Rachel was mad.
Angry, furious, enraged, every & any word you could possibly imagine to describe a state of wanting to kill every living creature within a fifty mile radius, could also be used to describe Rachel's current emotion. Contrary to her calm exterior, seated at a table with a bowl of frosted flakes & a glass of orange juice in front of her, she was merely seconds away from flipping the table & using the broken glass to kill Derek, or whoever she could get her hands on first.
Why?
The answer came in the form of the glass of orange juice; which wasn't the way she'd left it when she went to get the box of cereal. When she'd gone off in search of the box, the glass was side by side with the plain white bowl, and now it was no longer touching the bowl. But that wasn't what tipped her off.
It was the small circle of what looked similar to vegetable oil floating in the glass, that infuriated her like nothing else. Rachel knew better than to shrug it off, especially after the events of last night. Derek was on high alert, and it seemed as though everyone had a possibility of being the Kanima; even Rachel, who he'd known for over sixteen years. What upset her the most, was that he didn't even ask. He did what Derek Hale always did, and that was whatever the hell he wanted to do; even if that meant temporarily paralyzing his little sister to prove she's not a homicidal lizard.
Derek had officially made it clear that he was willing to do anything to maintain his place of power, and Rachel wasn't okay with that. She wasn't okay with half of what he did, but this was the final straw needed for her to finally make a decision on exactly who she wanted to be. She'd kept herself awake all night thinking it through, and in the end, Derek had been the one to decide for her,
In her life, there were five people; the villains (Gerard & the Kanima), the heroes (Scott & Stiles) the warriors (Allison, Erica, Isaac & Boyd), the leaders (Derek), and the followers (Lydia, Jackson & Rachel). The villains wreaked havoc, careless of who they hurt in the process. They did what they wanted, in order to get whatever they desired; nothing else mattered to them. The heroes were the underdogs, the unlikeliest of participants, but oddly the most valuable. They protected anyone who needed it, and did everything they could to prevent an innocent life from ending.
The warriors fought fearlessly for whatever side they served. They didn't give up, and they refused to surrender; even when the light was fading. The leaders, alongside the villains, led the warriors. They called the shots, and they were trusted to make the right decisions, even if they rarely succeeded. And lastly, the followers; they didn't do much. The followers could only be compared to someone like the old Rachel; a girl who refused to leave her brother's side, but wouldn't fight for a cause that wasn't worth it. They were there for moral support & advice, but other that; followers were relatively useless.
Rachel no longer wanted to be a follower.
She was done playing princess with her Alison DiLaurentis act; nobody was buying it. If she really wanted to be a leader, she had to step up her game & kick the godawful king straight out of his castle. Anyone who watched Pretty Little Liars knew how to smoke out royalty, and Rachel Hale was a grade A super fan; no pun intended. She knew now that she no longer wanted to be Alison, the former queen.
She wanted to be the mastermind who dethroned her; Mona Vanderwaal.
With a demented smirk on her face, the brunette wrapped her hand tightly around the glass before exiting the office area with an evidently fake calmness. She made her way downstairs, her expression staying solid as she went over her declaration once more. As she walked, she not-so-accidentally swung her leg out, causing a dent in the iron bars as she rounded the corner, but still forced herself to keep her heartbeat steady. Rachel could hardly contain her anger by the time entered the work area, and she was more than surprised that the glass hadn't shattered in her hand.
As she arrived in the room, she wasn't met with a sight she was expecting. Rachel had learned to expect the unexpected, but this was beyond her expectations. At first, she thought the room was empty; no Derek, no Isaac, no Erica & no Boyd; that is, until she glanced down at the floor. There, she found Isaac; alongside a seemingly paralyzed & extremely terrified Jackson Whittemore.
She had to admit, it worried her.
Did they know Rachel had bitten Jackson? That wasn't possible. The only people who knew, were her & Jackson; neither of whom would tell, not with the Argents on high alert. Jackson was stupid, but he wasn't that stupid. Sure, he'd probably taken way too many hits in lacrosse, but he had to have at least a few remaining brains cells, otherwise he'd be dead by now.
"Ahem." Rachel coughed, gaining the beta's attention. "A word, please?"
Isaac laughed dryly, kicking Jackson's chest as he got up & walked over to Rachel, still sporting a signature smirk. "I'm a little busy."
