Thanks to everyone for reading.
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 9 :: Free-fall Without a Parachute
Isaac had been joining Veda and her family for dinner the past two nights. 'Studying' was his favorite part. Veda tried, she really did but Isaac always seemed to work the book from her hands and suddenly she was under his body as he pressed kisses to her neck. He had grown very confident these past couple of days, more confident than the bite had made him. Speaking of biting, that was his favorite thing about Veda; every time he gave a little love nibble she let out this sighing moan. It did wonderful things to him. More than once he had to force himself from her as he almost lost control.
Derek was furious with him, but he couldn't stop him. He did extra hard training though. Isaac was sore from broken bones and pulled muscles every night. He didn't let it bother him though. He was happy with Veda and if he had to deal with Derek's punishment just to be with her then he would endure.
Veda sat in her first period class; Mrs. Phillips was droning on and on about something she didn't care to listen about. Her head was racing; it was always racing. Things have been good with Isaac, crazy good. She was still having a hard time sleeping; the visions of the past woke her with a fright almost every hour. She actually didn't sleep last night – instead she cleaned her room and organized her movies in alphabetical order. She was happy Isaac didn't seem to notice the extra make-up she wore this morning to cover the bags under her eyes.
Jackson's phone vibrated and the noise mad her jolt. She glanced over and it and took a deep breath. Ever since Jackson attacked Allison in the locker room he has been almost robotic; like his movements were programmed. She brought this behavior to Scott's attention every day. The brown eyed boy says he's working on it – but she has yet to see anything change. Jackson's blue eyes caught hers; they were cold and icy – more than usual. She felt a tremor go down her spine and she quickly looked away again. Two seats over another phone buzzed.
In second period everyone was split in pairs of two to work on a pop test for calculus. She looked up at James, her partner, and sighed. "I really hate this class." She stated out loud. "It's not too bad." He stated. "I just dislike math – I'm more of a history and science person." She stated. "That's odd. Normally it's English and History and then Science and Math." James pointed out. Veda laughed. "Yeah, I'm awkward like that." She didn't know why but she felt nervous near James; like she wanted to high tail it away from him. Figuring it was just her nerves from the lack of sleep she tried to shrug it off.
Despite of her discomfort toward him she tried to make small talk with him in hopes to ease her nerves. It didn't work – instead it just seemed to annoy him and after a while the only thing she talked about were the answers she got. She was nervous of making a mistake on any of the questions like he was going to flip out of her or something.
Once they were finished with their test James brought it to the teacher. Veda looked at the clock and sighed, just another 15 minutes before the bell rang. It wasn't long but it was enough time to just rest her tired eyes.
She took a step back as he raised the gun at her. "P-please." She whimpered. The boy stood in front of her, a cruel smile upon his face. "That's right; beg." He chuckled evilly. Veda stood another step back, glass crunched under her shoes – the glass from the table she was thrown into. She could feel the blood dripping from all over her body. "Just s-stop." She pleaded. A loud echo of a shot filled her ears, pain spread into her chest and she fell to the ground. She coughed violently as blood filled her lungs. "W-w-why?" Another fit of coughs escaped her; it hurt – it burned. The boy stood over her now, his green eyes burning into her own. "Why? Well because Veda, it's my job to get rid the world of people like you." He knelt down and pressed the gun to her temple. "Goodbye Veda." The last thing she saw was those cruel green eyes as the bullet pierced her head.
The sound of the bell ringing startled Veda from her nap; she blinked frantically and looked around, green eyes catching hers. She stopped – freezing in slight freight but the eyes moved off of her as the person left. Those eyes were the same eyes in her nightmare. Those eyes belonged to James. Veda rubbed her face before gathering her things – her mind was definitely on haywire. Just because James made her feel uncomfortable did not mean he was going to shoot her.
For the rest of the day she felt like she was on auto pilot. Isaac asked her a few times if she was feeling okay during lunch; and then again in English. She decided to call it and early day after English and made her way to the nurse's office with Isaac. "Are you sure you don't want me to go home with you?" He asked as they reached the office door. "Nah – I'll be fine. I just need to rest before work tonight." He smiled at her. "Good – I'll see you tonight then." And she gave him a confused look. "Derek wants to talk with your boss. Scott said he might be able to help with the Jackson being the Kanima."
Veda rolled her eyes. "Great because Derek likes me oh-so-much." She stated sarcastically. Isaac pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It's not that. He just thinks I'm irresponsible with you. That I'll lose control and hurt you." Veda gave him a quick hug. "I'll see you tonight."
