Chapter Two: Second Chance at First Line
Chapter Song: Dangerous by Big Data
☾☾☾
Avoiding Scott had been harder than I thought. I needed space. A whole world of it, really. I needed time to process, not to mention reevaluate life itself. Every thought and belief I had was thrown to the wind with the simple fact the supernatural really existed. And within a matter of hours, my whole life was flipped upside down. Again.
I had hid myself in my room, my bed becoming my safe haven while I drowned myself in my thoughts. It didn't last more than two days. Being that Scott and I lived in the same house, I quickly learned dodging him wasn't exactly an option. I finally decided to swallow my own fear and help him through this—even though I wasn't exactly so sure how to help him. Hell, I wasn't sure of anything at this point.
"I'm back." I called as I walked in the front door, keys jingling in hand. I dropped my backpack to the ground with a sigh. "Thank God." I mumbled, thankful the day of school and work had finally come to an end. Mom came rushing down the stairs dawned in a pair of navy scrubs with her purse hanging over her shoulder.
"How was work?" Mom asked, reaching the bottom stair.
"The usual." I shrugged.
"Has Scott ever taken any drugs?" She immediately questioned. Uh—wait what? I stopped in my place, taken off guard by the unexpected question. Mom continued as I stared at her with a more than confused expression on my face. "Or is he on any right now? You'd tell me if he was, right?"
"Yeahhhh," I dragged on, "I'm gonna go shower." I avoided.
"You're not on any, right?" Mom awkwardly added with a laugh. I raised my brows and turned around once I reached the second stair. Mom and I looked at each other in silence before she laughed the situation off. "I figured you weren't. I'm a good mom. A good mom whose got to get to work, crap I'm late. Bye, baby I'll be back later." Mom darted out the door and left me alone in the foyer in a state of utter confusion. That was by far the weirdest conversation we've ever had. I trudged up the stairs and into Scott's room to find him lying helplessly on his bed.
"Should I be concerned that mom's asking me if you're pill popping?"
"No." He heavily sighed.
"God, who died in here?" I asked, seeing how depressed Scott looked.
"Any future I had with Allison." He whined.
"What, she didn't accept your apology?"
"No, worse. Her dad is one of the hunters from the woods. He's the one that shot me." My jaw slacked, wondering momentarily if Scott was screwing with me. The look on his face made me realize he was one hundred percent serious.
"If she knows something, you can't even go near her." I stumbled over my words, still shocked.
"Don't remind me!" Scott cried. "I like her so much. This can't be happening."
"Okay here's a more reasonable solution: how about you stay away from her until you learn how to control yourself."
"Which could be never for all we know."
"I'm not saying I trust Derek Hale, but he did seem to know how to control himself. Maybe you should ask him for help just so you can get through the game on Saturday."
"The dudes threatening me into not playing!! He creeps me out."
"Yeah well you heard him, you guys are brothers now. You'll probably go hunt deer together and play fetch." I smirked, unsuccessfully lightning the situation.
"You're really not helping."
☾☾☾
The dirt from animal clinic washed down the drain along with most of the days problems as I let the hot water run over my body. I leaned my head against the cold linoleum, the water beating on my uptight back as I continued to process the last few days and how Scott and I had been dragged into the supernatural world. I was scared, and so was Scott. But one of us had to be the brave one.
I felt my shoulders drop in disappointment as the water grew cold and I forced myself out of the shower and slid into a pair of pajamas. I draped the towel I'd been using to dry my hair across my shoulders and proceeded to exit the bathroom, immediately expecting a response from Scott about how abnormally long my shower was. The moment I stepped out into the hallway, a figure came out of Scott's room. I looked up and found myself surprised, and slightly angry, to see Derek Hale.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?" I asked, pulling on the sides of my towel.
"Giving Scott a warning." He simply answered, brushing past me. I turned around, glaring at the man in shock. Really?
