Chapter 24 - Panic Attack

ARGENTS' HOUSE

Laid on the soft mattress of Allisons' bed, Mickeys' eyes were glued to the screen on his cellphone. Flipping through photos and other things as he listened to the pair of heels that were making their way up the stairs, his eyes shifting towards the doorway just as the strawberry blonde appeared with several Macy's bags clutched in her small hands.

''Clear your schedule. This could take a while,'' she said as she stood by the desk where Allison was sat, a pen in her hand as she was writing on the essay that was due on Friday.

Yet the distraction brought a big smile to her lips and him two girls moved over to the bed, Mickey quickly shifted further away to leave space for the bags as he watched the two girls get themselves occupied with the many dresses and jewelry.

Laughing at the sheer amount, Allison moved over towards Mickey so she could hold his hand while she watched on as Lydia unwrapped all the dressed, ''How many outfits do you plan on wearing tonight?''

''It's my birthday party,'' Lydia said as if that would be enough of an answer as she picked a dress and held it in front of her, ''I'm thinking host dress, evening dress, then, mm, after-hours casual.''

''You can fit all those changes into one evening?'' Mickey asked as he turned around so that he could look at some of the dresses, feeling the fabric of one with a flower pattern. Lydia merely rolled her eyes at his question, the quote 'boys will be boys,' evident in her mind.

So he let himself slump back and away from the girl's conversations, his mind going back to the previous night. They'd attempted on capturing Jackson at the rave together with the one controlling him yet because of lack of knowledge and communication it had all gone to bits, the kanima had gotten away and so had the one controlling it. Scott had almost been killed by Allisons' mother, the thought of it made him glance towards his girlfriend who was obvious to the scene that had occurred the previous night. He didn't know how to tell her or even if he should, she would find out on her own soon enough and it broke his heart that he could do nothing to stop it.

A knock on the door made him look towards it, his dull green eyes falling onto the woman who'd been on his mind. Her eyes ignored his presence as they focused on the two girls, although it was Lydia who spoke first, ''Ms. Argent. What do you think of this one?''

''Oh, it's lovely,'' Victoria commented before her gaze fell on Allison, ''Allison, uh, can I grab you for a moment to talk? Just the two of us.''

''Um, can we do it later?'' Allison asked as she glanced towards Lydia, Mickey for the first time in his life felt sorry for the woman stood in the doorway. The way her heart was beating rapidly and the sweat on her forehead, she just wasn't herself.

''Actually, uh, to be honest, sooner would be - would be better,'' the way she was carefully touching her shoulder ad the smell of iron, Mickey everted his eyes back to his phone.

''Party's at 10:00,'' Lydia happily supplied as she turned back to the many bags.

''Um, will you be around before then?'' she sounded so desperate, even Mickey felt his guts twist. He never thought he'd feel that way towards the woman.

A short silence, Allison sighed, ''I think so.''

A small hope, ''You think so?''

''I don't know,'' a teenager tired of her mothers nagging, Mickey once again glanced at the mother who finally seemed to give up as she walked away.

LYDIAS PARTY

''So whoever's controlling the kanima hates the swim team?'' he heard Scott question just as his two friends appeared from inside the house, both of them stopping beside him where he was stood by the huge glass fountain of punch.

''Hated the swim team. Specifically, the 2006 swim team. So it could be another teacher. Maybe like a student back then. I mean, who are we missing though? What haven't we thought of?'' Stiles speculated as Mickeys' eyes fell on Allison who was making her way over to them, her smile more strained as she glanced between the three of them.

He held his hand out for her and she took it, finally relieving some of the tension from her shoulders, ''Uh, Jackson's not here.''

''Yeah, no one's here,'' Stiles wasn't wrong, as Mickey let his eyes roam over the open area he saw a huge lack of people compared to how it had been the previous year.

''Maybe it's just early,'' Scott tried to play it off but none of them agreed, the party was dead from the get-go.

Sighing, Stiles looked at the three of them, ''Or maybe nobody's coming because Lydia's turned into the town whackjob.''

''Or it might have to do with the fact that she didn't send out any invitations,'' Mickey offered as he remembered the conversation between Lydia and Allison the previous night, the hand in his own squeezed in response as Allison looked towards Lydia who was standing alone.

''Well, we have to do something, because we've completely ignored her for the past two weeks,'' she argued for her friend and seeing the look on Lydias' face, all alone. Mickey could find it in him to agree with her, they hadn't been fair.

Looking at Stiles, Scott had his argument, ''She's completely ignored Stiles the past ten years.''

''I prefer to think of it as me not having been on her radar yet,'' Stiles defended looking rather embarrassed to have been called out so bluntly. Mickey smirked as he patted his friend's shoulder.

''We might not own it to her but come one, look at her,'' Mickey said as he gestured towards Lydia.

He could feel Allison shift by his side as she turned her gaze towards Scott and Stiles, ''She wouldn't be the town whackjob if it wasn't for us.''

