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Summary: Veda's parents are hiding something; she is sure of that. After dragging her all over the country, like their on the run, they settle down in Beacon Hills where apparently everyone has a secret. She is tired of the lies and excuses and is determined to find the truth. As always, it is easier said than done. IsaacXOC
Teen Wolf – Reinventing Your Exit
Chapter 5 :: Bullet Train
Veda was unprepared for her world to do a 180 in about 2 minutes. Dr. Deaton was quickly explaining that most of the folklore she grew up hearing about was true. Fairies, trolls, witches and werewolves; yep all real things. Within her first days in Beacon Hills she apparently befriended a werewolf and a bunch of her friends were now newly born werewolves all thanks to this Derek guy. She leaned over the dead body on the table and looked closer at the long gashes made in the torso. Apparently some other monster did this and Deaton had no idea what. While he cleaned Scott's wound he explained that the Argents were werewolf hunters – a good thing to know about Alison. Seriously she was waiting for them to be like 'Oh yeah and Stiles is actually the abdominal snowman' and by now it wouldn't surprise her. This was a lot to take in.
A car pulled into the parking lot right after Deaton told Scott that he had to look for a book that the Argents would have; something that would have a history of all creatures they have ever come in contact with. Scott quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the backroom the front door swinging open as they hid just in time. 'Thank god I parked in the back.' She thought to herself as she saw three men enter the room Deaton was in. The looked like they were trouble and she could feel herself shaking. Scott looked over and placed a finger over his lips. "Shh, we're okay." He could hear her heartbeat rapidly beating.
The two of them listened to the conversation that the adults were having. The more she heard the more she felt like this should be a dream, or maybe some weird form of a nightmare. Killer clowns were bound to come around the corner eventually right? No, instead she learned that whatever killed the young man on the table stunned him first with a toxin that paralyzes first. Deaton made it a point to state that usually creatures with this ability eat their victims. This one didn't – so it was killing because it could. Beacon Hills sure wasn't turning out to be the place she just convinced her parents it was.
The men left the room and Scott and she stayed hidden until Deaton gave them the okay to come back out. She looked at the body on the table again and decided she had enough for the night. "Hey Scott, I think I better get home. Do you want a ride?" She asked still staring at the body. He was about to tell her to go on without him but Deaton stepped in. "That sounds like a good idea. Scott you should make sure Veda gets home okay." It wasn't really a suggestion and Scott understood what he the veterinarian was saying – it was a lot to take in and all he needed was for her to have a panic attack in the car.
The ride was quiet. Veda really didn't know what to say and Scott was worried that if he said anything else she might just explode with too much information. They pulled into her driveway and she sat in the car for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" She asked. "Nah, I'm good. Just go inside and…. I guess soak it all in. I'll see you in the morning, if you still want to talk to me that is. Just stay away from Derek and the others. Derek is bad news and I don't want to see you hurt." With that he was out of the SUV and walking away from her property.
She walked into the house, her mother greeting her with a smile. "Hey honey, how was your study group?" Veda kicked her shoes off slowly. "Veda? Everything ok?" Julie asked concerned. "Oh yeah, sorry just super tired. A lot of chemistry equations." Julie shook her head. "It's high school, you kids shouldn't be letting this stuff get to you so much. You'll all do fine on your tests. Come on there is food on the table for you."
She couldn't exactly say no – she skipped dinner last night. Sitting at the table her parents joined her. A few moments went by quiet with her being the only one eating. "Can we talk kiddo?" Tug asked. With a piece of chicken hanging out her mouth she looked at him. "Yea dad?" She mumbled around her food. "Are you doing okay? It's not like you to stay out so late. You're not hanging with the wrong people are you?"
Veda choked on her piece of poultry and grabbed her iced tea quickly. "No. My friends just so happen to like to have study groups, eat pizza and watch a movie. Also it was only twice now. They don't do it all the time." Veda lied. 'Or you know they're all just werewolves – no big deal.' Tug stared at her for a moment. "How about next study group you guys come here? Your mother worries about you being out this late." Veda pretended to think a moment as she looked at her mother. "I could offer it and see what everyone says." She finished her food and washed her plate in the sink. "Thank for dinner. I'm gonna shower and go to bed. Night see you in the morning."
