章 3: 3. PACK MENTALITY
"It was just a dream…", I told myself as I wandered down the halls of Beacon Hills High, looking for Sherlock and Watson. They had a bad habit of being unreachable when you needed them the most.
My brain was swimming with information I retained in the past few days. Directly relative to my family- there was a high probability that my dad and grandmother were real druids, not mention that someone had killed my dad and my mom decided to lie to me about it…
I haven't had a decent night's rest in ages thanks to my strange reaction to the werewolf bite- vivid dreams being one of the symptoms. This time I was trapped in one of the school buses with a random man, and the wolf beast. Without warning, the wolf decided to attack the man, clawing through his body like he was paper.
I pondered on the possibility of whether the dream was a sign of something that had happened. I could still hear his screams every now and again. As I got to my locker, someone grabbed my shoulder, making me jump.
"Jesus, Allison! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?", I asked, exasperated.
She chuckled at my reaction while opening hers, taking out some books. My heart still hammered in my chest, and I took deep breaths trying to calm down.
"Are you okay?", she asked.
"Yeah, just got a lot on my mind.".
Thoughtfully considering my excuse, Allison wiggled her eyebrows.
"So, who is he?".
"What?".
"Oh, come on, Lorelai!".
Unfortunately, Mr. Werewolf McBroody Pants immediately entered my mind, and I could feel myself blushing.
"Oh my god, I knew it! What's his name?? Is it Stiles?".
Allison was practically jumping up and down.
"What? No! It's no one! How's things with Scott?", I asked quickly, hoping to change the subject while we made our way to class.
"I think it's going well? He's really-".
She didn't get to finish her sentence because Scott came crashing right into her.
"Speak of the devil…".
Scott gave me a look that meant he wanted to speak to Allison alone.
"I gotta go…".
As I reached Chemistry, the principal addressed the school over the PA system.
"Attention students, this is your principal. I know you're all wondering about the incident that occurred last night to one of our buses… While the police work to determine what happened, classes will proceed as usual.".
I entered Mr. Harris' class, trying to ignore the churning going on in my stomach. Scott joined me at our table a few minutes after I sat down while Stiles took a seat behind us.
Scott seemed to be in the same emotional state as me and once Mr. Harris began writing about the experiment we were doing on the board, he whispered, "Something happened last night.".
"Yeah, I know…".
"What do you mean?".
We angled our chairs in such a way that Stiles was able to join our conversation. As I went on about the dream, Scott looked like he was about to fall off his chair.
"That's exactly what happened… Except it was Allison and not the man… Maybe it was my blood on the door...", he whispered.
"Could have been animal blood. You know, maybe you caught a rabbit or something?", Stiles shrugged.
"And did what?".
"Ate its juicy flesh!", I replied with a fake smile.
"Raw?". Scott legit sounded scared.
"No, you stopped to bake it in a little Werewolf oven! I don't know, you're the one who can't remember anything.", Stiles answered sarcastically.
I laughed softly, shifting myself to face the front and caught Mr. Harris watching us. Immediately, the smile left my face and I tugged Scott's arm, warning him.
"Mr. Stilinski, if that's your idea of a hushed whisper, you might want to pull the headphones out every once in a while.", Mr. Harris retorted.
Stiles scoffed.
"I think you, Ms. Maolán and Mr. McCall would benefit from a little distance, yes?".
Stiles yelled out a no, but Mr. Harris didn't care. Scott moved so that I could stay where I was.
"Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much.".
I was deep in thought, trying to figure out how Scott and I were able to dream about the same thing, when one of the girls shouted that they found something. Everyone rushed to the window to see what it was.
I slowly got up from chair, standing next to Scott and Stiles, when the man on the stretcher jumped up, screaming for dear life. Immediately, I recognized the sound, which sent chills down my spine.
"Okay. This is good. This is good! He got up, he's not dead. Dead guys can't do that.", Stiles tried to reassure Scott.
I rubbed my arms to keep them from trembling.
Scott gave us an uneasy expression, "You guys, I did that…".
The three of us headed to the cafeteria trying to piece together what happened.
"Okay… What if I was able to see into your mind? Like Professor X? Maybe that's how we were able to dream about the same thing…".
Stiles shook his head, "Dreams aren't memories. And you saw the bus driver, Scott saw Allison. That doesn't make any sense.".
