SONG: Lost 'til you're found...swim 'til you drown...know that we all fall down ~ All Fall Down by OneRepublic

Chapter 3

Lydia:

Taking a seat at the top of the bleachers I took out my sketch pad. Scott said I needed to clear my mind, but I couldn't do that at home, all I would do would be think about it and try to push for an answer. So, here I am watching the guy's practice. Stiles and Scott were the last out on the field and I watched as the coach had them run shooting drills. Stiles was up first. God bless him he really wasn't a great player. He wasn't completely terrible, but he would probably be warming the bench again this year.

Greenburg was okay but not great and the coach made sure he knew it. The next three in line, Johnson, Mitchell and Smith were good and had a shot at some play time this year. Then came Scott. My breath caught as I watched him. His moves were fluid, like water as he predicted where the guards were, at one point doing a midair flip and scoring a goal as he landed.

"He's like poetry in motion out there, isn't he?" Allison's voice sounded from next to me. I didn't even hear or see her come up.

"What?" I asked, turning away from the field and looking at her.

"Scott, it's like watching a professional out there the way he moves when he plays." She explained.

"Yeah, I mean. He's good, always was. I guess." I cleared my throat and put pencil to paper as I tried not to look at him. I looked up again when she snorted.

"You are not great at subterfuge, you know." She laughed.

"Whose using subterfuge, which I don't think is the right word by the way? I'm agreeing with you. He is good." I rolled my eyes and going back to my drawing I had subconsciously started.

"You are hopeless. I don't know why you are trying to fight it or deny it or whatever you are doing." She pulled out a camera and fiddled with it to set up some shots.

"Fight what? I'm not fighting anything." I sighed.

"You are, but not as hard as you think if that drawing is anything to go by." She pointed down to my pad. I had not been paying attention to what it was, but now that I looked, I saw that I had inadvertently drawn Scott on the field. I quickly turned to a new page and started a new drawing.

"That's irrelevant. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were on research duty." I asked diverting the attention.

"Isaac is on the team too. So, I figured I would wait here for him."

"Right." I smirked at her.

"Shut up." She bumped my shoulder as I snickered.

The shrill sound of a whistle caused us both to pay attention to the practice.

"Back up, everyone." Coach yelled running towards a down player. Scott got there first, and Allison stood up when she saw that it was Isaac on the ground. Scott leaned over him and then raised his hand to stop everyone. Stiles is the only one to actually run over instead of back away.

"I got this coach." Scott said as he and Stiles helped Isaac to his feet. Scott said something to Isaac, and he nodded. Whatever it was, Isaac made his way to the bench to sit. He looked up and nodded to Allison. She nodded back and sat back down.

"Apparently I am not the only one that is hopeless." I smiled innocently at her. She didn't deny it, only grinning and going back to her camera. I went back to my drawing, this time of a non-descript building.

"You know, its okay if you like him." she said indifferently.

"Like who?" I asked distractedly. My hands were working faster as I filled in more details to the building.

"Scott."

My head shot up to look at her. She paid me no mind as she started snapping pictures of the players and more so of Isaac on the bench, drinking water. I opened my mouth to talk but words did not come out, only a squeaking sound that was embarrassing.

She sat back down as the coach blew the whistle again and ran onto the field to give instructions. She gave me a comforting smile.

"He's a great guy and he was an amazing boyfriend, even with all the trouble that followed him sometimes. you could do a hell of a lot worse than him." She admitted.

"He is a great guy, but, he's not… I'm not. Its just not going to happen."

"Why? And don't say because of me."

"But you guys-."

"Are over. We broke up a while ago and more than anything I want him happy so if you can do that for him then I am all for it." She said, looking intently at me. "Look, Scott was my first love, and I will always care about him. But I would never begrudge him happiness whoever it's with. He deserves that and so do you. My feelings for Scott are the same as for you now, he's one of my best friends. But that's it. If you like him, go for it." she said encouragingly.

I looked back at the field to see Scott and Stiles shoving each other playfully and then Isaac running out to join them. Looking back at Allison, I saw her watching me. Shutting my pad, I placed it next to me.

"Let's just say, hypothetically, that I did like him. Its not cut and dry to just go for it."

"Because of Stiles." She said as if that was the answer.

"Partly, I know people think I am oblivious, but I know Stiles likes me. He's had a crush on me for ages. But Stiles and Scott are best friends. I couldn't come between them that way. That is just cruel."

"I will admit that is a huge hurdle to overcome. But have you ever just sat down and talked to him about it? He's had a crush yes, but nothing ever developed from that, right. I mean he never asked you out or really pursued you."

"He hasn't and the closest we ever been to a date was that ice rink we went to with you and Scott but no he has never asked me out separately from that. Still Scott would never do anything to hurt him if he could help it."

