When people get to know Jules they realized she was the type of person who didn't like to talk about her problems, and she'd never been one to try and hide it. Jules called it, Exulansis. The tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because others are unable to relate to it. Whether it was because of not wanting to feel pity, or envy, if she didn't talk about her problems it meant that they would simply drift away slowly from her life, until it was just a memory looking for a place to land.
Jules McCall. . . Condition Improves
Jules McCall. . . Condition Improves
Jules McCall. . . Condition Improves
It was like those words were engraving themselves into Jules' head. She couldn't forget about them even if she wanted to. She couldn't even speak, her throat felt too dried up. She just sat on the floor of her room with Brett who sat directly in front of her. She didn't know what to say to him, or to anyone. The scene at the club just kept replaying in her mind. Brett hadn't even told her about the aura that had enveloped her when she was fighting Lucas, or how it changed from white to black. He didn't even know what it was.
Scott had ended up going to the hospital with their Mom to try and figure out what to say when people asked about the spines that had protruded from Lucas' arms, but all he could think about was Jules. How did the men in masks even know her? What did they mean by her "condition improves"? All these questions kept running through his head.
It was 5:30 in the morning and Jules couldn't even get an ounce of sleep. These thoughts kept Jules up all night as well. She couldn't go to sleep even with Brett there with her. She was too afraid to close her eyes. So she just laid there, in her bed with Bretts arms around her as she drew circles on his arms.
"You should sleep, I'm right here I won't let anything happen to you." Brett tells her as she changes her position, the two teens now facing each other. "I can't—those words—they just keep repeating in my head, and I cant get it to stop." Jules starts as she thinks about the nights events. "I mean what if I end up like Lucas or Tracy. What if one day they find me and tell me that my condition is terminal and they kill me. I don't even know what my condition is, and what if they have something to do with my lost memories." She explains to Brett. "I'm not gonna let that happen." He says grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. "I don't even wanna think about you leaving me." He says making Jules smiles. "I'd never leave you, I promise." She says to him and at this he realizes he has to tell her what the group saw.
"Jules, while we were fighting Lucas something happened to you." He starts as he now has her full attention. "You changed. . .your eyes turned purple, and all of a sudden there was this aura around you. It looked like a wolf but at the same time it had different characteristics. And when Kiras aura looked at you, it changed. It went from white to black, and your eyes. . .they turned red, just like Scott's." He finishes leaving Jules stunned.
"Chimera." She whispers, leaving Brett confused. "It's a creature made up of different parts, Scott told us about it in the library. Deaton was telling us the other day that Tracy wasn't born or bitten, she was made, and I think it applies to Lucas,or even me." She finishes.
"How are you gonna figure it out, I mean we don't know anything about how this works." He tells her pulling her close. "I don't know, but I'm gonna find out." She tells him.
"And I think the men in masks are at the center of it."
***
"The Dread Doctors by T.R. McCammon." Lydia says as she walks with Jules and Malia by her side. The red head turning her head at the book cover. "What?" Malia asks her. "I don't know. There's something about it." Lydia answers her. "Has anyone actually read it yet?"
"Just me and I didn't understand any of it." Malia explains to her. "We should probably all read it." Lydia suggests. "Kira's working on that." Malia tells her as they approach their lockers. "Stiles says he can't find anything on the author. He thinks it's a pen name. " Malia tells the two girls. "In a small New England town, teenagers are taken in the night and buried alive. Days later they emerge transformed, wreaking havoc and spreading terror, commanded by an ancient order of parascientists known only as "the Dread Doctors." Lydia says reading the back of the book.
"Sounds vaguely familiar. How does it end?" Lydia asks Malia. "It doesn't. This is supposed to be volume one." Malia explains to them making Jules run her fingers through her hair. "Oh, let me guess, there is no volume two?" Lydia asks. "I think we're living volume two." Malia suggests.
