10; Inhuman
If there was one thing that El wished for more than anything, it was to turn back the clock. Being a child had been the best years of her entire life for obvious reasons. She could remember waking up every morning and being so excited to go to school and see her friends. Granted she didn't have many of them, that was the least of her worries. She had Isaac and that's all that really mattered.
The only thing that really troubled a seven year old El was what color bow she was going to wear that day. It wasn't an exact rule but everyone knew you couldn't wear the same one two days in a row. If it wasn't that, it was making sure her mother packed everything into her Scooby Doo lunch box. God forbid her mom forgot to put in a snack pack or string cheese.
Things were slightly more complicated now. She used to dream of the day she could leave Eichen House, but lately it'd begun to feel like she'd never left. At least there she had Miranda, and the more she thought about it she realized how much she was beginning to miss her. El figured that's why she'd taken such an immediate liking to Kira. They were both so chatty and optimistic.
"The party last night was crazy." Kira exclaimed trying to strike up conversation after a moment of silence. El nodded her head while picking at her cafeteria food. She couldn't remember much about last night worth talking about. Other than a major headache and her new body art, all last night did was cause more trouble.
"Frankly, last night is a bit of a blur. I remember dancing- lots of dancing," she emphasized with a grin causing Kira to giggle. "And a little bit of alcohol. God knows exactly what I drank from that red cup. Then I heard..." El trailed off suddenly and the smile fell from her face, realizing what she was about to say.
She'd heard laughing. Distinct laughing above the roaring and pulsing music. How that was possible? It wasn't.
No one else heard it. That could only mean one thing. It had been the voices. She wasn't ready for Kira to know about that just yet, or ever.
"What'd you hear?"
El forced a smile. "The music. It was great. I've never had that much fun before."
Never once did El consider herself a good liar, she was actually terrible at it. It was hard to believe she'd kept her secret for this long. It was probably because it was a life or death matter. It could also be that Kira was not so great at detecting lies. She seemed like the gullible type.
"I know right! I had such an amazing time. I haven't really talked with Isaac much, but the others are really nice. Maybe you could introduce us. You two seem really close from what I've heard from Scott."
Of course she'd been paying attention out of politeness, but suddenly the conversation got a whole lot more interesting at the mention of Scott. It actually made her stomach twist with a new feeling just talking about him. Sometimes El wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
"You're friends with Scott?" El asked trying to seem casual. She pushed her plate of food away. She wasn't too hungry to begin with but she definitely would rather talk about Scott. The food was disgusting anyways.
Kira smiled shyly, and the blush in her cheeks didn't go unnoticed. "Yeah, he was the first person to make me feel welcome here. He's really nice, the nicest." she gushed and even El smiled.
She wanted to get to know him. He was the boy she'd thought about for years and all she'd ever known was his name. She wanted to know more. Hopefully that wasn't too creepy.
"And he mentioned me to you?" El continued pretending to be uninterested in her answer.
Kira nodded. "Mhm, he talked about you and Isaac. Apparently Isaac has said a lot about you to him."
El smiled fondly at the thought of her friend. It was safe to assume that they were back to being best friends.
"All good things." Kira reassured.
The conversation faded into a comfortable silence. When the bell rang the two girls went their separate ways. Kira promised to talk to El tomorrow and she hoped that meant sitting together at lunch again. She was looking forward to it.
She took her time going to her locker to retrieve her books. Between the strange looks, her need to sleep, and the growing thoughts of a certain boy, a small smile graced her lips.
Yesterday had been a nightmare, tomorrow would probably be worse, but today she would live.
The rest of the day went smoothly. She still received wary glances from her classmates but it was something she expected. Sooner or later there'd be new drama and they'd stop looking at her as if she were going to attack them at any moment. When the bell for eighth period rang she collected her things and shoved them into her bag.
Instead of heading to her last class of the day she decided to skip. If her mother expected her to get to her check up on time then it was something that had to be done. She wouldn't be happy about it but El was already grounded and didn't think there was anything more her mother could do to her.
The sun shone down brightly as she exited the building. She had to squint her eyes to be able to see. That was definitely going to be a problem. Plus the fact her mother had failed to give her directions to the hospital. Maybe if she hadn't taken her phone away she could have solved that problem but she was out of luck.
El walked across the parking lot after randomly choosing which way to go. What she didn't expect to see Kira crouching down in front of a motorcycle pulling out random parts. One thing was for sure, that motorcycle definitely wasn't hers. One of the twins, who she still didn't know the names of, had rode in on them this morning. Kira's smile widened as she held up a metal part in admiration. Slowly her eyes trailed to where El was standing on the sidewalk.
"Um... it's not what it looks like?" Kira offered.
