Oliver Blackwood was ready for his senior year. Well, emotionally he was ready, academically he probably could've done with at least another year but a full lacrosse scholarship to the University of Southern California meant that as long as he at least passed his senior classes – pretty soon he'd be able to leave Beacon Hills, and his adopted family behind. It wasn't that he didn't like his foster parents, Steven and Felicity Bennett had never been anything but wonderful to him ever since they took him in at six months old, and he'd watched them do the same with his brother Luke who they'd adopted when Oli was seven. It was just that ever since he'd discovered that he was adopted, that he was a Blackwood and not a Bennett, he'd felt as though something in his life was missing and he planned to find that missing piece at college. There were other things he'd miss about the fucked up little town he lived in, he wouldn't miss the unexplainable deaths, or the mountain lion attacks but he most certainly would miss the blonde and brunette that were currently walking towards him.
"You know, the boys locker rooms are for the boys." He pulled his lacrosse jersey up over his head, revealing his toned chest and abs. Elsa rolled her eyes, Shane's teeth sank gently into her bottom lip and her dark gaze lingered for perhaps a fraction of a second too long.
"Soccer team line ups were posted this morning." Elsa explained.
"Sweet, did you make it?"
"I've not checked yet, I wanted to wait for you. It's tradition. So put on a damn shirt because I don't know how much longer I can swallow back my vomit." She tilted her blonde head ever so slightly to the side and grinned. Beside her Shane had finally found her words and nodded.
"She's right. You're gross."
Oliver grinned, tossing his dirty jersey into the back of his locker and pulling out a fresh black t-shirt. He dressed quickly then slung each of his arms lazily around the shoulders of his two best friends. He'd known Elsa for as long as he could remember, and she'd introduced him to Shane in second grade when the two girls had met. Every year they made a point of checking the team sheets together, and then spent the evenings of their first days back at school either celebrating or commiserating depending on what the notice board said.
A few of the other lacrosse boys wolf whistled as Oliver walked out of the locker room with not one but two girls on his arm. Oli responded with a cheeky wink and a flash of his middle finger as he wheeled the girls out of the locker room and back into the much fresher air of the Phys Ed hallway. As the trio neared the notice board Elsa buried her face in his shoulder, and groaned. Shane laughed, took a step forward and ran her finger along the list of names that had made it onto the soccer team this year. She read them aloud as she went, a few of them Elsa agreed with – Hayden Romero for example, the girl was a god damn machine when it came to soccer, her and Charlotte Finstock the coaches daughter were both definitely assets to have on the team – others she wouldn't personally have given a place.
"Holy shit Els." Shane murmured as she continued down the list.
"What? Oh my god what?" The blondes face was still very much buried in the black material of Oliver's shirt and she groaned again when he rubbed his hand gently against her arm – it was definitely bad news.
"Elsa Kirsch." Shane read aloud, turning to Elsa with a smile. "Captain."
Before she knew it Oliver had scooped Elsa up in both arms, lifting her from the ground and spinning her around in a bone crushing hug. A noise that could only been described as one of excitement fell from his lips and Elsa laughed, she hadn't heard anything that high of an octave come out his mouth since they were kids. After a few moments of awkward flailing she returned his hug, and once he placed her gently back down on the ground Shane joined in.
"I told you senior year wasn't going to suck you're such a pessimist." Shane mumbled into Elsa's loose blonde curls.
Elsa laughed and gave each of her best friends one last quick hug before securing the strap of her backpack on her shoulder and backing away. "Whatever…Anyway, I've got bio so I'll see you guys at lunch?"
The pair nodded and Elsa turned on her heel, darting away from the two people she cared most for in the world. In the main hallway that lead to the biology labs a crowd of students filled the hallway, they milled about the door to Mrs Martin's office, all of them whispering animatedly between themselves. Elsa had half a mind to stop and join in, but she'd heard that her new biology teacher was a real tyrant and she didn't feel like making a bad impression on her first day.
