"So what happened last night?" the sophomore jumped nearly a foot in the air when Kira Yukimura slammed herself into the locker next to Addy's. Lydia and Malia were on the other side of her, trapping Addy between them. The textbook she held fell to the floor with a loud thud that was washed out from the chatter of everyone else.
"Fuck, don't do that!" she yelled. Addy reached down and grabbed her book, shoving it in the locker. It wasn't like science or any other classes she was or she wasn't doing well in it really mattered at the moment. Her grades were going to hell again, but it wasn't really her priority at the moment. The locker door was slammed shut and she tried walking past the girls, but they blocked her off. "Move."
"Answer the question," Lydia demanded. After glaring at her, Addy spun on her feet to face the kitsune, who stepped back from her threatening look.
"What happened with you and Scott last night?" she retaliated. A red blush fell on her cheeks, and a stumble of words passed her lips. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I have class to get to."
"Hey, you never answered us!" Malia shouted down the hall.
Addy turned, still walking backwards. "There's nothing to tell!" At that, she raised her free arm up in the air, her middle finger even higher.
With a sway in her step, Addy Ryder walked down the hall to her first class. She was curious as to how they knew something happened the night before, but she was sure it had something to do with a certain M. Stilinski.
Addy got cornered by the seniors once more after her class ended. This time, however, it was the boys. They squished her between them as they walked down the hall. A scowl was plastered on her face, and a glare settled on her two friends. Why couldn't they just leave it be?
"So, what happened?"
"Yeah, by the way, thanks for scaring the hell out of me," Stiles muttered. Addy shrugged; she could handle herself. "Fess up. Something went down last night, and after what you put us through, we deserve to know."
"Deserve?" Addy scoffed. "If I get asked one more time what happened, you're gonna deserve a fire poker up–"
"Alright," Stiles cut her off. His body shivered with fear at the intense imagery she had given him. "Jesus, this one's angry." Addy glared at him, her eyes flashing as well. He gulped, taking a step away from her. "Very, very angry."
"Nothing went down last night. I made sure he was okay, and then went home. Nothing else happened, okay? Nothing. No one-look, it doesn't matter. It's none of your business," Addy snapped. She closed her locker with enough force to nearly knock it off the hinges. A normal day sounded perfect to her at the moment. She would take a full day of classes with Mrs. Row rather than be questioned about her and Liam's relationship again.
"Liar," Scott called her out. A blush spread across her cheeks. It was true that they didn't do anything, but she was still caught in a lie. Nothing went down with Liam and Addy: nothing.
"Oh, I think I'm going to be sick." Stiles exaggeratedly gagged.
"Shut the fuck up, Stilinski. Nothing like that happened. Besides, how many times did you and Malia bang? Huh?" Addy smirked at his shocked face. "That's right."
"You still haven't answered the question," Scott piped up, bringing the topic back to its original purpose. "How much do you want to bet Liam will tell me if I ask?"
"Alright, fine," Addy sighed. "I may have, sort of, kinda, forgave him? And then stayed the night, but that was it. It was late and I didn't want to bother his parents so I slept on the couch downstairs." Liam was forgiven in her books, although not forgotten. She was giving him one more chance to redeem himself, and if even ever even considered anything like that again, she was done: completely done with him. He wasn't going to. Liam promised himself that he was never going to hurt his friends again.
"Wh-that's it?" Stiles exclaimed. Addy gave him a look. What else did he want from her? "You're telling me that you went over, forgave him, and that was it?"
"Okay I didn't sleep on the couch, but nothing happened! What did you want to hear?" Addy ran a hand through her hair. "That we had super intense se–"
"Alright!" Scott clapped his hands together, putting the whole conversation to a stop. "I think that's enough."
"No, no, I really want to know, Stiles. Do you really want to hear about mine and Liam's sex life? Because I can tell you every little detail right now." Addy stepped closer to him. The fact that their sex life was non-existent didn't stop her from making him uncomfortable. He didn't know they never did anything like that.