"Well, it looks like you're sabotaging the twins bikes for some unknown reason." she replied with a smirk as El crossed her arms over her chest.
"Um..."
"Can I help?" El suggested uncertainly. Kira grinned. "You can help me with the other one!" she squealed, grabbing El's hand and pulling her down to the ground in front of the other motorcycle.
Neither knew exactly what they were doing but the piece they pulled out looked important. Just as they successfully tore the bike apart and reassembled it in the completely wrong way, the bell rang.
El looked back towards the building as people began to file out. She only meant to talk to Kira for a moment but ended up wasting 45 minutes destroying someone's property. The girls quickly grabbed their things with greasy hands and hurriedly walked away.
"Wow that was oddly exhilarating. We should do this again sometime." El laughed breathlessly. She looked around her making sure the coast was clear. "Well maybe minus the vandalism part."
They stared at each other in partial fear as the twins exited the school side by side and headed their way. All El could really pay attention to was the boy who was walking in front of them. The twins flanked Scott's side and unlike earlier he seemed smug rather than irritated to be near them. Her eyes trailed to the metal piece in her palm and slowly began to fit the pieces together, no pun intended. When they were suddenly passing right by her she fearfully hid her hand behind her back.
Scott watched in amusement as they tried to get their bikes to start up, but it was useless. Kira giggled maniacally but stopped when their piercing eyes landed on her. El took a subconscious step back as a deep rumble vibrated from their chests. One of the twins upper lip pulled back over his teeth as the motorcycle part fell from her hand to the floor with a thud.
It was then that Scott noticed her, in the path of the furious twins. He remembered the first time they'd messed with their bikes and it almost ended with him and Isaac getting torn apart by the monster alpha himself. He wasn't sure they would lash out because they were trying so hard to get into his pack, but as he grabbed El's hand and pulled her away, he wasn't about to find out.
Her breath caught in her throat as Scott gripped her hand firmly but at the same time gently in his. Little jolts of electricity vibrated through her fingers as they remained entwined with Scott's. The butterflies in her stomach exploded in a frenzy, but it was a feeling she could get used to. When they were safely away his hand hadn't let hers go yet. That didn't go unnoticed as Kira's gaze flicked from Scott's face to their entwined hands. "All good?" she asked.
A wide grin spread across El's face as she turned to see the twins watching them with scowls. "Yeah, I think so. They look angry," Scott looked over his shoulder and his signature goofy grin appeared. "Good. Now let's get out of here."
"I'll see you at your place later?" Kira questioned, eyes still focusing in on their interlocked fingers. It seemed so natural that neither El or Scott really paid attention to the fact they were still holding hands. He nodded, "later then."
She waved back to them as she walked to the car where he father was waiting patiently. Once she was gone, the two were left side by side, hand in hand. At the same time both their eyes trailed down to their mingled fingers. Awkwardly as ever they pulled away putting a space between them, mumbling apologies. "Um," Scott began, rubbing at the back of his neck. "hi."
Her cheeks burned. "Hi."
"I uh- I didn't mean to grab your -"
"It's okay." she cut him off before he could finish. He shouldn't apologize for something she enjoyed. Part of her just wanted him to hold her hand again, while the other was weary of the fact he was the muse of the voices.
"I've meant to talk to you all day." he admitted. Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"
"Yeah, Isaac was worried about you last night. You disappeared during the party and he was going crazy looking for you. Some people said they saw you leave with a guy and he went berserk. He's been trying to get a hold of you all day but you haven't been answering his calls."
The redness in her cheeks grew. Maybe he thought she'd left with a guy and did things she definitely didn't. El didn't want Scott thinking that, or anyone for that matter. "My brother picked me up." she rushed to say to clear his mind of any such thoughts about her. "You can tell Isaac that I'm alright. My mom grounded me and took my phone away so that's that."
His smile faltered, but deep down he was actually relieved. She'd left the party before things went bad. Telling Kira about the supernatural was hard enough. The last thing they needed was another person to worry about, especially considering El's circumstances.
"Oh thank sucks. I'll tell him that you're alright."
"Thanks."
Silence fell upon them. "Did you need to go somewhere?" he asked before it could get more awkward than it already was.
"Oh uh- I actually have to get to Beacon Memorial." she replied. "But I don't have any idea where that is."
Scott chuckled. "I think I can help you with that."
She figured he was about to write her down some directions but instead he placed a small helmet in her hands. Her eyebrows furrowed as she watched him place his helmet over his head and put one leg over his dirt bike. She couldn't see his eyes through the tinted shield but when his head motioned for her to get on, she willingly obliged. A jolt of excitement ran through her body as she placed the helmet over her head and heard the purring of the engine.
