Parasomnia:
"Scott, which one?" I asked my brother desperately as I came to a stop in the doorway to his bedroom and he looked up from the textbook he was studying at his desk. His dark brown eyes darted between the two dresses I was holding in opposite hands and I pouted at him pleadingly as I lifted them intermittently for inspection.
"They're both pretty." He responded unhelpfully with a firm nod of his head and I groaned out loud as I dropped the dresses down to my sides.
"This is one of the biggest decisions of my life. This is my senior year! This is my last chance to be the second hottest girl on campus."
"After Lydia?"
"Obviously."
I held both of the dresses up against my body with a hopeful expression and he sighed heavily as he turned around on his chair to face my directly with a serious expression. His eyes narrowed in thought as he studied the options for a moment before he nodded solemnly and he lifted his gaze to meet my eyes as he stated, "The pink one."
"Really?" I asked excitedly as I looked down at the dress in my left hand and he hummed in agreement as I practically skipped back into my bedroom. I heard him chuckle as I stripped out of my pyjamas quickly and I slipped on the light pink floral dress that Scott chosen for me as I strolled over to my walk in closest. I was practically vibrating with anticipation for the first day of senior year as I slipped on a pair of heels and doubled checked my perfectly styled hair in the vanity mirror before walking out of the room.
Scott met me in the hallway with his backpack thrown over his shoulder and I sent him a grin as I headed downstairs before him. Mom was in the kitchen pouring cups of coffee with a tired smile and I hummed in greeting as I accepted the mug from her with a grateful smile.
"You ready for school, guys?" she asked us cheerfully as I sipped the hot liquid and Scott moved around the kitchen as he prepared himself some toast.
"I'm a little nervous. My first class is AP Biology." He answered in the same tone with a hint of anxiety and I patted his arm compassionately as I walked passed him to the fridge.
"You've been studying all summer, I've been tutoring you. You've got this, Scotty." I assured him kindly as I pulled out the nearly empty carton of milk and I hesitated for a moment before placing it back into the fridge. I knew that we were struggling financially, even with mom working double shifts whenever she could and whenever I offered to help out with the bills by dipping into my payments from my jobs at Eichen House but she was adamant about not taking any money from me. The discussion had led to an all-out fight between the two of us but we had soon come to an agreement that we could both live with: since I was already fielding full scholastic scholarship offers from various major universities all around the country and it wasn't likely Scott would be receiving one, if it came down to it we would use my savings to pay for UC Davis.
I shared a knowing look with my mom as I shut the fridge door when Scott isn't looking because while he knew we were having trouble, but he didn't know how badly we were struggling. I offered her a comforting smile as I made my way to stand beside her at the counter and I grabbed an apple from the basket as the three of us ate and drank coffee in silence.
"Okay, have fun at work." I said to my mom as I pressed a kiss to her cheek once I'd finished my coffee and she squeezed my arm with a smile as I moved passed her to place my empty mug in the sink. "I've got to go pick up Liam. I'm driving him to school this morning."
"Why?" Scott asked in confusion as he leaned his crossed his arms on the counter and I stopped at the table we hardly ever used as I stuffed my AP Biology textbook in my satchel.
"To gain popularity by association."
"What's that?"
"Really?" I asked in amused disbelief as I turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow but he just stared at me blankly and I breathed out a laugh as I ran a hand through my hair with a smile, "Okay. Well, if Liam arrives for the first day of sophomore year with one of the most popular seniors, it's going to make a huge impact. He'll gain popularity by association."
"People aren't that transparent." He argued with a derisive chuckle as he pushed himself off the counter and I pressed my lips together in a tight line to hold back my amusement as I strolled over to the counter. I shared a look with my mother as she attempted to hold back her own laughter and we both burst out laughing at his naivety.
"Of course they are, sweetie." I cooed mockingly with a humouring smile as I patted his cheek patronisingly and he glared at me playfully as I bit into my apple theatrically. I waved at them over my shoulder as I started walking out of the room and I grabbed my backpack and keys from the table on my way past.
My heels clicked loudly on the path to the driveway as I rushed towards my car and I slipped into the driver's seat as I threw my backpack into the backseat. I tried the key in the ignition as the radio played Halsey softly in the background and I reversed out of the driveway as I sang quietly to the lyrics. The route to Liam's house had become familiar to me over the summer and I could probably drive there blindfolded but something about that seemed unnecessarily risky.
I pulled to a stop out the front of the two story house I had seen but never been inside of and I turned the ignition off as I contemplated whether or not to honk the horn to let Liam know I was there, send him a text message or actually go up to the front door. I nibbled on my lower lip uncertainly as I made the decision to use my werewolf hearing and see if Liam was even ready to go to school. I tilted my head to the side as I closed my eyes and focused my hearing on the inside of the house where the most human heartbeats were coming from.
"Okay, I'm done. Gotta go." Liam said hurriedly to someone inside the house and I leaned back on my seat for a moment so that I was comfortable while listening.
"Hang on! What's the rush?" a slightly familiar female voice I knew belonged to the Beta's mother and I quirked an eyebrow in intrigue as a smug smirk played on my lips.
"Sophie's already here. I gotta go or we'll be late to school."
"Oh, the mysterious Sophie. You've been hanging out with her for a while."
"Don't make it weird. It's not like that with her."
"Like what? I didn't say anything."