"Hmm. You said that was only partly the reason. What's the other?"

"Scott doesn't see me that way. We are friends."

"Wow." She said her mouth hung open and shaking her head. "You really are hopeless."

"Whatever. But while we are on the subject of hopelessness. Why are you fighting so hard not to just kiss the shit out of Isaac? If you and Scott are really over each other then you know he wouldn't mind if you dated him." I bumped her shoulder as she took yet another picture of Isaac on the field jarring her enough that I am sure the picture will come out blurry.

"Yeah he basically told me as much." She sighed setting up another photo. This one involved Isaac stopping to wave at her. She smiled as she snapped.

"So, what's the problem?"

"I… I know Scott would be okay with it, but I can't help feeling guilty. I broke up with Scott because of the whole werewolf/hunter thing just to turn around and date another werewolf? That just seems wrong. Like I found something lacking in Scott but not in Isaac even though they are basically the same." She lamented.

"First off, they are nowhere near the same and I'm not talking about the alpha/beta thing. But their personalities are completely different. Besides when you broke up with Scott you had a lot going on. You lost your mom, your aunt, as crazy as she was, and was traumatized by your grandfather who wanted to turn you into a killer and then tried to kill you. You were not in the headspace for a relationship then. But you have healed enough now to think about one and I think you and Isaac compliment each other very well."

"Same goes for you and Scott." She side-eyed me. I just shook my head and picked my pad back up. Turning back to the sketch I was working on. We sat quietly for a while, me drawing and her taking pics. Practice was almost over as I finished and finally looked at the finished picture. I got tingles in the back of my neck as everything fell into place.

"Allison." I drew her attention.

"What?"

"It's the hospital." I told her.

"What?"

"The place, it's the hospital" I said, turning the page so she could see. I had drawn a picture of a building with a giant sign on the front that said, Beacon Hills Memorial and on the roof was a picture of a kid hanging off the edge and another figure trying to hold on to him as a third figure was on the back of the other trying to pull him off. She looked at it wide eyed.

"Come on." she grabbed up her bag and started down the bleachers. I followed her grabbing my own stuff.

"Stiles." She called when we reached the bottom. Stiles looked back at us and stood abruptly coming towards us catching the attention of both Scott and Isaac who were playing guard this time around.

"What's up?" Stiles asked.

"It's the hospital." Told him, showing him the drawing. He took the pad and studied it.

"The hospital, you sure?" he asked.

"No, I just make it a habit of subconsciously drawing building with people hanging off of it for shits and giggles."

He gave me a sardonic look before calling over Scott and Isaac. They both ran over, and he showed them the picture.

"The hospital, that's where it will happen?" Scott asked me.

"Yeah. But I still don't know when yet. But I will. I just need a time."

"that's okay. At least we got the where. I'll let my mom know."

I nodded, taking the pad back and shoving it in my bag.

"I'm gonna head home and meditate, maybe it will come to me."

"don't rush it, Lydia. We'll get the when. Go home and relax. Maybe get some sleep." He said.

"Okay, come on Allison, I'll drive you home."

Allison nodded.

"I'll meet you there." Isaac told her.

"Sure."

I watched her watch them as they raced towards the locker room.

"Hopeless." I teased.

"Shut up." She giggled shoving me.

Scott:

"I don't think Lydia will ever see me as more then a friend." Stiles said as I flopped back on my bed. He had followed me home so we could brainstorm on the kid Lydia saw. Apparently we needed to have this conversation first.

"Why do you say that?"

"Just a feeling." He signed flopping down next to me.

"What feeling?"

"A feeling that maybe… maybe we aren't meant to be together after all."

I propped myself up and looked over at him.

"But you have been crushing on her since third grade."

"Yeah, and I hoped and prayed and wished on stars and even rubbed a buddha belly that she would one day seem me as more."

"And now…"

"Now, I think I have forever been friend zoned. We had a moment, over the summer. When all that stuff was happening with the Druid and the alphas."

"What was the moment?"

"After you left with Deucalion and Jennifer had all our parents, I had a panic attack and the only way she could think to calm me down was to kiss me."

"Wait, you guys kissed?" I asked.

"Yeah, just for a minute, but it was in that moment when I thought, maybe we could have more. Maybe she could finally see me. But it never went further than that. After it was all over, she went right back to Aiden so…"

"Dude, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's fine. You had enough to deal with. Just becoming an alpha and all that."

"Yeah, I still haven't really wrapped my head around that."

"I know, right. But I think that its time for me to give up the dream."

"You really ready to do that?" I asked, I tried to tamper down the little bit of hope I had. It's not like I could do anything even if he did mean, which I wasn't sure he really did.

"Yes. No. I don't know. But I do think I am able to accept it. My crush is still there, but it lessens a little bit every day."

