The town of Beacon Hills finally felt at ease now that the big, bad mountain lion had been shot down Monday night. The veil of terror that had enveloped the town lifted for everyone but Hollis. A gut feeling told her that this was far from over, that more attacks were to come. The appearance of the mountain lion at such a public setting seemed very sudden, and the kill by Mr. Argent just a little too easy. The animal from Monday night resembled nothing of the one she'd had past encounters with. She kept these thoughts to herself, though as no one was likely to believe her, save for Stiles who told her it was possible the attacks were caused by something else.
With her mind swimming in thoughts from Monday night to both her conversations with Stiles and Carter, Hollis pulled into the parking lot on Wednesday morning with a heavy sigh. Her car was finally back from the mechanic and in perfect working condition though her dad had still been cautious in letting her drive that morning. But he had let her take the car after Hollis had pointed out they would both be late if they kept up their disagreement.
The radio played quietly while she gathered her belongings. Glancing towards the school building, she willed for this day and week to end quickly though it would likely drag on. Hollis turned the engine off, and a deafening silence filled the interior but was soon broken when she opened the door. A flood of voices reached her ears. The door closed with a soft click, and she slung her bag over her shoulder as she stepped onto the busy sidewalk.
"You got your car back," Stiles said, appearing by her side.
She turned her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, picked it up last night," she told him. "My dad still thinks it's going to magically break down or something, but..." she paused, shrugging. "It works fine."
"For now," Stiles said, grinning.
Hollis narrowed her eyes, shooting a playful glare in his direction. "Wow, thanks," she said, sarcastically.
"Yep, anytime," he told her.
Rolling her eyes, she shifted the books she was holding. A silent moment passed between them, which left just enough room for the nervousness to enter. She had tried to keep things casual between them, had tried to leave the confused feelings locked up but they slipped out through a small crack. Hollis fidgeted with her books and kept her attention focused on them as a distraction but that only lasted for so long. Before, the silent moments between them were so comfortable. Now, they were awkward...at least to her they were. Not being able to stand the silence, she asked, "So, how's your dad?"
"He's okay. You know, just a couple bruises but he's good," he answered.
"That's good," Hollis answered, happy to hear that. In the chaos of that night, she was glad to know that no one had gotten seriously injured. A few people had been hurt, acquiring a few cuts and bruises, but nothing beyond that.
"So," Stiles started, throwing a look her way. "Do you have any plans after school? Because I was thinking...."
"I'm actually staying after," Hollis interrupted with an apologetic smile. She ignored her sped up heartbeat, almost cursing it for reacting like that. "I wanted to get a few pics developed so I reserved the dark room."
He nodded understandingly, replacing the disappointed look with a smile. "Oh, okay. Sounds cool, though. Can I see them later?"
"Yeah, definitely," she told him. "Don't you usually hang out with Scott after school?" Hollis looked over at him but he averted her gaze. She tilted her head, sighing. "Are you two still not talking?"
"No. I mean, we-we're talking," Stiles answered. "Scott's talking. I'm just...not listening."
Hollis arched an eyebrow. "What's going on with you two? Everything was fine Monday and now...." she trailed off.
He stayed quiet for a few seconds before he spoke. "It's nothing. Just some stupid fight we had," he answered sheepishly. "It'll blow-over soon," he assured her with a nod.
"I hope so because it's weird with you two not talking," she said.
Stiles grinned but that grin slowly faded. "Crap. Scott's coming this way," he said.
Hollis followed his line of sight, seeing Scott walking towards them. "So?" She asked with a shrug. "Now you two can apologize and move on."
"I-no. Maybe later," he said quickly. "I'll talk to you later, Hollis."
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"Class," Stiles called over his shoulder.
Hollis sighed, watching him disappear into a group of students.
Scott appeared by her side, a frown evident on his face. "I wanted to talk to him."
She looked over at him. "Yeah, well, apparently he has class."
"That doesn't start for another twenty minutes," Scott stated, throwing a look her way.
"Yeah, I know," Hollis said. "You two seriously need to make up."
The hum of voices in the cafeteria grew louder with each second while more and more students entered the vast room. From where she sat, Hollis took in the room as she nibbled on her lunch. Her gaze rested on a table, and a smile grew on her face at the sight of Scott and Stiles...talking.
Finally, she thought.
Lydia followed her gaze then turned back to her. "What's going on with you?" she asked, her voice breaking the silence between them.
