HARSHER THAN THE BARK
A/N: Okay, so this is definitely not the best chapter ever and I feel like it's lacking in interestingness but I hope you guys like it, nonetheless, and I promise to make the next one much better!
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"Come on. Just go. It'll be so much fun!" Taylor smiled, holding the tickets out to Scarlett who gave her a blank look.
"Since when are you into raves anyway?" She asked sceptically.
"I'm not." Taylor shrugged. "But who the hell cares? It's a party and everyone's going to be there, therefore, we have to be there."
"I don't have anyone to go with anyway."
"You have a boyfriend, do you not?" Taylor asked, incredulous.
Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, but he wouldn't want to go and he's probably busy anyway."
"Too busy for you?" Taylor gave a doubtful look.
"No." Scarlett held up a hand. "It's not like that. He's not too busy for me but I'm just saying…he will busy and it's not really his scene." She explained, lifting her bag from the bench in the locker room and trying to imagine Derek at a rave…what a sight that would be, she laughed internally.
"Okay, so…"
"Derek." Scarlett filled in.
Taylor looked thoughtful for a minute before her eyes widened. "Wait…not Derek Hale." When there was a silence from Scarlett, Taylor had her answer. "Oh my God!"
"Before you jump to conclusions, no, he is not a criminal." Scarlett said sternly.
"Who cares if he is or not? I'm proud of you, Scar. Older guys are always better. Not to mention Derek Hale is fucking hot." Scarlett narrowed her eyes but Taylor didn't notice. "And so are you. Which is why you'll have no problem finding a date by second period."
"But I don't want a date. It wouldn't feel right." Scarlett complained.
Taylor scoffed. "So bring a friend." Scarlett went to protest but was quickly stopped by Taylor. "Ah." She held up a hand. "If you don't find someone to bring with you then I'll find someone for you."
"God no." Scarlett quickly grabbed the tickets out of Taylor's hand, knowing that Taylor would set her up with some stranger that she wanted nothing to do with.
A satisfactory smile spread across Taylor's face. "See you tonight." She winked before walking away, leaving Scarlett to sigh and attempt to figure out just how she was going to find someone to go to the rave with.
"Where are you?"
"I'm on a walk. In the woods. So, I'll meet you at your old house." Scarlett explained, in a hurry to get off the phone with Derek.
"Okay, I'll see you soon then." He sounded slightly confused but Scarlett ignored it, hanging up quickly and feeling bad for doing so. She put her phone away and turned around.
"Sorry." Scarlett apologised.
"Don't worry about it." Allison told her. "I understand." She reassured her, referring to Scott always being slightly overprotective. "Okay, take a deep breath." Scarlett did as she was told. "Now raise the bow again and draw back the arrow." She did just that and huffed slightly. It was her sixth attempt at hitting the target. "Now let the arrow fly."
There was silence around them except for the arrow whizzing through the air, towards the tree where Allison had put up the target. The two girls watched with bated breaths, waiting to see if Scarlett would finally succeed.
Scarlett groaned when the arrow skimmed the side of the tree, yet again. "I suck." She said, throwing her arms up.
"It's only your first day." Allison reassured her. "And, I wasn't very good when I started either."
Scarlett gave her an incredulous look. "Don't lie to try and make me feel better."
"I'm not lying-" Allison shook her head, trying to convince Scarlett but Scarlett quickly interrupted her.
"Nope." She said shortly. "I heard it from Kate herself. You have 'natural talent.'"
"Kate was crazy." Allison said, taking the bow off of Scarlett and putting it away in a duffel bag.
"But she was right." Scarlett countered, picking up her water and taking a few gulps. "Anyway, are you still going to the rave with Matt?"
"Yeah. I feel weird about it though. I mean, I'm dating Scott." Allison explained, with a concerned look.
"I don't think Scott knows you're going anyway and he definitely won't hear it from me." Scarlett promised. "Not that you have to keep it a secret from him anyway."
Allison nodded. "Yeah. Matt and I are going as friends."
"Just…make sure he knows that." Scarlett warned. She didn't know Matt very well, or at all really, but why else would he ask Allison to go to a rave with him if he wasn't in to her.
"I will make it crystal clear." Allison said with a slight smile. "Are you going?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty much being forced into it by Taylor and not to mention I have to keep an eye on you and Matt because I still think there's something off about him."
"You mean after he randomly said kanima?" Allison asked. Scarlett nodded in reply. "Yeah. That kinda freaked me out." By then, they were in the trees near the old Hale house where Allison's car was parked. "Do you want me to wait with you?"
"No, it's fine. Derek will be here soon anyway." Scarlett smiled.
"Well I'll see you tonight, okay?" Allison gave Scarlett hug which she returned.
"Definitely." Scarlett watched Allison get in the car and drive away before sighing and walking to the steps of the house to sit.
She didn't have to wait very long because a few minutes after Allison left, Derek pulled up in front of the house.
A bright smile grew on Scarlett's lips as she jumped up from the steps and walked to Derek, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him fiercely.
"Hey." Scarlett smiled when they pulled away.
"Hey…I thought you were on a walk." Derek pondered, taking in her sportswear.
Scarlett's eyebrows scrunched together. "Did I say walk? Because I meant run. I was on a run. And I'm tired and confused and-" She laughed, running her hands through Derek's hair. "Have I mentioned I love you?" Derek rolled his eyes and laughed, leaning down to kiss her again.
As the kiss grew more passionate and needy, Derek turned them around and pushed Scarlett against the car, not breaking the kiss. As their tongues moved together, Derek's hands roamed down Scarlett's side, stopping when they reached her ass, which he squeezed, making Scarlett gasp, before they carried on down to the backs of her thighs and lifted her up so that her legs were hooked around his waist and he was pinning her against the car. His lips trailed across her jaw and down her neck, finding her sweet spot and sucking on it, eliciting a loud moan from Scarlett and marking her as his like he always did. He guessed that it was his inner wolf that felt the need to mark her and make it clear she was his. Derek understood that she had to cover the hickeys up but sometimes he wished she didn't have to…though, as long as Scarlett, herself, knew that they were there, he was fine with it.
