"Don't worry, Liam. We'll take good care of you," Melissa said, wheeling him away as I ran up. I don't think Liam knew I was there, but that's okay. I shook my head at the sight, then smacked Scott's chest roughly.
"I can't believe you broke his leg!" I hissed.
"What is it with you and him?" Stiles blurted, making me still with confusion.
"What?"
"You're like all over him."
"No, I'm not! I haven't even talked to him. I just think he's interesting," I defended. Stiles hated that answer because he scoffed and put his hands on his hips.
"What? Like date-able interesting?"
"Ew, Stiles, no. He's two years younger than me," I grumbled. Scott glanced at us awkwardly. "You know what? Don't you have a study session with Malia tonight? I'll come by to pick up my stuff later, okay?"
Scott's hand darted out to grab my shoulder. "What do you mean? Are you leaving?" I nodded, feeling bad that I'd forgotten to tell him. "Where are you gunna stay?"
"My uncle's house," I replied quickly, focusing on keeping my heartbeat steady. Scott nodded slowly, and my eyes locked with Stiles. He was staring at me with some emotion I couldn't identify. I smiled lightly at him, so he sighed and said his goodbyes.
Scott's face seemed to be in a permanent frown as he gazed down the hall where Liam was. I wrapped my arm around his waist.
"Come on. Let's go check on him, yeah?" I said, hoping I sounded comforting. Scott nodded while slinging his arm over my shoulder.
"I have good news," he said. "I kissed Kira. Like a real kiss."
"Dude! I'm so proud of you. I knew you'd figure it out." We smiled at each other then let go, nearing Liam's door. Inside, a doctor was talking to him, so we waited outside. And, yes, we eavesdropped.
"You want to tell me what happened?" Dr. Geyer asked nicely.
The taste of Liam's frustration filled my mouth. "I went up against two juniors. One of them is captain of the team." Scott looked at me, and the taste of his guilt was making all of this a little overwhelming.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile and squeezed his hand soothingly.
"Remember what we always say? Play smart, not hard."
"Are you mad at me?" Liam asked. I made a face at the wall, knowing Liam and Dr. Geyer were on the other side. Why would Liam ask something like that to a doctor?
"No, of course not," Dr. Geyer replied gently. "Your mom might be mad at me for getting you into lacrosse, but maybe we should both wait for the x-ray before we panic. And trust me, I have more reason to panic than you do. It's not over yet." Dr. Geyer chuckled, and his footsteps got closer.
I pulled Scott into a hug as a guise while Dr. Geyer passed us. As soon as he was gone, I pulled back and looked up at Scott. I was just about to tell him to go talk to Liam when his phone buzzed.
"Hey, Lydia," Scott answered.
Quickly, Lydia's reply came in a panicked tone. "Where are you? I couldn't call... I couldn't get away from the deputy. You need to get to the hospital right away. The son, the only one who survived the axe murderer—he's there."
Scott's eyes darted up to mine, both of us staring with adrenaline beginning to pump. "Y/N and I are at the hospital, too."
"Then find him. Find Sean Walcott." Lydia hung up quickly and my mind went blank. What was going on? Why was Lydia so freaked out?
As is by some invisible cue, we both jetted down the hall towards the elevator. If we could find Scott's mom, we could find Sean. There were three people already in the elevator as the doors began to shut.
We yelled for them to hold the door, but it closed shut before we got there. A shrill scream filled our ears, and I immediately recognized it as Scott's mom. I ran in the direction of the sound, Scott close on my heels.
I skidded to a stop as I took in the sight before me. Melissa was kicking away Sean, but he wasn't really Sean. I mean, he was, but he was more. He had a mouthful of fangs, white glowing eyes, and he was covered in fresh human blood. His hands, his shirt, and his mouth, like he'd been eating it. It kind of reminded me of something I read in the bestiary. Something called a Wendigo.
I was already shifting as Scott roared at Sean. Sean let Melissa go to growl back at Scott, so Scott charged him. He slammed Sean against the wall as I knelt down in front of Melissa, protecting her, but ready to help if he needed it.
Sean put his foot on Scott's chest, hissed like a rattlesnake, and kicked Scott away. The pictures on the wall shook as Scott rammed into the wall, and Sean ran off.
"I got him!" I said to Scott. "Make sure everyone is safe and okay." Scott nodded, and I let out a loud hiss, using my feet to launch myself in the direction of Sean.
I made a left, my heart pounding in my ears as I tracked Sean. Turns out, I should've gone right. By the time I realized I had made a complete circle, five minutes had passed. I groaned and stopped to listen, tucking my hair behind my ear. I heard all three of them up on the roof, and a fourth heartbeat, but I didn't pay it any mind because Scott and Liam were both groaning like they were in trouble.
I cursed and raced up the stairs to the rooftop. I burst through the door to see Scott lying on his stomach by the edge, and Sean on top of him, holding his arms behind his back. I looked around for Liam, then I heard his panicked groaning near Scott.
