"Come on, Addy. We're already late!" Brayden yelled from the bottom of the stairs. The bonfire had already started, and the two Ryders were going to be even later because Addy couldn't decide what pants to wear.
She finally decided to match her lacrosse jersey that her brother told her to wear with a pair of black skinny jeans that had rips on them. Her hair was straightened for once, and she actually took the time to put some makeup around her eyes.
Addy did one last look over in the mirror and grabbed her combat boots by the door. Brayden was dressed similarly to her – black jeans and converse, and his lacrosse jersey was loose on him too.
"Are you wearing makeup?" It was the first thing he asked as she closed the door to his car. He turned in his seat and gave her a once over; she was definitely wearing makeup.
"I do wear makeup sometimes, ya know?"
"Yeah, only when Mom makes you," Brayden snapped back. If there was one thing the two shared in common it was their sass. Luke had the pleasure of witnessing the argument they had. It was unbelievable how the two could come up with something witty so fast. He had a pretty good laugh, particularly when Addy had won.
"Is it a boy? That Liam kid?" her brother continued on. Addy stayed silent. "Addy, look: I'm okay with you going out with people, but just be careful around him, okay? You're too young to have your first heartbreak."
"I trust him, you know? He makes me happy. I just-I really like him, Bray," Addy said. The car hadn't been started yet, and she was starting to get cold. The sky was dark, making the cool air even colder. It would be warm at the bonfire, with all the bodies and the actual fire itself.
"If you trust him, then I can trust him slightly more than the little-itty bit amount I do now." Brayden held up his two fingers very closely together to show the little amount of trust he held for the freshman. Addy smacked his hand away and laughed.
"Just drive."
The party had well started. People were already starting to get drunk around the siblings as they walked through the crowd. Luke trailed behind the Ryders, his eyes searching the mass of students.
"God, can this place get any more crazier?" Addy muttered. As soon as the words passed her lips, the music got louder and the cheers started up. Maybe Liam was right and they should have stayed home. Movies and popcorn sounded great right about now.
Addy searched the crowd for Liam. They hadn't talked about what happened on the lacrosse field that morning. She didn't want to discuss 'what they were' because she liked how it was. She liked being best friends with him, and she liked kissing him. It was playful.
"Go find your boyfriend," Brayden said. He took a sip of the bottle of liquor he held and passed it to Luke. They always shared their drinks. Addy often made fun of them and asked if they liked swapping spit.
"Oh, did you finally make a move on him?" Luke asked, nudging her side.
"He's not my boyfriend," Addy snapped. She took the bottle and had a swig before passing it back to the boys. She did a little wave as she walked off, nearly bumping into a couple that were getting a little too handsy. Addy spotted Liam chugging down a bottle. He was talking to Mason, and if she had werewolf hearing, she could have heard the conversation. It became clearer as she got closer.
"Why?" Liam chuckled. His best friend just told him to get completely wasted. He was worried about Addy, mainly because she hadn't showed up yet, and she was the whole reason he finally decided to go.
"Oh, hey Addy." Mason waved as she got closer. Addy smiled and waved back. She sat down next to Liam on the picnic table. He held two bottles in his hand, one filled with alcohol and the other an empty pop bottle.
Mason put his focus back on his friend when Addy grabbed his bottle of liquor. She drank the last little bit in the bottle. "Maybe then when I ask you what's going on, you'll be too drunk to lie. I'm not asking because I want to know. I'm asking because I want to help."
Liam looked down at his friend. He wanted to tell him what was going on, but it was safer if he didn't know. Mason didn't need to be dragged into the supernatural world like Liam was. It was the same with Addy and Brayden. She didn't need her brother to worry about her.
"I'm going to get another drink. Yeah, I'm getting drunk."
Addy frowned at her friend. She had never been drunk. She had tried, multiple times actually. The only thing she felt was the burning of tequila down her throat. It had to do with the healing. There was no other plausible reason. It was frustrating, being drunk was a huge part of American teenage culture and she never got to partake in it.
