Mr. Harris was waiting for us all as we marched into the library, with me and Erica at the back of the line we'd all subconsciously formed. The bitter man pointed to two tables in the middle of the library, indicating where we were all to sit. Nobody said anything as we each grabbed a chair. Allison, Matt (the guy I didn't know from before who'd been playing with the tablet) and Jackson took the far table while Scott and Stiles had taken the closer. Since I hated pretty much everyone in the room bar Erica, I followed her, as she sat down at the table along with Scott and Stiles.
"We can't be in detention together. I have a restraining order against these tools," Jackson announced to the room as he sat down. As if his personal life dictated everything else around him. The urge to rip out his throat was coming back again, and not just because he was the Kanima. I hadn't giving Jackson enough credit previously, he really was a self-centred asshole.
"All of these tools?" Mr. Harris asked with a gestured to those of us in the room.
"No, just us tools," Stiles clarified, making me grin at the referral of himself and Scott as, 'tools'.
"Fine. You two, over there," Mr. Harris said lazily as he pointed to the table next to mine and Erica's. I shot the boys a smug smile as they left, but it remained on my face a second longer when I noticed how annoyed Jackson was by the fact that all Harris had done was move Scott and Stiles another table away.
When Harris then moved to take his seat at the librarian's desk, I pulled my phone out without him seeing. I opened up the text conversation I had with Derek and started to compose a text until Erica reached over and grabbed my wrist. I looked up sharply, frowning at her as if to ask, "Why?"
"Don't tell Derek yet," she said quietly.
"What?" I hissed, looking around before leaning over towards her, looking her in the eye as I spoke. "Are you insane? Why wouldn't I tell Derek that Jackson is the Kanima?" When she didn't answer after a good few seconds, the answer sprung to my mind. I glared at her in shock before whispering, "You don't want me to tell him because of Stiles."
"No," Erica blurted out a little loudly. We both paused, looking around to make sure we hadn't drawn too much attention, especially that of the Werewolf at the next table. We hadn't though, and Scott seemed to be in a heated discussion with Stiles right now anyway. Similar to the one I was having with my sister. "I just think we should hold off is all."
I glared at her, not convinced. "Really?" I asked in complete deadpan.
"Yes," Erica insisted. "Look, if we tell Derek now, we lose any trust we might gain from Stiles…and Scott. But if we hold off, we might be able to convince them to trust us and then we can find out what else they might know."
"What else is there to know?!" I exclaimed.
"Would you like to make this detention a regular thing, Ms. Reyes?" came the irritated voice of Mr. Harris. I looked back, finding him stood behind me and Erica.
"No, Sir," I answered.
"Then kindly keep your voices below a whisper," he declared, before eyeing my phone. "And put that away. If I see you with it again before the end of detention, you can collect it tomorrow – at your next detention."
"Sorry," I mumbled, grudgingly putting my phone away. Once I had, Harris stalked back over to the Liberian desk and sat himself down.
Alone again, I turned back to Erica. "All right," I whispered. "Since I now can't take my phone out to tell Derek, I'll give you until the end of detention to get what you want out of Scott and Stiles." I knew what she really wanted to get out of Stiles, but held my tongue for her sake. Even when I was mad at her I was still protecting her.
Erica smiled back, happy I was letting her get her way, that was until she realised she couldn't easily talk to Stiles now, not with warden Harris keeping watch. So for the time being, she joined me in getting some homework done, on which we'd fallen behind a little.
There was a couple minutes of silence while we worked, until Jackson then started acting weird and left the room, claiming he needed water. Harris went after him, and I felt no need to stop him. If Jackson killed him, I doubted I'd care. If he shifted into the Kanima though, I wasn't giving Erica until the end of detention. I would be calling Derek right away.
However, all my thoughts on Jackson quickly vanished when the chairs in front of me and Erica were pulled away and Scott and Stiles sat down opposite us. As usual, they didn't waste any time in getting to the point. "Stiles says you two know how Jackson's parents died," said Scott.
Me and Erica looked up from our homework, sharing a look before shrugging at the boys opposite us. "Maybe," we both said in unison, smirking once we did.
When we proceeded to go back to work, Scott growled out, "Talk." I lifted my head back up, he was sat up opposite me so I got to look him square in the eye as I grinned at him. Oh, yeah, I was going to have some fun with this. Or at least I would have, had Erica not immediately spilled the beans.
