(A/N; in honour of 40k reads, an outrageously long chapter awaits you..)
Rachel managed to get into class before Isaac had a chance to stop her (thank god). He was seriously getting in her nerves; even more so now that Derek had made it clear that Rachel was to be watched at all times. In fact, ever since that declaration; everyone was getting on her nerves. Even the cute junior who'd smiled at her in the hall today; instead of getting butterflies in her stomach, Rachel was pretty sure she growled at him.
Needless to say, she'd gone unnoticed by many as she entered the classroom. At first she couldn't seem to find a seat; that is, until she spotted one right behind the two people she needed to talk to. Rachel hurriedly jogged around the back of the class, slipping into the chair before Jackson (who also apparently had a bone to pick with Scott & Stiles) had the chance. She gave him a sickly sweet smile, before flicking up her middle finger & uttering a few curses at him. The lacrosse co-captain had returned the gesture, but chose to find himself another seat rather than to argue with her.
"Hey, shitheads." Rachel muttered, leaning forward over her desk. "We've got a problem."
The duo turned around, each giving her a questionable look. She discreetly gestured to the door, where through the window, her werewolf chaperone could be seen pacing idly. As they turned back to face her, now looking relatively concerned, she merely nodded her head, already aware of the growing concern.
Before any more words could be exchanged, all attention quickly shot to the front of the room where a book was slammed against a desk. Finstock stood, a psychotic smile on his face, clearly ready to begin the class. "Alright, listen up. A quick warning we begin our review. Some of you, like McCall, might want to start their own study groups, because tomorrow's midterm is so profoundly difficult; I'm not even sure I could pass it."
"Okay, I need a volunteer at the board to answer the first question. Who's got it?" Finstock continued, glancing around the room for a volunteer (otherwise known as a victim, if the poor soul fails to answer the question correctly). Soon, he selected a random, unsuspecting student from near the front, ushering him up to the board. "Come on, let's go, buddy."
Once the risk of possible humiliation in front of the class had passed, Scott & Stiles quickly turned back to Rachel; each anticipating her explanation. Shooting a glance towards the small window in the door, Stiles shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Please tell me he's the problem. Because if the problem you're talking about is any worse than the time bomb in the hall, we're all gonna die."
"Better start digging your grave now." Rachel sighed, biting at her bottom lip. She didn't want to tell them the full truth, but what choice did she have? She trusted Scott & Stiles a hell of a lot more than Derek at this point, and if anyone could figure out a way to save her; it was them. "Derek's testing people."
Scott narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Testing?"
"Testing." She nodded, continuing on with an explanation. "As in, force-feeding them paralytic lizard venom. Ringing any bells? It should. I found Jackson this morning, completely freaking paralyzed & alone with the werewolf epitome of Norman Bates."
"Speaking of him," Stiles muttered, glancing over at the door again. "He's staring at you."
"He's supposed to." Rachel shook her head, brushing it off. Noticing the two looks of confusion, she rolled her eyes & rephrased her response. "Remember how I said we've got a problem? He's only part of it."
"You're not going where I think you're going, are you?" Stiles asked, already nearly positive of the answer he was going to receive.
"I'm going there." She nodded, shrugging off her leather jacket. Instinctively, Rachel glanced down at her arm, tracing over where the wound had been earlier this morning. "He tested me, too."
"Is that-"
"That's the problem. Dammit, Stiles, keep up." Rachel huffed, running a hand through her hair. She was intentionally explaining everything else possible before finally getting to the real revelation. "Long story short, they put it in my drink. I noticed, threw it at Isaac, and in turn, pissed off Derek."
"Get to the point." Scott urged, looking back at Finstock who was still distracted by the student at the board. Luckily for them, the poor bastard had gotten the question painfully wrong; earning himself a lecture on how completely pathetic he was.
"I am." She grumbled, shooting a death glare at Isaac through the window. "Before I tell you this, keep in mind that I can prove it's not me. I was with Isaac the entire time you & Derek were trapped in the pool, but he won't freaking admit it."
"Stop stalling & just say it."
"Bloody hell, I wasn't freaking paralyzed!"