"Mmm, don't start anything you can't finish." Scarlett breathed out, halting Derek's assault on her neck and the wandering of his hands.
"Who says I can't finish it?" He asked huskily, continuing his ministrations. Scarlett moaned again before frowning, pulling his face back up to hers so that she could kiss him.
"Me." Derek frowned. "I have work." Scarlett said.
Derek sighed, setting her back on her feet gently. "Fine. Do you need a ride?"
Scarlett smiled and nodded. "Please and thank you." She said sweetly, making him laugh. They both walked around to the passenger's side where Derek opened the door for Scarlett. "Hmm, quite the gentleman." Scarlett joked once she was sitting in the car making Derek smirk and shake his head before closing the door and walking to the driver's side. Once he was in, he started the car and they sped off. "Oh, can we stop by my house first so I can change?"
"Yeah." He told her. "Smelling the way you do right now tends to drive customers away." Scarlett scoffed, pretending to be offended.
"You know that gentleman comment I made? Yeah, I take that back." She told him with a smirk. Derek laughed and Scarlett's smirk turned into a smile. She loved his laugh and the fact that she was probably the only one capable of eliciting such a thing from him made it even better. After sitting in a comfortable silence for a while, Scarlett spoke up randomly. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to want to go to a rave tomorrow night…would you?" She asked, glancing at him sidelong.
He looked at her quickly, raising a brow. "A rave?" He asked, incredulous.
"Yes, a rave, like…a room packed with crazy people dancing to music that's too loud and where the only light comes from strobes." Scarlett explained, not making it sound any better.
"I know what a rave is." Derek assured her.
Scarlett sighed, looking out the window at the scenery whizzing by. "Oh well…I guess I'll just have to find a sexy lacrosse player from school to go with, then." She spared a glance at Derek and noticed his grip on the wheel tightening.
"I don't think so." Derek said tightly, making Scarlett smirk at his possessive tone. For some reason, she loved getting him riled up and jealous. She would never take it too far but he did look incredibly sexy when he got like that over a tiny joke.
"Okay, what about a swimmer? I mean, they can hold their breath for a really long time." Scarlett teased him some more, not sure what she was trying to get at by saying that but knowing that it was fun anyway.
"Scarlett." He warned, making her laugh.
"Fine." She put her hands up in surrender. "But in all seriousness, I do need to find someone to take with me."
Derek rolled his eyes at her antics. "What about Lydia?"
"I already asked and she can't go because she's busy doing who knows what with God knows who." Scarlett answered.
"Allison?"
"She's already going with Matt. Who, by the way, Allison and I are going to keep an eye on."
Derek narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Well, when we were all in detention, he was reading something and randomly said 'kanima' and that can't really be a coincidence, can it?" Scarlett asked warily.
"No." Derek answered immediately. "But if he's dangerous I want you to stay away from him."
Scarlett sighed. "I'm pretty sure he's harmless. I mean, he's always been nice to me but we're just being precautious. Not to mention he has a total thing for Allison which Scott would not be too happy about." She said, before realising she was rambling on and closing her mouth. "My mom's home so, stop here and I'll walk up." Derek pulled up to the curb and parked. "Five minutes, promise." Scarlett said, leaning over and pecking Derek on the lips before jumping out the car and jogging up the road to her house.
"Hey honey, shouldn't you be at work already?" Melissa queried when Scarlett walked through the front door.
"Yeah, but Allison and I ended up running longer than we meant to." She said hastily, trying to get up the stairs.
"And did Allison give you that hickey?" Melissa asked cautiously when she noticed the bruise on Scarlett's neck. Scarlett's eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks, mentally slapping herself. Melissa walked over to her and gave her one of her 'motherly' looks before getting straight to the point. "Is there a boy that you aren't telling me about?" Scarlett cast her gaze down, earning a sigh from Melissa. "Come on Scar, you've always talked to me about your relationships, don't close me out now."
Scarlett nodded. "You're right. And I don't want to lie to you anymore. But…I don't think you're going to take it very well when I tell you who it is."
"Try me." Melissa said with a challenging look.
"It's Derek Hale." Scarlett rushed out, looking at her mom warily.
Melissa's eyes widened in shock. "Please tell me that there is another Derek Hale who isn't an alleged murderer."
"No…there's just the one." Scarlett watched as Melissa covered her mouth with her hands. She knew she wasn't going to take it well. "But he's obviously not a murderer. He was exonerated and he's actually a really good guy." Scarlett assured her.
"That's beside the point Scarlett. The man is dangerous. Why else would the cops have been after him and-"
"I love him." Scarlett blurted out, stopping what Melissa was saying. "And I mean I really love him. Like, he's…the best thing that has ever happened to me and he's smart, a little intense at times but funny, and he always puts me first, he cares about what I think, he's there for me and he just…he makes me happy." She explained, not being able to stop the smile growing on her face.
Melissa knew that look all too well. Because she, herself, had worn that look many times before and she knew exactly what it meant and it just proved that Scarlett really was in love. It warmed her heart but also pained her, a little, to know that both her kids were experiencing their first loves. It meant that they were growing up and she didn't know if she was completely prepared for that.
"I trust you Scarlett. And I trust your judgement but I do need to meet him." Melissa said with a knowing smile.
"Seriously? Just like that?" Scarlett asked, surprised.
Melissa gave her a confused look. "Would you rather I ban you from seeing him…?"
"No, no, no. Of course not." Scarlett said quickly. "But, I don't think that Derek's really, you know, prepared for the whole 'meeting my mom' thing."
Melissa gave her a blank look. "How long have the two of you been dating?"
Scarlett looked down at the floor. "A while."
"A while?"
"Well…since just after school started back." Melissa's eyes widened at Scarlett's words.
"That long?" She questioned.
"It's not that long." Scarlett countered.
"Okay, I don't know whether to be offended that you waited this long to tell me or not, but either way, he's ready to meet me. And he's going to have to if he wants to keep dating my daughter." Melissa told her with a sweet smile.
