I THOUGHT THAT WHEN I WAS PUT ON THE SPOT I WAS QUITE A COLLECTED PERSON.
I was wrong.
Boy, was I really wrong.
My heart was practically breaking through my ribcage with how fast it was beating. I was trying my hardest not to let anything show but I was entirely on edge as Chris Argent drove me back to his house, Gerard sitting in the passenger seat. The two hunters kept on looking back at me, checking I hadn't launched myself out of the door and ran away, and it only made me feel uneasy.
I'd sent a sly SOS to Scott and Stiles, letting them know I'd been roped up into Chris Argent's car but they hadn't gotten back to me. I wasn't expecting them to either, they had enough going on trying to find the Kanima in that club before Derek killed him.
I didn't say anything the entire car ride and when we pulled up at the Argent household I noticed my fathers car parked in the driveway. I hesitated in the backseat knowing I hadn't seen my dad in a while. It wasn't conventional, what kind of daughter went weeks without seeing her legal guardian? I wasn't sure how I was getting away with it to be honest but it was a surreal reminder that my dad didn't really care for me anymore.
That's what it felt like, at least. When we lived in San Francisco I spent a lot of my time with Allison and some other friends. I only ever saw my dad on the morning and the night. It had been that way for around two years. I felt like I was a burden to him, that I was something he had but didn't want. He pushed me away and so I willingly walked even further.
As Chris turned the car off he didn't turn back to me like Gerard did, instead he got out of the car silently. I reached for the door handle, pulling it towards me to open the door but it didn't budge. My brows furrowed as I tried again but I had no luck. I turned towards Gerard seeing him looking at me in slight amusement.
"Sorry about that." He chuckled, "Chris always forgets to turn it off."
I tried to force the smallest of smiles but I couldn't do it. Why an earth would they put the child lock on? Surely this border-lined kidnapping, didn't it? Forcing me into their car and purposely locking me inside.
Whatever it was it made me uneasy and when the door was opened for me I jumped straight out, unnerved by the expression on Gerard's face. I didn't know what it was about the man, whether it was because he had stabbed Scott or what, but I just didn't like him.
Chris closed the door after me and I walked up the path to the Argent household, Gerard leading the way as his son walked behind me. He was probably holding a taser to my back or something, ready to fire at me should I try and make a break for it. I had to admit, the thought was tempting but what was to stop them from hopping back in their car in say three days time and doing this again? Clearly they wanted to talk to me.
The Argent household was warm but it was far from inviting and as I looked up towards the staircase I saw Allison stood at the top on the landing as she leaned over the banister. Her face twisted in confusion as she met my eyes and I shrugged fractionally at her, letting her know I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
"This way, Alex." Chris said to me then, forcing me along into the kitchen and out of Allison's eyeshot. I knew she wouldn't be allowed to listen in on this conversation.
I had no choice but to follow, coming into the kitchen to see my dad sitting at the head of the table. He was pinching his temples between his thumb and middle finger in what appeared to be stress but I held no sympathy for him.
"Take a seat." Gerard said to me, pointing to the chair on the right of my dad.
I reminded silent as I sat down and I laid my hands in my lap as Chris and Gerard sat down opposite me. I could feel my dad's gaze burning into the side of my head but I didn't turn to look at him. I kept my head forwards, locked on Chris' eyes as he seemed to be studying me.
"Cookies anyone?" Victoria Argent asked and I turned to see her standing by the table with a freshly made batch of cookies on a plate. She turned to me and smiled but it was one that caused a chill to creep down my spine uncomfortably. It wasn't a warm and loving smile most mother's offered you, it was cold and harsh. In fact it was borderline threatening, "Alex?" She asked me.
I looked to the cookies on the plate she was holding and shook my head. I wouldn't of been surprised if she'd laced them with poison or something and so I cleared my throat, "No, thank you."
She nodded once and placed the plate down on the table in between us before she left the kitchen.
