Series 3 Episode 7
"Assistance"
The time had finally come. Scott was heading back to college. He had spent one semester at UC Davis already, and although he loved it there, he hadn’t yet returned. Christmas and New Year were a distant memory, but he hadn’t been skiving without reason. Beacon Hills, his home town, had been in trouble. They were at risk of things they didn’t even know existed, and Scott knew it was his job to protect them. After all, he had the capabilities.
However, the time had come to be selfish for a change. He had to take this opportunity, because he knew that delaying his return any longer could see him lose his place on the course. His mum would be furious at him, and quite frankly, he’d be furious with himself too.
“Are you sure you’ve got everything?” Melissa, his doting mum, checked as Scott hopped into the Jeep that formerly belonged to his best mate, Stiles.
“I’m sure, I’ve checked like twenty times,” Scott reassured her.
“And you’ve spoken to Liam?” Melissa worried. Liam was Scott’s beta, a couple of years younger but an incredibly valuable asset to his pack.
“Yes mom, Liam’s all good. He knows he can call you if he needs a hand,” Scott noted.
“Alright. Remember, we’ve got it covered here. You’ve got a career waiting for you. Go grab it,” Melissa encouraged. She was the best mum Scott could have wished for; she was supportive, had high aspirations for him and never took any crap. Just the sort of dad that Scott himself wanted to be in the future. Everything his own dad wasn’t.
“I know. I love you mom,” Scott poked his head out of the car window and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“I love you too sweetie. Call me when you get there,” Melissa commanded as Scott rolled the window up and pressed the radio on. Now it was the start of the rest of his life, but somehow, trouble seemed to follow him everywhere.
However, the time had come to be selfish for a change. He had to take this opportunity, because he knew that delaying his return any longer could see him lose his place on the course. His mum would be furious at him, and quite frankly, he’d be furious with himself too.
“Are you sure you’ve got everything?” Melissa, his doting mum, checked as Scott hopped into the Jeep that formerly belonged to his best mate, Stiles.
“I’m sure, I’ve checked like twenty times,” Scott reassured her.
“And you’ve spoken to Liam?” Melissa worried. Liam was Scott’s beta, a couple of years younger but an incredibly valuable asset to his pack.
“Yes mom, Liam’s all good. He knows he can call you if he needs a hand,” Scott noted.
“Alright. Remember, we’ve got it covered here. You’ve got a career waiting for you. Go grab it,” Melissa encouraged. She was the best mum Scott could have wished for; she was supportive, had high aspirations for him and never took any crap. Just the sort of dad that Scott himself wanted to be in the future. Everything his own dad wasn’t.
“I know. I love you mom,” Scott poked his head out of the car window and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“I love you too sweetie. Call me when you get there,” Melissa commanded as Scott rolled the window up and pressed the radio on. Now it was the start of the rest of his life, but somehow, trouble seemed to follow him everywhere.
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Summer heat always made Dylan feel exhausted. He felt the heat much more than the cold and it tired him out. Despite only wearing a white short-sleeved t-shirt and his favourite pair of jean shorts, he was feeling incredibly hot and sweaty.
It wasn’t helped by how close he was to Jono though, sharing their body heat, but he wasn’t giving that up so easily. He had tried to get a good night’s sleep, but the heat wasn’t helping out. He was utilising Jono’s shoulder as his pillow, while Jono rested his head on top of Dylan’s.
They had spent the whole night in the treehouse, which wasn’t the most comfortable place anyway. Their makeshift bed was already in use, by an alpha. Someone Dylan had never met before, but he said his name was Scott McCall. They didn’t get to talk much the night before. Dylan knew that the two of them being anywhere near each other could be catastrophic. The Téras needed them together, and they were metres apart now. They had to be on their guard.
“Maybe he’s got a plan. A way to stop it,” Jono considered. Dylan didn’t know he was always, neither of them had moved all night and were supposed to be sleeping, but obviously it hadn’t worked.
“I don’t know. He might know even less than us,” Dylan replied, “He looks pretty strong though, and he knew exactly where we would be.”
“I didn’t even really think there would be another pack,” Jono admitted, “Seems so obvious now.”
“There are loads of packs,” Scott interrupted, waking up, “All over the world. Nobody makes a big deal about it though, people hunt werewolves, so you won’t hear of any.”
“Do you think there are more in Crystalshaw?” Jono queried.
“Almost definitely,” Scott answered, “There are werewolves everywhere. Don’t take it the wrong way, but I guess you guys are kinda new to all this?”
“You could say that,” Dylan responded, “Werewolf for less than a year, alpha for three months.”
“I remember when I was your age,” Scott recalled, “I was pretty dumb, but I had good friends to look after me.”
“I can relate,” Dylan admitted, smiling at Jono, “Are you local?”
“I come from Beacon Hills, so not really, but I’m at UC Davis. Took me an hour to get here,” Scott answered, “Speaking of that, you’re probably wondering why I’m here. My friend sent me a post on Tumblr, and you guys were mentioned in it. Not gonna lie, I’m kinda worried.”
“Me too,” Dylan sighed, “I don’t know what to do.”
“I think we’ve got to pay someone a visit,” Scott suggested. It seemed like he had the experience that Dylan so desperately needed.
Waking up in an environment that was fast becoming a second home to her, Yasmin had spent the night at Freddie’s. The first evening in her new house had gotten off to a spectacularly awful start thanks to a prize idiot in her year group. As soon as he witnessed Freddie’s healing, they made a quick getaway, pulling Lily and Josh out of the party too. All of them had spent the night at Freddie and George’s house, hoping that strength in numbers would keep them all safe.
Yasmin was making hot drinks for everyone – she was the first person awake, but they all had to get up soon. School still had to go ahead. They had to act like nothing was happening, or people really would start to suspect things. All they had to do was stay out of the way of that kid yesterday; Yasmin didn’t even know his name, but even the sight of him would piss her off if she had the misfortune to see him again.