"Ahem!" Finstock fake coughed at the front of the room, gaining back the attention of the three teens. Apparently, Rachel's previous declaration had been slightly too loud to remain unheard, and now, she'd unluckily gotten herself a seat in the spotlight. "Hale, is there something you'd like to share with the class?"
"Uh, no." Rachel said, immediately regretting it. In hopes of a slight redemption,the brunette opted to rephrase her response in a nicer matter. "I mean, just my undying love for your teaching skills."
"That's really kind of you." Coach nodded, before dropping the act. "Now shut up! Anybody else?"
He glanced around the room, quickly seeing that no one else wanted to speak up, before turning back to the board; making it all too easy for Scott & Stiles to turn back around & continue their conversation.
"What the freaking hell do you mean, you weren't paralyzed?" Stiles hissed, leaning over his chair to the point where it was on the verge of flipping.
"Hear me out, alright? I've been thinking about it ever since this morning." She huffed in annoyance. It was expected for them to jump to conclusions, but being in class, they had no other choice than to listen to everything she had to say. That is, as long as Finstock didn't kick her out for talking louder than him. "I said I wasn't paralyzed, but I never said I didn't react. It was like- like it was poison to me."
"What do you mean?" Scott cut in, interrupting right before Rachel had a chance to continue. "Poison, how?"
Shooting him a warning glance, the brunette proceeded with her summary. "I don't know how. I was so mad at Derek for even considering the possibility of it being me, I ended up cutting my arm & putting the venom in it."
"Can we skip this part?" Stiles asked, his face scrunched up in disgust. He really hated anything having to do with gore or pain.
"We're going to skip all of it if you don't shut up." Rachel grumbled, opting to shorten her explanation. "It was like acid. Actual smoke came out of my arm, and believe me when I say what has been seen, cannot be unseen. Or unfelt, for that matter, because it hurt like hell. Long story short, Derek gave me two options; I could willingly lock myself up, or be escorted around school by bitch one & bitch two; and as you can see, I chose option number two."
"But it isn't you; Derek wouldn't have let you leave if he didn't know for sure that it wasn't you." The spastic boy muttered, furrowing his brows as he thought over the information. "Wait, what about Lydia? Do they think it's her?"
"Yeah- I mean, Derek wants to test her, but..." Rachel trailed off, soon showing the same look of concentration as Stiles. Slowly but surely, she was putting the pieces together; and when her eyes locked on the smirking beta outside the door once more, it all clicked. "Oh my god."
"Oh my god, what?" Scott wondered aloud, looking between the two. "Is one of you going to explain?"
"I dont think Isaac & Erica are here for me." Rachel spoke nervously, glancing at her strawberry blonde friend; who was currently at the front of the room, scrawling out answers to a question on the board.
"They think it's her?"
"Yes, dumbass, they think it's her."
"Well, I don't." Stiles deadpanned, his gaze shifting back to his longtime crush. "I looked into the eyes of that thing, and what I saw was pure evil, okay? When I look into Lydia's eyes, I only see fifty percent evil. Alright, maybe sixty. But no more than forty on a good day."
"As much as I'd love to use that as proof, I don't think Derek would even listen to the full first sentence." Rachel sighed, leaning back in her seat. They were in trouble; a lot of trouble, and that was getting clearer with every second that ticked by.
"I'm aware of that, but I swear it's not her." Stiles shook his head, still remaining hopeful that the strawberry blonde was merely an exception to the laws of supernaturality. "It can't be, alright? Lydia's fine."
It was as if his words had been a trigger. The three had all glanced up at the board routinely, expecting nothing but the usual sight of people answering questions; but instead, it was Lydia; still standing there. Only this time, she was facing the crowd, a piece of chalk held tightly in her hand as tears rolled down her cheeks. Quite sobs could be heard as she stared blankly at the class, unaware of what she'd done in the past few minutes.
"Okay, then." Coach muttered, his eyes scanning briefly over the various symbol-like marking covering the chalkboard. "Anyone else wanna try answering? This time in English?"
"What is that, Greek?" Scott squinted his eyes at the board in confusion, attempting to decipher the language scrawled out.
