Stiles tapped his keys on the arm of the hospital chair he sat in, remembering what Hope told him, replaying it in his mind over and over again.
'Please don't tell anyone. Please don't tell anyone. Please don't tell anyone.'
Hope was a friend to him, a very good friend, and he couldn't tell anyone about her. Even Scott, but he couldn't tell her about Scott either. Now he was keeping secrets from his best friend and his girlfriend,'no not girlfriend,' Stiles had to remind himself.
She was a girl that was a friend, that was all, that was all they were ever going to be... Maybe.
Time Skip
Stiles was walking to his class when Hope ran up to him,"Hi," She said awkwardly.
Stiles remained silent, only giving her an awkward smile.
"Did you tell anyone about..." She trailed off, knowing that Stiles would understand what he was talking about.
"No," Stiles answered, saying the first thing since that night a week ago.
"How's your Dad?" Hope asked, trying to get him to talk to her.
"Bruised, but nothing permanent," Stiles answered.
"Are we ever going to talk about... it?" Hope asked nervously.
"We have class right now," Stiles reminded her as the bell rang.
"Right," Hope said,"Maybe later then."
"... Yeah," Stiles said, and they both left each other.
Stiles steps into his class and sits down in his usual seat when Scott slips into the class.
When Scott sees Stiles he lets out a relieved breath, but Stiles just glances away from him as the young werewolf takes a seat behind him.
"You still not talking to me?" Scott asks, but Stiles ignores him, giving Scott his answer,"Can you at least tell me if your Dad is okay? It was just a bruise, right? Soft tissue damage?"
Stiles remained silent, he was in deep shit, between keeping Scott's secret then Hope's and trying to figure out whatever the hell she is. Stiles is pretty sure she doesn't even know what she is.
"Okay, what if I told you that I'm trying to figure this out?" Scott continues,"And that I went to Derek for help."
Stiles couldn't help but talk back,"If I was talking to you, I'd tell you that you're an idiot for trusting him. But obviously I'm not talking to you."
The room settles for the beginning of class.
Stiles opens his notebook, pen poised for note taking. Then, unable to stand it, he whips his head around,"What did he say?"
Time Skip
After class Scott follows Stiles out of the class finishing the story.
"He wants you to tap into your animal side and get angry? Correct me if I'm wrong, but every time you do that you try to kill someone. That someone usually being me," Stiles reminds him.
"That's what he means when he says he doesn't know if he can teach me. I have to be able to control it," Scott told him, looking very miserable.
"How's he going to teach you to do that?" Stiles asked, thinking this was starting to sound very similar to what he experienced as a kid.
"I don't know. I don't think he does either," Scott said.
"When are you seeing him again?" Stiles asked.
"He doesn't want me to talk about it. He told me to act normal today. To just get through the day--" Scott started.
"When?"
"He's coming to get me at work. At the Animal Clinic," Scott said.
Stiles took a deep breath, coming to a decision,"Okay. Then that gives me until the end of the school day."
"To do what?" Scott asked.
"To teach you myself."
Change Of View
Hope glanced around nervously, listening to Allison and Lydia talk while her eyes searched for Stiles.
"The what of who?" Lydia said.
"The Beast of Gévaudan. Listen..." Allison said, flipping through the pages in her book,"A quadruped wolf-like monster prowling the Auvergne and South Dordogne areas of France during the years 1764 to 1767. La Bête killed over 100 people, becoming so infamous that the King, Louis XV, sent one of his best hunters to try to kill it."
"Boring," Lydia groaned.
Allison only continued to read,"Even the Church eventually declared the monster a messenger of Satan."
"Still boring."
"Cryptozoologists believe it may have been a sub-species of hoofed predator, possibly the Mesonychid--"
"Slipping into a bored coma."
"--while others believe it was a powerful sorcerer who could shape shift into a man-eating monster."
"Any of this have to do with your family?" Lydia asked, trying to get Allison to stop reading.
"This..." Allison replied,"It is believed La Bête was finally trapped and killed by a renowned hunter who claimed his wife and four children were the first to fall prey to the creature. The hunter's name was Argent."
Lydia peers down at the book,"Your ancestors killed a big wolf, so what?"
"Not just a big wolf. Look at this picture. What's it look like to you?" Allison asked, flipping to a page in one of the books and this time Hope glanced over at it.
The Beast stands enshrouded in mist, a powerful monster peering out of the darkness with red eyes and sharp claws. Bodies of women and children lie at its feet, looks of pure terror frozen onto their dead faces.
Lydia stares at the macabre drawing. Gazing at it, as if hypnotized. But for Hope it seemed familiar, like she had seen something similar to it before.
"Lydia? Hope?" Allison said, making both of their gazes snap up.
Hope swallowed, going back to looking around the cafeteria for Stiles.