Maybe going home to sleep wasn't the best idea, especially after not sleeping all night. She was plagued by nightmares again. Each nightmare involved James, who not only shot her in the one dream, but he drowned her in another and also tortured her in the last. She woke up dripping in sweat and took a quick shower before work. Perhaps Alan knew of something to help her bad dreams go away. Getting ready for work she wrote a note to her parents reminding them she would be working until 9 and that she was taking Luna with her.
Dr. Deaton was amazing. Once Veda started talking about her nightmares he made her a cup of Skullcap Tea. "This will help relax tense muscles, calm nerves and reduce headaches. I do also recommend mint tea as well. It will help calm your mind. If possible," he pulled out another tea bag from a box. "pick this up tomorrow. It's chamomile it will help you sleep. If you don't like the taste then try ginseng – it does the same thing." He placed the tea bag in her hand and passed her the Skullcap tea. "Thank you Doc." She smiled and took a sip. The tea was slightly bitter to her taste buds but she was more than happy to try anything at this point.
"Now, have you had issues with this James boy?" Alan asked her as he looked over Luna's leg. "Actually, no. Just have this bad vibe." She chuckled. "Probably just my mind playing tricks on me." Deaton looked over at her with a rather serious expression on his face. "Always trust your gut." He stated and then he smiled. "Luna seems to be doing great." Veda forced a smile back, but now Alan had her thinking. Always trust your gut. Now she won't be able to look at James without that sitting in the back of her head.
Scott chose that time to walk in for the beginning of his shift. "Hey I missed you at last bell, sorry." He stated and she shook her head. "No you didn't. I left school early because I wasn't feeling well. I needed a nap before work but that didn't really work out for me." She stated. "Did I miss anything important?" She added as she took another sip of her tea. "Nah, Derek will be here after dark." He stated. She nodded her head and pushed herself away from the counter she was leaning against. "I'll be at my desk." She stated.
It was quiet at work; Abby the Labrador retriever came back as she popped some of her stitches when she got over excited to see a cat on the front porch. The woman who owned her laughed nervously when Dr. Deaton told her he didn't want to see her again until it was time for the stitches to come out. Veda had this feeling Abby would be back shortly due to her over active behavior.
Veda was lost in her work, typing appointment reminders to clients for tomorrow when Luna flopped, ungracefully at her feet. Veda smiled and looked down at her dog. "Tough day at work huh?" She joked as the dog tilted her head slightly to the left, confused. For the fourth time that night she grabbed her mug only to remember that she finished the tea that Deaton made her. It seemed to be working as she didn't feel stressed out.
Scott walked across the front office door and Veda looked at the clock, it was about 8:30. She heard Scott unlock the door and open it. "What's he doing here?" Derek walked into the office. "I need him." He stated so simply as Isaac followed behind. "I don't trust him." Scott stated. "Yeah, well he doesn't trust you either." Isaac shot back as they walked closer to her desk. She smiled at him and he smiled back as Derek slightly growled. "You know what? And Derek really doesn't care." Derek looked at Scott. Now where's the vet? Is he going to help us or not?"
Veda rolled her eyes. 'As rude as ever.' She thought to herself as she watched the interaction before her. "That depends." Alan was leaning against the open door frame, his arms crossed as he started at the two newly arrived werewolves. "Your friend, Jackson. Are we planning to kill him or save him?"
"Kill him." "Save him." Scott and Derek stated at the same time. Isaac looked back at her and smiled. "Save him." She overheard Scott state again. By now Luna had crawled out from under her desk and greeted Isaac with a lick on his hand. Isaac rubbed the dog's head as Deaton called them to the back room. "You too, Veda." Alan stated causing the girl to blink twice before she moved quickly behind her werewolf friends.
They crowded around the exam table as Deaton placed a tray of twelve glass jars, each with a different symbol on its lid. Isaac saw a top that interested him and he reached out for the jar, except Derek's hand grabbed his wrist. "Watch what you touch." Isaac sighed and pulled his hand back. He was slightly annoyed; Derek even stopped him from giving Veda a hug before they entered the back room. As Deaton was looking through the bottles Isaac decided to lean on the exam table. "So, what are you? Some kind of witch?" He was honestly curious. Alan paused for a minute to look at him. "No, I'm a veterinarian." He paused for a slight moment. "Unfortunately, I don't see anything here that's going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin."
"We're open to suggestions." Derek stated. "What about an effective offense?" Isaac asked. "We already tried. I nearly took its head off an Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up." Deaton looked confused. "Has it shown any weaknesses?" He asked. "It can't swim." Derek stated. "Does that go for Jackson as well?" Scott stood up straight. "No. He's the captain of the swim team."