I chuckled to myself as I made a decision and I climbed out of the front of the Camaro as I straightened my brunette hair so that it was perfectly styled. I plastered a polite smile on my lips as I approached the front door and I knocked lightly on the wooden door as I tucked a loose curl behind my ear. I could hear the sound of footsteps approaching the door on the other side and after a moment it opened to reveal Liam standing there with a shocked expression.
"No. No, no, no, come on, no." he greeted me in complaint with his eyes closed as he held the door open and I almost rolled my eyes at him but kept the polite smile on my lips.
"Liam, who's at the door?" his stepfather called out curiously from inside the house and Liam shot me a panicked look as I attempted to step over the threshold but he blocked me from entering with a warning expression. My grin widened at the challenge as he scowled at me angrily and the sound of footsteps approaching drew my attention over his shoulder as a blonde woman in her late thirty's came into view.
"Oh, hello." The woman who must have been Liam's mother greeted me in surprise as she strolled closer to the door and the sophomore leaned his forehead against the edge of the door in despair.
"Hi. You must be Mrs Geyer. I'm Sophie McCall." I introduced myself politely with a smile as I held out my hand and she smiled back at me with a slight falsity as she accepted my hand shake. "It's so nice to finally meet you."
"And you as well. Liam speaks very highly of you."
"I think very highly of him. He's a true gentleman, and I'm so lucky to have him in my life."
"Well, thank you. That's so nice to hear." Mrs Geyer gushed with a genuine smile as she placed a hand over her heart and I noticed Liam roll his blue eyes at our interaction from the corner of my eye.
"So, how did you and Liam meet? You're a senior, right?" she asked tightly as her eyes hardened seriously with protectiveness for her son and I noticed her discreetly screening my outfit. An amused smile played on my lips because it had been a while since someone had found me threatening for something other than something supernatural.
"My twin brother is captain of the lacrosse team so I sometimes help coach during practice. I met Liam during tryouts. I tutor a couple of the player if they're having trouble with their subjects and Liam told me he was falling behind in French so now we study together a couple of times a week." I lied easily with a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders as I clasped my hands in front of me and Liam raised an eyebrow in surprise as he lifted his head from the door.
Mrs Geyer's lips parted in surprise at the information as she stared at me for a moment before turning to face her son with a reprimanding expression, "You didn't tell me you were struggling in French."
Liam's blue eyes widened in surprise at the sudden question and he looked at me for a response but I just narrowed my eyes at him as he gulped nervously before he turned back to his mother, "I didn't want to disappoint you. I figured as long as my grade didn't drop below a C-, I could get it back up without you knowing."
"You, - " Mrs Geyer said in an awed voice as she turned towards me with a soft smile and her sudden change in attitude confused me as she suddenly embraced me in a tight hug. "I wanted to thank you, Sophie. Ever since Liam started spending time with you, his anger has been at an all-time low, and now I find out you're helping his education too?"
"Oh, that's nothing. I had some issues when I was younger, and I learned a few tricks to help me deal. Extra exercise, yoga every morning, someone to talk to." I explained honestly with a demure smile as she pulled back and she beamed at me like I had just solved world hunger as she grasped my upper arms.
"Why don't you come in for breakfast?"
"I would love to, but unfortunately, we're running late for school. Raincheck?"
"Yep, that's right! Gotta leave. Like right now!" Liam interrupted pointedly as he swung his backpack onto his shoulder with a subtle roll of his eyes and I shared a smile with his mother as he pulled me back down the pathway. The beta kept a tight hold on my arm as he dragged me to the car with a scowl on his lips and I chuckled in amusement as he rounded the front of the Camaro to the passenger seat. I climbed in the front seat silently as I got the vague scent of rage pheromones coming from Liam and I waited patiently for him to snap as I started driving down the street.
"Why? Why did you do that?" he asked angrily as he slammed his hand down on the dashboard and I cringed as I checked to make sure he didn't cause any damage. "I'm trying to keep my parents out of this! And you know that!"
"I do know that. That's why I did it." I said calmly as I ignored his harsh glare on the side of my head and I glanced at him in the corner of my eye as he shook his head angrily. "Now we have a reason to be hanging out together. You can use tutoring or work out sessions as an excuse to be out of the house when we're really doing secret supernatural only things."
"A little warning?"
"Like you would've agreed."
Liam kept silent as he glared at me angrily and I bit my lower lip sheepishly as I slowly reached over to turn up the music so that Colors by Halsey filled the car. I placed my hand back on the wheel as he shook his head to himself and he looked out the window as we drove the rest of the way to school in silence.
Students were milling around in the parking lot as I drove towards my usual spot at the front of the school, the same parking spot that I had inherited from Jackson when he moved to London. A few people stopped walking as I parked so they could catch a glimpse of me and I heard them whispering to their friends about me. People glanced at the figure in the passenger seat as they guessed about who could be arriving with me and Liam looked around nervously as his fingers twitched on his thigh anxiously.
"You ready?" I asked him compassionately as I took the keys out of the ignition and he exhaled slowly as he nodded his head silently. I offered him an encouraging smile as we simultaneously opened our doors and climbed out of the car while other students gawked at us with their mouths open. I grabbed my backpack from the backseat as I ignored the whispered conversations around us and Liam tried to appear confident under their scrutinising gazes. "Ignore them. You got a ride from a friend, it's no big deal."
"If it's no big deal, why are they staring and whispering?" he hissed at me under his breath as we strolled down the pathway to the front of the school, casting paranoid glances around.