Lydia blinks and then looks up at Allison with her usual expression of disdain,"It looks. Like a big. Wolf. See you in History," She said, standing up and collecting her things and heading out of the cafeteria.
Stiles sits, eating lunch. A large book stands open on the table in front of him. He peers behind it at Scott trying to eat his lunch.
"I think the book is making it more obvious. Besides she's reading," Stiles mumbled, actually doing the smarter and much less subtle thing by keeping his back to their table with his hood up over his head.
Scott peers up over the edge of his book,"Do you have a plan yet?" Scott asks, only allowing Stiles to see his eyes.
"I think so," Stiles replied.
"Does this mean you don't hate me now?" Scott asked hopefully.
"No. But your crap has infiltrated my life so I have to do something about it," Stiles said, munching down on a carrot,"And I'm definitely a better Yoda than Derek."
"Okay, good. You teach me."
"Yeah. I'll be your Yoda."
"You be my Yoda."
"Your Yoda, I will be," Stiles said, starting to smile,"I was saying it backwards like--"
"I know," Scott interrupted, even though he really didn't know.
"Definitely still hate you," Stiles added quickly.
The bell rings signalling the end of lunch. Scott gets up with Stiles, trying not to be seen. But Allison spots him.
"Scott?" She called out.
Pretending not to hear, Scott darts through the doors of the cafeteria, moving quickly for an escape.
"Scott, wait!" She said, following him, leaving Stiles alone and Hope approached him from behind.
Allison comes through the doors just as Scott slips into a nearby boys room.
Putting her hand on the door, Allison glances around as if to push through despite it being the Boys Room. But then decides against it.
Taking a step back she heads off down the hall for class.
"Okay, look I'm not gonna tell anyone," Stiles told Hope,"Whatever kind of... magical abilities you have, I won't tell anyone. I promise."
Hope looked at him with surprise,"You don't seem scared."
Stiles' brows furrowed in confusion,"Why would I be?"
"I threw you twenty feet with my mind," Hope reminded him.
"You pulled me out of the way of a car," Stiles said,"I don't think that was an accident."
"You're the first person that knows," Hope mumbled.
"What?" Stiles said in surprise,"So Allison, your Mom, they don't..."
Hope shook her head,"No. You're the first."
"How did this... happen?" Stiles asked, gesturing to her whole body.
"I don't know," She replied, looking down at herself,"About a month ago. It's just a long story. Are you free after school?"
"Actually, yeah," Stiles said,"Where do you want to talk?"
"I'll text you," Hope replied.
"Okay," Stiles said, a little nervously, but not because he was scared, he was nervous to be around her alone, he was nervous to find out how she would explain what she was to him.
"Okay," Hope said, equally nervous, and they parted ways.
Time Skip
Stiles and Scott walk out to the field with their lacrosse equipment. At the benches, Stiles pulls out a black strap with a digital display at its center.
"Put this on," Stiles ordered, already knowing he would enjoy what he was about to do.
"Isn't that one of the heart rate monitors for the track team?" Scott asked.
"Yeah, I borrowed it," Stiles said, borrowed without permission.
"Stole it?" Scott questioned.
"Temporarily misappropriated," Stiles replied,"Coach uses it to monitor his heart rate with his phone while he jogs. You're going to wear it the rest of the day."
"Isn't that Coach's phone?" Scott asked.
"That I stole," Stiles informed him.
"Why?"
"Your heart rate goes up when you go wolf, right?" Stiles asked, earning a nod,"During lacrosse, when you're with Allison, when you get angry. So maybe learning to control it is tied to learning to control your heart rate."
"Like the incredible Hulk," Scott said, starting to smile.
"Kind of like the incredible Hulk," Stiles said,"Or like those Cursed Werewolves Derek talked about."
Scott was still stuck on the fact that he was like the Hulk,"I'm the Incredible Hulk."
"Shut up and put the strap on," Stiles told him, growing annoyed by Scott's amusement.
Moments later Stiles had duct taped Scott's wrists behind his back.
"This is not exactly how I planned to spend my free period," Scott said as Stiles walked about ten feet in front of him.
Stiles picks up a lacrosse stick and glances down at the stolen phone to look at the heart monitor.
"Ready?" Stiles asked, smiling in anticipation.
"No," Scott replied, looking at Stiles nervously.
"Remember," Stiles said,"Don't get angry."
Stiles drops a handful of lacrosse balls at his feet and picks up his lacrosse stick.
"I'm starting to think this is a really bad--"
Stiles threw the ball and it soared through the air, hitting Scott in the leg.
"Ow!" Scott grunted.
Stiles is fully grinning at this point as he picks up another and this time it hits him in the shoulder.
"Okay, that kind of hurt," Scott said, grimacing.