"No." Stiles' face was bright red.
Addy smirked. She fulfilled her job of the day with flying colors. "Good."
)( * )(
While the pack was meeting in the library, Addy was making a much needed phone call. She hadn't talked to Brayden in so long, and she promised to keep him updated. Without her updates he got worried, and the more he worried the more he considered going back home to check in himself. So, she figured it was time to talk to him.
Addison stood outside the library doors, giving a little wave to Liam who waved back, a grin on his face. The phone dialed and dialed until finally it went to voicemail. Addy scrunched her eyebrows together. He never missed one of his calls, especially from her. She redialed, but was left with the same fate as before.
"Come on, Brayden. Where are you?" Addy muttered. The automated voice finally finished talking and allowed her to make a voicemail. "Hey Brayden, um, just calling to check in and update you, but I guess you're busy. Just call me back, okay? I'm getting worried. I love you."
She sighed and shoved her phone in her back pocket. Brayden not answering his phone made her nervous. Something had to be wrong because he always had his phone on him, and it was always charged. She was getting antsier by the minute. If something happened to him, especially because of her, she would never forgive herself.
"...as strong as possible, as fast as possible."
"Because of Parrish," Liam answered. Addy sat down in the chair next to him, a dull look on her face. He noticed it instantly and knew something was wrong. As of late he had been more noticeable on how she was feeling. He was glad he learned how to read chemosignals, it made it easier to check up on her. "Hey, everything okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, fine." She nodded. "So, any more news on the Beast?"
"Uh, we've got one clue to go on." Stiles pulled out a folder filled with pictures. One had a bloody footprint on the floor, the crime scene from the hospital. "This came from the hospital. Whoever's lurking inside the Beast is wearing a size ten of indeterminate make."
"Indeterminate?" Malia questioned. Stiles explained that it meant that there was a partial print. Their chances of finding out who it was, was getting harder and harder. Every clue was left with a blank. "How many size tens are out there?"
"Only one with Parrish's blood on the sole," Addy remarked.
"So, are we going to try and get the game cancelled?" Liam asked. He noticed Addy scratching her wrist and grabbed her hand. She only started doing that when something was wrong.
"No, we're going to play, but we're just going to hope really hard that it doesn't turn into a blood soaked massacre," Stiles said sarcastically.
"We still don't actually know if it's going to happen. It might just be a regular lacrosse game. It's possible, right?" Lydia questioned. It was her first day back at school. Addy thought she was going to stay back for a few more days still. She went through something extremely traumatic and deserved more than three days break. Lydia almost died, and she almost took a lot of lives with her.
"That's absolutely possible," Stiles nodded. There was a small chance, a very small chance, but it was possible.
"So, we're getting the game cancelled?" Liam raised an eyebrow.
"We're getting the game canceled," Scott nodded. They followed behind the alpha. Liam still had his and Addy's hands intertwined. As soon as they were out of the library, he pulled her to the side.
"Wh-what? Liam, what the hell are you doing?" Addy stuttered. She tripped over her feet but caught herself before she fell. "Liam?"
"What's wrong?" he questioned. She had lied to them earlier but he was sure it was so that she didn't bring up more problems when they already the one of the Beast on their hands and who it really was. "Something's up. Tell me."
"It's nothing." Addy smiled a little, she didn't want to admit that it made her happy he was worrying about her. "I'm just being paranoid." It was the end of the school day thankfully. With everyone else trying to figure out a way to get the game cancelled, they practically had the afternoon to themselves. They were supposed to go home and catch up on their school work.
"Nothing wrong with a little paranoia." Liam shrugged. "What's on your mind?"
"Brayden's not answering his calls," she admitted. "It's probably nothing. I mean, he's probably just busy or in class, but he always answers his phone. Or at least sends a text that he's busy. I'm worried."
