ITS MIDNIGHT AND IVE EDITED THIS WHOLE STORY BUT WANT TO GIVE YOU SOMETHING NEW!
There was blood here.
A lot of it.
It permeated the air from over three blocks away.
Were she a few decades younger, it would be near impossible to stay unaffected while the tantalizing smell wafted through the school halls. Fortunately, Nat had essentially perfected the control of her cravings. It was another reason she still chose to work as a nurse, to keep her tolerance for all bloody situations high. Consistent exposure ensured she wouldn't slip easily. Regardless, she had quickly pilfered a few of her traps on her way into school - taking only the bare minimum she needed from each creature before releasing it back into the wild.
Even still, she only mimics the chest movements of breathing rather than actually performing the act, and strives to keep her mouth closed at all times - lest any stray particles entice her too much.
It's curious that school wasn't cancelled completely. Who thought it was acceptable to subject teenagers to this? More than one group had unknowingly stumbled across the crime scene this morning, and it was all anyone could talk about. But, apparently, by the time it was discovered it was too last as most students were already on route to school.
Still, Nat thought, it was a feeble excuse.
Although, to be fair, the teens were all very much enjoying the the new mystery. The chemistry class was abuzz with curious gossip about the bloody bus in the school parking lot. Anything to distract them from learning, it seems.
It wouldn't stay a mystery for long though, given how loudly Stiles and his wolf pup were discussing the possible cause.
"Maybe it was my blood on the door," the wolf pup suggests seriously, hardly bothering to lower his voice.
She does her best not to grip her pen too tightly in her frustration - she could easily snap it in half if she wasn't careful, and that would not do. Could their discussion seriously not wait until after class? It's not as though time was of the essence here, where as discretion must always be the top priority.
"Could have been animal blood," Stiles counters in a similar tone. "Maybe you caught a rabbit or something."
The class was almost completely silent, making their voices seem unconscionably loud. From what she had gathered, his wolf pup had dreamed about killing the hunter girl in the bus last night and was shocked to find the bus destroyed but the girl okay.
The pup's face scrunches with confusion at the suggestion. "And did what?" He asks stupidly.
Most of their class could have deduced the same thing by now, sans the wolf part, given the way they were attentively listening to the not so hushed conversation between tho two. Rumors had already been circulating that the pup had a 'major breakdown' in the school halls this morning. He had apparently wailed in agony before destroying Captain Jerk's locker - 'I swear, I saw it happen with my own eyes,' one girl had claimed. Nat doubts the full extent of the gossip, even if the teenagers believed what they were saying. There was surely no way he could be that volatile, and in public no less... he wasn't that stupid, right?
"Ate it," Stiles says with a reluctant tone.
They were seriously going to have to get better at discretion if they wanted to survive without alerting the hunters of their secret. Both were attracting far too much attention, and it was as if they didn't even notice the curious glances their classmates were shooting intermittently. Did they honestly think themselves invisible? At this rate, it was only a matter of days before the hunters located the new wolf pup.
"Raw?" He asks with horrified disbelief.
All it would take is one slip up, and the hunter girl could point the finger directly at him. Any classmate could mention this strange conversation to her, and she could share it with her parents - even just in a joking matter - then the wolf pup would be killed before the sun went down. He was being selfish and foolish by continuing to see her while knowing what she was.
"No, you stopped to bake it in a little werewolf oven-" Stiles starts incredulously.
A solid laugh bursts from her lips, and all eyes in the room turn to her.
Nat holds a hand to her mouth in surprise, trying to stop the peculiar noise from continuing. If she were capable, she would undoubtedly be flushed bright red at being caught displaying such amusement. It had just been so unexpected, and the ridiculousness of openly stating what his wolf pup was pushed her over the edge. Not acknowledging the stares, she toys with her bottom lip, then stiffens as the faint aroma of fresh blood permeates the air and through her. It sets her body on edge, and she quickly clamps her mouth shut and carefully holds herself in place.
She is eternally grateful when their new chemistry teacher for the year decides to interject and regain the class' attention.
"Mister Stilinski," he says, placing his hands on his hips authoritatively. "If that's you're idea of a hushed whisper, you might want to pull the headphones out every once and a while."
Stiles awkwardly scoffs, clearly unsure of what to say when he was being called out in front of the whole class. It seems he was now aware of the plethora of eyes upon him.