The gray eyed girl walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, her wet hair pulled up into a messy bun for now. There were so many things on her mind and she couldn't just focus on one at the moment. Closing her bedroom door behind her, she looked up and yet out a loud yelp. The boy cringed as she did as well. "Veda, are you okay?" Her mother's voice called out. "Yeah, I tripped over my book." She replied as she glared at the boy. "Okay, just be more careful."
"Isaac, what the hell are you doing here?" She asked him roughly. He looked down at his feet and shifted nervously, she was only in a towel after all. "Sorry, I wanted to make sure you were ok." She continued to glare at him. "Seriously?!" He looked up at her. "Turn around." He did as instructed. Veda quickly dried herself of any water droplets that were left on her body and she pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. "Am I okay? Are you really asking me that? You let Erica knock me out. Do you really think I'm okay?" She finished dressing and looked at his back. "I'm decent, you can turn around again." He did so very slowly. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to protect you. There are so many things that you don't know about." He stated.
Veda blinked rapidly three times and took a deep breath. "Or so you think. After tonight I'm not really sure what I don't know."
"You can't think you know everything over what happened at the rink." Isaac stated getting a little defensive. "I just want you to trust me."
"Trust you? Isaac I feel like I really shouldn't trust anyone in this town. There are too many secrets and I mean don't get me wrong it's okay to have secrets but for everyone to be in on it and be the only one left out really makes you feel shitty. I have secrets but it's not like I told everyone and left you out of the loop." She sighed. "I' sorry if you think I'm being super bitch right now… it's just been a really long night and there is just too much going on in my head." She started braiding her hip length hair out of nervousness.
"I wish I could help you. Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't know Isaac. You're still wanted by the police. You told me yesterday that it was too dangerous for you to be around." She blurted out. He looked like a kicked puppy at first. "I want to be there for you." He whispered. "You want to be there for me? Then can you tell me how you handled it when you learned about it?" She asked getting a confused look from the boy. "All of the whole werewolf stuff. You know Scott told me that it's dangerous to be around you? That you're newly born? That Derek is the one running around changing all my friends into by the moonlight monsters?" Each question her voice grew slightly louder, not loud enough for her parents to get concerned but loud enough that Isaac felt like shrinking into himself.
"Scott told you about all of that?" He couldn't believe it. "Yes and no. He was going to, or so I assume that was what he was going to tell me tonight when I took him the vet clinic. He was going to tell me when I help him clean his wounds from Derek, but my boss was there and he beat Scott to the punch line. I know everything and I'm not sure I can even process all of this right now. I mean how can anyone just drop everything they thought they knew about the monsters that go bump in the night and know that they're real?" She was rambling now and Isaac could feel her heat beating faster and faster and faster. She breathing was rapid and she fumbled over her words, shooting them out as fast as humanly possible.
He took two steps forward and she stumbled back. The look of hurt flashed over his features. "Veda, please I want to help you." She looked at him, shaking. "I don't think you can. How can you? Isaac I just convinced my parents yesterday to give this town a chance. On top of your wolf pack there is a monster out there killing people for fun. How can I be okay if I don't feel safe here?" She took a seat on her bed and stared at the floor.
The curly haired boy took slow steps toward her and knelt before her in between her legs. "Veda," he breathed her name and her eyes caught his. "I won't let anything hurt you." He could sense just how scared he was and it upset him. "How?" She whispered. "You're a danger yourself." He placed his hands on her knees, happy that she didn't flinch from him. "I'll control it. I'll learn how to. I know last night I told you we couldn't see each other but I was being an idiot. I want to be your friend and I'll do anything to make sure we are." His blue eyes were sad but determined.