"Busy slipping supernatural paralytic chemicals into my drink?" She raised a brow, her tone as sharp as a knife. "I was with you last night, and you know full well that I don't turn into a giant lizard. I don't care if it was you, Derek or his other two bitches that did it, but I swear if I ever find Kanima venom in my drink again, I'll break the glass & use it to slit your throat."
"That's cute." The teen wolf chuckled, clearly unbelieving of her threat. "Don't take it personally, Derek's testing everyone. It's just a precaution."
"That's cute." Rachel mocked, lowering her voice in attempt to mimic his. "If that was cute, then you're gonna find this fucking adorable."
Before he had a chance to process her words, she threw the glass of kanima venom laced orange juice at him, stepping back to avoid getting any of it on herself. She couldn't risk having her plan backfire if it accidentally got on her hands; she'd end up paralyzed, too.
"What the hell?" Isaac yelled at her, looking almost as homicidal as she had when she'd initially discovered the kanima venom.
"I could go on about how Stiles was paralyzed simply by touching a doorknob with a bit of that stuff on it, but I think you already know." Rachel taunted, noticing how the teen wolf's hands had begun to shake slightly. "If I were you, I'd be getting as far away from here as possible. In about- twenty seconds, give or take a few, you're gonna be helpless. And Jackson over there? He's gonna want revenge, once the paralysis wears off, and I'm gonna help him get it."
The teen wolf rushed off, muttering something about killing her once it wore off, but Rachel ignored it as she walked over to a still-paralyzed Jackson, crouching down beside him on the floor.
"W-What do you want?" He stuttered out, unable to turn & face her.
"What did you tell them?"
"Nothing! I didn't tell them anything!"
"You better not be lying to me, Jackson." Rachel stated, slamming a clawed hand against the floor beside him. "If Derek thinks it's you, then he knows something. And I can't afford to have him, or any of his guard dogs knowing anything. You need to tell me what happened on the night of the full moon."
"N-Nothing happened." He answered fearfully, staring at the razor sharp claws just centimetres from his face. "I can- I can prove it. I taped myself.
"You- You taped yourself?" Rachel narrowed her eyes at him, taking a moment to think of just how idiotic he really was.
"It was a full moon, and maybe while Norman Bates junior was curled up having an existential crisis about turning into a monster, I was preparing for the so-called gift you promised me." Jackson hissed, his confidence evidently fake."What did I get? Nothing. If you want proof, just let me get the video."
"Maybe you misunderstood my reasoning for getting rid of Isaac." The brunette laughed dryly, shaking her head at the teen. "I don't want the video. You think I give a shit what you do or don't turn into? I couldn't care less! I'm here to make sure you stay quiet about what I did."
"Why should I?"
"I was waiting for you to ask that." Rachel smiled deviously, leaning down by the floor so they were face to face. "Isaac's not gonna be gone forever, y'know. Sooner or later, the paralysis is gonna wear off; and boy, he's gonna be angry. It'd be such a shame if I accidentally threw a little more Kanima venom on you & left you in here defenceless, all alone.."
"You can't do that. You need me, I-I-" Jackson reasoned, only earning a laugh in return. He knew he was useless to her, and nothing could change that.
"You're pathetic!" The brunette shook her head, still laughing at his fear. "I wouldn't let Isaac become a killer because of you, you're not worth it. Face it, Jackson; you've never been worth it. The only reason you're still breathing is because of me, and that's why you're gonna keep your mouth shut."
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Rachel was still very mad.
After assisting Jackson in making a getaway before Isaac caught him, she'd quickly learned that it was her who should've been the one making a getaway. Little did she know, Isaac slipping Kanima venom in her drink had been the supposed easy way of testing her; and by throwing it at him, she'd inadvertently forced Derek to resort to desperate measures. As everyone knew, Derek Hale was never one for back-up plans. But here, in the current moment, he was forced to improvise (something he should never be allowed to do again) and opted for another method of confirming that there was no possibility of Rachel being the Kanima.
"It's a paralytic toxin, that drips from the claws of a homicidal lizard." Rachel hissed, glaring daggers at her brother. "If you think it's going anywhere near my mouth, you're out of your mind."
"Who's the last person you reflected?" Derek questioned, ignoring his sister's argument.
"Doesn't my lack of self-control make it obvious?" She glanced over at Isaac, who was blocking the only other way out of the room. "It shouldn't matter who I reflect, if I am what you think I am. In order for me to be immune, it would have to be in my blood; which it isn't."