El was hesitant on where to put her hands. His shoulders? Would that be weird? She knew exactly where they were supposed to go, but her stomach flipped nervously at the thought. Her heart thudded loudly against her chest and hoped it was only her who could hear it.
Gently his hand pulled her arm around his waist and pressed it to his stomach. El did the same with the other, holding onto him tightly. Her fingers could feel the outline of his abs through his thin white t-shirt. Her inner girl squealed and did an odd happy dance she vowed never to do in public.
She was happy he couldn't see her otherwise she'd have to explain the stupid smile on her face.
A small gasp escaped her lips as they sped away from the curb. Subconsciously her arms tightened around him as the fear of falling off crept into her mind. She looked over her shoulder to see the twins trying to catch up with them on foot but they quickly disappeared from sight as they rounded the corner. It made her laugh and she didn't care about how insane it must have made her look.
All worries faded as adrenaline flooded into her system. Her arms slowly unwrapped from around Scott's waist and raised into the air above her head. The wind blew past her and threatened to throw her off balance, but she felt a new feeling of exhilaration surge through her. All the mundane worries of her life had been muted and all there was to know about was this moment. No worrying about the past, no anxiety about the future, just now.
Scott stole glances over his shoulder. A sort of satisfaction settled inside him hearing El's addicting laughter fill his ears. He had to shake his head from all the distracting thoughts to focus on the traffic around them.
All too soon, Scott slowed into the hospitals parking lot and braked in front of the entrance. Clumsily El swung her leg over and got off the back of Scott's bike trying to hide her embarrassment from almost falling off. She unclipped the helmet and sighed when a strand of her got tangled in it somewhere. There was no denying her humiliation as she huffed and gave up trying to detach herself from the helmet.
Scott took off his own with ease and just looked up at her with his lop-sided smile. "Need a little help?"
She nodded in embarrassment as she covered her face with her hand. "Surprisingly you're not the first person this has happened to." he admitted trying to lighten the mood. Your eyebrow quirked in confusion. Scott gaped as he realized what he said.
"Not that I've had a lot of girls riding me- I mean with me... on my bike." he rambled only making the situation more awkward. Finally he managed to untangle her hair and they stepped away putting a large space between them. El let the new information settle. Of course she wasn't the only girl to ride with him on his motorcycle. What did she expect? He was just being nice to her after all, nothing more than a generous offer so she wouldn't have to take the long walk over here.
El looked around trying to think of something to say. "Well I guess I should go." she trailed off brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Thanks for the ride Scott."
"Hey, wait." His hand wrapped around her arm spinning her back around to face him. He hadn't meant to make her lose her balance, but it worked out pretty alright as she fell into his arms. El's hands pressed against his chest trying to regain her footing. Her cheeks flushed as she looked up at him. "I'm- I'm sorry." he apologized but the guy in him wasn't sorry at all.
"It's okay." she repeated for the second time today with him. "What uh- what did you need?"
"This," he closed the space between them. His fingers gently brushed away her hair to reveal the backwards five behind her ear. "Where did you get it?" he asked softly. She tried reading his expression but his face had cleared of all visible emotion.
She tried desperately to control her breathing but that was almost impossible with him mere centimeter away. She could feel his breath fanning against her cheek and his intoxicating cologne clouded her mind. "Last night." was all she managed to say without possibly fainting at his feet.
His fingertip traced the symbol familiarizing himself with the design. She hissed in pain and he immediately pulled back, snapping out of his daze. "I'm sorry, El. "
Before she could tell him it was okay, again, he had gone. It took a few moments for her to collect herself as she stared in the direction he had left in. With a sigh she turned and walked into the busy building. Doctors and nurses in scrubs and white coats hurried around trying to get where they had to quickly and she had been pushed at least three times before she reached the front desk.
As she glanced up at the clock she was true to her word. She was 10 minutes early.
"Hi, I'm here for a check up." El said failing to grasp the attention of the lady sitting behind the counter. "Uh- excuse me?" she tried again, but nothing. The woman continued to talk on the phone as if El weren't there at all. "Hello?"
This time it worked as the older woman looked up with a less than pleased look on her face. "Excuse me young lady, but can't you see that I'm on the phone? When I'm done-"
"Hey Helen, I got this one." A voice behind her interrupted. Helen gave her the stink eye before returning to her conversation. She faintly heard her mumble something close to damn teenagers under her breath. El turned to greet the person who saved her from being yelled at, but her breath caught in her throat. It was like she was seeing doubles and she had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
Right in front of her, was the older, female version of Scott McCall.
She looked down at the manila folder in her hands."You're Eleanor Rose Paxton, right?" El nodded unable to get any words out.
