Tessa did not sleep that night, even after they got back home. Scott didn't seem to have the same problem, having collapsed onto his bed the moment he got into his room despite Tessa's argument that they should treat his wound. So, rather than sleeping, she sat at the foot of Scott's bed and watched him sleep. It wasn't creepy, she just wanted to make sure nothing weird happened... like him dying because his body rejected the bite.

About three hours after Scott went to sleep, Tessa had summoned the white light to her fingertips and dared to hope that she could heal his body from the bite, but no matter how much power she pushed into the effort, there were some things even magic couldn't heal.

Tessa hadn't even dared to grant herself the pleasure of releasing excess energy from her powers in the years since her parent's deaths, and now... she knew that she would never be able to go back to that.

Witches are meant to share their gifts, her mother had told her once when she was small and trying to gain control over herself. Even if we don't want to... especially if we don't want to. Sometimes, there are some causes we can't abandon.

"Where did that get you, mom?" Tessa murmured to herself through a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she looked at the sun rising through Scott's window.

Killed, she reminded herself as she stood from her brother's bed. Wanting to help people, to help Tessa, had gotten her mother killed. That was why Tessa had sworn to never use her powers again after that night, and it had almost worked in the end.

Plodding downstairs to the kitchen, Tessa grabbed the eggs and milk from the fridge, knowing that Scott would wake up the moment he smelled the food cooking. It took her a few minutes to grab the batter and find the chocolate chips, but soon enough she had pancakes cooking on the stove.

Sighing, she ran her fingertip along the counter as she heard Scott rummaging around upstairs. This was a good sign, she tried to assure herself. He had made it through the night, which meant that he was most likely going to survive the entire process. On the other hand... it meant that he was going to go through the shittiest time in his life soon enough and she was going to need to help him through it.

Helping him wasn't the problem though... she would have cut off her arm if Scott asked her to. What worried her was admitting she was a witch to him, and the inevitable fallout that would follow. He and Melissa had welcomed a ticking timebomb into their home, and now she was just going to bring them more trouble than she was ever worth.

Scott plodded down the stairs and she turned with a wide smile as he entered the kitchen. "How are you feeling?" she asked, turning back to the pancakes and serving one onto a plate for him, handing him the plate. It took everything in her not to cry and throw her arms around him at the sight of him walking and talking.

"Sore," he admitted, gesturing to the wound on his stomach. "What about you?"

"A few bruises," Tessa admitted. "I probably won't be able to wear my back to school skirt, but a pair of jeans will work just as well."

Scott sent her a look that told her he wasn't buying her nonchalant attitude, making the girl turn all of her attention back to the cooking pancakes on the stove. She needed to make enough for herself, Scott, and their mom for breakfast before she could go grab a quick shower and get dressed. A buzz from her phone made her look away as she dished more batter into the pan.

Perry the Platypus : I'm picking you up still, right?

Squinting at the batter on the counter, Tessa typed a quick confirming text to her friend before adding two pancakes for him into her equation. Perry had a problem with remembering to eat, which meant she often had to make enough food for the both of them.

"You want a ride to school from Perry?" she asked curiously, earning a quick head shake from her brother.

"I'll just ride my bike there," he told her, making Tessa bite her lip. She wasn't fond of the idea of leaving Scott alone, but she couldn't exactly ride on his handlebars to school and she'd outgrown her bike last year. She hadn't wanted to bother their mom though, so she never asked for a new one.

Scott seemed to notice her silence and cleared his throat as he stabbed another piece of chocolate chip pancake. "I promise I'm okay, Tess."

"Fine," she allowed, putting another pancake onto the growing stack. "But you're still cleaning that before we go, okay?"

Scott hummed his agreement and glanced at the clock. "Go get ready, okay? I can finish them."

Tessa raised an eyebrow and waved her pancake flipper at him in a mock threatening gesture. "If they end up burned—"

"They won't," Scott laughed and took the cooking utensil from her. "Get going, okay? I've got this."

Sighing, Tessa decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and raced upstairs. She really did need a shower, leaves and dirt stuck to her hair. Still, she didn't allow herself a long one, spending no longer than five minutes to try and wash the evidence of the previous night away before grabbing the outfit she and Melissa had spent time picking out. Her gaze rested on the skirt and pursed her lips as she thought about how excited Melissa had been when they decided that she would wear it.