“I thought I could smell tea,” Freddie remarked from the doorway, still wearing his dressing gown, complete with bed head.
“You’re gonna need it for school today,” Yasmin smiled.
“School? Give over, we need to keep a low profile,” Freddie debated.
“No way José, we’re going in and we’re going to continue as we always do. He can’t win,” Yasmin reasoned.
“Are you crazy? He’s already won, he proved it. He can prove it again,” Freddie continued.
“Not if we keep our distance. We’ve got this,” Yasmin encouraged. She knew Freddie would be reluctantly, but she and the rest of the pack were there to pick him up. Life went on.
It felt weird to be so far away from home without anyone he knew, but Scott was adapting. Besides, he was making new friends quite quickly. Dylan and Jono both seemed pretty cool, although they were out of their depth. Scott knew that he would be in their situation too.
He checked his phone for a reply. Nothing yet. He had asked for assistance, and he knew it was on its way, but it seemed to be taking its time.
“Be wary. Chase is unstable. Be gentle with him,” Dylan warned.
“Got it,” Scott replied. He was pleased they trusted him. He would have understood if they didn’t, all things considered; he was a total stranger, in a world where it was already tough to tell who was on whose side.
Chase answered the door, and immediately tried to shut it upon seeing who it was. Luckily, Dylan put his shoe in the way.
“Leave me alone, freaks,” Chase ordered.
“Fat chance,” Dylan replied, pushing the door open and inviting himself inside. Scott glanced with Jono, both equally impressed by Dylan’s firmness. They followed him in.
“Get out of my house, you have no right to be here. I’ll call the cops,” Chase threatened.
“Go ahead, do it, the Sheriff would be delighted to give his stepson a hand,” Dylan hit back.
“Really?” Scott whispered to Jono, who nodded back. It reminded him of home. He missed people like Sheriff Stilinski when he wasn’t there.
“What do you want from me?” Chase lowered his voice.
“Three guesses, dumbass,” Jono answered. Stupidest question of the day.
“No way, I’m not taking it down. Not unless you find Emily,” Chase responded.
“I said we’d do all we could, I didn’t guarantee we’d bring her back,” Dylan justified.
“What would Emily think of all this?” Scott questioned, trying to get a grasp on the situation and remembering the severity of Chase’s state of mind.
“Who the heck are you?” Chase rudely questioned.
“I’m Scott,” Scott replied, glaring his eyes to confirm his identity, “Now answer my question.”
“She…I…” Chase stuttered, struggling to answer, “I want you to leave.”
Scott sighed. This kid was a tough nut to crack. They couldn’t do any more that day. If he crumbled under pressure, it could have disastrous consequences.
“Come on,” Scott encouraged Dylan and Jono to follow his lead out of Chase’s house.
“That went well,” Jono despaired once they were outside.
“You said your stepdad’s the Sheriff?” Scott turned to Dylan, “Does he know? You know, about you.”
“Yeah, but my mom doesn’t,” Dylan admitted.
“Okay, we can get his help. He’s got more power than most,” Scott suggested. It was their best shot at stopping this from spreading even further, outing Dylan not just to his mum, but to everyone else.
Finally, the semester was almost over. Scott had one more exam left, set for a couple of days’ time, before he could go home. He had only visited a couple of times since he returned to university, and he was missing his mum like crazy.
Even better, he had a summer to spend with his friends. They all had the summer off too, and he hadn’t seen most of them since New Year. That said, it felt like he and Stiles hadn’t been apart. They had been friends for most of their lives, and being on opposite coasts wouldn’t be enough to break them up. Though Scott had made some new friends at UC Davis, it just wasn’t the same. They didn’t have the same shared moments as his pack. They had been through thick and thin together, after all.
As Scott started to pack up his belongings to go home, his Skype ringtone sounded. Malia was calling.
“Hey stranger,” Scott smiled.
“Hey, are you home yet?” Malia queried. She skipped the pleasantries much like she always did. Scott loved to see that little had changed.
“I’m home on Saturday. Still got other exam to go,” Scott answered.
“Lydia said she’d have us round at the lake house on Sunday evening. I take it you’re in?” Malia queried.
“Sure, I’ll be there. Have you seen Liam?” Scott wondered.
“Not yet, is something up? Anything you want me to pass on?” Malia questioned.
“No, just curious,” Scott replied. He still couldn’t stop thinking f Beacon Hills. Liam last spoke to him a few days prior, and he said all was good, but anything could have popped up in that time.
“Alright, I’ll see you Saturday,” Malia raised a smile, ending the call. Ah, how Scott desperately missed his friends. He couldn’t wait for the party at Lydia’s.
The only time Lily enjoyed being the centre of attention was at one of her parties. Any other time, she was practically a recluse. Her so-called friends from the start of high school always scowled at her, as if she had killed their entire family. That made school quite an intimidating and uncomfortable place at the best of times.
Now she had the added factor of being stared at by almost everyone around her. Even the teachers looked her up and down, and she wasn’t even a werewolf. She got exposed just for being affiliated with them. That said, she would do anything to protect Dylan. Jono was her baby brother, and Dylan was his boyfriend; they came as a package deal.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Mrs. Johnson remarked as she walked into her lab. Lily glanced around. She was still being stared at by all of her classmates.
You can do this, Lily. Ignore them, she told herself. George followed her in, escorting her to her seat.
“Is it just me who feels like I’m being watched?” George wondered.
“Definitely not just you,” Lily responded. Every time she looked at someone, they caught eyes for a split second, before they glanced away, as if they couldn’t bare to look at her.
“Alright everybody, get your sheets out from last lesson, you’re continuing in groups for the first half of the lesson,” Mrs. Johnson barked.
Lily sighed. She’d rather be anywhere else but in class. Not only was she surrounded by the most judgemental people ever, she had to learn about stupid shit she wasn’t interested in.