"Fine." Scarlett muttered.
"Oh don't frown, Scar, I'm nice." Melissa pulled Scarlett in for a hug which she returned without complaint. "Okay, go change, you stink."
Scarlett rolled her eyes and hurried upstairs, taking the quickest shower of her life and changing into her work clothes before practically sprinting out of the house and back down to Derek's car.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry." She apologised when she got into the car.
Derek shook his head and started the car. "It's not me who's late for work." He said with a teasing smile. Scarlett rolled her eyes and put her seatbelt on as Derek sped down the road. Scarlett didn't really know how to break the news about her mom finding out to him so instead of talking; she turned on the radio and stared out the window, earning a strange look from Derek.
When they arrived at Aroma Dolce, Scarlett was about to get out of the car before Derek stopped her.
"What is it?" He asked.
"What's what?"
"You are never that quiet." He said blankly, making Scarlett sigh. Well, it was now or never.
"My mom knows about us and she wants to meet you. Love you, bye." She rushed out, kissing him quickly and jumping out of the car before he had time to reply.
Derek's face paled when she left. "Love you too." He said out loud, as if she'd hear it. He was in a state of shock. He knew that he'd eventually have to meet Melissa but he honestly didn't think it would be this soon. He wasn't prepared for that yet. But, was there really any way to be prepared for meeting your girlfriend's mom to begin with? Probably not. Derek never panicked, it just wasn't who he was but he was definitely panicked now. What if he said the wrong thing? What if he made a bad impression? What if Melissa ended up not liking him? He knew that even if Melissa told Scarlett to stop dating him, she wouldn't do it. She was too stubborn for that but, he also knew how much Melissa's opinion meant to Scarlett. She was her mom after all…
Derek remembered when his mother was still alive. He had so much respect for her. Everyone did. And just like everyone else, he sought out her approval, maybe more than others. But that's because she was his mother and he wanted to make her proud. In that way, he could relate to Scarlett. Which is exactly why he was panicked about fucking things up when he met Melissa.
Scarlett ran into the back of the café, set her stuff down and rushed to the till.
"Where in the world have you been?" Mary questioned.
"I know, I'm so late. Am I in trouble?" Scarlett asked, looking around for their manager.
"No," Mary shook her head. "I covered for your ass." She smirked.
"Thank you." Scarlett said before the smile faded from her face and she took a good look at Mary. She had lost some of the brightness from her eyes and her hair wasn't as voluminous as it usually was, but it was understandable why. "It's good to have you back, Mary." Scarlett pulled the blonde in for a tight hug. She hadn't really seen her since the funeral considering she'd taken quite a few days off. "How've you been?"
Mary nodded and gave a weak smile. "You know, pumpkin, I've seen better days but I'm good, really. I have healed as much as I can right now and the rest will happen over time." Scarlett nodded in understanding and got to work on serving customers. "How's it going with that guy you like?"
Scarlett smiled. "It's going good. We're…official, now, I guess."
"Oh! That's great news, sugar!" Mary smiled and hugged Scarlett again.
"Yeah, he's really great." Scarlett told her with a twinkle in her eye as she thought about Derek. She wondered how he was taking the news…
"Look at you, all in love. Seeing you this happy warms my heart, honey, it really does." Mary admitted with a small sigh.
Scarlett let out a melodic laugh. "Thank you."
Mary waved her hand. "No need to be thankful, sweetie, I'm just saying what's true."
"Oh, it's good to have you back." Scarlett reiterated with a happy sigh.
She hadn't expected to see Mary so…okay, after the funeral. To be honest, she didn't really know what to expect. She knew Mary was strong and she would pull through eventually but it seemed like she was getting through it quicker than she should be. Although, there's also the possibility that she's putting on a front to keep the pain she's feeling at bay. That was more than likely true but it didn't mean that Scarlett thought she was pretending to be all good. She knew she wasn't. You could see it in her appearance. Especially if you had seen Mary before Tucker's death. Even though the changes were slight, they still made a difference. But, Scarlett was more than happy that Mary was remaining strong, nonetheless, and she admired the fact that Mary managed to keep her spirits up, despite having had them crushed not so long ago.
Scarlett and Mary's shift seemed to fly in with all the laughing and joking around between the two of them but by the time it was finished, it was dark outside.
"Why the hell are you going to a rave? Do people still do that?" Mary asked with a laugh as Scarlett was locking up.
"I'm being forced to go by a friend, which reminds me…I need to make a call." Scarlett said, pulling out her phone as they walked to the back of the café and got their jackets. She could only think of one other person that might possibly want to go to the rave. Of course, it was a last resort but it was worth a shot.
"Alright, well I'm gonna go, pumpkin." Mary said sweetly. "You have fun at your rave and I'll see you for your next shift, on time I hope."
Scarlett laughed and gave Mary a hug. "I will definitely be on time, don't worry."
"Mhmm. And also, just remember that if this boyfriend of yours ever wrongs you in any way, one call to me and I will personally beat his sorry ass for you." Mary joked making Scarlett smile; she couldn't imagine Mary hurting a fly let alone an actual person.
"I'll keep that in mind." Mary was about to walk out the door but Scarlett stopped her. "And Mary, I really am glad that you're doing so well."
"I've learned to accept that things happen in life and you can't always control them but I guess you just have to go with it and believe that good things come of tragedy." Mary said with a smile and a reassuring nod.
Scarlett thought it over once Mary had walked out. Did good things really come of tragedy? She shook her head, maybe they did.
Looking at her phone again, she texted Derek asking for Erica's number. Erica being her last resort, she had to be able to contact her somehow rather than finding her in school and asking.
Derek's reply came quicker than she expected and Scarlett shrugged, dialling the number before walking out the door.
Whilst waiting for Erica to answer, she heard a noise coming from small alley next to the café. Her eyes narrowed and she walked over slowly before hearing a blood-curdling scream that made her break out into a run.
Her eyes widened in fear when she stopped.
"Hello?"
