Brushing past Stiles, Kennedy shoved him behind her, shielding him with her body as she let the nearly-finished cup of soda fall to the ground. Every nerve ending felt as though it was charged, and she fought to remain in control when every part of her body was screaming threat threat kill.

Stiles began to squawk as he saw her drop the drink onto the carpet, but Kennedy cut him off immediately.

In a low tone that she tried to keep inquiring instead of frantic she asked, "Stiles, who has been in your room recently? Besides your dad?"

He looked bewildered by her sudden drastic shift in behavior and he spoke slowly and a little bit mockingly as he answered, "Uh, it's pretty much been me and Scott this summer."

His answer did nothing to erase her concern. The werewolf had entered without his knowing. Had one of the wolves from Rhode Island found her? She'd thought it would be impossible, she had done everything she could to erase her tracks and all records of her time with them. If they knew where she was and knew who her friends were, everything was fucked. She had to make sure that everyone she loved stayed safe.

Just when she began to let her methodical planning side take over, she heard the sound of someone approaching the house. She dropped into a defensive stance and looked behind her to Stiles, who remained confused.

In a barely audible whisper she said, "Stiles, don't panic, okay? Just back up. This is going to seem really, really strange or difficult to believe, but I will explain everything later. Just trust me."

His eyes widened in alarm, but he did as she asked. The footsteps of the werewolf drew closer and it seemed as though the werewolf had entered the Stilinski's property. It was too late to close the window now, and the sound of the werewolf's lengthening stride let her know that they planned on jumping through into the bedroom.

Kennedy let her claws emerge but kept her fangs in and didn't flash her eyes. When the dark-clad figure leaped through the opening she gripped their shoulders and slammed them face down against the carpet while they were off balance. A moment later she swung onto their back, knees pressed tightly against their arms and pinning them to the floor, while one hand gripped their hair and pulled their head back and the other hand encircled their neck with claws fully extended, clearly sending the message that she was prepared to kill if need be.

She leaned closer to the intruder and let a growl rip its way out of her throat, causing them to freeze completely. However, before she could deliver any injury Stiles interrupted with a shrill yell.

"Stop! Ken, stop, it's Scott!"

She let her eyes briefly look to the face of the person she had pinned and saw that it was indeed Scott McCall. Her growl ceased, but she didn't let her hold waver as her eyes flicked back to Stiles.

"Stiles, I know this sounds crazy, but I'm not lying," she took a deep breath to steel herself and hoped he would believe her as she said, "Scott is a werewolf."

He was still waving his arms around spastically and didn't look scared or disbelieving or confused like she expected, instead he yelled back, "I know that! But its just Scott, you can let go!"

She let go of Scott's hair and neck and sat back, settling her weight on his lower back as she tried to process what he'd just said. After a beat, she and Scott both spoke up in similar baffled tones.

"Wait, you know?"

"Ken is back?"

Stiles waved his hand in the air dismissively and sounded exasperated as he said, "Yes to both of your questions. Ken, can you get off Scott so we can have an almost-human conversation?"

Not really knowing what the hell else she could do, she rolled off him, sheathed her claws, and stood before walking over to Stiles' bed and sitting down.

How the – what the – seriously – the fuck? Stiles knew about werewolves. Scott was one. Goofy, kind, floppy-haired Scott McCall, who she'd had a rivalry with for years over Stiles' attention, was now a werewolf.

Kennedy kept her eyes locked on the floor and took a deep breath before letting it out with a sigh. She had left Rhode Island for this exact reason. To escape the supernatural shit that had ruined her life and nearly destroyed her. Only to find that it had already invaded her home town.

The boys sat on the ground, both looking anxious as the silence stretched out between them and she continued to try to breath through her emotions. Sadness for the fact that her friend's life had changed and he had been dragged into the supernatural world. Bitterness that her 'escape plan' had been futile after all. And rage. Anger had become a large part of her life ever since the boy with a sickeningly sweet smile had pressed her against a wall and bitten into her shoulder with teeth that felt like knives. Sometimes she felt like it was drowning her, and she couldn't control her reactions.

