Teen Vamp

Chapter 3 - I'm Dead On The Surface

Or, at least, so Scott's told me. I think he's exaggerating the punchy and possessive parts. And the throwing-through-the-wall part. He's a bad liar at the best of times, but those all seem a bit out of character for him. Especially if, like that assbutt Deucalion said, he's supposed to be some high-spirited True Alpha or some shit. Now that, I believe. Scott's the guy Nightwing wishes he could grow up to be.

(I hear there's a lot more Nightwing fans out there than you would expect.)

Speaking of True Alpha stuff, Allison's got a bunch of books in hand - books she's taken from Derek's room. I've seen him reading those books once or twice - they're full of obscure werewolf lore, and he quote-unquote "liberated" them from his uncle's collection. She's not the first to take the books for her own light reading, either. Aiden's done his own research as well, especially into identical twins and super-wolves. I think he's either trying to cope with Ethan's death still, or trying to see if it's somehow possible to bring him back. But I wouldn't count on it.

Then I spot Lydia at last. She's also reading the lore, except this one has what looks like the word "VAMPYR" on the cover. Isn't that a book they showed on the opening sequence to Buffy? Maybe. It's been a while since I've seen it.

I come up to her first. "Got anything? I'm still wondering why the hell I haven't fanged out."

"Didn't Skylar say you were partly immune or something?" asks Scott.

Lydia opens up the book and lays it out on the kitchen table for the rest of us to look at. "Did she also say why you'd be partly immune?"

"You finally have something?" I seize the book and read it for myself. It's handwritten, illuminated - or, at least, so it appears. Either way, it's designed to be very hard to read, but I make out what looks like the Middle English for "the essence of the were-wolfe may poisoun the aire arounde the freshe vampyr, to the pointe where the transmougrification may not complete itselfe" - I admit, I misread that part as "itselfie" at first, haha - "and the freshe vampyr will die rather than remaine verily without specie."

What the hell?

"Are you telling me that hanging around werewolves is the reason I'm not fully turned or whatever?" I ask.

Scott reads over Lydia's shoulder as she takes the book back. Then he grabs my hand for a moment and pulls back with a sharp hiss. "Jesus, you're freezing," he says. "Maybe...maybe it's 'cause you've been with Hunter?"

"You know I haven't-"

"Yeah," Scott says, "but you get snuggly with him, don't you? That's plenty close enough for his 'essence' to wreck your vampire system."

"Even if he's a werelynx...?" Oh God.

Lydia takes my hand as well and bites her lip. "If you're that cold," she says, "we won't have a lot of time to fix you."

"So, what? What do you guys suggest?" I look at the window, but only for a moment because even the frosted glass admits some sunlight. "Turn me into a werewolf next? Derek won't do it - his reaction times are slow as hell."

"'Cause he's old," Isaac remarks.

"And Skylar keeps thinking I'm too fragile to undergo another transformation," I add. "Those Renards, why won't they just listen?" I look up at Scott, feeling a flash of desperation. "Couldn't you-?"

"Maybe," he says, "if I knew I was really a True Alpha."

"I bet if you expect it to happen," Jackson says, "it won't. You know, like how a watched pot never boils?" And speaking of pots, the kettle whistles - someone's been brewing coffee. Thank God for that. It's like they knew I was coming. Isaac races over to the stove to shut it off.

"This isn't like that," Allison mutters, shaking her head. She stands next to Scott and asks, "Only Alphas can give the Bite. Maybe if you gave Stiles the Bite, that's how you'd find out-"

"No." He turns his back on us. "It's too risky. What if it does work, but then he dies?"

"Gee, Scott, have a little less faith in me, why don't you?"

"It's not like you're a very strong dude anyway," Jackson says, so matter-of-factly (even by his standards) that I'm more surprised than offended.

Everyone death-glares at him for that one, especially Scott. "I wasn't a strong dude when I was human," he reminds him.

"Could've fooled me with that body." Jackson jabs his finger into Scott's chest. I stand up, wondering when I should intervene.

"I had asthma," Scott points out. "And other health issues besides. If that made me too weak to survive the Bite, then why the hell am I still here?"

"See?" Allison slams her hand on the table. "Whatever reservations Derek's got about turning Stiles, Stiles can handle it."

Lydia, unbelievably, echoes her fierce nod.

I sit back, gesturing widely at both girls. "Thank you."

"But don't forget what happened to me," Jackson says. "I demanded Derek bite me - I pretty much forced him to do it. And I turned into a Kanima."

Scott scoffs. "You say that like consent actually figures into the transformation. It's always forced on someone, somehow."

Allison doesn't glare at Aiden, but the meaningful look she sends him makes him wither all the same. He then comes up to me, carrying a cup of coffee - black, because he likes to self-torture these days - and says, "If I were still an Alpha, I'd do it myself. Get it over with." His eyes flash blue. I'm not sure if it was his decision to leave the Alpha Pack or the loss of his better half that did it, but he's a Beta now. Far from anger and hatred over it, I think he's actually relieved - he's learned that he can't be trusted with so much power.

I stand up and look down at the book still sitting on the table. "We gotta show this to Derek," I say. "Maybe he's already seen it - I bet Skylar's shown him by now. But if he wants me not to die, he can't dither forever." I take my phone out of my pocket and text him. "We read the vampire lore. We know what's happening to me. You know what you have to do."

I swear to God, if he comes back with a response in the vein of "Then stop fucking Hunter if you wanna be a full vamp," I'm gonna nail his werewolf ass to the wall, make him into a fur coat, and give him to Lydia as a birthday present.