"Isaac, you are my friend but tonight you didn't make me feel like one. I don't think we can remain friends if that is how you will be treating me every time you're with Derek and Erica. It's not fair to me and it doesn't make sense on why you care about this friendship so much." She frowned at him. "If you think that this is Derek's idea for me to be here it's not. Veda, the other night was probably the best nights of my life and it wasn't because the ice cream was awesome. You were the first person that I could talk about my dad truthfully without fear that you'd judge me. I enjoyed talking to you probably more than I should have. I don't want that feeling to go away. I haven't stopped thinking about you since I've met you. For some reason you're always on my mind and when I'm away from you I feel a pull like I'm going in the wrong direction." He stated.
She looked at him, searching his blue eyes for any lies. "Scott said that Derek was bad news and that I should avoid you and the others. He thinks I'm going to get hurt." The blue eyed boy glared this time. "Are you serious? If anyone is bad news it would be Scott. He's running out there with no alpha and no pack. He has no help. He is more likely to get you killed than Boyd." She sighed and looked at him. "I'm not going to choose between you all." She paused for a moment. "Can you show me?" She asked taking him off guard. "What?"
"You want me to trust you and I'm very skeptical of this whole thing since I haven't seen any more evidence than a dead body on the table at the veterinarian. Will you show me?" She fiddled with her braid avoiding eye contact.
"Veda, I don't want to scare you. I don't want you to see me as a monster." He looked down. "Isaac, I'm living in the middle of Monster Town so I am bound to see you eventually. I'd rather that time be now when I am expecting it then in the middle of being chased by some killer creature." He looked up at her, the thought of something chasing her upsetting him. "That won't happen. I'll keep you safe." His eyes glowed yellow taking her a little by surprise. "I'm bound to see it if your protecting me as well. What, you gonna save me in your human form?" She asked.
"I'm still human looking, just different. It's not like I turn into a canine." He stated. "Just show me." She deadpanned. He stood up and closed his eyes and concentrated on not hurting her, he could do that right? 'Of course I can.' He thought to himself. Veda didn't move or make a sound until he was finished. He facial features changed to a more harsh being, sharp teeth and longer ears. His eyes opened to show the yellow color he saw before. With that she stood up and took two steps toward him. Neither one of them said anything as she brought her hand to his cheek slowly as to not alarm him. "I see no monsters here, just Isaac. A strong and werewolf Isaac." She gave a smile. His features shrunk back to his normal look and he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "Thank you." He whispered into her ear.
"Can't get rid of me that easily." She joked and hugged him back.
The two of them sat against the head board of her bed, talking for a few hours. She had turned her main light off to give the illusion to her parents that she really did go to bed. The talked about the perks of being a werewolf, more of her past and the many of the places she lived. During their talking they went from sitting until they slid into a laying position. Her eyes were tired by she could still make out the clock, it was 3 AM. "Will you be in trouble for being out this long?" She asked him, her eyes fluttering shut every few moments. "Let's just say Derek won't exactly be thrilled. He told me to stay away from you. That's how he wanted me to keep you safe." Veda moved closer to him and nuzzled her face into his arm. "I'm glad you didn't listen. I really enjoy your company Isaac." He smiled at her. "You should go to sleep. You have school tomorrow." He stated. "Okay… Hey Isaac before you leave can you put your number in my phone? In case I need to reach you." He did so and whispered a goodnight in her ear and she mumbled one back.
Isaac's morning wasn't great. Nope not at all. When he got back in there was an argument between him and Derek, who could smell Veda "all over him". Derek decided that this morning, all morning, would be training day – with no breaks. Boyd being new had the pleasure of sitting out and watching. Erica tried pulling a risky move by jumping Derek for a quick make out session; the alpha sure wasn't thrilled about that as he threw Erica to the ground next to Isaac. "It's the last time you do that."
"Why cause I'm a Beta?" She almost growled. "No because I have someone else in mind for you." He stated. "Are we done? Cause I got about one hundred bones that need a few hours to heal." He stated as he forced himself to sit up. Derek gave him a sad look and walked over gesturing for the young werewolf to show him his arm. "Here?" He questioned him before snapping his arm causing the boy to cry out in pain. "One hundred and one." Derek stated. "You think I'm teaching you how to fight? Huh? LOOK AT ME! I'm teaching you how to survive." He stated before releasing Isaac's arm and standing back up. "If they wanted us dead why aren't they coming for us now?" Isaac asked as he struggled to sit up at little, holding his broken arm as the bones began to heal. "What are they waiting for?"