Hollis looked towards her, slowly chewing her food. She shrugged and swallowed before replying. "Nothing," she answered. "Why?"
"You've been acting weird all day. There's something that you're not telling me," she said, pointing her fork at her. "So, are you going to tell me what that something is or do I have to figure it out myself?"
A quizzical look appeared on her face. "There's nothing to tell."
Lydia nodded, clearly not believing a word that was said. "Right." She stared at her with narrowed eyes and picked at her food.
Hollis fidgeted under her intense gaze and looked anywhere but at Lydia, wishing for her to drop the subject. However, that was likely to never happen as Lydia didn't just drop a subject. After a few seconds, she turned towards her with a defeated sigh. "Okay, fine. You're right. Something did happen. A couple somethings, actually," she said, recalling the two conversations that haunted her.
A satisfied smile appeared on her face. She stayed quiet, silently prompting her to talk.
Lowering her voice, Hollis leaned toward her. "The first is about Carter." She glanced around the packed cafeteria, happy to see that the person of topic wasn't within earshot.
Lydia raised her eyebrows, though her eyes twinkled with curiosity. "Go on...."
With a sigh, she dove into her encounter with Carter on Monday and how he believed their breakup had been temporary. "It was...weird, Lyd. Awkward. I thought that breaking up with him once was hard enough but having to do it a second time?"
"Wait...you don't actually want to get back together with him, do you?" Lydia asked.
Hollis shook her head. "No, of course not. Carter and I are done. There's no going back for us. I told him that after I unfroze from the shock of it all. "
"Okay, good." Lydia nodded her approval then threw a curious look her way, clearly interested in the drama that had unfolded just a couple days ago. "Hopefully he got the message this time around."
"I hope so, too," Hollis said with a sigh, moving pieces of food around on her plate. The appetite she had was now lost.
Lydia, on the other hand, continued to eat her lunch. She chewed her food thoughtfully for a moment. "What's the other something that happened? You said there were two."
"It's nothing, really."
"Nice try, Hollis, but you're not getting away with not telling me. Eventually, I'll figure it out. It won't take long." When Hollis remained quiet, Lydia's gaze flickered around the room to the two boys sitting a few tables over, and a realization dawned on Lydia's face. "Something happened between you and Stiles, didn't it?"
"What? No!" Flustered, Hollis shook her head. "No, nothing happened. Why would you think that?"
A smile tugged at Lydia's lips. "Well, for one, you just got all nervous, which tells me that I'm right. Second, I'm your best friend so naturally, I know everything. I already told you that."
Hollis knew there was no point in avoiding this. The sooner she told Lydia, the sooner the discussion would be over. With a sigh, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced towards the table Stiles and Scott sat at. "He kind of told me that he liked me." Noticing Lydia's gleeful look, she shook her head. "But he didn't really. I mean, he didn't finish the sentence and ended up saying something else."
"What did you say?" Lydia asked.
"Nothing," Hollis told her. "I changed the subject and avoided it."
"You do that a lot."
"Well, he didn't mention it again. So, I didn't see the point in bringing up something that is probably and definitely nothing."
Lydia nodded slowly at the information she was given. "But do you?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Like him, I mean."
"I-I don't know," Hollis answered. "Maybe? Kind of." She sighed, resting her head on her hands. "I'm confused, I know that."
"I knew it!" Lydia squealed happily. "You should tell him. The sooner the better."
Wide-eyed, she shook her head. "I can't! I mean, it's possible he didn't mean it. I just don't want to make things weirder if he doesn't, you know?"
Lydia tilted her head to the side, rolling her eyes. "Are you really that blind, Hollis?" She asked. "It's obvious that Stiles likes you. Everyone can see it...but you."
Hollis sighed, throwing a quick look towards the two friends deep in conversation. She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted when Allison joined them and dropped a book on the table with a clatter that was subdued by the noisy cafeteria.
"What are you guys talking about?" Allison asked, settling into the seat.
"Nothing," Hollis answered quickly, shooting Lydia a look to be quiet.
"Not nothing," Lydia said, throwing an exasperated look at Hollis. "Hollis finally admitted that she likes Stiles."
Allison's eyes grew big, her lips pulling into a smile. "Seriously? That's great!" She exclaimed. "Tell me everything. Start at the beginning."
