MJF's Stories

Partying was all that Jennie was concerned about in the moment. It was Friday night, and she’d had a long week of work at the supermarket. Each tedious second had been part of the countdown to the weekend, and it was finally here. She’d bought a new dress for the occasion, red and complete with sequins, designed to stun. The music blared out with the bass thumping, you couldn’t hear yourself think with such loud volume, and the atmosphere would terrify a claustrophobic as people bumped into Jennie left, right and centre, but she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was forget her troubles. Momentarily, she pushed her way out of the large group dancing in the living room of some girl she barely knew. Passing through the kitchen, stacked with alcohol, Jennie stepped into the garden. Taking a pack of cigarettes out of her stylish white clutch bag, she took the final one. Reaching back in for her lighter, she heard a strange clicking sound coming from behind her.

“Turn around at your peril” an unfamiliar voice replied. Jennie started turning her head, slowly but surely, but before she could see who was holding the gun, she began sprinting away. Not giving it a second thought, she leapt over the hedge bordering the garden, and landed on both feet on the other side.

“You can run, but you can’t hide” the voice threatened. Jennie knew she’d be following, so kept on running, keeping to the shadows. Turning the corner, she hid down an alleyway, hoping whoever it was wouldn’t follow her there. Her breath was heavy but she wasn’t making any other sound, as even the slightest murmur could give away her location.

“It was a valiant attempt at a getaway but you’ll have to do better than that, beta” Jennie jumped as the voice was behind her again. Now face-to-face with the woman chasing her, Jennie saw a woman dressed in black, with her auburn hair resting below her shoulders. Jennie’s eyes glowed yellow, and she began to run away again, but it wasn’t fast enough, as with an ear-piercing BANG, a bullet whacked into her back and she tumbled to the ground, helpless. The woman followed behind her, and put her foot on her back, checking for life.

“I love it when they run” she commented, revelling in her actions, before walking off into the night. Meanwhile, a purple glow came of the bullet wound, sat inside the lifeless body that once belonged to Jennie…

Sat comfortably at his desk, Sheriff Stilinski was patiently awaiting the arrival of a familiar face. He knew that catching the killer involved a certain expertise, and there was no-one better suited to finding people than her, particularly with a special incentive.

“She’s here” Parrish announced as he entered the room.

“Send her in” Stilinski ordered. Parrish held the door open for a lady in her late 20s to saunter in. She was dressed all in black, with boots on her feet and a leather jacket. Her long dark hair trailed halfway down her back, and she carried a small backpack.

“Sheriff, it’s been a while” she commented, with conviction.

“Thanks for coming Braeden” Stilinski replied. Braeden perched herself on the chair on the opposite side of the desk.

“I assume I’m not just here for a gossip” Braeden spoke.

“No, I’m afraid not. We’ve got a situation. Two murders have taken place recently by a woman who we’ve caught on CCTV. Both victims were supernatural, I thought we could do with a hand from someone in the know” Stilinski explained, passing Braeden the images.

“And you want me to take her out?” Braeden presumed.

“No, I want you to find her and bring her back alive” Stilinski stressed.

“Of course, this doesn’t come cheap. On your part, that is” Braeden bargained.

“I think this” Stilinski said, heaving a heavy rucksack onto the table, “Should cover it.” Braeden unzipped it and peeped inside.

“I think we have a deal” she smiled.

“So yeah, everything’s been pretty normal here, you’re not missing much” Liam lied.

“Ah cool, I knew I could trust you. How’s Nolan?” Scott asked. He was a month into his university course now, and every now and then, he called Liam. He couldn’t get Beacon Hills off his mind even if he trusted Liam whole-heartedly.

“He’s coping well, he’s like a duck to water” Liam replied. That was true, Nolan had adapted to his new life well.

“That’s a relief” Scott smiled. He was incredibly anxious about his decision to convert Nolan, and it was no easy decision in the first place, but he was glad it was paying off, “Sorry Liam, I gotta go, I’ve got a lecture in 10 minutes.”

“Alright, see ya” Liam ended the call with a sigh. He didn’t want to worry Scott, but things were beginning to head south. Overnight he hadn’t heard a word from Hayden, so he presumed she was still in a bad mood with him. He was concerned about what Mason said, even if it made little sense. Then, to top it all off, Nolan informed him of a young werehyena being held at the sheriff station. Liam was stressed, and the last thing he wanted to do at this point was head to school again, but he knew he had to go.

“Morning” came a voice from the doorway. Theo casually stood leaning against the door frame, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts.

“Hi” Liam greeted, barely looking as he was busy getting dressed, “Sorry, you’re gonna have to entertain yourself today, I’ve got to get to school.”

“I’m sure my services would be better used elsewhere, like, I don’t know, helping out” Theo complained.

“I told you, you need to give me time to speak to the others” Liam responded, flustered about finding his schoolbag.

“I know, and in the meantime, I can prove myself to you” Theo suggested. Liam stopped flapping, and looked Theo in the eye.

“Look, I need to get to the sheriff station. Nolan’s there right now, he’s spent the night. I could do with an extra pair of hands” Liam pondered.

“Consider it sorted. School can wait” Theo smiled.