Bile built in my throat as panic seized me. Liam's fingertips were just barely hanging on the edge, and Sean was making it to where Scott couldn't help. I started to run to them.
"I can't hold on!" Liam screamed. I pushed myself to go faster, but it wasn't enough. Scott opened his mouth.
"Scott, no!" I screamed. It was too late. Scott sunk his fangs into Liam's arm to keep him from falling, and Liam howled in pain. I couldn't even get Sean off because someone else did it for me. I didn't know who it was, but he threw a hatchet into Sean's back.
I stared at the guy as he yanked the hatchet out. He had no mouth, like his skin had just grown over his lips, and he was completely bald. He wore all black, so his face was all I could see. He held his finger to his non-lips, then he left. I wondered whether or not that was supposed to be ironic, but I was distracted by Scott pulling Liam up and over the edge.
Liam stared at Scott while clutching his arm, and yet, I still think he didn't know I was there. For some reason, I wanted it to stay that way. I quietly slipped back into the building, running away from the scene. I tried to keep telling myself he had no choice, but I couldn't stop myself from being angry at Scott.
It was a bite from an alpha. This meant one of two things. Liam would die, or he would become a werewolf. I didn't want either of those things for him. He was innocent. He was a child. He was supposed to stay that way. Either way, his chance at a normal life was gone now.
And what about the mute guy? Why did he kill Sean? And why did he look like a mutant himself?
I found myself at Stiles' door before I realized I was going there. Oh, well. I had to get my stuff anyway. I let myself in, but decided to knock on his bedroom door. Inside, there was a rustling like someone (Stiles) had jerked with surprise. He stumbled to the door, opening it, and his smile seemed to falter and grow at the same time like he didn't know what to feel.
Malia smiled at me from inside the room, textbooks and homework covering Stiles' bed.
"Uh, sorry. I-I just came for my stuff," I said.
Stiles opened the door wider so I could go in. The tension was thick and emotions were high, but I was too worn out to register what they were. I grabbed my two bags full of stuff, clothes mostly, and left quietly. Or I tried to, but Stiles' voice stopped me.
"Hey, let me give you a lift," Stiles said, grabbing his keys. The suddenness of his offer and my need to keep a secret made me stumble into the door, which earned me odd looks from both him and Malia.
"Uh, no. I-I got it. It's just down the road a bit. It's fine," I said, slowly backing out of the room. Stiles chuckled and shook his head.
"No, it's okay. Really. Malia, I'll be ri-."
"No!" I blurted, making him stop mid-sentence and stare at me with surprise. "I mean, um, no, thanks."
Stiles blinked at me once, his eyes boring into me, and I thought I was caught as he tossed his keys back down with a huff. He grabbed my arm gently, pulling me out into the hall and closing his door behind us. Malia could still hear if she wanted to, but I guess it was the illusion of privacy that he wanted.
"You're acting really weird. Is everything alright?" he asked, holding my shoulders gently. I nodded, suddenly thankful that he wasn't a werewolf. He'd be able to hear my heart, which was thumping with the guilt of a liar. "Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything."
"I know," I said, even though this was one thing I knew he couldn't know. I'd suddenly become the pity project for my friends, and I didn't want that. "Seriously, it's fine. I'll see you at school, okay?" I told my feet to move, but they didn't. They stayed planted as we stared at each other. My heart raced, but this time it wasn't the guilt.
I realized I should tell him what happened at the hospital, but I also knew I needed to get out quickly before I threw myself into Stiles' arms. I could see in his eyes that's what he wanted me to do. I couldn't be with him yet. I still needed time.
"Okay," I whispered. I picked up my bags and turned my back to him. I felt his eyes on me the entire time I was walking down the stairs.
A soft meow made me stop on my way out the door. I dropped my bags and bent to scratch Boo behind the ears.
"You have to stay here where Stiles can take care of you. You can't go where I'm going. I'll miss you, though," I cooed to her, hoping she would understand me. It seemed like she did because she pushed her face against my palm. I smiled sadly, giving her one last scratch before I shut the door behind me.
I walked down the sidewalk, the night heavy around me. Looking both ways, I walked the first way my feet took me. I didn't know where to go, but I ended up at my house. All entries to the house were completely blocked off, so I couldn't get in. Doesn't mean I couldn't stay.
I hid my bags in the bushes and looked around. If I were to get caught as a human, I'd get kicked off the property or taken to the police station or something. But nobody messes with a cat.
Sitting on the porch, I closed my eyes, focusing on shifting my body into that of a cat. It took maybe ten minutes and all of my strength, but I finally began to feel the world growing around me. Suddenly, I could no longer see much color, but my night vision allowed me perfect sight.
I sunk down by the front door, feeling lost and alone as I curled up into a ball for warmth. I was freezing these days. Even with the fur coat, my small body trembled. This was okay. It was fine. I could deal with this on my own. I had to.