"Then maybe the real question is—Is this a novel or someone's prediction?"
***
"Hello? Anyone there?" Lydia asks as she buzzed the box outside of Eichen. Scott making his way to Stiles as the group waits. "Are you going to be okay in there?" Scott asks him. "Yeah. Why?" Stiles answers him. "You just seem a little off." Scott tells him "I think we're all a little off. Maybe some of us more than others." Stiles tells him, making Scott look to Kira and then Jules. "Wait. What happened?" Stiles asks him.
"When the other Chimera, Lucas, when he came after us, I heard Kira say something in Japanese." Scott explains to him. "That doesn't sound too bad." Stiles tells him. "She doesn't know any Japanese." Scott informs him. "Still not terrible."
"I also think I might have stopped her from killing Lucas. But that's not the only thing, Jules had this aura around her, it looked like a wolf but at the same time it didn't. And her eyes changed multiple times, they went from golden to purple to red. And not only that but her aura changed from a white wolf to a black wolf." Scott explains to him. "Okay. Wasn't he trying to kill you, though? I mean, that just sounds like self-defense. And with what you're telling me about Jules...I think she's a chimera." Stiles tells him, making Scott breathe heavily. "It was more than that. I mean, she nearly took off his head. And Jules would've had to be experimented on or something right?" Scott asks him.
"I don't know maybe there's something Jules isn't telling us. And maybe Kira had no choice. There's gotta be a point where self-defense is justified. Tracy killed her own father. And Lucas would have killed you." Stiles explains to him almost sounding like he was just trying to convince himself of that. "They're not the bad guys. They're the victims. We shouldn't be killing the people we're supposed to save." Scott tells him as the doors to Eichen open. The group of teens walking in as the door behind me closes.
They walk inside to see a man at the from desk taking out a clear bucket. "Please empty your pockets into the container." He tells them. "We're here to see-"
"Please empty your pockets into the container. " The man interrupts Scott, the teens talking out all their belongings and placing them in the bucket. "Please remove your belt and place it into the container." He tells Kira. "I kind of need the belt. I mean, it's crucial to the outfit." She explains to him. "Please remove your belt which patients will attempt to take from you and use to strangle either themselves or others." He tells her making Kiras eyes widen. "Right. Got it."
They soon met with one of the doctors as he leads them down many flights of stairs. "I'll remind you that I'm only doing this as a favor to Deaton. And I'm doing it against my better judgment." He tells them as the group follows. "Hey, what's the etiquette for talking to this guy? I mean, do you ever look at the other eye?" Stiles asks him. "I wouldn't. In fact, while you're down here, try not to make eye contact with anyone or anything." He explains to him as they reach a deeper part of Eichen. Jules, Scott and Stiles stopping as they felt they couldn't walk any further. "You didn't think you were all going, did you?" she asks the three teens "It's mountain ash, isn't it?" Scott asks him. "Everywhere, but heavily concentrated down here. Valack's cell is the last one at the end of the hall." He tells Stiles and Lydia as they look back to their friends. "We'll be right here." Scott reassures them.
"I can't hear anything. Must be the mountain ash." Scott says to them as they wait for their friends."I feel it too. To be honest, I feel a little weak." Kira tells him. "Yeah, it's like being sedated." Scott tells her. "This was a bad idea, wasn't it?" Kira asks the two siblings. "They'll be okay without us. And those two...They're pretty good together." Scott says to her. "Yeah, they are." Kira adds. "No super strength or samurai swords, but they stay alive." Scott says smiling. "He still likes her, doesn't he?" Kira asks them. "Yeah, but it's different now. I mean, you should've seen the way he used to be around her." Scott says making Jules laugh at the many embarrassing moments that had occurred when Lydia was around Stiles.