Gerard sat forwards in his chair, leaning his arms on the table as he clasped his hands together, "Alexandra—"
"Alex." I interrupted him. I watched as his brow raised and I swallowed harshly, noticing how sharp my tone had been. I had to dial it down somewhat and so I muttered, "It's Alex."
"Well, Alex." He corrected, "I've noticed you're behind in three of your classes."
My brows furrowed tightly as I looked to him in disbelief. Surely this wasn't some parent-principal-student conference? If it was why did they have to go about it like this? What was wrong with calling my dad into the school to discuss it?
"Now, as your principal it is my duty to ensure my students are doing well in school, to eliminate any possible distractions." He said to me carefully, "I've noticed your record isn't the best either, skipping classes and whatnot."
"What are you trying to say?" I asked him.
He pressed his lips together to suppress a smile, "I just want to check in on my students. To see if there's anything going on that I can help with."
I saw where this was going. He wanted me to tell him all about the Kanima, what we knew and so on. Did we really know more about the Kanima than the Argents?
I arched my brow innocently in Gerard's direction.
"I've also noticed your name under the school counsellors books, Miss. Morrell, am I right? You see her two or three times a week, Alex."
My nostrils flared then as I tried to keep my cool. If this was why Gerard had brought me here then I was about to get up and walk out of this house. I wasn't about to sit here and listen to him talk about why I was seeing the guidance counsellor when really his daughter was at the route of all my problems.
"You want to know why I'm seeing Miss. Morrell?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes.
Gerard shook his head as he leaned back in his seat, "That's confidential." He told me, "I can't force you to tell me."
"Her records are also confidential." I quipped, "But clearly you don't care for what you can and cannot read seeing as so you've already raked through them."
Gerard rose his brows in surprise as he chuckled in amusement then, "My position as principal—"
"—Your position as principal has nothing to do with it. If you want to know why I'm seeing Morrell so badly it's because of your psychotic daughter." I snapped.
The air in the room shifted, the tension thickening. I noticed as Chris pressed his lips together, looking away to the right for a brief minute while Gerard held my gaze the entire time. He didn't move a muscle, he didn't flinch, he didn't react.
"Alex, you can't say things like that." My dad told me quietly.
I scoffed at him and turned to look at him. He appeared timid as he scolded me. I had a thousand and one things running through my head of what to say to him but at the top of my list was why was he still involved with the Argent family after they'd been the reason for our own family falling apart.
"No, no." Gerard shook his head, "Don't worry Neil. She's only speaking her mind, after all.. honesty is the best policy."
I sighed in exasperation then and shook my head, "What am I doing here? Because I know you being at that club and hustling me into your car wasn't a coincidence."
Gerard turned to Chris then and I waited for someone to say something to me.
"We think you can help us." Chris told me.
I snorted in amusement, leaning back in my chair, "And you honestly believe I will?"
"When it's in your best interest." Gerard quipped.
Chris ignored what his father had said to me as he clasped his hands together, "It's about the Kanima."
"Right." I nodded then. I was beginning to think that for once we knew more about something than what the Argents did. They wanted me to spill everything I knew but I had no reason to give them the information we possessed. Our knowledge was limited as it was and if I brought the Argents up to speed on what I knew they would surpass us.
Scott, Stiles and I had agreed on a plan to spare Jackson for the time being while we tried to figure out a way to unleash Jackson from the Kanima. If I told the Argents who was behind the mask they'd kill him in a heartbeat.
I arched my brow curiously. I felt like I was one step ahead of them, "What do you know?"
"Not much." Chris said to me then, "Rumours. It's a shapeshifter."
I nodded, "Well, you're right about that." I said to him, "But I'm afraid I don't know much more than that."
"I find that hard to believe." Gerard said to me, "What with you spending all that time with Scott."
"He's my best friend." I shrugged innocently, "I know it's a were-jaguar."