Stepping into the biology lab Elsa was immediately hit with the smell of cleanliness, sure the rest of the school wasn't exactly dirty but there was something about the lab that smelled especially sterile – though that might have had something to do with the fact that she'd only recently left the boys locker room which smelt like death at the best of times. She wasn't the first person to arrive, sat at the back was Lydia Martin – not a surprise – beside her was Sydney, a girl that Elsa was friends but whom she very rarely spent time with outside of school. The brunette mouthed a quick 'sorry' to Elsa, she obviously hadn't realised her friend would be in the same class as her, if she'd known she probably wouldn't have offered to partner up with the strawberry blonde beside her. Opposite Lydia and Sydney, Kira Yukimura was the sole occupant of a two man bench; Elsa toyed with the idea of going to sit beside her but eventually decided against it and took a seat on the bench in front of Kira instead.
When Scott McCall entered the room, Elsa's first thought wasn't one of confusion as to why he was taking this class – she didn't doubt that he had the intelligence to study alongside the likes of Lydia Martin – but was one of sheer embarrassment as she remembered the scene by Stiles' Jeep earlier that morning, the one she'd been promptly dragged away from before she accidently sent Malia up in flames. The blonde straightened up on her stool as Scott headed straight for her, she did her very best to act surprised when he stopped alongside her bench and from the smile on his face it was obvious that she wasn't as good an actress as she'd hoped.
"Hey listen, I'm sorry about Malia earlier she's still…adjusting."
Elsa scoffed, the sort of sound that she hoped showed that she didn't mind, complete and utter humiliation by a girl who spent the majority of her life living in the woods was no water off Elsa Kirsch's back.
"Yeah, no, I mean uh, don't worry about it. It's nothing. I get it." She rambled, her hands moving animatedly in front of her as she spoke. Scott watched her, a bemused smile spreading across his handsome features with each word she spoke. "I mean, Beacon Hills High is pretty different to the preserve, she's all call of the wild, I get it. I've seen Mean Girls."
This was where she lost Scott, one of his thick eyebrows kinked ever so slightly and he laughed. "Yeah, well. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You kind of ran off on us."
"I'm peachy." A complete and utter lie.
"Okay good."
Elsa's lips formed a somewhat forced smile and she blinked up at Scott. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to offer him a seat next to her, but Kira clearing her throat on the bench behind her laid any notions of partnering up with Scott McCall for the year swiftly to bed.
"Scott, are you in the right class?" Kira's voice piped up behind them, dragging Scott's attention from the petite blonde girl before him. He glanced towards Kira and nodded slowly, pulling the text book he'd brought in with him from under his arm.
"AP Bio?" He replied with a grin. Kira nodded and moved her bag from the spare stool beside her, signalling for Scott to take a seat. He diligently did so, flashing Elsa another quick smile before moving to sit beside his ex-girlfriend.
Expelling a long, quiet breath Elsa moved to rest her head on the bench, relishing in the cool relief the sterile work surface gave her burning hot skin. For the second time that morning a conversation with Scott McCall had served to get the blonde all hot and bothered, and not in the good kind of way. Her pity party was gate crashed when someone placed their books down on the desk about two inches from her head and then took the vacant stool beside her.
"How's it going Kirsch?" The voice asked, it was a voice that was instantly recognisable to Elsa, given that she'd pretty much dreamt about it all night in bed last night. "Or do you just go by Captain now?"
Dragging her head up from the bench Elsa narrowed her eyes at the owner of the voice. Theo Raeken was undeniably gorgeous, his eyes were like two god damn swimming pools that she just wanted to dive into and float around in for a good hour or two, his jawbone looked as though it had been crafted by Hephaestus himself and his hair fell in that effortlessly attractive kind of way that made her want to run her hands through it. Resting her head on one hand she raised a brow, despite his charming personality and more than agreeable outward appearance there was something shady about Theo Raeken, but as of yet she couldn't put her finger on it. The hormones clouding her judgement were almost definitely to blame.
"Kirsch is just fine, or at least it would be if you could pronounce it correctly. So maybe we should just stick to Elsa." Her tone was laced with disdain and blonde brows shot up as she spoke. She could explain what it was; something about Theo put her on edge whilst simultaneously calming her down. Her heart beat quick in her chest at the mere sight of him, but all and any fire within her was instantly extinguished the moment he entered a room.
"Alright Elsa, well you can call me Theo."
"I'll call you whatever I damn well please."
He smirked, and Elsa frowned. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, preferably with her own lips but a fist would be a good second choice.