Hollis filled Allison in on everything she had told Lydia, backtracking to her conversation with Carter. Rather than feel a weight lift from her shoulders, she felt more weighed down. "But I don't want to complicate everything. It already feels weird as it is. And maybe he didn't mean it."
"No, he meant it," Allison told her confidently. "Even if he didn't finish it, he meant it."
"How do you know?" Hollis asked.
"Because it's obvious," Allison said. "I noticed his crush on you my first day here."
"I've already told her that," Lydia chirped up, taking a bite of her lunch. "But she won't tell him."
Allison looked her way in surprise. "Hollis, you have to!"
"I-I know but...it's complicated, okay?" Hollis pushed the food around on her plate, feeling the intense looks her friends sent her.
"Complicated how?" Lydia questioned.
Hollis opened her mouth but closed it, shrugging. It seemed as if all day she was at a loss for words. "It just is. Look, I just got out of a really long relationship with Carter, and I don't know if I'm ready for whatever this may or may not turn into," she explained. "Can we please just talk about something else? Anything else?"
Lydia and Allison shared a quick look before nodding, although somewhat reluctantly.
"Thank you," Hollis mumbled as she sat back in her seat. Her eyes fell upon the book Allison had placed on the table. It was big and brown with intricate lettering sprawled across it. "What's with the book?"
"Oh, I wanted to talk to you two about that," Allison said excitedly. "It's La Bête du Gévaudan. I have to do a project in history that's specific to my family, and my Aunt Kate told me about this. It's pretty interesting."
"The what of who?" Lydia asked, arching a brow. The interest that had sparked within her faded at the change of conversation.
"The Beast of Gévaudan. Listen..." She said, flipping through the book to a specific page. "'A quadruped wolf-like monster prowling the Auvergne and South Dordogne areas of France during the years 1764 to 1767. La Bête killed over 100 people, becoming so infamous that the King, Louis XV, sent one of his best hunters to try to kill it.'"
Hollis listened to the words, intrigued yet slightly uneasy about what she was hearing. The small amount of information that had been read aloud spooked her. It sounded like something out of a horror movie rather than a page from a history book...or something right out of Beacon Hills that was downplayed as a mountain lion.
Lydia, however, thought differently. "Boring," she stated, focusing her attention on her lunch.
Allison was unfazed by Lydia's disinterest, though, and continued reading. "'Even the Church eventually declared the monster a messenger of Satan'."
"Still boring," Lydia said.
"Will you let her finish? It sounds interesting," she said, though her voice held a hint of fear.
"'Crypto zoologists believe it may have been a sub-species of hoofed predator, possibly the Mesonychid—'"
"Slipping into a coma bored." Lydia exaggerated her point by pretending to doze off.
"Lyd," Hollis said, rolling her eyes.
"'-while others believe it was a powerful sorcerer who could shape shift into a man-eating monster.'"
"Any of this have anything to do with your family?" Lydia questioned, making Hollis wonder the same thing. As interesting as this piece of history was, she didn't know what it had to do with the Argents.
"This," Allison said, looking at both girls briefly before turning to the book. "'It is believed La Bête was finally trapped and killed by a renowned hunter who claimed his wife and four children were the first to fall prey to the creature. The hunter's name was Argent.'" Allison looked at them expectantly, waiting for some sort of reaction from them both.
The girls peered down at the book, Lydia looking the least interested. "Your ancestors killed a big wolf. So what?"
"Not just a big wolf. Look at this picture. What's it look like to you?" Allison flipped to the next page, revealing a detailed drawing.
Fear seeped into her veins, turning her blood cold. The Beast was monstrous as it stood engulfed in a steam of mist. It's claws were razor sharp, raised to strike the people at its feet. But it was its eyes that stood out against the backdrop, glowing a sinister red. Those eyes were permanently burned into her memory as she had encountered them a few times over the last week. She shivered at the memories that were brought to the surface. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked away from bodies of women and children whose faces bore looks of terror.
Although it was just a picture, just folklore, it scared her. It looked like she wasn't the only one who felt the terror from it. Looking at Lydia, she saw that she was almost hypnotized by the image.
"Lydia? Hollis?" Allison asked.
"Oh, sorry," Hollis said with a nervous laugh. "It kind of looks like a..." she trailed off, not wanting to speak the word. It was silly. It couldn't possibly be a werewolf as those were only real in stories. But she still bit her tongue, refusing to say it. Her dad had teased her with those myths just a few days prior. Although it was meant to scare her, to give her something to think about the story started to take on a scary reality. From everything she had seen to what Allison shared only added to the crazy theory that formed in her mind.