I watched as Chris and Gerard shared a glance before they both looked back to me, "And that's all you know?"
"It has a poisonous venom." I told them, "Paralyses it's victims."
"Like it did Stiles at the garage?" Chris asked me then.
I bit into the inside of my mouth to try and hide my anger. How they knew of that I had no idea but it was clear they were trying to use it as a way to get me to tell them everything I knew.
"Yeah." I nodded vaguely, "Like it did Stiles."
"It could've killed him that night too." Gerard said to me, "That could very well happen again."
I exhaled steadily, "I don't know what else you want to know." I responded coolly, "I've told you everything I know."
Gerard pursed his lips before nodding slowly, "Okay." He said to me then, "Well I suppose I'll see you in school tomorrow."
I nodded silently, keeping my teeth together firmly. I don't know what the Argents were up to bringing me here but I knew Gerard would have his eye on me now. He was going to know if I skipped, he was going to know what class I was in and when I was seeing Morrell and I didn't like that. There wasn't anything I could about it though.
Was he trying to get me to turn my back on my friends?
My dad stood up then and he looked at me, "Come on, Alex."
I recoiled then and looked to him with furrowed brows, "What?"
"We're going home."
Oh, so now he wanted to play dad?
I shook my head, "I think not."
"I don't care what you think." He said to me then, "We're going home."
I pushed my chair back and walked out of the kitchen, passing Victoria as she leaned against the wall eavesdropping. Her eyes widened somewhat when she saw me, clearly not having heard me coming but she settled almost immediately. She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head while giving me a smug smile, "I'll be seeing you soon then, Alex?" She asked me.
I shook my head as my dad walked out of the kitchen and said to her, "No."
She clearly wasn't expecting that and while she was overcoming her shock I walked out of the Argent house and waited by my dads car impatiently. If he wanted to take me home then so be it, I'd only just climb out my bedroom window as soon as we got home because was I hell staying in the same house as him.
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My bedroom window was locked when I got home last night and so I had no other choice than to stay the night at my dads house. I was stuck texting Scott and Stiles in our group chat but they didn't send me one reply. I was more suspicious than I was worried after I'd had a text from Isaac to tell me Derek had seen Scott and Stiles leave the club completely unscathed.
I was hoping I'd be able to find them and get them to tell me exactly what had gone down after I'd left them last night but there was something telling me that something else had happened. For some strange reason I had a feeling that Stiles hadn't gone home last night. I'd texted him to let him know that I was stuck at my dad's for the night but he would've replied to me. Surely he'd of replied to me.
He'd of wanted me to have told him everything that Gerard and Chris asked me about, everything they said but instead I had radio silence? It was too weird.
I had to get Lydia to give me a ride to school this morning knowing my car was at the Stilinski household. I didn't want to have to ask my dad for a ride, I'd of rather walked then done that, but I was thankful Lydia agreed. I felt guilty leaving her for our free period this morning but after I'd explained to her I was seeing Morrell she was absolutely fine — or so she seemed that way.
My session with the guidance counsellor wasn't all that bad but I couldn't completely focus on what we were talking about because I was too busy thinking about Scott and Stiles. I held my phone in my hand for the full fifty minutes I was with her for, waiting for a text or a phone call from one of them but I didn't get one.
Morrell knew I wasn't concentrating on our session — I could tell by the way she studied my face — but she didn't say anything about it. I think she was just grateful I was participating. The session wasn't as long as what our previous sessions had been, or at least I didn't think it was. She told me she'd see me at the same time next week before letting me know that I could tell her about what was on my mind but I passed up on the opportunity.
I closed her office door behind me but hesitated in the hallway as I saw an electrician stood on a ladder inserting a camera into the corner. I frowned in confusion as I stood there, eyeing the man suspiciously until I felt someone grab my elbow. I jumped somewhat in shock as I turned my head but I relaxed immediately when I saw Scott standing next to me.
