章節 9: 8. LUNATIC
"Your friends are dead, Lorelai… And…YOU'RE NEXT!!!".
"Wake up!".
"Your power is mine!!!".
"Come on, Lorelai!".
Voices boomed inside my head while I struggled to comprehend whom they belonged to. It was like something was holding me down, restricting any kind of movement.
I tried to see where I was but couldn't make out anything. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was surrounded by utter darkness. Again, I attempted to fight against the invisible force and my skin felt like it was being ripped from my body.
"Just give in, Lorelai. You can't fight me forever…", a distorted voice shouted.
Realizing that it belonged to none other than the deranged Alpha, I tried pushing myself harder, hoping to break out of the paralysis.
"YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!!!".
Regardless of still not recognizing the voice, it gave me an extra boost of courage. I screamed, trying to break free from the Alpha's hold. Pain flooded through my body as I felt the force weaken, and he roared loudly.
"This isn't over!!!", the Alpha bellowed as I broke through his hold on me.
I bolted up, gasping for air, but I could barely keep my eyes open. I was only conscious for a few seconds, before fatigue took over my body and I passed out, tumbling back into a much more peaceful darkness.
∞∞∞∞
I jolted awake, the smell of damp soil hitting my nose. While my eyes slowly adjusted to my current surroundings, I caught a glimpse of a silhouette moving towards me and I started to freak out.
"Hey, it's just me…", a voice whispered.
I gasped when I recognized the face.
"Derek? You're… You're… Alive…", I croaked.
He crouched down, kneeling beside me as I slowly pushed myself up against a tree. We were at the Beacon Hills Preserve.
"I saw you die!", I blurted out without thinking twice.
"Werewolf healing.".
"Oh…", I whispered as my memories slowly started to come back.
I frowned, trying to remember every detail from the traumatic event that went down in the gym. My body trembled as I replayed my confrontation with the beast- his teeth sinking into my shoulder, and the weird gust of wind I somehow conjured.
"He bit me… Again…", I muttered softly, my hand instantly flying up to my shoulder.
In expectancy to find the wound, I gazed down at my shoulder and found nothing. My breath hitched in my throat, I gave Derek a panicked look.
"I should've been dead.".
"Lorelai… You were. For almost three minutes… That power you have inside you is much stronger than anyone could've anticipated. He's going to keep coming after you, and if you don't give him what he wants, he'll go after the people that you love.".
"Derek, but-".
Derek's head shot towards a noise that came from the bushes.
"I have to go! Don't tell anyone I'm alive!", he said quickly and raced off without waiting for me to respond.
I was left in utter confusion when literally two seconds later, I was almost blinded by a bright light.
"Lorelai?".
Noticing the state of my clothes, Mr. Stilinski crouched down to see if I was okay.
"Jesus, what the heck did Derek do to you? Can you walk?", the concerned Sheriff asked, helping me to my feet.
I nodded before telling him a made-up story about how I 'stabbed' Derek to get away and that it was his dried blood on my shirt. It seemed that the cops bought Stiles and Scott's story about the werewolf being the bad guy. My injuries were fully healed, however, my body felt off- maybe it was going into shock.
Mr. Stilinski drove me home and judging by the state I was in, he decided to take my statement in the morning. He wanted me to go to the hospital first, just in case, but I convinced him I was fine.
Luckily, I didn't have to deal with my mom because she was still at work. I didn't have the mental capacity or the energy to explain the whole situation to her.
There was a lingering feeling of unrest and uncertainty as I trekked up the stairs and into my room. It was almost 4am. My mind went back to what Derek told me- I had actually died, like heart and breathing stopped 'dead'.
I quickly shoved the thoughts down, pulling out a fresh pair of pajamas and a towel. I'll deal with it another time. Until then, all I needed was a hot shower, and 72 hours of sleep.
∞∞∞∞
I walked through the halls of Beacon Hills High School on high alert as I caught whispers about the incident from last week. Nobody knew who the students were thanks to the protection of 'minors' identity policy'.
When my mom found out about the incident, she almost lost her marbles. She didn't allow me to see any of my friends that weekend, she pretty much watched me like a hawk. Even when we went down to the Sheriff's station, she didn't let go of my arm the whole time we were there.
I managed to convince my mom into letting me go to school, but it came with conditions. I had to come home straight afterwards, as well as text her every hour, to let her know I was alive and unharmed.
Speaking of texting, I was lucky enough to receive a message from Ricardo saying that he was safe. When I tried calling, the number was out of order.
