Chapter 47

Melanie lied about the nightmare. She said it was just another one about the fighting ring and was thankful when Isaac believed it without a fuss. However, he didn't believe her about feeling sick. She pissed and moaned with a crackly voice, but he ignored her and continued with his routine, brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

She slipped on her white flip-flops.

"You don't need to come with me. I'm just going by the house. It was a bad dream," Melanie hollered up the stairs.

She grabbed her green jacket off the back of the couch and slipped on. Isaac came out from the bathroom and paused. His gaze fell over her and she caught the lazy grin. She looked down at her ensemble. There wasn't much femininity to it today. Lydia would be ashamed. Just a white V-neck and skinny jeans.

"This is your shirt, you know," she informed him.

"I like it," he said, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her against him. She melted easily like ice to fire.

"I figured you would." She touched his smooth cheek lovingly.

"Now, where are we going," he asked.

"Going?" Her eyebrows popped up confused. "Ha, no," she said with a quick laugh that fell into a thin lipped frown.

"You were screaming in your sleep. I'm not leaving you alone."

"I'm not some weak woman!"

"I know that, but you seem to forget that you're not as resilient as some of us."

Melanie huffed. He wasn't wrong. Over the years that she had grown up with Derek and Laura, she'd forgotten about how easy it was to get hurt. Fear of danger slipped away.

"I'm fine."

"You were kidnapped and dumped in a fighting ring filled with supernaturals or did you forget?"

"Of course I haven't!" she exclaimed. She moved away, shaking her head. He reached out, but she threw her hands up. "I'm still having nightmares! Isaac, you can't watch my every move."

"And I can't deal with you going and chasing all of these hunches."

"These hunches are getting us closer to finding out who the darach is. If we find out who it is before the lunar eclipse we could stop her, and we're so close."

She was so sure about this. She flexed her fingers as if touching this closeness. Everyone was stressed.

Isaac paced across the room, his fists clenched. He didn't focus on anything and mumbled to himself. Melanie sat down on the arm of the couch. She crossed her arms over her chest. Though she couldn't deny how attractive he looked when he got all annoyed, there wasn't time for his deep need to use the buddy system.

"We are a team. Wherever you go I go." He said with finality.

He stepped in front of her and placed his hands on her knees, leaning his weight on them. The pressure of his palms felt funny, ticklish kind of. She looked off to side, avoiding his gaze. He wasn't going to win this argument she decided. Not one bit.

"Hey, look at me," he said softly. Melanie's lips puckered. He touched her cheek tenderly, turning her head so that she looked him in the eyes. "Wherever you go I go."

"Fine." Melanie resigned.

"Don't be like that."

She didn't know how to react. He didn't trust her to be on her own. It wasn't as if she was searching out the darach specifically. That was suicidally stupid. Stiles and Scott would be the ones capable of that idiocy. She had to go to prom and graduate still. Possibly finding more information on who and what the darach was though? That was monumentally important. That dream gave her the idea to check the remains of Hale house. It wouldn't bring back those were already dead. If there was any evidence out there it could help keep more from joining them.

Isaac pulled his hands away and opened the front door. He swung her car keys around his finger. The annoyance was gone and he quirked an eyebrow.

"C'mon. Let's go on an adventure. It'll be our senior skip day."

Melanie chuckled at that.

"Haven't I had too many of those already?" she said as she got up.

"Not with me." He smirked.

Her vexation turned into a soft blush. She followed him out to the car and they drove up to the remains of the Hale house. Sunlight spilled through the spring green leaves, coloring the glossy black car golden. Melanie rolled up her sleeves and looked around. The place wasn't as scary in the middle of the day. Not seeing that monster filled her with relief. Granted, it had been a dream, but it did feel real. Subconsciously, she rubbed her side while looking back at the house. Laura had come out onto the porch. Melanie went up the stairs and into the house. Light filtered into the dank, musty foyer from what used to be the living room.

"What are we doing here?" Isaac asked.

"I just wanted to look around." Melanie replied.

"Why?"

"Just uh, wanted a look. Derek suggested it." It was a blatant lie. He gave her a skeptical look, but he didn't question it.

Melanie made her way up the stairs. On the fourth step then stopped. It creaked and the wood bending underneath her foot. Isaac had wandered into the living room. She knelt down and pressed on the step with her hand.

"So, what color is your dress?" Isaac asked.

Dress? Prom. Shit. She hadn't gone dress shopping yet. She planned on it. Lydia and Allison were going on Saturday. She'd go with them.

"Uh, it's a surprise."

"Can I get a hint?" he asked playfully.

"Nope." Melanie pulled at the board, wiggling it back and forth. The rusty nails holding it down whined as they pulled up. With a hard, final yank it came loose. She tossed the board aside. The hollow step was black inside. Shakily, she stuck her hand down into. Cobwebs twirled around her fingers and wrist as she felt around. Her entire arm was in the hole when her fingers brushed against something coarse. She reached deeper to get a grasp. Her fingernails scraped along the cover. She winced and gathered a hold on whatever it was, praying it wouldn't bite her.

It was a book. Melanie brushed the covers. Her lips parted in disbelief. These were the stories that Laura had told her when she was younger.

Isaac glanced at her on the drive back to the house. She pushed up her glasses as she scoured the pages.

"Go to the clinic." She said, her voice coming out monotone.

"Okay…" he trailed off.

It started to rain when they got there. Vibrant, purple lightning crawled across the sky.

"Deaton!" she called from the lobby.

She went behind the main desk. Deaton was in his office. He looked up from a file on his desk. Isaac remained in the doorway.

"Melanie, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"What can you tell me about this?" Melanie asked as she set the book down in front of him. It was open to a specific story: Mother Nature's Sweet Child.

