CHAPTER NINETEEN:
CO-CAPTAIN, PART ONE
Brooke climbed off Derek's back, taking in the energy of the crowd as she heard the repeated "State! State! State!" echo in the parking lot. She adjusted her dress as her feet touched the ground, it being bunched up from the journey over on Derek's back. She was still too tired from healing Peter's face to run at all, let alone to keep up with two werewolves.
Brooke looked to Derek warily, wondering if they were doing the right thing. He reached up and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. Peter watched the entire exchange with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
The trio walked to the side of the school, waiting for the building to empty out so they could talk to Scott. Brooke bounced her left heel slightly, her entire body shaking as she played with her hands. Derek placed both hands on her shoulders, holding her at arm's length.
"Family first," he reminded her.
Brooke shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Family first," she repeated.
Peter broke the moment, ushering the cousins into the building. Brooke led the way to the locker room, her cousin and uncle flanking her shoulders like body guards. When they reached the room, Peter reached around Brooke and shut off the lights. She rolled her eyes at his dramatics.
Peter and Derek proceeded to walk into the showers, freaking Scott out in the process. Again, Brooke rolled her eyes and leaned against the row of lockers she was next to.
"Thank God! Where the hell have you been?" Scott questioned as soon as he saw Derek. "Do you have any idea what's been going on?"
Derek didn't answer. His eyes flickered to Peter, him stepping out from behind the wall behind Scott.
"I really don't get lacrosse," Peter said. Realization took over Scott's face. "When I was in high school we played basketball; now that's a real sport." Scott looked back and forth between Peter and Derek, shock evident on his face. "Still, I read somewhere that lacrosse comes from a Native American sport. They played it to resolve conflict."
"Stop being so dramatic, Peter," Brooke said, revealing herself. "Just tell Scott what you came here to tell him." If Scott was shocked before, Brooke wasn't sure what to call the emotion covering his face now.
"Brooke?" The young werewolf asked in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Where's Stiles?"
Brooke moved her gaze to her shoes at the name. "Just listen to what he has to say, Scott."
"You see, Scott. I have a conflict of my own to resolve," Peter kept speaking as if the two teenagers had never spoken. Brooke was tempted to roll her eyes again. "But I need your help to do it."
"I'm not helping you kill people," Scott scoffed.
"I don't want to kill all of them," Peter said, as if it was obvious. "Just the responsible ones. That doesn't have to include...." Peter looked to Brooke for help remembering the name.
"Allison," she finished for him, feeling a pit in her stomach. Scott's eyes flashed to her angrily.
"Wait, you're on his side?" Scott asked. He looked back and forth between Brooke and Derek. The former had lowered her eyes again; the latter was staring forward impassively. "Are you forgetting the part where he killed Laura?"
Brooke walked backwards a few feet until her back touched the cool metal of a row of lockers. She looked down at her hands, fingers tapping against her legs. She just wanted this confrontation to be over—for Peter to do what he needed to do.
"You want me to kill me friends," Scott practically spat at Peter. Brooke looked up at the words, paying attention to te conversation again.
"Sometimes the one's closest to you are the one's holding you back," Peter said simply. "I need you to see things from my perspective."
Peter let his werewolf claws grow out of his fingers, eyes glancing to Peter and Brooke. The two stepped forwards and grabbed one of Scott's arms, forcing him to his knees. Peter dug his claws into the back of Scott's neck, giving him the memories he wanted Scott to see. Scott fell out of Brooke and Derek's grip, falling to the floor as he gasped in pain. Brooke grimaced at the sight and turned her head.
Peter walked away without a second thought, leaving Derek and Brooke to watch Scott as he convulsed. Derek began following Peter but stopped when he noticed the blonde girl wasn't moving.
"You coming?" Derek asked. Brooke glanced between Scott and the locker room door a few times and shook her head.
"I'm just going to wait a few minutes," Brooke said, not having to tell Derek what for. He looked at her cautiously. "Go, Der. I'll catch up with you and Peter. I promise."
Derek looked at her through narrowed eyes one last time, then nodded his head and walked out the door. Brooke fell to her knees, placing a calming hand on Scott's shoulder as he witnessed the Hale House Fire.
Five minutes later, Scott was sitting on a bench in the locker room, head in his hands. Brooke was leaning against the side of a row of lockers, watching the reflection of the door in the mirrors across from her.
"Please don't hate me," Brooke spoke, breaking the silence.
Scott didn't remove his head from his hands. "I don't hate you," he sighed.
"Stiles will," Brooke said, a sad smile covering her face. Scott didn't respond.
Seconds later, Stiles ran into the room at full speed.
"Dude, we have a huge problem!" Stiles said, breath heavy from running.
"Trust me, I know," Scott said. Stiles took in his body language, figuring Peter and Derek had told him everything.
"Have you heard from Brooke?" Stiles asked, walking further into the locker room. "I texted her like five times but my phone died."