Everyone shifted around the room into their groups, but Lily and George were left alone. They worked with Taylor, Lily’s ex-best friend, and Matty, who Lily had a crush on back in freshman year. Both of them were now whispering to Mrs. Johnson at the front of the room. She knew this wasn’t good.
“Stuff this, I’m out,” Matty yelled, storming out of the room. Obviously, he had tried to switch groups, but Mrs. Johnson wouldn’t allow it. At least she was in-the-know, they could rely on her. Taylor rolled her eyes in Lily direction and followed Matty out.
“Sod them. We’ll be good on our own,” George tried to be encouraging. How he managed to remain so optimistic was beyond her. Lily felt uneasy though, and she wasn’t sure it was just the effect of the unwanted attention. Her arms had goose bumps, the tiny hairs standing on end. She felt terrified and she wasn’t too sure why.
“Can you feel that?” Lily asked.
“I was hoping you weren’t going to ask that,” George responded. Obviously, he did, and they both knew what it meant.
“Taylor and Matty,” Lily realised, leaping out of her seat and rushing for the door. Her instincts told her to be worried, and despite her dislike for both of them, she had to do all she could if they were in danger.
Upstairs, Freddie wasn’t feeling much more comfortable. The article had spread around the school like wildfire. It hadn’t gone viral seemingly, it had been purposely distributed to everyone at school. That was Freddie’s theory anyway, judging by how the media hadn’t cottoned onto it, and the impact on Twitter seemed tiny when he searched his own name that morning.
Hand-in-hand, Freddie and Yasmin went to maths class, but their entrance was blocked. It was the same guy from the night before.
“Excuse me,” Freddie politely requested. He had no time for bullshit.
“Say please,” the kid responded, complete with the most irritatingly smug expression Freddie had ever seen.
“Hey, Mr. Larsen,” Yasmin called out in the classroom. Good thinking – that would surely stamp out anything untoward.
“I’m not getting involved Yasmin, you need to sort this between yourselves,” Mr. Larsen responded. What an idiot. Freddie was fuming, but knew he couldn’t show it.
“Is there a problem?” Josh interjected, arriving at class.
“Yeah, your werewolf ass,” he responded rudely.
“Say that again,” Josh ordered, his eyes glowing a deep shade of blue. Freddie had no idea why Josh’s eyes were a different colour. He kept meaning to ask, but it felt oddly personal.
“Oh, you can make your eyes change colour? I bet Dylan’s eyes are a pretty shade of pink, well suited to a faggot,” he insulted in response. Freddie was about to lunge at the disgusting excuse for a human in front of him, but Josh got there first – he lifted the kid up by his throat, restricting his breathing.
“These eyes show my past. It means that I killed somebody innocent. Don’t be next in line,” Josh stated, releasing the kid from his grip. He scuttled off, leaving the classroom doorway clear.
“I don’t know if that was a genius move, or a dumb one,” Yasmin commented.
“I vote both,” Freddie added. Sure, Josh had solved the short-term problem, but he had just proved to multiple people in school that he was indeed a werewolf, and that they could indeed be deadly. He could have just escalated things further.
Rushing into the sheriff station, Dylan was at his wit’s end. He wasn’t sure how many more options he had to stop this post from spreading even further. Scott seemed to have more ideas, which was a huge helping hand for him and Jono, but they had a limited pool of resources. Besides, the post had been seen by enough people for the damage to have been done.
He couldn’t stop thinking about his mum though. What if she saw the post and found out his secret that way? He would be devastated. She had to hear it from Dylan himself. He finally had to tell her – his hand was forced.
In the meantime, a visit to Ed. Being, in effect, Ed’s stepson gave him the right to barge into his office without knocking, but as soon as Dylan did that, he felt guilty. A couple of people – a man and a woman, likely in their mid-forties – were sat opposite him.
“Ah, just the people I wanted to see,” Ed greeted, but without his usual charming, welcoming smile.
“What’s going on?” Dylan immediately began to worry. Who were these people? “This is Mr. and Mrs. Kastner, the parents of Emily who went missing. They say you entered their house earlier without permission and have been harassing their son, Chase.” Dylan’s stomach sank. He was so angry. Chase was doing all he could to cause ripples in the pack.
“Is this some sort of joke?” Dylan reacted. He was fed up and couldn’t hide it any longer.
“Mr. and Mrs. Kastner, please accept my apologies. If I could please speak to the boys in private,” Ed said, showing them to the door, before turning back to the boys, “Take a seat.” Dylan was too furious to sit, though.
“What are you playing at?” Dylan queried. He kept his voice low, but he was undeniably annoyed.
“I could ask you the same, your mom will go crazy,” Ed scolded.
“You’ve got to hear us out,” Scott pleaded.
“I assume this is your friend?” Ed asked Dylan.
“Yeah, this is Scott. He’s an alpha too. He’s here because of Chase. Something Chase did,” Jono explained. He sounded way calmer than Dylan. Maybe he was better at hiding it.
“Believe it or not, I’m on your side, but these parents have lost their kid, and I am the Sheriff first and foremost. I have to take all of these claims extremely seriously,” Ed justified. Dylan knew it was a fair approach, but he wished he had trusted them in the first place.
“Chase posted this,” Jono explained, handing Ed his phone with the Tumblr post loaded. Dylan watched as Ed read it, his face visibly displaying disgust and confusion.
“What the heck is up with this kid?” Ed reacted.
“A lot,” Dylan replied.
“And his sister’s vanished. That’s a lot for anyone to handle anyway,” Scott added.
“I can intervene and get this post removed, but if people have seen this, we can’t exactly take it back,” Ed decided, “And Dylan, I think you need to remember your mom.”
“I know,” Dylan replied. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, but telling his mum the full truth terrified him more than any supernatural monster out there.