Rachel cocked her head to the side, staring at the board blankly. She felt almost as though she should know what it was; like it was right at the back of her mind, only, she couldn't find it. Stiles, opting to take the easier route, pulled out his phone & snapped a photo of the writing. Clicking onto the edit options, he flipped the photo, eyes widening at the sight.
SOMEONE HELP ME.
⠀⠀⠀⠀↻
It seemed as though despite the rising level of insanity around her, nothing was too far abnormal in the daily life of Rachel Hale. Her undying desire to murder her brother was still very much alive, as was her newfound desire to punch Isaac repeatedly.
The second Rachel had left the economics class, she was back in the care of her two best friends; also commonly known as bitch one, and bitch two. Both of whom were more than happy to accompany her to her next class; one which was shared with their target of interest, Lydia; who'd made a speedy recovery from her minor mental breakdown. Scott & Stiles had gotten lost amongst the crowd, wandering off to class whilst Rachel remained in the company of her two least favourite people on the face of the earth (excluding Peter & Kate; both of whom were thankfully dead).
Rachel had ended up finding her way to the Chemistry classroom through the back entrance, alongside Erica & Isaac. However, luckily for her; she'd been the first to walk in, making it easy to snag the seat beside Lydia before either beta had a chance. Noticing the strange look she'd been getting from the strawberry blonde, Rachel laughed softly. "Sorry. I've missed a few days, and I could really use a lab partner with a fully functioning brain. You don't mind, do you?"
Lydia shook her head, not bothering to speak aloud an actual answer as she returned her focus to the books in front of her. Before Rachel had the chance to make another attempt at conversation, the dull, emotionless voice of the satanic force everyone had grown to know throughout the year, spoke up from the back of the room. "Einstein once said, two things are infinite; the universe, and human stupidity. I'm not too sure about the universe, but I myself, have encountered infinite human stupidity."
"So, to combat the plague of ignorance in my class, you're going to combine efforts through a round of group experiments." Harris continued, strolling idly up to the front of the room. "Let's see if two heads are indeed better than one, or in Mister Stilinski's case, less than one. Erica, you take the first station. You'll start with-"
Harris paused his explanation, exhaling loudly in annoyance as nearly all male hands in the room raised, (with the exception of Scott, Isaac & Stiles) each clearly wanting to work with Erica for every reason except her knowledge on chemistry. "I didn't ask for volunteers, put your hormonal little hands down. Start with Mr. McCall. Alright, next two.. Rachel, you're with Mr. Stilinski. Good luck."
Rachel groaned, shooting a glare at Harris whilst he was turned away. Reluctantly, she hooked her bag over her shoulder, moving over to the seat next to Stiles; looking evidently displeased. Stiles, however, couldn't seem to figure out exactly why she was so aggravated; Lydia was paired safely with Allison, and Isaac had gotten stuck with one of Harris' most hated students.
"What's wrong?"
The brunette scratched at the back of her neck, brushing her hair over to one side as she thought for a moment about what to reply. "I kind of need to pass this class."
Stiles' look of confusion turned to that of annoyance as Rachel turned away, instead directing her attention to the various chemical ingredients displayed on the table in front of her. Much to her dismay, the majority of them looked like nothing more than unique bottles with a word-smoothie plastered on the label.
"It looks like someone threw a bunch of letters into a blender." She furrowed her brows, staring at a word that was likely longer than her impending lifespan. It was official; she was going to fail chemistry, due to her inability to read a word that's clearly far from english.
"Switch!" Harris announced, hitting a bell on his desk.
Rachel exhaled in relief, returning the unknown chemical to it's original place as she slung her bag over her shoulder & moved over to an empty desk. She swore for a minute, she was going to end up working alone, (anything's better than being stuck with Stiles) up until a familiar face sat down beside her.
"No." Was all she could manage to say as her eyes narrowed into slits. Anger flooded her veins like the acidic burn on Kanima venom, instantaneously turning her mood from hopeless to homicidal. "Find yourself another layer of hell to reside in, because this one's taken."
"Ah, c'mon. I think there's enough room for both of us." Isaac grinned, not bothering to make an attempt at the experiment. "After all, your stay here is only temporary. Once we test Lydia, you're as good as dead."
