The rhythmic clinking of metal on metal echoed through the room, filling Lucy's ears. She had purposely left her headphones at home today, wanting to fully immerse herself in the pain she was about to endure while getting her pump in. The thought of the werewolves, or rather, werewolf, made her stomach churn. It was hard to believe that her little brother could actually transform into a wolf-like creature at will, but she had seen it with her own eyes. The sight still sent shivers down her spine and made her question everything she thought she knew about reality.
Lucy shuddered at that mental image. She couldn't imagine what Scott could look like as a fucking monster. If werewolves existed she couldn't even fathom what other shit existed. That's not even something she wanted to think about. Back to the pump.
Scott had more to tell her, but she couldn't handle it right now. Her phone kept buzzing with threatening messages from her ex, and she couldn't deal with that on top of everything else. Lucy knew she needed a new phone, but she wanted to save up a bit before spending so much money. The thought of her ex knowing her location and trying to manipulate her into coming back to him was terrifying. No more love bombing this time, just pure terror.
He knew she hated Beacon Hills. But that was before she could get the chance to invest in another life here. Of course she missed having money handed to her, getting anything she wanted, living a kind of luxurious life with other pretty girls who had rich daddies or boyfriends. Then here she was now- having to accept that idea that her little brother was a werewolf. Lucy glanced at the messages in her phone one more time. She didn't know which situation was more overstimulating.
In the cold, sterile confines of her office, the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead like a swarm of insistent bees while she tried to drown out the haunting image that had taken residence in her mind. The relentless rhythm of her fingers on the keyboard did little to distract her from the chilling memory of Derek Hale's transformation, his once friendly face contorting into something monstrous, fangs and all. A shiver ran through her as she reached for the small potted fern on her desk, its vibrant green leaves a stark contrast against the mundane grey cubicle walls. She had hoped that these new additions to her workspace would bring a semblance of tranquility amidst chaos, but their presence only amplified the unnaturalness of what she had witnessed. The world she thought she knew was unraveling around her, and all she could do was sit in a whirlpool of confusion and fear, desperately clinging onto normalcy.
Even though her leg was bouncing while she shuffled through some work things, Lucy just knew she needed some kind of caffeine. Not something that she drank too often, but it did stimulate in her ways that shuffling through files would not.
Lucy unfolded her legs and slid out from behind her desk. The halls were silent much to her pleasure and the staff room was looking…. Empty. Perfect. She silently put a maple brown sugar kuerig into the coffee maker and leaned against the counter. After some thought, she decided she needed a snack to go with her coffee, too.
After glancing at the clock, the idea to get both and her brother some lunch to share and just maybe discuss what was presented last night a little more. Thinking even more, Lucy thought that it would be so cute to do things like that with Scott. Yeah. Best thing about being the school nurse too was that she could just pull him out of class! She didn't even think about the perks.
With her coffee cup in hand, Lucy walked out of the office expecting the same silence in the hall as she did before yet this time she heard the famliar voice of her brother arguing with a female. Oh it just had to be Allison, right? Well of course she was going to easvsedrop.
"Are you trying to hurt me? Get back at me?" That was Allison all right, from what Lucy could remember her sounding like. At that moment it sounded like she was about to burst into tears.
Scott sounded like he could cry too when he responded, "No."
Lucy almost could imagine the look on his face and the way he probably was giving Allison some big brown sad eyes. Especially as she said, "Please, don't talk to me. I need more time to get to just friends. Okay? Please."
There was a clacking of heels that faded away in a hurry. She was literally running away from Scott. God that had to hurt, Lucy thought. As soon as she heard the heels completely gone, she ran out from behind her hiding spot in the corner and spotted Scott standing sadly in the middle of the hallway with a solemn look on his face. It hurt her heart so bad to see.
"Awe, my love. Are you okay?" Scott turned his head slightly to lock eyes with his sister, a defeated sign escaping his lips.
"I know nothing about girls. At all."
The siblings embraced, the hug being offered by the older of the two as she got closer to her little brother who was looking more than depressed. She felt the urge to do something about it in any way that she could. "Come to my office we can talk a little."