Lydia wiped the frozen expression off of her face, replacing it with one of disdain. "It looks. Like a big. Wolf." Gathering her books and bag, she stood up abruptly and smiled cheerfully at them. "See you in history," she said, before turning from the table and out the door.
She knew that Lydia associated the image with what she had seen at the video store. It matched the creature on the video to a T and that was what scared her. She smiled nervously as they exchanged a quick look.
"Is she okay?" Allison asked.
"Yeah, yeah. She's fine," Hollis told her yet there was no trace of confidence in those words. "So, you're using that for your project?"
Allison nodded, closing the book. "Yeah. My aunt said it's kind of like what was happening here. The weird animal attacks and all," she told her, shrugging. "I mean, I doubt it's even remotely true, especially the whole werewolf thing but it's still interesting right?"
Hollis gave her a reassuring smile. "Definitely."
Hollis's mind felt like grand central station as dozens of thoughts raced through. Though she had a lot to think about, two topics in particular invaded her mind repeatedly: her confused emotions and the Argents' historical connection to the Beast of Gévaudan. Her head felt as if it might explode as she tried, and failed, to keep her mind closed off to those thoughts.
With a heavy sigh, she shook her head in hopes of ridding herself of the impending headache and stared down at the Algebra homework in her lap. Though the problems alleviate any of the pain, they weren't the direct cause of it either. Some equations were complete, and the ones left unanswered didn't scare her much as they would have once upon a time. Her pencil hovered over one problem, and she though back to the tips Stiles had given her before she started to solve it.
This wasn't the most ideal way of Hollis wanted to spend her free period. However, she wanted to get through the homework considering how her afternoon would be spent in the dark room developing pictures. The hallway was quiet save for the occasional person who went to their locker or the students who preferred to spend their free period being obnoxiously loud. She tuned them all out with her music that flowed through the tiny ear buds. She hummed along quietly to a song while working on the problem at hand. Just as she lost herself in the moment, a shadow fell over her.
Looking up, Hollis spotted Carter's smiling face staring down at her. In his hands were two steaming cups of coffee. She paused her music then pulled her ear buds out, returning his smile though cautiously.
"Figured you could use some coffee," he stated, handing her one of the cups.
"Thanks." Hollis was surprised at the thoughtful gesture and also a bit uncomfortable. After their awkward second breakup, seeing him here as if nothing had happened made her wary. Nevertheless, the caffeine called to her, and she took a sip of the liquid. It was decent enough for the school's coffee, and seemed to ease the headache that had been building.
Carter shifted his weight from one foot to the other, aware of the awkwardness that surrounded them. Clearing his throat, he widened his smile in a show of confidence. "I thought we could have coffee and talk." His eyes flickered to the seat beside her, silently asking permission if he could join her.
Hollis hesitantly moved her stuff aside to make room for him on the bench. When he sat down, she was aware of just how close he was to her. Her nerves immediately went into overdrive, her pulse quickening. She wanted to remind him that they were broken up, that no amount of apologies or caffeine could undo the past mistakes but she was at a loss for words. Her mind was frozen, her tongue tied and her anxiety amped up. However, she had to say something, anything, to make sure there would be no repeat of Monday's conversation now or in the future.
She gathered up all her courage, suddenly unsure why she felt nervous. Perhaps it was simply the idea of confrontation or the fear that she would open up a can of worms she wasn't ready to address. "Carter, about Monday -"
Before she could finish, he interrupted. "I wanted to talk about that, too," he said, and her heart seemed to stop for a moment. She held her breath while he gathered his thoughts, holding the cup of coffee tighter as if it would protect her. "I'm sorry. It-it was stupid of me to think our break up was temporary. I guess I just didn't want to believe that it, we, were over."
Hollis was surprised by his words. She had been ready for another repeat of their last conversation but not an apology. It took her a moment to process it, for her mind to connect the pieces from what she had expected to what had actually happened. "Uhm, thanks," she said slowly, almost uncertainly. "For the apology, I mean."
"So, are we okay? I mean, if you see me around school tomorrow or whenever, you're not going to turn around and avoid me like the plague?" He asked jokingly, though his question was serious.