Derek looked at his pack. "I don't know but they're planning something and you especially know that's not our only problem. Whatever that thing is that killed Isaac's father - I think it killed someone again last night. Until I find out what it is - you all need to learn everything I know. As fast as I can teach you." With that he turned and walked away from them getting on the bus.
To say that last night was weirder than this night would be false. Veda had no idea when she agreed to go to the lacrosse what she was getting into. Stiles had talked her through the plan, answering her three times that 'No, I'm not the abdominal snowman'. She couldn't help it with all the supernatural things now popping up in this town. "If you ever do become one you'll tell me right?" Stiles shook his head, "Yes, now you get the keys from Allison and get them to meet behind the bleachers. We will go to the office and look for that book." He was finally excited that he had a perfectly normal someone to do all the leg work with him. He wished he knew that Veda knew this morning instead of him playing owl alone between Scott and Allison. "I think I got it the first time you told me." She smiled at him and his enthusiasm.
So here she was standing next to the bleachers as she waited for Allison to get the office keys somehow. There was a rather large boy on the opposite team killing the Cyclones. Another player down had her cringing on impact. Veda watched as Allison's grandfather offered his coat to the brown eyed girl. Shortly after the keys were in her hands and she a Stiles were walking to the school. Once approaching the front Stiles noticed Lydia's car with an upset Lydia inside. He had a mini debate before turning to Veda. "Just one minute." He whispered. If there was one thing Veda learned about Stiles was his undivided attention to Lydia Martin, who wouldn't give him a breath of air if he begged for it. It was cute though – she just hoped Lydia would walk up one day to see this great guy in front of here.
"You shouldn't care if people see you cry alright? Especially you." The boy stated through the car window. "Why?" Veda could hear the girl ask. "Because I think you look really beautiful when you cry." With that the window was rolled down. 'Smooth words Stiles.' Veda smiled and slowly backed away from the car. Sure she was new to this whole werewolf thing but how hard would it be to look for the book herself. Stiles never catches a break with Lydia, or so it seems. Veda would let him have this moment of glory. She made her way into the building keys in hand.
When Stiles joined her in the principal's office she almost jumped. "I thought you were talking to Lydia." Veda stated confused. "I was and I will. This has to be found though and we can find it faster together." They looked through the books shelves, files and desk drawers. Stiles had just sent a text to Allison that they weren't having any luck when Erica walked in surprising them both. "Hello Stiles, Veda." She smiled at them. "You should really come with me; Derek wants to talk to you Stiles." The boy stuttered for a moment. "I'm kind of busy right now. It will have to wait another time."
That other time was exactly two minutes later as Erica dragged Stiles by the ear. Veda followed not wanting Stiles to deal with the werewolves alone. She was also interested in what Derek wanted to talk about. 'He's not gonna offer him the bite is he? I mean Stiles would be smart enough to say no right?' Veda worried. The three of them entered the pool area. "Stiles…girl." He greeted them both. "Derek." Stiles greeted back. "It's actually Veda." She stated. Derek ignored her and looked at Stiles. "What did you see at the mechanic's garage?" The Alpha asked looking at the basketball in his hand. Veda was confused, she didn't hear about this yet. "Uh, several alarming EPA violations that I'm seriously considering reporting." Stiles answered.
It obviously wasn't the answer Derek was looking for as he popped the ball in his hands with a pair of wolf claws. "Holy God." Stiles muttered out and he gave a regretful look toward Veda. Derek dropped the deflated ball on the floor. "Let's try that again." Veda looked at the two werewolves and took a step closer to Stiles, in hopes it would bring him some sort of comfort. "Ok the thing was pretty slick looking. Um, skin was dark... kind of patterned. Uh... I think I actually saw scales. Is that enough? Ok 'cause I have somebody I really need to talk to." Stiles stated. Veda almost forgot about Lydia sitting in her car.