The beeping of his alarm didn’t interrupt Corey’s sleep at all, although his slumber was far from calm and undisrupted. Tossing and turning, Corey simply couldn’t get comfortable. His eyes were shut and he was in a deep sleep, but his movements were brash and hectic. Dreaming intensely, Corey could see a familiar sight – that of the Nemeton. The cut down stump of a tree was immobile, but gave Corey a feeling of dread deep in his stomach just looking at it. Nothing good ever came about when the Nemeton was in play. Corey looked at his hands, still deep in dreamland, but he couldn’t see anything. In fact, his whole body was invisible. His chimera vision wasn’t working, but he was still invisible and he was baffled as to why. The next thing he knew, his hands were flickering in and out of vision. First it was slow, every couple of seconds, he’d switch between visible and invisible. However, it accelerated. Faster and faster, Corey became visible, invisible, visible, invisible, until he bolted upright in bed. Wide awake, Corey was panicked, and scared, and sweating heavily. He gathered himself, taking deep breaths, and examining his hands again. He was visible, and felt in control once again, but somehow he felt like his dream wasn’t just any old nightmare – more a sign of things to come...

“Are you alright? You didn’t say a word all of last night” Valerie queried. Hayden was slumped at the breakfast table, a bowl of cereal in front of her that hadn’t been touched.

“Huh?” she replied, having not paid attention.

“What’s up? Is something bothering you?” Valerie asked, concerned for her younger sister.

“How long have you got?” Hayden replied.

“Look, I’ve been wanting to speak to you about this for a while” Valerie began, sitting down next to Hayden at the table, “I’ve got a new job, an hour away from Beacon Hills.” Hayden looked at her in shock, immediately feeling like the walls around her were collapsing.

Sat waiting nervously in anticipation, Nolan was barely awake. He was sat on a chair outside the Sheriff’s office, waiting for news on Becky, drifting off to sleep occasionally but it was too sporadic for him to have had any quality resting time all evening. Bursting through the doors as the opposite ends of the room, Liam and Theo arrived.

“Any news?” Liam asked, skipping any form of greeting.

“None” Nolan responded, before noticing Theo, “What’s he doing here?”

“Long story, but don’t worry, he’s here to help” Liam replied, mostly brushing it aside.

“Alright” Nolan accepted, not questioning why Liam was being short with him, “The Sheriff said he’d interview her in the morning, hopefully it won’t be too long now.”

“I’ll go and see what the hold up’s about” Theo decided, heading to the front desk. Liam perched himself down next to Nolan.

“You’ve not had much sleep, have you?” Liam noticed.

“I’ll be fine” Nolan dodged the question, but Liam knew the answer anyway.

“You didn’t have to stay all night” Liam responded.

“I wanted to. I was looking out for her” Nolan justified sincerely. He looked towards Liam, who was staring back. In that moment, both of them felt the same way – fixated on each other’s faces, gazing into each other’s eyes. Liam was pretty confused as to why he felt this way, but in this moment, he knew it was good. He started moving closer towards Nolan, but the moment didn’t last much longer.

“Stilinski should be here any second” Theo interrupted, arriving back and sitting on the other side of Liam. Nolan looked on, also confused about his feelings, but in that moment, he knew that nothing in his life had felt clearer.

The silence of the library never sounded louder for Hayden. She was sat opposite Mason and Corey, but she couldn’t concentrate on the textbook open in front of her.

“You’re still not feeling great, are you?” Mason noticed.

“I feel so angry” Hayden replied, “I can’t get Liam off my mind, and all I feel is negativity.”

“If he’s not gonna do something, we need to” Corey suggested, “Surely someone must know something about all of this.”

“Argent’s pretty clued up on this kind of thing, maybe we should drop by later” Mason added, “But I really think we need to keep Liam updated.”

“Screw him” Hayden retorted, “Meet me at my car at lunch.” She walked off, leaving Mason in a predicament.

“I don’t feel comfortable leaving Liam out of this” he confessed to Corey.

“It’s his decision, he’s obviously not that interested” Corey justified. Mason sighed. Liam was his best friend, and his intelligent mind was frantically trying to find a justification for his behaviour. Unfortunately, nothing came about.

“No way, I’ve pushed the boundaries more than enough times for you kids already” Stilinski explained.

“Oh come on Sheriff, just five minutes, you know full well this is our field and anything she says could be dangerous” Theo argued, “Right Liam?” Liam wasn’t listening. He was stood to Theo’s right, but all he was focusing on was how much of a headache he had. It hurt like hell. After all, it was his first headache since becoming a werewolf – his body’s healing powers meant any headaches were seen off before they had a chance to impact.

“Liam?” Theo repeated. Liam heard this time, and looked up, startled.

“Are you alright?” Stilinski asked, concerned. 

“Yeah, sorry” Liam lied, “What were we talking about?”

“Alright guys, you’ve got 15 minutes with her before we have to follow procedure” Stilinski gave in. He’d only just arrived back when Theo pounced on him about speaking to Becky before her formal interview. He also knew that they wouldn’t back down, and ultimately, it probably was for the best if they’d discussed the supernatural issues in advance.

“You won’t regret it” Theo smiled, feeling self-assured. He and Nolan started walking towards the interview room, but Liam darted off in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?” Nolan enquired.

“You guys go ahead, I’ve got a couple of errands to run” Liam flippantly replied, and continued walking out. Once outside, he took his phone out of his pocket, unlocked it, and began composing a text to Mason. ‘Meet me in the school library in 10, it’s urgent’ it said.

Pulling up outside Chris Argent’s house, Hayden took her car key out of the ignition and composed herself. Corey was sat adjacent in the passenger seat, keeping an eye on Hayden.

“Can’t you feel it?” she asked him.

“Feel what?” Corey queried innocently, although he had an idea what she was referring to.

“Like there’s someone in the back of your mind, flicking a switch on your abilities, switching between human and supernatural. They’ve got control and I haven’t” Hayden described.

“I feel it” Corey confessed, “It’s driving me crazy.”

