𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂 | 𝗄𝗅𝖺𝗎𝗌 𝗆𝗂𝗄𝖺𝖾𝗅𝗌𝗈𝗇

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻, 𝖻𝗋𝗎𝗂𝗌𝖾𝖽 𝖿𝖺𝖼𝖾

 
chapter eighteen, bruised face

At Night Time, Jackson walks just ahead of Derek on the Hale property. His excited anticipation, however, seems to lessen with every step forward. 

''This is it? This place?" Jackson asks. 

"Go ahead."

"It’s safe to go in? I don’t want rafters falling on my head." Jackson takes a hard swallow, then inches his way up the steps. He glances back yet again. But Derek simply nods him  onward. Reaching for the doorknob, Jackson pauses to notice just how badly his hand trembles. "What... What’s in here?"

"Prick." Cora mumbles.

"Everything you want. Just go in." Derek says.
Hand on the knob, Jackson turns it and slowly pushes the door open. He doesn’t step in yet, trying to peer into the darkness. But he can’t seem to make anything out inside.

A creak of a floorboard makes him flinch. Derek steps up behind him, his voice soft. Friendly. "It’s going to be all right. Trust me."

Finally, Jackson steps over the threshold.  Jackson walks deeper into the charred house. Apprehension turns to confusion as he gazes about. "This house..."
He’s so entranced by the staircase and rooms before him, he doesn't see Derek’s fingers spread, claws out. "This is the same house.''

Derek abruptly stops. "What did you say?"

"I dreamt about this place." He steps into what was once the living room, now blackened  and empty. His hand drifts to the scratches on the back of his neck as he speaks. "I remember the couch. That lamp. I remember... everything."

"You’ve been here?" Jackson jumps at the sudden appearecen of Avery. He turns and sees her standing besides Derek.
"No. Never. I dreamt it." Hands lightly touching the furniture, he stops. Then slowly turns back around, eyes meeting Derek’s. "There’s no one else here." 

"I scared him. Yes!"

"No." Derek shakes his head.

"And no one else coming."

"No." Avery gives the boy a sweet smile that's clearly fake. Lower lip beginning to tremble, Jackson bites it back. But when he looks up he can’t hide the fear.

"Please, don’t. I’ll shut up. I won’t say anything ever again."

Avery looks down as she hears the fear in his voice, she doesn't want to do this. But if she wants to catch Peter when he least except it, she has to.

Derek starts forward. But he seems to be having trouble holding Jackson’s gaze as if his resolve is weakening.
"I’ll leave Scott alone. Please don’t do this. Oh my God, please." Jackson begins backing toward the entrance. He doesn’t see the stairs behind him and stumbles into them. "Come on, please don’t. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve it."

"I think you do. Because wouldn’t there be someone trying to save you? Look around, Jackson. There’s no one. No one cares that you drive an expensive car. No one cares  about your perfect hair. And no one cares that you’re Captain of the lacrosse team." Derek yells, making Avery flinch slightly.

"Excuse me." The Hale siblings snap their head up to see Scott perched at the top of the stairs. "It's Co-Captain." He launches himself down the stairs, transforming in mid-flight, snarling through sharpening fangs and dragging Derek to the floor right in front of a stunned Jackson. 

Rolling to his feet, Scott takes a protective stance in front of Jackson who looks on him in his transformed state with a mixture of fear and awe. Derek looks up, now also transformed and baring his fangs.