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"How did you even know about the plan anyway?"
Aspen and Charlie settled with a brisk walk toward the school to attract less attention. Not that it would be expected to see two teenagers rushing toward the pools during a lacrosse game, but for what the town has come to, it was better to play it safe. They tried keeping the padding of their feet against the dark, duey grass light as they tiptoed closer to the school.
"I'm nosy," Charle shrugged indifferently, "Heard around. Pieced two and two together--"
"You were prying." Aspen deadpanned expectedly and rolled her eyes. She should have never anticipated anything less from her oh-so-beloved cousin.
"Correction, I took your phone."
"What?" Aspen gaped and fought the urge to lash out at her poor attempt to play off her mock-up as nothing more than "expected." It was too dark to tell, but she felt the smirk growing on Charlie's slips.
"I'd assumed you know by now. I have no boundaries."
"Obviously," Aspen smacked her arm, noticing the baby blue knitted sweater she had stolen from her closet. Just another reason for Aspen to accuse her of being a kleptomaniac.
They banter distinguished once they opened one of the many entrances of the school. The squeaking of the rusty hinges echoed through the hall. It was almost daunting. They crept with underlying hesitancy within each step they took. Aspen knew it wasn't the smartest idea, but she directed her mind to the air vents in the ceiling. She keened her ears on the drift and where it was shifting. She felt an ache in her wist, but she tried shoving it aside. If Stiles were in danger, she didn't care what it took, especially if that monstrosity lizard decided to make an entrance.
A cold hand brushed against her own, bringing her to snap from her stupor and look at Charlie.
"Stop that," she whispered, eyes lowering to Aspen's greying vein branched over her wrist, "you'll pass out, and I am not carrying you."
"I'm so glad I can rely on you," Aspen said dryly, her eyes pricking with tears from the sudden pain shooting up her arm. She quickly scanned ahead and squinted into the darkness as she heard Charlie snicker.
"Don't say I never help you," Charlie sang jollily.
"I can think of so many instances where you were no help at all," Aspen scoffed, "I'm literally making a list in my head right now."
Charlie snorted with amusement, "Okay, while you do that, I'm gonna make a list of all the times you've had a stick up your ass -- I hope you have enough time to listen to them all."
Aspen rolled her eyes with gaped lips at her cousin's childish retort. "Oh my god, can't you just be serious for one second? Like ever?"
"Where's the fun in that? I mean, one of us has to be charming and entertaining, and you are not meeting the cut." she shrugged, thinking she cemented her point with a lazy wiggle of her finger. "How about you try to be the dependable one, huh?" Aspen asked with a light tone as if speaking to a five-year-old-- though it seemed that was the case anytime she argued with Charlie." That might actually help out."
"Hey! I'm dependable--"
Charlie's words were cut short when she came to a sudden halt, and her eyes flickered to the right. Aspen steadied herself, quickly becoming dizzy from walking and attempting to use her element simultaneously. "What is it? You hear something?"
"Feel," Charlie mumbled mindlessly, her brows pulled together in concentration with her lip entrapped between her teeth, "Water Elementalist feel things rather than hearing."
"Well, what do you feel?"
"I'm not sure." Charlie's words trailed off to a murmur as she made swift steps toward the double doors of the pool with Aspen was right on her heels. The metal doors were cold against Charles's hands as she pressed her palm firmly against them, taking another breath before she pushed them open.
They were met with humid air and the sound of sloshing water. The lights were dim except for the glass roof that revealed the silver sphere in the dark sky. The chlorine water beat against the edge of the pool as if someone were frantically splashing.
Or drowning.
Aspen took a step forward with determination to save Stiles when she felt Charlie shand shoot out and block her way.
"It's not just them," Charlie whispered so quietly that Aspen had to read her lips. Her tone was confused yet afraid of the other thing that was lurking in the pool area. "There's something else in here."
For a moment, Aspen ignored Charles's cold touch on her arm and more so on the unusual heat she felt. Supernatural energy from Scott was one thing. Derek's alpha energy was another thing entirely. But this? This was unlike anything she's felt. It was similar to a werewolf but something strange.
"Will you get me out of here before I drown?"
Irritated voice. Derek.
"You're worried about drowning? Did you notice the thing out there with multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth?"
Reason for warranted irritation, Stiles.
"Did you notice that I'm paralyzed from the neck down in eight feet of water!?" Derek vexed, his word sounding tight from the water reaching his chin.
"Okay. Okay." Stiles breathed, sputtering water from his mouth as he turned his head, trying to see above the edge of the pool. Aspen could see him trying to swim towards his phone until Derek urgently told him to stop.
Aspen's chest heaved, and she couldn't feel herself breathing once she saw a giant lizard-like creature scaling the perimeter of the pool. She could see Charlie slightly stagger back from her peripheral, her blue eyes never blinking once she took in the sight of the scaly reptile. And as Stiles described, he indeed had razor-sharp teeth, his slitted tongue peeking out with ever hiss.
"The fuck is that?" Charlie breathed quietly, thankful they were hiding in the shadows.
"Mini Godzilla," Aspen answered mindlessly before swallowing.
The creature did a couple of laps around the pool before approaching the water. He dipped his sharp hand finger into the water before quickly withdrawing and hissing as if it was on fire.
"Woah, Woah, did you see that?" Stiles asked, "I don't think he can swim."
