Stiles POV
The next morning, I'm packing up the car with mine and Dad's stuff. It's lucky that he left the keys in his room yesterday. Once I'm done, I close the boot and walk to the front of the house. Everyone else is already there. "Thank you for an awesome weekend, Lydia." I tell the girl who rented the house out in the first place. Lydia grins at me.
"You're welcome. I'm glad you could come." She replies.
"Did you enjoy yourself, sourwolf?" I ask Derek teasingly. I hear Scott and Isaac laugh quietly behind me. Derek rolls his eyes. "Yes. I did have a good time, you hyperactive spaz." He answers me, smirking at the new nickname he has given me. "Is that going to stick?" I groan.
"Hmm, let me think about it. Yes, it's going to stick." Derek says smugly. I shake my head at him.
"It's been nice for us all to hang out, not worrying about any supernatural problems." Malia admits.
"Yeah, it's a nice change." Kira grins.
"Liam, you screamed so loudly when that crab bit your toe!" Isaac laughs as he recalls a memory. I guess I was too lost in my thoughts to hear Liam scream. It must've been funny though. I look over to see Liam's cheeks burning red. "What? It hurt! I didn't know what it was! What if it was something dangerous?" He tries to defend himself, but fails miserably. "Dude, only a few sea creatures are dangerous, and those ones are found nowhere around here." I point out with a smirk. Liam looks at me, wide eyed, his expression asking why I would say that. I shrug my shoulders in response. "What about when Scott was pulled under by a rip current? I think he was almost scared." Kira adds. Wow, I guess I missed out on a lot. "Hey, those things are dangerous." Scott says defiantly.
"Even more than werewolves?" Lydia asks, raising an eyebrow.
"They can pull us under, yes. We can also drown as easily as anyone else too." Scott answers Lydia. This is quite hilarious. These guys are not so confident when it comes to the ocean. I'd love to show them a thing or two. "I didn't think you were afraid of the water?" I look at Scott with curiosity.
"I'm not. I just don't want to be pulled under and drown, that's all. It's a big ocean out there." Scott reasons with me. He's got a fair point. "I'm surprised Derek went in the water, but Stiles didn't." Isaac comments. This pulls me out of my happy mood and into a more serious one. "Yeah, you missed out on heaps of fun, Stiles." Malia pipes up.
"I just didn't feel like going in this time. Although, now I wish I did, since it seems like I missed out on a lot." I answer as casually as I can. "There's always next time." Scott comforts me. Yeah, I don't think so buddy.
"I know, it's fine. I had a good time reading my book anyway." I reply.
"Oh, right, that reminds me. That was a nice flip yesterday! I didn't know you could do that." Liam compliments me.
"Thanks Liam. I honestly didn't think I could pull it off, but I thought I should just give it a go." I grin.
"Wait, what? What did I miss?" Lydia asks, eyes widening with curiosity.
"Stiles jumped off a boulder yesterday and did a front flip, landing on his feet." Liam answers.
"Guys, it really isn't a big deal." I tell them.
"Yeah, it is! You're usually so clumsy and human, so for you to perform it that perfectly and effortlessly, it kind of is a big deal." Isaac says. Suddenly, my smile completely fades away. It sounds like they think I'm weak, totally defenceless and can't hold my own ground. Everyone falls silent, realizing what Isaac has just said could've hurt me. Isaac looks at me with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry Stiles, I didn't mean for it to come out that way..." He tries to apologize. I stop him before he babbles on any longer. "It's fine, Isaac, I understand." I say in a tired voice. I'm not going to hold it against him or anyone else, but it does hurt a little to know that they probably think I'm weak, but at least the pack care about me enough to protect me. Isaac takes a step closer to me. "I really am sorry. I wasn't thinking." He tries again.
"Isaac, you don't need to apologize. It's fine, I told you." I tell him. Isaac nods and steps away again. I look around at the others. I notice that Scott is gazing at my necklace. Maybe one day I'll be able to tell them. One day. "Once again, thank you for an awesome weekend Lydia. Maybe we can do it again sometime. I've got to get home now, I'll talk to you all later." I exclaim before I start walking away from the pack. I make my way over to Dad's car. I unlock the door and jump in. Once I close the door, I put the keys in the ignition and start the car. Within 30 seconds, I'm driving away from the beach house, leaving more behind than I originally thought I would.