"I'm sure he's fine, okay? You'll call him again in a bit," Liam assured. He looked at Addy, admiring her for a few moments: the creases in her forehead from being concerned; the way her one eyebrow was slightly higher than the other, not enough to notice, but he did; the curve of her lips; and lastly, her warm brown eyes.
"What?" Addy tilted her head.
"Nothing. Just, you're really beautiful," he complimented. A blush filled her cheeks, and she lightly shoved his shoulder.
"You're such a sap." She rolled her eyes.
"But I'm your..." Liam stopped himself. He cleared his throat that suddenly tightened. "I'm your friend."
He wasn't really hers anymore, maybe not ever. There was nothing else he wanted more at that time than for her to forgive him fully. Yes, she did forgive him about Scott, but would she ever oversee Hayden? Their relationship left Addy wondering, and she didn't know what to think of it. Of course she wanted him, but if he had feelings for Hayden, she couldn't put herself through that.
Addison managed to avoid Hayden through her days at school. It wasn't her fault Liam did what he did, but she was the reason he did it. Addy wasn't going to go yell at the poor girl that she shouldn't have died in the first place and threaten to kill her again. But it was Hayden's fault for getting Liam to have feeling for her, even if they were only just ones of friendship.
Maybe no one was at fault but Addy. Maybe if she tried harder, or maybe if she never edged Liam on when they fought. All they did was fight a few weeks ago. It was hard on her, maybe even harder on him. Maybe she was the reason he lashed out. Not only was it a supermoon, but they were fighting. Liam's emotions were all over the place. Maybe it was all Addy's fault.
Addy cleared her throat. What was she supposed to do? Fall to her knees and beg for him back? Yell at his face? Run? The last one seemed the most appealing, but she grew up from running. Running got her nowhere, and she was ready to go somewhere.
"Come on." Addy squeezed his hand. "I've got about four tests I need to write and need help studying for all of them."
"And you think I can help?" Liam choked out. She didn't say anything. Why didn't she say anything? Addy had forgiven him, right? So then why wasn't she taking him back?
"I think you're my last hope right now." Addy nodded. "We've got exactly three hours until the game and I figure with that amount of time we can figure out how to name chemicals and multiply polynomials."
We.
)( * )(
"Just out of curiosity, what if this doesn't work?"
The pack, excluding Lydia who texted Addy that she was with Parrish and the Argents, were seated in a partial circle going over the plans for the game, not the lacrosse game plan.
"What if we have to go up against this thing? I mean, I hate to bring up bad memories, but Scott's still healing from what Theo did to him. And Addy's still hurt from the Dread Doctors."
"No, he's not," Kira piped up.
"I'm fine," Addy said at the same time. The wound scabbed over and was healing slowly, but she would be fine to fight anything that came at her. Liam looked hesitantly at her. She was still injured, but if she said she was fine, then he would believe her.
"She's right." Scott lifted up his jersey to prove his point. His once tattered stomach was now perfectly normally, not showing one sign that Theo had killed him. "It happened the night we got Lydia out of Eichen House. I healed when we were all together again, when we were a pack."
Addy smiled. They were a pack: a mismatched pack with a true alpha. It didn't matter that two of them were human, one was a cheap knock-off, another with an evil spirit trying to break free, and one with mommy issues. They were a pack, the ultimate pack of Beacon Hills. They had one thing a lot of other packs didn't; they were a family.
"The Beast doesn't have a pack." Liam nodded.
"Not like us. We can do this, guys. No one dies tonight," Scott promised. He was going to keep that promise, because that's what he did. It was who he was.
"Alright, let's go forfeit a game." Addy stood up, clapping her hands together. The rest stood up from their stools as well, filing out the door.
"Addy, wait," Scott called out to her. She walked alongside Liam, who stopped as well. He followed after the rest when she gave him an assuring nod. "Are you going to be okay tonight?"