I exhaled loudly, shaking my head before I slapped his arm lightly, "You scared the shit out of me. Where have you been?" I scolded, "You didn't answer any of my texts or calls, Scott."
"Where did you go?" Scott asked me, "Stiles and I were looking for you for ages."
I was about to reply when I caught sight of Gerard watching Scott and I from across the hall. I met his gaze briefly before I broke the contact and grabbed Scott's arm, pulling him away. He turned back to see Gerard too before he followed me silently and once we had gotten around the corner I stopped and turned to him, "Gerard and Chris cornered me and told me to get into their car. They took me back to the Argents and started asking me loads of questions about the Kanima."
Scott's eyes widened, "You didn't tell them it was Jackson, did you?"
"No, you idiot, of course I didn't." I replied.
He sighed in relief before he said to me, "Where were you during free period? I've been looking all over for you."
"It's Thursday." I shrugged nonchalantly, "I have counselling with Morrell."
Scott recoiled in confusion, "I didn't know you were seeing the guidance counsellor."
My lips parted then and I released a deep sigh, "Yeah." I muttered, "Since the formal."
"Does Stiles know?" He asked me. I shook my head silently and glanced down to the floor but Scott put his hand on my shoulder comfortingly, "Why didn't you tell us?"
I shrugged, "I don't know." I told him honestly, "I guess I just didn't know how."
"I think that you should tell Stiles." He said to me then.
"Stiles." I muttered before I met Scott's eyes again, "Scott where's Stiles?"
Scott cringed and his reaction to my question made my stomach flip with dread. What the hell had they gotten into while I was gone?
"Uh, it's kind of a long story."
"Yeah?" I asked him, "Well why don't you start talking?"
Scott groaned quietly as he looked at me and he sighed, "Well after you left Derek tried to kill Jackson in the club but Jackson paralysed a load of people and tried to kill Danny."
My eyes widened before I dropped my head back, "Oh my god."
"It gets worse." Scott told me, "So Jackson scurried out so I followed him and I found him passed out in the parking lot so Stiles and I put him in the back of the Jeep but we had to figure out some place to take him to convince him he wasn't dangerous."
"I'm gonna be honest Scott, I really don't like where this is going."
"Well I don't like where it went so..." He said to me before he shrugged, "Stiles stole a prison transport van and we handcuffed Jackson in the back."
I was completely and utterly speechless. I couldn't even process what he had said to me at first and I just started blankly at Scott until finally it processed. Even then I was still speechless. Why did they think that that of all things would work?
"You see Scott, this is why you run the plans by me before you go through with them." I scolded him, "Not only have you stolen from the police but you've basically kidnapped Jackson. Where is he anyways?"
He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, "With Stiles parked out in the middle of the Preserve."
"This is a mess." I groaned, dragging my hands down my face, "First the Argents on to me and now this."
"I know." Scott said, "I know and I'm tying to fix it."
"Scott, this isn't something we can fix." I told him, "It's not like we have until the next full moon, we have until tonight.. and as far as we know we can't teach Jackson how to keep control of himself while he's the Kanima because it practically possesses his body."
"Alex—" He groaned.
"—I'm being realistic here, Scott." I told him truthfully, "We're in way over our heads here."
He sighed before he said, "I know and—"
Scott hesitated then and I saw his brows furrow in confusion as he looked to the locker behind me. I assumed he was overhearing something important somewhere and so I waited instead of calling his name. It was only when he met my gaze again did I speak, "What?"
His eyes were wide and slightly panicked as he looked to me and then he sighed, "Jackson's parents know he's missing."
I dropped my head back and groaned, "Well, that's just fantastic."
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It was like the world had it out for us today. First Scott was told he was being kept back a year if he didn't pass his mid-terms. Then when we went to see Danny In the hospital he told us he'd been recovering a video for Jackson on a tablet in the trunk of his car, only said tablet had disappeared when Scott and I had gone looking for it. Not only that but Allison he also told us her mom had threatened to kill Scott again today.
