I follow both Derek and Scott into of the train cars in the area Derek has been calling his home. He sighs heavily before taking a seat, "I'm saying we need a new plan, because next time, one of us is gonna be too hurt to heal."
I try to ignore the way his eyes seem to focus in on me with that statement before Scott speaks up, "Ugh, I get it. We can't save Jackson."
"Is that really what that means? Because we can't seem to save him or kill him." They both look at me with understanding. Derek lowers his head into his hands briefly, "She's right, Scott. I've seen a lot of things. I've never seen anything like this. Every new moon's just gonna make him stronger."
Scott looks at me quickly, and I notice the worry in his eyes before they return to Derek, "But how do we stop him?"
"I don't know," I try not to let Derek's tone get to me, but to hear him so unsure causes me to stir. "I don't even know if we can."
Scott sighs as his eyes now avoid mine, "Maybe we should just let the Argents handle it."
I instantly look up to him shaking my head, "I really still feel like that isn't an option. This is up to us to figure out. Anything we can do is better than what they can." The last sentence is quiet, but I know they were both able to hear it.
Derek shakes his head either way, "I'm the one who turned him. It's my fault."
I quickly move to sit next to him, placing what I hope is a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Hey, you didn't turn him into this. This isn't your fault." I can see Scott nodding in agreement, but the emotion in Derek's face tells me he isn't. "This happened because of something in his past. Not because of you."
Derek shakes his head and I feel his sorrow as he turns away slightly, "That's a legend in a book. It's not that simple."
I grip his shoulder even tighter causing him to meet my eyes, "Sometimes all we have is a legend in a book."
I can see in his expression he understands what I'm saying before Scott interrupts confused, "What do you mean? What are you not telling me?"
Derek and I share a look before he turns to Scott tiredly, "Why do you think I'm always keeping something from you?"
Scott doesn't hesitate, "Because you always are keeping something from me!"
"Well, maybe I do it to protect you." Derek sighs dejected. I feel the guilt climbing up into my chest and decide one of the few people I shouldn't be keeping things from includes Scott. I tighten my fist at the slight tingle in the tips of my fingers before Scott sighs.
"Doesn't being part of your pack mean no more secrets?"
Derek just looks to me again before meeting Scott's eyes, "Go home, Scott. Sleep. Heal. Make sure your friends are safe. 'Cause the full moon's coming. And with the way things are going, I've got a feeling it's gonna be a rough one."
I stand as Scott says his goodbyes. I watch as he leaves before turning to Derek again, "I have to tell him. I have to tell both of them what's going on with me. I hate lying, especially more than I have to."
He doesn't say anything for a moment before he reaches out an lays his palm against my cheek, "I think you should. I can see it is weighing on you."
I turn my face the slightest until my lips lightly rest against his hand, "Thank you. For tonight," I close my eyes for a moment, trying to force down any emotion that surfaces at the thought of what happened. "I didn't know how it would end there for a second."
"I heard you." My eyes flash open at the words and I blink in the low light to see his face.
"What?" It was a lame thing to say, but it was the only word I could force out at the moment.
"You screamed. I heard it," He leans closer with each word. "It was like you were inside my head for a second. And then I felt like I couldn't breath right before Scott called for me."
I blink rapidly as my eyes become damper than they were before. He did hear me. It was real. "Hey," his voice his soft and caring, but before he can say another word I push forward and my lips meet his. My hands reach up and lace into his hair, pulling him as close to me as he could possibly be. I groan lightly as he pulls away, his hands now placed along my hips, holding me close. His forehead rest against mine as we both stand still, our breathe mingling together.
"You should get some sleep," I grip him closer at his words. I know they are true, but I also have no desire to go home. If I even still have a home. "We should get some sleep."
He nods and his hand slowly closes around mine. He leads me to a back of one of the other carts, sliding open a door before we walk into it. He closes it behind me and I notice a low queen sized bed in front of me and clothes neatly stacked around the area.
He silently passes me a t-shirt and I take it, stripping out of mine and into his. I try to ignore the heat of his gaze as I remove my jeans and climb onto the bed before me. He removes his shirt and jeans, replacing them with just a pair of shorts and remains shirtless before following me. He pulls the blanket over both us and without thought I curl into him as he draws me to his chest. My eyes instantly fall closed as I take a deep breathe, inhaling nothing but Derek Hale.
â â âªï¸ â â
I sit on the stands of the lacrosse field. The loud cheering blurs my mind even more than it already feels. The players all seated on the bench, yet I feel like we're waiting for something else. Something different.
I gasp lightly when I suddenly see Lydia standing in the middle of the field, her winter formal dress on, untouched of the blood I know it will eventually adorn. I look around the crowd surrounding us, the cheering and multiple signs being held up.
At first, it looks like the beginning of any ordinary game. Until I realize, the signs are for Lydia.
'Everyone loves Lydia!' and 'Lydia is the best!', flashes before me on cardboard posters. I turn back to Lydia and notice she is already starring directly at me. I then think my face must be the only one that isn't smiling in pure joy.
Can she see me?