"Stay away from my brother and stay the hell out of my house." I venomously hissed, feeling my blood boil. Derek Hale had the nerve to walk into my house and threaten my brother? No, not on my watch. Nobody threatened Scott besides me.
"You better make sure he doesn't play in that game." He threatened.
"Or what?" I spat back.
"Or he's going to shift and the both of us will end up dead." Derek stormed off down the stairs leaving me to think about what he said and what I thought about him. Maybe Derek's threat wasn't exactly a threat. He wasn't trying to hurt Scott; he was trying to make sure he didn't end up dead. Sure I didn't like the guy and how he handled things, but he just might have been trying to look out for my brother...in his own Derek Hale way.
☾☾☾
As if the week couldn't have gotten any weirder, Scott had apparently smelled a dead body at Derek's house while him and Stiles had snuck over there hours before. So while the two of them were trying to dig up the grave it was buried in, I found myself at Allison's house trying to not think about the fact her werewolf hunting father was in the next room over.
"I can't tell whether Kafka was majorly tripping or his mind was just that messed up." I asked, flipping through the pages of Metamorphosis as we continued our homework, "I mean, how do you think of something this cryptic?"
"I think both." Allison heavily sighed, highlighting a line of the text.
"Okay, spit it out. What's bothering you?" I asked. Allison's head lifted up in surprise.
"W—What do you mean?"
"The tension in this room is suffocating me. What's up?" I asked again.
"I don't get what's going on with your brother." She sighed.
"I haven't known what's going through his head since the day I met him." I laughed.
"He keeps questioning me about Derek Hale. If they're friends I don't get what the problem is." Mentally, I began cursing Scott out. Discrete wasn't in his vocabulary.
"They're like brothers," more than she'd ever know, "they fight. A lot."
"I still don't get it. He shouldn't be so uptight."
"He's having a rough week to say the least. Pressure of the first games getting to him."
"I never thought of that." Allison ran a hand through her thick brunette hair.
"That's Scott for you. Doesn't know how to handle his fifteen minutes of fame." I shrugged. "I shouldn't be bashing him. He's a great guy. And that's not just me saying it because he's my brother."
"I can't believe you two are twins. You're so different." Allison thought as she laughed, closing her copy of the Metamorphosis.
"Oh God, no. I don't even know what I'd do if Scott was my twin. We're c—" I paused. That was a story for another time. "We're completely different." I bit down on my lip hoping Allison wouldn't advance with her questions.
"Hmm," Allison thought, "Please don't tell me I'm making a mistake by giving him a second chance."
"You'll be fine." I assured, wishing we moved onto a different subject than my brother.
"What time do you want to go to the game on Saturday?"
"I was probably just gonna hitch a ride whenever my mom gets off work." I shrugged.
"Lydia and I are going to pick you up." Allison stated, causing me to shift uncomfortably in my spot. Hard pass. "We can go have dinner, make signs, and stuff!" Just when I thought it couldn't get worse.
"I don't know Allison..."
"Please? I'm trying to make as many friends as possible here."
"Fine, fine, ok." I sighed.
"Awesome! God, I'm so excited. You and Lydia seem so ama—" I tuned Allison's voice out as my phone began buzzing in front of me, alerting of a new incoming message. I picked up, quickly tapped in the four number password and saw the message was from Scott.
Scott: I was right. We found it.
☾☾☾
My arms were crossed tightly over my chest as I looked at the chaos surrounding the Hale house—or at least what was left of its burnt shell. Police and coroner swarmed the property as they cornered areas off with caution tape. Scott and I stood beside each other as we watched a handcuffed Derek be escorted into custody and placed in a Beacon County police car. I could almost feel the pressure lift from Scott as he happily watched his enemy be detained. I found it hard to believe that Derek was the Beacon Hills murderer and that he killed the girl. While I was glad a murderous werewolf was being put away, something didn't feel right. Sure Derek was creepy and rude, but he didn't seem capable of murdering the girl— especially if his family died in a fire. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and it was getting stronger the longer I stood here. I tried to focus on something other than the wrenching in my stomach but it was hard staring down the burnt down dilapidated house in front of me. How could someone live in the memory of their dead family? I know I couldn't.