"Quiet. You should be thinking about your heart rate. About staying calm," Stiles said, holding up the phone to show Scott's rising heart rate.
"Okay, stay calm. Staying calm. Staying totally calm... SON OF A BITCH!" He roared as a ball hit his knee.
Scott staggers, nearly falling. As he attempts to right himself someone approaches the field from a distance, Jackson. He steps underneath the bleachers, remaining hidden while watching them with a suspicious but interested eye.
Stiles twirls the lacrosse stick in his hands,"I think my aim is getting better."
"I wonder why," Scott said through clenched teeth.
"Don't get angry," Stiles reminded him.
"I'm not getting angry--"
Another ball flies, whacking Scott right in the stomach. He gasps for breath, doubling over. Then another shot nails him in the thigh.
"All right, hold on. Just stop," Scott tried to say.
But the next ball hits him right in the neck. Scott stumbles. With his hands taped behind him, he falls to his knees.
Behind the bleachers Jackson leans forward, watching with a smile as Scott is brutally pummeled.
Stiles moves to pick up another ball with the lacrosse stick, but he pauses at the sound of gravelly rumbling coming towards him. A growl.
Then a beeping sound catches his attention. It's the heart rate monitor on the phone. Stiles picks it up to see the numbers climbing at an alarming speed.
"Scott?" Stiles said, looking from his phone to see Scott kneeling on the grass.
Both of his hands digging into the dirt, strands of torn duct tape around his wrists. He ripped the duct tape apart.
"Stay back!" Scott growled.
Jackson watches, clearly unsure of what he's seeing.
And then Scott looks up, sweat dripping down his forehead.
"You started to change?" Stiles asked nervously.
"From anger. But it was more than that. The angrier I got, the stronger I felt," Scott said, shuddering at the memory of the split second he felt the power.
"Then it is anger," Stiles said,"Derek was right."
"I can't be around Allison," Scott realized miserably.
"Why?" Stiles asked,"Because she makes you happy?"
Scott's eyes met Stiles',"Because she makes me weak."
Scott slumps down, sitting on the grass. Weighted down by the sacrifice he's going to have to make.
Stiles looked at his friend sympathetically, before walking toward him and holding his hand out to help him up.
Scott took the hand and Stiles pulled him up, they remained silent as they collected their gear and headed back into the locker room to put it away.
"So you stay away from her for a few days. You can do that," Stiles said, putting his Lacrosse stick back into place.
"But is it a few days or forever?" Scott asked him, even though Stiles didn't know for sure.
"You know, this whole women make you weak thing is a little too Spartan Warrior for me. It's probably just part of the learning process," Stiles suggested.
"But you've seen Derek. He's totally alone. What if I can't be around her ever again?" Scott told him.
"If you're not dead that could be a good thing," Stiles suggested.
"I'd rather be dead," Scott growled.
'Damn' Stiles thought, looking at his friend in worry,"You're not going to end up like Derek. We'll figure it out."
The bell rings, signalling the end of the period.
"Come on, let's go," Stiles said.
"Okay. Something in here smells terrible anyway," Scott said, his nose scrunching as his nose smelled the horrible smell.
"In here? In a locker room? Why that simply makes no sense at all," Stiles said sarcastically.
"I mean it smells like something's rotting. Or dying..." Scott says as he follows Stiles out.
A pale Jackson steps from between the lockers, watching them go. Circles under his eyes, lips dry and cracked, the usually handsome young man looks frighteningly sick.
Alone, he approaches the mirrors and twists around to try to view the back of his neck.
Pulling his shirt off to get a better look, he brings a hand up to the bandage. He feels at it with his fingertips. The gauze has turned a sickening yellow.
The bandage peels off and he lets it slip to the sink.
He touches the marks, fingers coming back with a strange pus on the tips. Overcome by nausea, Jackson gags, eyes squeezing shut.
Then, gripping the sink with both hands, he begins to retch, mouth opening as if to vomit. And then something starts to come out of his mouth.
A clawed finger. Then two and three. Like the claws of a crab, grasping at the air, trying to find something to hold onto while seeking their way out of Jackson's mouth as he whips his head up to his reflection and suddenly everything is normal again. Breathing hard and harsh gasps, Jackson looks at himself.
He feels at the nape of his neck, wiping away the excess peroxide. All he sees in the mirror now is his own face.
The frightened eyes of a teenage boy.
Change Of View
Finally it was the last class for the day, economics, one of the worst classes for Scott to be in because of Coach's teaching methods.
A pile of books drops down on the teacher's desk as students hurry in for the start of class. Coach glares up at them. He looks hung over as he drops a handful of antacids into his mouth and starts crushing them up with his teeth.
"Sit down. Sit, sit, sit. Lots to cover," He said, glaring at all of the students piling into the classroom.