Looking down at her skin, Tessa winced at the medley of bruises that had darkened overnight and chewed on her lip, pressing her hand to her skin. Once, she would have been able to just allow white light to flow through her palm and watch as the bruises faded, but the idea made her sick to her stomach. Instead, she turned to her drawers and hoped she had a single pair of undamaged tights.

The ones she found were a shade or two darker than her actual skin tone, and she was pleased to know that they would prevent anyone from seeing the injuries she had acquired the previous night. Blow drying her hair, Tessa ran a brush through it quickly and glared at the dark circles under her eyes. Those had to go, or Perry would have her head for not sleeping well. She wasn't an expert with makeup, but she could still brush foundation on her skin and blend it with the tiniest amount of contouring.

The next thing she did was get gauze and medical tape from the first aid kit, laying them out on the bothroom counter with a bottle of peroxide for Scott.

Satisfied she was presentable and her brother's necessities would be met, Tessa trotted downstairs and made herself aware to her brother by playfully sniffing as she entered the kitchen again. "Nothing appears to have burned," she teased, making Scott waggle the pancake flipper at her.

"See? I told you I'd be fine," he mock scolded before gesturing to the table, where three pancakes sat at her place at the table in a Mickey Mouse formation. The sight made Tessa's heart hurt as she turned to her brother. She should tell him now, she knew that, before they went to school and he inevitably learned on his own... but the idea of explaining how she knew what had happened made her stomach churn uncomfortably.

Oh hey Scott. I just thought I should tell you that you're a werewolf. How do I know that, you ask? Well, you've been harbouring a dangerous magical witch since you were six. Funny, right?

No, not funny... not funny at all. Her stomach was tying itself into knots as she tried to steady her breathing. "Um, Scott?" she asked, earning a hum from her brother as he put the leftover pancakes in the fridge. "There's something we should—"

The door opening without a knock made her turn quickly, a small smile forming on her face at the sight of the blond boy entering the kitchen. It was like some being decided to take pity on her and send a saviour in the form of her best friend.

Patroclus Knight, or as she called him, Perry, had been her best friend since she was in fifth grade. He was new, and her best friend had just moved away that summer, so they were a match made in heaven. His dark brown eyes caught hers and seemed to see the heavy relief in them, an easy grin forming on his face as he looked to Scott.

"Scottie," he greeted as he moved over to the table and grabbed one of Tessa's pancake ears off her plate, taking an obnoxiously large bite out of the thing. "How are you doing?"

Scott smiled right back at him, dropping the dirty frying pan in the sink and shrugging. "Not bad," he told the other boy. "I'm sure Tess will tell you all about yesterday, but how are you feeling about lacrosse?"

Perry had been first line in their freshman year, so chances were that he was going to remain there. He didn't say that though, just wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "Something tells me I should be worried about you stealing my thunder," he teased, making Scott perk up even more.

"I've been practicing," he promised, making Perry smile encouragingly.

"Then it's going to pay off," he promised before turning to Tessa with furrowed eyebrows. "Now, what's this about last night?"

Tessa shrugged, trying not to seem fazed. "Stiles dragged us out to find a body in the woods. I found it."

All traces of the smile on Perry's face disappeared as he dropped the pancake back on her plate and turned her face so she had to look him in the eye. "You found it?" he asked carefully, his eyes scanning her face carefully.

"I almost stepped on it," she tried to joke, pulling her chin out of his grasp and looking down. "I'm fine, Perry."

His left index finger twitched, and she knew she'd been caught in her lie. "Okay," his voice was even as he picked his pancake back up and finished it in a few bites. "You're sure you don't want a ride, Scott?"

"Positive," Scott affirmed. "I'm a little sore still, need the exercise."

Tessa dug his spare inhaler out of her pocket and pressed it into her brother's hand. "Here, we'll go find yours later."

Scott smiled at her and gestured to the pancakes still on the table. "Make sure you eat on the way," he instructed before dropping a kiss on her forehead.