"They're staring because we're hot, they're whispering because they can't believe how hot we are so they have to tell their friends. Happens all the time."
"That's a really positive outlook."
"Why thank you!" I chirped happily with a beaming smile as he begrudgingly chuckled at me and I felt a swell of pride at the achievement as I slung the backpack over my shoulder.
"Sophie! Liam!" I heard a familiar voice call out to us from behind and we stopped walking as we turned around to watch Lydia hurrying to approach us. The strawberry blonde's heels clicked loudly on the concrete as she rushed towards me with a grin and she grasped my forearms tightly as I copied the motion.
"Happy senior year!" we exclaimed in unison with excited grins as we bounced up and down as her nails dug into my skin. I vaguely heard Liam groan under his breath at our excited squeal but I ignored him and pulled my best friend into a tight embrace.
"Girls…People are staring." Liam muttered in embarrassment as he looked around sheepishly and we both rolled our eyes at him in amusement as we pulled back from each other.
"You can leave. We'll see you at lunch." Lydia told him with a playful scowl as she pushed him towards the school and I nodded in sarcastic agreement as I linked arms with her in a show of solidarity. Liam stuck his tongue at us in retaliation but his gaze caught sight of someone over our shoulder and he flashed us a smile before rushing to keep up with his friend.
"Think we embarrassed him?" I asked in a mocking tone as I tilted my head to the side and she hummed thoughtfully with her lips pursed as I shrugged my shoulders indifferently, "Oh, well!"
Our arms stayed intertwined together as we strolled confidently into the school hallway and our high heels clacked loudly on the linoleum floor as we headed towards Lydia's locker since it was closer.
"That's a cute dress. Is it new?" Lydia asked curiously with a hint of admiration as she stopped in front of a metal door and I leaned my shoulder on the row of metal beside her as she dialled the combination.
"Thank you. It is, got it online." I told her with a content smile as I swirled the skirt of my dress and she bit her lower lip in contemplation like she was holding something back.
"I thought you were still having money problems?" she mentioned hesitantly as she glanced at me from the corner of her eye and slipped her textbooks onto the shelves of her locker.
"When I woke up, naked and alone in our bed, I found a note on the counter that said 'I'm sorry. Call if you need me. Love Derek,' and a black American Express for and I quote 'emergencies'. I figured a shopping spree was an emergency."
"How so?"
"Well, he knew that I was a spiteful bitch and he decided to leave me so his only options were 'shopping spree' or 'castration'."
A bout of laughter escaped the banshee as she closed her locker door and she shook her head in amusement as she linked her arm back through mine. We both knew we didn't have time to go to my locker class so we decided to go straight to the biology lab and I saw Kira already sitting at the lab table furthest away from the door with a bright grin on her lips. I returned her wave eagerly as Lydia and I slid into the empty station besides her so that we could sit together but there was a spare seat for Scott.
"Morning!" The kitsune chirped enthusiastically as she leaned forward on the bench and I dropped my backpack on the table as I pulled out my biology textbook.
"Morning!" Lydia and I replied easily in unison as we straightened our books on the centre of our shared desk and the strawberry blonde nudged me with her elbow to gain my attention as she let out a surprised squeak. I instantly snapped my head around to follow her gaze to the door of the lab and smiled when I saw my brother entering the room with a large smile on his lips.
Scott took the empty seat next to his girlfriend as Lydia and Kira pantomimed their confusion about his presence in such a difficult class. I bit my lower lip to stifle a laugh at their befuddled expression and he remained oblivious to their distraction as he pulled out his biology textbook.
"Scott? Are you in the right class?" Kira asked hesitantly with an uneasy expression as she placed a hand on his forearm and he flashed her a warm smile without any offence.
"AP Biology." Scott answered with a slow nod of his head as he leaned on the desk and I held back a chuckle at the looks on their faces as I flipped aimlessly through my textbook.
"Do you know what AP stands for?" Lydia asked with a slightly mocking lilt to her voice as she tilted her head to the side and I shot her a look in reprimand but she just shrugged innocently with a smirk.
"Advanced Placement." He replied with a chuckle as he opened his textbook and displayed the heavily annotated text he had already read over.
"Welcome to AP Biology. Let's see who's awake. Can somebody tell me what plasmids are?" Mrs Finch asked loudly as she strolled into the room with a stern expression and I immediately straightened my shoulders in attention.
"Circular, self-replicating DNA molecules often used in cloning proteins." Lydia answered easily in a bored tone of voice as she twirled a strand of her strawberry blonde hair around her finger absently.
"Nicely stated, Lydia. Now, can you tell me what vitamin is absorbed in the stomach via parietal cell production of a glycoprotein?" she asked the class with a challenging expression plastered on her face and I tilted my head in thought as I tried to remember the notes I had reviewed last night.
"Uh... B-12." I said after a moment of hesitancy as I nibbled on my lower lip and she grinned warmly in the direction of me and Lydia, knowing we were on the fast track to graduation before we decided to finish the year with our friends.
"Excellent, Sophie. Mr. McCall, did you know the answer?" Mrs Finch asked my brother sharply as she narrowed her eyes at him and he blanched at the spotlight as everyone tried to look at him.
"Um, no." Scott answered sheepishly as he slouched in his seat in embarrassment and I cringed at the scene taking place in front of me because I knew from experience how harsh Mrs Finch could be.
"It's a common test question. What's your number one college pick?"
"Um..."
"Stop saying, 'Um.'"
"Sorry. UC Davis."