Exam done. Scott was thrilled that he was finished for the summer. Roll on an incredible summer filled with laughter and lie-ins. He couldn’t be readier.
Now he was talking to Liam on Skype, finally getting in touch with him. He trusted Liam more than most people he knew, but protecting Beacon Hills felt like his responsibility. Leaving Liam in charge felt half-arsed of him, even though he knew it was necessary.
“Malia’s already been round, checking I’m all good for Lydia’s party. She didn’t exactly let me say no, you know what she’s like. Not that I wanted to anyway,” Liam admitted.
“She’s not changed,” Scott laughed, “Is everyone coming?”
“Yeah, it’s basically a whole-pack exclusive,” Liam replied, “Nolan’s DJing.”
“Nolan? I didn’t know he was into that,” Scott recalled.
“He’s got a few hidden talents,” Liam blushed, “Anyway, when are you home?”
“Tomorrow. Can’t come soon enough. I hope Beacon Hills is still standing,” Scott joked. This was his light-hearted way of checking everything was alright.
“It’s been a quiet few months,” Liam answered, “Everything’s probably waiting for you to come back.” Scott laughed. It was funny because of just how likely it was. Everything seemed to wait for him to let his guard down.
He saw a notification pop up from Facebook messenger, distracting him from Liam. It was Stiles sending him a link, alongside the message “Thought this might interest you, Scotty boy.” It linked to Tumblr; Scott hardly ever used his Tumblr account, this was his first time logging in for months. He read about a pack of werewolves in Crystalshaw, Los Angeles, led by a kid called Dylan Drummond. This was an exposé, and it was a nasty trick from somebody. Scott had to help out.
“Scott, are you alright?” Liam wondered. Scott forgot he was still on Skype.
“Err, yeah. I’ll call you later. I might be later home. Tell Lydia not to panic,” Scott asked of Liam, before he ended the call. He had somewhere to be, and a helping hand to offer. If this spread any further, every pack in the world would be affected.
Looking left and right, there was no sign of Taylor nor Matty, no matter how hard Lily looked. She was torn. In many ways, someone like Taylor didn’t deserve her time. She had been so awful to her over the past year, why did Lily owe her anything? The answer was that she didn’t, but it wasn’t like anyone else would be able to help.
Lily knew the signs. Her goose bumps hadn’t subsided, and were in fact multiplying. That meant she was getting nearer to the Téras. Every time Lily saw this thing, she was terrified. Way more terrified than she would usually be.
“Shall we split up?” George suggested.
“No, I think I know where it is, and wherever it is…” Lily observed.
“…Is where they’ll be,” George finished. Lily led him further down into the school, and past the reception area. This was where medical and the principal’s office were, so it was mostly quiet from students.
“In here,” Lily led the way into the head’s office. It was empty, for which Lily was grateful, but she had an excuse planned just in case. They walked right inside the room, and the door slammed shut all of a sudden. Lily spun round to notice the Téras, holding both Matty and Taylor. It had one hand on each of their mouths, holding them securely.
“Let them go,” Lily ordered.
“They are necessary,” the Téras responded. No hint of Drew was visible, but Lily knew he was still in there. She had to be very careful.
“Necessary for what?” George interrogated.
“Necessary for the process,” the Téras replied. It was so irritatingly vague. Lily was taking mental notes, but it was so hard to piece together any notable clues from something so non-specific.
Before Lily could intervene, the Téras let go of Taylor, but she couldn’t escape. Her hands began to vanish, as if they were splitting into atoms. Taylor looked down, seeing herself fade away bit by bit. A tear dropped from her eye. She knew she couldn’t escape.
“I’m sorry,” Lily whispered to her. It broke her heart. She was helpless, and wouldn’t have wished that on her worst enemy. Within seconds, there was no sign that Taylor was ever there in the first place.
Lily wanted to get out of there, her mind was running overtime, but she had to ensure both George and Matty were safe too. The Téras looked at Matty, who was crying. Lily had never seen him cry before, and it was horrifying knowing what was about to happen to him.
“Help me, please,” Matty begged. Lily tried to think of a plan, but had no results. Interrupting her train of thought, the door opened.
“What are you all doing in here?” Mrs. Harding strolled into her office, oblivious to everything going on. All of a sudden, the Téras vanished, sparing Matty, for the time being at least.
“Hi Mrs. Harding, sorry,” Lily improvised, pulling her excuse from the back of her mind, “We just wanted to ask if there’s any news of Emily Kastner.”
A good cover story. She tried to hold herself together, but all Lily wanted to do was break down and cry.
Fed up, Dylan had arrived at school. He knew it was going to be quite a dangerous and potentially hostile environment for him to be in, but if Freddie and Josh were coping, he had to as well.
“This Téras creature, how much do you know about it?” Scott wondered.
“Not a lot. We know it’s going after minors,” Dylan recalled.
“As part of some process,” Jono added, “And it uses the black-eyed people as a gateway of some sort.”
“I think I know someone who can help,” Scott mentioned, opening up FaceTime on his phone.
“Hey Scott, is everything okay? Are you on your way home?” a man in his late forties was on the screen, his beard partially greyed.
“Hey Argent. Not yet, I kinda had to make a detour,” Scott replied, “I need your help. Have you heard of a Téras?”
“Yes, it’s a story passed down through the generations of my family. It’s a legendary creature, but nobody in recorded history has seen one before,” Argent explained.
“I think things have changed,” Scott notified, “Tell me everything you know.”
“They feed on young people for their lifespan potential. Every person it takes, it absorbs however long they were due to live and adds it to its own lifespan,” Argent explained.
“What about using a host?” Dylan interjected.
“It doesn’t exist in its own body, so it will find the strongest host it can. Werewolves are prime candidates due to their immense strength compared to humans. Legend says it will look for two alphas, combining their bodies to make the strongest possible body. If it succeeds, it will be unstoppable,” Argent continued, “Is everything okay? Need a hand?”
