"Liam, I swear to god, if you don't get out of bed in five seconds, I'm going to fight you. I know that I'll lose but I will fight you with these hands."

He groaned in response and pulled his pillow over his head.

"Don't make me call Scott." I threatened.

Again, he ignored me and wrapped his duvet tighter around his body.

I threw my arms up in the air. "Alright, fine! Have it your way."

I dialed Scott's number while I was walking downstairs. He picked up just as I was pouring cereal into a bowl. "Hey, Scott, I need your help."

"What's up?" He asked.

I sighed. "I've been trying to get Liam out of the bed for the past thirty minutes but he's refusing to get up. For the first fifteen minutes he at least yelled back at me while I was yelling at him to get up but now he's just refusing to even speak to me. Which, by the way, is really annoying, because if I'm going to yell at someone, I at least expect them to yell back."

He laughed quietly. "Yeah, I'll be right over. Maybe he'll listen to me."

I smiled. "Thanks, Scott."

A few minutes later, just as I was finishing my bowl of cereal, there was a knock at the front door. I placed my bowl in the sink before going to unlock the door.

"Good morning." I smiled, letting Scott into the house.

He smiled back. "How are you feeling?"

I nodded to myself, not surprised that he would be concerned. "I'm okay. For the most part, anyway."

"You sure?" His eyebrows quirked up. "I know you were close with Brett too."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, it really sucks but there's nothing I can do. I can't bring him or Lori back. And truthfully, I think that I want to find the people responsible for this rather than sit around and cry about it all day." I said, ignoring the tears that began to well in my eyes. "It sucks though. It really sucks, Scott."

The alpha pulled me into his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Ren."

I squeezed my arms around him. "Yeah, me too."

I felt him press a soft kiss to the top of my head before he pulled away.

Scott moved towards the stairs to go talk to my brother while I lingered in the kitchen. Since it was bound to be a rough day, I figured that there was at least one thing I could do to make it better for Liam.

So while Scott was upstairs trying to get him out of bed, I got started on breakfast. There weren't many things that I was very good at cooking but I could do an omelet. Once I had the first omelet in the pan, I sliced and few bagels and toasted them. I was just sliding the second omelet out of the skillet and onto a plate when the boys came downstairs.

"I smell food." Liam said.

"How astute of you." I teased, setting both plates on the breakfast bar. "Scott, there's some for you too."

"You didn't have to make me breakfast." He smiled.

I shrugged. "I know. But I wanted to. Apple juice or orange juice?"

"Orange." They both said.

I pulled two glasses from the cabinet before filling them with juice and setting them in front of the boys who were already shoveling the food in.

"Aren't you going to have an omelet?" Scott asked around a mouthful of bagel.

"She doesn't eat eggs." Liam responded before I had the chance. "She never did, even when we were little."

I smiled. "He's right. Besides, I have to finish getting ready. I can't leave without putting on my face."

"You were complaining that we were going to be late if I didn't get up and you haven't even started your makeup?" Liam asked.

"Don't attack me, Liam." I called as I made my way back to my room.

I could hear Scott laughing when I closed the door to my bedroom and sat down to put on my makeup. Looking in the mirror, I let out a heavy sigh. There were dark circles around my eyes and I looked exhausted.

It didn't help that I hadn't slept in my own bed the night before. But seeing the state that Liam was in, I'd dragged my massive beanbag chair into his room along with my fluffiest blanket and curled up next to his bed to sleep. Despite my best efforts, I didn't get much sleep. Even after Liam had finally passed out, I was wide awake.

I was worried about what Liam had said. If there were hunters back in Beacon Hills, he was in danger. The entire pack was in danger. As was any other supernatural creature in the city. For what seemed like the first time, being human put me at an advantage. I realized then that my role in the pack was important as ever. For once, there was a more even playing field. If we were up against hunters, I would be able to fight without having to worry about the same level of danger. I could fight another human and not have to worry about having my throat ripped out.

The makeup laying in front of me didn't seem so important anymore, so I stood up without applying anything except a bit of chapstick. I pulled a pair of heeled boots from my closet and slid them on before picking up my backpack from where it had been dropped next to my desk.

When I came back downstairs, Scott had already left and Liam was putting his plate in the sink. "You're still not ready?"

"I am, actually." I said, pulling my bag up onto my shoulder.

"No makeup?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, not today. It seems kind of silly to worry about that right now."

"Is that why you're dressed differently too?"

I looked down at the outfit I was wearing. "What's wrong with how I'm dressed?"

"Nothing. It's just different. Usually you dress all cute and now you just look like you're ready to kick someone's ass." He joked.