Grabbing the books I needed and shoving them into my bag, I slammed my locker door shut in frustration. I hardly got any sleep since the incident thanks to the constant nightmares, so I was highly irritable. I turned around, almost bumping right into Lydia and Allison.
"Hello? Scott locked us in a classroom and left us for dead. He's lucky we're not pressing charges… Or making him pay our therapy bills... Lorelai! Oh my god!".
I was stunned by the redhead's sudden burst of affection when she and Allison pulled me into a tight hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay!!!", Allison said smiling before smacking me softly on the shoulder.
"What were you thinking going after him like that?!? You could've been seriously hurt or worse!", she shrieked.
"He could've killed you, Lorelai. Just like he did the janitor.", Lydia whispered.
Still trying to fathom this newfound concern from her, I responded, "But, he didn't… By the way, have any of you seen Scott or Stiles?".
The two girls glanced at each other awkwardly and then brought their eyes back to me.
"Um, no… Not since Scott and I broke up…", Allison answered softly.
I heard the sadness in her voice and squeezed her arm gently, before turning to Lydia, asking her if Jackson was alright. She nodded as the bell rang indicating that our first class was starting.
Bidding them goodbye, I shook away the anxiety of being back in the same hallway we attacked in when I was suddenly grabbed by the arm. My reflexes kicked in and I kneed the person in the gut.
"Jesus, Lorelai! What the hell!", Stiles cried, doubling over.
Apologizing profusely to my friend, I asked if he was okay. Nodding at me, he took my arm as I helped him up.
"What the hell happened to you?!? Why didn't you answer our calls?!? We thought you were dead!!!", he heaved.
"I-".
We were interrupted by Mr. Stilinski who had just walked out of the principal's office.
"I hope my son isn't dragging you into any tomfoolery… I see your mom finally took you off house arrest?", the Sheriff joked with a tired smile, squeezing my arm gently before turning to Stiles, sighing.
"Don't you have a test to get to?".
"Seriously dad, nobody says tomfoolery anymore! What's going on? Did you find Derek yet?", Stiles interrogated his father.
"I'm working on it. You go take your test.", he said firmly.
I took a step back as Stiles warned Mr. Stilinski to be careful. Tonight, was a full moon which meant that Scott wasn't going to be the only one affected, we had to worry about Derek and the Alpha too.
After wishing Stiles good luck for the dreadful chemistry test, I scurried off to the library, hoping to catch up on some work. It was obvious that someone had notified the teachers about my alleged hostage situation which got me out of seeing Mr. Harris' friendly face- heck, I wasn't complaining. As I walked in and took a seat, my phone buzzed.
Last bookshelf at the back.
Rolling my eyes at the text, muttering underneath my breath about his idiocrasy, I made my way to the back of the library. There in a black pair of jeans and a dark hoodie stood one of the most wanted men in Beacon Hills.
"Are you insane?!? What are you doing here?!? The school's crawling with cops!", I whisper-yelled at Derek.
He ignored my concern and pulled out something that was wrapped in a cloth out of his pocket.
"This is one of the few things that survived the fire. Figured it might give you the answers you're looking for.".
It was a tiny little jewelry box the size of my palm. I opened it, gasping at its content. A beautiful circular gold pendant with a tree symbol engraved on the surface laid inside. I was about to pick it up when Derek stopped me.
"No, not here.".
I closed the box and was about to question him about it when out of the blue, a wave of anxiety hit me. I fell to the floor as I was struggling to breathe. It was a freaken panic attack. Derek dropped beside me, taking my face into his hands.
"Lorelai! What's going on?".
"I think- I think I'm having a panic attack…", I choked.
"It's okay, you're okay! Look at me. You're safe!", he whispered as his eyes glowed its werewolf blue while he tried to calm me down.
I nodded, attempting to slow down my breathing, resting my forehead on the front side of his shoulder. Eventually, my heartrate and breathing slowly went back to normal. Derek cleared his throat and I quickly pulled away from him, my heartbeat speeding up a little, but for other reasons.
"You should probably… go.", I mumbled, unable to meet his eyes as I stood up.
I didn't wait for him to respond and bolted out of library with no known destination in mind.
"No... Because if I get out... I think I might kill someone.", I heard the voice of a sad Scott as I entered the boys' locker room.
"How the hell did I end up here…", I gaped in confusion.
A few seconds later, I was pressed against a warm wet body, water dripping onto my head.
"Scott! You're drenching me!".