The lesson progressed without any further antagonising behaviour by Theo, in fact between them the pair completed the tasks they were set well ahead of everyone else and were able to get a head start on studying for the quiz their ruthless teacher had already set for the next lesson. As a team Elsa and Theo worked well together, and even though his excessive confidence made her want to shove a Bunsen burner down his throat and set him on fire from the inside Elsa had to admit that she liked him. When the bell rang and Elsa stood, packing her things into her old rucksack Theo cleared his throat.
"What are you uh, doing…like now-ish?"
Elsa rolled her eyes, slinging her backpack over her right shoulder. "I've got to head down to the field, check out the team, and help with the freshman try outs." It was a genuine excuse, but still a rejection nonetheless.
"Mind if I stop by and watch?" Theo fidgeted on the spot. Elsa couldn't help but smile, something in the back of her mind flashed warning signs, she pushed those thoughts even further back and shrugged.
"Sure if fourteen year old girls in short shorts is your scene then I guess I'll look out for you lurking under the bleachers."
A hot blush peppered Theo's defined cheekbones and Elsa raised her brows in amusement. Theo didn't reply and Elsa took that as her cue to leave, flashing him a smirk as she turned on her heel and headed for the door. After a fraction of a second he moved to follow her, only to be held back by Scott who spoke to the blond boy in a hushed voice. Not really caring about or wanting to get involved in whatever pack drama was no doubt unfolding Elsa ducked out of the room and headed straight for the soccer pitch.
Theo didn't turn up at the soccer try outs; in fact Elsa didn't see him or anyone else other than Shane and Oliver for the majority of the day. The only other interaction she had with another student was the note Scott McCall had pushed through the slots in her locker door.
'Still up for practice at my house tonight? 7pm? S x'
"Practice?" Shane had jeered as she read the note over Elsa's shoulder, giving her friend a soft nudge in the ribcage. "Is that what 'Netflix and chill' turned into after all the soccer moms discovered it's sordid true meaning?"
Elsa had pulled a face in response, making sure to fold the note neatly and put it away safe in her pocket before slinging a lazy arm around Shane's shoulders and placing an exaggerated kiss on the brunette's cheek. "Make as many sarcastic comments as you like Campbell, you're home alone with Viktor tonight, moms got a date."
"Why are all the women in our house getting some except for me?"
"I'm almost certain you and Oli could come to some sort of arrangement."
It took precisely three seconds for Scott McCall to open his door after Elsa knocked on it at 7:02pm, she knew that because she'd counted the agonisingly slow seconds out in her head whilst she did her very best to compose herself. Elsa Kirsch was by no means a shy girl, in fact she couldn't be silenced at the best of times. She also wasn't new to the dating scene, she'd had a string of relationships with both girls and boys and so it wasn't like she was nervous to be alone with Scott.
When he pulled open the front door and she was greeted with his handsome, smiling face Elsa grinned a response. Scott stepped aside, motioning with his hand that she should come in and she bowed her head in silent thanks as she stepped over the threshold. It had been a good few years since she'd been in the McCall house, Scott's dad had probably still been around the last time the pair had hung out together in his room and to say things had changed since then would be a monumental understatement. Whilst the decor and the general homely feel was exactly as it had been all those years ago, there was something different about the house. Or maybe it was just Scott that was different; he was a man now, with an aura of power that he certainly hadn't possessed when they were children.
"So have you got like…a fireproof room set up?" Elsa's cerulean gaze flickered to each one of the photographs hanging on the wall opposite the stairs. She smiled at baby Scott and Stiles who grinned back at her from behind the glass.
"I was thinking just my bedroom actually." Stiles scratched the back of his neck, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. Elsa turned from the photographs and blinked slowly.
"Sure yeah, hope you're bedsheets are flame retardant. Not that…we'll be on the bed, just because it's your bedroom so there will be a bed there and I can't guarantee that I won't accidentally set fire to your bed so hopefully the sheets are you know…not flammable."
Scott laughed, motioning for her to head up the stairs. Elsa nodded slowly turning on her heel and taking the stairs two at a time, thankful that Scott was headed up behind her as it meant he couldn't see the endless stream of profanities she was mouthing silently at herself.
"So what were you whispering to Theo about at the end of bio then?" She questioned, in an attempt to redirect the conversation away from whatever the train wreck that just happened downstairs was.
"Me and Stiles wanted to talk to him in the free period, you know ask him how he got turned."