“I think we’re good,” Scott replied, just as another car pulled up next to Scott’s Jeep in the car park, “Thanks.” The call ended, and another lad, similar in age to Scott, bounded out of the car towards him.
“I am so glad we found you, we’ve been driving all over this place trying to find you dude, couldn’t you have made our job a little bit easier?” he complained.
“You’re here now, that’s all that matters,” Scott smiled, “This is Dylan and Jono. Dylan’s an alpha too.”
Dylan smiled and shook hands with the chap. He seemed very friendly, and if Scott trusted him, Dylan certainly did too. He was joined by a girl who got out of the passenger side of the car. She was incredibly pretty, with her bright red hair flowing elegantly midway down her back.
“I’m Stiles,” the chap greeted in return, “Scotty boy’s number one ally.” He winked towards Scott, who laughed, “And not forgetting the apple of my eye, Ms. Lydia Martin.” Lydia shook hands with both of them too.
“What took you so long?” Scott queried.
“It’s not easy to book flights you know,” Stiles responded, “And I think you owe me the ticket money.”
“I had to leave Malia in charge of party organisation,” Lydia noted.
“Cheapest alcohol going, then,” Scott chuckled, “I’m sorry to call you out here, but we’re kinda in trouble.”
“So is someone else,” Lydia noticed, glancing back towards the school’s main entrance. Dylan was horrified as he looked round, noticing a group of students shoving Freddie and Josh outside. They were thrown to the floor and being beaten harshly. The article was having its impact, and Dylan was suddenly very scared of being out in the open.
It wasn’t helped by how close he was to Jono though, sharing their body heat, but he wasn’t giving that up so easily. He had tried to get a good night’s sleep, but the heat wasn’t helping out. He was utilising Jono’s shoulder as his pillow, while Jono rested his head on top of Dylan’s.
They had spent the whole night in the treehouse, which wasn’t the most comfortable place anyway. Their makeshift bed was already in use, by an alpha. Someone Dylan had never met before, but he said his name was Scott McCall. They didn’t get to talk much the night before. Dylan knew that the two of them being anywhere near each other could be catastrophic. The Téras needed them together, and they were metres apart now. They had to be on their guard.
“Maybe he’s got a plan. A way to stop it,” Jono considered. Dylan didn’t know he was always, neither of them had moved all night and were supposed to be sleeping, but obviously it hadn’t worked.
“I don’t know. He might know even less than us,” Dylan replied, “He looks pretty strong though, and he knew exactly where we would be.”
“I didn’t even really think there would be another pack,” Jono admitted, “Seems so obvious now.”
“There are loads of packs,” Scott interrupted, waking up, “All over the world. Nobody makes a big deal about it though, people hunt werewolves, so you won’t hear of any.”
“Do you think there are more in Crystalshaw?” Jono queried.
“Almost definitely,” Scott answered, “There are werewolves everywhere. Don’t take it the wrong way, but I guess you guys are kinda new to all this?”
“You could say that,” Dylan responded, “Werewolf for less than a year, alpha for three months.”
“I remember when I was your age,” Scott recalled, “I was pretty dumb, but I had good friends to look after me.”
“I can relate,” Dylan admitted, smiling at Jono, “Are you local?”
“I come from Beacon Hills, so not really, but I’m at UC Davis. Took me an hour to get here,” Scott answered, “Speaking of that, you’re probably wondering why I’m here. My friend sent me a post on Tumblr, and you guys were mentioned in it. Not gonna lie, I’m kinda worried.”
“Me too,” Dylan sighed, “I don’t know what to do.”
“I think we’ve got to pay someone a visit,” Scott suggested. It seemed like he had the experience that Dylan so desperately needed.
Waking up in an environment that was fast becoming a second home to her, Yasmin had spent the night at Freddie’s. The first evening in her new house had gotten off to a spectacularly awful start thanks to a prize idiot in her year group. As soon as he witnessed Freddie’s healing, they made a quick getaway, pulling Lily and Josh out of the party too. All of them had spent the night at Freddie and George’s house, hoping that strength in numbers would keep them all safe.
Yasmin was making hot drinks for everyone – she was the first person awake, but they all had to get up soon. School still had to go ahead. They had to act like nothing was happening, or people really would start to suspect things. All they had to do was stay out of the way of that kid yesterday; Yasmin didn’t even know his name, but even the sight of him would piss her off if she had the misfortune to see him again.
“I thought I could smell tea,” Freddie remarked from the doorway, still wearing his dressing gown, complete with bed head.
“You’re gonna need it for school today,” Yasmin smiled.
“School? Give over, we need to keep a low profile,” Freddie debated.
“No way José, we’re going in and we’re going to continue as we always do. He can’t win,” Yasmin reasoned.
“Are you crazy? He’s already won, he proved it. He can prove it again,” Freddie continued.
“Not if we keep our distance. We’ve got this,” Yasmin encouraged. She knew Freddie would be reluctantly, but she and the rest of the pack were there to pick him up. Life went on.
It felt weird to be so far away from home without anyone he knew, but Scott was adapting. Besides, he was making new friends quite quickly. Dylan and Jono both seemed pretty cool, although they were out of their depth. Scott knew that he would be in their situation too.
He checked his phone for a reply. Nothing yet. He had asked for assistance, and he knew it was on its way, but it seemed to be taking its time.
“Be wary. Chase is unstable. Be gentle with him,” Dylan warned.
“Got it,” Scott replied. He was pleased they trusted him. He would have understood if they didn’t, all things considered; he was a total stranger, in a world where it was already tough to tell who was on whose side.
Chase answered the door, and immediately tried to shut it upon seeing who it was. Luckily, Dylan put his shoe in the way.
“Leave me alone, freaks,” Chase ordered.
“Fat chance,” Dylan replied, pushing the door open and inviting himself inside. Scott glanced with Jono, both equally impressed by Dylan’s firmness. They followed him in.
