Chapter 3

At nine o'clock Chris and Isaac arrived at Beacon High. Ever since leaving the clinic the youth kept his eyes focused on the window, as if he was avoiding his guardian's gaze. Not even after gathering his school books and lacrosse stick and returning to the car did he change his gaze.

"You ok?" Asked the hunter in his fatherly voice.

"Yeh. I..."

"Isaac look at me. What is wrong?"

"You mean besides being kidnapped and tortured and the fact that a few hours ago I almost died? And let's not forget the community of hunters who want me dead." The words seemed to fly out of his mouth before he had a moment to think about what he was saying; let alone who he was saying them to. "I... I am sorry. I..."

"It's alright Isaac. I can understand if you don't feel like school right now. But it is the safest place for you."

"A school attended by virtually every supernatural in town, sure what could be safer than that."

"I didn't say safe. I said safest. At least here you are with your friends."

Just then the bell rang. "Go on. I will, see you after school."

Isaac gave his guardian a nod before heading for his first class of the day, Economics.

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"Hey Isaac, where were you last night?" Asked Scott.

"Sorry I was tied up. What did I miss?"

"We found an old wall painting. It seems they want to resurrect some kind of monster. Oh, and we think Parrish is a Hell Hound?"

"A what?"

"Hell Hound."

"Parrish, the only other person who could possibly be more moral than you is some kind of demon?"

"What no. He just goes on fire and takes the dead kanimas to the Nemeton and has no memory of doing so."

"Right." Came the smug voice of Isaac.

At lunch Isaac sat with Scott and the rest of the pack, discussing what they knew so far about the kanimas and how close they might be to finding the Dread Doctors.

"We are still calling them that?" Asked Isaac.

"Yes. We are still calling them that." Answered Stiles.

After lunch Isaac, Scott and Stiles, along with Liam, Scott's new bête headed off to lacrosse practice.

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"Doesn't something about Isaac strike you as odd?" Stiles asked Lydia.

"He seems fine to me." She answered looking over her friend's shoulder at Isaac who like them had just had his last class of the day and was preparing to go home.

"Really? The constant bad attitude, the way he almost killed Liam at practice today. None of this seems odd to you?"

"Sounds like the same old Isaac."

"You know I can hear you?" Shouted an agitated Isaac from across the corridor.

"Darn you wolf hearing!" Thought Stiles. "Hay Isaac. We were just..."

"Yeh, I know." Said Isaac slamming his locker shut. "For the record, if I had been trying to kill Liam, he would have more than a dislocated shoulder."

"And the bad attitude?" Said his cynical friend.

"Like Lydia said, It's my thing." With a shrug he walked away.

"Doesn't he have an after school detention today?" Lydia asked quizzically.

"Don't think he cares." Said Stiles. "Look I am telling you something is up with him!"

"Yes something is up with him. Something is up with all of us! But we all have our own way of dealing with it. This is his." With that she walked away.

Lydia did not have to say what the thing was. The look in her eyes said it all. It had been a year since Alison's death and they all felt her loss.

"How could I have been so stupid." Stiles knew that Scott loved Alison, heck, the whole of Beacon Hills knew Scott loved Alison, but he had forgotten that Isaac loved her too, and that she also loved him. She may have been the first person in a long time who did.

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The clouds had gathered over Beacon Hills, sending rain hurtling down upon its people. Due to his haste that morning, Isaac had not managed to pick up an umbrella or a rain coat. Not that he minded. When he was working at his father's graveyard he would often find himself standing outside in the rain with no coat.

The water soaked through his thick curly hair as he made his way to the bus stop.

"Isaac!"

The bête turned to face his alpha, who was revving the engine of his bike.

"Need a ride?"

"Yes." With a big grin Isaac climbed onto Scott's bike and the two teens drove off.

The rain continued to fall, penetrating through the boy's clothes and moistening their skin.

By the time they had arrived at the apartment block, they were completely soaked through. Isaac thanked his friend for the ride before climbing off the bike.

Scott was about to drive away when he noticed his friend stop and look up towards the Argent's apartment. He could hear the lanky teens heart beat rise in apprehension. "Hay!"

Isaac turned his head.

"You alright?"

"Yeh, I... I'm fine Scott." With that he walked in out of the rain. Behind him he heard a motorcycle engine going off into the distance.

When he opened the door to the apartment he found broken glass scattered across the hallway floor, upturned furniture and blood. With a sigh he picked up a broken picture frame.

"Look what you did moron!" Came the voice of his father. He could feel tears gathering behind his eyes, but he wiped them away.

"Isaac."

"Hi. Mr Argent."

"Just Argent is fine. What are you doing?"

"Thought I would clear up the place up for you." The teen was still slightly nervous around his guardian.

"Thank you but, I think you should get changed first. You look like a drowned puppy." His guardian said with a slight smile.

Isaac smiled back before handing Argent the picture he was holding and heading into Alison's old room.

Chris looked down at the picture of his smiling daughter. He had taken it at the Central Park Zoo in New York, when she was seven. It was one of the few normal days he got to spend with his family.

Just then the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Argent."

"Derek?"

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The rain had begun to die down, by the time Scott arrived at the veterinary clinic. He quickly parked his bike and went straight in.

"Good afternoon Scott." Said Dr Deaton.

"Afternoon."

The Veterinary assistant started cleaning some of Deaton's instruments. His silence wasn't unusual, but the vet knew his protégé well enough to know that something was bothering him. "Something on your mind Scott?"

"No. " He said instinctively. "Yes. It's the Dread Doctors. We are still no closer to finding a way to stop them. They are just too powerful."

"Sometimes the best way to stop someone is to stop their plan."

"You mean we should focus on finding a way to stop their werewolf? But won't they just find another way?"

"Defiantly. Then we you find another way to stop them. It is unfortunate, but sometimes that is all we can do."