Giving me an apologetic look, he broke the hug. Stiles had a grim expression on his face, and I raised my eyebrows at him.
"We were just discussing Scott's bondage options.", he said sarcastically.
"Full moon… Wait, what are you doing in the boys' locker room?", Scott asked.
"If I knew, I'd tell you… Why are you wet?!?".
As we left, Scott explained that he had a panic attack in the middle of the chemistry test. He caught me up on the breakup and how the full moon was affecting his emotions, it was enhancing them.
The three of us pondered on how Scott and I both experienced a panic attack at the same time. I was able to speak to them over weekend on a conference call- I told my mom I needed to take a shower which got me a few minutes of screentime with them. I purposely left out how I ended up in the woods and the fact that I died for a few minutes.
"I don't know how long I can keep lying to my mom about everything… A tiny part of me wants to pack up and run back to New Orleans where I can blissfully live in ignorance…".
"Well, you can't, we need you here… What's that?", Stiles pointed at the little jewelry box I was still clutching.
"Oh, a present from a friend…".
Stiles began to interrogate me when my phone started to ring. I used to this as an excuse to get away from them before they asked too many questions. I heard Stiles shout that they were my only friends as I answered the call.
"Your house, fifteen minutes.", Derek practically ordered without giving me a choice.
Looks like I was going to skip the rest of the school day to hang out with a fugitive werewolf.
∞∞∞∞
"Do they know I'm here?", Derek questioned as soon as I stepped inside.
"Are you always this abrupt?".
By the looks of his hostility towards me, the library incident had been wiped from his brain. I cleared my throat, moving away from him while I tried to forget about it too. He perched himself onto a barstool in the kitchen, dressed in a blue T-shirt now. I stood on the other side of the kitchen counter, placing the jewelry box in between us.
"Sometimes family relics store memories. And if you're anything like your grandmother, you'll be able to access them.".
"Derek, how much do you actually know about my family?".
"I told you- half are based on rumors. I'm just trying to find out which ones are true.", he replied flatly.
"So, I'm basically a science experiment to you?".
He shrugged as I opened the jewelry box reluctantly, staring at the pendant that rested inside. Not gonna lie, his response kind of stung. The symbol jolted something in my memory, I had seen it in my grandmother's journal- the tree of life. I traced the outside of the metal box with my fingertip.
"What do I have to do?".
I looked at Derek, hoping he'd tell me how to use it, but he seemed just as clueless as I was. I picked up the pendant and he took a sharp intake of breath- he was waiting for something to happen.
"Damn it! My hunch was wrong…", he sighed frustratedly and jumped off the stool.
He began to complain, mentioning that there was another way we could attempt to crack into to it when the pendant grew warm in the palm of my hand.
"Uh… Derek?".
Suddenly, the kitchen started to spin around me, and my surroundings changed, shifting before my eyes. It wasn't long before I was standing in a forest that looked suspiciously like the Beacon Hills Preserve.
I turned around in slow motion, in hopes of figuring out where I was as well as counterattack the nausea I was currently feeling. This was what Dorothy must've experienced when she was swooped up by that tornado landing her in Oz.
"Derek???", I squeaked when I heard shuffling behind me.
"No, love. And before you ask me if you teleported here or travelled back in time, the answer is no.".
The voice belonged to a middle-aged woman with wild bright red hair, pale skin and bright green eyes. She wore a long-sleeved black and gold dress, her Irish accent thick.
Her sharp cheek bones, her slightly pointed chin and the way she cocked her head to the side when she observed me seemed familiar.
"You're… You're…", I stuttered.
You would think I'd be accustomed to weird things happening, but this was beyond me. Cahira gripped my shoulders, her bright emerald green eyes piercing mine. Images flashed quickly through my mind which immediately stopped as soon as she removed her hands off me.
"What did you see?".
"I don't know… I…".
"You're quite obtuse for someone so powerful.".
Cahira turned her back to me, staring off into the trees.
"How… How is this happening?!?".
I ran my fingers through my hair as I tried to comprehend this whole ordeal.
"Us Draoithe, are known for our ability to communicate with the supernatural, the spirits. It's common knowledge, child!", Cahira scolded.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I seem to have missed the option where the American School System offered an AP class in all things Paranormal!", I yelled, waving my hands in frustration.
She shook her head.
"Calm down, Gariníon. We don't have much time. I need you to tell me if you see anything at all, okay?", she said gently, placing her hand back on my shoulder.
