word count: 10,711
polyvore: username is 'sarcasticfina' - check under Collections for one named after this story to see all of Malia's fashion choices
episodes: 1x06 - heart monitor / 1x07 - night school
XIII
"We still need to find a way to test your shifting ability. Now that we know you can stop the shift, there has to be a way for to activate it..." Stiles nodded thoughtfully. "What do we know sets you off?"
"Anger, fear, uh, stimulation..."
Stiles blinked at him. "Dude."
"You know what I mean..." Scott shrugged. "We agreed not to say 'hot and heavy' anymore."
Stiles rolled his eyes. "Fine. 'Stimulation.' What else?"
"I don't know." He frowned. "I started shifting when I thought Malia was in danger. Does that count?"
"Maybe. Fear for her, but also a little bit of protectiveness. Like, maybe you shift in order to help someone..."
"Okay… But, how do we test that?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. At least not without putting someone else in danger..."
"Not that." Scott raised his hands. "I don't want anyone to get hurt. I'm still figuring this stuff out. We can't be sure I'll be able to control any of it. It needs to stay between us."
"And Malia."
Scott grimaced. "She can't get hurt because of me."
Stiles pulled a face. "Oh, but I can?"
"You know what I mean..." Scott sighed.
"Uh, I think I don't. Just how expendable am I?"
"You're not." Scott pulled at his arm to stop him. "What you said earlier, about how I let Malia calm me down, but I almost killed you... I'm not okay with that. I'm not okay with the idea that I could hurt you, even kill you. I'm scared, all the time, that I'm going to do something to you or my mom or Allison... With Malia, it— it's stronger. It's different. But that doesn't mean I'd be okay if I did something that hurt you... Or your dad."
Drawing a deep breath, Stiles swiped at his chin and let out a sigh. "Listen, Scott, I know that, okay? I get that what happened on Monday wasn't on purpose. Don't get me wrong, I still think that having Allison around, getting so close to her, is a mistake. There's too much at risk here to ignore that. But... I know you'd never let my dad get hurt, not on purpose. Which is why I want to help you with this. I don't know what Derek's big plan is for teaching you how to control this, but he's been too secretive and too lurky not to raise a few red flags." He licked his lips and looked away. "I know how much Malia means to you. I don't want her getting hurt either. But, we both know that she would kick both our asses if we left her out of the loop on this stuff. And I'd kind of want to kick our asses too, considering we both know having her around is only going to help."
Nodding, Scott stepped back. "Okay, you're right."
"Yeah, well, usually am." Stiles grinned. "Kind of my shtick."
An overhead speaker crackled to life then— "Scott McCall, to the office. Scott McCall, please come to the office."
Stiles winced. "What do you think that's about?"
He shook his head, his shoulders hiked up to his ears. "I don't know. I didn't do anything. At least, I don't think I did..."
"Well, let's go find out." He hooked a hand around Scott's shoulder and redirected him down the hallway. "What's the worst that could happen, right? They find out you're a werewolf and you were there when the bus driver was maimed and blame you for it..." He paused. "Actually, that'd be pretty bad."
Scott stared at him with eyes wide. "Do you think they did? What if your dad's here to arrest me?"
"What, no. He wouldn't do that. Anyway, he'd tell me... probably."
Groaning, Scott tipped his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. "I can't get arrested... My mom will kill me."
"Let's not jump to conclusions, all right? It could be anything... Everything that comes to mind is terrible, but I have an overactive imagination."
By the time they reached the office, Scott was just waiting for the whole police force to appear, guns at the ready. Maybe they would bring animal control too, just to rub it in. But, in the end, the office was clear of any and all police officers. There was only Doris at the front desk, the Vice Principal eyeing a box of donuts in the corner, and a freshman slunk low in a chair, fiddling on his phone as he waited to be called back.
Scott approached the desk nervously. "Uh... Hi?"
"Hi." Doris looked up, smiled that not-particularly-happy smile that people who've worked front desk tend to. "McCall?"
"Yeah."
"You have a message. Your mother called. She said 'her usual ride cancelled, she's working a double, and she'll need you to drop the car off at the hospital.' Got all that?"
Scott nodded. "Yeah. That's it?"
"That's it."
"Okay, thanks." Knocking his hand against the desk, he turned to face Stiles, looking relieved.
"Don't you have work?" Stiles wondered.
Scott's shoulders slumped. "Crap. I need to drop by my house, get my bike, bring the car to the hospital, and then get back to the clinic... I'm gonna be late."
"I'll follow you. I can drive you over to the clinic. You'll probably still be late, but not as much."
"Yeah. Okay. Thanks. Hey, can I borrow your phone? I just wanna call Deaton, let him know what's happening. I've been late a few times this month already."
"Yeah. Sure." Stiles dug his phone out and handed it over. "What're you gonna do about getting a new phone?"
"I have some money saved up, I guess I'll use that or, I don't know." He sighed. "I've had it for a while, maybe they'll just give me a new one."
"With your luck?" Stiles snorted. "I doubt it."
…
Standing in the hallway of Beacons Crossing Home, Derek second-guessed his decision to visit Peter. His uncle was little more than a vacant body and had been for six long years. Coming to him felt like one last-ditch effort at trying to understand how things could've gone so wrong. Laura shouldn't be dead. She only came back to Beacon Hills to help. Not for the first time, he felt like his hometown was little more than a black hole, sucking up every bit of happiness and joy and spitting out the bones of its victims.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside Peter's room; it was just as empty and sterile as it was every visit before.
Peter sat in his wheelchair, staring out into space, his gaze distant and dead.
Taking a seat on the crisply made bed, Derek tugged on the arm of the wheelchair, turning it so it was facing him. Some days, he wished the gruesome sight of Peter's severely damaged face would bother him more, but in the short time he'd been back in Beacon Hills, he'd grown accustomed to the scarring. There were days he stared at it so hard, he thought he might imprint the memory of every hill and groove that made up the reminder of what was lost right onto his retinas.
While Peter was there, physically, his mind had been buried along with his family. That didn't stop Derek from hoping that somehow, deep down, Peter was in there, and he could hear him.
"I need your help… If you can hear me, I need you to give me a sign. Blink. Raise a finger. Anything." Derek shook his head. "Just— Just something to point me in the right direction, okay?" He paused, dropped his gaze to his lap, and swallowed tightly. "Someone killed Laura. Your niece. Laura?"
Peter remained the same. Not a muscle in his face or frame moving. His heartbeat was steady, showing no sign that he heard or reacted to Derek.
"Whoever he is, he's an Alpha now. But he's one without a pack. Which means he's not as strong."
While the Alpha had turned Scott, he wasn't going along with it. He refused to join the Alpha in whatever he was doing. Derek could use that. He might be a beta, but he was strong. He'd trained under Talia and Laura. Laura. His big sister… The only one he had left. Who didn't deserve what happened to her.