Brooke heaved a sigh and revealed herself, stepping around the lockers and into Scott and Stiles' view. Stiles immediately ran to her, pulling her in for a quick hug and taking her by surprise.
"Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?" He asked quickly.
"No," Brooke said. "They wouldn't hurt me; they're family."
Stiles took a step back at the tone of her face. It was almost detached, almost emotionless.
"What's wrong?" Stiles asked. Brooke looked at his concerned face and shook her head. She couldn't tell him.
"Nothing," Brooke shook her head. She walked towards the door, squeezing Stiles' hand as she walked past him. "See you later, Stiles."
She had made it out of the school and into the parking lot before he caught up. He called out her name, desperation in his voice. She turned around slowly, a grimace on her face. Stiles was standing a few yards away from her. Scott, who had clearly gotten dressed in a hurry, was behind him.
"You took his side?" Stiles called out in disbelief.
"You don't get it, Stiles," Brooke said.
Stiles scoffed. "You're right. I don't."
"Of all people I'd thought you'd be the one to understand," Brooke said with a shake of her head.
Stiles looked at her and shook his head. "Understand, what Brooke? You're helping him kill people."
"It's more than that, Stiles," She said. She wanted to tell him more, but she knew she couldn't. His dad was the police chief, after all.
With that, she turned on her heel and ran away from them. Stiles watched as her speed picked up and her figure blurred as she left him.
******
Saying that Bryan Moore was shocked to find his dead wife's brother-in-law sitting on his couch with his daughter is a bit of an understatement.
It was around five o'clock in the morning, and he had just returned from a work trip to Mexico. He was expecting to find the house silent, and climb into his bed to take an hour nap before he woke Brooke up for school.
Instead, he found her already awake, a mug of coffee in front of her with Peter Hale lounged on the couch next her and Derek in the sofa chair besides them. He was surprised to see his daughter up as she was never a morning person, but a quick glance at her made Bryan realize she never went to bed at all.
"Uh... hello?" Bryan introduced himself. Brooke jumped off the couch immediately.
"Dad!" She said in surprise. She quickly walked over and hugged him. "I forgot you were coming back this morning."
Bryan hugged her back, but pulled away quickly and glanced over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. Derek nodded in acknowledgement and Peter gave a casual wave.
"Dad, you remember Peter, right? Aunt Talia's brother in law?" Brooke asked.
"Yeah," Bryan said, setting down is duffle bag on the floor. "But last I heard he was still in a vegetable state."
Brooke went to respond, but Peter cut her off. "Well luckily, Bryan, I have recently come into certain abilities that triggered the healing process."
Brooke rolled her eyes and turned to her dad. "He's the Alpha."
Peter pouted. "You always ruin my fun."
Brooke snorted. "And you always waste time with your dramatics. Seriously, you're the most dramatic person I know, and I know freshmen."
Derek ignored them and walked towards Bryan. "We have some things to explain, Bryan. You might want to sit down."
Once the four were seated, Brooke, Derek, and Peter explained everything that had happened. They left out the fact that they were trying to get revenge on those responsible for the fire, knowing Bryan would not be happy about Brooke's involvement in a revenge plot.
"So what now?" Bryan asked. The three looked at each other cautiously.
"Nothing much," Peter shrugged. "Just trying to get back to a normal life."
******
Miraculously, Bryan let Brooke go into school late that Thursday. Seeing as she has been up all night plotting with Derek and Peter, she wasn't sure if she would be able to even try and comprehend what her teachers would be saying.
Instead of attending classes with the rest of her peers, Brooke slept in her bed and dreampt about what had happened the night before. Her mind kept flashing between the pain of healing Peter, Scott convulsing on the ground in the lockerroom, and Stiles' disappointed face outside of the school.
Bryan woke her up around eleven, and she made it to school ten minutes before her lunch period ended. After Bryan signed her in and drove off, Brooke made her way to the table Allison and Lydia were sitting at.
"There you are!" Lydia said as she spotted the blonde. "Where have you been?"
"I didn't feel good this morning, so my dad let me skip," Brooke shrugged as she sat down across from Allison.
"Well, I'm glad you're here now," Allison responded. "Lydia and I were planning on going shopping after school. You wanna come?"
Brooke looked at her friends apologetically. "I don't if I can, guys..." Her mind wandered to thoughts of Derek and Peter, and if they had any plans for the night.
"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer," Lydia said. She flipped her behind her shoulders and leaned forward on her elbows. "You do owe me a girls night."
Brooke gave in and nodded her head. Lydia squealed and turned to Allison excitedly, listing all the stores she wanted to visit it. Brooke let a small smile cross her face as she watched her friends. Her smile fell slightly when she remembered who Allison's family was, but quickly erased the though when she remembered that Peter promised he wouldn't hurt her.
Who knows, maybe some girl time is exactly what she needed. Brooke only hoped the night would be a distraction from the chaos of her life.