"I think you and Mister McCall would benefit from a little distance, yes?" He suggests, but the tone of voice makes it clear that this is a command.
Stiles weakly protests, but the teacher remains unmoved and points at separate desks for them both. Nat preoccupies herself with scribbling on the edges of her paper and absent-mindedly wondered why the innocent boy's heart rate has suddenly jumped so high.
If she had been looking, she would have known it was because of where the teacher had indicated.
"Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much for you," the teacher jests.
Stiles lets out a loud, sarcastic laugh, but his voice seems strangely shaky.
The reason for his strange behavior becomes clear as she feels his presence beside her desk.
She stops her pen movements immediately, looking up to catches his wide whiskey eyes, which seem to grow at her glance. He nervously gulps and slowly places his things on the table like she was a rabbit he was afraid would run away if he startled it.
How ironic... she had just tasted one of those this morning.
Unable to help herself, she ponders how extraordinarily different this was to the first time they had sat together in Chemistry more than a year ago. He had barrelled his way into her space with little regard for his own safety, moving so quickly and enthusiastically to insert himself in her life...
And she had let him.
Things were much simpler then, before he knew what she was, when she had been nothing more than a vaguely popular girl to him.
Now, he seems hesitant to even breathe beside her, tensing up like he was preparing for her to snap and rip his throat out.
It was... discomforting.
She moves her hand slowly, and he winces back dramatically from the small action alone.
Nat ignore the pang that weighs down her stomach uneasily. Instead, she uses her grip to help slide her chair further away to the other side of the table, so there was a greater distance between them.
The action seems to satisfy him in some way, because he let's out a shaky breath.
...Or it might just be that his human lungs were unable to hold it for any longer.
They sit in complete silence, and it's terribly awkward. She can see him almost vibrating with energy in his seat.
She wonders what might be going through his brain... he clearly feared her, yet still followed the teacher's instruction to sit beside her. He seemed fairly able to sit in her presence provided they were not directly beside one another. Is that because it made it easier to pretend she wasn't there? Had he been able to feel her tough exterior though the fabric the last time they spoke? She was grateful now that she was quenched and it would not be an issue should he try to touch her again. The last time they spoke, he had implied he wanted to see her at school - what had that been about? Did he mean it? Was he only asking out of curtsy?
There was still so much she wanted to know about the peculiar, skeptical, innocent boy. But, she was wise enough to hold her tongue while in the presence of their eagerly gossipy peers.
Thankfully they're rescued from suffering any more in each other's company by a classmate yelling, "Hey, I think they found something!"
Everyone rushes from their seats to get a better view of the window. Stiles practically trips over his feet in his haste, but gives her a wide berth.
Nat has no interest in the gruesome scene, but still follows the crowd to avoid drawing attention to herself.
After all, what normal teenager wouldn't be curious?
A bloody man was being wheeled into an ambulance...
They couldn't have put a sheet over him? Surely they were well aware classes were in session, and this side of the building was more window than wall.
...suddenly, to human eyes that is, he rises up and screams manically. Clearly the poor soul still living out the horror that had befallen him the night before. She had seen that look on the face of many a men, most before-
She cuts of her train of thought, not wishing to dwell in the past. It was not safe to do so in the presence of others, as she had discovered during her last encounter with Stiles.
The entire class jumps back in fright, most of them letting out shocked cries themselves.
It was a horrific sight for the uninitiated, Nat would not judge them for it.
The wolf pup backs away slowly, and she watches him from the side of her eye with a critical gaze. He was devastated and extraordinarily guilty, which was obvious to anyone who gave him a cursory glance. His face betrayed too much emotion... That wasn't good.
Stiles notices too, and tries to comfort him. "This is good, this is good. He's not dead. Dead guys can't do that." He nods to reiterate his point, and at least his comments could be dismissed as peculiar wording.
"Stiles," the naive wolf pup says seriously, "I did that."
Was.
He.
Serious?!
Several of their classmates hearts had skipped a beat almost in unison, which made the unconscious action extremely audible to her ears. She could see their furrowed brows as they sneak glances back at the two boys, and some had started to sweat and shift uncomfortably on their feet, looking to each other with levels of surprise, shock, fear and a few attempts at dismissive joviality.
Was he trying to get himself caught?