"Mary." Scarlett gasped, her phone slipping from her hand as she watched the Kanima holding Mary up against the wall with its tail before throwing her to the ground. Scarlett watched helplessly, frozen by fear. The Kanima shrieked and slashed Mary across the chest. "No!" Scarlett heard herself scream, making the Kanima look back at her and shriek again before running up the side of a building and disappearing from sight.
It was only when the Kanima was gone that Scarlett was able to move again. She bolted towards Mary's body and dropped to her knees beside her, yanking her cardigan off and pressing it against the wounds on Mary's chest, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God." Scarlett sobbed, checking Mary's neck for a pulse. There was one there but it was faint. Quickly, she got up and ran for her phone which she had dropped and picked it up with blood-covered hands. Erica had hung up but Scarlett hadn't even realised she'd answered in the first place. Her mind was too clouded by what was happening to Mary. She fumbled to gain control of her shaking hands, but when she did she called Derek rather than an ambulance, like she should have.
"Scarlett?" He answered.
By this point, Scarlett was back beside Mary's body, putting pressure on her wounds with one hand and holding the phone with the other all while crying hysterically.
"M-Mary, sh-she's, she's dying and I-I don't know wh-what to do! Please h-help me, Derek, please."
"Slow down." He told her. "Are you okay?"
"She's d-dying Derek! Oh my God, sh-she's dying…" Her voice broke as the sobs wracked through her.
"Scarlett, where are you?"
"B-behind the café, we're behind the café."
"I'm on my way." He said before hanging up and leaving Scarlett to drop her phone and cradle Mary's body to her own.
"You're gonna be okay. Y-you're gonna be f-fine, Mary." She tried to reassure her, smoothing back her blonde hair, causing it to become blood stained. Despite the fact that there was an extremely good chance Mary was already dead, Scarlett didn't want to believe it. She checked her pulse again and it was still there. It was becoming weaker but she didn't care. It was hope. And she would hold on to it.
Scarlett rocked Mary in her arms, not being able to control the tears that kept falling onto Mary's beautiful face. Mary's eyes were still open but they looked lifeless. Scarlett didn't want to take that as a sign she was gone. She couldn't.
"Scarlett!" She turned when she heard Derek's voice. Scarlett sighed with relief when she him and Isaac running towards them.
"It's okay Mary, we're gonna get you better, I promise. Just stay with me." Scarlett whispered, her mind going blank about everything else except for saving Mary.
"What happened?" Isaac asked as Derek dropped down beside Scarlett, checking Mary's wounds with a solemn look.
"It was Jackson, I mean the Kanima," She said before turning her attention to Derek. "I know that her pulse is weak but it's still there which means there's a chance of saving her, right?"
Derek looked at her strangely, she didn't seem like herself. "Scar…there's no pulse." He wondered how she didn't know that. Mary wasn't breathing and her chest was practically ripped open.
"No." Scarlett protested with a small smile. "Look," She took Mary's wrist and held it up to Derek, making him put his fingers on her pulse. "She has a pulse, Derek. She's still alive but we have to go and get her to a hospital or else she won't be." She was about to stand up but Derek stopped her, placing both hands on her shoulders.
"Scarlett, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Mary has no pulse. She's dead."
"Stop saying that!" Scarlett growled, pushing his hands away and standing up. "Just get her up so we can take her to the hospital. They'll be able to stitch her up and she'll be fine. She'll be fine." She whispered to herself.
Derek and Isaac shared a pained look. "She doesn't have a heartbeat." Isaac told Scarlett, who ran her shaky hands through her hair.
"Yes, she does. You just can't hear it because you're too far away." She brushed off his comment. Come on, we're wasting time! We have to get her to the hospital." Scarlett stressed. Why weren't they doing anything?
"There's nothing any doctors can do, Scarlett. And even if she was still alive, her wounds are too bad to heal." Derek told her honestly.
Scarlett blanked out the part about Mary 'still being alive.' "Well then bite her. Turn her and the wounds will heal, right?"
Finally realising what Scarlett was going through, Derek took her hand and pulled her back down to Mary's lifeless body. "Scarlett, you're in a shock but you need to understand that we can't bring her back."
"No, no, no. She isn't dead!" She shouted, refusing to believe it.
"Look, Scar," Derek said, taking two of her fingers and pressing them to his pulse point on his wrist. "You feel that? That's my pulse." He told her, before moving her fingers to Mary's pulse point and waiting for her to realise.
"There's nothing there." Scarlett whispered vacantly, the realisation finally kicking in. "She's dead." She said, the tears that had stopped falling beginning to fall again. "Oh my God, she's dead." Her eyes widened and she touched Mary's face, feeling how cold it had become. "No…this can't be happening. She was, she was alive and now she's just…gone. I didn't save her. I could have…I could've saved her…"
"No, you couldn't have." Derek told her. "I'm sorry but we have to go, Scarlett. We can't stay here."
Isaac stepped forward to help Scarlett up but she slapped his hands away. "Don't touch me!" She snapped, turning back to Mary, smoothing her hair back again. "We can't just leave her here." She whispered.
"Come on, Scar, we have to go." Derek told her carefully, putting his arms around her and more or less dragging her up from the ground.
"No! We can't…we can't just leave her here!" Scarlett shouted, flailing her arms and trying to get back to Mary's body. "Please!" Derek fought to get her in control without hurting her and eventually it worked and she turned into his chest, fisting his jacket in her hands and sobbing. "Please, Derek, please don't make me leave her here."
"It's okay...we won't leave her." He reassured her, turning to Isaac. "Call Scott and get him here now."
Isaac did as he was told while Derek tried to calm Scarlett, holding her tightly and rubbing her back. After a while, her crying subsided and she was left shaking and staring wide-eyed at the ground, trying to register what had happened. Derek let her go quickly and took his jacket off, wrapping it around her shoulders before pulling her back into his chest.
"I'm so sorry this happened, Scar." He whispered into her hair. He felt like shit for not being able to do anything. Scarlett didn't deserve this.
The three of them stood there, not saying a word to one another until Scott arrived.