Scott and Stiles take seats as the classroom fills up, and the last student that happened to be Allison, the person they were trying to avoid.
"No, Stiles, take the seat behind me. Stiles--" Scott started, but it was too late, Allison takes the seat behind him.
"Hey, I haven't seen you all day," Allison said, smiling at the young werewolf.
"Shit," Stiles muttered, burying his head in his arms.
"Oh. Sorry? I've been super busy," Scott told her stiffly.
"When are you getting a new phone? I feel like I'm totally disconnected from you," Allison told him, not realizing that that was his goal.
"Soon. Really soon," Scott said, and Stiles didn't know if it was about the new phone, or if he'll be completely disconnected from her.
"I switched lab partners by the way," Allison told him with a smile.
"To who?"
"To you, dummy," Allison said, making him pale.
"Me? Why me? I mean--Are you sure?" Scott stammered.
"Yeah. This way I get an excuse to bring you home to study," She said, her smile turning into a smirk.
"Oh," Was all Scott said.
She looks at him, taking his reaction as disappointment.
"You don't mind, do you?" Allison asked, wondering if this might be why he's been acting distant all day.
"I just don't want to bring your grade down," Scott lied, hating himself for it.
"Maybe I can bring your grade up. Come to my place tonight. 8:30?" Allison said.
"Tonight?"
"8:30."
Coach Finstock smacks a book on his desk like a judge's gavel to get the class's attention,"All right, settle down. Let's start with a quick summary of last night's reading. Greenberg, put your hand down. Everybody knows you did the reading. How about... McCall?" He said, turning his glare at the young werewolf.
"Huh?" Scott said, looking up.
"The reading, McCall," Coach repeated.
"Last night's reading?"
"No, the reading of the Gettysburg Address," Coach said with bitter sarcasm.
"What?"
"That was sarcasm, McCall. Familiar with the concept?" Coach asked, his annoyingly loud voice making Stiles' ears burn.
"Very," Scott said, glancing back at Stiles who smiled proudly.
"You do the reading or not?" Coach asked.
"I think I forgot," Scott answered timidly.
"Okay, then. Nice work. Because it's not like you're averaging a D in this class. You do know I can't keep you on the team with a D, McCall?" Coach said, waiting patiently for Scott to respond. Everyone looks at him. Someone giggles from across the room.
Stiles clenched his jaw as he glared at Coach, his temper starting to rise, and he wasn't the only one. He hears a beeping and he looks down at the phone, Scott's heart rate steadily rising.
"How about you summarize the previous night's reading? No? How about the night before? How about you summarize anything you've ever read? In your entire life," Coach started to rant.
"Uh... Uh..." Scott stammered, blinking rapidly.
"Anything at all. A blog? The back of a cereal box? The adults only warning on your favorite website," Coach sneered.
Stiles clenched his jaw, and part of him wanted Scott to lose control and rip Coach's face off.
Sweating, Scott stares blankly, not knowing how to respond.
"Thank you, McCall. Thank you for extinguishing every last flicker of hope I have for your generation. Next practice you start with suicide runs," Coach said.
As the class laughs, Scott sinks into his seat in utter humiliation. Behind him, Allison slowly moves forward.
Taking several deep breaths, Stiles calmed himself and was shocked to see Scott's heart rate also going down. Strangely fast. He glances over to see why.
Allison has reached under Scott's desk to intertwine her fingers in his. They sit there linked while Scott's heartbeat falls to perfect calm.
All from her touch.
But Stiles wasn't quite finished with Coach yet,"Hey, Coach," Stiles said, getting the angry man's attention,"Did you do last night's reading?"
"What did you just ask me?" Coach demanded, walking up in front of Stiles' desk.
"Did you do last night's reading?" Stiles asked, a smile starting to grow on his face,"Maybe you can tell us about it," He said, looking around at the other students around him.
Coach looked like he was about to respond, but he hesitated, then he just closed his mouth, unable to answer.
"How about you summarize the previous night's reading?" Stiles suggested, and Coach's face started to turn red,"Or the night befores. How about you summarize anything you have ever read?"
The students were trying to contain their laughter now.
"A blog, the back of a cereal box. Ooh, how about the adults only warning on your favorite website," Stiles said, his smile widening,"No. Well, then Coach, thank you for extinguishing the last flicker of hope I had for your generation."
Everyone suddenly burst out laughing, while Stiles remained silent, smiling up at Coach's now purple face.
Coach leaned forward so his and Stiles' faces were only inches from each other,"I'm gonna make you run suicides until you actually commit suicide," He told Stiles in a harsh whisper.
"Worth it," Stiles said, staring up into Coach's eyes with a look he had never seen before in the teenage boy,"You also might want to consider a breath mint."