"It was a car accident. Our dad was the insurance investigator, and every time he sees Jackson drive by in his Porsche, he makes some comment about the huge settlement he'll be getting when he's eighteen," Erica explained as she put away her work, and since she was doing it I did so as well. Although I honestly had forgotten about Jackson's settlement. Another reason to hate him, though I hardly needed another.
"So not only is Jackson rich now, but he's getting even richer at eighteen?"
"Yep," Erica answered.
"There's something so deeply wrong with that," Stiles sighed out, to which Scott nodded in agreement.
"I wouldn't worry about it too much, he'll be dead before he get's to eighteen," I pointed out smugly. I waited for Scott's argument, but to my surprise he hesitated for a moment, jaw clenching before he spoke. I watched him carefully as he did.
"Have you told Derek yet?" Scott asked, once his jaw loosened. I thought it was interesting that he bypassed my idea of murdering Jackson. Maybe good old McCall was having second thoughts. That was differently interesting. Even so, I played it safe with my answer, not wanting to confirm his opinions on me and Erica. We were trying to win his trust after all.
"No," I answered.
"Are you going too?" Scott asked.
"Do you think I shouldn't?" I asked. Again Scott hesitated in answer, and my brow rose slightly as I smiled. He was changing his tune.
Unfortunately our little verbal sparing session was brought to an abrupt close when the speakers overhead said, "Scott McCall, please report to the principal's office." I continued to smirk, watching Scott as he got up and left without another word. Once he had however, I was reminded that Stiles was still with us, sat opposite Erica.
"Do you think your dad would still have the accident report?" Stiles asked.
"Probably, he keeps everything," Erica said plainly before she opened up her laptop. "Actually, it's probably still in his inbox," Erica explained as she started typing away, logging into our dad's email. I would have spoken up, told her to stop, but then I realised she was playing Stile, winning his trust while giving him relatively pointless information. Or at least I hoped she was playing him and not the other way around.
Besides, what would Jackson's parents' death have to do with him being the Kanima, or anything else going on right now for that matter. They'd been dead for over fifteen years. So I kept my mouth shut, and leaned over to watch Erica work, while Stiles moved his chair around to our side of the desk, now sitting alongside Erica. She was so focused on what she was doing, I doubt she even noticed just how close he was sat next to her. I wasn't entirely sure whether that was a bad or good thing, but let it continue for now.
Not long after Erica pulled up our dad's report, and began searching through it with me and Stiles, as Jackson returned. I glanced up for a moment, watching him to see if there were any signs he might have shifted. He was sweating a lot, or maybe it was just the water he'd thrown on his face. A sniff confirmed it was a mixture of both. Something was going on with him, and there was only so much I would let go before I called Derek.
"Whoa, look at the dates," Stiles said, bringing me back over to the computer screen he was pointing at.
Erica read from the screen, "Passengers arrived at the hospital D.O.A. The estimated time of death was nine-twenty-six PM, on June fourteenth."
"Jackson's birthday is June fifteenth," Stiles instantly pointed out as he and Erica shared a look. A look I recon I understood far more than they did.
The sound of packing up from behind caught my attention, and I looked back over my shoulder to see Harris packing up. Times up, Erica. Sorry, I thought as I, and everyone else, stood up to leave. Only to then hear the dreadful sound of Harris' laughter.
"Oh, no, I'm sorry. Uh, yes, I'm leaving. But none of you are. You may go when you're done with the re-shelving." There was a collective groan as we threw our stuff back down. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."
"He better hope he's locked up safe and sound on the next full moon," I muttered to Erica as I grabbed the first book of the trolley. She smirked at me before grabbing a book of her own, as we and everyone else set to work. It was only as we worked that I realised how long it had been since I last held a book in my hands, since I'd last read a story. I'd used to read them all the time, escaping into different worlds every night. But since becoming a Werewolf, I was too invested in my own story to read others. The thought of that made me smile, the idea that my story was both interesting and good enough for someone – anyone – to pick it up and read. My story was more interesting now than those on my bedside table.
Of course my story was now full of sharp teeth, claws, scaly monsters, venom that could paralyse you for hours, people with spontaneous hair growth, full moons that turned me into a savage beast, Hunters that wanted me and my kind dead and just about a thousand other problems… I was starting to think maybe I preferred it when all this stuff was fiction.