"I can take him," he decided. Even as his stomach tied itself in uncertain knots. An Alpha, even without a pack, was still stronger than the average beta. And if he didn't have Scott on his side, then Derek had to admit, even just to himself, that it was going to be an uphill battle… One he might not walk away from.
"But I have to find him first. Look, if you know something, just give me a sign. Is it one of us?" He could feel his heart pounding against his chest. Hope? Fear? Both? "Someone else make it out of the fire?"
How many times had he thought about what it would be like if one of them made it? Ben, who had vowed to do no harm. Adrienne or Gabriela, who he couldn't imagine without the other. Lucas, the gentlest of them all. Vale, who could never say the words 'I love you' but showed them in everything she did. And Cora, the baby of the family, but so strong and spirited. Or maybe his father had dragged himself from that fire and stoked his rage, hidden in the woods as he healed, feeding the flames of a vendetta he would one day vow to fulfill.
Derek wasn't sure if he wanted it to be them. To see how time had twisted them up into something, someone, that would cause this kind of violence. This kind of death. Would he stop them? Or join them? The quickening of his heart was just as unsure as he was.
"Just give me anything," he begged, searching Peter for some kind of reply. "Blink. Raise a finger. Anything." Fear and desperation had him reaching out, gripping the arms of Peter's wheelchair, and shaking it. "Say something!"
"Let him go!" a shrill voice demanded. A red-headed nurse came barrelling into the room and scowled at him. "You think after six years of this, yelling at him is going to get a response?"
Standing, Derek frowned at her. "Got a better method?"
"Patience. He'll respond if you give him the time."
He folded his mouth and looked back to Peter. Just as empty as he had been when Derek arrived. "I don't have any more time." With that, he marched out of the room.
Left behind, Peter Hale uncurled a single, shaking finger.
...
"You can't hang out at all?" Allison's brow wrinkled and she pulled a sad face, sticking her lower lip out.
"Nope. I'm studying with Danny, remember?"
She sighed and fell back against the lockers, hugging her books to her stomach. "Yeah, I know. I was gonna hang out with Lydia, but she invited Jackson along..."
Remembering her earlier conversation with Jackson, Malia frowned. "Keep an eye on him. He's being weird and... creepy."
"Creepy or just a creep in general?"
"Both." Malia closed her locker. "Is it just me or does he look like a walking plague?"
Allison snorted. "He doesn't look great. Maybe he has the flu or something."
"Or something..." She pursed her lips. "I don't know. He just said something weird to me earlier, I guess it got under my skin."
"You two don't exactly like each other and he's pretty antagonistic."
"Yeah, that's a nice way of saying he's a dick." Malia shook her head. "Anyway, just be careful."
"I don't even think we're doing anything. We'll probably get dinner, hang out. And Lydia will be there, so it should be fine."
"Yeah." Catching frizzy blonde hair out of the corner of her eye, Malia said, "I gotta go. But text me later?"
"Yeah, definitely. You're sure you don't need a ride home?"
"Nope. Danny and are I hanging out and getting dinner before we head back here to study."
"Okay." Allison waved as she turned on her heel to leave.
Making her way down the hall, Malia broke out into a jog when she spotted Erica up ahead. "Erica! Hey!"
Stopping, she looked back over her shoulder and nodded. Waiting for Malia to catch up, she said, "Hey."
"What's up? I feel like I haven't seen you all week."
"Oh. Yeah, uh... I haven't been coming to school so much. My sleep schedule is kind of all over the place and... Yeah. I don't know. I guess I'm not dealing with Saturday so great." She crossed her arms and hugged them close to her chest. "When I get stressed, I have seizures, and when I have seizures, I stress..." She half-smiled, but it was far from happy. "Endless circle, you know?"
"That sucks." Malia's brow wrinkled. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's not your fault, and I really hate pity. But, yeah, last night was the first time I've slept okay, so... Here I am. I've got a ton of homework to get caught up on and I'm really not looking forward to it."
"Oh. Well, hey, if you want someone to hang out with while you're doing it, me and Danny are gonna be here tonight, studying. So, you could drop in, we'll take over a desk in the library. Better than sitting alone at home, right?"
Erica hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Yeah, that could be cool. Are you sure Danny's okay with it?"
She waved a hand dismissively. "He'll be fine. But if you're worried, I'm going to see him now. I'll text you, let you know what he says. It shouldn't be a big deal. You'll be doing homework while I'm being quizzed to death."
A slow smile pulled up one side of Erica's mouth. "All right. Cool. Thanks."
"Sure." Malia nodded her head to a nearby hallway. "I should go find him. But, see you later?"
"Yeah. Later."
Splitting off in different directions, Malia made her way toward Danny's locker. She passed by Boyd, just closing his locker and hooking his bag over his shoulder. "Hey, Boyd."
He looked over. "Tate."
She smothered a smile. "You can call me Malia."
He followed her with his eyes. "Maybe next time."
Snorting, she rolled her eyes, and kept going, only to find Danny was walking toward her.
"Hey," he said, his brow furrowed as he looked past her to the retreating form of Boyd. "Who's that?"
"Uh, Boyd. He works at the ice rink. Nice guy."
"Yeah?" He shook his head. "I've never seen him before."
"I'll introduce you sometime. That reminds me, though. You know Erica? You met her Saturday, at the video store."
"You mean the night you were nearly mauled to death?" He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I remember."
"Okay, well, she hasn't been coming to school the last few days, I guess she hasn't been dealing with it well. And she has a bunch of homework to catch up on so I kind of invited her to the school tonight and said she could share our table. She'll be busy with her own work, but I thought it'd be nice to get out and just be around people. Is that okay or...?"
"Yeah. Sure." He shrugged. "I don't know how much fun she'll have. I've got a bunch of cue cards to test you with. I plan on making sure you ace this quiz."
"I know." Malia sighed. "And I appreciate it. Even if I hate it."
Laughing under his breath, Danny threw an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. "Let's get out of here. We'll get something to eat. That'll cheer you up."
"You know me too well."
…
In the time it took to get from the school to his house, then to the hospital, and back to the clinic, Scott was twenty minutes late for work. Tapping his fingers against his knee, he sighed. "Deaton's gonna fire me if I keep doing this."
"I doubt it." Stiles shrugged. "I mean, yeah, if you never show up, but you're only a little late…"
"I'm always late." He dropped his head back and slumped down in his seat. "All the stress, with the hunters and the full moon and Derek and the Alpha… I feel like I'm constantly running out of time. I don't know what to focus on or- or what to do when I do focus on something."
"Well, that's why you ask for help, right? Malia's pretty on top of the werewolf stuff. As much as I hate to say it, her connection with Derek helps a lot."