“Get out of my house, you have no right to be here. I’ll call the cops,” Chase threatened.
“Go ahead, do it, the Sheriff would be delighted to give his stepson a hand,” Dylan hit back.
“Really?” Scott whispered to Jono, who nodded back. It reminded him of home. He missed people like Sheriff Stilinski when he wasn’t there.
“What do you want from me?” Chase lowered his voice.
“Three guesses, dumbass,” Jono answered. Stupidest question of the day.
“No way, I’m not taking it down. Not unless you find Emily,” Chase responded.
“I said we’d do all we could, I didn’t guarantee we’d bring her back,” Dylan justified.
“What would Emily think of all this?” Scott questioned, trying to get a grasp on the situation and remembering the severity of Chase’s state of mind.
“Who the heck are you?” Chase rudely questioned.
“I’m Scott,” Scott replied, glaring his eyes to confirm his identity, “Now answer my question.”
“She…I…” Chase stuttered, struggling to answer, “I want you to leave.”
Scott sighed. This kid was a tough nut to crack. They couldn’t do any more that day. If he crumbled under pressure, it could have disastrous consequences.
“Come on,” Scott encouraged Dylan and Jono to follow his lead out of Chase’s house.
“That went well,” Jono despaired once they were outside.
“You said your stepdad’s the Sheriff?” Scott turned to Dylan, “Does he know? You know, about you.”
“Yeah, but my mom doesn’t,” Dylan admitted.
“Okay, we can get his help. He’s got more power than most,” Scott suggested. It was their best shot at stopping this from spreading even further, outing Dylan not just to his mum, but to everyone else.
Finally, the semester was almost over. Scott had one more exam left, set for a couple of days’ time, before he could go home. He had only visited a couple of times since he returned to university, and he was missing his mum like crazy.
Even better, he had a summer to spend with his friends. They all had the summer off too, and he hadn’t seen most of them since New Year. That said, it felt like he and Stiles hadn’t been apart. They had been friends for most of their lives, and being on opposite coasts wouldn’t be enough to break them up. Though Scott had made some new friends at UC Davis, it just wasn’t the same. They didn’t have the same shared moments as his pack. They had been through thick and thin together, after all.
As Scott started to pack up his belongings to go home, his Skype ringtone sounded. Malia was calling.
“Hey stranger,” Scott smiled.
“Hey, are you home yet?” Malia queried. She skipped the pleasantries much like she always did. Scott loved to see that little had changed.
“I’m home on Saturday. Still got other exam to go,” Scott answered.
“Lydia said she’d have us round at the lake house on Sunday evening. I take it you’re in?” Malia queried.
“Sure, I’ll be there. Have you seen Liam?” Scott wondered.
“Not yet, is something up? Anything you want me to pass on?” Malia questioned.
“No, just curious,” Scott replied. He still couldn’t stop thinking f Beacon Hills. Liam last spoke to him a few days prior, and he said all was good, but anything could have popped up in that time.
“Alright, I’ll see you Saturday,” Malia raised a smile, ending the call. Ah, how Scott desperately missed his friends. He couldn’t wait for the party at Lydia’s.
The only time Lily enjoyed being the centre of attention was at one of her parties. Any other time, she was practically a recluse. Her so-called friends from the start of high school always scowled at her, as if she had killed their entire family. That made school quite an intimidating and uncomfortable place at the best of times.
Now she had the added factor of being stared at by almost everyone around her. Even the teachers looked her up and down, and she wasn’t even a werewolf. She got exposed just for being affiliated with them. That said, she would do anything to protect Dylan. Jono was her baby brother, and Dylan was his boyfriend; they came as a package deal.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Mrs. Johnson remarked as she walked into her lab. Lily glanced around. She was still being stared at by all of her classmates.
You can do this, Lily. Ignore them, she told herself. George followed her in, escorting her to her seat.
“Is it just me who feels like I’m being watched?” George wondered.
“Definitely not just you,” Lily responded. Every time she looked at someone, they caught eyes for a split second, before they glanced away, as if they couldn’t bare to look at her.
“Alright everybody, get your sheets out from last lesson, you’re continuing in groups for the first half of the lesson,” Mrs. Johnson barked.
Lily sighed. She’d rather be anywhere else but in class. Not only was she surrounded by the most judgemental people ever, she had to learn about stupid shit she wasn’t interested in.
Everyone shifted around the room into their groups, but Lily and George were left alone. They worked with Taylor, Lily’s ex-best friend, and Matty, who Lily had a crush on back in freshman year. Both of them were now whispering to Mrs. Johnson at the front of the room. She knew this wasn’t good.
“Stuff this, I’m out,” Matty yelled, storming out of the room. Obviously, he had tried to switch groups, but Mrs. Johnson wouldn’t allow it. At least she was in-the-know, they could rely on her. Taylor rolled her eyes in Lily direction and followed Matty out.
“Sod them. We’ll be good on our own,” George tried to be encouraging. How he managed to remain so optimistic was beyond her. Lily felt uneasy though, and she wasn’t sure it was just the effect of the unwanted attention. Her arms had goose bumps, the tiny hairs standing on end. She felt terrified and she wasn’t too sure why.
“Can you feel that?” Lily asked.
“I was hoping you weren’t going to ask that,” George responded. Obviously, he did, and they both knew what it meant.
“Taylor and Matty,” Lily realised, leaping out of her seat and rushing for the door. Her instincts told her to be worried, and despite her dislike for both of them, she had to do all she could if they were in danger.
Upstairs, Freddie wasn’t feeling much more comfortable. The article had spread around the school like wildfire. It hadn’t gone viral seemingly, it had been purposely distributed to everyone at school. That was Freddie’s theory anyway, judging by how the media hadn’t cottoned onto it, and the impact on Twitter seemed tiny when he searched his own name that morning.
