Forty-One

WARNING: This chapter includes the repressed memories of Scott and Lydia--including the asthma attack. If this may trigger you in anyway, please skip to the next set of *^*^*^*^*^*

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"FORTY-THREE DOLLARS."

Hayden looked at Liam in disbelief, balancing a tray of glow sticks in her hand. They stood amidst a sweaty, half drunk, crowd in the middle of Sinema. Hayden had been counting down the minutes until her shift ended, when the boy she couldn't stand appeared out of nowhere.

"I said I don't want your money," Hayden replied sharply.

But Liam didn't back down. He felt guilty from their first interaction at the club, where he broke special drinks Hayden had been selling for extra cash. Especially since the girl was close with Sierra, Liam felt wrong not paying her back. And because he might've held a slight crush on her.

So, he picked up an easy job and did more chores at home to make up what Hayden needed.

"You said I owed you two hundred," he pointed out, holding the money up.

"Liam," Hayden warned. "Just forget it. I don't accept charity--"

She was interrupted as the flashing lights suddenly cut off, raising a roar from the crowd. Everyone yelled, waving their glow sticks crazily in the air.

"Perfect," Hayden huffed.

Liam called out as she turned her back, heading towards one of the counters. "Hayden! Hayden, wait!"

Hayden set the tray down and disappeared underneath strands of lights hanging in a doorway, ignoring him. He followed her nonetheless. "Hayden!"

When Hayden reached the circuit box, she whirled around with annoyance evident in her eyes. "I gotta be honest, Liam," she snapped. "If you're trying to be a good guy, I really don't care."

"I'm just trying to make up for the sixth grade," he said desperately. All he wanted was for her to listen.

Hayden flipped one of the switches. Only a few lights on the dance floor returned. Her glare narrowed on Liam, who gulped. "Nothing will make up for the sixth grade."

Hayden faced the switches again, and went to turn the top lever. Yet, it didn't budge. She groaned and tried to push it again. "Oh, come on," she grumbled, her agitation growing.

Liam's expression softened and he stepped forward, resting his hand over hers. Tapping into his extra strength, the lever successfully bringing back all the strobe lights.

Hayden furrowed her brows, confused as he slowly let his hand fall back to his side.

"If you want to keep hating me, go for it," he said first, his tone gentle and sincere. "But you said I owe you two hundred, and here's forty-three more." Liam held up the bills for her to take.

The girl hesitated, wondering if he'd pull it away the moment she accepted it. She was used to that kind of behavior from Liam...not this. Liam offered her a small grin once she took the money, before stepping away to head home. He didn't want to bother her anymore than he already did.

He disappeared into the crowd, not noticing the smile that grew on Hayden's lips as he left.

*^*^*^*^*^*

The next morning, Sierra found herself back in the hallways with Stiles. Neither had recalled any repressed memories after reading the book, and Sierra just wanted to get the whole experience over with.

"What if we need some kind of trigger?" Scott wondered aloud. He and Kira had joined them in trying to figure out the mystery behind Vallack's book. "Wasn't Malia driving when she remembered the crash?"

Sierra chose to not reply. She hadn't spoken with Scott since the previous day, and was still bothered by their whole disagreement.

And he hadn't made much of an effort to talk to her either. It seemed like he was still taking Lydia's advice and pushing their fight to the side.

"I guess," Stiles agreed it was a fair idea, "but how are we supposed to trigger a memory we don't remember?"

The whole situation was beyond frustrating, and Scott didn't have a good answer for Stiles. "Maybe it's like a delayed thing," he suggested weakly. "You know, we have to wait a couple hours and see what happens."

Before anyone could reply, the florescent light panels above their heads short circuited. Sierra halted mid-stride and looked alarmed as they flickered, her friends stopping as well.

Scott and Stiles exchanged confused glances, and simultaneously turned to their girlfriends.

Stiles raised a knowing eyebrow at Sierra, but she quickly lifted her hands. "Don't look at me! I didn't do anything."

"Me neither!" Kira answered too, seeing the way Scott tilted his head at her. "I swear."

The boys weren't exactly convinced. Yet, instead of blaming anyone, Scott said sternly, "We keep an eye on each other today, okay?"