"Way to be subtle." Rachel scoffed, rolling her eyes. She couldn't be bothered to take his threat seriously, especially whereas he knew it wasn't her. "You already know how this is going to go, don't you? You've known the entire time, Derek wouldn't be watching through the window if you didn't. You test her, she doesn't react, then he kills her; that's been your plan all along."
"Who put it together? You, or your boyfriend?"
"Me." The brunette snapped, her eyes widening slightly as she caught the last half of his comment. "He's not my boyfriend."
"But he likes you." Isaac shot back, raising a brow suggestively.
"He likes Lydia. Y'know, the girl you're planning to paralyze in front of the entire class?" Rachel questioned rhetorically, sarcasm laced in her tone. "He's liked her for 8 years, and I guarantee if you even try to hurt her; the only surviving proof of your existence will be the fur coat he gives Lydia for her birthday next week."
"Really?" The teen wolf asked, seeming more intrigued by the last sentence than the threat itself. "I've never actually been to one of her big, invite-only birthday parties. I did ask her out once, though."
"Wow," Rachel nodded, rolling her eyes again. She was beginning to get a headache from doing it so much, but she couldn't help it when she was surrounded by such a twisted combination of idiocy & insanity. "That sounds like the beginning of a heart-wrenching story. It'd be so much more poetic on a dark, rainy day, don't you think?"
"It was the beginning of freshman year-"
"And you thought it was going to be just like the movies, where everything goes great for the cute little freshman. Well, guess what? The movies are bullshit."
Isaac chuckled softly, nodding his head. "Yeah, she even laughed. Told me to come back when the bike I rode to school had an engine, not a chain. I never really liked her all that much to begin with; I was still too stuck on a girl I met a few years earlier."
"That broke my heart." Rachel faked a frown, tracing a line down her cheek to mimic the nonexistent tears. "I'm serious; that was so tragically beautiful. You should write a book."
"You actually look a bit like her." He stated optimistically, before adding, "Well, you would; if I could manage to see past how much of a bitch you are."
"Do you even hear yourself talk?" The brunette asked, tapping a finger on her chin quizzically, already aware of the answer. It was a definite no; otherwise, the shy, anxiety-ridden, introvert he once was would be completely & utterly terrified of the responses he's be receiving.
It was clear; the sorta-kinda-maybe cute gravedigger was most definitely dead, and to everyone's surprise, it wasn't Derek who'd killed him. It was Rachel, and much like the old version of herself, the terrified Isaac, the one she'd met the night his father died, wasn't coming back. He was gone for good, and in Rachel's eyes, the truth was a bigger bitch than Erica.
"And switch!" Harris announced, unknowingly firing the starting gun of a race.
The next few seconds remained as a blur to Rachel, who didn't even have a chance to leave her seat before Isaac pushed her out of the way, in order to get the spot next to Lydia. Stiles (the second closest) was also stopped, only it was by Satan himself (also sometimes known as Adrian Harris), with one of his usual threats of failure. Isaac had ended up being the one to sit by Lydia, getting there just milliseconds before Scott.
It was more than evident that he'd been using a supernatural advantage, but Rachel couldn't exactly bitch about it to Harris.
"Time!" The aforementioned Devil yelled, hitting a bell on his desk. "If you've catalyzed the reaction correctly, you should now be looking at a crystal. Now, for the part of the experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy - you can eat it."
It seemed that Derek & his bitches really had thought of everything; the perfect place, the perfect time & the perfect way to put their plan into motion. Isaac had managed to put the Kanima venom in the experiment without Lydia's knowledge; meaning everything was going exactly the way they wanted to. It wouldn't have been so bad, if it wasn't a matter of life or death. Rachel couldn't lie; she was more than positive that every supernatural in the room could hear her heart pounding like a bass drum; because she was freaking terrified.
There were only two possible outcomes, neither of which favoured Rachel. If Lydia wasn't paralyzed; the strawberry blonde would be killed, by either Derek, Isaac, Boyd (who was waiting outside with Derek) or Erica. Meaning, that Rachel would no longer be able to play queen & stand on the battle line. She'd be forced to either become a warrior & fight for the wrong side, or join the unlikely heroes & turn against the only family she had left.