"Good choice. It's the best school on the West Coast for biological and physical sciences. You're in the right class if that's what you're hoping for." She told him in an impressed tone of voice as he beamed proudly and she turned her attention to the rest of the students as she wander to the middle of the room. "Who else thinks they're in the right class?"
My hand immediately shot up in answer to her question as I glanced around the rest of the class but the only other person who raised their hand in the air was Theo. Our eyes connected across the distance of the classroom and I felt a rush of something go through me at the mixture of wistful longing and lustful curiosity in his hazel eyes. There was the niggling feeling of familiarity in the back of my mind and I could vaguely remember him from when we children but I couldn't place a single time we spoke.
Theo's lips curved into a confident smirk as I quirked an eyebrow at him, not one to back down from a challenge and I couldn't help the tiny up turn of my lips. A thrill coursed through my veins at the prospect of the chase, of subtly flirting with a guy without worrying about it turning into something life-altering like my last two relationships.
"Good. Then you should all be prepared for the test tomorrow." Mrs Finch declared firmly as I turned back around to face the front and I lowered my arm as everyone groaned out loud. "Don't be so disappointed. This test is specifically to help you determine whether you should actually be in AP Biology. You have two weeks to drop. Tomorrow's test will just weed out the ones who shouldn't be here. And that could be any of you."
I scowled slightly when her gaze lingered on Scott momentarily at the end of her speech and he gulped nervously under her stern glare as he slouched further down in his chair. The moment she moved on with the lesson, he turned his head towards me with an anxious expression and I offered him a reassuring smile as I reached over the space between our desks to squeeze his hand.
Concern settled in my stomach the moment I got Liam's text message asking me to meet him at his locker after class because we had already talked about meeting at lunch. I waved to a few of the students that called out to me when I passed them in the corridor and I plastered a polite on my lips so that no one knew I was panicking internally.
"Nice shorts." I heard an unfamiliar female voice say to someone as I strolled quickly in the right direction and I turned the corner to see Liam standing at his locker with a pretty brunette girl next to him.
"Yeah, thanks." Liam muttered sarcastically as I frowned in confusion at the fact he was wearing his lacrosse shorts when he was wearing the jeans earlier this morning.
"Liam, you're lucky I have a free period." I announced my presence to the sophomore's as I walked up to them with a smirk on my lips and they both jumped slightly in surprise.
My gaze drifted over the cute brunette standing at the open locker beside the Beta and she eyed me in masked contempt as she frowned slightly. It was obvious that the two of them weren't exactly friends but I had seen enough romantic comedies with Lydia to know that enemies of the opposite sex had the potential to evolve into something romantic.
"Soph, thank God. Can you please…?" Liam asked pleadingly as he held the jeans that he was holding out towards me and I accepted them in confusion as I stared at the bright pink bubble-gum stuck to them.
"Aw, had to call in reinforcements?" the girl cooed mockingly as she turned back to face her open locker and I scoffed out a dry laugh as I went to take a step forward but Liam placed a hand on my arm to stop me.
"You know, I was wondering if you were still pissed off about the sixth grade, but I guess you cleared that up."
"I'm not pissed off, Liam. I'm vengeful."
A loud bang emphasised her words as she slammed her locker shut and spun around on her heel without another word as we stared after her. I couldn't help but be a little impressed with her tenacity as I watched her retreating back disappear around the corner and Liam rested his forehead on his locker with a loud groan.
"Isn't she a ray of sunshine?" I asked sardonically as I placed a soothing hand on his shoulder and he mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. I forcibly turned him around to face me and I saw the dejected expression on his face as I smiled sympathetically. "Wanna talk about it?" I asked him compassionately as I rubbed his shoulder and he shook his head side as I nodded in understanding. I shoved his jeans into his chest with a smirk on my lips and I patted over his heart condescendingly, "Put these in my locker? I'll take care of them for you."
"Thank you." he mumbled gratefully with a smile upturn of his lips and I returned the gesture as he turned back around to lean his forehead on his closed locker door. I let out a small chuckle as I walked away from him, glancing back over my shoulder when I reached the end of the corridor but he hadn't moved from his position.
I made the decision to study outside in the sun as I pushed open the main doors and walked out into the courtyard where other students were milling around aimlessly between classes. I hiked the strap of my backpack up on my shoulder as I walked carefully so that I didn't knock the laptop I had basically stolen from Derek's loft since he abandoned it there when he left. I didn't think he would mind my using it for the online courses I was taking through Stanford University and if he did, I didn't really care what he thought at the moment.
I caught sight of Stiles scurrying across the courtyard with a panicked expression and a flash of remembrance shot through me as I hurried to catch up to him, "Stiles! Wait up!"
The human skidded to a stop so suddenly that he almost tripped over when he turned around and he nodded in greeting as I intertwined my arm through his without stopping, forcing him to continue walking alongside me.
"You had Parrish run a background check on the Raeken's?" I asked him in amusement as I remembered the text message Jordan had sent me earlier, the memory causing me to smile a little.
"And found a speeding ticket signed by Theo's dad eight years ago." He replied unapologetically with a blank expression on his face as his eyes narrowed suspiciously and I pressed my lips together to stifle the amused chuckle that threatened to escape me.
"Which means what?"
"Who speeds? People trying to get away from something."
"Well, how many tickets do you have?" I asked him dubiously with a quirked eyebrow as my lips upturned at the ends, the doubt was clear in my voice as I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.
