BTW I HIGHLY RECOMMEND LISTENING TO LIFE SUPPORT BY SAM SMITH WHILE U READ THE LAST PART OR THE ENTIRE CHAPTER REALLY OK
As expected, Liam was gone the next morning, but a voicemail from an unknown number was on her phone.
"Hey, Clarke, it's Scott McCall. Liam gave me your number. I just called to tell you that he said you'd come by sometime to go over the Beastiary to find out what you are, because you're obviously not human- okay, Kira, no need to hit me! Sorry if that was rude. Anyway, yeah. Text me or call me back."
She laughed at the interjection and texted him to confirm:
Hey, it's Clarke. When are you busy? I'm free all day today.
Sent 10:16am
He responded a few minutes later:
Can you get to the animal clinic in about an hour?
Sent 10:21am
She typed back a text of confirmation:
Sure :) see you there
Sent 10:22am
-
Her brother volunteered to drive her, under the impression that she was there to get a job. When they pulled up to the clinic, Alex looked at her with an unreadable expression.
"My baby sister is getting a job! You're so mature, oh my god." He laughed, pulling her into an awkward side-hug and rubbing his fist against the top of her head. Her face scrunched up in annoyance as she struggled to get out of his embrace. "You're not even three years older than me, asshole. I'll text you if I need a ride." She told him, exiting the pickup. A bell rang when she opened the clinic door; Scott came out of the back room, grinning at her. She followed him back into the exam room, and was surprised to see Liam there, along with the dark skinned man.
"Hello, Clarke." He said. "My name is Alan Deaton. I don't think I've ever properly introduced myself." He stuck his hand out and they shook.
"So, we know your eyes turn green, and you healed from that thermo-cut wire, right? Definitely not a werewolf." Scott announced to the three others. Deaton nodded. "I'm afraid we won't know what you are until you fully shift, and that only happens for the first time when you're either very angry or in pain. In some cases, you shift in fear, also." He explained, motioning for her to sit on the metal exam table. She hopped up with ease, unlike the last time she was there.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to find out what I am." She stated confidently. The older man smiled. "Good. So, let's start with anger first. What makes you really angry?"
She opened her mouth to reply, but Liam beat her to it: "Brett Talbot." Everyone in the room chuckled lightly. "Oh, that werewolf boy who had wolfsbane poisoning?" The vet asked. Clarke was stunned. Brett? A werewolf? Well, that explained why he was such a dick to her.
"What does he do that makes you mad?" Scott questioned; just thinking about Brett made her blood boil. It wasn't just that he had beaten Liam up and had been an overall asshole: he had taken advantage of her. She was only in eighth grade when he was a sophomore. He didn't try to force her into anything, thank god, but he exploited the fact that she was so young.
A sharp pain in her thighs brought her out of her thoughts. Her eyes burned, and when she looked down, she had grown talons that punctured the soft skin of her upper thighs, blood pooling and dripping a few inches below the hem of her shorts. She gasped, pulling her hands away from her legs.
"This is good!" Deaton exclaimed. "We need to keep going! Scott, do what we discussed." At the older man's words, the alpha crossed the room to Liam, grasping his arm, and swiftly snapping it.
Both Clarke and the beta yelled in pain, as she had felt it too, thanks to their bond. She felt like there suddenly wasn't enough space in her mouth; there were large fangs coming from her gums. Another shooting pain ran down her neck and back. It felt like things were sprouting along her spine, only to get caught in her shirt, causing more ache. She frantically motioned to her back, hoping someone would get the message to cut her freaking shirt open. Thankfully, Scott did, ripping the back of the fabric like it was tissue paper.
The pain was finally disappearing, and everyone in the exam room gaped at her like she was an alien. She searched for a mirror, settling for the warped, reflective surface of the exam table. In it, she saw herself, except with glowing green eyes, fangs, and feathers sticking out of her neck. She looked like a horrific chicken.
Turning to the others, she whispered, "What am I?"
-
Liam unzipped the hoodie he wore, handing it to Clarke in exchange for her ruined shirt as Deaton rifled through the Beastiary. Every few minutes, he would pause, reading a page, then continue flipping through. It had been a few minutes since she'd shifted back, and Liam's arm had healed.
Finally, the Druid and Scott found the right page. They turned to the two freshmen, book in hand. Deaton read from it:
"The Hibou Mort, whose name roughly translates to 'owl death prophet' was found for the first time in France, during the years 1170 AD to 1397 AD. Thought to be the cousin of both the banshee and the harpy, this creature has glowing green eyes, fangs similar to a werewolf, talons like a harpy or siren, and feathers on its back. The trait of this creature is passed down from mother to daughter, and it is never present in males; the family that was found to be Hibou Morts was the Stones, whose matriarch was Clara Stone. This creature is as closely related to an owl as a werewolf is to a wolf, and was thought to be a protector of a pack, although the packs they protect are never made completely of just werewolves, and they are at times referred to as a messenger of death."
Truth be told, it was a lot to take in. Clarke sat on the table, hand interlocked with Liam's, and listened to Deaton.
"Everything adds up except for the healing. It says nothing here about it. According to this passages you should be as vulnerable as I am. Tell me, Clarke, were you ever bitten? Because I can't think of any other explanation."