"You know I wouldn't do this if I didn't have to." The alpha sighed, a hint of sympathy in his voice. "You know better than anyone that we've never known much about your abilities. You only have a name for it because-"
"Don't." She snapped, glaring daggers at him. "What are you gonna do if it is me, huh? Are you just gonna kill your own sister, right here?"
"It's not you, and this is going to prove it." Derek stated firmly, nodding at Isaac across the room.
The beta left the doorway, joining the duo at the centre of the room. He wasn't entirely sure of why Derek wanted him there, but he wasn't about to turn down the opportunity. In his opinion, Rachel deserved it; she thought it was hilarious when it was him getting paralyzed. Now it was her turn.
"What?" Rachel looked back at Isaac standing behind her. "I don't need someone to catch me. If anything, I'm counting on the fall knocking me out."
The brunette stepped forward, ensuring that whenever she fell, neither of them would be able to catch her. Sure, it'd hurt; but at least she couldn't have to suffer two conscious hours completely paralyzed & stuck listening to whatever Isaac & Derek chose to talk about (that is, if they didn't just leave her.)
"If you're really doing this-" Rachel paused, allowing claws to grow from her fingertips. She dragged the sharp nail of her thumb across her arm, cringing as blood instantly began to pour from the open wound. "You're doing it my way. Now hurry up & poison me before I heal."
Derek shot her a final look of disapproval, before pouring a few drips of Kanima venom into the bloody wound. Rachel winced in pain the minute it hit, a burning pain shooting up her arm & into her shoulder. The brunette clamped her other hand over the cut, attempting to mask the pain but to no avail. "It burns like a bitch."
"It doesn't last." The alpha ensured.
Rachel nodded, biting her bottom lip as she awaited for the paralysis to come; but it never did. The only thing she felt was the burn in her arm, slowly intensifying to the point where she felt as though it was lit on fire. She was beginning to question whether it'd been Kanima venom or acid poured into the wound as a few seconds passed by with only more searing pain. Blood had stopped flowing from the cut, but it hadn't healed; instead, it remained a clean-cut open wound. To add to the mixture of worry, fear & downright horror in the room, a strange steam soon began to sizzle where the Kanima venom had been, and Rachel let out a shriek of pain.
More steam began to emit from it, increasing the pain with every second. Finally, when she swore she was ready to cut her arm off; the steam began to dissipate slowly as the cut speedily sealed shut. Rachel soon fell to her knees, gasping for air as she held tightly to her arm. Compared to what it had been, the pain had reduced to nothing more than a dull ache; allowing her to finally catch her breath.
Neither werewolf could speak as they stared down at the reflector, each thinking heavily of what had just happened. It'd been almost as though she'd had an instant allergic reaction to the toxin; causing it to burn her like acid. But that wasn't the part that concerned them the most. What really held their attention, was how she was fully capable of moving freely, without a single sign of paralysis.
She was immune.
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Immune & freaking terrified.
Not only for herself, but for everyone around her. Rachel didn't want to believe it. She couldn't be the Kanima. So what, if she may or may not have seen reptilian scales appear out of nowhere on her arm in gym class; there had to be a logical (supernaturally logical) form of explanation for everything. Even if she couldn't find it in this very moment, it didn't mean there wasn't one out there somewhere.
It had been approximately an hour since the test had gone down, and she hadn't stopped thinking about it for a second. After the initial shock of Rachel's immunity had passed, three very different opinions were quickly vocalized; all of which continued to replay themselves in her mind. The first opinion to be openly announced was from Isaac; who'd instantaneously suggested killing her. Of course, that suggestion had been quickly countered by Derek; who thought locking her up would be a better idea.
The newly crowned queen of the castle wasn't having either of those.
Even if she believed herself to be the Kanima, she wasn't about to let them lock her up like a wild animal. She was still a human being, one of which people would notice missing; especially if her dead body turned up a few days later. Isaac had already been to jail once, and everyone knew how well that went; killing Rachel wasn't an option. And neither was locking her up.
But neither werewolf was about to let her walk away freely to subconsciously murder other innocent people. Even if he didn't truly believe his sister was capable of murder, Derek couldn't ignore the facts; and for that, he'd improvised a plan that would work for everyone.