That was the only logical explanation for this continued foolishness.
She couldn't stand it.
"Guys, stop joking around," Nat intercepts quietly, but carefully loud enough for their eavesdropping classmates to hear. "This is serious. Someone actually got hurt."
They blink at her with confusion.
"It's not funny, okay?" She continues in her best vapid teenager voice, "You're being insensitive."
"We're being insensitive?" He asks cluelessly. "You-"
Stiles grips his wolf pup's shoulder quickly, giving him a pointed look. "-are absolutely right! We shouldn't joke about murder like that, right Scott?" He indicates not so subtly to their classmates, most of whom weren't even trying to hide the fact they were listening any longer.
Finally, it seems to click for him too. "Right," he agrees reluctantly.
Nat gives him an expectant look, waiting for him to continue.
"Sorry," he bites out.
She smiles, satisfaction blossoming within her like a perfectly made shot. He looked like a complete fool while she can already hear whispers praising her for being so compassionate as she walks back to her desk.
Those fools were going to get themselves caught sooner rather than later...
But... at least one of them had half a brain.
That image still nagged at the back of Nat's brain, like an incessant tune she couldn't quite shake.
It had taken root and wouldn't leave her alone, no matter how she tried to ignore it. The small sketches in her book this morning were not enough to bring her peace, this demanded a larger reception. She was looking forward to pouring it out onto a canvas during the lunch period today so she could finally have some peace.
Unfortunately, almost immediately upon leaving her classroom, Nat was accosted by a certain Queen Bee who demanded her presence in the cafeteria today.
She immediately snakes her arm through the crook of Nat's elbow and begins to drag her towards the unappetizing room of consumption - otherwise known as the Cafeteria.
Nat had nightmares that started like this - and that was only partially a joke.
"Lydia, no," she protests, unable to use her true strength with the many witnesses around, but still putting up a human grade fight in protest.
The popular girl continues to drag her forcefully and quickly replies, "Natalie, yes. I barely see you anymore and I need your support today."
It was hard to argue with that. Nat had been so wrapped up with the supernatural side of the seemingly quiet town that she hardly spent more than a few passing moments with the Queen Bee since school had begun. It was only driving Lydia further into the eager arms of the new hunter girl - something Nat should really be more weary of.
How had she accumulated so many troubles?
She catches a glimpse of the innocent Stiles and his wolf pup - and realizes that oh, yes. That was how. Their conversation now is almost as loud as it was in the classroom, and she does her best to block out the obnoxious noise
They join the line, and lunch on display was all entirely unappetizing in every conceivable aspect. Uncertain of herself, Nat just follows Lydia's lead and selects the exact same food as the Queen Bee - with the exception of the apple that she picked out with someone else in mind.
Her troubles seem to only grow as she realizes exactly where Lydia was directing them. Right to the table where the two boys were, once again, loudly discussing their fury problem.
This was not going to be fun.
"...You can't just cancel your entire life. We'll figure this out," Stiles encourages. She can't help but overhear it as they move closer to the ignorant pair.
"Figure what out?" Lydia asks sweetly as she uses her tray to push the pups down and stares him down expectantly.
They both gawk at her sudden arrival and once he gets over his shock the pup shifts over to the next seat so Lydia can take his place across from Stiles. "Uh, homework," he says lamely.
The Queen Bee smiles with satisfaction and takes a seat, turning her expectant gaze to Nat and gesturing toward the open spot beside her.
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Nat complies and gently places her tray on the table across from Stiles.
He watches the exchange with wide eyes, looking between their almost identical trays and staring at Nat as though he was surprised to find she didn't have someones severed head on her tray for her mid day snack.
Very quickly, they are surrounded, as the rest of Lydia's posse take their places around the table. The boys clearly seem out of their depths, probably used to spending the entire lunch period by themselves.
Nat wishes she could be by herself right now.
She wanted nothing more than to find a blank canvas and get this image out of her head. It was like an itch nagging inside of her, and she wouldn't be satisfied until it was out of her mind and existed in reality.
"Get up," Captain Jerk suddenly commands from beside her, and Nat bristles at his tone.
But when she looks up, she realizes it wasn't her he was speaking to - it was a vaguely familiar boy who has sat himself at the head of the table.
Where did she know that face?
...Eh.
It probably wasn't important.