During the work Scott returned, and once he had, he, Allison and Stiles secluded themselves in part of the library to talk in privet while the rest of us worked. I might have been bitter if I couldn't easily hear every word they were saying. Most of it was just Stiles going over what he'd found with me and Erica. But then there were other things. Stuff about the Kanima myth, about someone controlling Jackson, or rather the Kanima, and about its purpose. Stuff that I'd never heard about until they started talking about it. It was interesting, so I kept listening, along with Erica who seemed equally as invested in their little conversation as I was. This was like nothing we'd heard from Derek. In fact, I'd be willing to bet he didn't even know half of what these guys were talking about. Which raised the question, how did they know all this? And maybe more importantly, why didn't Derek know it?
Before I got the chance to go and ask such a question, Scott went by, apparently looking to talk to Jackson. Knowing that would be a short conversation, I let him pass without a word, deciding I'd catch him on the way back. I returned to storing books with Erica until suddenly there was a loud crash from the next aisle. I looked up, sensing danger, as the lights began to flicker, the one in the next aisle already hanging loosely.
"Dylan! Erica!" Scott shouted out, and from the way I felt, I knew he was warning us about the danger. There was only one thing it could be. I felt my eyes brighten, as my canines formed. Erica howled in fright and I turned to find her having done the same partial shift as me. She was scared. I did my best to reassure her while also threatening what was attacking us with a growl. Then it passed over head, in a blur, but I'd seen enough to know what it was. I smelt it's scent and there was no denying. It was Jackson. He'd become the Kanima.
I cursed myself for not calling Derek, for not killing Jackson when he'd been venerable. If Derek hadn't been able to beat this thing, then three Betas and a couple of humans were as good as dead. Hell the whole room was practically shaking, or maybe it just felt that way as Jackson jumped from bookcase to bookcase. Each shifting beneath his weight, while he slashed at the overhead lights, causing them to fall, blinking on and off, as sparks rained down on us.
I turned away, shielding myself from the sparks, and that was when Jackson got between me and Erica. Her back was to me, thinking I would protect her. I had no idea he'd even been there until I heard her cry out. My arms moved, myself be damned from the singeing sparks that continued to fall. My entire being moved to see Erica, as she fell towards the ground before my eyes, paralysed again.
Our eyes met and I saw how utterly terrified she was, how defenceless she was. Her eyes, once bright amber and ferocious had turned back to the timid brown, the shift reverting as she collapsed on to the floor. And seeing her like that mad me angry. Angry at myself for sure, but I was a whole lot angrier at what had done this to her. I was done letting this thing walk all over us. I let out another growl, a vengeful one, and felt myself full shift.
Inhaling its scent, I turned to watch Scott sail past the end of the aisle and into one of the trolleys. I dashed out, looking to where he'd come from and finding Jackson. He was in some kind of particle shift, his eyes bright yellow with thin snake like slits. Patches of green scales all over, including most of his face as he hissed at me.
I roared back, ignoring Scott's protests as I lunged. He was going to die here. I didn't care if Derek had failed. This monster had gone after my sister, and for that I wouldn't let him live!
Unfortunately, I was caught in the midair, as Jackson rushed forward to meet me, clawed hand grabbing my throat before throwing me back towards Scott. He'd barely gotten back up onto his feet before I slammed into him.
We both went down, but I was far from out. I was already on all four, ready for another charge when Scott's arms went around my waist, holding me back. I growled, snapping my canines towards his hands. Empty threats, warning him to back off. My target was Jackson. Him, and him alone.
"You can't beat him," Scott argued, but I was beyond logical thinking at this point, having giving into the supernatural and cardinal urges inside of me. The wolf, seeing its enemy, the one who threatened the Pack, and needing to kill it. That was all Jackson was, a threat that needed to be killed, someone who'd wronged my sister too such a degree that only death would satisfy my need for vengeance. Still, Scot persisted, holding me by my waist as I tried to push him off and ran at Jackson – who stood still, waiting.
"Dylan, stop! He'll kill you! If not then he'll just paralyse you like he did to Erica!" At her name I gained some control, and slowed in my struggle. Scott obviously picked up on this considering what he said next. "She's hurt. Erica's hurt. I can't protect her and my friends alone, I need your help. Please just help me protect them and Erica." It wasn't logic that prevailed, it was the sister inside of me over the wolf. The need to protect Erica. I'd always protected her, before I could avenge her that is. But once again I was powerless, and would have to settle for protecting, rather than killing what had hurt her.
