coffee breath | D.H

2.3

"and she'll be hunted by werewolf hunters," sillie spat. "she's already been through enough, she doesn't deserve that."

"the pros out-weigh the cons," derek stated.

sillie hesitated again. "you won't listen to me anyway - you'll offer her it no matter what i say."

he nodded.

"it's up to her." sillie gulped. "not you, or me. her. and i have to be there the whole time."

derek nodded again. "ok. that's fine with me."

sillie sighed, hesitating to walk back into the MRI room. but she did, and she pulled erica's gurney with her as derek grabbed her pill bottles, him leading the way to go.

erica opened her eyes, blinking and wincing at the lights on the ceiling. she lifted her head enough to see sillie. "nurse stilinski?"

"it's ok," sillie whispered. "just... it's ok. hold on."

derek ended up leading sillie to the fucking morgue.

"jesus christ," sillie whispered, hesitantly walking into the morgue. she leaned against the wall, holding her head in her hands. she shouldn't be doing this. this was an awful idea. everything was going to go wrong. she was a horrible person for this. if she wasn't already going to the lowest circles of hell, she definitely was now.

erica breathed heavily, slowly sitting up. "sillie? what's going on?"

she licked her lips nervously, playing with her fingers. "you'll see. it's ok, you're safe, though."

derek tapped the pill bottle. "side effects may include anxiety, waking, acne, ulcerative colitis. yeesh."

"who are you?" erica asked, gulping.

derek raised an eyebrow. "let's just say we have a few... mutual friends." he put the pill bottle down next to him on the sink he was leaning on. "you get a... warning right before you have a seizure."

"it's called an aura. it's... it's like a metallic taste in my mouth."

derek shook his head. "you don't have to lie, erica. what's it really taste like?"

sillie took a deep breath, hating herself more right now than she probably ever has. minus the times she killed a ton of innocent people.

"it tastes like blood."

derek nodded. "what if i told you... that all of this could go away?"

erica scoffed quietly. "i doubt that. i've been trying for years."

"erica," sillie spoke up. "i hate to say it, but he's right. and it's completely and totally up to you - no one else. just you."

derek nodded again. "it can go away. the side effects... the symptoms... all of it. and what if all those things not only went away... but everything else... got even better?"

erica inhaled deeply. "how?"

derek smiled. "why don't i show you?" his eyes glowed red.

sillie sighed, rubbing her forehead. "oh god, what have i done?"

≡≡≡

"why do you keep turning teens?" sillie questioned, sitting on a bench that was in the hospital pit outside. "can't you just... get people that aren't in high school? get adults or something." 

"they have awful lives," derek said. "isaac and erica. i'm helping them."

"is that what you really believe?" sillie raised an eyebrow. she scoffed, shaking her head. "yeah, you might be helping them in the moment. but they could die because of the bite. erica's body could reject it. they both could get hunted down and killed in cold blood. and i know you know that, don't just wave me off with an 'i know'. but you aren't thinking it through."