The boy whines, "How come you never ask Danny to get up?"
"Because I don't stare at the girls' coin slots," the Goal Keeper replies immediately.
Nat's nose crinkles with distaste, second guessing her earlier decision. "Yeah, you're a real gentleman."
Danny huffs a laugh at her reaction, and smiles at her fondly. Just for that, she rewards him with her apple, placing it gently on his tray without exchanging words. He looks mildly surprised, but accepts it quietly and gratefully. She knew they were his favorite - he had been sneaking pieces as she chopped them up for the punch last week.
The weirdly familiar boy sighs, but complies with Captain Jerk's request. Scraping his chair loudly, he gets to his feet and extends a hand to her. "Come on, Natalie, let's go."
Um, what?
She looks at him like he's grown another head. In what world would she follow him? "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"That's not what you were saying at the party," he smirks in a way he no doubt thought was charming.
Oh.
That's right.
He was that guy.
Ew.
Lydia jumps to her defense immediately. "Well, Travis, from what I hear she's not missing out on much. After all, who wants a guy who can't even get it up," she pips the last word to emphasize its derogatory meaning.
Danny and Lydia's friend, who were sitting on either side of Stiles, both make dramatic "ooo" noises as they spectate the drama unfolding before them.
The tool scoffs and mumbles, "Whatever." Finally leaving them in peace.
"You really didn't have to do that," Nat tells the Queen Bee.
She lets out a prim noise, adjusting her shirt needlessly; it was always perfectly arranged. "Serves him right."
"If you want, Jackson and I can go kick is ass for you," Danny offers, only half joking. Probably his way of repaying her for the apple. It was free of cost, he need not bother.
Nat shakes her head at her sixteen year old friends' overly protective nature. "That's not necessary..." she reiterates.
The way they were so ready to jump to her defense without even knowing any details made something long forgotten clutch in her stomach. There was a sensation blooming inside of her that made her feel lighter than air...
Must be the vague smell of blood, she rationalized. Or maybe not breathing was impacting her - although she had gone years without a single intake before. Honestly, she probably just needs to eat something more.
Still...
She looks between the sternly protective face of Queen Bee Lydia, the open concern of Goal Keeper Danny and the way Captain Jerk Jackson glared at the other boys retreating frame... and the feeling seemed to grow exponentially, tightening her cheeks and pulling her face in an unfamiliar way.
How long had it been since someone had defended her - without an ulterior motive?
She couldn't remember.
Even if they were doing it out of a misguided sense of retribution, she appreciated the gesture.
Genuinely, she tells them, "But, thank you."
Her friends look back at her, and she wants to memorize this moment exactly, commit it to memory for the rest of her eternity. Lydia's self-satisfied smirk, Danny's wide grin with amusement sparkling in his eyes, the twitch of Jerk Jackson's lips that cut through his display of nonchalance.
Nat's chest felt something, like a soft glow that slowly spread all the way to her finger tips.
It reminded her of-
Something clatters on the table loudly, immediately drawing her attention.
She looks at the object with surprise as it rolls ungracefully into the center of the table.
A bread roll.
It had landed on a plate, colliding with a fork to create a loud noise that seemed to reverberate around the room.
Stiles' plate.
The boy barely seems to notice it though, he's too preoccupied gawking at her. The expression on his face makes it seem as though she had just committed a murder right in front of him, frozen with wide eyed confusion.
She looks back curiously and his face flushes pink. He quickly breaks the eye contact to grab the offending bread roll from the table.
What was that about?
Danny expertly diverts everyone else's attention by bringing up the main topic of discussion today. "So, I heard they're saying it was some type of animal attack. Probably a cougar." He takes a bite from his apple.
"I heard mountain lion," Jerk Jackson combats.
"A cougar is a mountain lion," Lydia amends reflexively.
He looks at her with a furrowed brow. It's unclear whether it was confusion over her knowledge, or why she was so openly combating his own.
Painting a look of confusion on her face she asks him innocently, "isn't it?"
Ugh, how tedious.
Nat would never understand why young people tried so hard to fit in with others who did not understand or appreciate them.
But, honestly, she was the pot calling the kettle black.
At least she does it for survival.
...Mostly.
"Who cares," Captain Jerk declares, living up to his nick name. "The guy was probably some homeless tweaker who was going to die anyway."