******
"Allison, when you said you needed to stop for an errand before we went shopping... A five-mile hike in the woods was not what I was expecting," Lydia complained.
Brooke chuckled at her friend as she let out whine. Allison increased her speed, Brooke keeping up easily but Lydia struggling in her high heels. Brooke grabbed onto Lydia's elbow, pulling her over a root she almost tripped on.
"Before I forget, I want to ask you something," Allison said. Brooke and Lydia looked at each other questioningly. "Jackson asked me to the winter formal."
"Did he?" Lydia asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Brooke looked at Allison as if she was crazy.
"Yeah, just as friends," Allison said. "I wanted to make sure you okay with it first."
"Really, Allison?" Brooke asked. She grabbed the brunettes arm to keep her from walking further, allowing Lydia to catch up.
"I mean it's not like I'd take him to coach's office during lacrosse practice and make out with him or anything ," Allison responded casually and turned to walk again.
Brooke looked at Lydia in disbelief, but she just shrugged. "I didn't tell her."
Brooke let out a groan and frustration and followed after Allison, grabbing Lydia's gloved hand and pulling her behind her.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Brooke said. "But don't take out your anger on Lydia; she didn't do anything."
"You mean except the fact she kept you and Scott making out from me, but at the same time talked shit about me for being friends with Jackson?" Allison asked.
All three girls stopped walking at that, staring at each other with guilty smiles.
"Looks like we all have something to apologize for," Lydia said sheepishly.
A moment of silence passed between the girls before they all blurted their apologies at the same time. They laughed at their synchronicity and Allison reached forward to grab their hands.
"Friends?" Allison asked.
Brooke and Lydia nodded. "Friends," they said together.
"Okay," Allison said with a smile. "Then I want to show you something."
She dropped to her knees, digging through the bag she brought with her. Brooke's breath stopped as Allison pulled out an arrow head, attaching it to the stick part of an arrow.
"What does that do?" Lydia asked, voicing Brooke's thoughts.
"We're about to find out," Allison said. She put on her archery glove and stood up with the bow in her hand. She pulled the arrow back on the bow, quickly releasing it. The arrow lodged itself in a tree a few yards away, and series of flashes exploded at the impact.
Brooke had to cover her eyes from the brightness, but Lydia and Allison just stared at in shock.
"What the hell was that?" Lydia asked.
Allison lowered her bow, a small smile crossing her face. "I don't know."
Once Brooke's eyes had recovered from the blast, she pulled out her phone to text Derek.
We have a problem.
Just as Brooke was finished sending the text, she heard a few snaps coming from the trees. She tried to ignore it, but another snap! echoed, gaining Lydia and Allison's attention.
"Any more lethal weapons you wanna try out?" Lydia joked. Allison and Brooke didn't answer, however, too focused on the sounds coming from beyond the trees.
"Hold this," Allison said, handing the bow to Lydia.
"What—why?" Lydia asked.
"Because I thought I heard something," Allison said. She took off her archery glove and threw it into the bag.
"So what if you heard something?" Brooke asked, trying to find a way to get her friends out of the woods.
"So, I want to find out what the something is," Allison responded. She looked to the scared expression on Lydia's face. "Don't worry, it's probably nothing."
Allison started walking towards the sounds, Brooke quickly following after her.
"Wait, Brooke!" Lydia called. "What if it is something? Don't leave me here alone, please!"
Brooke sighed and stopped to look back at her friend. Allison didn't acknowledge them and continued to walk away. Reluctantly, Brooke let Allison walk away and back to Lydia. She grabbed the bow from Lydia's shaking hands, almost laughing at the relief on her face.
Once Allison had disappeared from their view, Brooke turned to Lydia. "I still can't believe she's going to the dance with Jackson. You should have told her you weren't okay with it."
"I am okay with it," Lydia said.
"No, you aren't," Brooke said. "You're my best friend, Lyds. I know when you're lying."
Lydia didn't respond, instead moving her eyes downwards to avoid making eye contact with Brooke. The girls stood in silence until Brooke's phone went off. It was a text from Derek, and she responded that Allison was starting to get into her hunter culture.
Don't tell Peter, though! I don't think she knows anything about werewolves and I don't want him trying to kill her.
When Derek didn't respond, she sent another text.
Please, Derek
A few seconds later, he texted her back.
Fine
Brooke breathed a sigh in relief, tucking her phone into her back pocket. Allison joined them again, a small smile on her face.
"Well?" Lydia asked.
"It was nothing," Allison said, picking up her bag. However, her heartbeat and the smell of dog let Brooke know that it was indeed something, or really someone. Allison turned to her friends, her bag over her shoulder. "Ready to go?"
"Ugh, yes," Lydia said. "I never want to go into these woods ever again."
******
I feel like this was so long and nothing really happened, sorry
but the next chapter...... stuff might be happenin *wink*