"Then it wasn't a dream... Something happened last night, and I can't remember what.", Scott complained as we sat down.
Stiles plunked himself opposite us.
"You're going to hate this idea, but we have to talk to…".
Stiles wouldn't even let me finish, "What makes you so sure that Derek even has all the answers?".
"Because!", Scott realized he said it too loud and lowered his voice before continuing.
"During the full moon, he wasn't changed. He was in total control while I was running around in the middle of the night, attacking some totally innocent guy.".
Stiles let out a sigh, hating that Scott was right but refused to believe it.
"You don't know that.".
They continued to argue for a bit until I jumped in after two minutes.
"Shut up! Both of you! I just found out that my father was murdered in this bloody town, and not only is his killer still out there somewhere, but him and my grandmother were possibly freaken druids! If Derek is the only way to get answers, then I say we risk it!".
They both shared a startled but sympathetic expression.
"It's okay, I'm okay… I think… But we need to give the guy a chance.", I sighed.
We sat in silence for a few seconds before Scott spoke up.
"I can't go out with Allison. I have to cancel.", he moped.
Stiles was clearly frustrated with the both of us.
"Lorelai, I'm really sorry about your dad, maybe we can visit the station and get a look at his case… But you gotta stop defending Derek! And Scott! You're not cancelling, okay? You can't just cancel your entire life! We'll figure it out.".
I nervously shoved a baby carrot into my mouth. Out of nowhere, someone slammed their tray onto our table.
"Figure out what?".
Lydia Martin. Stiles, flabbergasted that the love of his life joined our little group, couldn't give her a straight answer. Scott mumbled something about homework. While Lydia signaled the rest of her crew, Stiles leaned forward.
"Why is she sitting with us?", he whispered.
Scott and I shrugged our shoulders as more people sat down, including Allison who greeted us. I smiled awkwardly at her.
"Isn't this a sight to behold! Three freaks at the same table!", Jackson observed, making the whole situation even more tense than it already was.
This guy really knew how to get under someone's skin. Everyone began discussing the bus attack, while I squirmed in my seat.
Stiles' eyes suddenly growing wide, held up his phone, "Actually, I just found out who it is. Check it out.".
"The Sheriff's department won't speculate on details of the incident but confirmed the victim, Garrison Myers, did survive the attack. Myers was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition.", the reporter on the video commented.
"Wait, I-I-I know this guy.", Scott said, recognition flooding his face.
"You do?", Allison placed her hand on his arm.
"Yeah, when I used to take the bus, back when I lived with my dad. He was the driver.".
Scott, Stiles and I shared a look, trying to make sense of how Garrison Myers was connected. Lydia, uninterested in the attack discussed where Allison and she should go on a double date.
"And that's my cue to leave.", I mumbled underneath my breath.
After muttering a quick goodbye, I trailed off to History, the events of the day replaying in my head. How in the world was Scott and I able to see the same thing?
"The person I assign you with will be your study partner for the rest of the term…", I heard Mr. Riley say as I stepped into the classroom.
He stopped me before I got to my desk.
"Ms. Maolán, you'll be working with Mr. Whittemore. Play nice you two.", he said casually when he noticed Jackson behind me.
"You have got to be kidding me!", I complained, making my way to my table.
I would rather paint my skin with acid than spend one more minute conversing with that jerk.
"Hey, scar freak, I'm not too happy about this either. Just don't bring my grades down.", he shot, taking a seat beside me.
"Whatever, Jerkson. Let's get this over and done with.".
Rolling his eyes at me, he pulled out his notebook. We began to work on the given assignment without diverting to any petty comments or disagreements which was surprising to the both of us, and Mr. Riley.
"Since we have to be 'buddies' now, why did you move back to Beacon Hills?", Jackson questioned.
"Oh, um… My dad died, and my mom thought that place would be a fresh start.".
He kept his gaze on his notebook.
"Jeez… I… I'm sorry… And… I'm sorry… About that night… At the party.", he whispered, clearing his throat.
I returned our attention back to the work.
"You know, you're actually not as stupid as you look.", I said as soon as we finished.
He scrunched his eyebrows together, a half-smile on his face.
"Did you just compliment me?".
"Don't get used to it.".
The bell rang and we packed up our things. "You're not so bad yourself… Maolán.".