Nodding, Tessa could almost convince herself that everything was alright as she grabbed the pancakes and followed Perry out the door to his car, a little hesitant as she slid into the passenger seat.

Perry didn't start the car automatically, choosing instead to stare at Tessa at the exact moment she decided to stuff an entire pancake in her mouth. They locked eyes, and Tessa had to wonder if it was actually important to chew before swallowing.

When she had actually swallowed her food though, Perry raised an eyebrow. "Truth, if you will."

Tessa glared at him, but the blond didn't even budge. He'd always had an uncanny knack for knowing when people were lying, and it unnerved her to no end. She didn't really like lying to her friend, but it wasn't as if she could just drop everything that had happened last night on him either.

Instead, she decided to tell him the truth she was willing to let him to know.

Pursing her lips, she resisted the urge to chew on her fingernails. "I didn't sleep last night," she admitted. "That's how scared I was."

Perry grabbed her hand and when she looked back up at him, his eyes were apologetic. "You should have called. I would have been here in a heartbeat."

Tessa squeezed his hand right back, giving him a small smile. "I know," she assured him. "I promise, I'll call next time."

Perry gave her a playful side eye as he started the car, not letting go of her hand yet. "If you find a body for a third time, I'm taking you to see a medium to make sure you're not some sort of witch."

Tessa almost stiffened at the careless words, but just forced out a little laugh. "I'll hold you to it."

Perry shot her a slightly suspicious glance. "Are you planning on finding another body?"

Raising an eyebrow, Tessa scoffed. "Three's enough for me in this lifetime, thank you."

They exchanged smiles and spent the rest of the drive to school talking amongst themselves, mostly excited chatter about classes and the advanced science courses Perry was planning on taking next year. Tessa knew that it was a silent plea for her to help him study this year, and she nodded along. She wasn't sure how someone became so interested in botany in the sixth grade, but Perry had stuck with his dream, planning on studying plants and how they could be substituted for harsher medicines.

Basically, he was a genius and she was just a history buff who understood Shakespeare really well. It all evened out, she helped him organize his outrageous notes so she could copy off of them, and he got free essay editing whenever he needed it.

Pulling into the parking lot of Beacon Hills High School, Perry parked his car and looked over to grin at Tessa, his brown eyes sparkling in a way that immediately made her smile immediately. It wasn't even a conscious decision for her, she just felt a warmth spread across her chest as an immense feeling of safety spread through her. Tessa wasn't an idiot, she knew that she needed to help Scott as soon as possible... but she was also a teenager who was about to experience her first day of sophmore year. She was allowed to have one day to enjoy herself before everything inevitably went to utter shit.

You're just scared to admit what you are, the familiar pesky little voice in her head taunted her. You don't want to admit he's been living with a monster all this time, do you?

Shoving the intrusive thoughts far into the back of her mind, Tessa allowed her friend to open the door for her as she shouldered her backpack and stared at the school doors. There was no sight of Scott or Stiles, but she didn't need to be with them yet, she just needed to act normal and get to first period. One minute at a time, one foot in front of the other.

She could do this.

Walking through the halls, she let Perry lead the way and almost sighed when they were intercepted by none other than Jackson Whittemore and Danny Māhealani. They were immensely popular at their school, but the three had become almost inseperable since Perry joined the lacrosse team. That meant that Tessa had to get along with them too.

It wasn't hard with Danny, he was an awesome guy and was always nice to Tessa, even offering to help her in any science class she needed assistance in from their freshman year on after finding out she struggled in the subject. She returned the favor by helping him with history tests whenever he asked for it.

But Jackson... he was a real thorn in her side. Captain of the lacrosse team, he thought he was hot shit and wanted everyone to agree with him.

Tessa didn't.

Still, she managed a smile for Perry's sake as he moved forward to give his friends one those weird bro hugs that jocks did for some reason, grinning as he talked to them.

A hand on her elbow made Tessa look over to see Lydia Martin by her side, smiling at her in a way that confused the blonde. Lydia may have been Jackson's girlfriend, but they'd never been particularly close... or close enough for approaching and smiling at one another.