"How compassionate," Nat points out with a flat tone and an eye roll for added emphasis.
He shrugs. "I don't have the energy to care about everyone, Doll-face. Just a select few."
Almost in unison, the two girls react.
Lydia's head snaps to glare at her boyfriend for using the overly familiar nickname. "I told you to stop calling her that."
"Don't call me that," Nat reminds him, her nose crinkling with distaste.
He smirks and shrugs unapologetically again. It had definitely been intended as a jab toward Lydia. The way the two of them squabbled was through underhanded gestures that flew over most people's heads. If she questioned his intelligence, he flirted with her friend - in their minds it must have evened the scales somehow.
"Boy, you are just asking for trouble," Danny mutters under his breath as he takes another bite of the apple Nat had supplied him with, saving his own for later.
Stiles clears his throat and interjects, "I, um, just found out who it is. Check it out"
He displays a news video to the group, making the hunter girl and Lydia's friend lean in closer to view because his arms just weren't long enough to display to them all. Nat ignores the way his heart jumps as the attractive girl leans into his side, because it's entirely irrelevant.
She hadn't paid any attention to it at all, honestly.
It wasn't even worth mentioning.
"You found this already?" Nat asks quietly, unable to quell the hint of awe in her tone.
Navigating the online world would forever remain a challenge for her. Technology advanced so quickly any basic skills she learnt to blend in soon became entirely outdated. It was only a matter of time before she could only resort to claiming she was raised Amish - and God help her if their culture died out before she figured out how to-
Focus on this moment.
Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Stiles nods. "Yeah. It, uh, wasn't that hard."
"Shh," Lydia's friend commands, wanting to hear the broadcast.
"I-I-I-I know this guy," the wolf pup stutters, once the short news video had finished.
The hunter girl asks curiously, "You do?"
"Yeah, when I used to take the bus, when- back when I lived with my dad," he explains. "He was the driver."
A grave silence takes over the group, only three of them being aware of the depths of this revelation.
"Can we talk about something more fun, please?" The Queen Bee suggests, "like - oh! Where are we going tomorrow night?"
The hunter girl and wolf pup both look at her with confusion.
"You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?"
She struggles to swallow her food and explains awkwardly, "Um... we were thinking of what we were going to do."
Stiles looks up with a dawning realization, and tries to convey a warning to his wolf pup through his expressive whiskey eyes.
"Well, I'm not sitting home watching lacrosse videos with just Jackson," Lydia emphasizes, throwing a not so subtle jab at Nat. "So, if the five of us are going out - we are doing something fun."
Oh, she most definitely was not.
"Can't. I'm working tonight," she reminds her plainly, pushing the unappetizing food around on her plate.
If she moved it enough perhaps no one would notice she hadn't actually eaten anything.
"Well then, I guess it'll just be the four of us hanging out," Lydia amends unhappily.
"'H-Hanging out'?" The pup questions.
Stiles shakes his head dramatically, screaming with his eyes. What a terrible time for the chatterbox to have a mouthful of bread. He puts a hand over his mouth and wincing as if in pain as he struggles to swallow it all.
"Do you want to hangout, like us and... them?" His wolf pup continues slowly.
The hunter girl shakes with anxiety. "Yeah, um, I guess. It sounds fun," she says, unconvincingly.
It was plainly obvious she simply did not want to risk incurring the wrath of her new found friend, the Queen Bee.
Smart.
"You know what else sounds fun?" Captain Jerk says in all seriousness, holding up a utensil. "Stabbing myself in the face with this fork."
His girlfriend reaches over Nat to rip it from his grip scoldingly. Meanwhile, Stiles takes a sip from his water and rolls his eyes - clearly unimpressed by the dramatic proclamation.
Nat, on the other hand, is highly amused at the suggestion.
"You won't," she challenges.
He smirks, making direct eye contact with her. "Don't tempt me."
Leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed, she knows he won't. Nevertheless, she doubles down. "Do it then. Right now. I dare you."
Danny intercepts, ever the voice of reason. "Come on guys, no one wants to see that."
"Yeah honey, how could you play lacrosse with only one eye?" Lydia says playfully, clearly showing she had her priorities in order.
"Because that's what really matters," Nat agrees deadpan, pushing the food around her plate and nodding sagely to emphasize her sarcasm.