The pair walked to the nurse's office together and as soon as they got inside alone, Scott slumped in a seat and threw his head back, leaning it against the wall. Lucy watched his distress from the corner of her eye as she sipped her coffee from her own seat. She didn't know exactly where to start when it came to this type of thing.
"What happened?" That was simple enough.
Scott was stuttering when he answered, "I- I don't know. I sent her some old pictures of us. Like just to remind her of how things were. How it could still be. When she trusted me."
"Personally I think Allison might be a bit dramatic- only if everything went down how you explained… Try considering maybe there is other things that are upsetting her and she needs some kind of space. I don't know but I understand its going to be hard when you're just teenagers and both of you have so much going on. She could literally be traumatuzed. And associating you with that trauma."'
Scott shook his head side to side. "Allison is not like that."
"Scott, you wouldn't know that. Trauma changes people."
"She thinks I'm a liar, dude. She thinks I'm a piece of shit that can't be trusted but when I tell you almost everything I have done - and especially that night in the school -has been to protect her. Us. Stiles. You." Scott was on the verge of tears. Even with her own problems, Lucy couldn't imagine harboring so much stress at only sixteen.
"Scott you need to relax and focus on yourself. Getting the cure. I'm sure things will be easier." She paused, thinking about how he told her that if he killed the one who turned him in, he would be rid of the bite. "But that won't fix everything. Stop trying to micromanage everything because you can only control yourself. You're a kid, at least try to remember that. And I'm grown, I don't need protecting."
"Lucy you just started being able to stop covering your brusies. I love you but you dont make the best decisions either for me to not worry." Scott chewed at his lip as he examined Lucy's neck where the finger marks were before. "You still didn't even tell me what happened."
Scott's ears were assaulted by the loud thud of Lucy's heart dropping into a pit of dread. Her frantically beating heart was almost palpable, radiating waves of fear that washed over Scott like an icy tide. He could see the terror in Lucy's eyes and it made him squirm with discomfort. She nervously licked her lips before finally managing to choke out a shaky "Okay."
I quickly fell into a routine for when Tyler came home. The house had to be spotless, I had to be dressed nicely, and dinner had to be ready and steaming hot. I could sense that things were becoming tense, and I was constantly on edge waiting for him to snap. It could be due to work, family issues, or even losing bets on his fantasy football team - I never knew what would trigger his anger and result in me getting punished. But I was determined to endure it all as long as I could.
As I finished applying my base makeup, the smell of salmon cooking filled our house. From the second floor, I could see the sunset over one of California's beautiful beaches. The purples and oranges of the sky inspired me to play around with my eyeshadow palette and try something new. Typically, Tyler preferred a natural look from me, but with my flawless skin, I figured I could experiment a bit.
I used soft purples, oranges, and pinks on my eyelids until I achieved a bold and colorful look. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel nervous about how he would react to it.
But there was no need to worry - I could just take some cute pictures for myself and maybe find a way to recreate the look in a softer way for Tyler's pleasure. So I grabbed my phone and snapped some selfies in the bathroom under the flattering light. The thought of posting them on Instagram or Facebook crossed my mind - Tyler didn't really use Instagram but I enjoyed sharing little moments with my select group of followers.
However, just the idea of posting a picture without his approval made my heart drop. But that night, I felt brave and decided to post the picture anyway. Quickly shaking off any doubts, I turned back to the mirror and began removing the eye makeup before getting back to preparing dinner.
Once everything was cleaned up and I had returned to my natural look, I focused on finishing the rice and potatoes. Tyler could be home any minute and I wanted the food to be fresh and hot for him. As the dinner simmered on the stove, I heard the familiar sound of his keys at the front door. Putting on a smile, I jogged over to greet him with a kiss as he walked in
Despite the intensity of his usual scowl, it remained unflinching as our eyes met in a tense lock. Without a word, he brushed past me with an air of hostility that made me feel like I was walking on eggshells. I quickly grabbed his bulky gym bag and closed the door behind him, trying to shake off the daunting feeling that had flooded over me in his presence. The room still seemed to hold onto his lingering aura, heavy with anger and frustration.