“I’m scared” Hayden added, starting to get tearful, “It’s playing havoc with my emotions and I’m struggling, Corey.”

“Don’t worry, you’ve always got me” he smiled, putting a comforting hand on her leg, “Let’s get some answers.” Hayden wiped her tears and got out of the car. She put a guard up, meaning business, and started strolling alongside Corey up to Argent’s front door.

“Dude, what’s this about?” Mason queried. He was stood with Liam on the balcony of the school library – somewhere with very few people around.

“You’re my best friend” Liam justified, “I can tell you anything, right?” Liam seemed on edge. He was shaking slightly, and felt sick – more than he ever had.

“Of course” Mason replied without even having to consider his answer. Liam paused, carefully thinking through his words.

“When did you first realise you were…you know…” Liam struggled to use the word.

“Gay?” Mason finished the sentence for him, “Not long before I told you, about 15.”

“How did you know?” Liam interrogated.

“I just did. I had a feeling I’d never felt before when looking at certain guys. That told me all I needed to know” Mason recalled, “Are you trying to say…?”

“No” Liam quickly said, before correcting himself, “Well, I don’t know. Maybe.”

“What about Hayden?” Mason wondered.

“I love her, I really do. I think that ship may have sailed though. She’s not answered any of my calls, and she’s felt distant for a while” Liam explained, disheartened.

“Liam, I’m really proud of you dude. Takes guts to be honest with yourself” Mason smiled.

“I wish I was proud of myself. I’m so confused” Liam sighed.

“Go with your heart, it’s never wrong” Mason advised. Liam took heed, and smiled. However, the next thing he knew, his vision was blurry. He couldn’t focus on anything, and his head felt as light as a balloon.

“Liam?” Mason said, noticing Liam was losing his balance. With a thump, Liam collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Mason rushed to his side, took out his phone and dialled 911 without a second thought.

Sat side-by-side in the interview room, Theo and Nolan braced themselves for a potentially difficult interrogation with Becky. Parrish opened the door and escorted her through. She looked rough – her cuts had healed but she’d spent a night at a nearby refuge in an uncomfortable bed. Her home comforts weren’t there, meaning she had no make-up and her hair was a state with not even a comb provided. She sat down, and Parrish left the room to stand outside. Stilinski was watching keenly from the next room through the one-way mirror.

“Hey” Theo greeted, attempting to be friendly, “I’m Theo, and this is Nolan.” Nolan waved awkwardly. Becky gave nothing in response, not even a twitch.

“We’re here to help” Theo continued, “We’re totally on your side, we just need to know exactly what happened. Every single detail.” Once again, Becky did nothing. She was staring intensely at the duo, but failing to respond.

“Alright, being friendly isn’t doing the trick. Nolan, watch and learn” Theo said as he stood up, approached Becky, and in a flash, he stuck his claws into the back of her neck. Both she and Theo froze in that moment, as he delved into her memories, recalling the previous day. He felt her fear, and the adrenaline that ran through her body as she sprinted through the forests of Beacon Hills. Behind her, Theo saw a woman in her 30s running just as fast. He paid attention to the details. She was wearing black all over, with gloves. Held in her right hand was a gun, which she fired without a second thought. Luckily for Becky, it missed and skimmed right past her. Meanwhile, Nolan sat watching. He’d signalled to Stilinski, to tell him not to enter, and was waiting patiently for Theo to snap back into consciousness. Snapping out of it, Theo withdrew his claws as carefully as he could. Both he and Becky were back in the room, and Becky instantly moved her hand to massage the pain Theo had caused.

“What the heck?” she asked him, “That’s an invasion of privacy.”

“Do I look like someone who cares?” Theo responded cheekily.

“What did you see?” Nolan eagerly asked.

“I saw her. The woman, she’s still here in Beacon Hills and she’s chasing anyone who’s supernatural” Theo reported.

“She wanted me dead. I got away but only just” Becky added, finally opening up.

“How did she find you?” Nolan queried.

“I don’t know, but she knew exactly where to find me. I think she’d been watching me. I’m still not safe, even here” Becky worried.

“Sorry to interrupt” Parrish announced, entering the room, “I’ve got some bad news. Liam’s been taken ill, he’s at the hospital.” Nolan didn’t think twice before rushing off to see him.

“Alright, I’ll just tidy up here then” Theo muttered under his breath, before turning back to Becky, “I’ll make sure you’ve got the best protection possible. We can take care of you.”

“Who’s we?” she asked, “You and your little sidekick?” Theo really wanted to say yes, acting like the big boss in charge, but he restrained himself.

“There’s a pack here, a bunch of them are at college but there’s still enough of us to keep you safe, I promise” he smiled, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“So that’s all you need to know” Corey concluded. He and Hayden were sat comfortably on Argent’s sofa, while he leaned against the comfy chair opposite. They’d explained everything – how they both had felt recently, how it had affected their daily lives and that Liam wasn’t doing anything to help them.

“Why do you think I can help?” Argent queried.

“You spent years hunting, your family history goes back centuries, surely you must have some information on how this could happen to supernatural beings” Hayden explained.

“Well, supernatural energy comes from trees called Nemeta. We have one in Beacon Hills, as you know, which explains why this is such a magnet for strange happenings. The Nemeton here has been mostly dormant for centuries though, I don’t see how it could be anything to do with that” Argent pondered.

“Surely it’s worth investigating?” Corey was at a loss.

“I guess. Deaton could be worth a shot, he’s got a lot more history with the Nemeton and he knows the ins and outs” Argent suggested.

“Thanks” Corey smiled, “Let’s go.” He and Hayden headed towards the door to leave, before Hayden spun round with a suggestion.

