Chapter Eleven: Co-Captain Chapter
Song: White Teeth Teens by Lorde
☾☾☾
"Allison, I thought we were going formal dress shopping." I blew a piece of hair out of my face as the heel of my boot sunk into the moist dirt of the forest floor. "If I knew we were going hiking, I would have worn a something a bit more...not this." Allison chuckled as she adjudged the black duffle bag on her shoulder. Lydia glanced over to me, struggling to keep up in her 5 inch designer heels. While Lydia and I had believed we were going shopping to find something to wear to the winter formal, Allison had other plans. She currently had us trudging through the woods to an unknown destination.
"It'll be quick." She assured. "Before I forget, Lydia, I wanted to see if you were okay with something. Jackson asked me to the winter formal." Allison announced. Lydia's eyes went wide and my brows raised, curious if Allison was truly going to the dance with Jackson.
"Did he?" Lydia squeaked.
"Mhm, just as friends. But I wanted to make sure you're okay with it first." Lydia pursed her lips together, holding back a frustrated scream.
"Sure." She wheezed. "As long as it's just friends." The redhead eyed Allison.
"Well yeah" Allison chuckled, "it's not like I'd take him to the coaches office during lacrosse practice and make out with him or anything." I stopped in my track and smacked Lydia on the shoulder.
"Ow!" She yelped.
"Well deserved." I hissed, curious how Allison found out about that. Allison continued walking. Lydia looked to me, wondering if I'd continue my yelling tirade at her that I had begun earlier, but I threw my hands up in exasperation. I yelled at her enough about Scott, it was a waste of my breath.
"Uh, about that." Lydia called as we went to catch up with her. Another several minutes passed as we trekked through the woods in an uncomfortable silence. Allison, finally finding the right spot to stop and do whatever it is she took us other for, tossed the duffle bag onto the ground. The brunette crouched to the ground and began taking metal pieces out of the bag, quickly fitting them together like a puzzle.
"What in the hell is that?" I glared, watching Allison wrap her nimble fingers around what began to look like an arrow. I froze, wondering if her father had given her the weapon and if he told her what they were used for.
"And more importantly, what does it do?" Lydia wondered.
"We're about to find out." Allison smirked. Allison ignored me as she stood up and aimed her bow and now-built arrow at a tree a few yards away from us. She let go of the bow, the arrow zipping through the air and exploding into a sea of sparks as it came in contact with the center of the tree. Lydia and I jumped back in shock. My jaw tightened, realizing that what Allison had put together wasn't a normal arrow, it was something to hunt werewolves with.
"What the hell was that?" Lydia whispered.
"I don't know." Allison mumbled, looking at the remnants of the arrow in amazement.
"Where did you learn to shoot that good?" I casually questioned, seeing that the arrow was deadest in the middle of the tree.
"I don't know." She repeated with a shrug. Had she lied about knowing where to shoot from?
"Well," Lydia clapped her hands together, "that was fun! Any more lethal weapons you wanna try out?" Lydia and I walked over to the brunette as we watched the sparks and flames from the arrow extinguish.
"Allison, where'd you get this thing-" My question was cut off by the sound of a branch snapping. The three of us tensed, growing silent. My eyes darted around, my heart rate speeding up. Would Peter be so brash to come out here and show himself? I highly doubted it. Peter was stealthier than that. He'd wait till the perfect moment to attack, and this wasn't it.
"Hold this." Allison quietly ordered, shoving her crossbow at Lydia.
"What? Why?" She asked, obediently taking the bow from her.
"Because I thought I heard something!"
"So you heard something. Let's just go." I ordered.
"So, I want to find out what that something is." She handed me her gloves.
"We're in the woods, Allison! There's about 500 different somethings out here!" I mentioned.
"Don't worry, it's probably nothing." She shrugged it off. I rolled my eyes.
"But what if that nothing is something and that something is something dangerous?" Lydia asked Allison, who was already walking away. I paused and looked at Lydia, staring at her in confusion. Allison paused.
"Shoot it." She barked and continued to walk away. Lydia whimpered.
"Was that even English?" I asked. Lydia rolled her eyes.
"Nooo, it was Proto-Balto Salvic, Hayley."
"You make me feel like I have the intelligence of a pre-schooler." I sighed.
"You're welcome." Lydia chuckled. "Anyways, onto more important matters, who are we going to get you to go to formal with?"
"Uhh, myself?" I questioned. Lydia laughed as if I was joking.
"That's funny, sweetie."
"What about you, Lyd?" I cocked my head, "I mean, Jackson's going with Allison, so what's your plan? Go with Scott?" Lydia rolled her eyes.