Stiles's face was lit up by the screen of his laptop. His fingers sprang across the keyboard. It was the same information over and over, most of which was from fan sites. It was hard to tell what was true out of it all. He rubbed his tired eyes and leaned back in his chair. He hadn't slept yet and his nerves were shot from the two pots of coffee he drained.

"I hear that if you stare at a computer screen for too long it'll mess up your eyes."

Stiles spun in his chair to see Cora leaning against his window sill.

"Isn't it the guy's job to crawl through windows? You know, promote the whole boyfriend thing."

Cora tilted her head sideways, smiling softly. Her hair fell behind from her shoulder like a silk curtain.

"It would be entertaining to watch you try to climb through my window, but I enjoy the occasional climb," she said.

She pushed from her spot and moved toward him. He watched her closely as she peered at his computer every search link on the list of Google results page was purple, showing he'd clicked on every one.

"You need a break," she said.

She closed his laptop. He let out a relieving sigh. She took his hands and pulled him up to his feet. He teetered a little. His arms snaked around her waist, and rested his head on her small shoulder. She rubbed her hands along his biceps and shoulders. He'd gained some defined muscle from all of their training. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You should sleep," she said soothingly.

"Stay?"

Cora just helped him lay down. He fell back on the bed with a soft thump. The mattress bounced a little. His mouth opened in a long yawn. He watched her unlace her shoes and take off her jacket.

She laid down in the crook of his arm. Her hand splayed over his chest.

"Hey," he said. His eyes were closed now. His breathing deepened and his head felt fuzzy and airy as he started to fall asleep.

"Hm." Cora replied, sleepily too.

"I know you don't go to our school or anything and this isn't the most romantic way of asking-you probably don't even want to go-"

"Stiles," she cut him off. "Are you asking me to your stupid prom?"

He opened his eyes and looked down at her, his eyebrows piquing amused. She drew shapes over his abdomen.

"That, uh, depends-did-would you want to-to go?" he stuttered.

Derek still didn't like the idea of him being with his little sister. Derek still had trouble with Isaac being with Melanie. Stiles wasn't letting Cora get away though. Derek could lay down all of the beatings he wanted. In fact, he was pretty sure he could take Derek. His fighting had improved. Grab his trusty bat-Melissa's trusty bat, and he could get a few swings before Derek snapped his neck.

Stiles cared about Cora. He couldn't think of the rights words to describe how much he cared about her. She was crude and abhorrently emotionless sometimes but her rare and personal moments were flawless because she was loyal, tender and openly happy. She was many things that, on a Hale, would appear to be mythical.

Derek wasn't going to scare him away from that. She had her way of calming the anxiety that made his mind race in a million different directions. It was a simple look sometimes. When he rambled it was her kissing him. Focusing on her kept him center. Can humans have anchors?

Cora was quiet. He figured that she fell asleep.

"Yes, I'll go," she said right then, her voice distant.

Stiles grinned and kissed the top of her head.

"So, you're going to prom with Scott?" Lydia asked as she pulled her brush through her soft hair. She didn't give her eyeball about how easily she fell back in love with him. Some people were meant to be and they were pathetic. Nonetheless, it was weird that they broke up to begin with. She stayed quiet about Eternal circle that was them. Allison owned sharp objects and she wanted to avoid coming in close contact with them.

"Yeah," Allison said. She tapped the eraser end of her pencil on her notebook.

"You two were always cute together anyway." Lydia spouted. "It's not going to be like homecoming again, right?"

She turned on her plush stool to look at her best friend. Allison's smile faded as that memory played over in her head.

"No. Hell no." Allison chuckled. "Plus, we already know Scott's a werewolf."

Lydia rolled her eyes. The reflection of herself in the mirror stared sorrowfully at her with rosy blushed cheeks. Her chest felt hollow with how it beat so strangely in her chest. It thumped hard in its cavity. She took in a deep breath and set her brush down.

"Aiden hasn't asked me yet," she said finally.

"What?" Allison sat up. Her mouth wavered, searching for the right words. "I'm sure he will. He's probably trying to get you worked up to make you think he's not going to ask."

"I think I'll go alone actually." She wasn't upset by the thought. She sounded pleased about the decision. "I always thought about how special prom would be. I was going to have a gorgeous white dress, the bodice laden with pearls. Possibly be named prom queen. I was going to be with Jackson."

Allison's lips drooped with a frown. Lydia got up and plopped down beside Allison.

"That is not history homework," Lydia said. She snatched Allison's notebook away.

"Finstock, the twins, Miss Blake, Mr. Harris? You've taken up Stiles's knack for a suspect list. Why is Mr. Harris on here? He's dead."

Lydia gave her a skeptical look. Allison sat up and crossed her legs.

"He's weird. Plus, people don't exactly stay dead around here," Allison replied.

"And Miss Blake?"

"She's new. New people are always possible suspects."

"You were new at one point." Lydia pointed out with a flat look.

"And if you recall, I went nuts after my mother was killed. Also, Melanie told Derek and Scott that it's a woman."

Lydia rolled her eyes again, sighing hopelessly and tossed the notebook aside. It hit the floor.

"Leave the theories to the experts, and I can't believe I called Stiles and Scott experts. Let's go watch a movie."

Allison laughed, agreeing and the two went downstairs. She still felt that it had to be one of the people on that list. Finstock was the least likely person. He was crazy. Everyone knew that. But because he was least likely he was on the list. Nobody would suspect it. Plus, it was all too convenient that the meet was cancelled last year and they all had to stay in that wretched motel where they'd been attacked. Lacking the female parts necessary made it highly unlikely. That left Miss Blake on the list.

"Prom is in two weeks," Allison sighed.

"Graduation is in five," Lydia added.

The world really was going to hell.