He gives her a playful wink, which she and his girlfriend choose to ignore.
"Oh! How about bowling?" She suggests enthusiastically instead. "You love bowling."
Nat's gaze is drawn to Stiles' frantic movements. Even as he stuffs his face with chips, he still manages to frantically mouth the word 'no' to his friend.
It's honestly a wonder Lydia hadn't noticed, even Danny was giving him the side eye.
Well... she probably had, but was choosing to push it aside - like she did with anything that didn't fit with her perfect perception of the world.
Case in point, the obvious fact her boyfriend was still currently flirting with her best friend. Not that Nat was not receptive to it at all, and did her best to convey that without outright saying anything, but it was hard not to notice.
"Yeah, with actual competition," Captain Jerk laments.
Leaning forward playfully, the hunter girl asks, "How do you know we're not actual competition?"
Something about the gesture doesn't sit right with Nat, but she elects to ignore it. No need to become further entangled with the whims of these young folk.
Lydia looks to her boyfriend with a satisfied expression, evidently not picking up on the potentially flirtatious element or deeming it unworthy of acknowledgement.
"You can bowl, right?" The hunter girl pulls back to look at the wolf pup. Only thinking to check her assumption after backing him into a proverbial corner.
Oh. So, she does remember he exists.
"Sort of," the pup says unsure.
Meaning, no. He could not bowl at all.
Pouncing on his insecurity, Captain Jerk pushes his tray to the side to question, "Is it 'sort of', or 'yes'?"
"Yes," the pup confirms confidently.
But Nat is not fooled, from this close proximity she can hear his heart skip a beat.
"In fact, I'm a great bowler," he continues to dig himself deeper.
An outright lie. One that was going to immediately catch up with him that afternoon.
She can't help herself.
She snorts.
All eyes turn to her, and she's reminded of class this morning where a similar instance took place.
What was going on with her?
She had been far too... expressive.
It was becoming concerning.
It must be all the blood in the air, that was it.
Surely.
"Well. This was... fun," she lies obviously, pushing her chair back loudly. "Let's not do it again."
"Aw, you're leaving already?" The hunter girl complains sweetly. "We haven't even had a chance to talk."
"Yeah."
The girl looks taken aback by Nat's easy dismissal. Hurt creeps into her eyes, and Lydia says, "The three of us can hangout before she starts work this afternoon."
Before Nat can decline the invitation, as she intended on making any excuse to avoid getting closer with the hunter and by extension her family, another person speaks up.
"But - you haven't even touched your food yet," the wolf pup points out with an intense look.
It takes every piece of will she has not to glare at the mangy creature.
Really?
Nat had no intentions on getting closer with the hunter girl. If he had held his tongue, he would have realized that.
This naive pup is too... unruly.
Stiles needed to keep him on a tighter leash.
Before he got them both into trouble.
The innocent hunter girl's brow furrows as she takes in the tray full of messy food in Nat's hands.
"I'm not really hungry," Nat deflects casually. She wanted to clench her teeth, hiss at the show of bravado, but that would be incredibly unwise to do in the presence of mortals.
She wonders briefly if this might be pack back for how she had embarrassed him in Chemistry class... but really, he had done that to himself.
The mangy wolf pup's eyes flash with a dangerous challenge, and were they alone he would be asking for a battle.
Does he realize what he's starting here?
Stiles seemed to understand how thin her patience was becoming. The color has drained from his face and he tries to subtly gesture for the pup to shut the hell up.
In reality, the gesture is not subtle at all, and probably only making matters worse for them both as other people were now beginning to stare.
Many still remember the rumors Stiles had started about her last year, and his overreaction here was not helping the memory to fade from their consciousness. If anything, the gossip might start anew, destroying any chance she had of subtly altering memories. She would only risk removing their suspicion if she could quickly and quietly convince enough to forget that it would seem natural to any innocent who tried to remind them...
These two had caused her so many problems.
In the present, a place her mind could so easily wander from as each moment was so drawn out in her eternity, the wolf pup doesn't back down. "You know, it's bad for your health to skip meals... I don't know if I've ever actually seen you eat at lunch."
Oh.
So, it was like that, huh?
This is what their dynamic would be?
It was a bad day to play games with her. Nat was already on edge from the incessant image pulsating in the back of her mind, and completely unable to use her breathing exercises to regain her self-control.