"How was the gym?" I tried, offering a smile.
"I'm starving."
"Dinner is ready, my love." Finally that got a reaction out of him, and it allowed me to let out a breath of air I wasn't even aware I had been holding. Maybe tonight wouldn't even go bad at all.
A couple minutes later we were sitting at the dinner table, discussing things here and there but not really holding any type of conversation. Tyler had this thing of setting up youtube on his laptop while he ate instead of actually talking to me, but occasionally he would show me something to laugh or even give me a compliment. The better nights would be when he would be smiling, giving me compliments, kissing on me and being super loving. Those were the best. They happened often! Just not in a while.
I kept noticing Tyler take out his phone, smiling down at it, and typing with it tilted away. Of course anyone would start to get suspicious of that type of behavior, my stomach dropped at the thought of him cheating. I forked my food around the plate as I stared at him entranced in his phone, my face quickly started to heat up with anger.
"I'm not very hungry," I announced, dropping my utensils and scooting back from the table. Tyler looked up at me finally and locked his phone, placing it face down next to him.
"Is there a problem?"
My heart skipped a beat. I lied easily, "no. Why?"
Tyler stood up, rushing over to stand right next to me. He grabbed my hand, forcefully pulling me to my feet, a sting of pain traveling down my arm as he did. The grip he had on my wrist tightened as he shoved his face into mine, a gnarly snarl on his lips. "Let me see your phone," he demanded.
My brow immediately furrowed in confusion, I opened my mouth to mutter a, "what? Why?"
My head whips to the side with a sharp crack, pain blossoming in the corner of my lip. My hand flies up to touch the stinging sensation as I'm released from the harsh grip on my arm. My body jerks backwards, barely catching myself on the chair behind me. The sudden attack comes as no surprise, as unexpected hits like this are a regular occurrence.
"Are you stupid? Did you really just ask me why?" He shouted, sneering down before walking away from me and into the kitchen where my phone was still on the counter. He knew the password so there wasn't much I could do but watch as he tapped and swiped so hard on the screen I could hear his skin and nails tapping the screen.
The pounding sound of my heart in my ears flooded my hearing as I waited and waited for him to scroll upon the apps and things I had hidden for myself. I knew what I did earlier was going to be a bad idea. Then, to my surprise, Tyler locked the phone and looked up at me, staring in my eyes without saying anything.
Without warning, he hurled the phone across the room with such force that I instinctively flinched and cowered in fear. The device struck my back with a sharp thud, sending a shock of pain coursing through my spine. I cried out in agony, immediately reaching for my back to soothe the throbbing ache. Confusion and fear swirled within me as I tried to understand why he was so enraged, and how I could possibly calm him down before things escalated even
I stood quiet, cautiously keeping myself tucked into my own body and hoping he would just pass by. Sometimes just acting like a statue cowering in fear did something to Tyler's brain that I could not explain.
Trying to keep my eyes low and away from him, I froze until I heard the sound of him walking away. I peaked up as soon as our bathroom door shut and the faint noise of the shower filled the silence. My first step was to check my phone, making sure it hasn't broken from the impact it had on my back. Once I confirmed that it was fine, I rushed to clear the table, grabbing our unfinished dinners and bringing them to the kitchen.
A vibration on the table caught my ear, panic engulfing me as a scenario where I could get into his phone and see what was really in there played back in my brain. I mindlessly stared at the phone on the table as I scraped away at the food, rinsed the dishes, and organized them in the dishwasher- telling myself once I had done those things I would have the right to grab his phone and he wouldn't expect that I had been doing anything else.
Just as I closed the dishwasher and was going to rush over to the phone, I heard the shower turn off. I stopped in my tracks and took small steps to the bedroom door so I didn't sound like I was rushing to get somewhere else. In the closet I grabbed a matching pajama set and underwear, stopping to observe the small cut I had on my lip. It would swell and be sore for sure but it wouldn't be anything too serious.