"Yeah, and keep an eye out for eight potentially homicidal chimeras," Stiles reminded, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper.

Sierra added, "And an eye out for the Dread Doctors."

They all looked at one another, clearly overwhelmed before going their separate ways.

"You know, I'm starting to see the appeal of a third eye," Stiles huffed, moving his hand to intertwine his fingers with Sierra's. They moved off to the side, while Scott and Kira headed to their lockers.

"We're going to be fine, Stiles," Sierra assured him. "Just try to think positive, alright?"

He glanced at her. "You would tell me if you did have, like, an electric spazzing out...right?"

"Yes," Sierra nodded once and sent him a teasing smile, "but for the record, light flickering isn't my thing."

"But seismic blasts that could level the school are."

Sierra rolled her eyes, though she found his concern endearing. "I'll be okay, I swear. And if anything goes wrong, you're the first person I would tell."

"I better be," Stiles retorted, pulling her in closer so he could kiss her forehead. He stole a glance at the clock on the wall and sighed. "I gotta get to Calc. The last time I was late Mr. Peterson threw a fit.  Are you going to be fine with Scott in Bio?"

"If he doesn't want to talk about it, then I'm not going to bring it up," Sierra shrugged, making Stiles frown. "I don't have the energy this morning to argue with him."

That didn't sound like the Sierra he knew. Unfortunately though, he didn't have time to talk sense into her.

"Okay, if you're sure that's a good idea. I'll see you later then." Stiles kissed her cheek as a goodbye. "Stay safe."

"You too." She sent him one last smile, to which he returned. Then, he turned and headed towards his class.

Sierra walked around a different corner and instantly dropped her grin.

Sleep hadn't been a friend recently, but it was one the girl desperately needed. The late nights were starting to take an abnormal toll, even though she refused to admit it. Her friends didn't need to know she was having difficulty sleeping.

No—Sierra was fine.

Her blame for the insomnia solely went to the supernatural. Especially after Mizuki, sleep never came naturally to Sierra anymore. Too many thoughts kept her up. Too many people were counting on her. She couldn't sleep in case something happened.

Jogging at night provided a way to train and an outlet for her frustration. However, lately it brought only more discomfort. Especially since Eichen, Sierra felt..off. Her burns should've healed quicker than they did, and there was a certain weight that dragged her down.

Her anxiety rose at the thought of the Dread Doctors messing with her head; and she found herself reaching for her water bottle on the side of her backpack.

Now, she always carried it around. It was a way to keep herself awake; continuously drinking water she mixed with energy boosts. She thought she was going to die from not having it at Scott's house, but luckily the coffee made up for it.

Stiles noticed instantly. After all, he knew her better than anyone else.

He caught the exhaustion clouding her eyes and how she fidgeted in class. He saw the constant pulling of her earlobe and the jittery legs. It was obvious to him that Sierra was stressed.

And even though he was going through his own battles, he put her first. At lunch, he watched her carefully to make she was at least eating. Then he snuck a fidget cube to her during history. Sierra had sent him a grateful smile and tried to finish taking notes, fiddling with it in her right hand.

Now, she headed to AP Biology and the grip on her water bottle tightened. Hesitation stopped her right in front of the door, leading her to take another drink of water.

Just one period, she assured herself. Fifty minutes.

Then, straightening her back, Sierra walked in.

Students were chatting among themselves, while Mrs. Finch wrote notes on the chalkboard. Sierra headed straight to her assigned lab station, not sparing a glance to Scott as she passed him.

Kira observed the frown that spread across Scott's face and gently nudged him with her elbow. "Hey, you. Are you okay?"

"No." Scott decided to be honest. His eyes flickered to where Sierra was conversing with Lydia before he turned more towards Kira. He sighed, "I just don't know what to do. This is the first time we've had a disagreement like this."

"Have you tried talking with her?"

"That's kind of how our argument started," Scott muttered, fiddling with his pencil. "She says I haven't been listening to her ideas."

Kira quirked up an eyebrow. "Well are you listening to her?"

"I can't this time," Scott defended his choices. "She's wrong."

Kira pursed her lips, recognizing the stubbornness of her boyfriend. "Look," she said first, resting her hand over his. "Even if you disagree with her, you have to still communicate." He lifted his eyes as Kira emphasized, "She is one of your best friends, Scott. You guys always make the right decisions when you make them together."