Scott pulled a face.
"What? Not like that." Stiles' mouth twisted up. "Gross. She's not into him."
Scott's brow furrowed. "Has she said that?"
"Does she need to?" Stiles glanced at him quickly. "Dude, Derek's like… old. For her, at least. He's like, what, 22? 23? No way she's into him."
"But you were right, they do have a connection." It was something that had been bothering Scott for a while. Something he noticed when she defended or agreed with Derek. She might insist that she wasn't on Derek's side, but there were times when Scott couldn't help but pick up on how much they agreed or how quick she was to offer her place as somewhere for him to hide. That had to be mean something, right?
"Not that kind of connection." Stiles shook his head. "Trust me. She would've mentioned something." Frowning, he waved a hand around. "Honestly, I think he reminds her of herself."
"A twenty-two-year-old, angry werewolf reminds her of herself?"
"No… An angry person that lost his family. Malia's not the same pissed off girl I met when I was ten, but that pain's still there. She doesn't talk about it much, but it slips out, you know? And I think lately, it's less about anger and more about missing them. So, even if I think Derek is a sketchy weirdo that's definitely hiding something from us… I can also see why she might relate to him."
"Yeah… That makes sense," Scott admitted.
"See?" He reached out and patted a hand against Scott's chest encouragingly. Just as he was pulling into the parking lot of the clinic, however, he frowned. "Uh… Isn't that Derek's car?"
Scott looked ahead and found a black Camaro parked out front. "Looks like it…"
Once Stiles parked, Scott hopped out and circled around to the front of the Camaro, checking to see if Derek was sitting inside. Finding the car empty, he shrugged in Stiles' direction.
Pushing his door open, Stiles leaned out. "You think he's inside?"
"Maybe."
"You think it's good?"
Scott raised an eyebrow. "Is it ever good with Derek?"
"Good point." Climbing out, Stiles shoved the jeep door closed and walked over, waving toward the clinic. "Well, let's go see."
The front end of the clinic was empty, but it was clear that something wasn't right as soon as they stepped inside.
"What're you doing to me? What do you want?" Scott heard Deaton ask, his voice quavering.
"I want to know who you are or who you're protecting?" Derek snarled back.
Scott picked up his pace, shoving open the door to one of the surgical rooms. It was dim, only a single hanging bulb lighting the whole room. But there was Deaton, his arms bound at the wrist, sitting on a chair that Derek was holding up off the ground, high enough that he and Deaton were face to face.
"What are you doing?" Scott shouted.
Stiles came hurrying in behind him, stumbling to a stop at his back. "Holy…"
"Scott, get out of here!" Deaton warned.
Scott stepped deeper into the room while Stiles flipped the lights on.
Derek dropped the chair to the ground and took a swing at Deaton— his punch landed, knocking Deaton clear out.
"Stop! Stop!" Scott got between them and grabbed for Derek's shoulder, pushing him away.
"Look, when he's conscious, he can keep himself from healing," Derek insisted, "but unconscious, he can't."
"A-Are you out of your mind? What are you talking about?"
"You want to know what the spiral means, Scott?" Derek's voice raised until he was nearly shouting in Scott's face. "It's our sign for a vendetta, for revenge. It means he won't stop killing until he's satisfied."
Scott's brow furrowed. "You think he's the Alpha?"
"We're about to find out." Derek reared a hand back, ready to slash at Deaton, his claws out.
Scott caught his wrist, his own claws digging through the leather sleeve of Derek's jacket. He felt his teeth sharpen and elongate, the fur sprout from his brows and along his cheeks. He snarled at Derek, a low-pitched growl of a warning.
Derek's eyes widened, his face falling with surprise. He backed up, away from Scott.
Raising his hand, Scott stared at it, at the sign that he wasn't so human anymore. And instead of being scared, he felt angry, and in that, powerful. As his claws shortened back to his regular nails, he felt a focused calm come over him. His teeth shortened, his hair returned to normal, and the color of his eyes shifted from gold to brown. "Hit him again, and then you'll see me get angry."
…
"So, you wanna tell me what was going on with Jackson earlier?" Danny stabbed his fork into his salad and dipped it in a separate container of dressing. As someone that poured the whole thing on her salad and wasn't happy unless every piece of lettuce was drenched, watching Danny eat was a study in control for Malia.
"What do you mean?"
He raised a knowing eyebrow. "Jackson doesn't seek people out. When he does, it's usually to antagonize."
"Aren't you the one who told me he wasn't as bad as he seems?"
Danny shrugged. "It takes a while to get to that stage. As far as I can tell, he doesn't like you. I mostly think that's transference from Scott, but, still…"
"You mean because he has a raging inferiority complex and is pissed Scott's outshining him on the team."
"Scott's good. He's really good," Danny admitted. "But he's also new to it. Jackson's been doing this for a while. Being captain, running things, that's what Jackson's used to. Seeing someone else try to do the same is putting him on edge. That doesn't mean Scott hasn't worked for it or that he doesn't deserve his position. Just that Jackson earned his, too."
Malia hummed and chewed on the end of her straw, a hand wrapped around her glass of Coke. "He was being weird. He said he wanted to apologize, get off on the right foot."
"That doesn't sound so bad…"
"No, but it was the way he said it."
"And how was that?"
"Like a threat." Her brow wrinkled. "And no offense, but he doesn't look so good."
"Yeah. I've noticed." Danny shrugged. "I mentioned it to him, but he just said he hasn't been sleeping great. I think it's what happened Saturday. Jackson's not the type to talk feelings. It takes some work to get him to open up. But, I think the attack hit him harder than he wants to admit."
"Yeah. Probably." She frowned. "Anyway, that was basically all he said. And then you were there."
Nodding, Danny picked at his salad. "He's a dick when he wants to be. But that's not all he is."
"It's all I've seen. I get that it's different for you and, maybe Lydia, too. But until I see that, I can only go with what I know. And so far, it's not great."
"I get that." Danny sat back in his seat. "Maybe it's a sign."
"That…?"
"That we should hang out more." A slow grin pulled up either side of his mouth. "All of us."
Malia's brows hiked. "Do you usually invite chaos into your life?"
"I invited you, didn't I?" He laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Look, Jackson is my best friend and you… I don't know, I think we're headed in that direction. So, I'm trying to save us some wasted time by having you two find common ground."
"And what's that?"
"Me."
Malia snorted. "Don't buy us best friend bracelets just yet, but… Sure. I'm not completely opposed to hanging out. He wasn't terrible when we were playing beer pong."
"So, keep it public, with lots of people and escape options."
Malia smirked. "Exactly."
…
Scott dabbed at the open cut across Deaton's cheek with sterilized gauze. He was still unconscious, his head hanging forward, limply.