"I'm always ready to kick someone's ass." I pointed out.

He nodded. "Well, congrats, now you look the part."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, let's go."

As we were climbing into his truck a few minutes later, I asked him about what Scott said that had convinced him to get out of bed.

"He told me to be Clark Kent."

I smiled. "Of course he did."

"I'm still nervous." He admitted.

I looked over at him, frowning slightly. "I know, so am I. But it's going to be okay. We just have to get through today without incident."

"Then what?" He asked.

"Do it again tomorrow."

He sighed, his shoulders slumping and one of his hands falling from the steering wheel.

"Hey, just remember your mantra." I reminded him as I toyed with the zipper on my leather jacket. "Just… Don't think about what people are going to say or think. Even if there are people who know about what happened last night, just ignore them. You aren't a monster. And neither were Brett and Lori. Get through this – through today – for them."

He nodded, turning into the parking lot. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

I smiled. "And if anyone fucks with you I'll just punch them directly in the mouth."

"Please don't."

I smirked and slid out of the truck. "I make no promises."

We walked towards the building together. I kept an eye out for anyone who might be shooting Liam weird looks but everyone seemed to be minding their own business. Even when we stepped into the building, things seemed pretty normal.

"Okay. Not bad so far." Mason said as he approached us. "This might be easier than we thought."

"Maybe." Liam and I muttered at the same time.

Mason looked me up and down. "I didn't know you owned clothes like that."

"We've already been over it. It's because she's ready to kick ass." Liam said.

We turned down the next hallway and suddenly everyone stopped talking and turned to look at us, more importantly, at Liam.

"And that's why." I whispered.

Liam stopped, falling a step behind Mason and me.

Without hesitating, I grabbed his elbow and pulled him alongside us, holding my head high and shooting glares at the people who stared.

We stopped once we got to our lockers and while I was entering my combination, I could tell that Liam was listening to the whispers coming from people. I turned my attention away from the locker and towards my brother.

"Just block it out." Mason said.

"They know." Liam responded.

I shook my head. "They don't know shit. It's all rumors."

"They know everything. Two sophomores on the lacrosse team were there last night." Corey alerted us.

"Corey, I love you dearly but why did you have to say that?" I whined.

"It was late, it was pitch black out, and there was fog on the road." Mason said.

He was wrong, unfortunately. It was a clear night and the street lights made things easier to see. And Corey felt the need to point that out.

"I have to get out of here." Liam whispered.

"No." I folded my arms across my chest. "I'm putting my foot down. You are not leaving."

"She's right, Liam. If you leave, these rumors never stop. You gotta just convince them that you're a regular kid."

"I'm not a regular kid."

"Look, remember what Scott said? Be Clark Kent."

"Clark Kent turns into a guy with a red and blue outfit and a cape. I turn into a monster with claws and fangs."

"Do you want a cape?" I asked.

Mason shot me a look that told me I was not being helpful.

"Then just get through the day without shifting." Corey said.

"People are saying that Brett and Lori died in a car accident. We know the truth. They didn't just die."

I nodded at Mason's words. "That's what I said. We know what happened, we know about the hunters. So we have to make it through all of this for them."

Two girls walked past our group, staying as far away as possible and shooting dirty looks at Liam and Corey.

"Do you have a fucking problem?" I snapped, stepping towards them.

They paused to glare at me but neither of them had the guts to say anything.

"If looks could kill…" I began, smirking. "I would still be perfectly fine because neither of you are even close to being intimidating. So, unless you're gonna step up your game or say something, then I suggest walking away."

I turned back to the boys, expecting the girls to walk away.

"Sorry to hear about your friends." One of them said and I froze, feeling my heart pounding in my chest.

"Yeah, it's a real shame about that car accident." The other spoke.

I spun around and lunged at them but before I could swing, Liam hooked his arms around my waist and pulled me back.

The girls laughed as they started walking away down the hall, my brother still keeping me from going at them.

My chest was heaving and my hands were curled into such tight fists that my fingernails were digging harshly into the skin of my palms.

Corey stepped in front of me, breaking my eye contact with the girls. "I know you can't shift but you need to get through the day without attacking anyone."

I huffed, pushing Liam away from me. "I will tell you the same thing I told Liam: 'I make no promises.'"

I adjusted the hem of my shirt which had been pulled up slightly when I was trying to get away from Liam so that I could fight.

"Why don't we just go to class?" Mason asked.

We all nodded and took off down the hallway towards our classes.

A few hours later, we all met up in the hallway again, falling into stride next to each other.

"Overheard Nolan talking to Gabe." Corey said.