"Are you okay?" Scott noticed. I shifted my weight and pursed my lips.
"Yeah. You excited for the game tonight?" I tried changing the subject.
"I—no!" Scott whispered as we watched Stiles quickly sneak into the police car Derek was put in.
"Control him please." I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers.
"He's your best friend too." Scott whined.
"I still don't understand even with his dad being the Sherriff how he hasn't been arrested yet." I shook my head. Seconds later, an angry Sherriff Stilinski went over to the cruiser and pulled his son out of the car to lecture him and soon enough told him to get in his Jeep and get the hell of the crime scene—taking us with him of course. In a matter of no time, we were back in Stiles' car heading back to his house. I sat in the back staring out the window, still wondering how Derek could stand to be in the vicinity of the same area where his loved ones died.
"I can't find anything about wolfsbane being used for burial." Scott sighed as he scrolled through his phone.
"Maybe it was something Derek was taught. It could even be a sign of remorse." I added.
"Just keep looking Maybe it's like a ritual or something. Maybe they bury you as a wolf. Or maybe it's like a special skill, something you have to learn!" Stiles thought.
"I'll put it on my to-do list. Underneath how the hell I'm playing this game tonight."
"Maybe it's different for girl werewolves." Stiles thought, ignoring Scott's words.
"Okay, stop it!" Scott cried. "Stop what?"
"Saying werewolves! Stop enjoying it so much!" Scott clenched his jaw and his features tensed.
"Scott, calm down." I put a hand on his shoulder.
"I can't! I'm so far from okay!"
"You know, you're going to have to accept this, Scott. Sooner or later."
"I can't!"
"Well, you're going to have to!"
"No, I can't breathe!" Scott yelled, his arm flying up to clutch the ceiling of Stiles' jeep.
"Whoa-whoa—whoa!" Stiles repeated several times as he swerved the car off the road.
"Pull over! Pull over!" Scott growled, heaving in and out.
"Why, what's happening?"
"Stiles, just pull over!" I yelled. Scott looked beside him and opened the small duffle bag resting on his seat. He pulled out a dirt-covered rope with small purple flowers attached. Stiles showed me a picture of it last night—on top of the girl's dead body. It was wolfsbane.
"You kept it?" Scott screamed. "What was I supposed to do with it?" "Stiles, pull over. Now!" I demanded.
"Stop the car!" Scott bellowed, his eyes glowing an eerie golden color. My heart skipped a few beats, as it was hard to recognize my own brother. Stiles slammed on the breaks, causing me to slam into the faux leather back of his seat. I grabbed the bag from Scott's seat and threw it at Stiles, who stumbled out of the car and ran. Meanwhile, Scott was clutching his head and opening the passenger door.
"Scott, what are you doing?" I asked.
"Stay away!" He hissed, his golden eyes sending daggers at me. With one last look, he ran out of the car and straight into the surrounding woods. "Scott!" It was useless. He disappeared.
"Okay, we're good." Stiles took a breath and walked back to the car. He stopped short in his tracks to see the passenger seat empty. I leaned forward.
"We are far from good, Stiles!" I cried, throwing up my hands in frustration.
☾☾☾
As planned, Allison had dragged me to dinner with her and Lydia before the game. Lydia had acted as friendly as possible which made me fume since it felt like there was no reason to actually be mad at her. After a couple hours, the awkwardness soon faded and the conversation became bearable. At the rate, Lydia and I would be fast friends by the end of the night.
"You said your dad's meeting us here?" I asked Allison, wondering if the man who shot my brother would actually make an appearance.
"Yeah. He texted me saying he was getting us some popcorn. He'll be right over!"
"How cute." Lydia cooed, holding the tacky supporting signs she made for Jackson. The game hadn't even started yet but people were herding the field like wild animals.
"How about right there?" Allison pointed to the half a row of empty seats on the bleachers. I nodded.