Liam stumbled over as soon as he started walking. Addy quickly caught him before he could fall. There was no way he was this drunk yet, if he could even get drunk. Addy scanned the crowd, and met eyes with Scott. Malia seemed to be in the same boat as she stumbled. Walking over, Scott sat her down on the bench next to Liam.
The alpha disappeared again for a minute and returned with a bottle of water. He passed it to the werecoyote, and bent down next to Liam. "How much has he had to drink?"
"Not enough to get him like this," Mason answered. Liam's head lolled to the side. He felt like shit, and if that was what being drunk felt like, he didn't like it. Addy held his hand. She felt perfectly fine.
"Something's happening. We need to get them out of here. I think we're gonna have to, um..." Scott trailed off. He stumbled back, and looked at his hand weird. Was he drunk?
"How much did you drink?"
"Nothing. Not even a sip."
There was something going on, something that affected supernatural creatures, except Addy was fine. She felt a little nervous. The alpha wasn't doing well, and that was reason enough to be nervous. He leaned down on the table next to Addy, and squinted his eyes for them to go back into focus.
"It's not the drinks. It's the music." Addy looked over at the DJ. He looked like an average guy, but most of the people who tried to kill her looked normal mostly. "I have to-I have to turn off the music. Don't let them out of your sight."
"Scott, wait!" Addy rushed over to him. "You know that this is probably assassins, and that they are trying to kill you, right?'
"That's why you have to stay with them. You're the only one not affected," Scott mumbled. He was having trouble standing up straight. "Protect Liam."
He gave her a little push back towards his beta. She watched Scott beside Mason, who didn't have a clue what was going on. Everyone seemed fine except for the three. One of the security guards that had been hanging around latched onto her arm.
"Hey, what are you doing? Those are my friends."
"Your friends are overly intoxicated. They need to be escorted out."
"Get your meaty hands off of me. I'm not drunk, and we'll go with them. There's no need for your help." Addy tried to struggle out of their grip. She knew these weren't security, and that they needed to get away as soon as they could.
"We've been told that you're carrying drugs. If you don't cooperate, we'll need to take you down the station." The grip on her arm tightened, and she held back a wince. There was no chance she was going to show weakness.
"Hey," Mason interrupted. "She doesn't have any drugs. Now, let my friends go." The guard holding her shoved a hand into Mason's chest and sent him to the ground. Addy dug her heels into the dirt, and wiggled, attempting to get free. As soon as they were out of sight from the crowd of teenagers, a fist connected with her temple.
Restraints were put around her wrists and legs so she couldn't move. Finally, her vision came back to normal. They were in the school. Liam and Malia were laying side by side, completely out of it. Scott was slouched beside her, dazed as well. How the hell were they going to get out of this? They couldn't fight back, and they were outnumbered. The one man stood in front of them, a red container in his hand.
"What is that? What are you doing?" Addy panicked.
"It's gasoline. Haigh says we gotta burn you." The lid of the bottle toppled on the floor. Within seconds, the four of them were covered in gasoline. Addy felt disgusted and violated. She knew that she couldn't get affected by her own flame, but that didn't mean that being lit on fire wouldn't hurt. She was terrified. If there was any way that she didn't want to die, it was this.
Being burned to death in school.
Addy yanked at the ties around her wrists. She tried doing what she did when Garrett held her captive. She focused on Liam: on saving him, on melting through the zip ties. If she could do it to chains, she was sure that she could do it to a little piece of plastic.
Her body started getting warmer and warmer. She wasn't going to let her friends die, and she wasn't going to let some person kill her for money. With a satisfying snap, Addy ripped the zip ties of her wrists. An angered look was plastered on her face as she stood up. The few security guards pulled their guns out of their holsters and pointed them at her.
The brave ones remained close as her skin lit up in flames, they were the ones to go out first. Everything was a blur again. Scott watched in amazement as Addy fought off the security guys. His vison was blurry, but the music had suddenly stopped. His red alpha eyes glowed. Addy fought with speed. Her body had burned bright, and the gasoline that covered her skin made it hard to even tell if there was actually a human in the ball of fire.