"You're spying on them?" I asked.

He looked over at me. "Since he stabbed me? Yeah."

I nodded. "Fair enough. Continue."

"Nolan's gonna try to get you to shift." He told Liam. "He needs proof and he wants everyone to see it."

"So what's he gonna do?" Liam asked.

"I – I don't know. That's all I heard." Corey explained.

My hands balled up into fists again. "I swear to god, if he stabs you with a pen… I don't care if he was my friend, I will hit him."

"Could you stop obsessing about what people are saying?" Mason asked my brother when we stopped at the end of the hallway.

Liam's eyes were focused on the opposite end of the hall. "Nolan's coming."

We looked around for a place that he could duck into and hide but didn't see anything right away. Liam noticed that we were standing right outside the guidance office so he pulled the door open and ducked inside, pulling down the small curtain blocking the window on the door.

Mason, Corey, and I were left standing in the hallway awkwardly when Nolan and Gabe appeared. I was tempted to go over and say something to them but clearly, Mason could tell what my plan was so he grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"Don't." He said quietly. "Don't start anything, that could make it worse."

I sighed but nodded in agreement, knowing that he was right.

After a few moments, Gabe and Nolan left. Which was good, considering that Liam came out of the room a minute later.

"We need to talk. Now." He said.

I nodded towards an empty classroom. "In there."

We walked into the room and I shut the door behind us.

"Alright, what's going on?" Mason asked.

"She's the hunter."

"Who?" I asked.

"Monroe."

I narrowed my eyes at my brother. "You're sure?"

He nodded once.

I opened my mouth but no words came out.

"How do you know?" Corey asked.

"She has scratches on her neck. She told me they were from a branch in the woods but I could tell they were claw marks. And she had books in her office, stuff about the supernatural. And just… The way she was acting. It's obvious. She's the new hunter." He explained.

I ran my hand through my hair. Mason was in the middle of saying something when an involuntary gasp escaped my mouth.

All three boys turned to look at me questioningly.

"Of fucking course. Of. Fucking. Course. It all makes sense. I can't believe I didn't think of this before!" I let out a laugh that was close to sounding hysterical.

They all looked at me like I'd finally lost my mind.

"Nolan's been meeting with Monroe for months now. He was in the library last year, clearly Monroe must've seen the Beast too. They both had experiences. It scared the shit out of them. Monroe figured it out and she helped Nolan figure it out. He's on her side, and now Gabe too. And I can only imagine how many other people." I explained.

I watched as the realization set in on all of their faces.

"So what do we do?" Corey asked.

"First, we tell Scott. Second, we make it through today. Third, we kill her." I said.

Liam was typing a text when he spoke. "I agree with everything up until the murder."

I frowned. "She wants to kill you. She killed Brett and Lori. Why should she get to live?"

No one answered me.

I growled lowly. "Fine. Whatever. No one talk to me. I'm going to talk to Monroe myself."

They tried to stop me as I left the classroom but I ignored them, walking straight towards Monroe's office.

"Miss Dunbar, can I help you?" She asked when I pushed the door open.

I let it swing shut behind me and glared at her. "No. I don't need anything from you. But you should know one thing."

"And what might that be?" Her tone was challenging.

I placed my palms on her desk and leaned forward. "I know the truth. I know about you. And you're not going to get away with a god damn thing if I have anything to do with it."

"Are you threatening a staff member?"

I laughed humorlessly. "No, Tamora. I'm warning you. No matter what you've seen – or what you think you've seen – I promise you, I can be just as terrifying."

She glared at me from her seat. "Are you finished?"

"I've barely started." I glanced at the scratches on her neck that Liam mentioned. "Good to see he did some damage."

I stood up straight and turned to walk out of the office, I could feel her eyes burning into my back the whole way.

My conversation with Monroe had cut into class time and I was late for biology. I rushed through the empty hallways towards the classroom. When I walked in, the room felt tense. And I noticed my brother sitting alone.

"Sorry I'm late, Mrs Finch." I said when she looked at me. "Won't happen again, I promise."

She nodded. "That's okay. Liam needs a partner anyway."

I took the seat next to him and leaned over to whisper "What's going on?"

"I'll explain later." He said back. "But we have to figure out how I'm getting out of here. Corey said the entire lacrosse team are going to be blocking the exits so that Gabe and Nolan can try to get me to shift."

I sighed. "Wonderful."

We didn't talk about it much more as we worked on that day's lab, but we were both distracted the entire time.

"I have an idea." I told him when I took my seat after handing in our finished lab reports.

Corey and Mason were already finished so we turned to talk to them.

