If Rachel had to recap her night in one word, that word would probably be hectic. If she wasn't already shaken up enough, the notorious alpha decided to prey upon a useless video clerk. Ironically at the same time her strawberry blonde friend - and the aforementioned strawberry blonde's hotheaded boyfriend - had been in search of a movie.
The option of accompanying Stiles to the gory crime scene had been offered to her a pile of times, however she'd gone with the traditional choice of third-wheeling Scott & her brother. While her plain humanity often managed to cloud her ability to follow Derek, the teen had already managed to reflect him without him noticing - putting her one step ahead.
"Starting to get it?" Derek questioned Scott, the two still looking down on the various police officers & paramedics.
"Uh, I get that he's killing people, but I don't get why. I mean, this isn't standard practice, right? We don't go out in the middle of the night murdering everyone, do we?" The beta asked confusedly, glancing back down at the scene. Glass was scattered all around - likely from the store's window - and people were everywhere. Whether they were dressed in a police uniform, a paramedic's uniform or just everyday clothing; everyone was curious as of what exactly happened.
"No." Derek stated confidently. "We're predators. We don't have to be killers."
"Then why is he a killer?" Scott spoke the question that each of them wanted to know. That was what'd bothered Rachel the most - the fact that this new alpha was committing massacres left & right. She understood why any werewolf would want to kill Laura, she was an alpha after all, but that still didn't make it right.
Their initial thought had been that he wanted power. But after seeing this, along with the bus driver, that theory had begun to crumble. There was no connection between a bus driver & a video store clerk, unless they were in some form of online gaming community - they were absolute opposites.
"That's what we're gonna find out."
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"You know, I have a life too." Scott huffed as he followed Rachel & Derek into the charred remnants of their house. The entire way there, he'd remained silent - a miracle, in Rachel's opinion - up until now.
"No, you don't."
"Yes, I do!" Scott protested, raising his voice in anger. "I don't care what you say about him making me his pet or-"
"Is it just me, or did that sound extremely kinky?" Rachel interrupted, raising a brow. She hadn't entirely thought out the comment, but the simple suggestion sounded far beyond her definition of weird.
Both males looked at her in confusion, neither having expected the girl to be humorous after the earlier events. Brushing past the comment, Derek corrected, "Part of his pack."
"Whatever." Scott huffed, evidently still annoyed. "I have homework to do. I have to go to a parent/teacher conference tomorrow because I'm failing chemistry."
"I'm pretty sure I'm failing everything - even lunch, but at least I'm still breathing." Rachel sighed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. She'd sworn she lost all feeling what-so-ever in her hands at least an hour ago, and she couldn't seem to get warm. The lack of indoor heating & the burned insulation was really starting to get to her - whether she reflected a werewolf or not, she was always cold.
"You wanna do homework?" Derek questioned sarcastically, ignoring his sister's comment. He could deal with her failing grades at a later date. "Or do you wanna not die? You have less than a week until the full moon. You don't kill with him, he kills you."
"Okay, seriously, who made up these rules?"
"It's a rite of passage into his pack." Rachel shrugged, . "Like an initiation."
"You know what else is a rite of passage? Graduating from high school. And you don't have to kill anyone to do it! Why can't you two just find him yourselves? Why can't you just sniff him out when he's a human?"
"I'd like to graduate high school too, Scott, but it isn't that easy." The brunette pursed her lips, her head hung low as she fixated her gaze on the floor. She couldn't exactly argue with him. Rachel knew better than anyone what it felt like to have your entire life do a 360° turn in a matter of minutes. Seconds.
She knew how much one bite could change everything, just as it could end it.
"His human scent could be entirely different. It has to be you. You have a connection with him, a link that you can't understand. If I can teach you to control your abilities, you can find him." The older werewolf explained, showing determination that Rachel hadn't seen before. She'd never seen Derek so dead-set on something, and she was proud. Maybe they could kill the alpha after all.