Scott crawled back. He was still covered in gas, and if Addy walked anywhere near him, he was going to be done for. He could see what Liam meant about her having a sword and shield. They worked like real weapons, and although she could have, Addy didn't kill any of them. They were all knocked unconscious.
Derek and Braeden walked in. The two stopped at the door to see Addy. They could feel the heat coming off of the girl. When the last guy was down, Addy stood. She was still surrounded by the fire, but the weapon was gone. She slumped against the wall, and somehow, the flame didn't set the building on fire. Luckily, she wasn't close to the gasoline.
The six of them didn't say a word. They all looked at Addison.
"Addy, however you're doing that, you need to stop." Scott stood up from his spot. He got as close as he could without touching the fire.
"I can't. I-I don't know how."
"Addy." Liam stood up. He stayed farther back than Scott did. He was scared to be caught on fire. Even with werewolf healing, he was terrified to go near her. If he hand't been covered in gas, he wouldn't be nearly as hesitant to go up to her. She helped him when he wolfed out, it was only fair that he tried to do the same. "Just focus on anything. Focus on my voice."
She looked up at him. Liam tried to put on a strong face, but Addy could see right through it. He was scared; she didn't know whether it was of her, or that someone was really close to killing him, or just in general. She was scared that he was scared of her, and the flame, which grew again at the thought.
"Addy! Addy, come on. You can do it. Just focus, okay?"
"I can't! I can't focus on anything!" she shouted. She was freaking out. How the hell was she alive? Fire was literally covering every bit of her skin.
"Addy, what three things cannot be long hidden?" Scott tried. He knew the 'alpha beta omega' mantra wasn't going to work; she wasn't a werewolf. She had never heard that before, and was beyond confused. Almost everything could be hidden if you try hard enough. A lot of things, like herself. She's kept the secret for three years now.
"I don't know? Why the hell would I know?" Addy freaked out even more. They weren't helping her, the multiple voices that told her to calm down only worsened the anxiety she felt. How was she supposed to calm down with people yelling at her and a giant ball of fire engulfing her whole body.
"I don't think you're helping, Scott," Derek said. He took a step back. She was getting really hot.
"Addy, focus, okay?" Liam soothed. If anyone had a chance to calm her down, it was him. "Okay, just listen, listen to my voice, listen to anything."
"The sun, the moon, the truth. Addy, focus."
Addy tried focusing on trying to stop. She tried listening to Liam's voice. She tried repeating the phrase, but it only made her head hurt. She never focused that hard in her life before. Nothing was working. She went to her last resort.
She punched the cement wall over and over again. She punched until her knuckles were bleeding. The skin was torn, and you could almost see the bone. She wasn't going to stop until she was back to normal, no matter how much it hurt her.
"Pain makes you human," she breathed out. The flame died out, and she was left sitting there, panting and wincing. The skin started healing, and the pain faded as Scott grabbed her hand. Black veins went up his arm as he took her pain. She ripped her hand away from him, she didn't deserve to have her pain taken.
Her clothes were fine, and so was her skin. There was nothing wrong with her. It was like she wasn't even covered in gasoline. It had probably burned off. She was dry, and her hair was back to its curly mess.
Liam took a step forward. He wanted to hug her, but she backed off. He was still covered in gas, and she didn't want the same thing to happen. "Addy–" Liam tried to talk to her but he was cut off.
"I don't want to hurt you, any of you. I don't know what the hell is happening, and I don't know how the hell to control whatever this is. What's happening to me?" Addy panicked. Her voice was raising with every sentence, and she backed up until she bumped into someone. Derek held her shoulders in a comforting matter. Braeden, the girl she had never met, stood beside her.
"It's okay, Addy. We're going to figure this out, and we're help you through this," Scott said. He promised that he was going to help her, and he wasn't going to stop until they figured it out.
"No, no. I don't want to hurt any of you. Just, I just need to-to..." She didn't even know what she needed to do.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She was on the verge of breaking down, crying until she couldn't breathe. It didn't happen often, but when it did, Brayden was always there. He comforted her, lingered around until she felt better. But now, she had Liam, and Scott, Stiles, Derek even.
