being away from Allison if I never knew what it felt like to be in love.
"The pain's gonna be worse than anything you've ever felt." Derek warned Scott pointedly as he stood up to get the necessary tools for the job with a vaguely satisfied expression and Scott took a breath as he nodded in acknowledgment. The Alpha gave him a slightly dubious look as he picked up a blow torch and turned it on so that the flame ignited.
"Oh, wow. That's a... that's a lot for me. So I'm gonna take that as my cue. I'm just gonna wait outside." Stiles stuttered uncomfortably as he shook his head rapidly and started walking pass Derek to the door but Derek shot his arm out to stop him from leaving.
"Nope. You can help hold him down."
"Ooh. I want to help." I exclaimed excitedly as I jumped up from the table with a smile and they all look at me with incredulous expressions as I wandered over to stand next to my brother. "What?"
"Why are you so excited to see me in pain?" Scott asked me in indignation as he settled on to the chair and I grasped his shoulder tightly to stop him from moving.
"I don't know, but it gives me some sort of sick pleasure."
"Awesome." He said drily as shot me a glare over his shoulder and I smiled back innocently as Derek applied the torch to Scott's skin. As soon as the flame touched his skin, Scott gasped in shock from the pain as he threw his head back and I tightened my grip on his shoulder as he struggled to move away from the blow torch. Stiles squirmed uncomfortably as he held his best friend down with all his strength and Scott's dark brown eyes flashed bright amber as he cried out in pain. Beads of sweat started to gather on his forehead as he closed his eyes tightly against the pain and I struggled to keep him still in his seat.
"Oh, screw this." I said under my breath as I rolled my eyes in frustration and kept my hand on Scott's shoulder as I moved to stand in front of him. Stiles and Derek both looked at me in confusion as I pulled my fist back and punched my brother as hard as I could in the face. Scott's body went limb in his seat as he passed out cold and I sighed in relief as I let go of his shoulder. I smiled innocently at Stiles horrified face as I shrugged my shoulder and I looked over at Derek's impressed expression as I quirked an eyebrow with a smirk on my lips.
"Aah! Aah!" Scott exclaimed loudly as he jerked awake with sweat all over his face and I looked over at him with a bored expression from the table where Isaac was lying. Stiles and Derek also glanced up at my brother as he frantically looked at his upper arm where the tattoo was now permanently etched into his skin. "It worked."
"Well, it looks pretty damn permanent now." Stiles murmured thoughtfully as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in and Scott sighed as he got up from the wall with a huge grin on his face.
"Yeah. I kind of needed something permanent. Everything that's happened to us... everything just changes so fast. Everything's so, uh... Ephemeral."
"Studying for the PSAT's?"
"Yep."
"Nice."
"It looks great, Scott. Now, go away because I want to know what Derek knows and he won't tell me while you're here." I said pointedly as I gracefully slipped down from the table and shot a glare over at the Alpha in question who rolled his greyish eyes at me.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving." Scott muttered in annoyance as he and Stiles both headed for the front door of the Hale house and I followed after them slowly with my heels clicking on the woodened floor boards. My brother stopped in front of the door with a frown on his lips and I quirked an eyebrow at him as I crossed my arms over my chest. "You painted the door. Why'd you paint the door?"
"Go home, Scott." Derek insisted sternly as he walked into the room with a serious expression on his handsome face and I glanced at him as he came to a stop next to me.
"And why only one side?"
"What are you doing?" I asked Scott with a tired sigh as he lengthened his claws and started scratching the new coat of paint off of the door.
"The birds at school and the deer last night... just like the night I got trampled by the deer when I got bit by the Alpha. How many are there?"
"A pack of 'em. An Alpha pack." Derek told us with a heavy sigh as his arms fell to his sides and I felt my eyes go wide in shock as I turned around to look at the Alpha.
"All of them? How does that even work?" Stiles asked in confusion with a frown as his arms flung out slightly and I pursed my lips in frustration as I rubbed the back of my neck.
"I hear there's some kind of a leader. He's called Deucalion. We know they have Boyd and Erica. Peter, Isaac, and I have been looking for him for the last four months."
"Let's say you find them. How do you deal with an Alpha pack?" I asked Derek pointedly as I narrowed my eyes at him slightly and he glanced at me with a sort of helpless look before looking back over at Scott to include him in the next statement.
"With all the help I can get."
"Where is she? Where's the girl?" Isaac's drowsy voice asked in a panic from the other room and we all turned to face him to see the Beta sitting up with a small frown on his face.
"What girl?"
THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, FAVOURITES AND FOLLOWS!
Okay, guys, I know that I said that this was a Sophie/Derek story and it might end up being one but at the moment I'm just going with the flow. Seriously, I hardly even know what I write until I go back over it at the end. I love hearing your opinions on which person she should end up with though.
PLEASE REVIEW!