"Save me a seat, I'm going to go give Jackson a good luck kiss." Lydia giggled, fixing her earmuffs and happily trotting off onto the field.
"Hey!" Allison called out as she waved down a middle aged man in the crowd. "Over here! Hayley, this is my dad." Allison introduced as he approached us.
"Chris." He smiled, his bright blue orbs staring me down. Chris Argent jutted a hand forward, waiting for me to take it. Hiding my reluctance, I grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.
"Nice to meet you." I forced a smile. "I'm Hayley."
"Well, I've heard wonderful things about you, Hayley."
"Dad." Allison groaned. It wasn't soon before Lydia came back and we were all settled down for the start of the game. My mom finally showed up, taking a seat in front of us with Stiles' dad. She shot me a surprised look as she noticed me sitting beside Lydia. I rolled my eyes and silently urged her to pay attention to the game.
"Come on, Jackson." I muttered under my breath ten minutes into the game. He had just knocked down his own team member— Scott specifically. With his ego bruised from practice earlier that week, it wasn't hard to tell he didn't want Scott anywhere near the ball. Jackson wanted to be the star of this game. The crowd erupted in a roar as Jackson made the shot into the opposing team's goal. While Finstock cheered Jackson on, Lydia leaned over to Allison and whispered something in her ear. She bent down and picked up the 'We luv u Jackson' sign. Lydia and Allison held it up for the team to see as Lydia cheered on Jackson. I silently cursed Lydia out, knowing that was going to hit Scott hard. As expected, Scott almost immediately noticed the sign and who was holding it up. Scott's eyes shifted over to me as anger flooded his features. He quickly sprinted off to his position on first line.
"Which one is Scott again?" Chris asked.
"Number eleven. Otherwise the only one who has yet to catch a single ball the entire game." Lydia puckered her lips. And just like that, Lydia Martin had once again managed to piss me off again.
"Seriously, Lydia?" I spat.
"I hope he's okay." Allison thought aloud.
"I hope we're okay." Lydia corrected, shifting her eyes over to the scoreboard. We were down by two and we didn't have much time left. "We need to win this. Guys? A little help here?" Lydia was holding another damn sign again—this time it said 'Jackson is #1' in big, bold letters. Allison sighed and stood up, holding the sign with the least effort she could put in. Lydia looked over to me, her perfectly arched eyebrows raised as she expected me to help hold the crappy sign.
"I'll pass." I pursed my lips. I eyed Scott, who had noticed Allison supporting his enemy, and I quickly noticed his demeanor change. The referees whistle blew once again as we were down to a little over a minute left in the last quarter. And just like that, Scott was off. He ran faster than I've ever seen and he dodged every opponent coming his way. He ran all the way across the field and hurled the lacrosse ball into the net, gaining the Beacon Hills Cyclones one point. My mom screamed the loudest while everyone but Lydia and I jumped up to cheer Scott on. My lips parted as I found myself unable to believe my own eyes. It was clear his werewolf abilities were on the brink of kicking in. And with Chris Argent a mere two feet away from me, this was about to turn into a crisis.
"Pass to McCall! Pass to McCall!" Finstock screamed as Stiles did a happy dance behind him. The ref's whistle was blown again and number 43 had managed to catch the ball, but soon gave it up and— literally—passed it to Scott. My mouth dropped and my heart began racing, knowing that there was something definitely supernatural about that. Scott ran off with the ball and managed to make another score just as the clock hit thirty-nine seconds. The score was tied five to five and everyone was counting on Scott to win this game.
"When did Scott get this good?" My mom asked with a laugh.
"You know, overnight." I uncomfortably laughed it off. She laughed, believing the joke. After the ref's called the shot Scott made legal, Jackson and a guy for the other team were up head to head waiting for the whistle to blow. And when it did, Jackson was the first one to get it and he immediately passed it to Danny. In no time, the ball was back in the net of Scott's lacrosse stick. Scott was running like he was rabid and he looked for an open spot to shoot from as the other team was closing in on him like he was a trapped animal. This wasn't good.