"Essentially, you're trying to catch two people. Veda, go in the third drawer and get me the token in there." The strawberry brunette girl moved quickly grabbing the metal trinket. "This?" She asked passing it to the veterinarian. "Yes, the puppet and the puppeteer." He placed the token down on the table. "One killed the husband, but the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?"
There was moment of silence. "I don't think Jackson could do it." Scott stated. "His mother died pregnant too, and she was maybe murdered. I don't think…" Scott continued to talk but Veda noticed the wheels spinning in Isaac's head. "How do you know it's not part of the rules? The Kanima kills murderers. If Jackson kills the wife, then the baby dies too." Isaac stated. "Does that mean your father was a murderer?" Scott asked. Isaac shrugged his shoulders. "Wouldn't surprise me if he was." Veda frowned at that. "Hold on. The book says they're bonded right?" Deaton started and from the office Veda could hear the phone line ringing. She moved quickly to the other room. Sure it was after hours but she still needed to answer the phone, in case it was an emergency she could direct the person to the emergency clinic.
She was right. "My cat is lying on the ground drooling profusely and is having a hard time breathing!" The woman all but screamed. "Ma'am I understand you're upset but remember that your cat can sense your anxiety. You're uneasiness might be making him more stressed out. If possible I need you to take two deep breaths." Veda paused for a moment while the woman tried to calm herself down. "Alright. I'm going to give the phone number to the emergency clinic in the next town. It is after hours here." Veda read her off the number and gave a few instructions on how to calmly move the cat into a carrier to transport to the e-vet. As she placed the phone back on the receiver she noticed Isaac standing in the doorway. "Hey Stud." She smiled at him.
He moved over to her and pulled her into his arms. "Hey Sunshine." She pressed a kiss to his neck. "Did I miss anything important?" Isaac shook his head. "No – not too much. We might be able to catch the Kanima and its master." He stated. "That's good, right?" She asked. "Yeah. Deaton is going to think of a plan."
"Let's go Romeo." Derek stated gruffly as he walked quickly to the front door. "I better run." He stated and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "See you tomorrow." She stated as he pulled back from her.
The next day Veda stood outside the boys' locker room after morning lacrosse practice. From where she stood she was able to hear that Coach was unhappy about Jackson missing practice and turned back to her book. She was exhausted, the tea that Deaton gave her did very little for her nightmares but she figured she'd keep trying. Several alarming bangs came from inside and she was slightly concerned. Placing a book mark in the crease of the book she closed the cover and shifted her weight away from the wall. She waited a few more moments before the door swung open and the lacrosse players started filing out to get to their first period class.
Isaac saw Veda and moved quickly over to her, wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close to him. "Morning beautiful." He stated and kissed her. She smiled into the kiss and placed her hands in his hair.
"Get a room." Stiles stated as he walked out of the locker room with Scott. Veda already knew that her two friends disapproved of her relationship with Isaac but they were kind enough to no longer mention it in front of her. "You're just jealous." Isaac stated as he pulled away from his girlfriend. "Am not." Stiles protested.
"I have to meet with Erika. I'll see you later." He kissed her nose and was off. Veda watched him walk off before turning back to her friends. "So did you guys get tickets?" She asked. "Yeah… well Isaac got them for us." Scott stated. "See he's not so bad after all." Veda stated.
Stiles gave her an exasperated look. "Did you not hear all the banging in there? That was his way of getting them." Stiles added on. "He was just trying to help." Veda stated. "Nope, no. Don't you dare defend him." Stiles argued. "We're just going to go to class." He grabbed her arm and started down the hallway. "Stiles, we don't even have the same first period. Scott, help?" She whined. "Sorry, Allison asked me to meet her" He waved with a small chuckle at his two friends.
The day wasn't so bad; at least Veda didn't fall asleep in any of her classes this time. She sat with Erika and Isaac during lunch. It was nice even though Erika was still as guarded as ever. Anyone could see that she was trying to be nice to Veda. She just didn't want to see her get in the middle of the mess, she still secretly thought of the strawberry brunette girl as her best friend.
By the end of the day Veda was waiting for Scott to meet with her; the two of them had to stop by the vet office. She decided that since the weather was nice she would wait outside for him. She was sending him a text when she bashed right into someone as she rounded the corner. "Oh, I'm so sorry." She rubbed her face and looked up. She froze and had a hard time swallowing. Flashes of her nightmares entered her head.