The alpha pulled her into a hug. She cried into his shoulder. "It's okay, it's okay. I'll take you back to my place, okay? Then I'll come back and get Liam."
"We can give her a ride," Derek piped up. They had drove the car there rather than them both fitting on Braeden's motorcycle. Scott nodded. It was going to be easier if they did that.
Addy didn't look up at Liam. She passed right by and followed the two older people. He was hurt, but there wasn't anything he could really do. Addy just needed time to figure herself out.
She sat quietly in the backseat of Derek's car. The music was low, and no one talked. She sent a text to her brother that she left early, and that she stopped by at Scott's to get pizza with a few friends. "I'm Braeden, by the way," the girl spoke up.
"That's my brother's name," Addy muttered. She didn't feel like talking to anyone, especially someone she didn't know.
"Scott's right, you know," Derek spoke. He kept his eyes on the road, along with Braeden. Scott's house wasn't a far drive, so he really had to talk fast. "We're going to help you. Help you control this. We're going to protect you through this whole deadpool thing."
"How can you help me control it if we don't even know what it is?" Addy sighed. She was frustrated with everything.
"We will. We'll protect you, at least. We'll help. You don't have to worry, Ads," Derek promised. He glanced back at her. She was looking out the window, her head slouched against her hand. They arrived at Scott's house. He was there before them; the dirt bike got through traffic a lot quicker.
"Thanks for the ride," Addy muttered as she closed the door. Scott's front door was unlocked. Inside, Liam was sitting on the couch. He didn't look up when the door opened. He heard Addy outside. "Hey."
Liam didn't reply. Addy grabbed his hand, which he didn't refuse. He never refused holding her hand. He loved that they always held hands. It's been like that from the very beginning. It felt like so long ago that Addy held his hand at the hospital. It had only been a couple of weeks, but they've grown together so well.
"I don't want to hurt you."
"You're not going to hurt me!" Liam whisper-shouted. "I heal .You won't hurt me."
"Liam, it's going to do more than hurt you if I burn you! Did you not see what happened? You're covered in gasoline, one little spark and you're gone. "
She was so scared of hurting the people around her. It was so new to her. She's never had to worry about hurting people, not like this anyway. Why would she start getting these weird powers now? And why would her eyes only start glowing when she turned twelve? What was so special about that age? As far as she knew, it was some sort of freak accident that just happened out of the blue.
She was never so emotional before. But along with that, now her skin would even catch fire. Sure, she had her days, but she spent them alone. Her minimal family knew to leave her alone unless she wanted to be talked to. It made her wonder if they knew about her, if they were the same. But they weren't on the deadpool, so they couldn't be like her, right?
"I saw! I saw you, and I saw how scared you were. I saw how terrified you were about hurting anyone." Liam stood up. He ran a hand through his hair. The gasoline still lingered on his skin. "I know how you fast your heart is beating right now."
Addy was up on her feet. Liam had his hands on her hips. Addy moved her hand to his chest, right over his heart. She could feel how fast it was beating. The calm thumping that normally was there was taken by the erratic beat that had over taken it.
"Now I know how fast yours is beating." She tilted her head up slightly. Their noses brushed slightly. Liam couldn't take it anymore; he moved an inch closer so their lips touched. It was slow, the opposite of their heartbeats. The kiss was short, but they still stood together, her head buried in Liam's neck. Her short breaths tickled his skin.
Scott stomped down the stairs, two helmets in hand. The teens jumped apart, but they had been caught. Scott just smiled at them. "Kira found Brett. They're fine, but we've got to go."
"More assassins?" Liam asked.
"Maybe a lot more."
"Different from the ones who just tried to set us on fire?"
"I think so, yeah." Scott opened the door. He stopped once he realized the two weren't following him. Liam looked down at the helmet in his hand. He wanted to help, but he couldn't. He couldn't do this kind of thing like they did. He set the red helmet down on the table. Scott closed the door and walked over to them. "How about I take you guys home?"