But if Lydia was paralyzed; Rachel would be as good as dead. The only question, was that of who would be the one to kill her; to which the answer was likely Isaac. Derek wouldn't be able to do it, no matter how many people she allegedly killed, she was his little sister. He may have killed his uncle, but there was a huge difference between him & Rachel. Peter was fully aware of everything he did, and everyone he killed; the seemingly harmless human behind the Kanima was oblivious.
The deciding moment was rapidly approaching, and Rachel couldn't bring herself to even look at Lydia. She was already shaking in her seat, and she knew that looking up to see which fate awaited her would only make it worse.
"Lydia!" A voice yelled from the back of the class, gaining everyone's attention almost instantaneously. Rachel glanced back, seeing Scott staring wide-eyed at the strawberry blonde, who was about to eat the crystal coated in Kanima venom.
"What?" She questioned cluelessly.
"Nothing." Scott muttered awkwardly, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop her. In fact, all he'd done was embarrass himself in front of everyone.
Lydia shrugged it off, returning to the crystal in her hand.
Rachel buried her face in her arms, unable to watch the impending train wreck for a second longer. Though her eyes were covered, that didn't mean her hearing wasn't cranked up to the highest possibility; and her willpower to resist listening for the sound of a body hitting the floor was weakening by the second. Nearly a minute had passed, and Rachel was ninety nine percent sure she was on the verge of a heart attack, up until she she managed to hear someone sighing in defeat behind her.
Hesitantly, the brunette gave in & glanced up, seeing Lydia perfectly fine & as clueless as always. Both Isaac & Erica wore similar smirks, each with a hint of evil; hell, Rachel even found herself wanting to join in on the happiness. A loud exhale of relief escaped her lips as she relaxed, knowing she'd live to see another day. But with her safety, came dire consequences for her strawberry blonde friend.
Derek was going to kill Lydia.
⠀⠀⠀⠀↻
Incoming text.
From: McWeirdo
Get to Coach's office!!!!!!!!!!!!
To: McWeirdo
Should I bring Norman Bates & Regina George with me? Or can we do this over a group message? Because if you haven't freaking noticed, I'm still immune, and they're still guarding me like I'm the Queen of England.
Rachel huffed, glaring daggers at her phone screen. Scott had clearly misunderstood her explicit explanation earlier this morning, whilst Lydia had been having a mental breakdown at the chalkboard. Just because the strawberry blonde was now the number one suspect of being a homicidal lizard, didn't mean that Rachel's name was entirely erased from the list. She was still sitting pretty at #2, and Derek wasn't about to let her wander off on unexplainable adventures with her friends.
From: Batman
Just distract them, we need you here. Scott's planning to go & talk to Derek.
To: Batman
Tell Scott he's an idiot. He's gonna get his little werewolf ass kicked all the way to Texas.
From: Batman
Done, now hurry up & get here.
The brunette sighed loudly, tapping a chipped nail against the screen on her phone. How was she supposed to get out of this one? Erica was literally two feet away from her, (probably sexting a freshman) and still as bitchy as ever. There was absolutely no excuse plausible enough to get her away from both of them. Hiding in the girls' locker room would stop Isaac, (it's debatable) but Erica could & would follow her.
To: McWeirdo, Batman & Alli
You're out of luck. Looks like this conversation is going to happen here.
> Alli
What do you already know?
Rae <
Derek's outside waiting to kill Lydia. And Scotty, if you think for even a second that he's going to hear you out, you're an idiot, alright? After what happened at the pool, he's angrier than I am; and that's saying a lot.
> Batman
It's not her!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> McWeirdo
She didn't pass the test.. And why is my name mcweirdo??
Rae <
Not important. What's important, is finding a way to protect Lydia once school ends. Any suggestions?
"Who're you texting?" Erica questioned, a signature smirk set on her lips. She'd been staring at the brunette's speedy typing for the past minute without her knowing, and she was beginning to grow suspicious of just who she was so eagerly talking to during her free period.
"Derek." Rachel instinctively replied, shrugging it off. She knew the werewolf had heard the slight jump in her heart rate, but she couldn't care less. Derek hadn't forbidden her from talking to her friends, and even if he had've; she'd still find a way. He was her brother, not her father; he couldn't forbid her from doing anything, despite the fact that he thought he could.