"What the hell happened?!" He shouted, taking in Mary's body and Scarlett's red-rimmed eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked her, eying Derek's arms around her. Scarlett gave him a blank look before stepping out of Derek's embrace.
"She's dead, Scotty." She told him, her voice weak. Scott sighed and wrapped his arms around his sister. He hadn't known Mary near as well as Scarlett had but he had known her enough to be sad about her death. She had always been good-hearted and she didn't deserve what had happened to her.
"Why did you need me here?" Scott asked, still holding Scarlett in his arms.
Derek sighed and answered. "You're the only one who won't look suspicious when the police show up."
That was true. Both Derek and Isaac had been in trouble with the police and if they see either of them near a dead body, things would not go down well.
"Well what do I say when they do show up?" Scott asked.
"Nothing. You tell them you were walking past and you saw her. That's it." Derek told him.
"Have either of you actually called the police?" Scott queried. They both gave him blank looks and he sighed. "Of course you haven't." He let go of Scarlett and took out his phone. "Make sure Scarlett gets home safely." He said, giving his sister a sad look before dialling 911.
It was silent in the car back to Scarlett's house. No one had anything to say.
When they arrived, Derek got out the car with Scarlett and stopped her before she went up to the house.
"Are you okay?" He asked, checking her over again just to make sure she wasn't hurt in any way.
"If I had just walked out with her…" Scarlett began before Derek cut her off.
"If you were with her then you could've been hurt too."
"But she didn't just get hurt, Derek, she died. And I could have prevented that if I had stayed with her. What the hell does it matter if I got hurt if it meant she would have lived?" Scarlett stressed, running a hand through her hair.
"Don't say that." He said warningly.
"Why not?"
"Because if it came down to her dying or you getting hurt, in any way, I would choose her death. Every time."
"How can you say that?" Scarlett asked, not actually feeling as shocked as she should. She knew that he would always pick her life over anything. And as selfish as it sounded, she needed to accept that.
"Because she meant nothing to me, but you mean everything." He told her, without having to think about it. "I can't lose you…I love you." He whispered, forcing her to look into his eyes.
Scarlett nodded and let a stray tear fall. "I love you too." She reached up and pressed her lips hard against his, as if kissing him would erase the memory of what happened. It didn't though. Nothing would. The memory of feeling so helpless and the image of Mary's mangled body would be forever seared into Scarlett's mind.
Scarlett sat in bed the next morning, looking at a picture of herself and Mary, taken at work a year ago. They were both wearing bright smiles and they looked so full of life. It was almost funny how much things had changed. Now, Mary was gone from the world and Scarlett looked drained of almost all happiness. But, like Mary had when Tucker died, Scarlett would have to find a way to get past it or at least put up a front.
She sucked in a deep breath and looked at the picture once more with a frown before telling herself that Mary wouldn't have wanted her to sulk. In fact, she probably would have shouted at her to put a smile on her face, so that's what she did. And instead of thinking about what happened last night, she thought back to happier memories and actually ended up making herself laugh. She looked up when she heard the door open and the smile faded from her face.
"I take it you heard about what happened to Mary." Melissa said sympathetically, walking over to sit on the edge of Scarlett's bed.
"Yeah." Scarlett murmured, putting the picture back beside her bed. Melissa then took the picture back and smiled at it.
"Mary always did have a dazzling smile." She said absentmindedly before looking back at Scarlett and giving her a hug, which Scarlett returned almost gratefully, most definitely in need of her mother's comfort. "I'm so sorry sweetheart. I know how close you two were."
Scarlett shook her head against Melissa's shoulder. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. It was just a cruel twist of fate…one of life's curveballs, I guess. And I'm sad about it but I know she wouldn't want me to be so I'm not going to dwell on it."
"Honey, if you need to grieve then you should, don't try and bottle this up." Melissa told her carefully.
"I'm not bottling it up I just can't let this bring me down…I'll heal with time." Scarlett said, sounding sure of herself. Melissa was proud that she was able to handle this so well but there was a part of her that knew not everything was the way Scarlett made it out to be.
"Okay, well, you better get up for school then." Melissa sighed, getting off the bed, putting the picture back and walking out of the room.
Scarlett tied her hair up and got out of bed, grabbing her phone on the way to brush her teeth. She dialled Erica's number again and waited for it to ring.
"Okay, seriously, who is this?" Erica answered on the second ring.
"Don't sound so happy to hear from me." Scarlett said sarcastically.
"Scarlett? How'd you get my number?"
"Derek gave it to me." She answered.
"Should've guessed. By the way, I heard about your friend and I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Scarlett said immediately, not wanting to hear about Mary anymore. She couldn't bear everyone talking about what happened, even though that's all she would hear today. "Anyway, how do you feel about going to a rave?"
"The one tonight?" Erica asked.
"Mhmm."
"Well, Isaac and I were going to get tickets today."
"Well now Isaac just needs to get one for himself because I have an extra ticket."
"What? Derek didn't want to go with you?" Scarlett could hear the smirk in her voice and she rolled her eyes.
"Do you want it or not?"
"Yes, I want it."
"Great." Scarlett said before hanging up and carrying on with getting ready.
The car ride to school was spent with Scott and Stiles talking to each other in the front of the jeep and Scott continuously glancing back at Scarlett to make sure she was still okay. For some reason, he thought she was going to crack at some point but the truth was, she had already cracked last night when she refused to believe that Mary was dead. She still didn't know what had happened to her and why she had acted like that. Although, it might have been a clear sign that she wasn't good at handling death.
When they were about to pull into the parking lot, Scott looked at Scarlett again and she snapped.
"Scott! I am fine, seriously. You don't have to keep checking on me." She told him.
"I'm just worried about you Scar." Scott said sympathetically.
"As am I." Stiles chimed in, parking the jeep and giving her a look as he let her out.
"Well you don't have to be. I can take care of myself." She said, giving Stiles a pat on the shoulder as she walked past him.
They were approached by Matt as they were making their way into the school. "Any of you know why no one's getting suspended after what happened?" The other three shrugged.
"It wasn't a serious fight, no one got hurt." Stiles said.
Matt looked confused. "I-I had a concussion."