I gazed at him kindly.
"You tell anyone I apologized, I'll deny it!", he added quickly.
"I knew you were a softie deep, deep, deep down in that testosterone filled heart of yours, Whittemore.".
∞∞∞∞
"But he looks like a terrible bowler!".
"Right?!?", Stiles cried as we moved towards the garden shed.
My anxiety was proving to be extremely difficult to keep under control after the whole bus driver incident, and I needed a distraction. I didn't even know we had a garden shed until my mom mentioned it when she decided she might get back into gardening again.
I called Stiles for back up, just in case there were any spiders, or rats involved. I slipped the key into the lock, but it stuck, and I had to jiggle it a bit. Finally, it turned, and I pushed the rusty door open. Pulling at the light switch, my heart sunk in disappointment- it looked exactly the same as the basement, empty, dark and dusty. However, there was a long trunk that sat in the middle of the room.
"Not as witchy as I thought it would be…".
"Stiles, she was a druid, not a witch… I think…".
"Same thing…".
Shaking my head, I moved towards the trunk, Stiles following closely behind. The lock was broken, and I coughed as I waved away the dust that emerged when I pushed the lid open.
There, lying inside on top of an old red cloth, was a long staff. It was light brown in color, the wood left bare except for some symbols engraved at the end. My fingers reached out to touch it, but Stiles pushed my hand away.
"What if its cursed?".
There was a look of genuine fear in his eyes.
"Seriously?".
"We have werewolves running around in this town, okay. Freaken werewolves! And whatever the hell you are! So, forgive me for believing in the possibility that curses could be real!".
Stiles was right. Maybe fiddling with the staff would've triggered something far worse than vivid dreaming. There was a strange feeling of familiarity mixed with something else which lingered in the air the longer I stared at it. Stiles sighed before closing the trunk, pulling attention away from the weird object.
"This isn't the right time, but Lorelai, I have to ask you a serious question… Am I attractive to gay guys?", Stiles asked as we walked back to house.
"Huh?".
"Hold that thought…".
Stiles was staring at something on his phone, letting out a frustrated groan.
"Scott wants us to meet him at the school… It sounds like he found a way to remember what happened last night.".
There was a tone of irritation in his voice.
"Why'd you say it like that?".
Snatching my set of house keys from the counter, we headed towards his Jeep after I locked up.
"He freaken went to Derek! After I told him not to! Does anyone ever listen to me?!?", he grumbled.
"Oh yeah… About that…".
Stiles was fuming after I told him about my run in with Derek at the game. He slammed the car door shut after we got to the school.
"Took you guys long enough!".
Scott was already there, waiting for us where all the buses were usually kept. To our dismay, the entrance was locked. Scott told us that the only way for him to remember is to go back to the scene of the crime. He began climbing the gate, Stiles about to join him.
"Hey, no, just me. Someone needs to keep watch.".
Stiles looked hurt when Scott stopped him.
"How come I'm always the guy keeping watch?".
Brushing him off, Stiles jumped onto the gate, but Scott pulled him down.
"Because there's only two of us!".
I coughed, giving them both an offended glare. "Um, hello?".
"Sorry Lorelai.", Scott realized.
"Scott, why's it starting to feel like you're Batman and I'm Robin?".
Scott was getting annoyed with his best friend, shooting him a look.
"I don't want to be Robin all the time!", Stiles complained.
"Nobody's Batman and Robin any of the time!", Scott argued.
"Not even some of the time?".
The werewolf, visibly irritated thanks to Stiles' little breakdown, yelled at us to stay put and keep watch.
"Oh my god, fine!", Stiles cried.
I leaned against the jeep while Stiles watched Scott running into the crime scene, longingly.
"Do you really wanna visit a bus covered in blood because that can be arranged…". I cracked my knuckles and Stiles took a step back.
"I can't help but feel like I'm missing out on things, okay?", he said sadly.
"Trust me, you're not…", I shivered.
Suddenly, the high-pitched ringing blasted through my head, and I heard a wolf howl over the noise. My legs buckled, and I felt to my knees as images of last night's dream flashed before my eyes, the victim's face changing from Allison to Garrison Myers as they were dragged across the floor.
"Lorelai! Holy crap! Come on!".