Rae <
HELLO? Stop freaking talking to each other, and start typing faster, Erica's onto me.
> McWeirdo
I still think I can talk to him.
Rae <
I'm about five seconds away from changing your name to McIdiot.
> McWeirdo
He'll listen, I know it.
Rae <
Yeah, to the sound of your bones breaking.
"Are you going to tell me who it is?" Erica cut in before Rachel had the chance to read Scott's reply. The blonde took a step forward, tucking her own phone into her back pocket. "Or am I going to have to find out for myself?"
"I think you might actually be worse than Isaac." Rachel muttered, internally cringing. She wasn't going to sugar coat it; the two overly confident werewolves were by far her biggest regret in life, and they weren't even her betas. "Yeah, you're definitely worse."
"Awe, c'mon. Girl fight in the hall, it'll be hot."
"Trust me sweetie, you look anything but hot when you're all wolfed up." The brunette shot back, a smile now forming on her face. "If you thought the guys looked bad, you haven't seen anything yet. But, I'll be sure to bring you a mirror on the full moon, when you're all chained up."
Rae <
I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss Isaac. Hurry up & tell me the plan before Erica rips my throat out.
> Alli
Scott's gone to talk to Derek, Stiles almost shot him. I'm getting Morrell to translate the bestiary, unless you can help?
Rae <
Have you tried google translate?
> Alli
...
Rae <
I'm kidding. But when you're done, can I scroll through? I doubt I could translate it, but I know a few words in archaic latin & I wanted to see if anything stuck out to me.
> Alli
About your abilities?
Rae <
Yeah. I mean, it's a shot in the dark, but it'd be nice to have a few answers. Anyways, I'm pretty sure Erica's about to kill me, so I should probably go take care of that. Text me if you find out anything new.
End of group conversation.
⠀⠀⠀⠀↻
Rachel was really getting sick & tired of plans improvised by Stiles.
Not only had his plan required her to do the exact thing she was unable to do earlier; ditch Erica. Unlike the last time, when Isaac had been wandering the halls boredly, this time he'd been stuck in a literature class; one of which almost always went beyond the bell. Which in turn, made it easier for Rachel to think up a plan in the short span of ten minutes (otherwise she'd be running to Scott's house, because Stiles would leave her).
In the end, she'd done the logical thing. One that'd worked for her once before, and one that at worked for countless people in movies. It didn't take a lot of effort, nor did it cause her any form of physical or mental anguish. If only required two things; supernatural reflexes, and the strength to break a lock; both of which she had, courtesy of her reflector abilities (which were becoming increasingly useful as time progressed on). Indeed, Rachel had used the oldest trick in the book, and of course; it worked flawlessly.
She locked Erica in the janitor's closet.
As for the aforementioned assumption of her plan being entirely flawless.. It'd ended up being slightly flawed, when Isaac had eventually found Erica & let her out, but by that time, Rachel was long gone. As a matter of fact, she was already at Scott's house; along with Stiles, Allison, Lydia & Jackson.
In a shocking turn of events, it was revealed that the tin man did in fact have a heart, when Jackson Whittemore had chosen to stay & protect Lydia, rather than run back to his castle of money & hide. Even if it was slightly against his will, it was enough to show that even after stepping on her heart, striking it with a hammer & lighting it on fire; he still cared.
But Jackson's fragment of a heart had to be set aside, despite the fact that they probably should've thrown a party over the discovery (because who knew he was actually capable of love?). Derek & his pack were coming to kill Lydia, and Rachel had a feeling he wouldn't be all that heartbroken to see her become a casualty as well. It was time to stop being a careless follower, and become the leader she knew she was. Derek was wrong, and Rachel wasn't going to stand with him anymore; not when he was planning on taking innocent lives.
"If we're studying at Scott's house, then where's Scott?" Lydia questioned, stepping through the door of the McCall residence (or the McIdiot residence, in Rachel's opinion. If Scott thought his house was going to keep them safe from four werewolves; he was most definitely an idiot).
"Meeting us here, I think." Stiles answered, before adding quietly, "I hope."