A fucking chaperone.
For the duration of her school day, Rachel was to remain with either Erica or Isaac at all times. No sneaking away, no running off with Scott & Stiles; and if she even acted even slightly strange, they were instructed to text or call Derek immediately. The alpha had informed them that he'd be waiting outside the school, in case anything happened. But with those instructions, came another set; one of which were their final chances of proving that Rachel wasn't the Kanima.
It seemed as though a certain strawberry blonde, who survive an alpha bite with no repercussions, hadn't yet been tested. If there was even a fragment of a chance that Rachel's reaction could just be due to her reflector abilities; then Derek was going to find it; and that, he did. Lydia was the last suspect on his list, and if she went unaffected by the venom, then they'd know for certain who the Kanima really was.
Rachel couldn't have been more un-okay.
If someone had've told her months ago that this would be her life, she would've punched them. Being escorted through school by a teenaged werewolf babysitter, who suspected her of being a homicidal lizard; it was complete & utter insanity. The fact that a creature like the Kanima even existed was insanity all in itself.
Werewolves, she understood. Reflectors, she understood (not really, but she liked to say she did). But under no circumstance did Rachel even begin to comprehend the concept of a giant lizard with only one purpose; to kill people. Most murders chose to use a weapon, often something simple, like a gun. Murders didn't just go out & adopt a freaking anaconda with legs from the pet store, and then train them to kill.
She may have been raised by werewolves, but Rachel drew the line at giant homicidal lizards.
By the time her mini mental breakdown had ended, the brunette found herself within the confines of her favourite building, (note the sarcasm) walking down the hallway with her favourite of her two assigned chaperones; Isaac. Her next class was scheduled to be Economics, but since Erica had left for World History, and Isaac's next class was Mathematics; there was a bit of a dilemma.
"Looks like we're both skipping." The teen wolf declared.
"Yeah, looks like we're not." Rachel stated firmly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Scott "save everybody" McCall also happens to be in this class, meaning I've got myself a free ticket away from you."
"Is that so?" Isaac inquired, raising a brow. He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Really?" The brunette shot back, glaring daggers at him. "You know it's not me, and I don't know what you told Derek about last night, but you need to tell him the truth. I couldn't have been at the pool if I was with you."
"I did tell him the truth." He shrugged, toying with the lock on one of the many lockers lining the hall. "You were with me, up until you left & locked me in the office. After that, I have no idea what you did."
"You know exactly what I did, and if I knew how to prove it, I would." Rachel snapped, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room. She couldn't accuse Isaac of lying to her brother, because he wasn't; she really did lock him in the office & leave. But what he was doing was far worse than lying; he was carefully choosing which parts of the truth to tell, in order to make her seem like the villain.
Rachel exhaled loudly in order to gain the beta's attention as she adjusted the strap of her backpack on her shoulder, before approaching the door of her economics classroom. Even with the fading flicker of hope she had, she couldn't deny the preexisting evidence that she was the Kanima; meaning one way or another, she desperately needed to talk to Scott & Stiles without Isaac or Erica listening, and economics class could very well be her final chance of the day.
"You're not going in there." Isaac stated, looking at her as though she were a child in need of adult supervision at all times.
From Rachel's perspective, he sounded like an idiot. She couldn't tell if he was trying to intimidate or scare her, but neither approach was working. Unbeknownst to Isaac, she was embracing her inner Mona Vanderwaal; meaning she wasn't going to back down just because he was a foot taller than her. Queens didn't run & hide after one petty little threat; they assembled an army, and that was what she planned on doing.
"Try & stop me."
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i actually really loved writing this, and it's probably my favourite chapter in the entire book so far. sorry about typos, i keep missing the spacebar when typing on my ipad, lol.
so, this is a major turning point right here. rachel's completely off the rails, much like derek & the betas. and of course, the anaconda with legs. idk why i like that description, lmao. but yeah, this might be sort of a spoiler (not really in my opinion) but rae isn't the kanima, she just thinks she is. but she can't let isaac or derek know that. and is anyone else wondering why isaac lied (well, didn't tell the full truth) to derek? i am :~)
tbh i'm kinda nervous to publish this but yolo (is that still a thing??) and i really hope people like where the story's going. i mainly listened to war child (hollywood undead) & heavy crown (queen iggy) while writing this, so that was helpful on the badass factor.
so.. comment opinions?