After a minute or two of stressful silence, she looked up and met the gaze of each boy. Scott looked nervous while Stiles looked bored and slightly annoyed.

"So. Scott. How long have you been a wolf?"

He hesitated, looking as though he wasn't sure he could trust her with his answer. He kept glancing at Stiles as though he would tell him what to do, and finally Kennedy let out a snort and snapped a few times, getting his attention.

"I'm sorry for pinning you. I just knew you were a werewolf coming at Stiles. I'm not gonna eviscerate you or anything, so calm down, Balto."

"Oh, uh it's fine. About eight months."

"Damn, you're practically a veteran. I'm a rookie, only a month and a half for me."

Stiles interrupted and sounded annoyed as he narrowed his eyes and demanded, "Yes, yes, we're all glad you're a furry friend, but what the hell? What happened? Were you gonna say anything?"

Glaring at him, she spoke through her teeth when she spat out, "Yes, Stiles, I go around making sure everyone knows I howl at the moon. It's a great conversation starter, breaks the ice just enough to get me out of awkward small talk."

He slumped back a little and spoke much more evenly when he asked, "Really though, what happened? Who turned you?"

Suddenly, all that she had been taught about werewolf culture and customary introductions came slamming back to her. Fuck. She hoped she hadn't already breached the code too badly. Clearly the boys wanted to talk to her, but she planned on surviving, so she had to cut them off before she told them anything accidentally.

"Scott, are you an Omega? Or is there an established pack? I was told that the Hale pack had been wiped out a few years ago."

"I'm sort of an Omega. The Alpha around here is kind of –"

"A douche."

"What Stiles said. So I'm not a part of his pack."

"But he does have a pack?"

Both of the boys shrugged and made hand motions that indicated that there was "sort of" a pack in the area.

"I have to speak with the Alpha of the area, carry out the announcements and all that. Could you tell me his name and where he lives?"

A confused look covered Scott's face and he looked entirely earnest as he innocently said, "What announcements?"

She was actually left sort of baffled and speechless. What the fuck was going on in Beacon Hills? Not only was Scott a werewolf, but it seemed as though he hadn't been taught. And what kind of Alpha bites someone and then allows them to become an Omega while remaining on their territory?

"It means I have to formally ask his permission to stay since I'm not a part of the pack. Otherwise he technically has the right to kill me or force me to leave his territory, even though it's considered old-school. Why weren't you taught all this?"

Stiles started to laugh while Scott pouted and looked offended. Still laughing, Stiles imitated wiping his forehead off before he quieted, but still remained amused looking.

"Basically crazy uncle Peter Hale ran around biting so he could heal after he was all burned alive. Then we thought it was Derek – Derek Hale is the alpha now, by the way – who was the crazy killer, but in the end he was just a dick. The hunters came and Scott was all Romeo and Juliet with their daughter and almost died and Jackson and Lydia were bitten-"

Kennedy almost winced at the sound of her own screech as she involuntarily shouted "WHAT?"

Scott covered his ears and Stiles winced before hurrying to say, "She was immune, she's not a werewolf."

"Not a – okay, keep going. I have no idea how that would happen, but I'll save questions for the end."

"Alright. So Jackson turned into a were-lizard thing called a kanima and started killing people, but it wasn't his choice, he was being mind controlled by this kid Matt – who I totally called being evil on like, day one – because he was pissed about almost drowning. Then grandpa hunter came and killed a bunch of people and then was Jackson's master thing before the power of love made him a werewolf. And crazy Uncle Peter came back from the dead using Lydia, so she was kind of crazy for a little bit."

Panic and concern flooded through her, and Kennedy immediately felt guilty for the glib way she had treated her sister when she'd returned. Her voice shook slightly as she asked, "She's okay now though, right? It didn't – she's alright? And she knows about all this stuff?"