"So if I help you- you can stop him?"
"Not alone." Derek clarified. "We're stronger in numbers. A pack makes the individual more powerful."
"How am I supposed to help if I have no idea what I'm doing?" Scott gaped, looking between the Hale siblings in disbelief. He still didn't know the first thing about being a werewolf. Hell, even Stiles knew more than him.
"Because I'm gonna teach you. Do you remember what happened that first night you were shot in the arm- right after you were hit?"
"Wait what?" Rachel asked, uncrossing her arms & instead tucking her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. "He was shot? No wonder he doesn't want to be with us, Derek! Sixteen year olds don't usually cope well with getting shot."
"Ignore her." The older werewolf snapped, reverting attention back to the topic of importance. "What happened?"
"I changed back." Scott stated, still not seeming to see the point.
"And when you were hit by his car, same thing, right? What's the common denominator?" Derek demanded, not waiting for an answer. He grabbed the teen wolf's wrist, bending it back until the crack of bone could be heard.
"What the hell are you doing?" Scott choked out, holding his paining wrist. It was an unneeded example, but Derek had broken the teen's wrist for a reason. Words weren't working, and in order to make him see the big picture, it was evident that a demonstration had been needed.
"It'll heal." Rachel mumbled, sending a glance of disapproval at her brother. Derek's methods were often a tad barbaric, but he never failed to make people understand.
"It still hurt!"
"And that's what keeps you human-" The older Hale paused, "Pain."
Rachel exhaled loudly, leaning back against the burned wall as Scott got to his feet. She couldn't help but pity him. Even if he'd been a nobody, he'd still been a somebody to someone. And that someone, was Stiles. They'd only been in it for a few weeks, but they were doing far better in the supernatural than Rachel had in sixteen years.
They were adapting, growing accustomed to a world they didn't belong in. Scott wasn't supposed to be a werewolf, he was supposed to be a normal human teenager. It didn't need to be said aloud, because the unspoken evidence was enough to convince anyone. Scott McCall doesn't deserve to die, and if Rachel & Derek can help it - he won't. Rachel would be lying if she said she'd take a bullet for him, but she'd fight. She'd never stop fighting until she righted the wrongs done by the alpha.
Maybe, just maybe - Scott will survive.
⠀⠀⠀⠀↻
"Do you have a gun?" Rachel tapped a finger on her lip, gazing off at a tree outside as she questioned Stiles. Her voice was optimistic, almost happy - until she spoke again. "Because I really want to shoot myself right now."
"Trust me." Stiles muttered, his voice half muffled by the highlighter cap in his mouth. "I do too."
"Just a friendly reminder- parent/teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a "C" average are required to attend. I won't name you, because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment. Has anyone seen Scott McCall?" The demon otherwise known as Adrian Harris spoke, his usual monotone voice in use. Nobody liked Harris. Rachel was pretty sure than not even his parents could love the demonic creature he became each day upon walking through the school doors.
"Do you think anyone would notice if he mysteriously went missing?" Rachel whispered quietly, ensuring Harris wouldn't hear her as he spoke to Jackson. "In the middle of the night.. Pitch dark.. No witnesses.."
"I believe that's called manslaughter." The spastic boy stated, earning a glare in return.
"Wouldn't want to get myself arrested again." Rachel remarked, a sarcastic smile on her face. "Thanks for that, I looked absolutely stunning in my mugshot."
"Really? Because I saw it & you kinda-"
"Stiles!"
"Ahem! Miss Hale, is there a problem?" Harris spoke up, instantaneously triggering every impulse in her body to repeatedly punch Stiles. She didn't even want to hit Harris- he was naturally an asshole, and no amount of force could knock our that trait. At least if she hit Stiles, she'd get a detention instead of another free car ride to the police station.
"Uh-" Rachel bit her lip, thinking for a moment. "I was just wondering if my brother could attend the parent/teacher conference instead of my parents?"