Stiles was pacing and chewing on his fingernail. "This is crazy! You can't just go around knocking people out. What proof do you even have?"
Derek slid a piece of paper toward him.
Stiles picked it up, read it through, and then shook his head. "So, Deaton commented on a dead animal case, so what?"
"Not just any case. That deer had a spiral on its side. I came here to ask him about it, find out if he might have a lead I could follow. Apparently, the police asked him if he'd ever seen anything like it and he said he hadn't."
"So?"
"So, he was lying." Derek's gaze moved from Stiles to Scott. "He knows something."
Scott shook his head. "That doesn't mean he's the Alpha."
"Maybe he is or maybe he just knows who it is." Derek shrugged. "Either way, he has information."
"He's my boss. He- He wouldn't do something like this."
"You think." Derek stared at him, his gaze flat. "People aren't always who you think they are, Scott. But your boss, he knows something. Which means we have to do something. Because if he is the Alpha—"
"I know, okay?"
"Do you?" Letting out an exasperated sigh, he wondered, "Where's Malia?"
"I'm texting her, but she's not answering." Stiles shrugged. "She's got a thing with Danny."
"Call her."
Stiles scowled. "I don't take orders from you, okay?"
Derek stalked in his direction, causing Stiles to stumble backwards. Stopping, Derek ground his teeth. "She needs to be here."
"Why, so you'll have someone on your side?" Scott shook his head. "Malia knows Deaton. She likes him. She wouldn't be okay with this."
"Even if he's the Alpha? If he's the one that killed the video clerk? That threw her into a wall?"
Scott's gaze darted around, his brow knotted. "If it is him, how do we know he even remembers doing it? What if it's like me? I didn't remember what happened on the bus. Maybe when he turns, he has no control—"
"No. He's too methodical. He knows what he's doing." Derek crossed his arms. "We need to do something. So either this goes my way or yours… Do you have a plan?"
Scott ground his teeth. "I will. Just… give me an hour."
"Then what?"
He sighed. "Meet us at the school. In the parking lot."
"Fine." Derek stabbed a finger toward Deaton. "But, he stays with me."
Scott frowned. "If you hurt him…"
"Scout's honor, he'll be just the way you left him."
Scott stared at him a long beat and then nodded. "Okay. One hour."
Derek's brow ticked up. "One hour."
…
It was almost six by the time Malia and Danny headed for the school. Unlike the rest of the building, the library would be open until nine. Trisha, Danny's favorite librarian, had lobbied on behalf of the students to keep the library open twice a week, Wednesdays and Fridays. Well, she'd lobbied for more, but that was as much as they were willing to let her have. They kept a door just off the atrium open, but any connecting hallways surrounding the library were closed and locked to keep students from wandering the school.
Danny cleared her throat in the universal sign that he was about to talk about something uncomfortable and Malia considered fiddling with the radio just to head him off. Before she could, he launched ahead. "So, I know you mentioned Erica was having nightmares about Saturday, and I know Jackson's not dealing with it too well, but… what about you?"
"I'm not having nightmares." Malia shrugged. "I was pretty freaked out about it, especially the night it happened, but… I don't know. I've been okay."
He hummed, and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "You think the mountain lion from Monday was what attacked you?"
She frowned. "Yeah. Don't you?"
"I don't know. It would make sense."
"Yeah…?" She side-eyed him curiously. "Then why do you sound so skeptical?"
He shook his head. "It just seems too easy."
"Sometimes stuff works out like that."
"Sometimes." His brow furrowed. "It's just weird that the other two attacks were isolated."
"There were three people in the video store. Not that isolated."
"Compared to a whole parking lot of people it is… And how did it get into the video store in the first place? Was a door propped open?" He frowned. "The bus driver I kind of get. He was close to the woods. But the video store clerk… That was risky."
"Animals don't think like we do."
"No, but they're predators. They'd weigh the risk against the reward. Wouldn't it be easier to go for someone closer to the trees?"
"It got a taste for people." She shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Yeah." Danny sighed. "I don't know. I hope it was the same mountain lion."
Malia turned her gaze out the window. "Me, too."
…
After Stiles broke the chain off the front door of the school, they snuck inside and made their way to the office. Walking down the hallway just outside of it, Scott waved a flashlight through the windows, searching the desks for where the PA system was set up. His free hand bounced against his leg restlessly, fingers jittering. He couldn't stop thinking about Deaton, still knocked out cold, tied up in the back seat of Derek's car. He had to do this. He had to prove that Deaton was not the Alpha… He couldn't be.
"Okay, one question…" Stiles pushed the door to the office open and walked ahead. "What are you gonna do if the Alpha doesn't show up?"
"I don't know."
"And what are you gonna do if he does show up?" Stiles fiddled with the PA's switch board.
Scott shook his head. "I don't know."
Stiles' brows hiked. "Good plan."
"All right. You said that a wolf howls to signal his position to the rest of the pack, right?"
"Right." Stiles looked away, eyes narrowed. "But, if you bring him here, does that make you part of his pack?"
Nervously, Scott muttered, "I hope not."
"Yeah, me too." Stiles plucked up the microphone and placed it in front of Scott. "All right. All you."
Scott cleared his throat and then leaned forward.
The sound that left him was… more than little lackluster. It was loud, but not in an intimidating way. All things considered though, Scott was pretty sure it still counted.
Stiles' head fell and he scrubbed a hand over his hair, scratching at the top.
"Was that okay? I mean, that was a howl, right?"
Stiles pulled a face. "I— Yeah, technically."
"Well, what did it sound like to you?"
Not bothering to sugar-coat it, Stiles said, "Like a cat being choked to death, Scott."
Scott groaned. "What do I do? How am I supposed to do this!?"
"Hey, hey. Listen to me…" Stiles circled the desk and came out behind Scott. He clamped his hands down on Scott's shoulders and squeezed encouragingly, like a coach gearing up a boxer. "You're calling the Alpha. All right? Be a man. Be a werewolf, not a teen wolf. Be a werewolf." He nodded and clapped Scott's arm. "Do it."
Scott nodded, more to himself than Stiles. He could do this. It was important. He had to. Deaton needed his help.
Closing his eyes, Scott drew a deep breath. The roar he let out rattled him down to his toes; he could feel the vibration spread through every inch of his body. The floor seemed to tremble under him— he could hear, in the distance, locker doors and combinations clattering together. When he opened his eyes, there was satisfaction in the echo he could still hear.
Stiles gave an excited shout. "Ye-e-s! See, I told you!"
Together, they made their way back outside to the front parking lot to meet Derek. Scott was a little surprised to see him looking pissed instead of impressed.
"I'm gonna kill both of you! What the hell was that? What are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?"