"Alright, listen. Corey, you can make Liam invisible too, right?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Okay, so that's what we'll do. The three of you all go into the bathroom, Corey you do your magic, you all come back out, only 1/3 of you visible. Then Mason and I will walk down the hall ahead of you guys so that no one runs into an invisible person, and we can get right past the lacrosse team."

"It's a good plan. It could work." Mason said. "I don't have anything better."

I tapped the top of the desk lightly. "Alright, great."

A few minutes later, the bell rang and we all stood up.

I followed the boys down the hallway to the bathroom and leaned up against the wall outside. A minute later, Mason came back out. I fell into step beside him, Corey and my brother trailing behind us.

There were boys blocking all of the exits we came across so we kept searching for new ways out.

We ended up almost surrounded in the middle of a hallway when Mason and I noticed Gabe coming towards us.

"Okay, turn around. Turn around, let's go." I said quietly.

The boys began following us when suddenly Nolan came around the corner.

"Oh. Hey, Nolan." Mason said.

I glanced behind me and saw Gabe standing barely half a foot behind Liam. The plan didn't work.

Suddenly a cloud of white surrounded us and I watched in horror as Corey and Liam became visible again, both covered in whatever white powder Nolan had thrown.

Gabe's hands landed on my brother's shoulders and he threw him to the ground.

I lunged at Gabe and managed to shove him hard before two sets of hands and grabbed me and were pulling me back. I looked to see two boys from the lacrosse team holding tightly to my arms.

"Let go of me." I snarled.

One boy's grip tightened, his fingers digging harshly into my bicep.

Gabe and Nolan were going after Liam so I mustered up all of the strength I had and pulled hard, my right arm slipping away from one of the boys. I shoved the other one away from me, sending him stumbling into the wall.

I rushed towards the classroom that Gabe had just throwing my brother into. Just as I passed through the doorway and was about to jump on Gabe, more hands latched onto me. These two boys were a lot bigger than the last ones and no matter how hard I pushed and pulled, their grip didn't falter.

I could only watch as the fight continued.

"Get up. Get up!" Nolan yelled at Liam, who was groaning on the floor.

As he tried to stand, Gabe kicked him back down and I felt my body growing warm.

My heart was racing in my chest and all I wanted was to beat the shit out of him.

"What are you trying to hide, Liam?" Gabe asked, pulling Liam up and slamming him against the wall. "Your eyes? Huh? Open your eyes."

Liam opened his eyes a second later and I felt the smallest hint of relief when they were their normal shade of blue.

Gabe stepped back but Nolan walked closer.

I watched helplessly as he pulled his arm back before punching Liam directly in the face.

"You asshole!" I shouted, pulling hard and trying to wrestle my arms away from my boys holding me. A particularly hard jerk almost freed one of my arms but I wasn't quick enough.

Nolan's eyes flickered over to me, shocked by my words.

Liam wiped blood from his nose and I could hear Mason shouting from behind me, but two more boys stopped him from helping.

"Are you just going to let us do this to you?" Nolan asked Liam.

A second later, Gabe threw his first punch.

Liam leaned to the side, groaning in pain.

Nolan grabbed his head aggressively. "You know you can take us. All you have to do is change."

I could tell that Liam was only getting more and more worked up. When I spoke, my voice was barely a whisper, but I knew my brother would hear me. "What three things cannot long be hidden?"

"The sun…" Liam said quietly.

"What?" Nolan asked, seeming more confused and curious than angry.

"The sun, the moon, the truth." His voice was shaking and his eyebrows were furrowed.

Nolan got in his face. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Who cares?" Gabe said, pushing Nolan out of the way and delivering a punch that sent Liam to the ground.

Mason and I were both fighting against the guys holding us back as Gabe and Nolan continued their attack on my brother.

"You're fighting it." Nolan said when my brother grunted loudly. "But you can't hold back forever."

Mrs Finch came into the room and I looked over at her with hopeful eyes. "Mrs Finch, you have to do something."

"Sometimes it's… It's best to let them work things out on their own." She said before exiting the room swiftly.

I shrieked in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?"

Gabe grabbed Liam's hair, holding his head and place and kneeing him hard in the face.

I looked at the ground, taking note of what shoes I was wearing. The thick high heels of my boot seemed like the best weapon I had at the moment. So without a second thought, I lifted my right foot and slammed the heel down on the foot of the blond guy next to me.

"Fuck!" He shouted, lifting his foot in pain and squeezing my arm harshly.

Before I could try again, they pushed me to my knees and held me down.

Liam rolled onto his back, spitting a fountain of blood from his mouth.