"Well, no one got seriously hurt." Stiles countered.
"I was in the ER for six hours." Matt explained making Scarlett cringe. She didn't know he'd been hurt that badly.
"You wanna know the truth, Matt? Your little bump on the head is about this high on our list of problems right now." Stiles explained, hovering his hand a foot off the ground to signify how irrelevant Matt's injury was.
"Ignore him, he's easily agitated." Scarlett said, shaking her head. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine I guess." Matt answered, giving Stiles a look.
"Well, then that's good. You're up on your feet which is a sign of good health." Scarlett told him. "I'll probably see you tonight."
"Us too." Scott added in, making Scarlett give him a look.
"You're trying to get tickets?" She asked.
"You should keep looking on line, sounds like everyone's gonna be there." Matt informed them before walking away.
"I don't like him." Stiles said immediately after he was gone.
"You should have told me you wanted to go." Scarlett said, hitting Scott's shoulder.
"What? Why?" He asked, confused.
"Because, dumbass, I had an extra ticket."
"You did? Who'd you give it to?"
Scarlett frowned. "Erica." Scott gave her a disbelieving look before walking ahead with Stiles. "What?" Scarlett called out helplessly before sighing and jogging to catch up with them. "Why are you going anyway?"
Scott stopped walking and faced her and Stiles. "The master of the Kanima had to finish the job last time because Jackson couldn't go through with it." Scarlett tensed at the mention of Jackson and Scott gave her a look before continuing to talk. "What do you think he's gonna do next time?"
"He's gonna be there to make sure it gets done." Stiles answered, connecting the dots.
"Well, if that son of a bitch is always going to be there to witness the kill since Jackson couldn't kill the pregnant woman…does that mean he was there last night?" Scarlett asked, trying to remember if she saw anyone unusual hanging around last night at the café.
"Maybe…I don't know." Scott answered with a shake of his head.
"I just really want to put a stop to all the murdering." Scarlett admitted. Scott turned and put his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye.
"And we will. Hopefully tonight if the person controlling Jackson is there." He told her.
"Well, that is if we actually get tickets." Stiles added on, making both Scarlett and Scott give him a small glare. "What? I'm just being realistic."
Later on, Scarlett exited the jeep along with Scott and Stiles when they arrived at the warehouse where the rave was taking place.
"Are you okay?" At first Scarlett thought Scott was talking to her but when she turned around she realised the question was directed at Stiles.
"What?" Stiles asked.
"You've been silent the whole way here I just thought…"
"No, I'm fine, just grab the other bag." Stiles said, brushing it off and pulling out a black bag.
"I can't." Scott countered. "Remember Deaton said you had to do it alone."
"Do what alone?" Scarlett chimed in.
"Ok, this plan is really starting to suck." Stiles said, ignoring Scarlett's question.
"What plan? You guys have a plan?" Scarlett asked.
"We have a plan to trap Jackson and whoever's controlling him and we need Stiles to spread this mountain-ash stuff around the perimeter of the warehouse." Scott explained.
"And why is he the only one that can do it?"
"I think it has something to do with him being human." Scott answered.
"Well, I'm human. I'll help him. Give me the bag Stiles." Scarlett shrugged, holding her hand out for the other bag.
"Well, I guess it is safer than you being inside." Scott said absentmindedly.
"Yeah, but just make sure you believe that it can work." Stiles warned her, making her give him a confused look. "I'll explain later."
Scott perked up and looked away from them and towards the warehouse with a worried look. "No, not here…not now." He muttered before taking off running inside.
"But, Scott- what are we supposed to…" Stiles trailed off when he realised Scott wasn't listening or coming back either. He groaned and threw his bag onto the ground. "This plan officially sucks."
Scarlett rolled her eyes before walking back to the jeep, picking up her bag full of mountain-ash and giving Stiles an encouraging slap on the back. "Come on, let's just get this done." Stiles rolled his eyes but picked the bag back up anyway. "Okay so, line the outside of this place with this stuff and…?"
"That's it." Stiles filled in with a shrug.
"Oh." Scarlett said. "Well, then it should be easy."
Stiles ran a hand over his head and sighed. "I guess so. I'll go left, you go right?" Scarlett nodded her head in agreement, making a small hole in the bottom of her bag so that the ash would be able to pour out as she walked.
As Scarlett walked carefully and alone, making sure there were no gaps where the ash fell as she went, her mind decided to bring forth memories of Mary from before everything happened…again. The memories of the two of them staying in the café after it had shut to drink coffee and talk about anything and everything. All the laughs they shared together when they felt like they didn't have a care in the world. Back when Mary was still alive and everyday was just one day closer to her wedding with Tucker. A wedding that would never get to take place because of how cruel the world was. As Scarlett thought of that, images of Mary's dead body flashed in her mind and she shivered, shaking herself out of her own dark thoughts.
When she had come back to reality, Scarlett realised that she was almost at the point where she was to meet Stiles. Walking further, letting the ashes fall from the bag as she did so, she noticed Stiles doing the same as her and walking towards her with his eyes focused on the ash coming out of the bag. When he looked up and saw her, he stopped and so did she. There was a good fifty feet left between them and Scarlett didn't have enough ash left to cover all of it but, she guessed Stiles would.
"I haven't got enough left." Scarlett told him, emptying the remaining contents of the bag into her hand.
Stiles narrowed his eyes and shook out his bag into his hand, mimicking what Scarlett had done. He looked at the handful of ash and then back to Scarlett with a worried look. "I don't think I do either." As he said that, both of them perked up at the sound of gunfire. "What the hell's that?"
"Guns." Scarlett said. "And my guess is that they're being fired by hunters." She shook her head, and kept a calm exterior, although inside, there was a whole range of different emotions. But, they were mostly fear, for Derek's life, of course, because she knew of all the werewolves that could have been getting shot at, the likelihood was that it was him and along with the fear, she felt disappointment, in herself, for not realising there was a plan and not having a bigger role in it other than spreading magic fairy dust around the outside of a building when her brother was inside doing God knows what and her boyfriend was being shot at by professional werewolf hunters that would love nothing more than to see him dead.