"Okay, everyone settle down!" Mrs. Finch's voice caught everyone's attention. "We have a lot to get through today."

"Just think about it," Kira whispered, before facing the front so she could listen.

Scott opened his notebook, but his mind was too busy to hear Mrs. Finch. He knew Kira had a point about his friendship with Sierra. However, he couldn't make himself fully agree. She had been acting way off before they even argued--in fact, all his friends were.

How could he trust them when they wouldn't talk to him?

As the class dragged on, Scott wasn't the only one zoned out.

Sierra tiredly rested her cheek against her palm, doodling in the margins of her notes while Mrs. Finch continued to ramble about the African Cane Toad. Her blue eyes drifted to Lydia, who was texting rapidly under the table.

What's wrong?  Sierra scribbled down, and pushed her paper into the strawberry blonde's line of sight.

Lydia glanced back over her shoulder before writing Sierra a reply. Theo--he said to look at Sydney.

Sierra furrowed her brows but followed Lydia's gaze to the lab station in front of them.

Sydney looked beyond stressed; her leg bounced and her hand consistently fiddled with her scalp. Sierra watched as a clump of Sydney's brown hair fell right into her palm--the girl acted like she was going to break down in tears.

Sierra straightened her back.

Tuning in her ears, she heard Sydney's heartbeat spike. Her classmate's energy shifted from anxious to fearful.

Lydia discreetly slid her phone over to Sierra. It revealed her text chain with Theo, who sat towards the back of the room.

He had sent one word, but it was enough to put Sierra on edge.

Chimera?

"Once an invasive species is introduced, everything changes," Mrs. Finch concluded her speech.

Sydney suddenly rose to her feet, shoving her belongings into her arms. She didn't say anything-- even as she set her drop form on Mrs. Finch's desk.

"Wise choice, Sydney," Mrs. Finch nodded, and the girl quickly left the room with her head hanging low.

Lydia grabbed her purse and stood as well, choosing to follow her out.

"Lydia," the teacher stopped her. "You know it's for the best."

Lydia went anyways.

Scott exchanged bewildered glances with Kira. Then, he couldn't help but look down at his own desk. His drop form gleamed back at him, and he inhaled sharply. His brown eyes flickered to where Lydia had been sitting, making accidental contact with Sierra.

But all she did was purse her lips and face the front of the room.

*^*^*^*^*^*

Lydia found Sydney hiding out in the guidance office.

Tears filled Sydney's eyes as she sat at a round table, her arms hugging her chest. Though when she saw Lydia standing in the doorway, she quickly wiped her face with a sniffle. "I was, uh, just looking for your mom," she said, her voice cracking. "I mean Mrs. Martin."

Lydia nodded her head in understanding, choosing to step further into the room. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Sydney barely shook her head, croaking, "Does this look okay?" She opened up her palm to reveal her hair that had fallen out.

Lydia remained by the door out of caution, but didn't hide her concern. "How long has it been happening?"

"Three years."

The banshee relaxed her shoulders, realizing Sydney was not a chimera. But then she processed what she said. "Years?" Lydia echoed, in disbelief as she moved closer.

Sydney let out a shaky breath and nodded. "It's stress," she explained. "I've tried everything. Medication, acupuncture...even hypnosis."

"Have you tried not taking the hardest classes in school?" Lydia suggested, making Sydney's lips turn up.

Lydia had known Sydney for a long time; even though they didn't talk much, they always had a lot of classes together. Sydney was a bright girl. She simply put too much pressure on herself, reminding the banshee of another girl she knew.

"Let me see it," Lydia told her. "Maybe I can help cover it up?"

Sydney sent her a grateful smile, sniffling once more. Then she turned her head, pulling her brown hair away from her left ear. It revealed a bald patch, and Lydia leaned it to get a better look.

Right before her eyes, the smooth skin glitched. A haunting sight; blood and gore dripping down Sydney's ear.

And then Lydia couldn't breathe.

A wretched gasp fell out of her lips. She stumbled away from the shock, collapsing on her back. Her body felt pasted to the ground as her heart pounded in her ears.