“Wait, you said the Nemeton gives out power? What if, in certain circumstances, it takes it back? Or gives out too much?” Hayden suggested.

“Like a power fluctuation” Corey added.

“It’s possible I guess, nobody’s ever totally understood how it works and it’s far from your regular electricity. We need to speak to Deaton, pronto” Argent sprung into action, and he followed the duo out of the front door in pursuit of some answers.

Despite still having a splitting headache, Liam was feeling much more relaxed lying on his comfortable hospital bed. He wasn’t so keen on the gown he now appeared to be wearing, but all in all, he was pretty content and felt more comfortable than he had in a while.

“Hey mister sleepy head” Melissa McCall said from his left, “Looks like someone’s been very stressed recently.”

“You can say that again” Liam remarked.

“Anything Scott needs to know?” Melissa tried to lift the burden she knew Liam had.

“No, it’s fine, I’ve got everything under control” Liam lied. He still didn’t want to bother Scott – he said he’d keep things under control and his stubbornness remained intact.

“Hello stranger” came a familiar voice from the door. Behind Melissa, Scott could see Nolan’s keen smile peeping into the hospital room.

“I’ll leave you both to it. By the way, Mason’s outside, I’ll give him a nudge” Melissa smiled gently, leaving the room.

“Hey” Liam responded, feeling butterflies in his stomach like never before.

“I came as soon as I heard. Are you alright?” Nolan worriedly asked.

“I’m fine, just exhausted. My head’s all over the place” Liam confessed. Nolan sat on the chair to Liam’s left, moving it closer towards the bed.

“You’ve been working so hard. You need a rest. Sheriff Stilinski’s got everything under control when it comes to the Eichen nurse” Nolan reminded him.

“I know, but Scott wouldn’t give up. He’d keep going until the bitter end” Liam continued.

“Stop comparing yourself. You’re not Scott, you’re Liam Dunbar. You’ve got no need to be ashamed. You’re brilliant” Nolan grinned, being supportive as always. Liam took this moment. His heart was racing, faster than it ever had. He worried even more than Nolan would be listening to his heartbeat and point it out. He felt sick with nerves, but he knew this was the perfect chance. Leaning in towards Nolan, he felt their lips meet. Liam closed his eyes, savouring the moment while he could, as he kissed Nolan. The feeling of dread in his stomach was lifted just for a few seconds, as he felt elated and happier than he ever had. He pulled back, and the elation was replaced with the same feeling of worry. The only difference was that it was now ten times worse.

“I’m sorry” Liam apologised. Nolan’s face was blank, Liam couldn’t read it at all, which made him feel even worse.

“No, it’s alright” Nolan grinned from ear to ear, and pulled Liam back in for another kiss. Liam hadn’t been aware that Nolan had felt the same for a while, and he shared the exact same feelings of worry and dread. However, both of them were united right now in their ecstasy. Neither of them noticed Mason stood in the doorway, looking on with a grin on his face. He was proud of his best friend for expressing his true feelings, even if he was slightly surprised at how quickly things seemed to be moving.

“Hey” Liam said, breaking the kiss as he spotted Mason in the doorway.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt” Mason sheepishly apologised.

“Don’t worry” Liam smiled, “Your advice earlier was amazing.”

“Glad I could be of assistance. I guess you’ve made your choice” Mason observed.

“Hayden and I are as good as over” Liam noted.

“She deserves a proper explanation, don’t forget that” Mason added. Liam nodded, before catching eyes with Nolan again and smiling like a little kid in a soft play area.

Finding herself at the high school. Braeden heard the sound of her high heeled boots clip-clopping across the wooden floor of the sports hall. All day long, she’d been tracking the Eichen nurse down, and it wasn’t an easy task when someone covered their tracks so well. However, that itself was often a telling sign – she’d covered her tracks way too perfectly and that gave Braeden a very good idea of what her opponent was like. 

“I know you’re here so why don’t you save me the bother of shooting you and just hand yourself in” Braeden threatened. In her hand was a tranquiliser gun, but she had a regular gun with proper bullets in her back pocket for safe-keeping. Stilinski’s orders about bringing her back alive were to be taken seriously – he was her client and ultimately all Braeden wanted was the money.

“Alright, you got me” came a jovial voice from behind, “Like really. I obviously don’t stand a chance against you, so let’s make this easy.” Braeden spun around, and there she was. The Eichen House nurse, although you wouldn’t expect that considering her current clothing choices. She was wearing black all over, and her wavy dark brown hair flowed down past her shoulders.

“Empty your pockets” Braeden ordered. She was cautious, as nobody handed themselves over this easily, not least an opponent like this, but nevertheless she continued the mission. The nurse emptied her pockets, chucking a gun and a couple of knives to the floor.

“Search me if you want” she retorted.

“Name?” Braeden asked.

“Angela Frost” she replied, honestly.

“This way” Braeden ordered. She wasn’t stupid enough to walk in front of Angela, but she was still sceptical as she walked past. Step by step, they reached Braeden’s stylish car. With a click of the key, the doors were opened and to Braeden’s surprise, Angela actually opened the door and got in.

“Nice motor” Angela commented, “Shame you won’t be driving it any longer.” Braeden was confused, and let her guard down long enough for Angela to slam the car door into her face, knocking her out stone cold.

“Foolish child” she commented. Angela slid Braeden’s gun out of her back pocket, before picking up the car key, getting into the driver seat of the car and taking off, leaving an unconscious Braeden lying outside an abandoned warehouse in the dead of night.

