Teen She-Wolf

Chapter 3 - All Around Me Are Familiar Faces

***STILES***

It may not be much of a secret that I envy Scott and Derek and the others for being werewolves. But today, I’m also reminded that sometimes, being one of the few humans (well, only human now, with Allison having turned) in our little circle of friends can have its perks.

Like being the only one able to open the waist-high gate leading behind Deaton’s desk. Derek and Skylar can’t touch it because it’s made of mountain ash, which leaves it up to me. Finally, something useful for me to do.

“Get in!” Derek yells, pointing at the door to the exam room as soon as we’re all behind the front desk.

We don’t get in there a second too soon. Just as Skylar and I run through that door, the glass front door is broken open by the super-sized wolf. Derek growls at him - or is it “them?” Considering there’s two people in that one body, I really have no idea what’s the proper pronoun to use here.

As we get into the exam room, I look around wildly, half-expecting to spot Scott and Allison. But they’re not here. Where they are, I have no idea. I want to call them up and ask, but right now I’m a little busy trying to help Derek and Skylar barricade the door. Here, though, is a moment when being human sucks. Derek and Skylar, being supernaturally enhanced, don’t have to make as much of an effort to move Deaton’s box of weapons in front of the door. If not for them doing a huge chunk of the work, I probably wouldn’t be able to push it more than an inch. At best.

The super-wolf starts pounding on the door, but the box doesn’t budge. It shakes like there’s a constant small earthquake going on, but otherwise stays firmly in place. Which seems like a good sign - except that’s not the only way into the room. Skylar follows my line of sight to the back door and whispers, “How long until those two split up and try to pincer us?”

“Unless they got some brains to balance out their way-too-much brawn,” I say, gesturing at the box as it continues to shake with the force of the super-wolf’s attacks, “I bet it’ll be a long time before they think of that.”

The box shakes even more violently, prompting Derek to slam his body against it to help keep it in place. “I don’t wanna take a chance on that,” Derek says. “We need to get out of here, ASAP.” He looks around and then asks, “Where’s the key to this thing? We need more weapons.”

“Scott knows where it is,” I say, racking my brains and trying to remember where he first got it. “Wait a minute...dammit, he’s got the key. Should I call him?”

“No, I’ll handle this,” Skylar says. She takes a pin out of her hair and starts picking the lock with it.

“Do we wanna know where you learned to pick locks?” I ask.

“Let’s just say it involves being locked in a coffin and leave it at that,” Skylar says, furiously working on the lock. “And don’t you dare start making coffin jokes.”

“Wasn’t gonna start making coffin jokes,” I say. “There’s a time and a place for lame-ass puns, and this isn’t it!”

“Finally, someone’s abandoning their naturally sarcastic instincts!” Derek says, shoving the box closer to the door with his back. “Sorry,” he adds to Skylar, whose lock-picking has just been rudely interrupted by the movement of the box.

Skylar spares a moment to blow some hair out of her face, then gnashes her teeth at Derek - her fangs are visible for a split second - before resuming her attack on the lock.

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d ever be happy for someone abandoning their instincts,” I say to Derek. He’s too focused on holding the box in place to say anything, but he does let out a low, menacing growl. The super-wolf outside must hear it and not like it, because it starts slamming on the door even harder, as if that were even possible. How the door’s hinges haven’t broken off by now, I have no idea.