So I let Scott guide me over to the aisle where Erica was, where Stiles and Allison had moved to. I felt my shift fade away for now, as Scott crouched down and moved himself in front of Allison and Stiles, ready to defend them with his life. I followed his lead, crouching down next to him, but was ready to lunge if the Kanima even stepped an inch towards us – towards Erica.
I glanced back when I thought of her, seeing that Stiles had pulled her towards them, doing what he could to shield her with his body. Maybe he wasn't all bad. It was a quiet thought, a thought that was drowned out by everything else. But it was there. And some part of me would probably remember that. For now, my attention was back on Jackson, along with Scott, waiting to see what he'd do next.
For a moment he stood watching us, head tilting as he quietly hissed in our direction. Then he moved towards the chalkboard, as if he were a puppet – being used by an inexperienced puppeteer. His movement were unnatural, limbs sticking out awkwardly as he walked. It was certainly creepy.
Taking a piece of chalk, he then started to write on the board, without even looking at it. When he finished, his arm dropped down to his side, slapping his thigh as the chalk he'd been holding fell to the floor. His head followed it down, dropping as he stood there. But even with him in the way, we could all see the message, the warning.
Stay out of my way or I'll kill all of you.
Then suddenly he was on the move, darting towards the wall before leaping up and smashing through one of the windows. He was gone, just like that. And it was apparently over for now, as we all stood up, stepping out of the safety of aisle. I looked to Scott who looked back at me, both of us sighing with relief. But while he looked towards the message on the board, I looked back to Erica.
I gasped, seeing something I never thought I'd see again. Erica, having a seizure.
Stiles voiced that very fact, while cradling her in his arms, unsure of what else to do. I must have been on auto pilot, because the next thing I knew I was alongside Stiles, holding Erica in my arms with him as she convulsed uncontrollably. "This wasn't supposed to happen," I cried out, unsure of what else to do, feeling as powerless as I had during her last seizure, in the gymnasium before she'd turned. "The bite was supposed to stop this!"
"Maybe it's the venom," Stiles suggested frantically. "Maybe the venom and the flickering lights was enough to trigger it."
"He's alive," Allison called from the next aisle, apparently checking on the other guy who I cared next to nothing for at this point. Honestly, I'd harvest his organs right now with my bare claws if I knew it would save Erica.
"Hey, we need to get her to a hospital. Dylan? Dylan, are you listening to me!" Stiles cried out frantically, snapping me from my dazed and panicked thoughts. All I could do was nod, agreeing that that's what we should do. The hospital was the right place to take her, like we'd always done when she'd had a seizure. Or at least I thought that until my sister pointed out where we really had to go.
"Derek," she threw out through a clenched jaw. "Only to Derek." She was right, we had to go to Derek. The hospital was too risky with Hunters on the look out, and too many questions could come up because of her Werewolf biology. We had to go to Derek, and just hope he knew how to fix it.
"When we get her to the hospital–" Scott began to say through the bookshelf to Allison, at least until I grabbed his shoulder and turned him back towards the main issue, my sister's health.
"We're not going to a hospital. We need to go to Derek," I declared.
"No–No we need to take her–" Scott tried to argue before I cut in again.
"If we take to her a hospital that brings up a lot of questions we can't answer. Plus, it'll lead the Hunters right to her, and they're on a new shoot first ask questions later morality system, so we're taking her to Derek," I repeated, no room for questioning in my voice. Scott stared at me, mouth agape as he thought. His head moved back to Allison, then back to me before he ran around to join Allison.
That's why I couldn't and wouldn't trust Scott. When I needed him, he ran to someone else, someone higher on his priority list. Well there was only one person on my priority list, and she was having a seizure. I didn't care what Scott did, as he talked with Allison on the other side of the bookcase. I hand one job, one goal. Save Erica. So I scooped her up in both my arms – careful to give her enough room as her body thrashed around – and made my way towards the doors that were shut.
"Stiles, get the doors!" I shouted, and he dashed past me, holding them open as I passed through. I'd fully expected him to run back in and join Scott and Allison, but to my surprise he followed us and helped me get Erica to the car. That thought popped into my head again, the one about him not being so bad. The one that made me think, maybe I wouldn't mind if Erica gave him a chance to redeem himself as her crush.
Scott did eventually join us, running out to meet us after Stiles had already helped me load Erica into my car. I ignored Scott when he asked what to do and climbed into the driver's seat. Stiles was in the back, holding Erica as I started up the car. Had Scott not had the foresight to climb in then and there, I would have left him in the parking lot. But he got into the passenger seat right as I pulled out and floored it towards Derek's.