It was long past school closing time, but Krishna Padhi was determined to finish off her paperwork as guidance counsellor before she signed off for the night. She was sat comfortably in her office, with one last file to read – Nolan Holloway. Her first impression of Nolan was pleasant, with nothing bad to say. She’d skim-read his file before and was aware of his mental difficulties, but she was surprised by quite how recent his diagnosis were. She was far from a doctor, but her training knew that something didn’t add up. She wrote a post-it note for herself for the morning – ‘Meeting with Nolan ASAP’ – she just had to get to the bottom of it...

Drifting off to sleep, Theo had spent most of the night awake. Becky was fast asleep and had been since 9pm the previous night. She was draped across Liam’s bed while he was away, and Theo wanted to make sure she was guarded the entire time. He’d hate to wake up and find she’s gone, or even worse, dead. He looked at his watch – 5:37am. He groaned. It had been a long night – alone with his thoughts. His mind was strangely clear. Normally it was like Piccadilly Circus, with thoughts rushing around left, right and centre. Most of them negative thoughts too, either restrained anger that he felt or regret from his dubious actions in the past. He stared out into the night sky – the full moon was approaching. He stared at the white sphere in the sky, in awe of its beauty. Theo considered how something so stunning could rule over beings like them. It made little sense to him, so he turned his attention back to Becky. He found it comforting to watch her sleep. She was so graceful, barely a hair out of place even when she slept. He felt something he wasn’t used to feeling - an instinct to protect somebody. Normally he looked after number one only, but the tide was finally turning. Theo grinned to himself, finally feeling like he’d found his place in the supernatural world.

“Are you sure you’re alright, sweetie?” Joanna nagged. She was a concerned mother, much like anyone else would be in that situation.

“I’m fine, I promise” Liam responded. He’d spent the night at the hospital and despite the comfort of his bed, he missed his home comforts dearly.

“He’s totally fine to go home, don’t stress” Dr. Geyer informed Joanna. Dr. Geyer was Liam’s stepdad, and effectively raised him as his own.

“I better book the day off work to look after you. I don’t want you getting stressed out again” Joanna flustered.

“Mom” Liam interrupted, “I’ll be fine. Please don’t stress yourself out on my behalf.” Joanna sat on his bedside.

“I’m worried about you honey” she confided, “Is everything OK? You know you can talk to me about absolutely anything, right?” Liam was listening keenly, but couldn’t help notice a figure in a red jacket appearing in the corner of his eye. It was Nolan, popping his head round the door.

“Sorry, am I interrupting?” he queried.

“No, not at all” Dr. Geyer replied, “Come in.”

“You must be the famous Nolan” Joanna smiled, greeting him. Nolan looked confused, thinking Liam might have mentioned last night’s events to her.

“Hi” he awkwardly shook her hand.

“Liam’s barely stopped talking about you since the semester began” Joanna explained. Liam blushed, sighing at his mother’s embarrassing speeches.

“Time to go” Liam butted in, not wanting to face the gut-wrenching awkwardness any longer.

“Does she know?” Nolan mouthed to Liam nervously. Liam’s response was a ferocious shake of the head, not just signalling a ‘no’ – more an ‘absolutely not’.

CRASH! A tray of medical instruments collapsed onto the floor as Corey’s clumsy arm sprang along the desk. He stirred with the noise, noticing his surroundings as one eye unwillingly twitched open.

“Huh?” Corey muttered, still half asleep. He leapt up and noticed the familiar surroundings of Deaton’s animal clinic. Confused, he spotted Hayden and Argent stirring too, thanks to the noise. Then it clicked. Last night, they’d arrived at the animal clinic to visit Deaton and ask him for details on why they feel so unwell. However, unusually for Deaton, he was nowhere to be seen despite their visit being within opening hours. They must have fallen asleep waiting, Corey assumed.

“Talk about a rude awakening” Argent commented.

“Sorry” Corey blushed, “Any sign of Deaton?”

“You called?” Deaton interrupted. He was stood in the doorway, watching the intruders awake from their slumber, “It’s not often I see burglars taking a nap on the scene.”

“Where have you been?” a stressed Hayden asked.

“I had some urgent business to attend to, I’m sorry, I can’t always be at your beck and call” Deaton retorted, as calmly and softly as he always spoke.

“Now you’re here, we’ve got some urgent business of our own” Argent explained. Deaton was all-ears, as the group gathered around the central desk.

Strolling into lesson, Nolan had a huge grin on his face. That feeling of worry and dread in his stomach had morphed into unbound excitement, and he wanted to jump up and down on the spot. He gave Miss Padhi a friendly grin on the way in, who smiled back. She looked at the post-it note stuck to the side of her computer screen; a reminder to speak to Nolan at the end of the lesson. He’d sat down next to Daan and Cody as he always did, and the spring in his step didn’t go unnoticed.

“Why are you so chirpy?” Daan queried.

“What? I’m not chirpy” Nolan lied. He was a bad liar. Everything about him was glowing, it was tough not to notice when Nolan was usually such a reserved character.

“Someone’s in love” Cody identified, trying to have banter with Nolan.

“No!” Nolan denied at a rapid pace.

“The lady doth protest too much” Daan joked. Nolan blushed. He felt embarrassed, and he knew Liam didn’t want anyone else to know just yet, particularly as they’d not even had a moment to talk about what happened the previous night.

“Leave me alone” Nolan sulked, and moved up one spot to the blank space to his right, creating distance between his friends.

Theo had never felt so hungry. He hadn’t eaten since lunchtime yesterday, as he’s had his eye on Becky the entire time. Even leaving her alone for five minutes could be dangerous, as the Eichen House nurse could be lurking anywhere, spying on Becky. His stomach was craving the taste of some toast, and he knew full well that Liam’s mum made the best possible fry-up after the previous morning. He stared out of the window, bags under his eyes.