"Don't do anything stupid. Don't do anything stupid." I whispered under my breath. I balled my hand into a first, terrified what Scott's next move would be. Two players began running to take down Scott but he reacted fast and threw the ball into the net just as the clock ran out of time. The buzzer went off and our score changed to six. We won. The crowd went wild and everyone ran onto the field—but three people. Scott took off in a full blown sprint and ran towards the locker rooms while I stood on the bleachers in utter shock. I could hear my heart beating in my ears over the cheerful screams of the crowd. I didn't know how Scott managed to control his shift, but he did it. Sheriff Stilinski stood right in front of me with his phone pressed to his ear.
"Uh-huh. Yeah..." He spoke into the phone.
"Dad? What's wrong?" Stiles called over from the bench.
"He's being released as we speak. It was animal hair on the body. No human prints are there." I could hear another officer respond on the other line.
"And are you sure?" Sheriff asked.
"Positive. The guy isn't an animal." The woman heavily laughed. "It just doesn't make sense."
"You identified both halves yourselves. It was Laura Hale." My face paled considerably. I could feel all the blood in my body rush down to my legs and it left my fingers tingling. Stiles looked at me in confusion and I shook my head with wide eyes. "What can I say, would you kill the only remaining family you had left?"
"No, no. I guess you're right. Thank you, Tara." Sheriff sighed. I jogged off the bleachers and ran over to Stiles who was nervously awaiting me to tell him what I just heard.
"We need to go find Scott." I pulled him away from the bench and began walking across the field with him hastily.
"Who was on the phone with my dad?"
"Tara. They—they found animal hair on the girls body. They released Derek."
"What?" Stiles shrieked. I stopped in my place and Stiles ran a frustrated hand over his face. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"Stiles, there's more."
"There's more? We're already dead for landing the guy in jail!"
"Yeah well this is worse." I sighed, running my hands over my face. "They ID'ed both parts of the body. Her name was Laura Hale."
"Hale? As in Derek Hale?" Stiles cried.
"Derek's sister." I nodded. Stiles and I ran off to the locker room to warn Scott. Instead of finding a locker room filled with overly excited and sweaty guys, we found Scott sharing his first kiss with Allison in the dark.
"I got to get back to my dad." Allison whispered to Scott who nodded. She gave him one last kiss before walking off and spotting us awkwardly leaning behind the lockers, trying not to be oblivious. "Hi guys." She awkwardly waved.
"Yeah, hey..." The two of us simultaneously said. We waited until she was out of the locker room until we came out of our somewhat hiding place.
"I kissed her." Scott goofily smiled as he came up to us.
"I saw." Stiles nodded.
"She kissed me."
"Yeah, saw that too." I pursed my lips. Scott couldn't wipe the smile off his lips. I hadn't seen him this happy in a while, and knowing that we were about to crash his high was depressing.
"It's pretty good, huh?" Stiles asked.
"I-I-I don't know how but I controlled it! I pulled it back! Maybe I can do this, maybe it's not that bad." Scott continued to smile.
"Yeah." Stiles awkwardly laughed.
"We're happy for you, Scott." I smiled, eyeing Stiles to keep his mouth shut.
"We'll talk later, then." Stiles patted my brother on the chest. Stiles and I went to turn around but Scott grabbed Stiles' shoulder and his smile finally disappeared.
"What?" He nervously asked. Stiles and I looked to each other and bit our lips. "Guys, what's up?"
"The medical examiner looked at the other half of the body we found." Stiles started.
"And?"
"Well I'll keep it simple. Medical examiner determines killer of girl to be animal not human. Derek's human not animal. Derek not killer. Derek let out of jail."
"Are you kidding?"
"No. And here's a bigger kick in the ass. My dad ID'ed the dead girl— both halves—her name was Laura Hale."
"Hale?" Scott cried.
"Derek's sister." I sadly admitted. "You framed him on killing his own sister."