The same images flashed inside my mind again. However, this time I was able to remember some of it only because they were familiar.
"And?".
"Um… I saw a house on fire, and a giant tree struck by lightning during a storm… But I've seen it before in a dream… I'm gonna assume it's important to you?".
Cahira backed away from me, a fearful expression on her face.
"What you just saw was a piece of the past and the future… That storm… You need to tell Jesse that she's coming…".
I gaped at her.
"I can't… And who's 'she'?".
"What do you mean you can't?".
"Cahira… Dad died a few months ago… That's why we're back in Beacon Hills.".
The blood drained from her face as the forest began to shift, and spin.
"No. We're out of time. This is bad… I can't believe he didn't tell you anything! Lorelai, listen to me. You need to be wary of who you trust! There's a journal-".
Her voice began to fade out and I didn't catch the last bit of her sentence. Just as everything around me began to disappear, something hard hit me right in the chest, knocking the air out of my lungs.
When I finally regained my composure, I looked around and realized that I wasn't at the Beacon Hills Preserve but in the examination room at the Animal Clinic. Trying to figure out how I ended up there, the sound of a familiar voice calling out made me stop in my tracks.
"Alan! Alan? Where are you?!?".
It was my dad, his red hair messy and wild as usual, and his bright green eyes filled with worry.
"Dad?", I whispered softly, reaching out to grab his arm.
My fingers went straight through him, and my heart almost shattered. He couldn't see me- I was rewatching something that had happened in the past.
"Alan! We need to talk! It's important!", my dad shouted, still trying to get the attention of the veterinarian.
I stood still, struggling to come to terms with what I was seeing. I had never craved one of my dad's bear hugs so much until now. I noticed how he still looked the same- maybe one of the upsides of being a druid is the slow aging process.
"Ah Jesse, I got your message. What's going on?", Alan addressed my dad calmly.
"Rachel and I are gonna move to New Orleans… I know someone there who can help us with our… Situation. Alan, are you one hundred percent sure that Beta isn't one of Talia's?", he questioned.
"Like I've told you yesterday and the day before, we have no idea which pack that wolf belongs to. I am so sorry.".
My dad let out a frustrated sigh.
"How's Lorelai doing?".
"She's doing alright, but the nightmares have been continuous since she's been out of the hospital. I've been trying to convince her it was a bear, but she swears it was something else. I'm almost tempted to ask Talia to take away her memories, but I don't wanna risk it. She's not safe here. And neither is Rachel… Especially if she learns the truth.".
The two of them stood in silence, my dad fidgeting with something in his hand- it was the tree pendant.
"Will you give this back to my mother?", he asked, holding up the necklace before placing it onto the examination table.
Alan nodded, giving my dad a sad look as he began to walk away. He stopped, turning around to face the veterinarian again, "There's something else I wanted to tell you… Just be careful around the Hales. You can't trust them all.".
Immediately after those words left my dad's mouth, I felt this strong wind push me away from the scene. I screamed for him, hoping, praying that he would somehow notice me. Instead, I bolted awake, tears streaming down my face in the arms of a Hale.
"Hey, hey, what happened?".
"Nothing.", I answered quickly, removing myself out of his grip.
I wiped my face before placing the pendant back into the jewelry box, and closing it shut. He scowled, getting ready to argue with me, but the sound of my phone ringing cut him off.
"You should leave.", I bluntly said before answering.
"I've been trying to reach you for the past hour!!! Meet me at Scott's house, something is seriously wrong with him!", Stiles yelled frantically not giving me a chance to speak.
I heard the front door slam as I agreed to Stiles' plan. I ended the call and started to make my way upstairs to leave the jewelry box in my room.
Maybe it was my dad's warning about the Hales, or the fact that I just encountered two dead people, but there was a burning in my chest and my brain felt like it was about to explode.
Everything going on with Derek, the Alpha and Scott, not forgetting this whole being a druid thing, was starting to take a toll on me. But I couldn't deal with the emotion right now, not when Scott needed my help.
∞∞∞∞
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!", I heard Scott shout as I opened the front door of his house.
I sprinted upstairs to find Stiles yelling back at him.
"You kissed her, Scott! Okay? You kissed Lydia. That's, like, the one girl that I… And, you know, the past three hours, I've been thinking, it's probably just the full moon, you know? He doesn't even know what he's doing, and tomorrow, he'll be totally back to normal. He probably won't even remember what a complete dumbass he's been, a son of a bitch, a freaking unbelievable piece of crap friend…".
"She kissed me.", Scott interrupted.