"I told you to stay in the car," a voice replayed on a loop. Lydia's green eyes bored into the ceiling. "Lydia! I told you to stay in the car!"

She sat up abruptly.

The tile turned to cement. The large windows flickered into cells surrounded by mountain ash. Lydia raised to her feet slowly as the hallway darkened around her. She could only focus on the light in front of her, voices fluttering past her ears.

It drew her in, pushing her past a metal gate. The sound of water flowed, mixing with the unmistakable power of a drill.

Lydia turned her head.

The amount of blood caught her attention first, oozing down a shower drain. Yet her mouth stayed shut. She lifted her eyes, following the red trail to see a bathtub. Water overflowed the edges, the blood coating a woman she once knew.

Her grandmother.

Just like Sydney, a deep hole had been drilled into the side of her head. Her body slumped; her eyes staring forward. Natalie was crying over her mother, trying to understand, "Why would you do this to yourself?"

The sight was horrific but Lydia couldn't turn away. Her chest tightened and she felt her body fall numb. Natalie finally noticed the young girl, standing traumatized in the doorway. "I told you to stay in the car," she said, hardening her tone in anger. "Lydia! I said stay in the car!"

Her grandmother sat up, her voice sounding robotic. "They're coming, Lydia." A familiar clicking filled the air, one that could only signal the Dread Doctors.

"They're coming for all of us."

*^*^*^*^*^*

Sierra knew something was wrong.

Only a minute or two after Lydia went to check on Sydney, Sierra found herself rising to her feet. A familiar burn touched her soul, and she knew she needed to find Lydia.

Puzzled glances were shot her way, but she didn't care. She left everything at her desk and bolted out of the room.

Mrs. Finch called out after her, but Sierra didn't stop. Her feet guided her down the hallway, past the lockers and classrooms.

When she saw the door to the guidance office cracked, her pace quickened. She burst inside the room, her eyes widened from seeing Lydia on the ground.

"What happened?" she demanded to Sydney, who looked completely panicked.

"I-I don't know," Sydney stuttered, Sierra crouching down beside her. "W-We were just talking and, and it was like she fainted or something."

"Go find her mom," Sierra instructed sternly, trying to keep herself calm. "Now."

Sydney nodded, quickly standing up and running out of the office--just as Scott and Theo appeared. Sierra hadn't even noticed they followed her. She recognized the spaced out gleam in Lydia's eyes as she held her face in her hands.

"What the hell happened to her?" Scott asked, kneeling where Sydney had been.

"In case you forgot, we read a novel last night that causes violent hallucinations," she snapped at him, checking Lydia's pulse. Her heart was beating too fast for Sierra's comfort. "You put the pieces together."

Theo stayed standing, but glanced down in concern. "You think she remembered something?"

"Obviously."

"Well, we gotta get her to snap out of it," Scott pointed out, leaning closer to the banshee.

"Both of you step back," she ordered, pulling Scott away from Lydia's face. "I'm actually going to do something besides state the obvious."

Theo put his hands in the air but listened, giving Sierra space while Scott remained on the ground.

A little red beam danced around Sierra's hand as she twirled her fingers, aiming the tendril between the banshee's eyebrows. Lydia's eyes glowed and a gasp escaped her.

Theo's lips parted in surprise. "What are you doing?" he accidentally wondered aloud.

"I'm pulling her out of the memory," Sierra answered, her own irises swirling silver. Yet she kept her focus on Lydia. "What the hell does it look like?"

Scott shot her a warning glare, but didn't say anything. He watched the bright energy disappear with a wave of Sierra's hand, relaxing as Lydia's pulse started to return to normal.

The girl groaned, her hand moving to her head. She didn't remember the lights being that bright.

"Lydia," Sierra whispered, seeing her eyes reopen. Her heart broke when she saw them glistening. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," Lydia quietly replied, Scott resting his hand over her trembling fingers. "I'm fine."

"Don't sit up if you're not ready," he assured her.

Lydia heard him, but forced herself to at least be able to lean against the wall. Then, she winced.

Her bones ached and all she wanted to do was take a nap--especially after witnessing that nightmare.

"You remembered something, didn't you?" Theo asked from where he was standing behind Scott and Sierra.