Hand-in-hand, Freddie and Yasmin went to maths class, but their entrance was blocked. It was the same guy from the night before.
“Excuse me,” Freddie politely requested. He had no time for bullshit.
“Say please,” the kid responded, complete with the most irritatingly smug expression Freddie had ever seen.
“Hey, Mr. Larsen,” Yasmin called out in the classroom. Good thinking – that would surely stamp out anything untoward.
“I’m not getting involved Yasmin, you need to sort this between yourselves,” Mr. Larsen responded. What an idiot. Freddie was fuming, but knew he couldn’t show it.
“Is there a problem?” Josh interjected, arriving at class.
“Yeah, your werewolf ass,” he responded rudely.
“Say that again,” Josh ordered, his eyes glowing a deep shade of blue. Freddie had no idea why Josh’s eyes were a different colour. He kept meaning to ask, but it felt oddly personal.
“Oh, you can make your eyes change colour? I bet Dylan’s eyes are a pretty shade of pink, well suited to a faggot,” he insulted in response. Freddie was about to lunge at the disgusting excuse for a human in front of him, but Josh got there first – he lifted the kid up by his throat, restricting his breathing.
“These eyes show my past. It means that I killed somebody innocent. Don’t be next in line,” Josh stated, releasing the kid from his grip. He scuttled off, leaving the classroom doorway clear.
“I don’t know if that was a genius move, or a dumb one,” Yasmin commented.
“I vote both,” Freddie added. Sure, Josh had solved the short-term problem, but he had just proved to multiple people in school that he was indeed a werewolf, and that they could indeed be deadly. He could have just escalated things further.
Rushing into the sheriff station, Dylan was at his wit’s end. He wasn’t sure how many more options he had to stop this post from spreading even further. Scott seemed to have more ideas, which was a huge helping hand for him and Jono, but they had a limited pool of resources. Besides, the post had been seen by enough people for the damage to have been done.
He couldn’t stop thinking about his mum though. What if she saw the post and found out his secret that way? He would be devastated. She had to hear it from Dylan himself. He finally had to tell her – his hand was forced.
In the meantime, a visit to Ed. Being, in effect, Ed’s stepson gave him the right to barge into his office without knocking, but as soon as Dylan did that, he felt guilty. A couple of people – a man and a woman, likely in their mid-forties – were sat opposite him.
“Ah, just the people I wanted to see,” Ed greeted, but without his usual charming, welcoming smile.
“What’s going on?” Dylan immediately began to worry. Who were these people? “This is Mr. and Mrs. Kastner, the parents of Emily who went missing. They say you entered their house earlier without permission and have been harassing their son, Chase.” Dylan’s stomach sank. He was so angry. Chase was doing all he could to cause ripples in the pack.
“Is this some sort of joke?” Dylan reacted. He was fed up and couldn’t hide it any longer.
“Mr. and Mrs. Kastner, please accept my apologies. If I could please speak to the boys in private,” Ed said, showing them to the door, before turning back to the boys, “Take a seat.” Dylan was too furious to sit, though.
“What are you playing at?” Dylan queried. He kept his voice low, but he was undeniably annoyed.
“I could ask you the same, your mom will go crazy,” Ed scolded.
“You’ve got to hear us out,” Scott pleaded.
“I assume this is your friend?” Ed asked Dylan.
“Yeah, this is Scott. He’s an alpha too. He’s here because of Chase. Something Chase did,” Jono explained. He sounded way calmer than Dylan. Maybe he was better at hiding it.
“Believe it or not, I’m on your side, but these parents have lost their kid, and I am the Sheriff first and foremost. I have to take all of these claims extremely seriously,” Ed justified. Dylan knew it was a fair approach, but he wished he had trusted them in the first place.
“Chase posted this,” Jono explained, handing Ed his phone with the Tumblr post loaded. Dylan watched as Ed read it, his face visibly displaying disgust and confusion.
“What the heck is up with this kid?” Ed reacted.
“A lot,” Dylan replied.
“And his sister’s vanished. That’s a lot for anyone to handle anyway,” Scott added.
“I can intervene and get this post removed, but if people have seen this, we can’t exactly take it back,” Ed decided, “And Dylan, I think you need to remember your mom.”
“I know,” Dylan replied. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, but telling his mum the full truth terrified him more than any supernatural monster out there.
Exam done. Scott was thrilled that he was finished for the summer. Roll on an incredible summer filled with laughter and lie-ins. He couldn’t be readier.
Now he was talking to Liam on Skype, finally getting in touch with him. He trusted Liam more than most people he knew, but protecting Beacon Hills felt like his responsibility. Leaving Liam in charge felt half-arsed of him, even though he knew it was necessary.
“Malia’s already been round, checking I’m all good for Lydia’s party. She didn’t exactly let me say no, you know what she’s like. Not that I wanted to anyway,” Liam admitted.
“She’s not changed,” Scott laughed, “Is everyone coming?”
“Yeah, it’s basically a whole-pack exclusive,” Liam replied, “Nolan’s DJing.”
“Nolan? I didn’t know he was into that,” Scott recalled.
“He’s got a few hidden talents,” Liam blushed, “Anyway, when are you home?”
“Tomorrow. Can’t come soon enough. I hope Beacon Hills is still standing,” Scott joked. This was his light-hearted way of checking everything was alright.
“It’s been a quiet few months,” Liam answered, “Everything’s probably waiting for you to come back.” Scott laughed. It was funny because of just how likely it was. Everything seemed to wait for him to let his guard down.
He saw a notification pop up from Facebook messenger, distracting him from Liam. It was Stiles sending him a link, alongside the message “Thought this might interest you, Scotty boy.” It linked to Tumblr; Scott hardly ever used his Tumblr account, this was his first time logging in for months. He read about a pack of werewolves in Crystalshaw, Los Angeles, led by a kid called Dylan Drummond. This was an exposé, and it was a nasty trick from somebody. Scott had to help out.