"Psh, I can get someone one hundred times better than Jackson at the snap of my fingers." She flipped a strawberry blonde lock over her shoulder, "I'm thinking Carter? He's number 28."
"Why not just take Greenberg while you're at it?" I smirked.
"Hey, watch it McCall, I'm setting you up with a date and I can make it as torturous or pleasant as I want." She winked.
"Terrified." I rolled my eyes. "I'll pass Lydia. Thank you, but no thank you.
"Stags for losers. We're getting you a hot dress, some six-inch heels, and a date. I don't care who it is—Bennett, Sam, Chad...even that curly haired quiet kid."
"Isaac Lahey?" I choked on a laugh.
"Not the point: hot dress, hot shoes, hot date. Hot you." She winked only for me to roll my eyes in reply. Allison came rushing back towards us, her feet moving like she was on a mission. Her eyes were glassy and puffy. I could tell her teeth were chomped down on her bottom lip from opening her mouth.
"Al, you okay?" I asked cautiously.
"I'm fine." She mumbled, her head down as she picked up her duffle.
"Okay Miss Pretty Little Liar," Lydia crossed her arms over her chest, "what's the deal? What did you see out there?"
"Nothing, Lydia!" Allison retorted, her voice raised. The two of us looked at her in shock. "It was nothing. Just drop it."
☾☾☾
After an unsuccessful shopping trip, Allison and I sat on her bed scrolling through a website full of dresses and listening to music on her laptop.
"That ones kind of cute." I mentioned, pointing to Allisons screen. Allison continued scrolling, her mind elsewhere. "What about-"
"Can you believe Lydia kissed Scott?" Allison interrupted. "I mean, of all people. Scott! Right? How bitchy is that to do?" My brow raised suspiciously,
"Yeah it is." I slowly answered, wondering if that's what had been bothering the girl.
"And Scott! Do you think he kissed her back?"
"No..." I paused. "This whole on edge thing...is this about Scott?"
"No!" She immediately defended. "I mean, maybe." Under the pressure of my gaze, Allison finally cracked. "Yeah it is. I saw him earlier when we were in the woods and I, I really miss him. It really hurt to see him."
"When we were in the woods?" I squeaked, unsure of what exactly she saw.
"Yeah, he was on a run I guess." She shrugged. I let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Listen Allison, I'm not telling you what to do but, why don't you talk to him?"
"I don't know." She heavily sighed, shaking her head.
"You're the one who broke it off with him. If you miss him, talk to him." I shrugged.
"You're just saying that because you're his sister."
"Trust me, I can one hundred percent guarantee you I'm not saying that because I'm his sister. Scott's crazy about you, you and I both know that." I smiled. Allison returned the smile before a loud knock on her bedroom door took us out of the conversation.
"Come in." Allison called.
"Hey girls." A young blonde woman strided into the room with a wide smile. "Shopping any success today?"
"No, we got nothing." Allison sighed.
"Not a single thing." I added. The woman's green eyes flickered over to me. A smile curled on her lips once more.
"I don't think I got to properly introduce myself before since you girls were in such a rush. I'm Kate." I kept my cool as best as possible. So, this was Kate. The Kate that shot Derek. The Kate that was a werewolf hunter. She didn't look like she'd be one, but then again she was an Argent.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce you." Allison realized. "This is my aunt."
"Her cool aunt." Kate corrected with a wink. "It's Hayley?"
"Yeah." I smiled, my teeth gritting together as I hid my suspicion of the woman. "Nice to meet you."
"McCall right? I've heard a lot about you. You're the boy toy's sister aren't you?" Kate chuckled. Allison's cheeks turned red as she shot her aunt a look to shut her mouth.
"Unfortunately, though I try to pretend he doesn't exist." I joked, hoping the topic of my brother wouldn't last long. Kate laughed.
"I like this one." She smirked. "Mind if I come hang with you girls?"
☾☾☾
Kate had overstayed her welcome and ended up staying with us for the entirety of my visit. If it weren't for her being a werewolf hunter, the two of us would have actually gotten along and, dare I say, I would have liked her. I eventually excused myself from the Argents to go back home and do homework.
I sat on my bed, one hand tapping against the textbook on my lap and the other arm deep into a bag of popcorn. My eyes slipped to look at my phone before I silently chastised myself for even bothering. I had tried getting in contact with Derek on the way home, hoping he'd gotten the chance to step away from Peter's side, but he had gone radio silent. Not a single call or text.