We crossed paths as he exited the bathroom, him not even saying anything to me or looking my way as, just tightening the towel he had around his waist and taking long strides to the room. I wanted to give him a compliment, his strong and muscular stature easily caught my eye but of course the memory of him smacking the hell out of me was still fresh in my mind.
I took my time in the shower, being gentle around my back and face as I scrubbed away at the top of my skin- actually feeling disgusted with what I allowed. This was a routine that I had gotten used to that never got better. As soon as I got out, I lotioned up and took care of my skin and hair, getting ready to look cute for bed.
Out in the kitchen all the lights were off and my heart dropped when I noticed his phone now off the table. I guess I would have to let it go at that moment. Once making sure the house looked clean, I shut everything off completely and went into the bedroom. The lights were off, the tv was on, and four empty beers sat on Tyler's bedside table as well as his phone. It caught my eye, but I quickly looked away and tried to make eye contact with my boyfriend. He was asleep.
I slid under the covers, careful not to disturb him as I settled into bed. With a safe distance between us, I curled up on the edge of the mattress and closed my eyes. Despite my best efforts, thoughts of our argument earlier kept creeping into my mind, making it impossible for me to relax and fall asleep. But I refused to toss and turn, afraid to wake Tyler and start another confrontation.
I tossed and turned, my mind racing with thoughts of Tyler's phone. I could feel the weight of it in my hand, its secrets tempting me. The digital clock on my bedside table taunted me, its numbers blurring as I stared at them for what felt like hours. But even after trying every trick in the book, sleep refused to come to me.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and pretended to snuggle closer to Tyler, holding my breath to see if he would awake. Nothing. I reached over and gently snagged the phone, bringing it to my chest and shutting my eyes. I kept my breath steady as I tried to hear for any sign of movement. Nothing.
I turned the screen on, my eyes scanning the goodnight text that was being previewed on the screen. My heart dropped, my face swelling with heat as I tried to process what I was seeing. I mean what was I expecting? I just didn't want to believe it I guess.
My emotions took over me, my movements getting a little more careless as I roughly propped myself up, dropping the phone down on the table. I tried to turn quickly and pretend to be sleeping, but the phone smacked against the beer can, making a loud clang in the darkness.
Of course, the noise woke him up- not instantly - but he stirred immediately, coughing and clearing his throat until I was able to hear him fully get up, the bed creaking beneath me. I tried to level my breathing and keep my eyes shut tight- hoping and praying that my fake sleep act was going to work.
Before I could even blink, a vice-like hand clamped down on my throat, hoisting me into the air with a sickening jolt. Panic surged through my body as I frantically clawed at his fingers, struggling to pry them off. My desperate gasps for air were met with a strangled gurgle as his grip tightened, crushing my windpipe. Wide-eyed, I pleaded for mercy but all that came out were muffled, desperate sounds.
"What the fuck were you doing?" His tipsy, tired slurred voice boomed in my ear. I had absolutely no clue why he was upset- there was no way he saw me looking in his phone. How?! "You think I'm dumb, huh? The fuck are you doing?"
He tightened his grip on my neck, giving me the opportunity to both breath and gurgle out a response, "what are you talking about?! You're the one who's cheating!"
As soon as the words escaped my lips, his hand came swiftly across my face. The sharp sting lasted only a few seconds before I was forced to meet his piercing gaze. My mind raced with a mix of fear and anger, struggling to process the situation at hand. The memories of all the other times he had taken his frustrations out on me, even when he was in the wrong, flooded back. And now, to add insult to injury, I discovered that he had been unfaithful to me. It was like a slap in the face, physically and emotionally.
The idea swirling in my head gave me enough fuel to ignore the grip around my neck and brought my hands up to dig my nails into Tyler's face, scratching and gripping, feeling a small jump of joy at the sound of him shouting in pain.
Like a scene out of a horror film, everything happens in a blur. The moment he releases his iron grip on me, his arms snap back into the air, his hand slamming into my face with a sickening thud that sends my body flying off the bed and crashing onto the floor in a heap. With adrenaline pumping, I ignored the feeling again and kept talking, "you son of a bitch, you treat me like this and pretend you're some catch for another girl? I do everything you say! I gave you so many years just for you to do this shit to me?"