"I love your skirt," the strawberry blonde complimented, making Tessa unconsciously smooth the fabric to make sure her burgundy long sleeved shirt was still tucked in. "Late year you never would have worn that... confidence looks good on you."

An actual blush spread across Tessa's face, something she normally wouldn't have been proud of. Lydia was in an outfit that probably wouldn't have worked for anyone else, and Tessa played to that. "You look amazing," she admitted. "I wish I could wear that color of blue."

Lydia's eyes scanned her, as though searching for anything that indicated that Tessa wasn't being sincere, but apparently she didn't find it. Her smile widened and she tilted her head. "Are you going to the lacrosse practice?" she asked, making Tessa shrug.

"I mean, I usually go and do my homework while waiting for my brother and Perry to be done."

Lydia shook her head. "Not today, we're sitting together and I'm going to look for a hot lacrosse guy to take you to the party on Friday."

"Party?" Tessa asked, glancing at Perry and noticing that he had been keeping an ear on their conversation the entire time. It was sweet, knowing he'd been ready to whisk her away if Lydia had decided to be rude. Still, it was the first day back, how had they arranged a party already? And why was Lydia wanting a hot guy to take her?

Thankfully, Perry seemed to come to her rescue, slinging an arm around Tessa's shoulders as easy as breathing. "C'mon Lyds, are you really going to deprive me of a chance to bring Tessa to her first high school party?"

Okay, that wasn't the answer she'd been expecting... but Lydia seemed to accept it, nodding firmly.

"Well, at least it means neither of you will be going solo," she conceded as the bell rang. "See you at lunch?"

Both Perry and Tessa confirmed and glanced at one another as they headed to their first class, English.

"Since when were you and Lydia friends?" Perry asked, making Tessa shrug helplessly.

"I have no idea... maybe she's lonely."

He hummed at the theory, opening the door for her and smiling at Scott and Stiles, who were already in the class. Tessa skillfully seated herself next to her brother, and Perry slid into the seat behind her so they were all close to one another.

Taking out her binder, she smiled softly as she saw Scott fumbling through his backpack and pulled his copy of The Metamorphosis out of her own backpack, holding out for him. It seemed like the world was playing a sick joke on them with the book, but she wasn't in the mood to deliberate that. "You forgot it in my room the other night," she explained as her brother took it and murmured his thanks.

Mr. Curtis, their English teacher, stood at the front of the class with a stern look in his eyes. "As you all know, there indeed was a body found in the woods last night."

Tessa's hands clenched a little, and she smiled slightly when Scott moved his foot so their ankles were touching. Looking up at him, she realized he was searching for anything that would indicate she wasn't alright. She widened her smile purposefully, and he didn't seem convinced but still looked back up at Mr. Curtis as he kept talking.

"And I am sure your eager little minds are coming up with various macabre scenarios as to what happened. But I am here to tell you that the police have a suspect in custody, which means you can give your undivided attention to the syllabus, which is on your desk outlining this semester."

Tessa looked at the packet on her desk and glanced at Scott, going to make a joke, but he'd gotten a far-off look in his eyes, making her hesitate. A slight hint of thread of fear hit her, but the door to the class opened to reveal a girl she'd never seen before enter the class with the vice principal.

"Class," the man said as he surveyed the class critically. "This is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do your best to make her feel welcome."

Allison's smile was weak, probably from nervousness, and Tessa found herself looking to see if there was an empty seat anywhere. Perry beat her to it though, waving his hand to her and gesturing to the open seat beside him and behind Scott. The new girl seemed exceedingly appreciative of the gesture and approached them, sitting down and becoming essentially boxed in by Tessa's circle of friends... considering the fact that Stiles was sitting behind her now.

Scott turned slowly, offering the girl a pen. Allison's smile became a little more confident. "Thanks."

Tessa's eyes narrowed a little at the interaction, and she realized something that made her gut clench. Scott had known she didn't have a pen, which meant he'd probably heard her.

His body had accepted the bite, and that meant that he was going to live... as long as she kept him that way.

Their English teacher sighed and gestured to the blackboard. "We'll begin with Kafka's Metamorphosis on page one-thirty-three."

A/N

I'm not sure how I feel about such short chapters, but I might even be able to update again today with the roll I'm on so I'll take it.