This was a dangerous situation for these mortals.
So, this was the way he wanted to play?
Because Nat was quite good at games like this.
Her mind spiraled with the possibilities for pay back. She could drop hints to the hunter girl, or convince another to do so for her. She could start hiding wolfsbane around their classes - in his school bags and beneath every table he sat at - until he snapped in front of the whole school. She could go back to using his mother as her main supplier of blood bags (as she had before she connected the dots that linked Melissa to her old chemistry partner last year), then get her caught, disgraced, arrested. She could turn majority of the town against them in an instant. She could turn his mother into a deadbeat, make her unrecognizable compared to the kind woman she was now.
There were so many ways she could torment this child.
So many more ways than he could even conceive.
Nat only tamed herself as a way to pass eternity unchecked and uninhibited by others.
She was under no obligation to stay in hiding, she chose so.
He may have thought the bloody bus was bad, but he should see some of her handy work.
"He's right, Natalie," the hunter girl says with overflowing concern. "You really should eat something."
The force of her fingers begins to steadily warp the tray, creating small indents. Not too noticeable yet, but she registers Stiles' eyes flicker to them - as he knew what to look out for. That boy was quite observant when he wanted to be.
She would make his mangy wolf pup pay for this.
He had ruined a very good thing for himself - her indifference to his continued existence. He had spat in the face of her generosity.
He was causing problems for her.
Nat looks at the food, the incredibly unappetizing food while the six teenagers at the lunch table watch her silently - along with majority of the others in the room.
She could force it down, but... what would that prove at this point?
Would it not be more suspicious, for her to eat sulkily? And besides, she did not have the patience to stay here with these mortals any longer. The longer she stayed in the company of that mangy pup the more likely she was to snap.
"I know," she says weakly, easily conjuring the innocent weaver in her voice. "It's just- seeing that guy wake up in the ambulance reminded me of... It's - it's just hard to eat after witnessing something like that."
She's given a range of looks with understanding from almost everyone at the table, and sympathetic whispers fill the room.
But the only person she was concerned about was the hunter girl.
That was who she had to convince.
"Oh, Natalie..." Sympathy overflows from the young girl, and Nat knows she has won.
"I shouldn't have dragged you out here," the Queen Bee says, standing up to give her a hug.
"It's okay," she tells them weakly. "Thanks for understanding."
"Of course," the hunter girl murmurs with a sad smile.
As she leaves, she can hear the girls begin to berate the mangy pup for his insensitivity.
Good.
It was only the start of his troubles.
She throws out the dented tray with her food - there was no need to leave behind any evidence.
That mangy pup has no idea what he's just started.
He was going to pay for that.
She would see to it.
Another late night in the hospital, haunted by the smells from her past.
Somehow, it seemed the memories were harder to push away here...
Nat fiddles with her bracelet...
The menial tasks did not distract her the way they once had.
Perhaps it was time for her to call it quits, her commitments here were preventing her from starting her next project and it was demanding her attention.
It was peculiar she felt this incessant urge. She had all the time in the world, literally, yet there was a burning desire to just get it out.
It might have been alarming... if Nat were able to feel such things.
Screams capture her attention, there seemed to always be people screaming in this God Forsaken town.
When she arrived, that sweet nurse, Melissa, was already struggling to hold the patient down, and Nat could smell the scent of that magy pup in the air.
Just the woman she wanted to see.
She lends her assistance and pretends to struggle to keep him in place while the other nurse administers the medication to him.
They monitor his vital signs for a while, before finally she is left alone in the room.
He is still conscious, in a dreary dream-like state, and she wipes all memory of the supernatural from his mind.
If only it were that easy to do with all the students at school. But, that was dangerous. If someone forgets a conversation you had with them only yesterday, especially one concerning the supernatural...
Could there be a bigger red flag then that?
It would draw the hunters attention.
And she didn't want that.
But, she would keep the mangy pup's secret.
That way she could toy with him for a while longer.
Her efforts were all for naught, as later that night the man is declared officially dead.
What a waste of energy.
Honestly, her entire experience in this town seemed like an exercise in futility.
Strangely, now that she had the opportunity to begin her artwork, the creativity had left her.
Instead, Nat decides to go for a late night swim, spend some time under water.
It often helped to clear her mind.