Once everyone was safely inside the house, Stiles proceeded to lock an array of deadbolts. Unaware of how much attention he'd drawn to himself, he turned around to face an extremely confused (and slightly scared) Lydia, alongside Jackson; who for some reason, mimicked her expressions, despite knowing the severity of the situation.
"Uh, there's been a few break-ins around the neighbourhood." He shrugged, grabbing a chair & wedging it under the doorknob. "And a murder. Yeah, it was bad."
"Lydia, follow me." Jackson called from the staircase, gesturing for her to follow. "I need to talk to you for a minute."
"Seriously?" Lydia gaped, her gaze moving from Jackson back to the door. "What is going on with everyone?"
Nonetheless, after receiving no reply, the strawberry blonde reluctantly followed her ex boyfriend upstairs, leaving Stiles, Allison & Rachel to guard the ground level. From the window, the couldn't see anything yet, but chances are Derek was nearby. Rachel knew him better than anyone; his strategies, fighting techniques; he liked to wait for the enemy to make the first move. The enemy in this situation, being her.
Time passed slowly & excruciatingly, each second being wasted staring blankly at a wall of making small talk in attempt to speed things along. By the time any sort of action had picked up, nearly two hours had passed & the sun was slowly starting to lower beyond the horizon. Rachel was just about to question what Allison had learned from Morrell, (whom Rachel had just recently found out was the school guidance counsellor) when she caught a hint of movement in the corner of her eye.
"We've got company." The brunette muttered, pulling back the curtain to get a clearer view. To her dismay; it hadn't been a false alarm. Derek & his trio of supernatural teens were lined up out by the road, standing there as though they expected someone to walk out & talk to them.
"I'll call Scott." Allison nodded, quickly typing in the number on her phone.
As expected, Scott answered on the first ring, immediately concerned of his girlfriend's safety. "What's wrong?"
"You need to get here." She stated firmly, glancing out the window once more. "Right now."
"Okay, I'm leaving now. On my way." Scott agree, before hanging up without a goodbye.
"Great, that's great." Rachel nodded, biting at her bottom lip. Of course she'd eavesdropped on the conversation; there was no point in having supernatural hearing if you didn't use it. "But, how's he gonna get in here? The doors are locked, and if he does find a way in, then Derek's just going to follow him in order to get to Lydia."
Allison sighed, her head hung low as she tapped at the screen of her phone. The huntress was deep in thought, barely listening to the words of her best friend as she announced, "I think.. I think I have go call my dad."
"No, no, no, Alli. No calling your dad." Rachel shook her head, her eyes widening slightly. The absolute last thing they needed was the crazy crossbow family showing up. Then everyone (except for Stiles, Jackson & Allison) would end up dead. "I think you're forgetting that both me, one of your best friends, and Scott, your boyfriend, will both likely end up dead if your dad gets anywhere near here."
"I know, but what are we supposed to do? I can call back Scott, and you've got time to run & hide." The huntress suggested, holding onto a hint of optimism. "They're not here to scare us, they're here to kill Lydia."
"And your dad will be here to kill Lydia, too." Rachel pointed out, knowing it was true. If Allison thought Derek killing Lydia was bad, it's be ten times worse if it was done by her dad. Where one Argent goes, the rest follow; meaning Gerard & Allison's mom would also be accompanying him, along with several other hunters. Just a week or two ago, Gerard had chopped an omega clean in half; and if Allison thought for one second that he wouldn't do that to Lydia, she was sadly mistaken.
"I got an idea." Stiles cut in, peeking through the curtain worriedly. "Just shoot one of 'em."
"Which one?"
"Uh, Derek." Stiles stated, nodding a moment later. "Yeah, shoot him, preferably in the head."
"Derek & I can both catch arrows." Rachel stated, destroying the idiotic plan before it had a chance to progress. "Try one of the other three. Preferably Erica."
"You mean two." Allison corrected.
"No, she meant three." Stiles furrowed his brows, looking out the window once more. "Where the hell is Isaac?"
"Don't turn around." The reflector warned. But waiting only made it worse, because she already knew he was there. Whether it be the fourth pounding heartbeat, or the heavy breathing; she was more than positive that when she turned around, all hell was going to break loose. "I've played enough games of Slenderman to know that under no circumstance should you ever turn around in this situation."