The woman smiled. "Great. My name is Melissa McCall and I'll be your nurse until you don't need to attend these med-checks anymore."
Confirming her earlier thoughts, her gut filled with nerves. Her nurse was Scott's mother, unless she was his sister which she seriously doubted. It was almost poetic justice. It was only right that the mother of the person who's name was repeated by voices in her head would be the person who she would spend an hour or more with every week. It was just as confusing as it sounded, but at the same time it made complete sense.
"Follow me." El nodded and walked after Mrs. McCall obediently. They walked down the hectic hallways passing dozens of rooms filled with patients.
One door was open and El happened to peer in. She was surprised to see Stiles fast asleep in the hospital bed. She praised herself for remembering his name, it was because it was cool. She hoped he was okay.
She caught up with Mrs. McCall and continued to follow her until she turned into a small room and El followed in after her. She happened to read the room number beside the door and it was enough to make her want to bang her head against the wall.
Rm. 55
Unfortunately, if she wanted to prove to people that she wasn't insane, she would have to hold back on that until she got home. These coincidences were becoming too regular.
"You can take a seat." Melissa said and El obligingly took a seat on the love seat less than two feet away from her.
"Okay, so during your med-checks I'll ask you some simple questions to get us started. Is that alright?"
"Yes ma'am." she said remembering her mother's rule about saying ma'am and sir. She raised children, not animals, her mother would say. Funny thing was that El raised herself for most her life.
"Fantastic! I have to say I'm scarcely close to being a psychiatrist, so bare with me El."
"Do you mind if I call you that?" she asked quickly and El grinned feeling herself becoming more at ease. "That's perfect, Mrs.McCall."
Melissa waved her off. "Mrs. McCall would mean I'm still married to my ex-husband. Call me Melissa."
El nodded her head with a smile. "Okay, Melissa."
"Lets begin, shall we?" she said uncapping her pen. "How long has it been since you've been released from Eichen House?"
"Six days." El replied immediately. She'd been keeping count of the days she'd been out of that hell hole.
"Have you been taking any medication?"
"Well none that's prescribed. I've been taking ibuprofen for headaches." she responded truthfully. She didn't want to find out what would happen if she lied and they found out. Being sent back to Eichen House was her greatest fear and she'd do anything to prevent going back.
Melissa scribbled down notes onto her notepad. "Have you been experiencing any symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, anxiety, impulsive behavior?" For someone who had the intellect of an 11 year old, she was familiar with all those words. They were questions she had been asked everyday for nine years.
"No, none." It was mostly the truth. Irritability, insomnia, anxiety, and impulsive behavior were all symptoms of being a teenager in high school.
"What about hallucinations, vivid dreaming... hearing voices?"
El was prepared to say no, but the last two words hit a chord. Of course Melissa had taken a look at her files. She was her nurse. It was her job to know why she was having these med-checks in the first place. It made her stomach crawl. Melissa seemed nice enough and El didn't want her thinking she was a basket case. More importantly she didn't want her to go tell Scott all these things. El prayed she was one of those nurses who believe in doctor-patient confidentiality.
Melissa waited patiently for her answer and El hoped she hadn't taken too long to reply without seeming suspicious.
"No." she mustered herself up to say without her voice shaking.
Liar
Her mouth shut as Melissa asked more questions. From then on all she could bring herself to do was shake her head yes and no. It was possibly the longest hour of her entire life, and time creeped by at a nail like pace.
When the hand hit the hour she could leave at, El was out the door faster than Melissa could keep up with her. She was trying to seem like a normal teenage girl, but she'd definitely left the wrong impression. Melissa could tell apart normal and different better than most people and she was sure in which category El belonged to.
"Hey kiddo, how'd it go?" Joey asked as she ran into the parking lot, quickly spotting his jeep.
He didn't receive an answer as she burst into tears.
Scott rushed home trying to get there before the sun set. He was going way above the speed limit but this was a life or death matter. The demons only came at night and seemed to only attack supernatural beings. They'd gotten to almost everyone, except him and Kira.
He wasn't about to let himself become victim to whatever they were after and he definitely wasn't going to let them hurt Kira.
That wasn't the only thing that was nagging at him. Everyone who had been attacked was branded behind the ear with a backwards five.
Isaac, Derek, Ethan, Lydia, Aiden, and one more.
El.
If the demons were going after supernatural creatures that could only mean one thing. She wasn't human.
[Authors Note]
I do hope you all liked this chapter because I worked kind of, sort of hard on it. Hopefully I succeeded in making it somewhat interesting.
Thanks for reading! Please do not hesitate to comment. I love reading what you all think! The hell with voting, just comment because that's truly all I care about.