This is why she needed that hunter training more than ever now. So that she could actually help out instead of being 'protected' by not being included.
"I'm gonna call Scott." Stiles made a move to take out his phone but Scarlett stopped him.
"Why do we need to call Scott?" She asked, tired of both of them having to rely on other people because they were humans.
Stiles gave her an incredulous look. "Because he'll know what to do."
"We haven't even tried to finish it. So, let's just see how it goes." Scarlett tried to persuade him.
"But-"
"What was it you wanted to tell me earlier? About…believing it can work or something?" She said, cutting off his protest.
Stiles sighed and thought back to what Deaton had told him before nodding. "In order for all of this to work, you have to believe it'll work…you have to imagine it working."
"Okay, so let's just picture it working and, uh, maybe it will?" Scarlett pondered, thinking that the whole thing sounded kind of cheesy but deciding it was better than nothing. Stiles nodded again and they both took a deep breath simultaneously before beginning to walk towards each other, both of them letting the ash in their hand fall as they took careful steps.
"Believe it'll work, just imagine it…" Stiles mumbled to himself as he walked.
Scarlett stopped when she felt the ash run out in her hands and she didn't see Stiles right in front of her. They both sighed and looked at each other, feeling disappointed that it hadn't worked before they looked down at the line of ash and saw it was connected. Their eyes widened and smiles appeared on both of their faces.
"Yes!" Stiles cheered.
"We did it!" Scarlett said with a disbelieving laugh, almost jumping on Stiles to hug him. She embraced him tightly, feeling like she hadn't hugged him in a long time. "See, humans aren't useless." Scarlett shrugged when she pulled back.
"Damn right." Stiles agreed, kissing the top of Scarlett's head, making her laugh and sigh.
"Hey…" She gave him a look. "Do you wanna talk about why you were so upset earlier?" She asked, thinking back to the silent car jouney.
Stiles shook his head. "No more than you want to talk about what happened to Mary."
Scarlett nodded. "Fair point."
Noticing the look on her face, Stiles decided to change the subject. "Come on, we have to go find Scott." He told her, grasping her hand.
"Wait, I have to make sure Derek's okay." Scarlett protested, pulling Stiles in the opposite direction.
Stiles shook his head and yanked her back away from where they had heard the gunfire and growls earlier. "Oh, no, no, no. Derek will be fine but I won't be if I let you walk over there and you get killed so let's go."
Scarlett huffed but listened to Stiles anyway. He was right, like always. Derek was perfectly capable of handling himself and she was just paranoid, like always.
The two of them ran inside and pushed their way through the throng of people, dancing to the deafening music.
"Scarlett!" Scarlett turned at the squeal of Taylor's voice.
"Taylor..." Scarlett said, making Stiles stop and look at the girls impatiently.
Taylor's face dropped when she saw Stiles. "You brought Stilinksi?"
"Um no-"
"We have to go." Stiles snapped, cutting off what Scarlett was going to say and giving Taylor a small glare for the way she looked at him disapprovingly.
"Yeah, sorry Taylor, have fun." Scarlett said quickly, letting Stiles begin to lead her away again.
"You too! But not with Stilinksi!" Taylor shouted over the music, making both Scarlett and Stiles roll their eyes.
"Sorry about that." Scarlett apologised to Stiles.
"It's cool." He assured her quickly.
It wasn't long until they found a small and dingy backroom where Isaac and Erica were supposed to be. Stiles pushed the door open and as soon as he did, Erica and Isaac were ready to attack.
"Whoa, it's just us. It's just us." Stiles assured them, putting up his hands. Scarlett walked in behind him and closed the door before looking at Jackson who was tied up on a chair, knocked out.
"How'd you get him like that?" She asked.
"Uh, Deaton gave Scott a dose of ketamine to take Jackson out for a little while." Stiles answered, looking around at the werewolves and Jackson as well.
"Ah." Scarlett said, nodding. "Just another part of the plan I wasn't aware of."
Stiles sighed and turned to her. "Look, we just didn't think you needed to be involved, you know, because you've already been through enough."
"That wasn't yours, or Scott's or anyone else's choice to make." Scarlett countered.
"Can you two save the whole tough love thing for later?" Isaac asked, sounding bored. Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him but shook her head and stopped herself from forming an unnecessary argument.
"Yeah, whatever." Stiles muttered. "He okay?" He asked, referring to Jackson.
"Let's find out." Isaac said, walking towards Jackson and flicked his hand, making his claws appear. He raised his hand and went to slash at Jackson but without waking up, Jackson caught his arm and bent it backwards, causing Isaac to let out a pain-filled noise as he fell to the ground. Scarlett's eyes widened and she gasped, moving back a bit as Isaac got his arm out of Jackson's grip and moved back to stand with the other three teens again.
"Okay, no one does anything like that again!" Stiles stressed.
Isaac gasped in pain, clutching his arm. "I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out." He said through clenched teeth.
"Yeah, well apparently this is all we're going to get so let's just hope whoever's controlling him decided to show up tonight." Stiles told him.
"Are you okay?" Scarlett asked Isaac.
"I'll be fine, I think." He replied, the look on his face clearly showing her that he didn't think he'd be fine.
"I'm here." All four of them looked up slowly, towards Jackson, whose eyes had snapped open so that he could give them all a deadly look. "I'm right here with you."
"How's he doing that?" Scarlett asked, her voice panicked.
"I don't know." Stiles murmured, moving closer to squat down in front of Jackson. "Jackson, is that you?" He asked.
"Us." Jackson answered in a different voice. In a voice that didn't even sound like it belonged to him. It was loud and deep and it gave Scarlett the creeps, along with the whole situation they were in. "We're all here."
Stiles turned and gave Scarlett, Erica and Isaac a worried look before turning back to Jackson. "Are you the one killing people?"
"We're the ones killing murderers." Jackson said, looking like a puppet being pulled by strings.
"So then all the people you killed…" Scarlett pondered.
"Deserved it." Jackson answered sharply.