"So, you think you ready to try dating now?" I asked him.

"Maybe, if I find someone to date that is. I've been stuck on her for so long that I haven't really been looking. But I think maybe now I will. Besides I would really love to have sex soon and its no fun doing it by myself."

"Eww, dude. That's way too much information." I shoved him. He chuckled.

"Fine, fine. So, what are we doing? Trying to think of who this kid is?"

"Yeah, but honestly, I have no clue. I mean it could be a freshman, we don't know many of them. And the ones we do know don't really fit the vague description. Maybe they aren't from our school at all, or maybe they are visiting someone here or something. I don't know."

"Yeah, we really need more to go on or at least the when so we can be more aware. So, I guess we are just waiting for Lydia to get that information."

I guess so. Well, I'm going to get to work. You want to stay here or what?"

"Nah, I'm gonna head home, maybe stop by to see my dad at work. I got that project I need to work on. hey, did you and Lydia decide what you are working on?" he asked.

"Uh, not really. We are still trying to narrow it down." In truth, we ended up just talking about nothing and anything we didn't really talk about schoolwork at all.

"Okay, well see you later." He said jumping up and walking out the door. I laid back again and thought over what he said. But just because he is no longer holding out hope for a Stydia paring, his couple's name idea not mine, doesn't mean I could jump in and try anything with her. It would still hurt him, and I couldn't do that.

The last few days went by quickly. We were no closer to figuring out who the kid was or when it would happen. We did however figure out the creature. After a short list from Allison and Isaac of could be possibilities I called Derek and asked him, texting him a copy of the list. There was only one creature on the list he thought fit the bill. The fact that the teeth were in his human mouth leaned towards a wendigo. A sort of shapeshifting cannibal. He didn't even know there were any in Beacon Hills. But with the Nemento back up and running it wasn't that surprising that they were.

Lydia was driving herself crazy trying to get the time and she was looking completely drained. I know it was really getting to her since she wasn't looking like herself. Today she had her usually neat and sleek hair up in a messy bun and was dressed in a pair of jeans and a t shirt, which wasn't her usual style. She was quiet and stressed and you could see the strain in her face as she tried fruitlessly to force the premonition.

I caught her before the last class of the day on Friday and pulled her into an empty office.

"Lydia. What's going on?" I asked gently, gripping her shoulders.

"What do you mean?" she mumbled studying the ground.

"Hey." I leaned in to catch her eye, forcing her to look at me. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"

She stared back until her eyes brimmed with tears. With a hiccupped sob she crumpled. I caught her and held her to me.

"Sshh, it's okay. Its all going to be okay." I soothed one hand rubbing her back and the other cradling her head to my chest. Her arms wrapped around my waist, and she continued to cry.

"No, it's not." She sobbed. "This kid's going to die because I can't get my stupid powers to work right. He's going to die, and it will all be my fault."

"No, it won't. none of this is your fault. You're not omnipotent and you are still coming into your powers. None of us know what you can do. Hell, I don't even know what all I can do yet. It's a learning process for all of us."

"But we don't know when. What if I don't get the time or it's too late or-."

"Then we will deal with it. As much as we hate to admit it, we can't save everyone. We can only do so much. We can only save who we can save. If we don't find this kid, then all the blame for his death is on the wendigo that took him not us. But I think that we will find him, and we will save him."

"I keep trying but all I keep seeing is him on the roof about to fall and you trying to save him. But then nothing. I don't know if he fell or if you got hurt cause of the wendigo. What if you get hurt as well?"

"Then I will heal."

"But-."

"I will heal. And whoever did it will pay. I promise."

She squeezed me closer.

"Stop trying to force it. Just let it happen. Everything will work out; I know it will. Just try to relax, okay?"

She nodded but didn't move away. I pressed my nose into the top of her head swaying from side to side as she calmed down. Pulling away a little, I looked down into her tear-stained face. Even with her nose all red and her skin splotchy she was still beautiful. My thumbs swiping at the wetness around her eyes. We stood staring at each other. She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, and I wanted to badly to lean in and kiss her to stop the nervous habit. My hands were still on her face, her fingers curled into the back of my shirt. I hadn't realized I was getting closer until I felt her breath against my lips.

We both jumped apart as the door abruptly opened. We both looked to see the assistant principal staring back at us, eyebrows quirked in question.

"Sorry, just needed a minute." She said wiping her eyes.

"Mmhm." He said and moved aside to let us out. "You both have classes to get to."

"Yes sir." I acknowledged as I pulled Lydia out of the room. He closed the door and watched us walk down the hall.

"I'll see you later Scott." Lydia gave a little wave before rushing off. I turned and went the opposite way only to realize I was going the wrong way and had to turn again. The principal watched shaking his head with a smirk.