James stared back at her, his green eyes piercing her very soul. "Veda," He breathed her name. "Are you alright?" He asked. She slowly nodded her head before finding her voice again. "Y-yeah. I'm so sorry. I uh wasn't paying attention." She knew that she was being irrational but she couldn't stop it. Always trust your gut. Deaton's words echoed around her head causing her to take a step away from the boy. He noticed this and frowned. "Are you suuure you're okay?" He asked, drawing his words out slowly. His eyes started wandering over her body. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he was definitely looking for something. There was no way he was checking her out – she could tell. "Yeah, sorry. I've been really out of it. Not sleeping much lately." She mentally hit herself in the head as the words slipped from her lips. "Well, that's no good." He looked at the keys in her hand. "You don't intend to drive with a foggy mind do you?" He asked.
She wet her lips with her tongue, she was nervous all over. "No. Actually my friend Scott is driving my car. We have work together." As if sensing her anxiety Scott was suddenly rounding the same corner she just did, almost crashing into her. "Hey Veda. Ready to go?" He asked as stopped short. She saw James take a step away from her. "Of course." She politely turned back to the green eyed boy. "I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a good night James." She stated. He nodded back and walked off leaving Scott and her behind.
"Are you okay?" Scott asked as he looked over at the gray eyed girl. She let out a shaky breathe she didn't realize she had been holding. "Yes. Let's get to work." She started toward the exit of the building. "I know you're lying I could hear your heart racing from my locker. I could sense the uneasiness you were feeling. I tried getting to you as fast as I could. What was that all about?"
Veda sighed as she pushed the school doors open. "I'm sure you must know by now that I haven't been sleeping well. Like barley. I keep having nightmares more like memories." Scott gave her a confused look. "It started off as nightmares of my brother being murdered. And then they progressed into normal nightmares. I had a few about James. I told Deaton and he told me to trust my gut; now I can't look at the kid without being creped out of my mind." Veda opened the door and then turned to Scott. "Mind driving? I'm not up for it."
Scott took the offered keys and frowned when he took the time to actually study his friends' features. She did look tired; bags under her eyes, her skin more pale than normal. "Veda, I had no idea." She shrugged her shoulders and climbed into the car's passenger seat. He felt bad, he should have noticed. He liked Veda and considered her part of the group. It bothered him that he hadn't been more aware of what was going on with her. He'd find a way to help out; he had to.
Once they got to work Veda hopped out of the vehicle and smiled at Scott. "Thanks for driving." She turned back and headed toward the building. "No problem." He stated and followed after her.
Deaton was displeased to hear that the tea did not help Veda the previous night. "Keep drinking it. You might be that stressed out that your body needs to accept the natural relaxers." Veda nodded her head and changed the subject. "Alright, so what do we do about Jackson?"
"Well, we need to wait for Stiles. He needs to help out." Deaton stated. "Alright, I'm going to check the online appointment requests. Get me when he is here." She stated and left the room. Alan looked at Scott. "I need you to keep a close eye on her." Scott tilted his head, confused. "The first day she came here you had told me that she smelt different. I suggested that I thought she wasn't dangerous, just lost." Scott nodded his head; he wasn't happy about where this was heading. "With all her old memories and nightmares haunting her to the point of almost no sleep it has me thinking that she might be finding herself."
"Do you think she is dangerous? Do you think she's controlling Jackson?" Scott asked suddenly aware that something this big could be happening right under his nose. Alan shook his head. "No; nothing like that. I just think that whatever happens it will happen suddenly. I don't know how it will turn out – so I need you to be there." He stated.
Stiles walked into the room. "The fun has arrived. Let's bag ourselves a scaly lizard and its master." Veda followed behind him, rolling her eyes.
The veterinarian turned around and grabbed a tiny glass bottle and a syringe. Scott quickly read the label. "Ketamine?" Deaton looked up at him. "It's the same stuff we use on the dogs just a higher dosage." He placed the bottle and needle on the table in front of the three teenagers. "If you can get close enough to Jackson it should slow him down enough to buy you some time." Scott took the needle and tiny bottle as Deaton grabbed something else. "This is some of what you'll use to create the barrier." There was a dark black sandy looking substance in the bottle. "This part is for you Stiles." He pointed at the boy before placing the bottle on the table as well. "Only you." He added.
"Uh, sounds like a lot of pressure. Can we maybe find a less pressure filled task for me?" He asked as he grabbed the bottle. Scott gave him a look and Stiles gave him one back.
"It's from the Mountain Ash tree, which is believed by my cultures to protect against the supernatural. This office is lined with ash wood making it difficult for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble."
Veda was amazed, she had no idea how much Alan actually knew. She thought momentarily on how he came to know so much about these types of things. She made a mental note to ask him some time. She was sure the stories would be fascinating. In her pondering she missed what Stiles said but it didn't seem too important. She'd figure it out.