"Sorry." Shaking his head, Scott looked from Derek to Stiles and back. "I didn't know it would be that loud."
"Yeah, it was loud." Stiles snorted. "And it was awesome!"
"Shut up." Derek shook his head. "This was why I wanted Malia here, to help balance the… stupid."
Stiles flipped a hand up dismissively. "Don't be such a sour wolf."
Scott frowned, squinting at the back window of the Camaro. "What'd you do with him?"
"What?" Derek turned around, searching the backseat that was now noticeably absent of a certain veterinarian. Deaton was gone. Brow knit, he looked back at them. "I didn't do anything."
Before anyone could say anything more, suddenly Derek suspended in the air, his feet dangling a few inches off the ground. He hung, limply, his arms out as he coughed and choked, blood dribbling down his chin. The Alpha stood at his side, a hulking beast. His face was canine in nature; covered in dark fur with a full, flat nose, and unnaturally red glowing eyes. There was little human to find. Letting out a grumbling roar, he stood with his arm extended, a hand stuck through Derek's back, skewering him.
Scott and Stiles scrambled backwards, grabbing and pulling at each other as they turned on their heels and fled toward the school. As they climbed the stairs to the unlocked door, the Alpha threw Derek away like a ragdoll— he slammed into the brick wall of the school before falling to the ground, unmoving, his gaze empty.
Inside the school, Scott and Stiles crouched down by the doors, holding them closed.
"Lock it, lock it!" Scott cried.
Stiles shook his head, staring at him incredulously. "Do I look like I have a key!?"
"Grab something!"
"What?"
"Anything!"
Stiles paused, his eyes widening. He stood slowly and peeked out through the window in the door. There, on the ground, were the bolt cutters he'd used to cut the chain from the door in the first place.
Scott stood too, spotted what he was staring at, and said, "No."
"Yes." Stiles shoved the flashlight into Scott's arms and pushed the door open.
"Stiles, no, don't!"
Carefully slipping out the door, Stiles gently closed it behind him, his gaze darting across the open and, seemingly, empty parking lot. There was only his jeep and, behind it, Derek's Camaro. Letting out a shaky breath, he turned his attention to the bolt cutters, laying on the ground. Pushing off the door, he hurried down the steps and leaned down to pick them up. Just as he did, however, the Alpha came out from behind the jeep.
Seeing it, Scott banged his hands against the door to get Stiles' attention. "He's back! He's back!"
Eyes widening, Stiles turned and raced up the stairs, falling through the open door and yanking it closed. He shoved the bolt cutters down over the door handles, each side locking them into place. They crouched down and waited for the Alpha to attack the door, but when one and then two and a third second passed without incident, they slowly stood back up and peered out the windows.
"Where is it?" Scott wondered. "Where'd it go?"
Stiles grabbed for the flashlight and turned it out the window, searching for movement. But there was nothing. No sign of where it was or what direction it might have gone in.
Backing away from the door, they were left panting and afraid.
"That won't hold, will it?"
Stiles looked at him, wide-eyed. "Probably not."
Together, they turned to face the eerily dark and empty hallway.
They were alone, and they were trapped.
…
In the library, Malia leaned her chair back from the table, hands stacked on her stomach. "I feel like dinner was enough. We should just skip the tutoring part and cross our fingers for the test on Friday."
Snorting, Danny reached down and brought his backpack up from the floor. "I thought you might say that. Which is why… I brought an incentive." Pulling out a large bag of Skittles, he placed it on the table. "For every question you get right, you get a Skittle. If you get three in a row, I'll toss in another one."
"Meaning I get seven Skittles or I get two Skittles for every right question after that?"
"Two per right answer. If you get six in a row, I'll bump it up to three. You get the idea."
"Only you could combine candy and math in a way I actually like." Releasing her leg, she fell back toward the table. "All right, teach me."
Danny looked past her shoulder then. "Hey, looks like your friend showed up."
Malia turned in her seat to see an awkward and nervous Erica walking toward them. She had her books hugged to her chest and was chewing her lip. "Hey. You made it!"
"Yeah. My uncle dropped me off." Erica slipped into a chair beside Malia and took a quick look around. "Are we the only people here?"
"The librarian's in the back, but yeah. We've got the whole library to ourselves. Which is nice, because if I'm getting candy every time I'm right, I'm gonna be loud and obnoxious."
Erica snorted. "Good to know." She paused. "Hey, weird question but, did you guys hear that weird noise earlier? It was really loud, kind of sounded like a howl, actually…"
Malia and Danny exchanged a look. "Nope." She shrugged. "But we were also singing along to the Spice Girls greatest hits for a while. Maybe Mel B.'s vocal range was better."
Half-smiling, Erica nodded. "Maybe."
"All right." Malia drummed her hands against the top of the table. "Hit me with your worst. No, wait, start small and work your way up."
Shaking his head, amused, Danny flipped through his cards and cleared his throat.
…
Scott and Stiles were hiding in a classroom, standing on either end of a desk, panting as they argued over whether they should use it to block the door.
"Stop, stop." Stiles motioned behind himself. "The door's not gonna keep it out."
"I know."
"It's your boss."
Scott felt dizzy with the sudden change of topic. "What?"
"Deaton? The Alpha?" Stiles nodded, pointing at him. "Your boss."
Scott shook his head. "No."
"Yes. Murdering psycho werewolf."
"He can't be."
"Oh, come on. He disappears, and that thing shows up ten seconds later to toss Derek 20 feet through the air?" He shrugged, his eyes wide. "That's not convenient timing?"
"It's not him."
"He killed Derek!"
"No, Derek's not dead." Scott's stomach bottomed out. "He- He can't be dead."
"Blood spurted out of his mouth, okay?" Stiles flipped a hand around. "That doesn't exactly qualify as a minor injury. He's dead, and we're next."
Scott groaned. "No, no, no…" He shook his head. "Malia's gonna lose it."
"What? Malia? What are you talking about?"
"Yes, Malia. The only one of us who got close to Derek. Who liked him!" He sighed. "She let him stay at her house. In Kylie's room… Stiles, she was letting him get close."
"An hour ago, you were freaking out over the idea that they were close."
"That was before…" Scott dragged his hands over his head and through his hair. "This is going to hurt her. It- It's gonna break her heart."
Stiles sighed, his eyes falling closed. "And I get that. I don't want that either. But Scott, we need to stay focused, okay? There's nothing we can do about Derek."
"What can we do?"
Stiles considered the question for a moment, his gaze darting around, and then he nodded. "We get to my jeep, we get out of here, you seriously think about quitting your job, good?"
They moved to the windows then and Scott immediately tried to pull them open.
Stiles stopped him. "No, they don't open. The school's climate-controlled."
"Then we break it."
"Which will make a lot of noise."
