LOVERS ROCK
chapter five ; the tell
[ season one - episode five ]

Honey Carter pulled up outside of the video store, her phone pressed to her ear, Stiles talking on the other side as he went over the plan for tonight. He was with his father at the drive-thru as the two of them spoke, once they'd picked up the food they would meet her back at their house, she thought the plan was pretty simple but, clearly, not simple enough that Stiles felt that she could do it without a reminder. In his defense, it had been a couple days since they originally arranged tonight. The Stilinski's were having withdrawals, unsure what to do with themselves now that it was so quiet at home without her, and frankly, Honey felt the same. It was weird only being with her dad at home, not having to wonder when Stiles would next barge through her bedroom door to tell her about something. Not having to wait around for each other to go to school. To make it feel normal again, the three of them had agreed to have weekly dinners, every Saturday night, a healthy compromise. Honey wasn't going to complain about an opportunity to get out when her father and Kate were home, she preferred to keep her distance from them both.

After reassuring the Stilinski boy that she was more than capable of following the plan they had set she began stepping out of the car, hoping Stiles would take the sound of her car door closing as his cue to end the call, she could imagine his father rolling his eyes as he listened to Stiles tell her all of his movie recommendations- most of which were musicals, or Star Wars. He had a little soft spot for Mamma Mia, a secret she had sworn to keep from Scott. For now. Eventually, Sheriff Stilinski could hear Honey's desperation to leave through the phone, saying goodbye for his son as he ended the phone call, allowing the girl to breathe a sigh of relief through her smile as she'd put her phone back in her pocket.

She strolled through the aisles of the store, searching for one of the films on Stiles's list, one that wouldn't torture his father and herself at the same time, so definitely not a chick flick or his first recommendation of Star Wars, both of them had seen that more than enough. As the girl flicked through the movies she heard a voice shouting across the store, a familiar voice that could only belong to one particular Beacon Hills jock. She walked to the end of the aisle, finding Jackson at the door, shouting for one of the employees to help him, only then did Honey realize that she'd failed to come across anyone who worked here too. The blonde called his name, Jackson turned his head, visibly relieved when he saw her, asking if she could help him find a stupid movie that he couldn't remember the name of, only that it had something to do with a book or diary. Honey assumed he was talking about The Notebook, a classic romance movie, clearly, Lydia had picked it for their own movie night.

With an incline of where they might find it Honey turned to point him towards the romance aisle, but her words were cut off as she caught a glimpse of something a few aisles away from them, it looked awfully similar to two feet. Jackson was still looking in the direction her finger pointed as he waited for her to continue speaking, but she didn't. Only then did he turn his head, seeing the same thing that she did. He shook his head to readjust his sight before looking again.

Neither could believe what they were seeing, but both were willing to step closer, yearning to get an insight as to what it was, perhaps it was nothing more than a prop for the horror section not a dead body like Honey immediately assumed like the optimist she was. Jackson took the lead, he stretched an arm out across the girl's chest, keeping her behind him for protection. Honey kept a hand on his arm, her lip quivering with fear as she prepared herself, who knew what kind of sight the two of them would be met with.

Each step they took was careful, both considering walking with their eyes closed just so they had the chance of saving themselves from nightmares. But unfortunately, they took their chances as they reached the aisle in question. Before them lay a blood-soaked employee, his throat slashed and his eyes wide, his death had to have been sudden, he still looked shocked.

A horrified gasp escaped the blonde's mouth, a slight sob as she covered her mouth, muffling all of her heaving as she tried not to throw up. They both stumbled back, keeping a tight grip on the other until their backs collided with something metal. Jackson quickly covered the girl's head as they both ducked, shielded from the falling ladder and the ceiling light it brought down with it. A well-lit video store quickly turned into a place of horror left in darkness until the generator chose to kick in, leaving them in a large red room.

The two were left standing in the middle of the store fighting for breath, Honey looked around, it had to be here. What else could have done damage like that? It had to be the Alpha. Jackson had begun looking around too, only he didn't know what he was looking for. Honey doubted that he would be able to protect her from whatever they were about to be up against, he couldn't fight a regular werewolf, but an Alpha? They were both dead.