They both nodded enthusiastically and reassured her quickly. Though it wasn't very fair or nice, Kennedy was sort of relieved that Lydia knew, even if it was through a horrible process. She had tried not to let herself hope, but she hadn't been able to completely erase the spark that longed to tell someone what she was, to have someone to talk to. Now she had multiple people to choose from when she wanted to talk, and her twin knew.

Unfortunately, she couldn't really talk to Stiles and Scott about what was going on in detail and her own experience just yet. She'd been told that the Hales were born wolves, and one of the old families, so the Alpha would most likely know about the old customs and procedures when it came to new wolves settling on territory. If she followed them he would hopefully be a bit more lenient and in turn let her stay.

Feeling like a bitch, she grimaced and scratched at the back of her head before saying, "Guys, I know this is a dick move, but I can't really talk to you about this any more tonight. Werewolf procedures and all that crap means I need to talk to the Alpha before interacting with any members of his pack, so I've already kind of fucked that up."

Scott started to interrupt, probably to protest being in Derek's pack, but Kennedy cut him off.

"I know you consider yourself an Omega, but you're still a settled wolf on his territory, so to a degree he probably considers you pack. I'll have to talk to him tomorrow and formally request permission to stay."

Stiles rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and huffed. "So you're saying you just got back, and now you have to go. Not only abandoning our Mario Kart tournament, but abandoning it for Derek?"

Kennedy tried to hide her smile. He was being overdramatic, and it only served to remind her how fun their bickering always was.

Putting on an extra wide smile sarcastically, she practically sang, "That is exactly what I'm saying. Glad you summed it up so nicely."

"You're the worst."

"But you love me anyway."

"Nope. I deny that statement. Hatred is being sent in your direction."

Scott looked a little bit awkward, as if he didn't know how to respond or if he should stay out of the conversation. She didn't blame him; they'd never really clicked. He was kind and open while she was closed off when it came to her real feelings. He was always smiling and she saved her genuine grins for the people she was close to. The only thing they had in common was Stiles, so they remained on good terms, but the most accurate description of their relationship would be "acquaintances".

Pushing herself up off of the bed, she looked at the Nintendo 64 regretfully before turning back to the boys and asking, "Could you give me Derek Hale's address?"

Once it was written down for her on a post-it, she smiled sadly and sighed, "I really am sorry I have to go. I'll see him tomorrow, and depending on the verdict, I'll see ya after I get out of my new school on Tuesday."

Stiles stood and gave her a quick hug before saying, "If he tries to kick you out, I'll glare at him angrily."

Kennedy snorted and threw a look at Scott.

"See you around, too."

He nodded, and she walked out the door. She didn't remember that Stiles had driven her until her boots touched the pavement. Ugh. She now had the stamina and strength to run, but she hated getting all sweaty and gross for not-fun reasons. Picking up a light jog, she ran for a handful of miles before getting impatient and sprinting the rest of the way.

It was only eight when she got back to the house, but her mom was already in her room. Lydia wasn't home yet, and suddenly exhaustion hit Kennedy. Not physical, she felt fine after her run, but mentally she was so done for. She hopped in the shower and rinsed off quickly, finishing up in five minutes. The brush barely made it through her hair and she had to use her old backup toothbrush. Instead of really changing into pajamas, she just pulled a huge t-shirt on, the end of it hitting her knees. Most of her sleeping shirts swamped her five foot frame, and Lydia always shuddered in disgust when she saw them, preferring satin and lace.

Pulling herself under the covers, Kennedy grabbed a book from her side table, one that detailed ancient Greek mythology. She'd always had a dark sense of humor, so yes, the irony had hit her already that her interest in mythology was a sort of foreshadowing what with her becoming a mythological creature herself.

After about two hours of reading, she tossed the book to the floor and set an alarm on her phone to wake her up at ten. Before meeting the Alpha of the Hale pack she wanted to be well rested and to have some time in the morning to sort out what she would say, then she'd head over a little after noon.

As she drifted off, she wondered if she hadn't really escaped, and instead only transferred from one hell to another.