"What do you mean?" Addison raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, after last night, and this afternoon," Scott pointed out. "You were really freaked out. I just want to know if you're going to be good to help tonight–"
"Are you saying that you think I'm going to screw it all up?" Addy snapped, taking a step closer to the taller boy. He quickly shook his head, fumbling out words that she easily cut off. "I'm fine, Scott. What happened last night is my problem. I'll deal with it, so leave it alone."
"That's the thing, Addy. It isn't just your problem." He stopped her as she reached the door. "It's all of our problems because we're in this together. Look, you don't have to tell me, but tell someone, okay? We need you."
Addison huffed out a large breath of air. She did tell someone: Liam to be exact. But what could he do? Nightmares didn't just go away. They get lodged into your brain and make themselves at home. Talking to someone about it never helped. It wouldn't for her. She dealt with the pain and sleepless nights it brought, because it was her responsibility.
"Go. I'll meet you out there," Addy told him. Scott opened his mouth to deny the proposition, but was cut off once again. "I just want to call Brayden." The alpha nodded his head and left the classroom, hearing Addy sigh as he went.
She pulled out her cellphone. Brayden didn't answer that afternoon, and she hadn't bothered calling again yet, partially because it slipped her mind. But now that Scott mentioned it, the anxiety in her stomach bubbled up leaving her with an eerie feeling. The phone in her hand rung, and rung, and she was about to give up when a voice on the other end picked up.
"Hello?"
Addy let out a huge sigh of relief. "Brayden, I swear to god, if you ever scare me like that again, I am going to kill you," Addy threatened. "Where the hell were you all afternoon? I called and you didn't answer, and I sent you like twenty texts because I was so worried that something happened to you. I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to you because of me."
"Calm down, Adster. I'm fine." Brayden chuckled. "I'm sorry for scaring you, but I had an exam all afternoon, and then I might have just gotten back from a date?" It wasn't a question, but his voice raised at the end knowing what his sister's response would be.
"A what?" Addy shouted. In all her life, Brayden had never once been on a date. He just never really had an interest in girls. Hanging out with his friends was much more pleasing than a date. "You went on a date?"
"Yeah, and I really like her." Brayden grinned. "I think you'd like her, Ads."
"When things calm down here, you bring her over, yeah?" Addy smiled; a genuine smile. She was happy for her older brother.
"Calm down? It's been weeks. How have things not calmed down yet? Are you hurt? What's going on there?" Brayden spoke so quickly that she had trouble hearing him properly.
"I'm okay," Addy told him, her hand touching the scar on her stomach. "I promise I will tell you everything that happened. Just not here, not now. It's not something I can tell you over the phone, okay? But I promise I will try to keep safe, and as soon as I'm sure that everything is okay, you can come back."
"Addy, if you get hurt..."
"I won't. I love you."
"Love you too, Adster."
She hung up her phone after that. Family always came first. As long as those who cared about her were safe, she wouldn't mind taking the blow for them. Because that's who she was, who she'd become. Addison nodded her head, the motion seeming to calm her down.
Brayden was alright. The pack was alright. They had a plan to find the Beast. Everything was going to be okay. She hoped. She could hear the cheers from everyone on the bleachers, and the distinct blow of a whistle while walking down the hall.
The walk quickly became a run. A whistle wasn't good. A whistle meant the game was going to start. That wasn't part of the plan. She spotted Liam and Scott as soon as she burst through the doors and quickly caught up to them. "Okay, bad news; Coach isn't forfeiting the game," Liam told Addy as soon as she was by his side.
"Malia's still going to take out the wiring on the TV vans," Scott told the sophomores, "and we have an hour and a half to try and find someone with blood on their shoes."
"One person out of four hundred," Liam sighed.
"Wouldn't they notice blood on their shoes? Like, would they wash it off or just throw them out? What if we don't find the person?" Addy shot out questions. They were legit questions, and the probability of them being possible made her nervous. It was dangerous there, and with four hundred people, a charity game might just become a massacre.
"We'll find them. Don't worry."
"Oh, I'm worrying, very much." Addy swung her arms out. "There's no other way to stop the game?"