Jackson's grip tightened on the blonde as he heard a low growling coming from behind them, it slowly grew louder until she heard it too, both slowly turning their heads towards the sound, the beast stood at the end of one of the aisles, a large silhouette occasionally lit by all of the flashes of light. And then, two beady red eyes began to glow, staring right at them. The large animal had opened its mouth, releasing a large growl as Jackson quickly pulled Honey into one of the aisles and away from the beast's line of view. Both cowering behind a shelf, neither daring to speak.

Their words were meaningless when all that could come out of their mouths were breaths of two terrified teenagers who couldn't even begin to think about forming a sentence. Honey looked at Jackson, a finger pressed to her lips as she warned him to be quiet, he was confused, shaking his head at her. Whatever she planned on doing couldn't be good. Even without his agreement, she began poking her head out of the aisle to get another look at the Alpha, hoping that it was at the other end of the store, potentially giving them a chance to escape.

Further fear was incited in the girl as she watched the beast run in between the aisles, knocking each of the shelves with its heavy footing, enough to knock a few movies onto their heads once Honey retreated back into hiding. Her head rested back on the shelf, a soft involuntary whimper coming from her mouth. She had spent her fair share of time with werewolves, but this was one of the only times she had been scared by them.

"You need to get out of here," Jackson told the girl in a hushed whisper. "I'll distract it."

"Are you insane?" Honey shouted back in a whisper. "I'm not leaving you in here." She spat out at him, she gave him a stern look, there was no argument in her words, she wasn't going without him. It was both of them or neither of them. Perhaps they hadn't entered this store together but they were sure as hell leaving together.

As the Alpha run through the bookcases again they both quickly returned to silence, another set of movies hitting their heads as Jackson gripped tightly onto the blonde again, shielding her for the second time tonight. This time, he was the one wanting to peek outside of the aisle, as soon as Honey felt him move she pulled him back, it wasn't a good idea, the last time one of them did it the Alpha almost caught sight of them. Jackson silently reassured her that he would be fine, it was stupid for him to dare to do it, but he did, Honey could see nothing she said or did would get him to stop the boy from getting a peek.

His turn was cut off a lot quicker than Honey's as he saw the further shelf begin to fall, creating a domino effect in the store, each shelf falling, slowly getting closer to the one they hid behind. He had no other option in his mind as he grabbed the blonde girl, shoving her out of the way, but as she fell backward out of the aisle her head hit one of the opposing shelves, knocking the girl out. The shelf fell on his legs just a second later, a painful scream sounding through the store.

Jackson tried to remain as still as possible, but his body shook with fear. His hand reached out in a desperate attempt to reach the blonde girl's limp hand, hoping that she was unconscious, that such a hard blow to the head wouldn't kill her. And then he saw the blood on the carpet coming from the back of her head. He tried to wriggle out from under the shelf, quietly calling her name, but he was stuck, completely trapped.

As the low growling grew closer his body finally managed to keep still, the shadow of the large beast lingering over him as he winced, prepared to experience the last few seconds of his life, a life that would end with him potentially killing a girl by trying to save her.

A large claw caressed his neck, a touch that shook him to his core, a knot in his stomach as his body began to shake again, he looked back over at the unconscious blonde laying a few inches from his grasp, his breath was the only thing that was still about him as he waited for the claw to slash his throat. For the feeling of death to overwhelm him. But it didn't. He felt the heavy breath of the beast move from him, the shadow moving over to the blonde girl, he couldn't help, he was stuck watching as its claw stroked against the blonde girl's face.

With a sharp gasp, the blonde girl opened her eyes, coming back to consciousness, seeing it just a few inches from her face, she wanted to scream but her body wouldn't let her. She was left in a state of shock as the red eyes stared right through her, violating her. The girl winced, she closed her eyes tightly, prepared to face its wrath.

A gush of air blew across them, followed by the sound of smashing glass and a piercing scream, leaving the two of them panting heavily on the floor as they looked at one another. Jackson and Lydia had just beared witness to the supernatural. This changed everything. Honey looked back at the boy beneath the shelves, she could see his mouth moving, but his voice was muffled, her eyes growing heavy once more.