"It's called a parent/teacher conference. Not a sibling/teacher conference. I've seen your grades, Miss Hale, and I'm sure your parents won't be proud."
"Unless you'd like me to go sweep up their ashes, I guess you're going to have to tolerate Derek." Rachel snapped through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowed into slits. Nothing agitated her more than talk of her family, especially when someone decided to shove it in her face that she no longer had parents.
Harris sent one last glare-like look at the young Hale, before opting not to reply. Instead, he issued out instructions & returned to his desk. "Everyone, start reading Chapter Nine."
"That was brutal." Stiles exhaled, looking almost sympathetically at Rachel. The majority of the class had stared at her throughout the gruelling conversation with Harris. Being a Hale & all, she was hotheaded enough to brush them off like dead flies, and keep herself focused on the aforementioned topic.
"If you haven't noticed, brutality runs in the business, Stiles. The alpha practically traumatized Lydia, and considering Jackson's being less of a jackass than usual, it got to him too." Rachel sighed, tapping her pencil on her notebook idly. She didn't have the first clue of what she was expected to write, nor did she know what book Harris had been referring to when he'd instructed them to locate & read chapter nine.
Something told her she wouldn't be finding out.
It seemed as though Stiles had already improved an idea of how they were going to gain a little insight on exactly what'd damaged the lacrosse captain's confidence so badly. He'd turned around in his seat, opting to target the teen's best friend instead of confronting him directly.
"Hey, Danny. Can I ask you a question?" The spastic boy grinned widely - too widely, in Rachel's opinion. Creepily.
"No." Danny replied in a monotone voice.
"Well, I'm going to anyway." Stiles shrugged carelessly. "Um, did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?"
"No."
"I could've told you that." Rachel furred her brows, looking at Stiles in confusion. "I'm in her homeroom."
"That would've been useful information." He huffed, turning back to Danny - who appeared to have instantaneously returned to whatever he'd been working on. "Can I ask you another question?"
"Answer's still no."
"Does anyone know what happened to her and Jackson last night?" Rachel asked before Stiles had the chance. She'd caught on pretty quickly to what he was doing - he was trying to find out exactly how much the couple had disclosed.
Both her & Stiles knew Lydia had seen something. It all depended on what the strawberry blonde chose to believe. Did she accept the cheep lie of mountain lion, or was her genius brain able to concoct some other explanation? Not to mention, Jackson had been borderline attacked.
But he wasn't bitten.
That was the part that befuddled Rachel the most. Why didn't the alpha bite Jackson? Currently, he only had one beta, and that was Scott. The whole concept of creating a pack was to continue adding more members, to increase your power. Why wouldn't he take Jackson? He was just like Scott. Young, healthy & strong - highly likely of surviving & becoming a werewolf.
That bothered Stiles, too.
After a few moments of silence, Danny reluctantly answered Rachel's question. "He wouldn't tell me."
"But he's your best friend." Stiles muttered quietly, glancing towards Rachel with concern. The teen didn't have much experience with best friends outside of her family, but from what she'd seen in movies & television shows, best friends were supposed to tell each other everything, not keep secrets.
That was where the phrase blood is thicker than water originated from. One of it's two meanings was, "the bond of friendship can outweigh the ties of family". Rachel had always thought of it the other way, though. Family before friendship.
Especially now that Derek was all she had left.
"One more question." The spastic boy added on, leaning over onto Danny's desk.
The boy looked up yet again, face contorted in annoyance as he sighed. "What?"
"Do you find me attractive?" Stiles asked seriously. Both Rachel & Danny looked at the boy oddly, neither able to think of a suitable reply to his question. However, no reply was needed as the stool toppled over, sending him crashing to the floor.
Oh, Stiles.
⠀⠀⠀⠀↻
Rachel regretted a lot of things in life.
Not accompanying Stiles to Lydia's house, was certainly one of them. She knew he had a thing for her- and the last thing Rachel wanted to do was awkwardly stand in the doorway whilst Stiles attempted to talk sense to a completely drugged-up Lydia.