"Was it bad?" Kira asks them. "He was pretty much obsessed with her, but it wasn't all bad." Jules tells her, then looking to ground as she felt bad for Malia, because Jules knew that Malia loved Stiles more than Stiles loved her. "You know, Lydia used to pretend not to be smart." Scott tells Kira. "Our Lydia?" Kira asks. "Yeah, Stiles was the only one who knew." Jules tells her. "How?" She asks them. "He paid attention. He listened to her. He remembered..." Scott says as the lights begin to flicker. "Did you see that?" Scott asks them.
"No, but I am seeing this." Kira says as Jules and Scott look at her to see electricity running throughout her body, the lights beginning to flicker more and more. Scott and Jules both backing away from her. "Kira, whatever you're doing, please stop." Scott pleads with her. "I'm not doing anything. It's just happening. " She says in a whimper.
The lights turning off as Kira falls to the ground unconscious. "Kira." Scott says as he tries to touch her. The electricity from her body pushing Scott back. "Scott!" Jules says as she leans next to him. The doctor that let them in kneeling next to them as well. "Are you okay?" He asks Scott. "Something's happening...and I think she's causing it." He says as the electrify continues to envelop Kira.
"We need to get her out of here right now.". The doctor tells them. "How can we move her if we can't even touch her." Jules says to him, turning back to see the Dread Doctors killing a man with their weapons. "I think you better run." The doctor tells them. "We can't leave her." Scott says to him. "I can." He says to them before running out through the dirt. Scott turning to look at him and then the Dread Doctors.
Jules look at Scott knowing what they had to do as the Dread Doctors began opening the door. The each grabbed Kira's arms and wrapped them around their shoulders. The electricity immediately beginning to run through their bodies, burning them and making their skin look crisp. Scott kicked the door in front of them, running out to the outside.
Even through all the pain the continued to run, as each of the lights began to break around them. It seemed like forever, until they finally made their way outside. Scott and Jules laying Kira softly on the floor, and Jules falling on her side in pain.
***
When Jules and Scott made their way home, she stayed in her room waiting for Brett, as she was still healing from her injuries. Brett then knocked on her window, Jules letting him in and Brett immediately engulfing her in a hug. "Are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?" He says making Jules smile at how worried he was for her.
"I'm fine." She tells him as she kisses him. "No you're not, you're in pain I can feel it." He says holding her hand. "I'm fine, I'm still healing." She tells him but Brett didn't even bother listening to her as he held onto her hand tighter, black veins appearing on his arm as he winces.
"You didn't have to do that." She tells him as he smiles at her. "I wanted to, now what did you guys find out." He says as they lay on her bed. "Lydia says we all have to read the book. Valeck told her that when someone reads the book that they're able to remember their suppressed memories. This book can help me remember what happened to me." She explains to him as he pulls her closer. "Have you told Scott about it yet?" He asks her. "No, I've tried but the timing is never right." She tells him.
"He needs to know Jules, he could help us on figuring out what happened to you at the club." Brett tells her, leaving her thinking. "Can you do me a favor?" She asks him as she stands up from her bed. "Can you look at me with your eyes?"
"I am looking at you." He says sitting up. "I mean, with your other eyes." She tells him as Brett stands up, making his way in front of her. Brett taking a few steps back so her can take her in. His eyes closing as he feels them change and opening them to reveal his gold ones.
Even though he didn't want to show it in his face, he could feel his heart beat quicken. On either side of Jules, were the auras of two men that looked like the Nahuas, who he had read about in his history class. Each of them had a hand on her shoulder, almost as if they were pulling Jules to their side. Both men were dressed in traditional Nahua clothing, on top of their heads, they had what seemed like a hat made out of wolf fur, but one had white fur, while the other had black. The white representing everything good and pure, and the black wolf, representing everything evil. Both auras lifted their hands and putting their fingers over their mouths, telling Brett to not say anything.
His eyes finally going back to normal as Jules waits for him to say something. "What is it? What did you see?" She asks him as he comes back to reality. "Nothing" He says nodding his head.
"Everything is fine."