"None." He stated as though it should have been obvious and he came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the courtyard as he turned to face me.
"How many would you have if your dad didn't get you out of them?" I corrected myself with a roll of my eyes as I crossed my arms over my chest and he looked crestfallen for a moment as his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Seventeen." He amended his answer honestly after a moment of hesitancy as I smirked smugly and he rolled his eyes in retaliation as he exasperatedly asked, "How many do you have?"
"None."
"How many wold you have if my dad didn't get you out of them?"
"None. I'm a pretty girl who can cry on command."
My nonchalant answer and the accompanying shrug of my shoulders was meet with a menacing glare as I reached up to tuck a strand of brunette hair behind my ear. I grinned innocently until his eyes softened with affection and he rolled his eyes fondly with a reluctant smile pulling at his lips as he told me firmly, "I have a plan. All right? There are steps to doing this right. We get the story. Verify the facts. You find the piece that doesn't fit and... and catch him in the act. That's how you do it."
"Why are you so suspicious of this guy?" I asked him seriously as I placed a hand on his upper arm, a concerned frown pulling at the edge of my mouth.
"Because I remember Theo from fourth grade. Okay? That's not Theo." Stiles said angrily as his face contorted in something almost akin to disgust and he pointed towards the school building as though it symbolised the werewolf in question.
My gaze swept over his face, studying the hard emotion embedded in his brown eyes and there was a razor sharp edge that could cut someone deep enough to leave a permanent wound. There was a darkness inside of him that had been brought to the surface by the Nogitsune, it had never left even when the demon was defeated and it honestly scared me a little. Part of me cowered internally at the reminder of the vicious creature that had tormented us, tore Allison and Aiden away from us but another part steeled itself by fortifying the metaphoric walls built up inside of me.
Sometimes when I looked at Stiles all I could see was the monster had his body once housed, but when that happens occasionally, I take a deep breath, count to ten in my mind, and remind myself of the sweet six year old boy who held my hand when I skinned my knee or the awkward twelve year old who asked my advice on how to ask out a girl. I remember who Stiles Stilinski really is and I remember that he is one of the people who I love most in the world, one of the only people I trust with everything inside of me.
"Okay. I'm with you. What do you need me to do?" I asked him seriously as I squared my shoulders with a blank expression, standing at the ready like a solider in the army awaiting orders from a superior officer.
"Wha – What? Just like that?" he asked in complete perplexity as he gapes at me with his mouth open and I can sense the compilation of emotions that ranged from relief, suspicion, happiness and gratitude wafting off of him.
"Of course." I said nonchalantly with a shrug as I offered him a warm smile and his lips twitched up in a genuine half-smile but I could see the appreciation in his eyes. I intertwined my arm back through his elbow as I leaned into his side and we started strolling arm-in-arm across the courtyard. "So…How do we get the information out of Theo? I can torture him."
"What? No! What is with you and Malia? No torture!"
"He's a werewolf, he'll heal, what's the big deal?"
"No torture." He repeated sternly in a no-nonsense tone of voice and I pretended to pout over his decision but I knew that he was right to protest. Stiles made an excited squawking sound in the back of his throat when he caught sight of my brother sitting on the concrete steps and then started pulling me in his direction.
"Hey!" Stiles cried out in greeting as we approached from behind and Scott turned around to face us in surprise as the human roughly pushed on his friends shoulder. "You. You're coming with us. Come on."
"I've got a free period." Scott protested half-heartedly as he waved towards his open textbook and I rolled my eyes at him as I shoved it into his backpack.
"So do I. So does Sophie. And so does Theo Raeken. Let's go." Stiles urged impatiently as he tapped his foot and I grabbed Scott under the arm as I yanked him to his feet while he protested indignantly. Stiles grabbed his other arm as we started dragging him towards the school and a few students looked at us in confusion as we pulled the struggling Alpha across the courtyard.
"Okay, okay, let go!" my brother said with a laugh as he squirmed in our grasp and we both reluctantly released our hold on him as we entered the school. A couple of students were lingering in the hallway during their free period and I caught sight of Theo standing by his locker at the end of the corridor.
"Yo, new guy!" Stiles called out harshly before I could say anything to them and Theo turned around to face us with a confused frown that brightened into a smile when he realised who was trying to catch his attention.
"Hi, guys." The werewolf greeted us warmly as we approached him and Scott smiled back at him as his best friend waved his arm in front of him as though he could erase the words.
"Enough of the pleasantries. Come with us."
"Sure." He agreed easily with a shrug of his shoulders and I quirked an eyebrow sceptically at the effortless acceptance because we could have just as easily been leading him to his death for all he knew.
"Awesome. Let's go!" I cheered mockingly as I linked my arm through the offending werewolf's, tightly so that he couldn't escape our clutches and he smiles a little in amusement like he knew actually what I was doing. I shared a smug smirk with Stiles behind my brother's back and we started walking towards the locker room since we knew it would be empty during the free period.
The locker room smelt musty when we entered, causing me to wrinkle my nose in disgust and Stiles rushed around the room to make sure that it was empty as I guided the other werewolves in between the lockers. I released my hold on Theo so that he could sit down on the bench and the three of us stood in front of him like a firing squad awaiting the go ahead.
I crossed my arms over my chest as I leaned back against the metal locker and Stiles copied my movement with a stern expression as I offered Theo a fake smile, "Feel like telling us how you came to be a werewolf?"