Derek and Erica wouldn't budge and Stiles let out a groan of frustration. "Uh, alright fine. Eyes… eyes are yellowish and slitted... has a lot of teeth," Derek's eyes looked upward. "Oh and it has a tail too." Stiles added. "Are we good?" He asked annoyed. Both wolves were now looking up, Erica looking frightened causing Veda to look up too. "What? Wait have you seen it?" Stiles asked. Veda watched the creature grab onto the railing above them and she backed away from Stiles, toward Derek and Erica. "You have this look on your faces like you know exactly what I'm talking about." Stiles turned around and looked up as well. The creature let out a screech and Stiles fumbled toward the other three as the lizard man jumped down.
The alpha growled and took a protective stance as the monster swiped its tail under Erica's legs tossing the girl into the wall, knocking her out cold. "Erica!" Veda yelled out and almost took a step toward her but Stiles grabbed her arm. "No, wait!" She looked at him, a pained expression on her face. Sure Erica wasn't being all that friendly to her, but she still thought of her as a friend.
Derek pushed Stiles in the chest. "Run!" The creature slashed its claws out and Derek spun around back at it. There was a faint red line across the back of the werewolf's neck. "Derek, your neck." Stiles pointed out and Derek reached back to feel the cut and he started to sway back. Stiles rushed forward and wrapped his arm around to support the weight. "Come on." Stiles started running around the side of the room, Derek slowing him down. Veda moved over to Erica as the creature kept its eyes on the males. "Where is it do you see if?" Stiles asked. "No, call Scott." Derek stated. That's when the horrible accident happened. Stiles dropped his phone when he went to get it out of this pocket, fumbling to catch it he lost grip on Derek and the elder male landed his paralyzed body in the pool.
Stiles took a moment and looked between Derek and the phone. "Stiles, help him!" Veda called out, as she checked Erica over. Stiles drove into the pool and grabbed the sinking alpha before kicking back to the surface. "Where did it go? Do you see it?" Stiles questioned as he came up for air. "No." Derek answered. Veda looked around as well. "I don't see it." She stated. "Okay, maybe it took off." Stiles suggested by obviously spoke too soon as a loud screeching noise came from somewhere. "Maybe not." Derek stated. "Can you get me out of here before I drown?"
"You're worried about drowning?" Stiles asked as he started to the side of the pool. "Did you notice the thing out there with multiple rows of razor sharp teeth?" Veda stood up and made her way to the guys and the phone.
"Did you notice that I'm paralyzed from the neck down in 8 feet of water?" Derek shot back. "Okay. I don't see it." Stiles stated as he looked around.
"Want me to still call Scott?" Veda asked as she got closer. "No, no – wait! Stop, stop." The alpha rushed the word from his mouth causing Veda to stop in her tracks. The lizard man crawled on the side of the pool. "What do you think it's waiting for?" Stiles asked. The creature placed a hand in the water and then backed up rapidly, hissing. Veda stayed still she was in between the creature and the phone. "Wait – did you see that? I don't think it can swim." Stiles announced.
Deciding that she should risk it Veda started slowly toward the phone. If she moved slow maybe it wouldn't notice her. A loud screech came from the creature and then rapid footsteps. "Veda, run!" Stiles yelled. 'Well that was a bad idea.' Veda thought as she tried to move faster but she wasn't fast enough, the lizard grabbed her ankle and tripped her, its nails piercing the skin.
Being paralyzed was an awkward feeling, it was warm at first spreading from her legs up. It took only a few second for it to start in her system, just enough time for her to roll onto her back and look at the creature hovering over her. She was then cold, almost freezing. The monsters face moved close to hers before it moved away and crawled t boarder of the pool again. "Sorry guys." Veda breathed.
Time just seemed to keep going by and with Veda still a good distance from the phone Stiles wanted to cry. "Okay, I don't think I can do this much longer." He eyed the phone; maybe - just maybe he could get it. "No, no, no! Don't you even think about it." Derek panicked as he noticed Stiles gaze. "Could you just trust me this once?"