"We're not like you," Addy spoke.
"Not yet," Scott said. He was going to help them. And they were going to help each other.
"I don't mean I'm not strong, or I'm never going to learn how to be in control. I mean everything else. You and your friends try to protect everyone. Have you been doing this the whole time? I mean, how are you all still alive?" Liam explained.
"Not all of us are," Scott said. Allison, Aiden, Erica, Boyd, everyone else he couldn't save: there were so many people that had died when if he tried just a little bit harder, most of them would still be here. He blamed himself for it all the time.
"Let me at least take you home." Liam nodded and grabbed the helmet, his head held low. "I'll be back for you, okay?"
Addy nodded. She helped herself to a granola bar in the cupboard and sat down on the couch. The house was completely silent, making it eerie. She pulled out her phone. Brayden hadn't answered her text, he hadn't even read it yet. As far as he knew, she was still at the bonfire.
She needed to tell him. She needed to tell him about everything. But she couldn't. Her brain was screaming at her to not tell Brayden about the supernatural world, yet at the same time, it was telling her that it would be okay. What scared Addy the most was that her brother would look at her like a freak, that he would be scared of her.
She never wanted to see her brother scared of her. Addy loved the relationship they had, and she never wanted to lose that. Telling him, it, well, it might just do exactly that.
Addy wanted to help the people around her. If Scott and his friends were going to protect her, the least she could do was help protect others. It was stupid, really. She could barely take care of herself, but if she could be of any help whatsoever, then she was in.
She would help Scott McCall and his pack.
Scott came back twenty minutes later. He tossed the helmet to Addy, which she easily caught. "Scott."
"I'll take you home, or even to Liam's again if you want." He ignored her altogether as he hopped on his dirt bike. He needed to get to Kira and the others as soon as possible. They needed his help, they trusted him enough to keep them safe.
"Scott." He finally looked towards Addy. She played around with the red helmet in her hands. "I-I want to help. I really do."
"Ads, if you think you owe me, and feel guilty about helping, you shouldn't. I understand if you really don't want to help. It's scary. I get it," Scott assured. He remembered when he was first getting the hang of it all and he was terrified to step out of his comfort zone and help those in need.
"No, it's not that. I want to be like you. I want to help others. I just need some help to figure out how I can do that," Addy explained.
"I can do that. But Addison," it was the first time he ever called her by her full name. She knew that he was being serious, which scared her even more. It was a dangerous world out there and she needed to know exactly what she was getting herself into. "You know that once you're in, it's hard to get out, right?"
"I know. But I'm ready to help."
There was a proud look on his face as she shoved on the helmet. Scott drove them to vet clinic. Kira met them at the door. Well, met Scott at the door. As soon as they were close, he was pulled into a kiss, a very passionate kiss that Addy didn't want to see. She cleared her throat, and they pulled away, blushing.
"Is your mom...?"
"She's okay. Healing," Kira nodded. Addy ignored the rest of their conversation. It felt like a private one that she really shouldn't interrupt. Instead, she checked her phone again. Brayden had replied with the thumbs up emoji. Her priority was always him, it always would be - even over herself.
"You coming Addy?" Scott jerked his head to the side. She nodded and shoved her phone in her back pocket.
"Satomi, this is who I was telling you about." An older woman, her head cloaked with a hood, turned around and faced the three. "And this is Addy, Addison Ryder."
"I know who Scott McCall is." She smiled as she said that. Addy felt like she could instantly trust this lady, even though they had never met before. "As for you, Addison, it is nice to meet you. I've heard about you before, and what you can do."
"Are we safe here?" A younger girl spoke up. She was probably around twelve. Addy internally thanked her. She didn't want Satomi to embarrass her. She seemed to know everything.
Scott looked around the room. There were more people here than he had thought, and if they were going to protect them – protect each other – they were going to need some manpower. "We're going to need some help. A lot of help."
^^^^
Word count: 4472
March 25, 2016
Ten clover field lane started off really good then just kinda went down hill.