"I was skating in a neighbour's empty pool, trying to do a handplant. Nobody was home. I'm not that good of a skateboarder, but I guess I was feeling pretty determined because I completely lost track of time. I didn't even realize that was night until the yard lights came on. Like I said, I wasn't very good. On my last try I went down and hit hard. Really hard. I was sitting there at the bottom of the pool and I realized something. I never heard the board come back down. It came at me fast. I barely had a chance to turn around before it bit me. Right here." Theo explained solemnly as he gestured to the section of his abdomen that was bitten and I shared a knowing look with my brother, remembering that he was bitten in the exact same spot.
"It wasn't an accident. He wanted to turn you." I told the Omega in a slightly bored tone of voice and Theo raised an eyebrow in surprise as he met my gaze evenly. I couldn't help but note the slight tint of green in his hazel irises and I quickly broke eye contact as I cleared my throat gently, "Right. So why aren't you part of his pack then? Why didn't he come back for you?"
"Because by the time of my first full moon, he was dead."
"How did you know that?"
"I met another one of his pack a couple weeks later. He told me the Alpha that bit me was killed by two of his own Betas. They were twins. Apparently, they were vicious and bloodthirsty. Nearly killed every member of their pack before slaughtering the Alpha. They were real monsters."
Rage flared inside of me at the vague mention of the twins and all I could see was red as I was blinded with fury. My body moved on its own as I lurched forward and my claws elongated into sharp pointed as I wrapped my hand around Theo's throat. A loud 'bang' of a body hitting metal and Stiles exclaiming a shocked 'oh' were the only sounds that made it through the storm of white noise that flooded my mind.
"You have no idea what you're talking about…" I hissed angrily as I tightened my grasp on his throat until he choked trying to breathe and my eyes flashed violet as I tried to control the urge to tear out his larynx so that he could never utter another disparaging word against Aiden or Ethan.
"Sophie, it's okay. Come on." Scott urged softly as he placed a calmly hand on my arm and I reluctantly released my hold on his throat with a gasp as I stumbled backwards. A strong arm wrapped around my waist as I practically fell into my brother's chest and my eyes burnt with unshed tears as I took a shuddering breath to calm my racing heart.
Theo rubbed his throat gently as he slumped against the metal locker, watching us in a mixture of confusion and concern as he asked warily, "What just happened?"
"None of your business!" Stiles snapped in irritation with a scowl as he pointed a warning finger at the werewolf, narrowing his eyes at him as he made his way to stand next to me protectively.
"It's okay. I'm okay." I assured my brother's weakly as I tapped Scott's arm that was still wrapped around my waist and I tried to smile at them reassuringly as I stood up on my own. I turned my attention to the stunned werewolf standing in front of us and I stepped out of the protective circle my brother's had created around me. I steeled my shoulders with determination as I faced him confidently because I knew that if he was around for a while he would eventually find out the truth. Theo looked up at me with a completely earnest expression and I wrapped one of my hands around my wrist, absentmindedly hiding my tattoo from view as I spoke in a firm voice, "Those twins were named Aiden and Ethan. And they weren't monsters, they were heroes. They were friends. They were pack."
"Aiden and Ethan will always be pack." Scott added solemnly as I felt a rush run through me because he used his Alpha voice and I ran my thumb over the inked script on the inside of my wrist.
"Sophie, Scott, listen to my pulse. I'm telling the truth." Theo assured us in a calming tone of voice as he met our gazes and I narrowed my eyes at him in consideration as I folded my arms across my chest.
"Right. Or you just know how to steady your heart rate while you're lying your ass off. Sophie does it all the time." Stiles argued profusely in a heated voice as he gestured wildly and I rolled my eyes at the subtle jab but didn't fight with him because it was true.
"Why would I lie?"
"Because maybe you're not who you say you are."
"Okay. In the fourth grade you had an inhaler, I had one too. I remember this day where I ended up in the nurse's office with an asthma attack. A bad one. I was waiting to be taken to the ER. You were waiting for the Principal. You told me what would happen when you go to the ER for asthma. How they give you oxygen, an IV of prednisone. You made it sound easy. Like everything would be okay. And Sophie, when we were in second grade, everyone in our class had those handmade mailboxes for Valentine's Day hanging from their desks. I remember, you got a card from everyone in the class. Your mailbox was overflowing, but you came in the next day with a vanilla cupcake for everyone who gave you one. I've been by myself this whole time. Everybody knows that lone wolves, they don't make it on their own. I swear I'm that same kid from fourth grade. I was hoping you are too."
My lips turned up at the corners when I heard his recollection of the events for second grade and I glanced around to see Stiles dramatically rolling his eyes at the story but Scott seemed to be accepting it as the truth.
The bell rang loudly throughout the overhead speakers and we all glanced up as Theo stood up from the bench while shrugging on his backpack. He turned around to face us with a small smile and I went my face blank as he started heading towards the locker room door, "I better not be late for class. You're not the only ones I need to make a good impression on."
I narrowed my eyes at his retreating back in deep thought because I wasn't if I fully believed his story, it all seemed a little convenient and coincidental that he was bitten by Aiden and Ethan's former Alpha. I risked a glance at the two boys standing on either side of me and wasn't surprised to find that their expressions were the complete opposite of each other. Stiles' face was hard, unyielding in his belief that he was correct about his suspicions and Scott looked contemplative as he stared blankly at the doorway Theo had disappeared through.
"No. Don't give me that look." Stiles ordered firmly as he planted his hands on his hips when he noticed the almost smug expression on his best friends face.