"They'll be trapped." Deaton stated. "Doesn't sound too hard." Scott stated to Stiles. "Not all there is. Think of it as gunpowder; it's just powder, until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark Stiles."
"If you mean light myself on fire I don't think I'm up for that." The brown eyed boy stated. Veda rolled her eyes. 'Does he really think that?' Deaton almost laughed. "Let me try a different analogy; I used to golf. I learned the best golfers never swung without imaging where they wanted the ball to go. They see it in their mind and their mind takes over. It's pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish."
"Force of will." Stiles echoed; he didn't look too convinced. "Hey, if this is going to work Stiles, you have to believe it." Deaton bought his hands up like he was pulling positive energy into his body. Stiles tried to copy but he still didn't convince Veda.
"Veda, I think it would be best if you remain as the eyes. Look out for Jackson by keeping him in sight until Scott can get there. Also keep your eyes open to anyone who could be working with him. Identifying the mark will make this much easier for everyone." Deaton stated and he placed a token in her hands. "Remember we need the puppet and the puppeteer."
Stiles had hung out with Veda after the vet clinic. They dropped her car off at home and she changed real quick telling her parents that there was another study group tonight and they planned to cram until late. She was at least happy that her grades were still great or her parents wouldn't believe her lies so much. At Stiles house they made some spaghetti and watched some television, waiting for the time to leave. Veda had fallen asleep on the couch and Stiles hadn't notice until the girl shot up from her spot with a terrified yell.
Startled, Stiles fell off the couch and knocked his glass of soda over. "Shit, Veda." The two teens looked at each other, their expressions mirroring the others. "Are you alright?" Stiles asked as he moved first, picking the glass up and standing up. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep and had a nightmare." Stiles blinked. "That was for a nightmare? I thought someone was murdering you. Geez, girl you have some lungs."
Veda frowned and then noticed the soda that seeped into the carpet. "Oh no! That will stain." She got up quickly and ran into the kitchen getting a wet hand towel. "It's not a big deal." Stiles stated as her returned. He was going to clean it up later. "Sure is." She stated and was on the floor scrubbing away. The boy cleaned up the plates and looked at the time. "We're gonna be late and I haven't changed yet." Stiles stated.
Veda rolled her eyes. "Stiles, you look fine. I'm gonna wait in the Jeep. See you in a minute." With that she was out the door. Good lord was she embarrassed. She couldn't remember much of the nightmare as she climbed into the Jeep; just blood. It was always blood now.
A car pulled into the driveway and she looked over. The sheriff wore a long face as he sat in his vehicle for an extra minute. He got out and didn't even notice her. She was about to greet him when Stiles came rushing out. "Hey can't talk got to run." The sheriff didn't respond but closed his car door behind him. "Hey wait, wait, wait." Stiles called after him. "What's wrong?"
Papa Stilinksi turned to face his son. "Nothing." Veda knew that tone of voice. Apparently Stiles did too. "Where's your gun?" He asked. There was a long pause and she felt bad, like she was intruding in on an important conversation. "I left it at the station along with my badge." Ouch. "What?" Stiles asked. "It's alright, you know what – we'll just talk about this later." He turned to head inside. "Dad…"
"Don't worry about it." He didn't turn around. "Dad!" Stiles called louder. The sheriff turned around and let out a long sigh as he took two steps toward the doe eyed boy. It was decided that the son of the police chief, stealing police property and having a restraining order filed against him by one of the towns most respected attorneys did not reflect well on the county." Stiles looked so upset and Veda just wanted to hug both of them. "They fired you." Stiles whispered. "No, look it's just… a leave of absence. It's temporary."
"Did they say it was temporary?" Stiles asked. "Actually, no." Ouch. Veda started trying to melt into the seat. This was so awkward. "You know it's fine. Don't worry about it. We're gonna be fine." The sheriff turned around to head back in. "Dad?... I don't get it. Why aren't you angry at me?"
"I don't know. Maybe I don't want to feel any worse than I already do by having to yell at my son." There was a loss of words between them as Stiles' dad went inside and closed the garage door. "Oh shoot…" Stiles stated and then he turned back to the Jeep, jumping when he saw Veda. He had forgotten she was there.
"I'm sorry Stiles. It will be okay." She tried to cheer him up as he got into the Jeep. "Nah, I just always mess things up." He leaned his head against the steering wheel. She rubbed his back, trying to comfort him. After a minute he sat up straight and turned the vehicle. "Let's get this done."
A/N: I know. I know. I suck. I was going to make this a long chapter but life got in the way again and kept cutting me short of my writing time. I figured I'll just post what I have so far and pick up in the next chapter. Thoughts? Anyone? Should I continue?