Tyler laughed, finally done rubbing at his face and moving to flick the light on. He looked down at me, a blank stare riding his red, scratched up face. "Listen, Lucy, really listen. You haven't been shit to me but a bill and a piece of ass."
My heart and eyes stung, but I tried to stay resilient, "do you even fucking love me? Why do you even keep me around if you're going to do this to me?"
Tyler approached me, but I didn't move, just keeping my eyes trained on him as he stalked towards me. In front of me, he leaned down, a psychotic smile playing on his lips. I'd never had to deal with another woman, as many issues as we constantly had, this would be too much for me to handle. Too much to fix.
"Of course I love you." Tyler extended a hand and I cautiously took it, just to get up from cowering off the floor. This bipolar attitude of his was not new, but everything felt different from how hurt I felt because of the circumstances. Now that we were close, he cupped my face, trying to sound sincere, "I just want you to shut the fuck up and listen, you understand?"
"Who is she?" I asked, ignoring the blatant disrespect.
"See?" He said in a strained voice, "you just don't listen!"
"Stop playing with me and just tell me the truth. Is this why you've been so rude lately? I can't think of anything I could've done."
I let out a sigh, not really engaging in conversation with him anymore, just going over certain things in my mind repeatedly. "How many times are you going to tell me this is the last time?"
Tyler cooed at me, the smallest sign of resent in his eyes, he reached down and leaned in like he was going to give me a kiss. At first I let him, his lips pressing sloppily against my sore mouth. I didn't kiss back, sort of letting him have his way with me until I remember I didn't even know if he was cheating on me physically or not. I pulled back, using my forearm to press at his chest and create distance between us.
Tyler came close, his hot, smelly alcohol breath fanning over my nose as he shoved himself closer to me again. I noticed pretty quickly he was going to try and force himself on me, and I brought a leg up, again trying to create a boundary between our bodies but it didn't matter.
Me resisting brought back that angry Tyler again, and within minutes I was getting pulled down by my hair, my scalp burned as I hit the floor. "Lucy just listen to me, please."
"Tyler, stop this! Just go to bed. You don't even know if you wanna beat me or love me. And I can't take this." Again, I tried to get up and walk away. I just wanted the situation to diffuse. Tyler was drunk, angry, and reeling. His mental health- or lack thereof, confused me every time. It was late at night and I had enough of being thrown around and arguing, and since it wasn't as bad, I felt I could reason more than anything.
My hand barely grazed the doorknob before he was on me, his hands like steel clamps around my wrists. With a rough, loveless force, he threw me back onto the bed. His entire weight pressed down on me, suffocating and overwhelming. As I looked up at him, I felt genuine terror course through my veins. Tyler's usually composed demeanor was now completely feral and I knew I couldn't fight back against his brute strength.
"What? He… he-"
"Yes, he did. But I passed out. Because he choked me so tight." At the sound of his ragged breathing, Lucy glanced down at her little brothers, noticing the claws poking out of his hand. She swallowed hard, still not completely okay with the fact that he was a… Werewolf. She decided to turn back to her computer and stop yelling Scott her story. It felt amazing to finally vent, and she had never even given anyone the full story of what had happened on one of the really bad nights- but maybe Scott was not the right person.
"I want to kill him." Scott huffed out, rising from his sitting position and beginning to pace. He was having an entirely hard time coping with the idea of not finding and killing Tyler.
"Well, you can't," Lucy pointed out matter of factly. She understood the anger but she hated to see it.
"Just promise me. Like actually promise me no matter what- you are never going to talk to him again. And you're gonna let me know if he even tries!"
A flash of panic heated up in Lucy's body, her heart skipping a beat. Her throat got dry as she gulped again, knowing damn well she was already keeping her Ex trying to find her a secret. Even though her stature was obvious to Scott, he still stood shut, giving his older sister a simple hug as she responded.
"I promise."