"Like hell they did." Scarlett spat. She knew that Mary had never murdered anyone. And neither had Tucker. They were the kind of people that weren't even capable of hurting someone, let alone killing them.
"See, we got a little rule book that says you only go after murderers." Stiles said, trying to keep the calm.
"Anything can break if enough pressure's applied." Jackson told him, the voice sounding smug.
"So all the people you're killing are murderers then?" Stiles asked.
"All. Each. Every one of them." Jackson answered, sounding angry.
"Well, who did they murder?"
"Me." The voice boomed.
"What do you mean?" Scarlett asked from behind Stiles.
"They murdered me." Jackson answered, causing everyone to look around, confused and frightened before they looked at Jackson again and saw him beginning to turn.
The four teens backed up against the wall together, looking at Jackson as his skin turned scaly and his claws grew.
"Holy shit…" Scarlett muttered, feeling as if things were going to take a turn for the worst. Well, worse than what they already were.
"Okay, more ketamine. The man needs more ketamine." Stiles said, his voice shaky.
"We don't have any left." Isaac told him, holding up the empty bottle. Well, this was bad. How the hell were two werewolves and two humans supposed to keep Jackson from turning into the kanima and killing his next victim?
"You used the whole bottle?" Stiles asked, incredulous. Isaac shrugged helplessly.
"Uh…" Erica shook Stiles' arm, making both him and Isaac turn to see Jackson standing up and convulsing before screeching at them.
"Uh, okay, out. Everybody out." Stiles rushed, pushing Scarlett and Erica towards the door.
They all ran out and shut the door behind them, pressing their backs against it to try and prevent Jackson from getting out.
"Find something to move in front of the door!" Isaac shouted, making them all look around but then shrink back as Jackson, in full kanima form, jumped through the wall and ran off. They stared in horror as he went and they were left with nothing but a massive whole in the wall.
Scarlett followed Stiles outside, with a bunch of other people leaving the rave while Isaac and Erica went off in search of Jackson. The two teens walked towards Stiles' jeep and stepped over the line of mountain-ash before they saw Derek jogging over to meet them.
"Why the hell are you here?" Scarlett scoffed at the words that came out of Derek's mouth.
"I told you I was coming here. I invited you." She told him, giving him a disbelieving look.
"You shouldn't be here." He stressed, ignoring Stiles' presence while he talked to Scarlett.
"Yeah, um, we lost Jackson inside." Stiles informed Derek as Scarlett rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.
Derek's eyes widened as he looked at them both before turning his attention to Isaac and Erica who had just walked out of the warehouse but stopped short when they saw the line of mountain ash and couldn't cross over it.
"Yes! It worked, oh my God, I did something right!" Stiles cheered, amazed that the whole thing wasn't some made up crap.
"Scott." Derek said out of the blue, looking around.
Scarlett uncrossed her arms and looked up at him. "What?"
"Break it." He said, referring to the line of ash.
"What? No way." Stiles protested.
"Derek, what's wrong with Scott?" Scarlett asked, panicking setting in for Scott's safety. Oh God, what if the hunters had gotten to him? Or what if he was taking on the Kanima by himself?
"Scott's dying!" Derek shouted.
"Wait, how do you know that?" Stiles asked, stopping his protest.
"I just know! Break it!"
Stiles was reluctant but Scarlett freaked and pushed him out of the way before dropping to her knees and breaking the line quickly. As soon as she did, Derek ran over it and disappeared inside to find Scott. Scarlett got up and was about to run after him but Stiles pulled her back for the second time tonight.
"What are you doing?!" She shouted. "We have to go help Scott!"
"No, Derek will help Scott. You need to stay here and stop trying to get both of us killed!" Stiles stressed.
"Stiles!" She struggled against his grip but he didn't let her go.
"Calm down Scar. They'll be back soon, just come wait over here." He coaxed her calmly, bringing her to wait beside his jeep.
Despite the incredible urge she felt to go and help save her brother, Scarlett did her best to calm herself and believe what Stiles said.
Erica and Isaac ran off to find Boyd and catch a ride with him, leaving Scarlett and Stiles to wait and watch all the people from the rave clear out when the police showed up. When they did, the two teens blended into the crowd so that they wouldn't be questioned for being at yet another crime scene.
When the coast was clear, they made their way back to Stiles' jeep and weren't waiting for more than five minutes before they saw Derek carrying Scott. Scarlett's eyes widened and she ran towards them, tears in her eyes.
"Oh my God. Is he…is he dead?" She asked brokenly, looking at her unconscious brother.
"No, but he's in bad shape." Derek answered, continuing to walk to Stiles' jeep. Scarlett sighed in relief and wiped away the tears. "We need to get him to Deaton."
Stiles nodded and hurriedly helped Derek put Scott in the car before getting in along with Scarlett and Derek. The car ride to the vet was silent. It seemed there was a lot of silence between all of them lately. Probably because the only thing there was to talk about was death and the death to come. And no one wanted to talk about that.
When they pulled up to the clinic, Derek carried Scott inside and Scarlett followed with Stiles.
"What happened?" Deaton asked, immediately leading them through to the operating room.
"Argent's wife was trying to kill him." Derek told him, his voice sounding vacant as he lay Scott down on the steel table.
"That wound looks pretty deep." Deaton said, motioning to Derek's arm where he had a gash that was gushing with blood.
"It'll heal. Just help Scott." He said.
"Here," Deaton took a cloth and handed it to Derek, who took it gratefully and pressed it to his arm to stop the blood. "Sit down."
Derek walked over to the only seat in the room and sat down, looking worn out. Scarlett and Stiles both watched silently as Deaton treated Scott's wound. When he was finished, he gave them all a curt nod before moving to walk out of the room.
"Thank you." Scarlett said, walking over to Scott and taking a hold of his hand, waiting for him to wake up. Deaton gave her a small smile, walking out into the front office. Stiles sighed and slid down the wall to sit on the floor without a word.
"Are you okay?" Scarlett heard Derek ask from behind her. She didn't turn around; she just squeezed Scott's hand tighter.
"Not really."