Lydia barely moved her head into a nod. "Not about the Dread Doctors." She saw the puzzled glances between her friends and she clarified. "Nothing about them or my surgery."

"Then what was it?" Scott knew Lydia was rattled from her vision; he just wanted to make sure she was okay. He helped her get into a chair, Sierra staying by her side.

Her breaths were uneven, pain filling the air around her.

"My grandmother." She uttered it so softly, the werewolves were lucky to catch it. "At Eichen House."

"Lydia?" Her mother appeared in the doorway with Sydney, worry bringing wrinkles on her forehead. Natalie saw her daughter and sighed with relief. "Lydia, oh my god." She rushed over. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Mom, I'm fine," Lydia said roughly, closing her eyes as the room went out of focus. "It was nothing."

Natalie felt the heat on Lydia's flushed cheeks, and brushed her hair behind her ears. "Was it a blackout?" she asked. "Did you faint?"

A million answers were on the tip of Lydia's tongue. But she settled for the one that would cause less questioning. "Yeah," she breathed with a curt nod. "Yeah, I fainted. But I'm fine...I promise."

"How about you stay in here during second period?" her mom suggested. "It'll give you time to rest for a little bit before you decide whether you're up for the rest of your classes."

"I can bring your work in for you, if you want?" Sierra piped up, and Lydia sent her a small smile.

"Thank you, Sierra, I would appreciate that," Lydia answered, keeping her mother's hand as she slowly rose to her feet. "Mom, I'm gonna lie on your couch if that's okay."

"Go right ahead," Natalie assured, before her eyes flickered to the other teenagers in the room. "You all go ahead and head back to class. The bell will be ringing soon anyways, so you'll be able to grab your things." Then she remembered Sydney. "Honey, please take a seat if you still want to talk. We can start in just a minute."

Sydney nodded and did as she was told, while Sierra caught Mrs. Martin's hint. She sent one more encouraging glance to Lydia before ushering the boys out of the office and following them into the hallway.

The bell rung before they could speak about what happened.

Scott sighed, "I guess I'll see you guys later. I left my backpack in Mrs. Finch's room."

"My stuff is in there too," Sierra replied. "I guess I'll go with you."

"Actually, I have your stuff, Sierra," Theo spoke up with a sheepish smile, holding her water bottle and backpack. "I just grabbed it because I didn't know if you would need anything to help Lydia."

"Thank you?" Sierra looked unsure as she slowly accepted her belongings from him. "Is my textbook in here too?"

"Yep," Theo nodded his head, shifting his weight between his feet. "Everything's there."

Scott raised his eyebrows, and a little smirk appeared in the corner of his mouth from the exchange. He watched in amusement as Sierra gave Theo a tight-lipped smile in return.

"Well, I, uh," Theo awkwardly chuckled. "I should go to my next class...but I'll see you guys after school?"

Sierra didn't say anything  while Scott nodded and waved goodbye to him. She watched Theo disappear and frowned. It only deepened when she saw the mischievous spark in Scott's eye.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" she questioned, crossing her arms. "If you keep staring at me like that, I'm going to slap you."

"At least I'm not looking at you the way Theo does," Scott retorted, unable to hide his laughter. He teasingly sung, dragging out his last words. "He likes you."

"What? No, he doesn't!" Sierra instantly disagreed and hugged herself tighter. "I mean, he did when we were little...but that was a long time ago!"

"Is that why Stiles doesn't trust him?" Scott questioned her. "Because he has a crush on you?"

Sierra didn't answer.

She simply grabbed his arm and pulled him into the locker room. She knew they were about to have a conversation others did not need to hear.

"Now that I think about it, he always hates on the people who like you, right? I mean, there was Isaac, Erica, Matt, Liam," Scott listed off on his fingers, both of them coming to a stop by his lacrosse locker. "Oh, and you can't forget that one assistant coach from Greyfield--"

Sierra slapped his arm. "Would you shut up?" she hissed. "It's not like that. He doesn't trust Theo because Theo isn't trustworthy. You would get that if you just listened to me."

Scott rolled his eyes, not convinced. "Yeah, okay. Whatever you say."

