Oblivion (A Stiles Stilinski/Teen Wolf Fanfiction) [3]

Chapter 5 - Ice Bath

 I let out a sigh, dumping another bag of ice into the metal tub at the animal clinic. Deaton filled it halfway with water, and now Derek, Scott, Stiles, Eric, and I were filling the rest with ice. I walked over to the table where the last bag was. I reached out to grab it, but another pair of hands snatched it before I could. Derek sent me a look as he picked up the bag and poured it into the tub, shoving past my shoulder. I twisted my lips at him.

 He wiped his hands off on his jeans. He walked back over to where I was standing and set the empty bag on the table along with numerous others. "Finally doing something helpful, huh?" He said.

 "You do realize I have the ability to kill at will, right?" I said, rising an eyebrow to challenge him. 

 He scoffed, rolling his eyes and looking away. He crossed his arms, sticking out his chest. I don't care how much bigger he is than me, I'm not afraid of him. I watched him go through puberty for god's sake. This tough guy act doesn't phase me.

 "Obviously it's not going to be very...comfortable," said Deaton. He was briefing Isaac on the procedure off to the side. "But if we can slow your heart rate down enough you'll slip into a trance-like state,"

 I walked around to the other side of the tub where Stiles and my brother were standing. I kicked away some of the empty bags that had piled on the floor, making more room for me to stand. Eric glanced at me, then to Derek while raising his eyebrows. I sighed again, folding my arms across my chest.

 "So like being hypnotized?" Isaac asked as he and Deaton walked over to the tub.

 "Exactly," said Deaton. "You'll be half transformed and it'll let us access your subconscious mind."

 Isaac squatted down next to the tub we would basically be drowning him in. He folded his arms, resting them on the edge of the metal. His eyes shifted from side to side, tapping his finger up and down. I picked at the sleeve of my sweater as I watched him.

 "How slow does his heart rate need to be?" Scott asked with a low brow.

 "Very slow," said Deaton, holding his chin up.

 "Yeah well how slow is very slow?" Derek asked. His voice sounded deeper than usual. He leaned over the tub on his side, glancing down his nose at the water. 

 "Nearly dead," said Deaton with a shrug, as if were not as big of a deal as it actually is.

 I shifted on my feet, keeping my eyes on Isaac. I'll admit, I've been a bit stubborn when it comes to his forgiveness, but I have my reasons. Yet, as much as I hate him for how he took advantage of me, I know he's trying. 

 Derek's the one who pressured him into it. I don't really blame Isaac for doing what he did, now that I've seen the bigger picture. His dad was beating the crap out of him, all he wanted was a little power for once. It always seems to go back to power in a world like this.

 As much as I hate to admit it, I think I do forgive Isaac. He knows what he did was wrong. Besides, everything worked out in the end, right? Stiles was able to win me back and Isaac got to become a werewolf. It's just the road to get there wasn't exactly smooth.

 Isaac dipped his hand into the water, pulling it back out quickly with a wince. He balled his hand up into a fist, letting little droplets of water slide back into the tub. He looked up a Deaton, asking, "It's safe though, right?"

 "You want me to answer honestly?" Deaton retorted.

 I took a small step back, meeting Eric's body. He looked at me and I noticed how sunken in his eyes were. My gaze shifted to the ground, trying to distract myself with the small puddles of water that escaped the tub when we poured in the ice.