"Carter. Carter, can you hear me?" Jackson asked as he and an EMT crouched over the girl, both of her eyes flickering open as she awoke once more from her unconsciousness with a groan. Her head felt fuzzy, everything was a blur as she tried to remember where she was, what happened. She felt something wet against the back of her head, her hand reaching for it, seeing the bloody fingers in front of her face was what brought it all rushing back through her head. The Alpha. It was here. She had to tell Scott.

Honey attempted to pull herself off of the ground, quickly assisted by Jackson and the EMT who weren't prepared for her to go anywhere until she had been assessed, and with the wound she'd gained on the back of her head, she wasn't escaping that. As they stumbled out to an ambulance Honey noticed how unaffected Jackson seemed after being trapped by the shelf, he wasn't even limping as he carried her weight. The tables had certainly turned.

She was surprised to see just how many deputies and ambulances had been called to the store as she walked out to a sea of flashing lights that were blinding, frankly, she didn't know how all of them had even known about it. And then she saw Lydia Martin sitting with an EMT, she forgot about that part. The EMT tried to get her to sit beside the redhead, but she insisted that she was fine, that she would rather stand, it took some arguing, but she managed to get her own way. A deputy approached her with a notebook in his hand, prepared to ask her some questions.

"The Sheriff will be here in a minute to ask but-"

"Oh, God." The blonde mumbled under her breath. The Sheriff. This wasn't going to go well. "Uh, is there any chance that I could just go home?"

"No." The deputy deadpanned.

With a sigh the blonde gave up on the idea of an easy escape, of being questioned by Noah on all of the things that had happened here tonight, once he was involved then so was her dad. He was already a man too protective over his sixteen-year-old daughter, this meant that hell was coming her way. One by one more deputies arrived at the scene, ready to question the three teenagers, a whole list of questions that they'd asked at all the other suspected animal attack scenes.

The two Stilinski's pulled up, Noah warned his son to stay put while his first instinct had been for him to search through the crowd for the blonde girl, hoping that she hadn't been the victim here tonight. It was his fault she was here, he had invited her for the movie night and dinner, if he was the reason for the girl getting killed he wouldn't be able to live with himself. One of his deputies approached the man, guiding him towards the ambulance, talking, but all of his words went into one ear and straight out the other. It wasn't until they reached the ambulance that he found the blonde girl, sitting next to Lydia after all. She hadn't had a choice, the EMT insisted upon it, she'd already been warned that she needed to go to the hospital to get stitches, but she had refused to leave until she had seen the Sheriff and Stiles. She had to reassure the man that she was okay, it was just a freak accident, and to tell his son exactly what happened tonight.

As soon as Honey caught a glimpse of the man she wanted to talk to him, but with an EMT right next to her with the strict demands to keep the girl sitting, she had no chance. Not to mention all of the fuss that Jackson was causing with one of the other EMTs. He refused to be assessed like Lydia and Honey had, insisting he was fine. He couldn't risk being told there was something not right with him, he had a team captain title to keep hold of.

"Why the hell can't I just go home? I'm fine." Jackson argued against the Sheriff before the man had managed to reach them, now he had begun showing this side of him that everyone but the blonde had seen, the jackass side that he was known for. The girl sat back, gobsmacked as she listened to his yelling, watching as he got in the Sheriff's face. "What part of "I'm fine" are you having a problem grasping? Okay, I wanna go home."

"And I understand that."

Jackson shook his head, stepping closer to the man with his finger pointing in his face "No, you don't understand," He yelled louder than ever. "Which kind of blows my mind, since it should be a pretty basic concept to grasp for a minimum-wage rent-a-cop like you! Okay, now, I wanna go home!"

"Jackson!" Honey snapped as she stood up, even the EMT had given up against her. "Just... get the freaking assessment, okay?" The blonde sighed, she wanted to shout at him, to release her wrath on him for shouting at Noah, but she didn't have the energy, her head ached, pounded, it was a fight that she just couldn't give as she dropped back down onto the ambulance seat with Lydia who hadn't once given her a sharp stare.