Hollis nodded, allowing for a small smile to appear on her face. "I promise not to avoid you."
"Okay, great," Carter answered, relieved by her answer. "I know we're broken up but I missed this, Hollis. Us. Hanging out. Talking."
Hollis froze at those words though their relationship status had officially been re-determined. It was a simple sentence yet complex on the inside. "Yeah, I mean, it's been weird not talking." It was partly true. Their relationship had lasted a little over a year and having gone from talking everyday to not at all had been an adjustment. But Hollis had felt better afterward, less suffocated by his constant criticisms and his belittling her problems. There had been moments where they bonded and were inseparable but those days were over.
Regret clouded his face as he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry how things ended. About what I said at the party and everything else. I know I screwed things up between us."
"I think we were both to blame."
"But mostly me. I acted like a jerk," he said. "I see that now."
"But at least we're talking again," Hollis pointed out gently. "We may not be together but we can still talk."
He nodded with a smile then looked down at the book open in her lap and nodded towards it. "Since when do you do Algebra homework?"
She glanced down at the almost complete homework, thankful for a change in subject. "Since I kind of understand it. It still confuses me at times but..." she paused with a shrug. "Stiles has been helping me. And I'm actually passing," she said happily, proud about her passing score on the previous math test.
His eyes darkened for a brief moment before he nodded. "So, how have you been?" He asked, dismissing her answer. The topic of Stiles still seemed like a sore subject so she wasn't surprised by him changing it.
"I've been good," Hollis told him, holding the warm cup of coffee between her hands. "Fixed things with my dad a few weeks ago, and I don't know, things are...good." She said, giving him a small smile. "What about you?"
"Same. Just the usual, you know," Carter answered.
She smiled at his answer then took a sip of coffee to ease her nerves. "Do you have free period now?"
"Kind of," he said with a grin. "I gave myself one. I'm not in the mood for Econ."
Hollis tilted her head, rolling her eyes. "Nice."
Carter smiled proudly, drinking his coffee. He finished the rest with another gulp and threw the cup into the trash. "So, I guess I'll let you get back to your homework but I'll see you around?"
"Yeah. Thanks for the coffee."
The dark room was like a gift, an escape into another world. The room was coated in a red light that made everything surreal, every movement prolonged. This was where Hollis was content, and she was quickly absorbed by the easy pattern of developing pictures. She had waited longer for the room, past her scheduled time due to a photography club meeting that had run late. By the time that she had entered the room, most of the school was empty. As eerie as it was, once she closed the door to the darkroom, everything felt all right.
Her mind didn't buzz with troublesome thoughts for the first time that day. She had managed to push them aside, shut them off. It was as if closing the door to the room had also closed the door in her mind. All her attention was on the task at hand. Hollis watched each picture soak in the liquid before she pulled it out and gingerly hung it up to dry.
As much as she liked digital photography, there was something reassuring in the old fashioned way of film. Using the negatives to bring out an image was special, exciting. There was no way to know how a picture looked until it had been developed. She liked the surprise of it.
Dozens of pictures hung on the line in front of her. Her eyes scanned each one, happy to see that most of them weren't half bad. Carefully, she touched a few to see if they were dry then pulled them off and placed them safely in a folder. There were still so many that she wanted to develop but she had spent enough time in the room, considering how late she had been let in. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the pictures that were still soaking in the liquids and knew it would be at least another thirty minutes before she would be ready to leave.
Hollis moved the pictures from one liquid to another, seeing the image appear on the page as if by magic. At this, she couldn't help but smile. The excess water dripped off, landing on the floor by her feet. While those dried, she proceeded to clean up and, knowing it would be a few minutes before they dried, she took her time cleaning.
A piercing howl reached her ears minutes later. She winced at the sharpness of it, the sound almost resembling an injured cat. Hollis listened for another howl but none came. Thinking it was her imagination, she shrugged the odd sound off.
She continued with getting the room set up like how it had been when she first entered. Just when she was close to finishing up, a powerful howl sounded. It's vibrations shook the room, causing her to stop what she was doing. Hollis looked up, fear entering her system.
What the hell was that? She thought and glanced around as if whatever had made that sound was in the room with her.
That definitely hadn't sounded like an injured cat, and she didn't want to stick around to find out what it was. Gathering her stuff, she took one last look around the room then went towards the door. Closing the door behind her, she turned around but walked right into someone.