Things just weren't looking up as Scott and I made it to where Stiles and Allison had moved Jackson to — Scott and Allison's secret meet up spot on the edge of the Preserve. I had gone to the Stilinski household to retrieve my car and my keys so Scott and I could drive out and as soon as I saw Stiles completely unscathed a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I engulfed him in a tight embrace, partially happy to have him in my arms but massively relieved to know he was all right.
The four of us walked away from the transport van Jackson was cooped up inside of and over towards the edge of the cliff as Scott sighed, "If Jackson doesn't remember being the Kanima he's definitely not gonna remember stealing Danny's tablet."
"Why would he steal the thing if he doesn't even know what's on it?" Stiles asked then as he wrapped his arms around me from behind and squeezed me tightly.
"What if someone else took it?" Allison suggested.
I shrugged as I looked to my companions, "It's possible."
"But that means somebody else knows what he is." Stiles said.
"Which could mean someone's protecting him." Scott suggested.
Allison nodded, "Yeah, like the Bestiary says 'The Kanima seeks a friend' right?"
"Right." I agreed, "Obviously Jackson has one of these friends. We just don't know who."
"Okay, hold on." Stiles said then as he shook his head, "So, somebody watches Jackson make a video of himself turning into the Kanima and then just erases part of it so he wouldn't know? Who would do that?"
"His friend." I said.
"Somebody who wanted to protect him." Allison agreed.
"There's something else." Scott said, "Stiles, Alex, you said the only thing you found online about the Kanima is that it goes after murderers. What if that's actually true?"
"Can't be." I shook my head, "Those people would be in prison already."
"Exactly." Stiles agreed with me, "It tried to kill all of us, remember? I don't know about you guys but I haven't murdered anybody lately."
"Well, I don't think that it was actually trying to kill us." Scott said before he turned to Allison, "Remember when we were at Isaac's the first time, it just went right by us didn't it?"
"You're right, it just ran off." Allison nodded.
"And it didn't kill you in the mechanic's garage." He said to Stiles.
"Well yeah but it tried to kill me and Derek in the pool." Stiles said.
"Did it?" Scott asked him.
"It would've. It was waiting for us to come out."
"What if it was trying to keep you in?"
I turned to Stiles as his jaw dropped and he said, "Why do I feel so violated all of a sudden?"
"So Jackson's doing a Peter?" I asked my friends, "Killing murderers."
"Yeah but maybe not for revenge." Allison suggested.
"But how does he know that Isaac's did was a murderer? Or the dude at the garage and whoever else he's killed."
"Because there's something else going on and we don't know what it is." Scott said, "We don't know anything about what's going on with Jackson, or why someone's protecting him—"
"Know thy enemy." Allison muttered aloud.
The three of us turned to her as I asked, "What?"
She shook her head, "It's just something my grandfather said."
"All right, I got it." Stiles said, "Kill Jackson, problem solved."
I shook my head as the three of us turned to him, "Problem not solved."
"He risked his life for us." Scott told him, "Against Peter, you remember that?"
"Yes but what did we just find out?" Stiles asked rhetorically, "He got the bite from Derek. It's funny how he just got exactly what he wanted by supposedly risking his life for us. It's funny."
I eyed him, "You are dripping with sarcasm right now, you know that?"
While Stiles met my eyes Scott continued to defend Jackson, "Yeah, it doesn't mean he's still not worth saving."
"It's always something with him though—"
"He doesn't know what he's doing." Scott argued.
"So what?"
"So, I didn't either." Our supernatural friend said before he turned to Allison, "You remember when I almost killed you and Jackson? I had somebody to stop me.. he has nobody."
"That's his own fault." Stiles said.
I nodded in agreement, "Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person you are."
"It doesn't matter." Scott said to us, "If we can save him we should try."