Once I got home from Allison's, Scott had admitted he had followed Allison, Lydia, and I into the woods just incase Peter decided to make an appearance. He also informed me what Allison had said earlier, that the two ran into each other in the woods. What Allison failed to mention was that she ended up accidentally tasing him. While the two had talked for a few minutes, it had resulted in Allison running away. This explained Allison's beyond strange behavior for the rest of the afternoon.
"Ugh." I groaned, realizing the popcorn bag was empty. I climbed out of bed and tossed the empty, buttery bag into the trash bin. Downstairs, the doorbell rang, causing me to pause in my place. It was a foreign noise to me, it was rare for anyone to use the doorbell here. Stiles usually just came barging in and the rest of us had a key or used the back door. I opened my bedroom door, poking my head out into the hallway.
"I'm not ready, I'm not done. So if you could please just get the door and talk with him." I could hear my mom down the hall talking to Scott in his room. She came backing out of his room, waving her hands anxiously in the air.
"Who's at the door?" I asked. Mom turned frantically around and looked at me. I was a bit startled, seeing her dressed in something besides scrubs, her hair set in curls, and her makeup done nicely. "And more importantly, why are you wearing a dress?"
"I've got a date tonight." She quickly answered.
"You? Date? Tonight?" I blinked.
"Yes, Hayley, I know that is so hard to believe but I'm going out on a date tonight. With actual food and an actual man." The doorbell rang again.
I blinked again, shocked. "You're seriously going on a date?"
"Yes, yes. Hale, please go get the door."
"Who is he?" I cocked my head, more interested in moms mystery date. The last time she went out on a date was...well, never.
"Hayley!" Mom urged. I lifted my brow, waiting for an answer. Mom heavily sighed, "He's a medical rep I met in the hospital earlier! Now will you please get it before he leaves?"
"Fine." I dragged on.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Mom frantically rushed back into her room. I padded over to Scott's room.
"Scott, mystery man's all yours." I leaned against his doorway only to be caught off guard to find him standing up with Allison beside him. She waved her fingers, flashing me an awkward smile. The two looked flustered, as if I just interrupted a serious conversation.
Looks like she listened to my advice by talking to him, I thought.
"Or I could get it...I'm gonna go get it. You continue...this." I stumbled on my words, quickly walking away from the scene and downstairs. The doorbell rang again once I reached the last step of the stairs.
"Hayley, for the love of God please get the door! Preferably today!" Mom yelled. I rushed to the door and unlocked it. As I wrapped my hand around the knob, Scott came trampling down the stairs.
"Hayley, wait." He strictly ordered from the stairs. I swung the door open only to be met with the pitch-blackness of the night. Nobody was there. My brows knit together, wondering where the man disappeared to. I turned back to Scott, the door still wide open and shrugged, assuming he had left. He looked just as confused, if not worried.
"What are you doing?" Mom peaked her head over the upstairs balcony. "Invite him in!" She urged. My brows furrowed. I turned back around and resisted the urge to scream at the sight of the man before me.
"Hello there." Peter Hale greeted with a wide grin. A gasp caught in my throat as terror flooded my face. I immediately slammed the door only for Peter to jut his foot in the doorway, simply pushing it back open. Scott rushed to my side as I stood frozen in fear.
"Really, slam the door in my face?" He rolled his eyes, pouting his lips.
"Get the hell away from my house." I quietly hissed.
"No." He simply answered.
"I'll tell her." Scott warned.
"What that I'm a werewolf that just came out of a catatonic state with burns covering half my face?" Pete choked on a laugh. "That should go over well."
"If you hurt her..." I seethed.
"Hayley, if I may interrupt your listing of the top five most impotent founding threats, for a moment, try to remember that I've been in a coma for six years. Don't you think I'd like to have dinner with a beautiful woman?" My nostrils flared as I looked at the man before me in utter disgust.
"I'll be down in a second!" Mom rang from upstairs.
"Yeah, you're right, I'll let the fact you posed as a doctor to ask out my mom and get to Scott slide." I spat. Peter silently laughed.
"Or maybe you both think that I have something else in mind. Maybe to convince you to be part of the pack...if your mother is too." Peter crooked his head, flashing a sadistic smirk. My teeth gritted together as the blood boiled in my veins. My hands turned into fists as I bit the inside my cheek to stop myself from doing anything rash. Peter stepped forward into the cause, causing me to back into Scott.
"You need to understand how much more powerful we are together— you, me, and Derek." Peter urged, finally turning to me. "And possibly this one." A breath hitched in my throat. My eyes narrowed, watching Peter's every move as he proceeded to give Scott and I a history lesson on German boats as a metaphor.