"Then…" Scott searched the grounds outside, dressed in shadows, with no clear opportunity for cover or safety. "Uh, then we run really fast." He turned and looked at just how far away the jeep was. "Really fast."
"Easy for you to say," Stiles muttered, "you're a freaking werewolf."
Scott frowned. "Stiles, what's wrong with the hood of your jeep?
"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong."
"It's bent."
"What, like, dented?" Stiles hurried to get a look at it through the window, his brow furrowed.
"No, I mean bent."
"What the hell—?"
A crash cut Stiles off, following by glass spraying through the air. Both boys hit the floor, covering their heads. Something hard and heavy hit the ground and dragged across it.
Face screwed up in anger, Stiles said, "That's my battery." He tried to stand, but Scott yanked him back down.
"Don't."
"We have to move."
"He could be right outside!"
"He is right outside."
Scott was panting, his nerves getting the better of him. "Just let me check." Slowly, he stood, peering over the edge to peek out the window. There was nothing near the jeep or in the lot just outside the window. Everything looked just as empty as it had before.
"Anything?" Stiles wondered.
"No."
"Move now?"
Scott nodded. "Move now."
Together, they hurried into the hall, the beam of Stiles' flashlight bouncing around the hallway.
Scott pointed to the right. "This way."
"No, no, no, no." Stiles stopped him. "Somewhere without windows."
"Every single room in this place has windows!" Scott reminded him in a frustrated whisper.
"Right, so, less windows."
Scott looked away, thinking, but his brain felt like it was moving two notches slower than usual. Panic and worry was climbing up from his gut to crowd his throat. And then— an idea. "The locker room!"
Stiles nodded. "Yeah!"
They hurried down the hall to the right, glancing behind them periodically, as if the Alpha might just pop up out of nowhere.
…
Malia had accumulated a small pile of Skittles, all of which she was hoarding. She planned to shove them all into her mouth at the same time until they formed a large Skittles ball. Which, she had no doubt, would make Danny cringe. Obviously, completely worth it…
Shuffling the cards, Danny sighed. "I should've brought something with less sugar."
Erica's eyebrow arched. "Somehow, I don't think carrots would have the same effect."
Malia grinned. "I wouldn't turn down a carrot, but when it comes to math, you've gotta break out the hard hitters."
"At least you get a reward." Erica tapped her book with her pencil. "I'm pretty sure the best I can do on any of these overdue assignments is a 'B' and that's if I pull off some kind of miracle."
Malia leaned over. "What are you working on?"
"This one's pre-calculus… That one's history… And I have an English paper due this weekend that I wanted to get the outline done for."
"Which one's the hardest?"
"Pre-calc. I'm good at it, but it takes up a lot of time."
"Start there," Danny suggested. "That way, once you get that finished, everything else seems easy in comparison."
Sighing, Erica nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." Pulling her pre-calc book toward her, she flipped it open.
Suddenly, a crashing noise echoed through the library, making each of them flinch. Malia turned in her seat, searching the library, but nothing looked out of place. Standing from her chair, she said, "Stay here. I'll check it out."
Erica shot up from her seat. "Last time you said that, there was a mountain lion in the store."
Malia glanced at her. "Last time you followed me, we found a dead body."
Gulping, Erica raised her chin. "Better with you than on my own."
Danny cleared his throat and drew their attention. "It was probably just the wind, it knocked one of the doors closed."
"Yeah, well." Malia shrugged. "Can't hurt to check it out."
"Sounds like an easy excuse to avoid studying."
She grinned. "My pile of Skittles suggests I deserve a break." Taking one, she popped it in her mouth, and then moved toward the open library doors. The hallway just outside of it was dimly lit. To the right, the hall split in two directions, leading deeper into the school, but the doors were chained shut. To the left was a door that exited into the courtyard, which was usually left open, but was now clearly closed.
"See? I told you." Danny took up the rear, his arms crossed loosely over his chest.
Humming, Malia moved toward the door.
Erica was right beside her, nervous and unsure.
"He's probably right. It's just the wind—" As Malia tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge. Frowning, she pushed at the other door, but it did nothing as well. Shoving her shoulder against it, she pushed as hard as she could. The best it would do was open a couple inches, just enough for her to see that a crowbar was shoved through the outer handles.
Erica backed away, her eyes wide with fright. "That's not accidental. Nobody does that unless they're trying to trap you inside."
Malia stared down at the bar a long beat, closed her eyes, and then took a deep breath. Turning around, she said, "Find Trisha. We need to get out of here, and fast."
…
Stumbling deep into the the locker room, Scott and Stiles were arguing over calling in Stiles' dad.
"What am I supposed to tell him?"
"I don't know, anything. Gas leak, a fire, whatever." He turned to Stiles, his eyes wide and insistent. "If that thing sees the parking lot filled with cop cars, it'll take off."
"What if it doesn't? What if it goes completely Terminator and kills every cop in sight, including my dad?" He shook his head. "You said it yourself, we're not sure this thing really knows what it's doing. Just because Derek thinks it does, doesn't mean he's right. Look, the Alpha could seriously hurt them."
"They have guns!"
Stiles threw a hand up. "Yeah, and Derek had to be shot with a wolfsbane-laced bullet to even slow him down, you remember that?"
Scott rolled his eyes and sighed. All right, good point, not that he liked it all that much. "Then we— We have to— We have to find a way out and just run for it."
"There's nothing near the school for at least a mile."
Scott's brows hiked. "What about Derek's car?"
"How do we know the Alpha didn't do the exact same thing to his car as he did to my jeep? What if we get all the way out there and it's just a trap?"
"Okay, then… Then I don't know! You come up with something!"
Stiles nodded. "We call Malia."
"Malia!?" Scott frowned. "Why? She doesn't even have a car! And— And I don't want her to come here. In fact, I want her as far away from here as possible."
"I get that, I do. But, we're running out of options here. And she might not have a car, but Danny does. That's who she's studying with, right?" He nodded. "They were going to meet at…" He trailed off as realization dawned.
Simultaneously, they said, "The school!"
…
Allison was laughing at something Lydia had said when her phone started buzzing atop the table. Opening it, she stared down at a text that had just arrived. — 'Meet me at the school. URGENT. – Scott'
Frowning, she switched over to Malia in her messages. —'hey, just got a weird text from scott. any idea what's happening?'
"What's with that face?" Lydia wondered.
Allison looked up, her brow furrowed. "What face?"
"You got a text and then all the happiness drained out of you. What's up?"
"No, nothing like that. I just got a text from Scott and…" She shook her head. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling. I think I'm going to head over to school."
"The school?" Lydia raised an eyebrow. "The only people at school on a Wednesday night are losers or janitors."
"Some might say those two things intersect," Jackson snarked.