Suddenly my expression draws terrified as I notice a familiar frame drawing closer in the lights, long jacket moving dramatically behind him as he reaches her. She moves away, towards the other side of the field, but it's too late. I try to stand as Peter reaches out and his hands grasp her shoulders so harshly her body falls onto the grass below them, but I am frozen.
I cry out as he moves over her, fangs elongated and ready to attack his prey. I finally am able to stand, moving forward down the bleachers in front of me. Pushing past each cheering person harder than the one before.
But again, it is too late. I scream and my hand covers my shoulder as it begins to light on fire as Peter makes contact with Lydia. As if he was attacking both us again, at the same time. I fall to my knees and if this were real, the metal of the bleacher surely would have caused bruises. But it wasn't. I knew it know, this was just another dream. Suddenly, as if the realization gave me some sort of power, I rise to my feet.
"Lydia!" My voice is broken, but reaches her as she turns to me. Right as our eyes meet-
I gasp and sit up, holding a hand to my beating heart. "Lydia..." Without thought I remove the blanket from my sweating body and stand from my bed. I move towards the door of my bedroom and place my hand on the doorknob, but before I can open it I see a hand land on it in front of me. As if coming out of a trance, a gasp leaves my body and I freeze. I slowly turn and feel a lone tear leave my eye. I look forward, seeing a chest covered in a black shirt. My eyes slowly move upward until I meet the face of Peter Hale. I hate the sound of fear that leaves my lips at the sight of him.
I try to move away but his hands then grasp my wrist, "You can't save her," he growls and I feel his claws extend piercing my upper arms as pulls me uncomfortably closer. "And you have a job to do."
Again, I lurched up in the bed. I hold my head in hands repeating the overused words over and over again in my head.
It's just a dream.
Until I feel the sting. I slowly remove my hands from my head and look down to the source. I notice on each upper arm the healing marks of claws.
"Abigail?" I lift my head again to see Derek's large frame standing in the doorway. I blink away the wetness pooling in my eyes as I meet his concerned gaze. He moves forward, but I lift my hand up with a sigh.
"It's fine, it was just a dream."
â â âªï¸ â â
I move from the other side of Derek's little hideaway to find him and his betas all standing around an open room. I almost got dressed and left to go home this morning out of habit, before the memories of last night came crashing back to me.
My mother.
I ignore the feeling of pure and utter self pity at the thought of her. Her words. She was willing and ready last night to kill her own daughter. I knew why she was doing what she was doing. Technically I should have killed myself the moment my eyes opened after realizing I had been bit and wasn't dead. But I didn't. I couldn't ever. And I never thought once that she could.
Going home doesn't seem like an option to me as of right now. Speaking to my sister, finding a way to explain everything, doesn't seem like an option right now. I wouldn't even know where to start. I know neither of us are necessarily close with our mother, but the news that she could in cold blood kill me and her very own boyfriend? I know it will devastate Allison. I don't think I can handle any more devastation as of right now.
I sit on the concrete step and watch as Derek enters the room again and drops a heavy looking trunk onto the floor. He throws open the lid and I notice the same symbol, a triskele, he has tattooed on his shoulder blades painted to the wood.
Isaac takes a stop closer with a curious look, "What is that?"
"It's a triskele," I looked to Boyd, surprised that he not only recognized the shape, but knows the name for it. "Spirals mean different things; past, present, future. Mother, father, child."
Derek nods looking impressed with his examples, "You know what it means to me?"
Boyd looks thoughtful for only a second before answering, "Alpha, beta, omega?"
"That's right," Derek gives him what could be described as a smile if it's coming from Derek. He turns to look between the three betas in front of him, "It's a spiral. Reminds us that we can all rise to one or fall to another. Betas can become alphas, but alphas can also fall to betas or even omegas."
"Like Scott?" My eyes narrow on Isaac after he says this. I don't like the digs at either of my friends, but especially Scott. The kid is constantly just trying help everyone. And that would include Isaac without a second thought.
Derek lifts his head with a stern shake of his head, "Scott's with us."
Isaac smirks sarcastically and I can't help but imagine slapping it off his face, "Really? Then where is he now?"
I groan and throw my head back before standing from the sidelines of where I am sitting, "Oh my, god. He's looking for Jackson. Which if you haven't noticed, is kind of an important task as of right now."
I don't miss Derek's smirk as he throws a look my way. I just shake my head lightly, taking a seat back down onto the step. I hold back my own smile when Derek turns back to Isaac, "Don't worry, he's not gonna have it easy tonight either. None of us will. There's a price you pay for this kind of power. You get the ability to heal, but tonight you're gonna want to kill anything you can find." I grimace as he stands, pulling what look to be very heavy chains, out of the chest in front of him.
He let's them fall to floor as Erica laughs lightly, "Good thing I had my period last week, then."
A puff of laughter comes out of nose at her words. Then a smile graces my face as Boyd sends her a wide eyed look.
Derek reaches back down to the trunk before pulling out something I can only describe as a medieval headband torture device. It was a piece of metal with what looks like screws placed all around it. "Well, this one's for you."