There was a beautiful lake in the forest, one she enjoyed immensely.
It was peaceful there, calm.
Her alter seemed to be more of a cause of chaos for her... probably because of the memories of-
She submerges herself entirely, as if that could block out the thoughts.
Focusing on the water did help somewhat.
The sensation beneath the water was always a source of serenity for her.
...She sank to the bottom of the ocean once, many years ago.
It was not an experience she wished to repeat, again.
But, it had been an interesting few months... or years... she wasn't quite sure.
After all, it was hard to tell the passage of time when you were in a creatures stomach.
She really thought the stomach acid might...
But, no.
It didn't.
Just as the flames, the decapitation, the wood-chipper...
Even her rest at the cemetery - that had been disturbed when developers tried to re-locate the all bodies...
She always woke up again, always with her jaw wrapped around someone's throat.
That was why she had given up trying.
It was best she learnt to exist with it.
It was safer for everyone.
The sun had long since set when Nat decides it is time to reemerge into the world.
As she carelessly breaks through the water, she hears a warning growl.
The pungent smell left no room for error.
It was the new alpha.
Of course.
Yes.
This is how her day would end.
The ripples she made while swimming to the surface must have drawn its attention.
The glowing red eyes watch her intently as the fur covered creature stands on its hind legs - looking like something out of a horror movie.
Nat does not move, but knows she is seen.
She is quicker than this beast - well, she should be. The water may slow her somewhat.
She was uncertain.
This was not how she anticipated her first confrontation with Laura's murderer would unfold.
Because, what else could this monster be?
It was the only explanation. Derek was only a beta, he couldn't have. This creature only made its presence known after her disappearance. It must have stolen the life of the one person who- who-
The new alpha growls again, baring its sharp teeth but staying on the edges of the water.
Out of curtsy, perhaps.
It only infuriates her.
Nat is tired of all these games, and hisses at the beast who stole Her Alpha's life.
It steps back, as though surprised, then barrels towards her.
Evidently, taunting the beast was not her brightest idea.
She has no choice but to run, there is nothing she can do to in a head on confrontation with this beast.
In the water, she is hindered beyond expectation.
It manages to claw her legs, and she feels her skin crack harshly with the impact.
Fortunately, that is all it gets.
Then she is out of the water, and on the other side of the forest. Her quick movements agitated her wound, almost tearing her completely in half - before she tackles the nearest breathing creature and drained it completely dry.
Just a deer, fortunately.
Although ordinarily she would have liked to leave it alive, the poor creature would do no good in this state.
While the action is tedious and agonizing with her still healing wounds, Nat makes sure to dig a deep hole to bury it in.
The act all by negates any energy she gained from the poor creature, so after she pushes in the corpse she leaves it uncovered.
More would be joining it soon.
All things considered, she is relatively unscathed from her first encounter with the beast.
These wounds will take a while to heal though.
Any creature that she comes across is soon drained dry.
She even stops by a few of her traps, although few have anything to offer.
They are also added to the pile.
She refuses to look at how many bodies layer the depths of her hole as the begins to cover them with dirt. A steady stream of droplets roll from her face and silently mingle with the dirt she steadily shovels - although it is not raining.
They were a necessary sacrifice, all of them.
Yet, even this was still not enough. The act of covering her mess was straining her wound, preventing it from healing.
It may be deeper than she expected.
At least her initial blood lust was satiated, now she could return home to raid her new stockpile of blood from Melissa.
But, that would still not be enough.
She knew that.
She could feel it now, the damage had severed many of her nerve tendons entirely and they were slowly being rebuilt. Any human would be dead. It was not something that a few critters and blood bags would fix overnight.
No, with her diet, this would take days to entirely.
Possibly weeks, considering each movement seemed to create more strain in it.
Joy.
Why does she do this again?
...It's a rehotical question.
She knows why.
But, that doesn't mean she has to like it.
DOONNNNEEEE, It's now 12.45am and I am going to BED! I hope you enjoy.
Sorry no Stiles in this one, I almost thought of adding a little something after their lunch together, but I figure his side of things is conveyed pretty well so its not necessary. I promise you'll get LOADS of his perspective in the next one with the CAR RIDE! Yay!
Please lemme know what you think 3 and plz tell me of the many errors that are probably in this hahah
Best of luck with all the things!