"We have to give people the benefit of the doubt sometimes." Scott told him gently like he was expecting his friend to snap at him in retaliation and I rolled my eyes at them as I started walking out of the locker room.
"Not this time. All right. I'm right. There's something off about him. I can feel it."
"Lydia's the psychic. Not you."
"She's not psychic. She's a Banshee. Okay? There's a difference. Yeah."
Their voices faded as the locker room door shut behind me and was replaced by the hubbub of students crowding the hallway now that class was over for lunch. I weaved my way through the people as I headed towards my locker to collect the rest of my things because I didn't have any more classes for the day. I hummed to myself as I dialled the combination for my locker and swung the metal open as I ignored the photographs taped to the inside of the door.
The first Polaroid was of Isaac as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind with a cheesy grin while he rested his chin on my shoulder. The next was of Stiles, Scott and I in the formers jeep, the boys sitting in the front as I leaned in between the two seats while my brother took a selfie of us. The last was of Allison, Lydia and me with green facemasks covering our faces during one of our sleepovers, our eyes bright with happiness and innocence.
"Soph, hey." Lydia called out to me as she approached from down the hall and I looked over my shoulder with a smile as she came to a next to my locker. "I need a favour. Do you think you can call in a favour from Parrish?"
"I can. Why? What's up?" I asked her curiously as I continued to remove my textbooks, the ones I didn't need for school but was reading as extracurricular. Lydia gestured behind her as I followed her gaze to see our mutual friend from English class last year Tracey Stewart and the brunette approached us nervously as she fidgeted with her fingers in front of her.
"I get night terrors." Tracey admitted sheepishly as she directed her gaze to the ground and I closed my locker door with a frown as I turned around to lean back against the metal.
"Actual night terrors? Parasomnia?"
"I usually don't remember them. One particular stormy night I woke to find a crow pecking against the skylight over my bed. I settle in to sleep again, but then I see a masked figure outside the window. I scramble to turn on the bedside lamp but when I turn back the figure is gone. I make sure the window is locked. I try to go back to sleep but I'm quickly woken by a breeze blowing in from the now open skylight. The lamp next to the bed no longer works. In darkness I climb up on a chair and attempts to reach the latch for the skylight. Straining, I manage to get it closed and lock the skylight. At that moment, a black-gloved figure grabs the chair leg and yanks it out from under me and I fall. My dad found me on the floor, lying beside the chair."
"What about the skylight?"
"That's the thing. It doesn't actually open. It was sealed shut a couple of years ago to weatherproof it."
"So some of it was definitely a dream?"
"And some of it wasn't." Lydia finished firmly as she levelled me with a knowing look and I returned it with sceptically one as I tugged my backpack higher up on my shoulder.
"Honey, I'm going to propose that most of it was. You know, there's a theory that one of the biological functions of dreaming is to simulate threatening events. It's a way for our brain to rehearse dealing with them." I explained sympathetically as I turned my attention to Tracey and she met my gaze evenly with tears in her eyes as she nodded in understanding.
"I think something else is going on." The strawberry blonde standing next to me admitted in a hard tone voice, a knowing lilt when she pronounced 'something' and I was immediately aware that she was speaking about the supernatural. "I was hoping you could get someone from the sheriff's station to have a look around?"
The chances that this was nothing more than an ordinary medical problem were high but Lydia was looking at me with such earnest hope and there wasn't anything I wouldn't do for my best friend, no matter how crazy it seemed. I offered her a sincere smile as I pulled out my cell phone from my backpack and I searched through it for Jordan's contact information before holding it up to my ear as I answered, "Absolutely."
Tracey led the way into her bedroom an hour later as Lydia followed after her and I trailed behind them next to a uniformed Jordan. I tucked a strand of brunette hair behind my ear as I snuck a glance at the deputy next to me and I couldn't help but appreciate the cliché of liking a 'man in uniform'. Jordan met my gaze with a small smile on his lips as we stopped just inside the room and I looked around to make sure that the other girls weren't listening as I lowered my voice so I didn't draw attention, "Thank you for coming over."
"It's okay. I'm still on limited duty so it's nice to actually have something to do." He admitted jokingly with a grin as he moved further into the room and I chuckled to myself as I watched him check the windows for force entry. "I don't see any signs of an attempted forced entry. The latch seems okay. You said something about birds, Tracy?"
"The bird was at the skylight. The one that woke me up." Tracey said quietly as she sunk down onto the end of her bed with her lower lip in between her teeth and I watched Lydia wander around the room, curiously gazing around at the paraphilia of dark objects and things to help with sleep.
"Can I take a look?" Jordan asked her kindly as he gestured to the closed skylight above us and she nodded her ascent as he moved the desk chair to below the skylight. I walked across the room to take a sit next to the scared girl with a sympathetic expression and she tried to smile but it quickly crumbled into a grimace. I slipped my hand into hers comfortingly, sensing her anxiety with the situation and her grip tightened almost painfully but I could handle it.
"Tracy, you said the skylight was sealed for weatherproofing." The deputy stated for clarification as he gingerly pushed on the skylight and there was a tense silence as everyone present waited with bated breath. Tracey gasped subtly when the latch on the skylight creaked open under the pressure and her grip on my hand tightened until I could feel my bones rubbing together but I gritted my teeth through the pain.
"Anything?" I asked Jordan in a strained voice as he stuck his head through the now open skylight and he hesitated a moment as he stared at something on the roof.