"Stiles is trying to figure something out," Scott told her. "Just stick with the plan, okay?"
"The plan is already going to hell, Scott, just like all of our other plans! I am freaking out, okay? That thing we saw last night is over twice my height! There's no way the people here can defend themselves against that thing, because we can't defend ourselves against that thing!" Addy whisper-shouted. They didn't need any more attention.
"Ads." Liam grabbed her gloved hand. "We're going to be fine. Just take a breath, okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
"Okay, okay. We're going to figure this out." Addy nodded, her breathing ragged. "We're fine."
)( * )(
Addy noticed two things about the charity game. The first being that they were losing, badly. The Beacon Hills Lacrosse team was never that great to begin with, and with their main players hardly focusing on the sport, they were even worse. The team was out of practice, and Devonford Prep was better than last year.
The second thing was Kira. She was the only other girl on the team, but the most violent. Generally, Kira was swift on her feet and managed to avoid other players, but that night she was knocking down anyone that came in her way. Nearly everyone on the opposing team had suffered from her wrath at least once. It wouldn't be surprising if she started tackling her own players.
Liam looked over at Addy, the two of them jogging over to where Scott and his girlfriend previously stood. "Go with the backup plan?"
"Go with the backup plan."
Secretly, the three of them had made a plan in case any such thing like that happened. Kira was acting different, and not a good different. She needed to be off of the field before she actually hurt someone. It was a game; a game that the fox spirit inside of her might like with a little more violence.
Liam was taking the faceoff against Brett. They shared a little head nod. Brett was the plan. He was the only one on the opposite team that could stop Kira from her violent matters. As soon as the whistle blew, Brett swooped up the ball, ready for Kira to go after him. That time, she flew over his shoulder.
"Not so tough now, are you?" he mocked.
Addy and Liam stood side by side, watching the scene go down. Kira swiftly got up from her spot and swung her lacrosse stick towards Brett's head. His helmet flew off, and the werewolf fell to the ground with a thud.
Kira was quickly sent off the field, Scott chasing after her. Liam and Addy knelt down on either side of Brett, who was wincing from the pain in his head. "That was perfect. Thanks dude."
Addy rolled her eyes at him as he ran off. She held her hand out for Brett to grab, and with little trouble, pulled him up. "Sorry about him. We're all on edge."
"It's fine. I am too." Brett smiled.
"Are you going to be okay? She hit you pretty hard," Addy asked. Of course he was going to be okay. He was a werewolf.
"I'll be fine," he told her. Addy nodded one last time before running off. It was her turn to take the face off. She managed to swipe the ball before her opponent and cradled it in the net before running down the field. She didn't get far when a force knocked into her, and she was flipped over his shoulder. A distinct crack echoed, although only the werewolves heard it.
Addison held her arm to her chest, groaning at the pain. Scott and Liam stood over her, both helping her up to her feet. Her bone was popped out of place, and almost poking through her skin. Liam could hear her teeth grinding together, a way to stop the agonizing groans from passing her lips.
"Ah, ow, shit. It's broken, badly broken." She groaned. Scott pulled his gloves off, while Liam worked on Addy's. He nearly gagged at her displaced bone. "Oh, god. That's bad. That looks really bad."
"Hold your breath," Scott mumbled. Addy took a deep intake of breath, prepared for the worst. However, when the bone finally did pop back into place, she barely felt it. Liam gripped her good hand in a vice grip, black veins travelling up his arm. His face was distorted in pain: her pain. Liam's hold finally loosened, although he still felt a lingering ache.
"You didn't have to do that," Addy told him, her voice small.
"But I wanted to," he assured. Liam looked up at Scott. "We're getting crushed."
The game was currently five to one, with little time left on the clock. They hadn't lost a game that badly in a very long time. "It's okay. All we need to do is give the others enough time. Like I said, no one's getting hurt."