“Morning” came a delicate voice from beside Theo. He spun round and saw Becky, her bright blue eyes locking with his.

“Hey” he smiled, before yawning.

“Have you been here all night?” Becky asked, inquisitively. Theo blushed – his silence told Becky everything she needed to know.

“Oh my god” Becky continued, “You don’t need to be my personal bodyguard Theo. I’m flattered, but I can take care of myself.”

“You did a great job of that the other day, you barely got away from her” Theo recalled.

“This time I’m ready” Becky was self-assured, naively so.

“Prove it” Theo smirked. Becky leapt out of bed and stood in front of Theo, eye to eye. She raised her hand as if to punch him, but with barely a thought, Theo’s hand blocked her. She tried with her other hand, but once again got blocked. Theo was now holding both of her wrists, as he smiled a smug grin at her. Becky raised her eyebrows, still smiling, as she’d yet to play her trump card. She used Theo’s strength against him, lifting herself up just a few centimetres off the ground and slammed both feet against his stomach. He catapulted to the ground, and Becky landed solidly on both feet. Victorious, she put her hand out and helped Theo back up.

“Alright, I give in” Theo laughed, rubbing his chest.

Ignoring his usual manners, Parrish failed to knock on Sheriff Stilinski’s door before rushing in.

“Deputy, do you mind?” Stilinski groaned.

“Sorry sir, but it’s urgent. This envelope has just been delivered. I think you’ll want to take a look” Parrish handed it over. The envelope was addressed specifically to Sheriff Stilinski and Deputy Parrish. Stilinski read it aloud.

“Meet me in the basement at 12 o’clock this afternoon” Stilinski read, before noticing and coldly announcing, “It’s written in blood.”

“It’s her, it must be” Parrish identified, “I’ll get a team ready.”

“No, it’s too dangerous. We can’t go in there all guns blazing, it’s addressed specifically to us. We go alone” Stilinski ordered. Parrish nodded, and vacated the office.

“Are you sure you’re well enough for school?” Mason asked, “You’re looking a little peaky. No surprise considering everything going on I suppose.”

“I’m fine” Liam sighed. He was far from fine, but didn’t want Mason feeling sorry for him, particularly when they all had so much on their plates right now. The biology textbook in front of him wasn’t even remotely enticing, and his head was banging, but the previous night was keeping him positive.

“When are you gonna talk to her?” Mason was referring to Hayden, changing the subject entirely.

“I don’t know. I’ve not heard from her since the other night” Liam replied.

“Do you think she was serious when she said it’s over?” Mason queried. He was confused about the entire situation, and being situated between Hayden and Liam was difficult.

“I think she was pretty clear” Liam groaned. As happy as he was that he might stand a chance with Nolan, he did love Hayden dearly and he didn’t want to break her heart, or even worse, lose her friendship.

“If you want one piece of advice from me, it’s that you need to tell her sooner rather than later. Trust me, if she found out from somebody else, things are gonna be even worse” Mason suggested. Liam nodded, taking the advice on board. He then took out his phone and instantly began texting Hayden – “Meet me at school at lunch. Crisis talk.”

Whilst he was explaining the situation, Argent couldn’t help but feel Deaton was looking distracted. Usually his focus was unbroken, and he’d listen keenly to every word you’d say. Today, he wasn’t even making eye contact with Argent. His mind seemed to be elsewhere, and Argent had noticed this.

“Are we keeping you?” he retorted.

“No, I’m sorry. I’m aware of the power fluctuations at the Nemeton. Druids and emissaries are linked to the Nemeton, as you all know. I noticed it straight away, and it’s affecting supernatural beings all over Beacon Hills” Deaton explained.

“So you’re already on it, that’s great. How do we stop it?” Corey queried.

“We can’t” Deaton replied, “It’s a force of nature. Every thousand or so years, the Nemeton will lose control of its power. It’s like it needs new batteries and begins to stop working properly.”

“Who changes the batteries then?” Hayden asked, noting the analogy.

“Unsurprisingly I’ve never been around to see this happen, and hoped I’d never will be. There’s no definitive answer I’m afraid, but there’s a legend that’s well known amongst druids” Deaton coldly delivered, “It says that an alpha, a beta, an omega and a druid must perform a ceremony. The Nemeton will be able to redefine its parameters, recognise what the levels of power in each one is.”

“So what’s the problem? I’m sure we could arrange this quite quickly” Argent questioned.

“There’s different reports as to what the result of such a ritual would be. All agree that the balance of power would be restored. However, the outcome of the four participants causes much debate. Some say they escape unscathed, others say they all perish. The most interesting suggests that they all return to being plain average humans” Deaton detailed. Hayden, Corey and Argent exchanged worried glances, unsure of exactly what they should do next.

Theo was delighted to finally be sat down at the dining table, eating some grub. His stomach was roaring louder than his mouth ever could, and now Becky was awake, he could finally treat her, and himself, to a slap-up breakfast. By that, he meant a couple of slices of toast each with a selection of jam or marmalade for the topping. Becky didn’t seem to mind, she seemed just as thankful as Theo was to be finally eating some food. She didn’t think to ask him last night if they could eat. It had been a long day and she was worried about being tracked down. She still was, she guessed, but having gotten to know Theo a little, she felt safe in his company. Both of them were enjoying their toast, and each other’s company for that matter. In between munching, the duo caught each other’s eyes and smiled awkwardly at each other. Neither knew what to say, but it was obvious they both felt the same about each other. Theo thought he’d take the plunge and strike up a conversation, but in the split second before a word left his mouth, a loud crashing sound came from the window a couple of metres away. The glass had splintered into many pieces, but what was more concerning was the fact they were surrounding a brick. It had been lobbed through the window, for no reason other than to attack. Theo and Becky both sprang out of their seats when they heard the loud crash, followed by a thump when the brick whacked Liam’s kitchen floor. Becky’s relaxed mood vanished in an instant, as she hid behind a protective Theo.