"So you're really not going to show any precaution towards him at all?" Sierra inquired and scoffed when Scott shook his head. "Are you kidding me, Scott? Do you not see how dangerous the road you're going down is?"

"I'll show precaution when I get a reason to," he said stubbornly.

"By the time you find a reason one of us will end up dead," Sierra snapped, unable to keep her frustration at bay. "And knowing my history, it's probably going to be me. So thanks for that."

"Every time you've gotten hurt it's been because you weren't thinking about the consequences," he spit, not realizing his mistake until it was too late.

Guilt immediately washed over him as Sierra's eyes narrowed into a harsh glare.

"Excuse me?" Sierra wished she misheard him. "I don't think about the consequences? Um, no. Absolutely not. Peter at the Hale House? I pushed you out of the way because Peter was going to kill you. Kate kidnapping me? If I didn't go with her, she would've killed Stiles and his father—and you, so I don't want to hear it."

Sierra curled her hands into tight fists as she stepped closer to Scott, a great bitterness swiping over her face. "Everything I've ever done is to protect the people I care about. In case you forgot, I died to save you guys from Mizuki, but no I guess I wasn't thinking about the consequences."

Scott's heart hurt, his mind flashing back to every time he almost lost his best friend. She had a point—she was always making the sacrifice play to save him and the others. What had he done?

He pushed down the feeling and pointed out, "At the beginning of the year, you agreed that we should give Theo a shot."

"That was before our friends started dying," Sierra emphasized. "Again. You can't tell me this doesn't feel like the Darach murders times ten."

"Would you stop that?" Scott demanded. "Stop bringing up the past."

"You think I like bringing it up?" Sierra shot back at him. "You think I enjoy thinking about all of our friends who died because of us? I'm bringing it up because we're making the same mistakes we did the first time."

"No, we're not," Scott disagreed.

"Yes we are!" Sierra's hand clutched the sides of her face as tears welled up in her eyes in frustration. She was close to losing her mind. Why couldn't he just listen to her?

"We're not taking time to think—you're rushing into decisions without me because of your fear. Come on, Scott, I know that feeling better than anyone!"

"What did Theo do to you that's so bad?" Scott asked instead, his arms crossed. "Because you weren't that against him before."

"Have you ever thought that maybe we kid we knew back then, isn't the same Theo?" Sierra avoided his question with another. "People change, Scott. And there are too many gaps in Theo's life for us not to be careful."

"Who says I'm not being careful?"

"I am!" Sierra shouted, unable to contain her true feelings. "You, Scott McCall, are not being careful. You're getting too close too fast. I can't make it anymore clear!"

Scott scowled, and matched her tone. "What do you want me to do?!"

"I want you to fucking open your eyes before someone gets hurt," Sierra retaliated, and he clenched his jaw.

"A lot has happened since that first day, Scott," she lowered her voice once she saw his expression. "We don't know who the chimeras are or what the Dread Doctors want out of them. Just think of Stiles—"

"Stiles?" Scott cut her off, not understanding. "What happened to Stiles?"

Sierra stayed quiet.

"Sierra," he warned, his words sharp. "What happened?"

"I...I can't tell you," she forced out, casting her gaze to the ground.

Scott's face fell.

"You can't tell me?" he echoed in disbelief. "Why not?"

Sierra felt his frustration shift to anger and she raised her head. "Hold on—just don't, Scott. You don't have a right to be angry with me right now."

"Why not?" he repeated, the tension in the room growing thick.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked in exasperation. "You're the one who keeps running to Theo for everything instead of talking to me first!"

"He's just trying to help!" Scott threw his arms up in the air. "What's so wrong with him becoming our friend?"

"Because I don't trust him! All of our problems started when he showed up," Sierra said. "But you refuse to trust me."

Scott saw a tear roll down her cheek, and sighed. "Sierra, that's not true and you know it."

"I don't know what I believe anymore," Sierra confessed. "Too much has changed too quickly and I don't know if I can handle it."

"I don't understand," Scott stepped closer to her to grasp her hand that trembled. "Just talk to me...what's happened that's so bad?"

"I..."

Right then, Sierra wanted to tell him everything. About Donovan and Stiles, the way she couldn't sleep anymore...about how she had this terrible ache in her chest that something bad was in their future.