After a moment of silence I nodded, "All right, but we've only got until tonight to try and figure it out."
Stiles sighed next to me as the four of us glanced at each other, no one having anything else to say. We'd just placed an immense pressure on ourselves and we could feel it. We — as three sixteen year olds and one seventeen year old — had taken the responsibility of trying to help Jackson into our hands when we knew how big of a task it was. It was going to be a struggle, especially if we only had a matter of hours too.
"Hey." Stiles said softly then and I turned my head to find him already looking at me, "You wanna go get something to eat?"
I inhaled deeply and nodded. I glanced fleetingly to Scott to see him already watching us and when he met my gaze he gave me a reassuring nod. I looked back to Stiles and nodded, "Yeah, there's actually a few things I wanna talk to you about."
Stiles frowned but I only squeezed his hand while giving him a small smile of reassurance. The two of us walked up to his Jeep and we sat in a comfortable silence while Stiles drove out of the preserve and on to the main road. I looked out of my window as we drove, watching the trees disperse as we drove further into the heart of town and towards Ranch — the takeout place.
Stiles started a casual conversation with me and I followed, talking about trivial things until we got to the drive through. I ordered a simple burger and curly fries with a sprite and Stiles ordered the same but with a coke instead. He parked up in the parking lot while we ate and I pulled the tinfoil off my burger as I turned to Stiles, "So about this thing.."
"Is it bad?" He asked me then, "Do I need to mentally prepare?"
"It's not bad." I said to him then.
His shoulders relaxed somewhat, "So you're not breaking up with me?"
My eyes widened then, "What?" I asked him incredulously, "Why an earth would I break up with you?"
"I dunno." He admitted, "You just said you wanted to talk and I just automatically assumed you wanted to break up with me."
I shook my head to reassure him while reaching for his hand, "Stiles, I don't want to break up with you."
He breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank god."
"I'm not breaking up with you." I said to him, "I'm seeing the guidance counsellor."
"Morrell?" He asked me then, furrowing his brows, "How long have you been seeing Morrell?"
"Well, since the week after the formal." I told him, "It was actually your dad who asked her to consider seeing me."
Stiles' expression softened and he ran his finger across the back of my hand, "My dad?"
"Yeah." I nodded, "He must've spoke to her about my nightmares or something because I was trying to skip one day and she caught me and threatened to call my dad. I told her that I didn't live with him and she said she'd tell your dad the next time she spoke to him regarding me."
"That's weird." Stiles muttered then.
"Not really." I shrugged, "He knows Morrell is a counsellor and he was worried about me."
Stiles nodded before he asked me gently, "Why didn't you tell me you were seeing her?"
"Because I didn't accept I needed her help until just recently. I used to try and skip our sessions but she always found me. It was only when I spoke to Lydia that night of the semi-finals did I realise that I needed Morrell." I told him.
"Well, I'll support you." He told me, "If you ever want to tell me about what you guys talk about I'll always listen to you, you know that right?"
"I do." I nodded softly as I smiled. I was grateful to have Stiles in my life, to have him by my side and willing to support me, "Thank you."
He nodded, "I know there's things your not comfortable with talking about as it is.. but whenever you feel like you want to talk about it, I'll listen."
I leaned over the centre console and wrapped my arms around his neck, embracing him tightly and he wrapped his arms around my back. We pulled back and he smiled at me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, "We should get back. It's dark now."
I nodded, sitting back in my seat properly. I put my belt back on before taking a bite of my burger, realising just how hungry I was.
Stiles began the drive back to the preserve to but we had no idea what was waiting for us. We didn't know Jackson would've disappeared, nor would we of anticipated that Allison would've had to tell her dad and Stiles his — welcoming him into the world of the supernatural. I wouldn't of expected that I had to leave Stiles to tell his dad — instead, going to the industrial estate to find Derek and admit defeat.
Because at the end of the day we were teenagers and this was something we really couldn't handle.
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