“They’ve found us. We’ve got to get out of here” Theo stated.

The tedious maths lesson was drawing to a close, and the sound of the school bell was music to Nolan’s ears. He was excited to get to break time, and his stomach was yearning for a tasty treat from the school canteen. As he followed Daan and Cody out of the door, Miss Padhi stopped him in his tracks.

“Nolan, could I please have a word?” she queried. Daan and Cody stopped too, leading Miss Padhi to specify, “In private.”

“I’ll only be a few minutes” Nolan responded, as his best friends reluctantly leave the room.

“Nolan, I’m a bit concerned having read your report. I’m aware of your diagnosis, but it doesn’t appear that you’ve got any mentoring or counselling, and you’ve not had a check-up with a doctor since before summer. Is everything alright?” Krishna asked, expressing a genuine concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine” Nolan seemed curious as to why Miss Padhi was so concerned.

“I was thinking we could maybe meet up once a week, any time you’ve got a study period, just pop your head into my office for five minutes. I’m glad you’re on top of everything but I want to keep your progress going strong” Krishna smiled. Nolan nodded, feeling like he had no other choice.

“Alright, I’ll see you next lesson” Krishna finished the chat.

“Bye” Nolan smiled awkwardly and left the room. Krishna sat down at her desk. She was intrigued by Nolan – he was unlike anyone else she’d met. He was remarkably self-assured and confident, unlike anyone else in his situation. She knew she’d get to the bottom of it, and hoped her weekly chat with him would help her solve the mystery…

11:59 am. Stilinski cautiously stepped down into the basement of the sheriff station. There was an external entrance to the basement, which he presumed the Eichen nurse would use. He’d sent Parrish down to unlock it, before he joined Stilinski at the opposite end just seconds before the clock struck midday.

“Not a second late, I’m impressed” came a voice from the opposite end of the basement. Strutting into view from behind the crates and boxes full of stored files, clip-clopping in stylish leather boots, the Eichen nurse was in plain view.

“What’s your name?” Stilinski wasted no time with the interrogation.

“Bit keen aren’t you?” she flirted, “Angela Frost.”

“Frost…” Stilinski pondered, wondering why he recognised the surname. Then it clicked, “Related to Thomas?”

“His mother. An angry mother at that” Angela replied.

“I’m sorry for your loss” Stilinski responded, diplomatically and sincerely, “That’s not an excuse, however, for murdering innocent people.”

“Innocent?” Angela scoffed, “These so-called people killed my son. They all deserve to die.”

“Your son was a werewolf, have you forgotten?” Parrish added. He’d mostly kept quiet, but felt his contribution on this occasion was necessary.

“Not by choice. If he hadn’t been bitten, he’d still be alive. He’d be on his way to college. I so wanted to play the doting mom, but here I am, fighting in his name” Angela spoke with little emotion, like she had a barrier up.

“You don’t have to fight. Hand yourself in and I’ll make sure they go easy on you. You have my word” Stilinski bargained. He was being more than fair considering they had evidence of her being a murderer.

“I think I’ll be making the deals around here. I want a list of names of any known supernatural beings in Beacon Hills” Angela ordered.

“That won’t be happening” Stilinski bluntly replied.

“I guess I’ll have to go and track them down myself. Thanks for nothing Sheriff” Angela taunted, before strutting her way back to the exit.

“Hold it right there” Stilinski yelled, taking his gun out of his holster and priming it in position.

“You wouldn’t” Angela smirked, “Not when your precious Stiles could be bumped up my hit list. A list I’ve duplicated and sent to multiple sources at that. He’s with the FBI, isn’t he?”

“You wouldn’t dare” Stilinski was raging, although his will to pull the trigger was reduced thanks to her threats. Whether it was a genuine or empty threat, he didn’t know, but the risk was too huge.

“He’s not supernatural?” Parrish queried, confused.

“He might as well be given the company he keeps. He’s just as bad. See you later boys” Angela grinned as she clip-clopped to the exit. Stilinski put the gun back in the holster and stormed out of the basement, absolutely furious and incredibly concerned for the safety of his son.

Liam was sat with Mason at their usual bench outside. It was lunchtime, and every second of the day thus far had felt like an hour. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind for school, and his head was hurting like hell.

“Dude, are you listening to a word I’m saying?” Mason asked, annoyed at Liam’s ignorance.

“Sorry” Liam snapped back into the conversation, “I’m not feeling so great.”

“Hayden and Corey are trying to investigate, they said they’re going to speak to Deaton. Fingers crossed we’ll get some answers” Mason informed.

“Speak of the devils” Liam commented, as Hayden and Corey arrived at the bench.

“I need a word. Urgently” Hayden demanded. She hadn’t even sat down before getting to business. Liam didn’t even think of contesting her, particularly when her face was as stern as it was. He stood up and they both sat down at a different bench a few metres away.

“I’ve been wanting to have a word actually” Liam began, hoping she was wanting to talk relationships with him.

“Liam this is urgent, our relationship issues can wait” Hayden interrupted, “We went to see Deaton, he knows what’s going on. It’s the Nemeton.” Liam’s face dropped. The last time they were at the Nemeton, it basically engulfed a power-hungry werehyena.