They had been reserved for Jackson, her boyfriend who had immediately followed the orders of the blonde girl, accepting the millionth request for him to have an assessment while Honey was finally allowed to be released under the close watch of the Sheriff who began leading her to the car. He asked her a million questions, none of which were about what had happened inside, for now, he didn't care about that, only whether she was okay. He told her that he'd called her dad, that he would be here soon so she could just wait with Stiles in the cruiser, far from the redhead with who she'd shared her frustration over while living with him.

As soon as Noah had walked away from them Stiles and Honey turned to one another, one to ask what had happened, the other to tell every little detail, but with a fuzzy head it was proving just a little more difficult than expected. But Stiles managed to catch the main points. It was the wolf they had been looking for in there, the Alpha, and for some reason, he hadn't killed either her or Jackson. He could see it in her eyes as she spoke, she was terrified. He didn't think he would see the blonde girl terrified, she always seemed pretty fearless when it came to werewolves, at least she didn't find the likes of Derek Hale scary.

When she noticed the looks of pity he was providing, she was eager to change the conversation topic to anything but herself, so she opted for something else, tonight's movie night. She asked innocently whether their plans were still going ahead, there was still plenty of the night left for it, though they would have to watch a film that the Stilinski's already owned. While in her aimless raving about a movie, Stiles stared with a slacked jaw, questioning if she was being serious, that she really wanted to sit and watch a movie after what she had just been through.

It took a while for her to notice, mostly because she had been avoiding eye contact in the fear it would end up in another pitiful look from him. But that pitiful look had been replaced by shock, disbelief. "What?" Honey questioned blankly. Stiles was lost for words as he largely waved both of his arms around, pointing out what was happening around them. "Stiles, I'm fine. So-"

"I heard the EMTs talking from over here. You have a concussion, Honey." Stiles retorted, the girl had immediately looked at him with shock at the sound of her own name. You need rest not a night with me and my Dad. Anyway, I kind of ate your curly fries." He chuckled nervously, Honey remained with a raised brow. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"Did my ears deceive me or did you actually call me by my name?" She asked teasingly.

"Don't get used to it, Winnie." He smiled sarcastically.

Within a few more minutes of the two of them waiting by the cruiser and Stiles confirming their movie night wasn't in fact going ahead while she had a concussion, a car pulled up to the crime scene, a man's voice shouting through the crowd for his daughter. Each and every one of Noah's deputies tried to stop Jude as he shoved his way through the barrier, followed by a blonde who squeezed through it just as easily.

Jude noticed Jackson standing at the back of the ambulance, he knew he recognized the boy, he had introduced himself when he brought his daughter to school, he hoped that he might know if his daughter was hurt, where she could be amongst this crowd. As he and Kate approached him, about to place a hand on his shoulder to alert him of their presence, Noah had called them over. A relief to Jude as he rushed towards the man, frantically asking about his daughter. The Sheriff almost had a chance to answer, but Kate had already spotted the blonde sitting by the cruiser, a hand to her head as she smiled, talking to Stiles.

Kate nudged the man beside her, pointing towards Honey, both rushing towards the girl as they called her name. Honey looked up, seeing the woman rushing towards her, a feeling of dread in her body as she rolled her eyes, begging Stiles to save her, but he couldn't. He was wrapped up in his fear as he looked at the blonde woman, the huntress who had shot Derek, almost getting him killed. The woman belonging to an entire family of hunters. Not to mention Honey's father, he was equally as involved in all of this hunter business as his girlfriend.

With a groan Honey stood up to meet her father, anticipating that he would wrap her up in a hug before they got home and a set of arms hugging her turned into bubble wrap along with a strict set of instructions to never leave the house again. What she hadn't expected was for Kate to get there first, hugging the blonde girl who stood still, arms to her side, unsure how she was meant to react to a hug from a woman she barely knew, her father's boyfriend.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked, checking the girl over. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," Honey told them, looking at her father as she spoke.

"You don't look fine." Jude deadpanned as he too gave his daughter a check over.

The conversation was quickly cut off by Stiles's shout, pointing out the dead body that was on a gurney, being guided out of the video store. The entire parking lot fell quiet as they all looked at the body, the bloody arm hanging from it as they hit a bump. After a stern look from his own dad Stiles quickly sunk down, taking back the passenger seat of the cruiser while Honey stood at her father and Kate's side. Her eyes were too engrossed on the body to notice the look that Jude and Kate shared from either side of her, how concerned they looked, wondering what the girl saw.