She'd take that any day, over her current situation.
Hiding out in the woods with Derek, because apparently their house had been raided by the she-devil known as Kate Argent - Allison's psychotic aunt. Emphasis on psychotic.
Rachel had spent a full ten minutes hiding outside, eavesdropping on the conversation. Much to her disgust, she'd sadly overheard the woman's sexual comments as well as her homicide threats. "I don't know whether to kill it or lick it." would certainly be a phrase that haunted her upcoming nightmares.
"It's like a reverse fifty shades of grey; cougar edition." Rachel cringed, scrunching up her face in disgust. "I get that you were in a pretty dark place, but that old hag? I swear I can already taste my lunch coming back up."
"It's in the past, Rachel." The werewolf grumbled. "Let it go."
"Put this on." She tossed a grey t-shirt at his head, purposely hitting him in the face. "I can't even look at you without wanting to barf."
"We need to keep moving." Derek instructed, giving her an odd look as recognition settled in. "Where did you get this?"
"I hid it out here awhile ago. Need I list off the countless times you've walked around shirtless?" Rachel rolled her eyes, picking away at the remaining bits of polish on her nails. "Because I can. I can list all forty-three times that I've repeated this little rant, then proceeded to tell you to put a goddamn shirt on."
"It's not my fault that people stare, now come on. If we stay here any longer, they'll find us." The werewolf insisted, growing more impatient with each passing second.
"It's your fault that you always insist on flaunting it. I like to think I'm pretty fit, but you don't see me walking around without a shirt, do you? Common decency, Derek. Learn it." Rachel smiled sarcastically, following behind her brother - who'd begun walking halfway through her first sentence.
"Walk faster."
"Maybe I should start walking around town in my sports bra, huh?" The brunette suggested, knowing it'd annoy him.
"No." He stated firmly, not even turning back to face her. Derek had always been the overprotective older brother to both her & Cora - even when they were just little kids. It'd only gotten worse now that they were on their own, especially because Rachel had supposedly entered the rebellious teenager phase of life.
Sixteen - the age where she was supposed to feel as though she ran the world. Careless, rebellious & a total hothead, yet Rachel only seemed to attain one of those qualities. The girl couldn't lie, she was attractive & she knew it. Everyone in her family was. It wasn't often that she acknowledged her appearance, but when she did - she had a tendency to overdo it. And by overdo it, she'd act as a female Jackson Whittemore, minus the soullessness.
"I think I'm gonna try that tomorrow." Rachel nodded, a satisfactory smile on her face. "Who knows, maybe I'll even get some phone numbers?"
Derek stopped, turning around to face her with an unimpressed look. "Absolutely not."
"You were sleeping around at sixteen, I'm just following my big brother's footsteps." She smiled, an evil glint in her eyes. She knew he couldn't argue with that, now that his past with Kate was out on the table.
"Don't you have anything better to do?"
Rachel's grin only widened, a new idea coming to mind along with her earlier encounter in Chemistry. Harris had said that any student below a C average had to attend, and Rachel was certainly below a C. Parents or no parents, it was regulation.
If her previous suggestions had annoyed Derek, then the future one of attending the parent teacher conference would completely piss him off. A little revenge never hurt anyone, and as payback for the endless nightmares she'd soon have from overhearing Kate - Derek could spend his evening talking with teachers.
"Actually, I do." The brunette spoke, tapping a finger on her chin. "We both do."
⠀⠀⠀⠀↻
Overprotective brother Derek is life, okay? I don't have any siblings, so I really love writing about a character that does.
I was originally going to give the exact name of what Rachel is in this chapter, but decided against it because this was cute & funnier.
Idk if I'll write the p/t meeting scene, because it would basically be teachers being teachers (aka demons, lmao whoops)
Sorry this is shorter, but the last chapter is hella long, so deal with it & accept the masterpiece that is Rachel Hale.