“Scott, are you alright?” Liam wondered. Scott forgot he was still on Skype.
“Err, yeah. I’ll call you later. I might be later home. Tell Lydia not to panic,” Scott asked of Liam, before he ended the call. He had somewhere to be, and a helping hand to offer. If this spread any further, every pack in the world would be affected.
Looking left and right, there was no sign of Taylor nor Matty, no matter how hard Lily looked. She was torn. In many ways, someone like Taylor didn’t deserve her time. She had been so awful to her over the past year, why did Lily owe her anything? The answer was that she didn’t, but it wasn’t like anyone else would be able to help.
Lily knew the signs. Her goose bumps hadn’t subsided, and were in fact multiplying. That meant she was getting nearer to the Téras. Every time Lily saw this thing, she was terrified. Way more terrified than she would usually be.
“Shall we split up?” George suggested.
“No, I think I know where it is, and wherever it is…” Lily observed.
“…Is where they’ll be,” George finished. Lily led him further down into the school, and past the reception area. This was where medical and the principal’s office were, so it was mostly quiet from students.
“In here,” Lily led the way into the head’s office. It was empty, for which Lily was grateful, but she had an excuse planned just in case. They walked right inside the room, and the door slammed shut all of a sudden. Lily spun round to notice the Téras, holding both Matty and Taylor. It had one hand on each of their mouths, holding them securely.
“Let them go,” Lily ordered.
“They are necessary,” the Téras responded. No hint of Drew was visible, but Lily knew he was still in there. She had to be very careful.
“Necessary for what?” George interrogated.
“Necessary for the process,” the Téras replied. It was so irritatingly vague. Lily was taking mental notes, but it was so hard to piece together any notable clues from something so non-specific.
Before Lily could intervene, the Téras let go of Taylor, but she couldn’t escape. Her hands began to vanish, as if they were splitting into atoms. Taylor looked down, seeing herself fade away bit by bit. A tear dropped from her eye. She knew she couldn’t escape.
“I’m sorry,” Lily whispered to her. It broke her heart. She was helpless, and wouldn’t have wished that on her worst enemy. Within seconds, there was no sign that Taylor was ever there in the first place.
Lily wanted to get out of there, her mind was running overtime, but she had to ensure both George and Matty were safe too. The Téras looked at Matty, who was crying. Lily had never seen him cry before, and it was horrifying knowing what was about to happen to him.
“Help me, please,” Matty begged. Lily tried to think of a plan, but had no results. Interrupting her train of thought, the door opened.
“What are you all doing in here?” Mrs. Harding strolled into her office, oblivious to everything going on. All of a sudden, the Téras vanished, sparing Matty, for the time being at least.
“Hi Mrs. Harding, sorry,” Lily improvised, pulling her excuse from the back of her mind, “We just wanted to ask if there’s any news of Emily Kastner.”
A good cover story. She tried to hold herself together, but all Lily wanted to do was break down and cry.
Fed up, Dylan had arrived at school. He knew it was going to be quite a dangerous and potentially hostile environment for him to be in, but if Freddie and Josh were coping, he had to as well.
“This Téras creature, how much do you know about it?” Scott wondered.
“Not a lot. We know it’s going after minors,” Dylan recalled.
“As part of some process,” Jono added, “And it uses the black-eyed people as a gateway of some sort.”
“I think I know someone who can help,” Scott mentioned, opening up FaceTime on his phone.
“Hey Scott, is everything okay? Are you on your way home?” a man in his late forties was on the screen, his beard partially greyed.
“Hey Argent. Not yet, I kinda had to make a detour,” Scott replied, “I need your help. Have you heard of a Téras?”
“Yes, it’s a story passed down through the generations of my family. It’s a legendary creature, but nobody in recorded history has seen one before,” Argent explained.
“I think things have changed,” Scott notified, “Tell me everything you know.”
“They feed on young people for their lifespan potential. Every person it takes, it absorbs however long they were due to live and adds it to its own lifespan,” Argent explained.
“What about using a host?” Dylan interjected.
“It doesn’t exist in its own body, so it will find the strongest host it can. Werewolves are prime candidates due to their immense strength compared to humans. Legend says it will look for two alphas, combining their bodies to make the strongest possible body. If it succeeds, it will be unstoppable,” Argent continued, “Is everything okay? Need a hand?”
“I think we’re good,” Scott replied, just as another car pulled up next to Scott’s Jeep in the car park, “Thanks.” The call ended, and another lad, similar in age to Scott, bounded out of the car towards him.
“I am so glad we found you, we’ve been driving all over this place trying to find you dude, couldn’t you have made our job a little bit easier?” he complained.
“You’re here now, that’s all that matters,” Scott smiled, “This is Dylan and Jono. Dylan’s an alpha too.”
Dylan smiled and shook hands with the chap. He seemed very friendly, and if Scott trusted him, Dylan certainly did too. He was joined by a girl who got out of the passenger side of the car. She was incredibly pretty, with her bright red hair flowing elegantly midway down her back.
“I’m Stiles,” the chap greeted in return, “Scotty boy’s number one ally.” He winked towards Scott, who laughed, “And not forgetting the apple of my eye, Ms. Lydia Martin.” Lydia shook hands with both of them too.
“What took you so long?” Scott queried.
“It’s not easy to book flights you know,” Stiles responded, “And I think you owe me the ticket money.”
“I had to leave Malia in charge of party organisation,” Lydia noted.
“Cheapest alcohol going, then,” Scott chuckled, “I’m sorry to call you out here, but we’re kinda in trouble.”
“So is someone else,” Lydia noticed, glancing back towards the school’s main entrance. Dylan was horrified as he looked round, noticing a group of students shoving Freddie and Josh outside. They were thrown to the floor and being beaten harshly. The article was having its impact, and Dylan was suddenly very scared of being out in the open.