That's when I started crying. All I wanted was to help my brother but there was nothing I could do, I was too weak.

Gabe's hand fisted in the front of my brother's shirt and he was about to punch him again when I heard someone shout.

"What the hell is going on?"

I looked over, seeing Coach Finstock pushing his way through the crowd of students.

He pulled Gabe away from Liam. "Back off! Hey! Get to the principal's office! Now!"

He pushed Gabe and Nolan towards the door and stumbled out into the hallway.

When Finstock saw me, he yelled at the boys holding me down. "Get your hands off of her!"

They let me go and I felt a much gentler pair of hands help me to my feet. I thanked Mason quietly before moving to kneel next to my brother.

"What the hell is this?" Coach asked as I took my brother's hand. "Get out! All of you! I can't stand to look at your faces!"

The other students filed out into the hall, leaving only Mason, Corey, Finstock, and myself.

We all helped Liam to his feet, my brother leaning heavily against my shoulder.

"It's okay, I've got you." I said, barely struggling to hold him up.

"I can't believe you did that." Mason said.

"Clark Kent, right?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Clark Kent."

Mason and I hugged him before walking him into the hallway.

I could hear shouting coming from the principal's office and I couldn't help but smile.

We leaned Liam up against a set of lockers and let him catch his breath.

"Can you get him home?" I asked Mason.

"Why? What are you doing?" He questioned.

I licked my lips. "I'm going to threaten the lives of two boys."

"Ren, don't." Liam pleaded.

I looked at him sternly. "I told you what I was going to do. I told you that if anyone came after you, I would ruin them. And that's what I'm doing."

"What if it makes things worse?" Mason asked.

I pointed at the blood all over Liam's face. "How much worse can this get? Mason, listen, you know me. I'm not letting them get away with this. They won't get away with doing it to him, or to Corey, to you, anyone. I'm not letting this bullshit go on."

There was tense, silent moment.

"Please." I said, quietly. "Please let me deal with this right now."

Liam looked over at me, his eyes scanning my face. "You'll be okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I can handle myself."

He offered a small smile. "Call if you need help."

I nodded. "Will do. Go home and rest, okay?"

Mason helped Liam down the hall and out of sight while I leaned against the lockers and waited for Gabe and Nolan to come back out.

I could hear intermittent yelling continue for another fifteen minutes before the two boys stepped into the hallway.

"Hey!" I called out and they turned to face me. I pushed myself off the lockers and stalked towards them.

"What do you want?" Gabe asked.

"Snapping your fucking neck seems like a pretty fun idea."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously."

I almost laughed. "Did I sound like I was joking?"

"Your brother got what he deserved."

I got in Gabe's face as best I could despite the fact that he towered over me. "Oh, really? Well then, dumbass, why don't you explain to me what the fuck he did to you?"

"He's a werewolf." Nolan's voice trembled when he spoke.

I turned to face him. "Look who finally had the balls to say it out loud."

"You're not even going to deny it?" Gabe inquired.

I laughed. "Would you even believe me if I did? Everyone seems pretty deadset on believing what they've heard about last night. Why should I waste my breath trying to convince you of something you'll never believe?"

"They're monsters."

I shook my head. "No, Gabe, they're not. My brother has never killed anyone, Scott has never killed anyone. But last night, two people died. My friends. Teenagers. Because someone like you decided that they don't deserve to be alive. You're the monsters."

Nolan tried to speak but I cut him off.

"Don't. Don't you dare fucking interrupt me, Holloway. My brother didn't lay a hand on either of you but you teamed up and attacked him. You beat the shit out of him and he didn't take one swing at either of you but you just kept going. So please explain to me how you are better than him?"

Neither of them said anything in response.

"I'm serious." I said. "Explain it to me. Because I genuinely do not fucking understand."

"Do you understand what they can do? What Liam can do?" Gabe challenged.

I nodded. "Yes, do you?"

He rolled his eyes at me again. "He could kill someone."

"As could I." I pointed out. "But do you know what else he could do? What he has done?"

Gabe seemed to be growing annoyed with me but Nolan was looking at me curiously, waiting for me to continue.

I shook my head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. It's not like either of you are going to change your minds. And no matter what I tell you, you're going to go running to Monroe to tell her everything because it's pretty obvious that you're working for her. So why don't you pass along a message for me?"

"What's that?" Gabe asked.

I smiled before punching him as hard as I could in the abdomen.

He doubled over in pain, groaning and holding his side.

When I spoke, my voice dripped with honey. "Tell her that if she's looking for a monster, I'll show her one."