Charlies was already moving before Aspen has a chance to object to her impulsive decision. Her fingers barely grasped her cousin's sweater before she was already out in the open. Siles and Derek quickly noted her presence, the pale boy's eyes sparkling with something Aspen couldn't point out. But the lingering relief and something else promptly faded when he saw the creature snap his attention towards her.
"Charlie, run!" Stiles bellowed, his sudden plea dipping him further in the water.
Charlie was many things; Aspen knew that for sure. But Charlie never ran. Aspen wanted to ask why she would recklessly put herself in harm's way, but then her blue eyes betrayed her as she glanced sidelong to meet Stiles' eyes. It's like she said before, she wouldn't fight for no reason. All the other times, it was for Aspen. Now, it was for Stiles. With a quick wink and a haughty smirk, Charlie lifts her hands and hurls a wave of water into the creature. It shrieked in surprise and staggered back, nearly stumbling on his tail.
Tail? How did Aspen miss that?
Aspen nearly slips on the water as she rushes to the pools' edge and reaches out her hand. "Stiles! Come on--swim over!" she urges, pulling up the sleeves of Scott's hoodie and tucking her hair behind her ears.
Stiles nearly drowns seeing Aspen, and he gesticulated with utter surprise. "Son of a--how did you even know we were here?" he asked, struggling to hold Derek's weight and swim over as she instructed.
"You can thank Charlie for that," Aspen said, her eyes dancing from Stiles to Charlie. Her voice was nearly drowned out by all the excessive amount of water Charlie was using to back the creature to a wall. Aspen reaches over, balancing not to fall in headfirst. Charlie was acting as cover, but she couldn't take the time for granted.
Stiles pulled Derek to the edge, and Aspen dipped her hands in the water to hook under the alpha's arms. The man was utterly limp, which only made her wince at the added presser on her sore wrist.
"You're stupid, you know," Derek grumbled. Aspen scoffed at his audacity to insult her at a moment like this. Especially since the last time they spoke, he was threatening her if she went near Isaac. Oh, how she missed those cerulean eyes.
"Maybe hold the unnecessary commentary till after I save your ass--," Aspen grimaced, relieved as his upper body was out of the water, and Stiles helped by pushing his legs. Aspen fell back with Derek's back on her legs. Aspen let out a staggered breath and glared down at Derek. "For the second time, by the way. Second." she slapped the top of his head, and he growled as she abruptly got to her feet, leaving his head to thud on the cement.
Ignoring his mumbled curses, Aspen rushed to aid Stiles as he emerged from the water and sat on the ledge. She was quick to kneel and grab his wet face. Her eyes scanned every inch, looking for any signs of harm. Stiles chuckled at her worry lines creasing her head and pried her hands away by her wrist. "I'm good, June," he assured with a goofy smile and a squeeze. "Just another job as the backbones, right?"
"You could've drowned." she huffed with a frown. Maybe if she had recovered faster, she could have sensed danger from the field. If she had trained rather than mediate with Sam, perhaps she could have beat Erica faster. If only--
"I could kiss her right now."
Aspen furrowed her brows in confusion as she looked over her shoulder to see a swirling orb of water hovering a few feet in the air with a shadowy figure deep within. The creature thrashed and cried, trying to break free, but it was no use. Charlie's hands were shaking with strained force, a wince slipping through her lips. It was time to finish this.
As if Stiles' comment had just registered, Aspen whirled around to face him, his eyes blissfully watching Charlie's beautifully long arms arc in a steady rhythm.
"Say that again, and I"m tossing you back in the pool." Aspen snapped, yanking his arm to haul him to his feet. Her tone was cold and threatening and left no room for argument.
As they both worked together to get Derek to lean on a diving board, a horrific cry brought them to look back. Charlie's hands flew to her stomach, and she fell to her knees with her lips agape, in shock. There was no time to wonder what was happening when the liquid orb splashed to the ground, and the creature collapsed to the cement, spitting up water with hacking coughs.
The creature is recovered in a second and starts prowling toward Charlie with his claws outstretched. It wasn't going to bother paralyzing her. It wanted to kill her.
Stiles and Derek's objection went unheard when Aspen broke into a sprint toward the creature. Even Charlie's agonizing scream was muffled. For a moment, she thought she heard Scott. Aspen was moving faster than she thought possible, and before the creature could swipe at Charlie's crumbled figure, she swung out her good arm in a wide arc like she was throwing a haymaker punch. A roar of solid wind followed her arm, slamming into the creature's chest and sending it flying to the wall, where he crashed into a mirror.
Aspen fell back from the harsh impact, but her fall was softened when strong arms wrapped around her waist to grip her middle. Her eyes were busy staring ahead at the unmoving creature, looking at its reflection in the shattered glass to notice Scott asking her if she was okay. His voice was soft in her ear, and he took her face in his big hands, and finally, her eyes met his. Just as she had done to stiles, he looked over her face, mumbling things under his breath. Some along the lines of "what the hell were you thinking'' "oh thank god, you're okay" "that was some badassery stuff, but don't do it again."
Despite the throbbing in her arm, she managed to quirk a small smile, "Don't tell my grandpa." she mumbled with a short laugh.
The contagious, sweet smile that she loved touched Scott's lips, and he nodded, his hands sliding to her shoulders. "I wasn't going to anyway. Too scared of 'im." The sound of glass shattering brought all of them to look up and see only a retreating tail of the creature before he disappeared into the night.