"Except for us," Addy sighed. Scott suddenly froze. He could hear Kira struggling in the school. Addy focused too. Someone else was with her, and it was probably someone trying to help them. "Go."
"We can do this."
)( * )(
They were still losing when a time out was called. They were losing so badly that Addy was almost ashamed to say she was a part of the team. Brayden would be disappointed, and she didn't want that. It was necessarily her fault. She was good at lacrosse, but being distracted by the thought of everyone in the stands dying was not helping.
"We need more time. You gotta stop scoring." Liam and Addy walked on either side of Brett. The only way to get more time was to get the game into overtime, but scoring four goals in such a small amount of time was nearly impossible.
"You don't think I've been trying? You guys suck so bad that it's impossible to lose against you." Brett looked between them.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Liam asked.
"Try not sucking," Brett said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
They both sighed as he walked away. Liam sat on the edge of the bench, his head in his hands.
"I'll be right back, okay?" She touched his shoulder to get his attention. "I want to check on Scott."
"Be careful," Liam ordered. Addy dropped her helmet, gloves, and stick by him, and disappeared beneath the bleachers. She got out of eyesight when she heard footsteps trailing behind her. As the person caught up, Addy twirled around, her sword illuminating the dark night and pointed directly at the person's throat.
"What do you want?" Addy snarled, pointing her weapon a little higher. Hayden gulped, raising her hands in the air to show she meant no harm. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."
"I-I want to help," she stuttered out.
Addison glared, taking a step closer towards the fellow chimera. The tip of her sword dug a little deeper into her skin and a few droplets of blood dripped down her neck. "You're with Theo."
"Not anymore. I don't want to be in his pack, I want to be in yours," Hayden announced. "I couldn't see it before, but Scott knows what he's doing. I thought that Theo was the only one that could save us, but I was wrong."
"How do I know you're not lying?" Addy snarled. She didn't trust Hayden. She was with Theo at one time, even if she wasn't anymore. There was no reason for her to trust the girl ahead of her.
"Listen to my heartbeat," Hayden told her. Addy focused on her hearing. The chatter from the bleachers was louder, but became drowned out when she heard Hayden's heart beating. It was steady: not a single jump. Addy lowered her sword, although she was still on edge.
"I never asked Liam to do what he did, and I never wanted him to," she spoke. Hayden blamed herself for the break between the couple. She knew that it was her being sick that tore them a part and the reason that Liam went AWOL on them all. Guilt consumed her but she wanted to make up for her faults. "I want to be friends with you, Addy."
"Scott nearly died because of you. He actually died because of Theo," Addison explained. "I know I shouldn't blame it on you, but I want to because that would be easier. It would be so much easier to say that it's your fault. And I should hate you, because there's a small bit of me that's intimidated by you. That maybe you might take Liam away from me even though he's not mine anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"It's hard not knowing if he has feelings for you because he chose you over me," Addy admitted. "You were dying on that table, and he was willing to do anything to save you. That included killing his best friend. He would have killed me, too."
"No, he couldn't have." Hayden shook her head. "When you – y'know – died, Liam was a mess. It was five days of him not talking to anyone because he would only snap at them and get so angry that he would start to turn. I've known him for years, and never once has he ever been that angry, even with his I.E.D. Liam could never have killed you because he would have died inside."
"He was pretty determined to get Scott."
"He was determined to save lives," Hayden corrected her. "Liam loves you, Addy. If there was any feelings he had for me, they would be gone now. You have nothing to worry about. Liam is absolutely in love with you, and he isn't going to stop until he gets you back."
"I'll talk to Scott," Addy spoke after an agonizing silence was held. "If you want to be with us, you have to stick with us, fight with us, and maybe even die with us. We're here to protect everyone in the stands, and that might just come with a fight."
"I will. I promise." Hayden nodded her head.
"Good, because tonight, we need all the help we can get."
)( * )(
Word count: 5099
October 5, 2016
This clown shit going on is freaky as hell and everyone stay safe.