The werewolf was handcuffed to his radiator, and I stood there staring at the two of them while they argued. They didn't notice my presence until I cleared my throat. Scott wouldn't meet my eyes and Stiles dragged me out of the room.
"Update, I made probationary starting line, Scott broke Danny's nose and he kissed Lydia. Where have you been?!?".
He exasperatedly waved his arms around and sunk to the floor.
"I had to help my mom with something at the house…".
My eyes fell back to Scott, who was crouched on the ground, his eyes literally staring into my soul. Something was off about him, like he was there but not. His face suddenly morphed into a painful expression, catching me by surprise.
"Lorelai, please. I can't take this anymore!!!", he pleaded.
"It helps if you don't look…", Stiles muttered.
I moved away from the door after closing it and took a seat next to him.
"So, what did your mom need?".
"Uhhh… She wanted my opinion on some new furniture.".
Scott snorted.
"She's lying, Stiles!".
"Don't listen to him…", Stiles mumbled.
"I know you're keeping something from us, Lorelai. Maybe, you're working with the Alpha, I mean how else could you have survived? Maybe your little crush on Derek lured you to the dark side.".
Stiles turned to me, his eyes wide.
"Seriously? The dark mysterious asshole type does it for you?".
"Hey, you don't get to judge me! Or are you forgetting your little infatuation with a certain popular obnoxious Queen B?", I scoffed.
"Lorelai, don't change the subject! Scott's right! Ever since that night at the school, you've been acting weird. So, what aren't you telling us?!?", Stiles questioned.
The sound of Scott's handcuffs rattling against the radiator grew louder, drawing our attention back to him.
"Stiles, Lorelai, please let me out. It's the full moon, I swear. You know I wouldn't do any of this on purpose. Please, Stiles, Lorelai, let me out. It's starting to hurt.", Scott begged.
Stiles looked at me, shaking his head, "After we're done helping Scott, we're coming back to this conversation.".
"It's not like the first time. It's the full moon... it's Allison breaking up with me... I know... that it's not just taking a break. She broke up with me. And it's killing me. I feel completely hopeless. Just, please let me out.", Scott cried.
Stiles, conflicted by the situation, told him that he couldn't. While Stiles wrestled with his guilty conscious, I was dealing with mine. The burning in my chest returned, along with a slight pounding at the back of my head. Stiles tapped my shoulder, nudging his head in the direction of Scott's door.
"Listen.".
Scott had stopped crying out and it was eerily quiet. Stiles asked if he was okay, but we heard no answer. I jumped up and opened the door to find him leaping out the window.
"Lorelai, he could kill someone! What are we going to do?!?", Stiles was in a state of panic as we ran down the stairs.
"You are going to stay here if he comes back, I'll go find him.".
Ignoring the burning sensation which seemed to be getting worse, I was already out the door before Stiles could argue with me. Just like earlier, my body knew where to go as I sprinted off. It wasn't long until I reached the Beacon Hills Mall. There was only one explanation for why Scott would wind up here, Allison.
As I got to the parking lot, I saw the silhouette of a wolfed-out Scott on the other side, staring at one of the vehicles. Squinting my eyes, I recognized the people inside the car- Jackson and Allison.
I couldn't blame Scott for going crazy, I mean his ex was practically breaking bread with his archenemy. He looked as though he was about to attack them, and I realized there was no way I could get to him in time. Scott pounced on top of the car and was about to rip open the hood when another body shoved him off and pushed him towards the trees nearby.
I ran as fast as I could to find Derek roaring loudly at him, and Scott cowering on the ground. I dropped down beside him before pulling him into a hug.
"I'm so sorry…", he muttered over and over again, returning it tightly.
After we broke apart, he turned to Derek.
"What's happening to me?", he asked, breathing heavy.
"Exactly what he wants to happen.", Derek responded before helping Scott to his feet.
Scott struggled to walk by himself, and we ended up having to help him all the way to his house. Derek and I still hadn't said a word to each other.
Breaking the silence as he collapsed onto his bed, he glanced at me and then to Derek, "Thanks.".
"Did I forget to mention that Derek's alive?", I murmured trying to break the awkwardness.
The brooding werewolf was about to leave when Scott stopped him.
"Wait… I can't do this. I can't be this and be with Allison. I need you to tell me the truth, is there a cure?".
Derek had a dark look on his face when he explained the rumor he heard.
"You have to kill the one that bit you… Scott... If you help me find him, I'll help you kill him.".
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