Meanwhile, Corey had joined Mason at their usual bench. The duo hadn’t spoken much in the past couple of days, and Mason in particular was feeling rather left out.

“You alright?” he awkwardly asked.

“Yeah” Corey responded just as awkwardly. They sat in silence afterwards, staring at each other.

“How’s Liam?” Corey asked, trying to break the silence.

“Not great” Mason honestly replied, “He’s got a lot on his plate, as you know.”

“Everything apart from us” Corey retorted.

“That’s not true, and you know it” Mason defended his best mate ferociously, “He’s doing all he can, juggling us three, Nolan…”

“What does Nolan have to do with anything? He’s not Liam’s pet, he’s still that little creep that we hated” Corey vented his anger.

“Alright, be like that” Mason yelled, leaving the bench and storming off.

Perched in the canteen, Nolan was sat quietly with Daan and Cody. Normally, he was chatty in their presence despite his timidity around everyone else, but today was a different story.

“Dude what’s up?” Cody asked out of a genuine concern.

“Huh?” Nolan looked up. He wasn’t paying any attention to his friends, and his mind was elsewhere.

“You know we were just joking earlier” Cody felt bad for taking the mick with Nolan during maths earlier.

“I know” Nolan replied, “You weren’t wrong though.”

“Hold up one sec, you’re actually in love?” Daan was flabbergasted, in the best possible way.

“Is it that difficult a concept to believe?” Nolan replied, frustrated.

“No, I’m just surprised, I didn’t know you liked anyone. Who is she?” Daan presumptuously asked. Nolan felt sick with nerves. He was terrified of telling Daan and Cody so soon, particularly as he hadn’t seen Liam all day to be able to discuss it, and gossip could spread like wildfire amongst Beacon Hills High. He summoned every bit of strength that he could, and primed himself to speak.

“It’s Liam” Nolan confessed. He looked at Daan and Cody’s shocked facial expressions, and prepared himself for the taunting.

“I’m proud of you dude” Cody broke the silence. He smiled a friendly smile, and meant it genuinely.

“Me too. I’m happy for you” Daan added. Nolan felt a warm feeling inside, pleased to have gotten it off his chest.

“Please don’t say a word to anyone” Nolan pleaded. The duo nodded without a doubt. Nolan felt happy, and at ease with himself for the first time in a long time.

“Excuse me” came a croaky voice from the end of the table, “Do you know Scott McCall?” the lady asked. She was wearing dark clothing with her dark hair ruffled and all over the place. She had cuts across her face, and her balance wasn’t good.

“Scott? He’s at college” Nolan answered.

“Tell him from me. Angela Frost, Thomas’ mom, she’s the killer” she said. Before Nolan had the chance to inform her that Liam’s in charge at the moment, Braeden collapsed onto the floor, exhausted and unconscious.

“What do you want me to do?” Liam asked Hayden. She’d just filled him in on everything she’d found out from Deaton.

“I thought you’d be able to come up with some kind of solution, you’re normally good at thinking on your feet” Hayden presumed.

“Not so much lately” Liam solemnly replied, “I can barely string a sentence together.”

“That’s the effect of the Nemeton. We need to restore its power balance to normal or else we’re not gonna be fit for anything” Hayden informed. Liam nodded, before gazing into her eyes.

“I miss you” he confessed. Hayden seemed to disapprove, so Liam continued, “I know we’re not on good terms right now, and I understand that, but I still care for you.”

“Liam, I meant what I said the other night” Hayden clarified.

“I know, but you need to listen to this” Liam pleaded, “I kissed Nolan.” Hayden was taken aback, unsure whether to feel surprised or angry.

“I hope you’re very happy together” Hayden said, holding back tears. She stood up to walk away, but she noticed someone stood behind her.

“Sorry, I know you said not to come” it was a voice Hayden recognised. She looked up – Theo Raeken.

“What’s he doing here?” Hayden furiously asked Liam.

“What’s up?” Liam asked Theo, ignoring Hayden. Stood behind Theo, clinging onto his arm, was a fragile-looking Becky.

“She’s here. The killer” Theo explained. Liam put his head in his hands, unable to cope with yet another problem when his head hurt so much.

Staring at the stack of paperwork on her desk, Ms. Natalie Martin groaned. She enjoyed being the headteacher of Beacon Hills High, but the paperwork never even remotely excited her. Still, it had to be done. She had a steaming hot mug of tea on her desk and she flipped open the top booklet, bracing herself for the tedious slog ahead of her. All of a sudden, the phone on her desk rang. Natalie keenly answered it, knowing it’d be another way to procrastinate.

“Hello?” she answered as always.

“Ms. Martin, I’m sorry to disturb you, but we have a visitor” came a trembling voice on the other end. Natalie knew it was that of Annette who worked at the reception desk. She was a kind lady, in her fifties, who greeted all of the visitors as they arrived.

“I didn’t realise we had anyone visiting today” Natalie calmly replied, although she knew something was wrong. She felt it in her gut, and her gut was never wrong.

“Her name is Angela, and she has a list of people she demands to see. Or else” Annette coldly explained, as if she was reading from a script. Natalie took deep breaths, formulating her response.

“Tell her she needs to book an appointment” Natalie responded. She was starting to feel terrified, but responded just as she would for any regular visitor.

“She says that won’t be necessary” Annette answered, before Natalie jumped out of her skin at the loudest bang she’d ever heard. It was a sound she knew from the television, and prayed she’d never hear in real life. It was the sound of a gunshot.