~~~
Later that day, I walk into the animal clinic confidently. I am looking forward to this. I wait at the front desk for Deaton to appear. I tap the little bell on the counter. A few seconds later, Deaton appears from one of the back rooms. "You ready?" He asks me. I nod eagerly. He gestures for me to follow him into the back room, so I do. I notice that he's got a dozen of old looking books spread out on the metal table. I turn back around to Deaton. "So, what's happening?" I ask. Deaton steps forward. "Well, first of all, let's talk about what powers that you have and will learn to use." He begins. I nod, urging Deaton to continue. "You have the powers of telekinesis, invisibility, manipulating bodies of water to your will, controlling the weather, creating ice, creating storms, and sharing memories or images with others. Along with most other supernatural creatures, you also have a fast healing ability. However, it works a little differently to other fast healing abilities. You have to be in water for it. That's the source of your healing." Deaton explains. My mouth drops open in shock.
"Woah, that's a lot." Is all I can say. Deaton chuckles.
"There's still one more." He says.
"More?" I ask, wide eyed. Deaton nods.
"Your voice. It can be extremely powerful, if you know how to use it."
"Deaton, I don't think being able to persuade people easily really counts-"
"No, that's not what I mean. It's a lot more than that." Deaton cuts me off.
"Then what do you mean?" I ask with curiosity.
"If you know how to use your voice, you can use it to break people free from all sorts of spells." He explains.
"How does that work?" I question Deaton.
"I'm not sure, but it does. It could be something to do with high and low frequencies." Deaton shrugs.
"And you can teach me all of this stuff?" I ask, barely able to believe it.
"I'm pretty sure, yes." Deaton responds. I can't help but grin in excitement.
"Where do we start?" I ask.
"Let's start with the most basic thing: changing the color of your eyes." Deaton tells me. I nod slowly. I try to think about how Scott and the others do it. Unfortunately, they've never told me how they actually do it. "Concentrate on your essence, let yourself be consumed by it." Deaton offers.
"My what?" I raise my eyebrows.
"Your essence. Your soul or spirit. It makes you who you are. Let the merman side of you take over, allow the magic to flow through you." Deaton explains. I nod my head slowly in understanding. I close my eyes, and let my arms relax by my side. I focus on my centre of gravity. I place an even amount of weight on both feet. Then, I try to think of my 'essence' as a ball of energy inside of me. I picture it growing, consuming me. I also think about the ocean, the water being a part of who I am. I picture waves crashing onto the sand. I feel calm and relaxed. Slowly, I open my eyes and look at Deaton. He smiles at me approvingly. "Well done, Stiles. You did it." He praises me. I smile. I look down at the metal table, finding the reflection of me. I see pale green eyes staring back up at me instead of light brown ones. "Hopefully you'll be able to keep trying this over time until you will barely even have to think about changing the color of your eyes." Deaton continues.
"Is it a useful skill?" I ask.
"It can be, yes. Look at how Scott and the others use their eyes." Deaton points out. Good point.
"What's next?" I ask eagerly. Deaton laughs at my enthusiasm.
"Settle down, Stiles! Not so fast." He says, raising his hands as a gesture for me to calm down. I sigh as I try to relax. I didn't notice that I was bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet, so I abruptly stop that. "Good. Now, we don't want to rush things. Take one step at a time." Deaton continues. I guess I can see where he is coming from. If I tried everything as fast as I can, I'll quickly become overwhelmed. "Okay, I will." I reply. Deaton nods.
"Alright then. I'll teach you one more thing today. Tomorrow, you can come back and I can teach you more." He explains. "Sounds good." I comment.
"Is there anything in particular that you wanted to learn first?" The veterinarian asks me. I shake my head.
"Not in particular, no." I answer.
"Well, let's try telekinesis." Deaton says as he steps forward. He then goes on to explain how I should perform telekinesis. I'll have more control over it if I raise my hand to guide the object to where I want it to go. I need to focus on the object, picturing it moving in my mind. Just as I'm about to give it a try, Deaton speaks up again. "Oh, one more thing. Your eyes will glow green every time you use your powers. Just thought you should know." He tells me. I lose my focus for a second. Well, that certainly changes things. I've got to be a lot more careful than I thought. I shake my head and start concentrating on one of the books on the bench. I reach my hand out in front of me, picturing the book levitate above the table. I stare at the book, unblinking, concentrating like crazy. Just as I'm about to blink and break focus, the book floats slowly into the air. I breathe a sigh of relief. Up until now, I didn't realize that I had been holding my breath. I look over to Deaton and grin. I turn back to the book. I move the book around the room, my hand guiding it along. This is fun. I could get used to this. Eventually, I let the book land on the table gently.