"Did you know that? Or are you failing history too?" Peter snidly remarked.
"I know the Germans lost. " Scott snarled.
"That, was a failure of leadership. And trust me, we don't have that problem here." He grinned, turning his attention to me once more. "Speaking of problems, I thought you weren't going to be a nuisance anymore? I told you to stay away from Derek." My cheeks flushed red. He knew I called.
"I am." I said, gritting the words through my clenched teeth.
"That includes phone calls, sweetheart." I swallowed hard.
"I'm ready!" Mom announced, rushing down the stairs.
"No you're not." I blurted out.
"I'm ready. Sorry again." Mom glared at me before looking over to Peter, silently apologizing.
"Mom, I'm not feeling too hot. I think I'm going to pass out." I faked, putting a hand over my heart and blinking my eyes a few times.
"Go drink some water." She pursed her lips, obviously annoyed with my sudden outburst. Peter reached out his hand and mom grabbed it, sending a wave of nausea down my stomach. He accompanied her out the door and all I could do was helplessly watch.
"Mom!" I called.
"What?" She snapped, sending me signals to shut up.
"I'll—I'll see you later." I stuttered. And with that she walked off, leaving her children utterly terrified. Scott shut the door and we looked at each other with wide eyes and trembling lips.
"Get Allison out of here, now." I whispered.
"What? No—I can't!"
"Scott! He just took our mom!"
"I don't know how to!"
"Figure out something! Sick, got called into work, something! I'll call Stiles! You get her out of here." I ordered. I sprinted upstairs and grabbed my phone from my bed, immediately typing Stiles' number in and placing the phone against my ear.
"Stiles at your service—"
"Stiles!" I yelled.
"Jesus Hayley, what's up?"
"Peter! He has my mom—he took her on a date. You need to follow him. I need to get her out of that car!"
"What!" He exclaimed, stumbling over his words. "How am I supposed to do that, I don't even know what kind of car he drives! Beacon Hills may be small but not enough to find one car driving around!"
"Shit. Uh...uh..." I groaned and closed my eyes, chomping down on my lip as I tried to jog my memory of the night I found out Peter was the Alpha. He had dragged Derek and I on an awkward car ride to the school. "A Ford! A silver Ford!" It—it didn't have California plates!"
"Okay that narrows it down. On it."
☾☾☾
Time slowed. After what seemed like the longest fifteen minutes of my life, Stiles had called us back and picked us up after we ran a mile towards uptown Beacon Hills. Thankfully, Stiles found Peters car driving aimlessly on the roads. Stiles had dropped us off at the street corner before we continued on foot, watching in awe as he slowly pushed his Jeep into the back of Peters' car. Scott and I ducked down behind a parks car, peaking our heads out to watch the scene unfold.
"Are you kidding me? Stiles!" Mom screeched. I peaked my head out farther, watching the scene in front of me.
"Ms. McCall? Wow, this is just crazy what a coincidence." Stiles laughed. Mom choked on a sarcastic laugh and began to chastise Stiles.
"I don't know what happened! You guys just came out of no where!"
"Came out of nowhere? We were parked!"
"I think we should call the cops or something, isn't that necessary?" Stiles mused.
"I don't think that's necessary." Peter calmly spoke up, looking around the area in search for Scott and I.
"What's he saying?" I whispered to Scott who only shook his head in reply. Stiles and my mom continued to fight—my mom being the only one yelling while Stiles faked a neck injury. Scott leaned forward and began to breathe heavier. I placed a hand on his arm as his body tensed.
"Jackson." He gasped.
"Jackson?" I repeated.
"He's going to bite Jackson. They're going to turn Jackson." He stammered.
"Oh God." I whispered. "I-I've got this. You go get Jackson, the last thing we need is another cocky werewolf on our hands." I urged with a nod. And with that, Scott took off in a sprint. I stood up, wiping the dirt off of my jeans, and rushed over to the mini accident.
"Stiles? Mom?" I feigned my shock.
"Oh you've got to be freaking kidding me! Don't tell me you're in on this too, Hayley!" Mom cried.
"What? What happened?"
"Like you don't know." She laughed. "You're so grounded!"
"Hey, it's not my fault Stiles' is a bad driver!" I retorted.
"What are you even doing here then?" Mom asked, throwing her hands up.
"Melissa, it's okay. Kids will be kids." Peter smirked as he didn't take his eyes off me. "Isn't that right Hayley?" I squared my jaw, forcing myself to nod my head at Peter.