"No!" Derek yelled. Veda closed her eyes for a moment, feeling rather sleepy. 'Guys don't fight. You don't have time to fight.' She thought to herself. Momentarily she wondered if the toxin was making her so tired, but then again Derek was fine. It must been from the lack of sleep with Isaac over the night before. 'Isaac!' Her eyes snapped open. 'Ugh if I only have my phone with me I could have called him.'
Since she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings she suddenly heard rapid splashing, from the corner of her eye she could see that Stiles had let Derek go and was making a beeline for his phone. Unfortunately the creature was aware of Stiles and started crawling toward him. Fortunately Stiles got to the phone first and moved back to the middle of the pool. Finding Scotts name in his contacts he pressed send. "Scott!" Stiles cried out when the boy answered the phone but then pulled the phone away with a shocked look. He dropped the phone in the pool and dove under to retrieve Derek.
"Tell me you got him." Derek gasped for air. Stiles looked upset. "Not exactly." The defeat fell upon them, with Erica knocked out, Derek and Veda paralyzed and Stiles supporting Derek in a pool with no phone wasn't exactly the best situation. "Stiles, would your dad get worried with you being out this late?" Veda asked. "No – he works tonight. He won't even notice I'm missing. What about you?" Veda sighed. "I told them I didn't know what time I'd be home tonight because if the game went well then everyone was going to hang out." She answered. "Derek, what about Isaac?" She asked. "He won't come looking. I told him to stay in tonight and Boyd is probably still fired up from the game."
Stiles gave a confused look. "Boyd isn't on the team." Derek chuckled. "Yeah well Erica said that when you went missing the coach didn't have any extra player and asked someone if they wanted to help – Boyd offered." Stiles groaned. "You mean of all nights I would have been called to play it had to be tonight and I missed it?! That's just perfect." The two boys were now spitting water from their mouths more often. "I can't stay up any longer. I need something to hold on to." Stiles looked around and saw the plank before swimming toward it. Veda could tell it was a struggle for him she was just starting to feel some body parts again but still couldn't move. Stiles reached for the bar and slipped but Veda wasn't too concerned as she saw Scott walk into the room and rush over as the two boys went under the surface. He grabbed them both and pulled them out of the water. He roared at the lizard man as it ran toward him. Scott tumbled with it and it wrapped its tail around his ankle and threw him into a mirror on the wall. The werewolf grabbed a piece of glass as the monster approached. It stared at Scott for a moment before scaling the wall and jumping out a window.
About ten minutes later they were outside on a laptop looking at the bestiary on the principal's USB. Correction, Scott and Stiles looked at the laptop while Veda sat in the car and waited. "Is that even a language?" Stiles asked. "How are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?" Scott complained. "It's called a Kanima." Derek answered as he and Erica walked over. Veda leaned out the car window to pay more attention. "You knew the whole time." Stiles suggested. "No, only when it was confused by its own reflection." Derek pointed out. 'So that's what happened.' Veda thought to herself. "It doesn't know what it is." She stated. "Or who." Derek looked at her.
"What else do you know?" Stiles asked as he was starting to get annoyed. "Just stories. Rumors." Derek stated. Veda sighed and slouched back in her seat. 'Could it not be a long night for once? I just want to go home and go to bed.' She played with her wolf necklace and looked at the time on the dashboard. 10:37 PM.
Suddenly, or maybe not so suddenly – she would have known if she paid attention to the conversation outside, Derek and Erica were storming off and Stiles and Scott were packing up the laptop. She crawled into the back to give Stiles 'shot gun' and looked at the school. "Veda – you okay?" Stiles asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a long day. Scott can you drop me off first if you don't mind?" She asked as she leaned up in between the seats. "Veda – you don't have to be involved in all of this if you don't want to be." Scott stated. She rolled her eyes and looked at him. "I'm fine with it – it's just a lot at once, so I'd just like to sleep and take it all in." She stated, she secretly wish Isaac was there to talk with her about what happened. 'How are you thinking of him at a time like this?' She thought to herself. "Only if you're sure." Stiles mumbled, a little skeptical of her actually being okay with all the supernatural stuff. "I'm positive."
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I've been a little busy with work, especially with the crazy snow today. Please review.