Allison rolled her eyes. "It's fine. Malia's at the school. And I guess Scott, too, because he just texted me to meet him there. Said it was urgent."
"Urgent like… you two are going to make out in an empty school? Because that's not cute. That stuff gets around and you don't want that kind of reputation." Lydia's brows arched. "I don't want you to have that kind of reputation."
"Because it'll affect me or you…?" Allison wondered, amused.
Lydia paused a beat before saying, "Both." She scoffed. "Anyway, you two aren't serious anymore. If you ever even were. You don't need to answer his vague booty calls."
"It's not a booty call. And…" She glanced at Jackson, feeling awkward about sharing the personal details of her life in front of him.
"You might as well say it." He smirked. "Lydia will tell me anyway."
Allison frowned. "It doesn't matter. He said it was urgent and… we're friends. Or we're trying to be. Either way, I feel like I should check it out."
"Fine." Lydia grabbed her purse. "Then we'll all go."
Jackson's lip curled. "We will?"
"Yes, we will, because Allison is our friend. And because she caught a ride here with us, so I'm not letting her walk the school." She shrugged. "Plus, after we're done figuring out what Scott's urgent problem is, I still want to hang out. And if I'm not there to remind her we have plans, she'll get sucked into the vortex that is Scott and/or Malia."
Snorting to herself, Allison shook her head. Hooking her bag over her shoulder, she made her way up to the front counter to pay, checking her phone periodically, and frowning when there was no reply from Malia. A deep pit in her stomach said something was very wrong.
…
Just as the boys scrambled toward the locker room door, with Stiles digging his phone out of his pocket, Scott stopped them, a hand pressed to Stiles' chest. "Just wait. I heard something."
"Something like Malia, safe and sound, yucking it up with Danny in the library?"
"No, something like…" His brow furrowed "Just be quiet." Closing his eyes, he tipped his head and stretched his hearing. But just as he swore he caught the familiar lilt of Malia's voice, something else overpowered it. Something loud and heavy, and moving in their direction.
Suddenly, he and Stiles were backing away from the door. Scott reached out and shoved Stiles' flashlight down, covering the beam.
Stiles turned it toward himself, muting it against his shirt.
"Hide," Scott told him.
Abruptly, Stiles reached for a locker door, pulling it open despite the loud, rattling noise it made, and climbed inside.
"No!" But it was too late, he was lodged inside, and Scott could do nothing but find a locker to hide in himself.
Scott stared through the slats of the locker door, but couldn't see who or what had entered the room. He could hear footsteps coming in his direction and waited, his heart pounding hard in his chest. As something passed by the door, his breath caught. Scott covered his mouth, but it was too late.
The door swung open and there stood—
The custodian.
Startled at finding Scott inside the locker, the janitor screamed in shock. Only to scream again as he turned and found Stiles falling out of his own locker.
"Shh, shh, shh!" Stiles said.
"Son of a bitch!"
"Quiet!"
"Quiet, my ass. What the hell are you trying to do, kill me?" The janitor pointed to the door. "Both of you, get out."
"Just listen for half a second, okay?" Stiles begged.
"Not okay." Eyes wide and still panting through his panic, the man grabbed Scott's shoulder and shoved him toward the door. "Get the hell out of here right now." He hustled both boys out the door and into the hallway.
Stumbling, Stiles turned back to him. "Just one second to explain."
Unwilling to listen, the custodian pointed down the hall. "Just shut up and go."
Abruptly, the janitor was yanked back through the door, which closed behind him. His body was thrown against it and his terrified screams echoed around a snarling growl. Blood spattered the window as he was pulled away and then thrown back, screaming and clawing at the door.
Scott scrambled forward and pushed at the handle, but there was nothing he could do. The door wouldn't budge and the custodian was being mauled to death before their eyes.
Stiles grabbed at Scott and pulled him away. "Go, go!"
As they ran down the hallway, the locker room door broke from its hinges and landed on the floor with the limp body of the janitor. He lay there, dead, until he was pulled by his ankles back into the depths of the locker room.
…
Outside the school, Allison chewed her lip. Stiles' jeep was there, which was only mildly comforting. The front door to the school was open, a chain hanging ominously from the handle. A chill ran down her back, warning her of impending danger, and still she found herself stepping forward.
Lydia pushed her door open and popped out of the car. "Are you sure about this?"
Allison glanced at her. "He said it was urgent."
"What's so urgent that he needs you to run to the school?" Lydia shook her head. "This has creepy written all over it."
"Yeah, you don't need me to state the obvious, do you?" Jackson stood on the other side of his car, arms resting on the hood, hands clasped together.
"That it looks like they broke in? Yeah, I noticed." She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Only way to get answers is to find him."
"Or wish him the best and go home to avoid this Texas Chainsaw Massacre wannabe." Lydia rolled her eyes. "Did Malia ever text back?"
Digging her phone out once more, Allison found no new messages. "No… And that's what worries me."
"Okay. I vote we leave," Lydia decided.
Jackson nodded. "Seconded."
"You guys can go, seriously. But, I'm going to find out what happened." Allison gathered up her courage and walked to the stairs, climbing them despite how weak her knees suddenly felt.
Behind her, Lydia was frowning. Climbing back into Jackson's car, she crossed her arms, and refused to admit that she was worried.
…
Seeing an exit in the distance, Scott and Stiles hurried toward it. They quickly shoved it, only to find it blocked. There was a dumpster on the other side, pinning the doors closed.
"He pushed it in front of the door to block us in." Stiles continued to shove at the door, trying to dislodge it, but there was no use. "Come on, help me!"
"Stiles, stop." Scott pulled him away and they started down another hallway, in search of yet another exit.
"I'm not dying here. I'm not dying at school."
"We're not gonna die."
"How do you know? Huh?" He laughed sarcastically. "Last month, you would've said there's no such things as werewolves, but here we are, being chased by one." He shook his head. "God, what does he want?"
"Me. Derek says it's stronger with a pack."
"Oh, great. A psychotic werewolf who's into team work. That's— That's beautiful."
"Look, we don't just have to find an exit. Malia is here! I heard her. She's in the school."
"Wait." Stiles turned to him. "If she is here and she doesn't know what's happening on this end, that means that maybe the Alpha hasn't made it to that part of the school. Maybe he's only blocking off this end because he doesn't think we can get over there…" Stiles nodded, his eyes darting around. "They keep a door open near the library. If we can get over there—"
"But the library is blocked off from the rest of the school. All the doors will be chained shut."
"So, we go back for the bolt cutters."
"That means going by the locker room, the same one we know the Alpha was just in."
Stiles sighed. "Okay… Okay, new plan. Malia gets the bolt cutters, swings back around, cuts the chain on her end, we get through, we all make a run for it."