"Ahh yes wolf things." Elsa perched on the end of Scott's bed, sitting on her hands and grinning.
"Wolf things." Scott repeated with a grin, he watched Elsa sitting on the end of his bed for a minute and then moved across his bedroom, grabbing a small piece of paper from the top of his chest of drawers before settling himself next to Elsa. "Stiles doesn't trust him."
"Is this the illusive speeding ticket?" Elsa nodded to the piece of paper Scott held in his hands, he nodded and handed it over. Watching the blonde carefully as she studied it.
"According to Stiles, this signature here," Scott pointed at the scribble on the bottom right hand corner of the page "…and this one…" he pointed again this time to a second signature on the second sheet of paper "…don't match."
Elsa looked carefully at each scribbled letter, holding the tickets up to the light emitted from the bulb in the centre of the room before bringing them back down to rest on her legs. "He's right, they don't match."
Scott's mouth fell open and he glanced from the tickets to Elsa's face and back again. "What? They look pretty similar to me."
"Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty legit forgery but here look." Elsa's turn to point now, holding the tickets side by side she traced the letters with her index finger as she explained. "Whoever wrote the first one started their 'R' at the top, dragging the pen down then finishing it off in a different stroke." She showed a quick example with her finger in the air before continuing. "Now whoever wrote this one, started their 'R' at the bottom moving the pen upwards. You can tell by the strokes in the ink."
Scott blinked in silent wonder, somehow in just a few seconds Elsa had managed to make him question the validity of the signature – something Stiles had been unable to do all afternoon. "It could still be the same person though right?"
"I mean I guess it could yeah, but it's not likely. It's the kind of thing you wouldn't change, no matter how many years passed. Sort of like when you fold your arms, you always put the same one over the top, its instinct. It would feel wrong if you did it any other way."
"So Stiles was right, Theo…isn't Theo?"
"I'm not saying that, I'm saying Theo's dad didn't sign this ticket.
"Wow."
"I went through a real C.S.I phase; I've not always been as cool as I am now you know." Elsa pulled a face, handing the tickets back to Scott who stretched across the bed, placing them in the top drawer of his bedside table.
"Alright then, still want to try and figure this whole fire thing out?"
"Absolutely." Elsa jumped up from the end of his bed, stretching her arms out and jumping up and down a few times on the spot, Scott mirrored her movements, moving to stand directly in front of her.
"Okay, just close your eyes. What normally triggers it?"
Elsa open one eye and glanced at him, quickly closing it when Scott caught her peeking. "I don't know…" She lied, in the past twenty four hours she'd actually set on fire once last night and felt as though she was about two again this morning in the parking lot. Both times it had been because of Scott, the first time he'd been in agonizing pain and the second time Malia had just announced that Elsa had feelings for him. Somehow she didn't feel like admitting that so far, Scott had been her trigger.
"That's fine, I didn't know at first either. Okay let's try something else. You have to find an anchor, something that you can focus on when you feel like you're about to lose control."
"What like an object?"
"Or a person, something you have a strong connection to."
"Like a Patronus?"
"I guess so yeah."
"What's yours?"
Scott faltered for a moment before he finally answered. "Allison."
Elsa's eyes flickered open and her teeth sank slowly into her bottom lip. Allison Argent had died over a year ago, of course she hadn't expected Scott or his friends to simply forget about her, but she also hadn't expected her to still be so present in something that was pretty crucial to Scott's life.
"Or at least she was at first."
He went on to explain in more detail, he told Elsa about the way he'd lost control of his shift after him and Allison broke up and how his mom told him to become his own anchor. She had to admit she was impressed, this was obviously some true alpha shit, there was no way she had enough self-control to be her own anchor, she was going to have to find something of her own to focus on.
A/N: Hey guys! Another quick update! A little Elsa/Oli/Shane brot3 in this chapter, I absolutely adore their friendship. It's definitely going to appear more later on in the fic. Also Elsa finds out about anchors, points to whoever can guess what Elsa's is going to be. Once again thank you so so SO much for all the love and support for From Ashes. I don't understand it and it honestly blows me away. You guys are the best! As always if you have time or if you want to then please leave a review as they honestly motivate me so much. If you want to see more Elsa edits/gifsets/headcanons as well as all the other FA OC's then head to my blog (lydamartin) on tumblr where you'll find all sorts of crazy fun stuff. Thank you again! x