"I gotta get to class," Sierra whispered, pulling her hand away from him and stepping back. She tried to ignore the hurt that flashed in his eyes. "I'll uh, see you later."

Scott managed to grab her arm before she left. His gaze softened at the way she refused to look his way. "Sierra, I don't like fighting with you like this. It's not right."

"I know," her voice cracked and she forced herself to swallow down her emotions. "But someone is going to get hurt, Scott. I'm trying to warn you and you won't listen."

"Sierra—"

"I gotta get to class," Sierra repeated her excuse. "Why don't you find Theo? You seem to trust him more than me nowadays."

Without another word, she turned and pushed the locker room door open. Her eyes welled up with tears as she walked away, but she couldn't make herself turn back to where she left her best friend standing alone.

*^*^*^*^*^*

Scott wanted to scream.

He wanted to cry or beat his head against the wall--anything that could get his frustration out.

His eyes stayed glued to the floor, his feet trudging back to Mrs. Finch's classroom. Too many thoughts...too much anger from his fight with Sierra.

Why couldn't she just tell him what was going on?

He knew she didn't like Theo but it went deeper than that. It was obvious she was about to spill a secret...something about Stiles. But what was it?

The trio had been best friends since they were four years-old. Never once did Scott doubt the ability to trust them. However the longer he thought about it, the more he felt uneasy.

They were keeping something from him, something big.

Could he trust them to tell him the truth?

Scott walked into the biology classroom with a heavy sigh, spotting Mrs. Finch at her desk. She didn't glance up at his appearance, simply continuing to grade papers. He chose to stay quiet and head to his backpack that he had abandoned earlier.

And then his eyes fell on his desk.

AP COURSE DROP FORM: BIOLOGY

He swallowed hard and snatched it up quickly, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

You're underestimating yourself.

That's what Sierra told him. But was she lying then too?

He set the drop form on Mrs. Finch's desk, keeping his head low. He almost made it out the door before her voice called out to him.

"You forgot to sign it."

Scott inhaled a sharp breath. Slowly turning back around, he took the piece of paper back from Mrs. Finch.

She eyed him as he dug out a pen from his bag, and folded her arms on her desk. "Are you going to tell me why you're dropping?"

"It's a, it's a schedule thing," Scott brushed off her question.

"Why did you take this class to begin with?" she inquired, pushing him too be honest with her. "Isn't it a prerequisite for the college you want?"

"This doesn't matter," Scott lied, gripping his pen tightly in his hand. He felt his chest tighten, but pushed the feeling away. "It's too much," he cleared his throat. "Too much time...too much work."

"To become a veterinarian?"

Scott stared down at the form, blinking when the words started to blur.

Mrs. Finch took his silence as a way to continue, "Scott, I don't think you should drop."

But her voice sounded miles away to Scott. He tried to speak, the lack of air in his lungs cutting him off. His free hand desperately grasped onto the desk, as his knees gave out.

Red.

He saw red.

A bloody leash held in his small hand.

His eyes went wide and he fell onto the tile floor, Mrs. Finch trying to get him to focus. "Scott? What's wrong?"

"A-Asthma," he choked.

The teeth--they pierced his skin. The snarls rung in his ears, his face scrunched up in pain.

Bright lights rushed above him, the wheels of the gurney screeching with every turn. The room spun. He couldn't feel his left arm.

He whimpered. "Mom?"

"You're okay, sweetheart," Melissa appeared above him with a comforting smile. "You just need to breathe, okay?"

"W-Where's," he tried to speak, "Where's Roxie?"

"Just breathe, honey. Everything will be okay...just try not to talk."

"Try not to talk," the voice echoed.

Tears glistened in Scott's eyes, his chest heaving up and down. His hand clutched his heart, and his throat closed up.

"Scott!" Mrs. Finch panicked from seeing her student completely frozen on the ground. He stared aimlessly forward, yet didn't breathe. "I need to know where your inhaler is--is it in your locker? Scott?"

Students gathered in the doorway, concerned whispers floating through the air.

"One of you has to have an inhaler," Mrs. Finch's raised her voice. "Go find someone!" Her worried face focused back on Scott. "Just hold on, okay? Scott?"

"Scott!"