Sadly for Rachel, turning around was the least of her problems. Before she even has a chance to react, her feet were kicked out from underneath her & she fell to the floor with a loud thud. Allison followed, landing next to her with the crossbow a few feet away. Stiles was then thrown into a completely different room, the angered beta werewolf following (probably to throw him some more).
Rachel took the split second she had & reached for the crossbow, sliding it back to Allison. The huntress was back on her feet in seconds, as was the reflector; each with an agenda. A simple nod was all it took for Allison to race up the stairs, leaving Rachel to deal with the current problem; a werewolf who she'd bee desperately wanting to punch.
Now, it seemed like she was going to get her wish.
Rachel leaned against the wall, listening closely to the footsteps behind her in order to time her attack right. When she heard them right next to her, she swung her elbow back in the doorframe, hitting Isaac in the neck. Though she'd initially been aiming for his face, due to her height, she'd ended up missing; but she couldn't say she was too displeased with the result. In fact, it may have worked out even better than the original plan; because judging by his lack of movement, Isaac wasn't getting back up anytime soon.
Once she was certain that he was unconscious, (and not just faking, like she would) Rachel hurried into the other room & helped Stiles up. The duo walked back out, both being greeted by Allison walking down the stairs, followed by Scott; who was carrying a paralyzed Erica Reyes. Rachel stifled a laugh, flicking up her middle finger at the blonde as if to mock her failed attempt at fighting even more.
"Y'know, maybe we should focus more on catching the Kanima so we can get more of that paralytic stuff from it's claws." The reflector suggested, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "It's pretty useful."
Stiles opened the door, moving out of the way for Scott to throw Erica out onto the front lawn. Rachel, unable to lift the beta she'd knocked unconscious, moved out of the way as Scott walked back in to retrieve him. Not a minute later, Isaac was throw out beside Erica; neither earning a reaction from Derek.
"I think I'm finally getting why you keep refusing me, Scott." Derek stated, his gaze moving across Allison, Stiles & Rachel. "You're not an omega, you're already an alpha of your own pack. But you know you can't beat me."
"I can hold you off until the cops get here." Scott stated smugly, finally getting Derek to show a hint of concern.
Police sirens sounded in the distance, but they were soon interrupted by an all too familiar screech. All eyes shot to the roof, each person being struck with mixed emotions as they all caught sight of the Kanima, looking as homicidal as ever. The creature disappeared within a few seconds, leaving only the loudening police sirens to continue adding to Derek's annoyance & rage.
"Get them out of here." He snapped at Boyd, gesturing to the two werewolves incapable of walking.
But before anything could be done, a certain strawberry blonde came rushing out of the McCall household, nearly shaking with fear as she questioned, "Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"
They'd had it all wrong. The Kanima was never Rachel, nor was it Lydia; they'd just been two girls who got lucky (not so much, in Rachel's case) when they came into contact with the paralytic venom. All this time, Rachel had been so focused on keeping herself & Lydia alive, that she'd overlooked the one thing that made sense. Of course Scott & Derek hadn't thought twice about it; neither of them knew what happened days after the formal. None of them knew where Rachel had gone that night, but now; they had a pretty good idea.
And now that they had all the pieces to the puzzle, it made perfect sense.
Jackson was the Kanima.
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6.5k words YEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH this is unedited btw
40k reads YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH i seriously love you all & thank you so much. i stuffed an entire episode into this chapter, because that's how much a freaking love you all. you're fabtastical, okay?
now, as for the chapter, lemme explain a little. first off, i'm sorry if the group message thing was a little confusing. the whole mcweirdo thing is basically a parody of his last name, because rae's cool like that. i did the group chat in a different format than normal texting, so sorry if it's weird. and as for the ship, it's still very much afloat. in fact, despite the fact that she knocked him out; rae doesn't hate isaac. she likes him more than erica, so that's a start.
ps. i'm planning something really cute hopefully in the next few chapter ily ok & ps.ps. i hinted at something in this chapter, so props to whoever picked up on it. not gonna say what it is, though :~)
......comment opinions?