Scott looked skeptical. "We don't actually know where the Alpha is. If Malia does that, she could run right into him."
"Scott…" He reached out and gripped his shoulders. "She's in the same school as us, okay? That means that eventually, the Alpha will notice there's another way in and out. She's already in danger. And if we tell her that, she's going to wonder how we know, and then she's going to figure out that we're in the school. I'll give you two guesses about what she's going to do. but you only need one."
Scott sighed. "She'll save us."
"Bingo. Now, our best option is to talk to her ourselves, tell her what's happening, and work on a plan together. Otherwise, she's going to arm herself with Danny's tire iron and go toe-to-toe with Alpha. So, can we do that? Can we call her?"
Chewing his lip, Scott nodded. "Yeah. Okay."
"All right. Thank you." Digging his phone out, Stiles plugged in Malia's number, but after a few rings, it flipped over to voice mail. "Son of a…" Muttering under his breath, he dropped the phone, ended the call, and opened his messages, thumbing out a quick, frustrated text. —'RED. Danger. S-O-FREAKING-S!'
"Okay, slight deviation from the plan… We find the door closest to the library… We call out for help. Malia hears us, finds us, and we're back on track."
Unable to argue, Scott nodded. "Okay." However, while they were walking down the hall, past a long bank of windows, Scott caught sight of something across the way. A dark figure on top of the roof of the adjacent building. Noticing them in return, the Alpha started racing across the roof in their direction.
Scott and Stiles turned and fled. Behind them, the windows shattered as the Alpha leapt through them, knocking into a wall before he got his feet under him and gave chase. They rushed through a door that opened onto a dark stairwell and hurried down it, escaping into the basement below.
…
"We should call somebody." Erica paced around their table. "Our parents, the Sheriff, someone."
Malia chewed her lip. She couldn't exactly say that she had a feeling a homicidal werewolf was what had trapped them inside the school. That would sound crazy. But she was more than a little worried that calling in any kind of back up would only end poorly. Nobody was prepared to take on an Alpha because almost no one knew what an Alpha was. 'Almost' being the key word. Malia grabbed up her bag and dug around in it until she found her phone. She'd turned the ringer off so she could focus, but now that she was seeing all the missed calls and texts, she really wished she hadn't.
Malia thumbed through all of Stiles' frantic messages. It started off at the clinic, with Derek taking Deaton hostage. What the hell? And then progressed to them coming to the school to try and get the Alpha's attention... Which sounded phenomenally stupid and she fully expected a serious explanation as to why that was their plan of action as soon as this insanity was over. That did remind Malia of what Erica had said, however, about hearing a loud noise; she wondered if that was Scott's howl. Finally, she reached the last text— 'RED. Danger. S-O-FREAKING-S!'
Wincing, Malia thumbed in a response. —'where are you guys?'
She was relieved to see the little bubble appear soon after. —'basement. trapped the furry bastard in a room. HAH! take that. big bad alpha my ass'
Malia breathed out a little sigh of relief. —'we're in the library. there's a crowbar across the door. we're trapped. danny's talking to trisha. she can unlock the doors to the main hallway. we'll meet you halfway!'
This time, the response wasn't so quick. In fact, it took long enough that Malia was starting to worry. Finally, however, a text came in, only it wasn't as reassuring as she'd hoped. —'RED RED RED. i was wrong. he's out! stay put. you're safer there!'
She scowled. —'what? NO! where are you? i'll come for you!' She waited impatiently for a reply, but when it didn't come, she typed out another text. —'stiles! answer me! the more you wait, the more worried i get. i'm not going to hide in this library and wait for it to kill us. we're sitting ducks!'
"Malia?"
She looked up to see Danny walking toward her, a worried Trisha right behind him. She was on the shorter side with curly orange hair, a face of freckles, and narrow glasses perched on her nose.
Fiddling with the keys hanging from her lanyard, Trisha said, "You're sure the door won't open?"
"Trust me, it's not moving." Malia shook her head. "We need to get into the main school. We can find an exit through there."
"I'm not supposed to let students in there after hours. We should call Al, he's the custodian on tonight. He can find a way to get us out."
"We don't have time for that."
Trisha frowned. "Excuse me?"
"Listen…" Malia swallowed tightly. "Whoever put that crow bar there, they're not playing a prank. I think they're dangerous and I think we need to get out of here."
"Dear, I've been working here a long time. We have plenty of children who—"
A distant, but loud bang could be heard then, and a fine tremble rocked the floor. Malia felt Erica's hand wrap around her elbow and squeeze.
Gritting her teeth, she turned to Trisha. "Something is wrong and we need to leave."
Trisha looked from her to Erica to Danny, before finally sighing. "All right. Get your things."
Relieved, Malia moved to the table and started shoving her books into her bag. It knocked into her pile of Skittles and sent them skittering in every direction. Shaking her head, she swung her arm out, and brought it toward her, swiping everything in her path into the open mouth of her backpack.
Danny stared at her flatly. "Seriously?"
"Waste not want not." Swinging her bag over her shoulder, she turned to Erica, who was staring down at her open homework with glazed eyes. "Hey, I know this is scary, but we can do this." She closed Erica's books and shoved them into her bag for her before sliding it over Erica's arm and onto her shoulder. "We'll get into the main hall and check every exit and window until we find a way out."
Danny turned to her. "You think the others are blocked, too?"
"I'm planning for the worst." Taking Erica's arms, Malia turned her so they were facing one another. "I got you out last time, right?"
Erica nodded, slow and jerky.
"I'll get you out this time, too." Malia held a hand out, her pinkie extended. "I promise."
Erica stared at it a beat and then reached out, hooking her pinkie around Malia's. "O-Okay." She took a deep breath. "I trust you."
Trisha appeared then, her jacket on and her bag slung over her shoulder. "Ready?"
Malia nodded. "Yeah. Let's get out of here."
tbc
author's note: i ended up cutting this chapter in half because it was huge. so my favorite scene will actually be next chapter. as an apology for the tease, however, i may possibly update with the second half early, like on wednesday, since it's finished and just needs some editing.
a lot of this chapter was taken right from the episode, mostly the scott/stiles scenes, because there's a lot of necessary information that helps keep everyone aware of people's locations and what they're doing while things are just about to kick off for malia. things will be getting very intense soon and i'm very excited to share my favorite scene and what actually ended up being a huge reason why i wanted to write this story.
i hope you like everything even if it does feel a lot like a filler right now.
lastly, i'm so sorry i'm behind on answering reviews. i plan to get to those tomorrow, when i get off work!
things to look forward to next chapter: allison and gang run into scott and stiles; malia makes a plan; jackson is an ass; an alpha hunts his prey; and a girl finds a boy.
thanks for reading, please leave a review!
- Lee | Fina