Stiles swung his arm around my waist while I grimaced in pain as Scott's memories flooded through my mind. My head felt like it was about to explode. Stiles helped me into the backseat of the Jeep, asking if I was okay.
"I think Derek's plan is working…", I winced, my eyes fluttering open.
Luckily I caught a glimpse of one of the security guard's flashlight and turned Stiles in its direction.
"Oh god!", Stiles exclaimed before quickly jumping into the driver's seat.
Frantically, he pressed the car horn while starting the engine. It wasn't long before Scott was back in the Jeep, and the ringing in my head ceased.
"Well, at least we know it worked, and you remembered.", I said, rubbing my aching temples.
"I was there last night. And the blood? A lot of it was mine.".
Scott sounded slightly relieved, Stiles however, was the complete opposite.
"So, you did attack him?!?".
"No. I-I-I saw glowing eyes in the bus, but they weren't mine…", Scott paused, trying to piece something together before continuing.
"It was Derek.".
"That makes no sense! Why would he give you advice that literally points to him being the alleged killer?", I argued, slumping against the seat.
"Oh my god, Lorelai if you say Derek is innocent one more time… It's gotta be a pack thing. Like an initiation. You do the kill together.".
"Because ripping someone's throat out is a real bonding experience?", Scott scorned.
"Well, on the positive side, Scott is getting somewhere close to figuring out his whole werewolf thing. I, on the other hand, am still left without answers to anything.".
"Yeah, that cursed bow staff in your garden shed didn't help at all… But at least Scott didn't do it! Which means he's not a killer! And it also means that…".
"I can go out with Allison!".
Stiles and I scowled at him.
"No, you jackass! It means you won't kill us!". I smacked the back of his head.
"Oh, yeah. That, too.".
∞∞∞∞
I stared up at the ceiling, struggling to fall asleep. I tossed and turned for a bit, the temperature starting to feel a little warm. I even kicked off my blanket after a while and considered doing away with my pajama pants too.
If overthinking was a person, it would be me. I kept going back and forth on whether Derek was the one killing people, the mysterious journal my grandmother left in the basement, not to mention the cursed bow staff in the garden shed, my dad's death being an actual murder, and me with my strange abilities that made no sense.
I inhaled the little bag of herbs, wondering how Mrs. Amelia was doing. A tiny part of me strongly believed that she knew about our family's involvement in the supernatural. She never came right out and asked, but she probably sensed it. Just like how she knew I was having trouble sleeping without any of us saying a word.
Eventually, I dozed off, but I was met with flashes of bright lights, and the sound of the bus driver's scream a few moments later. My eyes immediately flew open, and I was standing in the middle of the road, about to get hit by a very big vehicle that looked suspiciously like an ambulance.
Fear flooded through my body, leaving me paralyzed. Maybe it was the shock of waking up in the middle of nowhere, but no matter how much I screamed for my body to move, it wouldn't.
I was so sure I was going to be flattened when suddenly, someone pushed me out of the way. Their hands gripped either side of my face, and I heard a male voice asking if I was okay.
It took me a few seconds to register what was happening before I was staring directly into a pair of bright blue irises. Not even thinking twice, I lurched my trembling body forward, flinging my arms around Derek Hale's neck, and burst into tears, his hand light on my back.
"What happened?", he asked softly after I pulled out of his embrace.
"I…".
Scanning my surroundings, I realized I somehow ended up outside Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital.
"I-I… Don't know… I… Heard something…", I stammered as he helped me to my feet.
"Lorelai?".
Ms. McCall's shift ended, and she was on her way to her car. I turned back to Derek, but he was already gone.
"Honey, what are you doing here? Are you looking for Rachel?", she asked, her eyebrows raised in suspicion.
"Um, no… Late night jogging…".
"Hmm, in pajamas at midnight? Without shoes? After curfew?".
The sarcasm was blatantly there, but she still gave me a smile. Trying to piece together the events of the night, something clicked, and my blood went cold making me stop in my tracks.
"You want me to take you home?".
Ms. McCall was inside the car and had started the ignition. She repeated herself when she realized I completely zoned out.
"Ms. McCall, I know it's late but is there a chance I can see Scott? It's about our biology project, it can't wait…", I felt her apprehension before she nodded.