She shook her head. "The only thing I've ever been bitten by was a llama at a petting zoo when I was eight." Liam laughed loudly. "Yeah, I remember that day. Your dad took us to..." He trailed off, thinking. "Wait. What if your dad was something supernatural?" He asked. She frowned.
"I mean, I could check. You know, dig up some family history."
-
An hour later, she and Liam sat in her attic, surrounded by photo albums. Mr. Stone never liked to be in pictures; he always had preferred to be the one to take them.
The pair had been quiet for a while, each going through an album, when she chuckled. He stopped what he was doing, crawling over to where she was. Clarke was looking at a rare picture of her and her father from the day they moved into the house; she sat in his lap in their backyard, and his hand was shielding his eyes from the flash of the camera. But what she had laughed about hadn't been the focal point of the picture. It was the background: a young Liam ran stark naked around his respective backyard, behind her and her father.
"You were so little back then," He mumbled into her shoulder. She cracked a smile, turning towards him. Their faces were close- very close. She shakily inhaled as his eyes darted down to her lips once, twice. Biting her bottom lip slightly, she pulled away from Liam, focusing on the book in front of her.
"Um, there's really nothing in here that proves that my dad was anything but human. It's not like there would be, though." Her voice was quiet as she tried to lift some of the tension. She flipped the page in the album, prepared to do it again, when he stopped her. There was a photo of her, her brother, and her father from Christmas five years ago, one that actually had him looking at the camera and smiling. It was a nice picture, except for one thing: the flash lit both Alex and Mr. Stone's eyes a bright, golden-yellow, and Clarke's eyes were the same color they were when she shifted earlier.
"Clarke?" He whispered, voice cracking. She nodded. "I think your brother and dad are- were- werewolves." She shook her head in disbelief, sandy blonde ponytail swishing from side to side.
"That's not possible. Is it? I should've known. Why didn't I see this earlier? What the hell?" Her head was spinning; all of this was so freaking weird.
A new voice called up the attic stairs. "Clarke? I'm home early. Do you want some lunch?" Her mother peeked her head over the side of the entry. Surprised, she said, "Oh, hi, Liam. Nice to see you. It's been a while. Anyway, will you be staying for lunch?"
He shook his head as Clarke waved to her mom. "I should be going. Thank you, though, Mrs. Stone." He said, grabbing his phone and jacket from the floor and kissing the blonde girl on the forehead as he left. "See you later, C."
-
She was finishing her algebra homework that evening when her sight blurred. A second later, she was totally blind, before the vision started:
Liam and Kira were on the hospital roof. He was in werewolf-form, and she wielded a badass-looking sword. They fought a creature made of bone, which picked him up and threw him against the wall next to the doorway leading to the stairs; she could feel his fear.
Then, as soon as it started, the vision stopped, and she was left staring at her notebook. She quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number, holding it to her ear and waiting. Eventually, she got his voicemail, so she tried again. When he didn't answer, she texted him instead.
Hey, call me if you're okay.
Sent 8:19pm
Really worried... Call me asap please
Sent 8:24pm
Liam, just please be safe. Come back in one piece. I love you.
Sent 8:30pm
At that point, even she was unsure about what type of love she meant.
A text from Stiles came in, scaring the shit out of her:
Liams okay. He'll be home soon. I'm not gonna say don't worry because I know you're worrying. Just be gentle with him.
Sent 8:32pm
Clarke nearly cried with relief, although she wondered why the older boy texted her when her best friend didn't.
She watched his house from her window for the longest time until she saw the blue jeep pull up. As Liam got out, she ran down the stairs and out the front door (without grabbing shoes) and launched herself into his arms. He caught her without stumbling, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She used that moment to make sure he was okay before going into Mom-Mode. When he put her down, she started to yell.
"Liam Dunbar! I swear to god, you can't just not answer my texts and calls like that! I had this vision, and I was so worried and I love you so much. I love you so goddamn much that if you were hurt, I'd go out of my freaking mind, okay!" She paused to take a breath, but before she could start talking again, his lips pressed against her's. Unlike the last two times, this kiss wasn't awkward or one-sided. Their mouths moved together innocently, and her hands fisted the fabric of his sweatshirt. "I love you, too," He whispered, causing her to grin widely. A loud honk from the idling jeep broke them apart. Stiles hung out the window.
"Finally! Took you two long enough!" Clarke and Liam both stuck up their middle fingers at him, and the beta stole one last kiss before pulling her into his house.
"Use protection!" The spastic boy shouted.
-
The roles were reversed: normally, they'd be in her room and her head would be on his chest as she talked about her fears. Now, Clarke laid in his bed, playing with his hair as his head rested on her stomach. His eyes were closed, but his mouth moved.
"I'm so scared to turn off the lights, Clarke. I feel like if I do, if I'm alone, they'll come get me." He said, words partially muffled against her abdomen. She shut her eyes, too, and focused on tugging at the strands of his hair.
"Even if they come for you, which they won't, " she replied, "I'll protect you. Forever and always. I promise."
Word count without authors note: 2157
I LOVE THIS CHAPTER FOR SO MANY REASONS OH MY GOD
1) Clarke found out what she is!! Hibou mort means death owl in French (thank you, Google translate)
2) Clarke found out that her dad&bro were/are werewolves
3) Clarke realized that she loves Liam
4) CLIAM KISS
Basically it was a huge chapter of self discovery for her and I'm all about that self revelation
Anyway, pls vote&comment!!
-haley