She had a point and the four of them soon decided to call in some favors, Mickey didn't have many people outside of his friend group with Scott and Stiles but he did know some people from school. He greeted some of them as they came over, sharing some quick words before they went on to do their own thing. His attention mostly on Allison as he leaned his back against one of the pillars of the house, hugging her to his chest as both of them absently gazed out over the party.

His eyes soon fell on the sky, his dull green eyes lightening up as they found the moon. Although beautiful it was nothing compared to the girl in his arms, the sudden tension in her muscles making him frown, ''What's up?''

''You remember what I told you about Matt?'' Allison asked making his gaze fall from the sky as he followed her gaze, his eyes falling onto Matt who had arrived at the party soon after Jackson.

It was a weird question asking him if he remembered about the freak who was stalking his girlfriend, yet he did not move as his eyes met with Matts'. Instead, he leaned his head down so that he could kiss Allisons' cheek, feeling stupidly possessive but yet getting the message across.

He thought because soon Matt was standing in front of them, ''Could I talk to you, just a minute?''

''Sure,'' he answer was quiet and Mickey was reluctant on letting her go before she turned towards her, an attempt of a confident smile on her lips, ''I'll be alright.''

Looking into her eyes he was still unsure to let her go but finally released his hold on her hand, his dull green eyes moving to Matt, ''I'll wait here then.''

He watched both of them disappear into the house leaving him standing alone, his eyes once again falling onto the full moon. His brows furrowed at the sound of a deep growl, like a combination between a wolf and a tiger. Low and guttural making him turn his eyes towards the edge of the backyard. His muscles tensed as he laid eyes on the beast slowly appearing from the bushes, its dark eyes watching him like a predator. If he hadn't known he'd thought that the creature was a wolf, though a closer inspection indicated differently. Broader and stockier than the ordinary wolf, its body much heavier looking. A more powerful form of the wolf, its canines longer making it more menacing, an ancient creature long since deemed too powerful for the world.

Swallowing, Mickey kept his eyes trained on the beast as he looked around to make sure they weren't seen by straying eyes. No one was paying them any mind rather the opposite, they were all gone.

Looking around him he found the whole backyard empty of people leaving him alone with the beast, he frowned as he'd been sure both Scott and Stiles had been out there with him only minutes ago. The beasts growl intensified, demanding his attention and he obliged. His dull green eyes once again falling to the beast, its mouth suddenly dripping with fresh blood. By his feet laid a body, Allison. Her eyes were staring straight at him, wide open and filled with agony as she struggled to breathe.

''Get away from her,'' he snarled yet he was unable to step forward, his feet glued to the ground as he felt shivers wreck his skin. He was angry yet he was too afraid to go to her, Allisons' eyes pleading for him to save her but he couldn't. There was nothing he wanted more than to go to her, to take her away from the beast stood over her.

It was as if it was daring him to take her, finding amusement in his weak state. Still, he couldn't defy it, angry tears escaping his eyes as he fell to his knees, ''Please, don't hurt her.''

He could see every drop as it dripped from the mouth of the beast, the way it stepped over his girlfriend as if she didn't exist in its world. Her chest stilled, her eyes fading. Still, he felt his knees dig into the grass unable to move, his hands trembling as he watched the beast come closer. It passed by him and he could feel its fur soft against his arm. Wiping his hands against his jeans in an attempt to get rid of the sweat, the thickness of it making him look down.

''No, no, no,'' he muttered as his eyes were drenched in blood, furiously wiping them against his jeans to no avail. He looked towards Allisons' body finding it gone, closing his eyes and upon opening them seeing his friends stood in front of him.

''You killed her,'' Scott said before looking behind him, Mickey followed his gaze seeing a grave. Lydia on her knees as she wept for her friend, Stiles with his hand on her shoulder.

He turned around so that he was facing Mickey, a disgusted look on his face, ''You killed her.''

More tears fell from his eyes as more people appeared, his hands covering his ears as he tried to shut them all away. He wanted to disappear, to hide and never re-surface. He wasn't a murderer, he loved Allison and he would never hurt her.

Suddenly a pair of hands cupped his own, a familiar scent wafting over him and with it, the smell of iron disappeared. He knew he was shaking, the feeling of the hands-on his own grounding him. He felt hollow, his mind empty as if it had re-booted trying to start up all the programs again. The person was calling out to him but it was muffled, his mind unable to understand the words. Yet they were familiar and that's all he needed as he let himself fall forward, leaning into the other person who's arms hugged his shoulders.

''He was having a panic attack,'' he heard Stiles say followed by Allisons' voice telling them something about her father and the hospital.

The hand squeezed his shoulder and suddenly breathing didn't seem as hard, as if that one breath finally flipped the switch that would allow the system to start back up. The pain in his chest dissipating into just an ache, his eyes blinking open as he gulped in the air like a starved dog. The person shifted to pull away but he gripped the jacket, pulling it towards him.

''Thanks,'' he managed to breathe out as he rested his forehead on the other person's shoulder, trying to ease his breaths.