I couldn't stop fidgeting the whole way to their house, and as soon as we got out of the car, I threw up in bushes whilst Ms. McCall unlocked the front door. She placed her hand on my forehead once we stepped inside the house.
"You're burning up… Are you sure you're okay?", she asked, worried.
"Yeah, my stress does that to me sometimes…".
"Must be some project if its got you riled up like this…".
Buying my lie, she motioned for me to follow her up the stairs.
"Hey, Scott? Lorelai's here. I'm gonna go to... Sleep…", she trailed off as we reached Scott's empty bedroom.
"Seriously?", she mumbled before turning to me.
"Come on, we need to bring the fever down.".
While we moved in the direction of the bathroom, we heard a noise coming from Scott's room. She brought her finger to her lips, the both of us creeping in slowly as she made a grab for the baseball bat that rested close to the door.
We literally watched the person coming in through the window, landing on the bed and then standing up. Despite feeling incredibly sick, my fight instincts kicked in, and I made a sweep to the person's left leg, knocking them down to the ground. Ms. McCall didn't hesitate and was about to hit them with the bat when the person began to shout.
"OH, NO, NO, NO!".
I'd recognize that screech anywhere.
"Stiles, what are you doing here?", Ms. McCall yelled.
"What am I doing? God, do either of you even play baseball?", he whinged, rubbing his back as he stood up.
The light suddenly came on and we were joined by Scott, who was unfazed by this whole ordeal. Ms. McCall was still trying to recover from the fright Stiles had given her.
"Can you please tell your friend to use the front door?".
"But we lock the front door. He wouldn't be able to get in.", Scott answered, innocently.
"Yeah, exactly… And, by the way, do either of you care that there's a police-enforced curfew?".
They both muttered a no and it looked like her patience had run out.
"All right, then. Well, you know what? That's about enough parenting for me for one night, so... Goodnight. Boys, get Lorelai some water and a wet cloth for her head. This biology project better be worth… Whatever all this is.".
She waved her hands around trying to comprehend our trio and closed the door on her way out. My knees gave out and I collapsed onto the bed. Stiles left to fetch some water while Scott handed me the wet cloth.
"Biology project?".
"Would you rather I told her the truth?", I shot.
Stiles came through two minutes later with some water.
"You look awful…".
Rolling my eyes at him, I took a sip to wash away the burning sensation in my throat and placed the cloth against my forehead. Instantly, I felt a little better.
"To circle back to why I climbed through the window… My dad left for the hospital fifteen minutes ago... It's the bus driver. They said he 'succumbed to his wounds'…", Stiles sadly stated.
I blanked out for what felt like a moment, thinking about how I ended up sleepwalking to Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, and bumped into Derek.
"Oh god, Derek! Stiles! Where's Scott?!?".
I jumped up, remembering why I came to the McCall house in the first place. How did I miss Scott storming out?
"Why are you shouting?", he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Scott… Where is he?".
I stood near the window, hearing the faint ringing in my ears for the second time that night.
"He went to confront Derek, about Garrison Myers.".
"No, no. no. no. no. This is bad! It's not him Stiles!".
I panicked and did the first thing that popped into my head- I leaped out of Scott's window, somersaulting to break my fall and landed on my feet.
"You could've used the front door! And a pair of shoes!".
I sprinted towards the Beacon Hills Preserve, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. My feet already aware of where it was supposed to go, I jumped over boulders and fallen trees.
Finally reaching the burnt Hale house to the sounds of growling and crashing, I burst through the front door. Derek and Scott were at each other's throats, blood stains on their shirts.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, STOP IT!!!!", I shouted as loud as I could.
The two of them turned in my direction, fully shifted, cocking their heads in surprise.
"Lorelai… What are you doing here?", Scott gasped.
Breathing heavy, I looked intently at Derek and then to my friend, now back to their regular forms.
"There's another werewolf, isn't there?", I asked, breathlessly.
Derek sighed before answering.
"It's called an Alpha. It's the most dangerous of our kind. Scott and I? We're Betas. This thing is more powerful, more animal than either of us. My sister came here looking for him. Now I'm trying to find him. But, I don't think I can do it without you… Or her…".
"Why me? Why Lorelai?", Scott asked.
"Because he's the one that bit you. You're part of his pack.", he said, looking at Scott.
"As for Lorelai, he's going to come after her… To claim her power.".
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