"No. Nothing." He answered in a calm voice but I could hear his heart skip a beat as he lied but I figured that he had a reason for not being honest in front of the frightened girl.
"Okay, well, thanks for coming." Lydia said sincerely as she sat down gracefully on the other side of Tracey and Jordan climbed down from the chair before placing it back near the desk with a grin in our direction. The strawberry blonde carefully extracted my hand from Tracey's strangling grip and replaced it with her own.
I stood up from the end of the bed slowly so I didn't startle the shaking girl next to me and I squeezed her shoulder sympathetically before I turned my attention to the deputy. I offered him a small smile as I approached him a little nervously, catching his gaze and he flashed me a grin that made my heart flutter irrationally in my chest.
I didn't want to appreciate the warmth in his green eyes whenever he looked me, I didn't want my gaze to linger on him whenever he entered a room, I didn't want to feel the need to smile whenever he smiled. I feel like I should be writing an internal letter to myself, a silent reminder: dear heart, so there's this guy that you want me to like, but I don't want to, so can you please stop beating so fast when he walks in a room? Much appreciated.
"I'll walk you out?" I suggested shyly as I bit down on the corner of my lower lip to stop from blurting out something that would end up embarrassing me. Jordan's grin widened slightly as he nodded in agreement and I felt a pang of guilt in my stomach when he heart skipped a beat at the sight of my smile.
Lydia was comforting Tracey as she mouthed 'call me later' in my direction and I nodded in acknowledgement as I exited the bedroom with Jordan right behind me. I could feel his heated gaze on my back as I traipsed down the stairs but I ignored it in favour of living in denial.
"So, what was really on the roof?" I asked curiously as I sent a smirk over my shoulder when we were downstairs and he chuckled humourlessly as we exited the house.
"Unfortunately, I found a mound of dead, bloodied blackbirds and claw marks just outside the skylight." He answered solemnly as he ran a hand through his short brown hair and I came to a stop next to his police cruiser as I offered him a small smile. "I can't do anything official right now, but I can come back after my shift tonight and watch the house for a couple of hours."
"I'll keep you company." I blurted out before I could stop myself as I tilted my head to the side and he regarded me for a moment with a pleased smile, although there was scepticism in his eyes before shaking his head with a light laugh.
"I think I'll be okay."
"But this is your own time."
"I wouldn't do it if I didn't think something strange was going on. I also owe you." he told me flippantly with a shrug of his shoulders as he turned his gaze towards the house and I narrowed my eyes at him as I crossed my arms over my chest.
"For what?" I asked him in bemusement with a smile lingering on my lips and I could see the gratefulness in his light green eyes as he met my gaze with a slight upturn of his lips.
"Three months of digging through every piece of old literature and mythology trying to figure out the something strange going on with me." Jordan said softly in a sincere tone as I nodded in understanding because I knew how much it bothered him that he didn't know the truth.
"But we never figured it out." I countered in the same gentle voice as I revelled in the levity that had settled over us, the familiarity that we had accumulated over the summer. I could feel myself getting lost in the light green of his eyes, the sincerity drawing me into him and I felt the atmosphere surrounding us become heavy with tension as his smiled faded as his gaze flickered momentarily down to my lips.
The reality of the situation hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest, excruciating and nearly intolerable, but I wasn't a stranger to pain. Jordan's calming light green eyes merged with Derek's fierce green in my mind and I cringed guiltily even though I knew I wasn't technically doing anything wrong. Even though his leaving had crushed me, I still loved Derek with all my heart and I knew it wasn't fair to anyone if I started anything resembling a relationship with anyone else.
I took a small step backwards, careful to make sure it was a subtle movement so that I wouldn't hurt Jordan but so that the sexual tension was broken. I released a shuddering breath as I lowered my gaze to the ground and then I plastered a casual smile I had perfected over the years onto my lips as I meet his eyes evenly, "I'll bring you coffee."
"Don't you have school tomorrow?" Jordan asked in amusement with a kind smile, understanding shining in his eyes and a sincere grin spread across my lips.
"One class." I acknowledged as I shrugged one of my shoulders nonchalantly like it was no big deal and his eyes widened a fraction with an impressed expression spreading across his face.
"How can you only have one class?"
"I had enough credits to graduate last year. Lydia and I decided to graduate with everyone else." I explained easily as I looked away modestly with a slight blush on my cheeks and he chuckled a little as he looked at me with pride in his eyes. I returned his grin as I dropped my arms to my side and I felt my confidence come back to me as I quirked an eyebrow at him with a smirk. "And I will bring you coffee at midnight if I want to."
The deputy narrowed his eyes at me thoughtfully as he stared at me in consideration while I tried to appear stern under his gaze and after a moment, he broke out in a grin as he nodded in assent, "Medium Americano. Black."
"It's cute you don't think I know your coffee order." I told him condescendingly as I patted his chest over his heart and I couldn't help but feel his pectoral muscle contract under my touch. I quickly removed my hand like I had been burned as I practically stumbled backwards but I recovered as though nothing had happened. I flashed him a bright smile as I started walking towards where my car was parked across the road and I could feel him watching me as I opened the driver's side door.
I risked a glance over my shoulder at the handsome officer standing next to his patrol car and I felt a faint smile on my lips as a pang of longing shot through me. There was a part of me that really wanted to give in to my attraction to Jordan, because I knew we could be good together but…
There was always a 'but' that stopped me.