"Wow!" I exclaim in excitement.
"Wow indeed. You're learning things very fast." Deaton comments.
"Thank you." I say as I take a dramatic bow. I hear Deaton chuckle.
"What's with all the books anyway? Surely you didn't just leave them out for me to practice with." I ask, picking up a heavy looking book. "I thought they could be useful for you. Some could also bring back some happy memories." Deaton answers, walking over to me. I turn the book over to look at the cover. It seems very old. I stare at the title: Worldwide Bestiary - First Edition. I look around at Deaton. "What's this for?" I question him.
"I thought it could be helpful for you to have some facts on your kind. Everything you'd need to know is in there. I can give you some information, but some things are better to be discovered by yourself and not through the words of others." Deaton answers.
"Showing your friends this book might help with explaining who you are." Deaton adds. My heart starts to race. I look up at the pack's emissary. "I can't do that, Deaton. There never seemed to be time to tell them. And now, it's too late. They'll be upset and angry that I've lied to them for so long, especially Scott. Plus, they'll probably think that I'm a freak." I say sadly. Deaton puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Look, I'm not going to make you tell them, but I'll say this. They won't be upset or angry with you for not telling them and they'll never of you as a freak. In case you haven't noticed, they are all supernatural creatures as well. They'd be huge hypocrites if they did think weirdly of you." Deaton tries to comfort me.
"But probably none of them have any idea that merpeople actually exist, so it's different." I protest.
"How? You and Scott didn't believe in werewolves until he became one." Deaton points out. I sigh. He does make a good point. "As I said, I'm not going to make you tell them. I just think you'll make it easier for yourself if you do." Deaton says to me. "I'll think about it." I reply after a moment.
"Which books do you want to take home with you?" Deaton asks, changing the subject.
"I guess I'll take them all, if you don't mind." I tell him.
"That's fine. I'll help you get them to your jeep." Deaton replies as he picks up a pile of books. I don't even know what any of these are, except for the bestiary in my hands. I grab the remaining books off the bench and walk out of the vet with Deaton. We head over to my jeep. We drop all the books into the back seat. I close the door and turn back to Deaton. "Thanks for your help today. I really appreciate it." I say with a grin. Deaton smiles back.
"It was my pleasure, Stiles. I assume that I'll be seeing you tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'll be coming back tomorrow." I answer cheerfully.
"I'll see you then." Deaton says while waving, stepping back from the car. I nod in his direction before I open up the driver's door and jump into the jeep. As I close the door again, I start the car, engine whirring to life. I pull away from the animal clinic and drive towards my house. Once I park in the driveway, I quickly get out of the jeep. Just as I'm about to open the back door and grab a pile of books, my phone rings. It's Scott. It seems like he has been calling me a lot lately. I sigh before I answer it. "Hey Scott. What's up?" I answer in the most cheerful voice I can muster. "I was just checking up to see how you were doing." Scott says.
"There's no need to worry about me. I'm fine." I try to convince him.
"I don't believe that, Stiles. You've just lost your parents. You're still upset." Scott replies.
"I haven't lost my dad! He's coming back! I know he is." I retaliate.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to come out that way." Scott apologizes.
"Don't worry about it." I sigh.
"What's going on Stiles? Is it your parents or something else?" Scott continues.
"My parents." I reply.
"What do you want me to do?" Scott asks.
"You don't have to do anything. I can handle this. If I do think things are getting too hard, I will talk to you about it. I promise." I assure him.
"You know you can still stay at my house, right?" Scott reminds me. I smile a little.
"Yeah, I know. Thanks for offering. I might take it up in a couple days or so." I reply.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Alright, well, please let me know if you change your mind. I'll see you at school." Scott tells me.
"Okay, sure. See you at school." I reply before I hang up the phone, putting it back into my pocket. I open the back door and pick up some of the books. I carry them inside. I place them on my desk in my room. I then race back outside to pick up the remaining books from the car. I kick the door closed before walking back up to my room. I toss the rest of the books down onto my desk. I stare at them for a minute. I'll have a read through them later. I exit my room, closing the door behind me. To take my mind off things, I go into the living room, sit on the sofa and turn on the TV.