As soon as it was declared that the blonde girl could leave Jude and Kate rushed to whisk her far from the crime scene, scurrying back to the car with her in tow, eager to get her home and ask all of the necessary questions. Only now, they were second-guessing the presence of the girl sitting in the back of the car, waiting for them. Allison had been there to hear when Jude got the call, he didn't think to be weary of what he said when he was so fueled by panic, allowing the girl to hear that Honey had been in some kind of accident. She'd begged her aunt to come, and frankly, Kate didn't think it was such a bad idea, before she knew that werewolves were involved. It seemed a perfect opportunity for Allison and Honey to bond, one day, they'd have to work together, they'd be huntresses who worked hand in hand.

Allison intended to spend the night at the Carter house so she could keep a look out on Honey, it took a little bit of thought, but after some consideration Jude and Kate could see that this was as much of an opportunity as it had been before. Perhaps the blonde girl would let her guard down around Allison, maybe Honey would tell her, allowing them to eavesdrop on the conversation, it was a win-win situation.

Only they hadn't intended on Allison being as hands on as she was. Jude and Kate could hardly get a look in with the brunette girl around, she'd kept Honey under her wing, giving her all of the company a girl could ever need, caring for her as if she was a patient. She cared for Honey, she'd been a good friend since they'd moved to this town, and with Honey's father dating her aunt, the two of them seemed to be becoming closer to family.

After hours of molly-coddling the blonde girl, Allison left the girl alone for the first and last time as the blonde lay on her bed with an icepack on her head and a blanket wrapped around her, all curtosey of the brunette who'd given her strict instructions that she wasn't allowed to raise even a pinky while she was around. Of course, Allison's departure from the room only allowed the two waiting impatiently outside of it to slip in, to finally ask all the questions, but not without acting as a doting family beforehand. They couldn't allow Honey to get suspicious, as Jude emphasized to his girlfriend, it was too soon for his daughter to know about the truth.

The adults walked in with innocent smiles across their faces as they took a seat at the foot of her bed where they could analyse her every movement, her body language, able to tell if she lied to them about what she had seen tonight. Honey looked between the two of them, her vision still a little blurry than what she had hoped it would be, she didn't see this as an interrogation, just her father and his girlfriend trying to see if she was okay after what happened tonight. There wasn't a reason for her to be suspicious of her father or Kate. Neither Scott or Stiles thought to tell her it was Kate who shot Derek, that both she and Jude were the new hunters in town beside Allison's father. Even when Stiles had saw that Kate was taking Honey home, he hadn't thought about it, at least when he had, it was too late. The blonde was already climbing into the back of the car to go home. To potentially spill everything to two people she thought she could trust.

"How you doing, sweetheart?" Jude asked softly, a hand on his daughter's shoulder. The blonde nodded her head, the only answer she managed to provide the man as her head pounded. "Can we get you anything? A glass of water? Some asprin?" He asked again, the girl shook her head.

The blonde's stare remained on a spot at the end of the bed, just in between the two that sat at the end of it, her eyes tearing up, in her own world. Kate cleared her throat, giving Jude a slight nudge, they needed to ask. Whether Honey seemed in the state to answer or not, it was a life or death situation.

"What happened tonight, Honey?" Kate said carefully, cleaning closer to the girl. The girl stared at the spot still, she hadn't heard the question. She stayed that way until Kate placed a hand on Honey's the girls stare broke as she looked up at the woman with tearful eyes.

"You can tell us, Kiddo." Her father reassured her.

"It will be our little secret." Kate added, furthering the pressure Honey felt to tell them, maybe if she told an adult for once she wouldn't have to deal with it, she could be a normal teenagers, all of the things she imagined she would be when she moved here. Back when she thought that her departure from Lousiana meant a departure from the supernatural world.

Honey began to stammer, trying to figure out what she could say, how she could break it to them so that they didn't figure it out. As she did, she looked around the room, struggling for the words to say, and then, she saw it. A figure in her window, two bright red eyes staring at her like they'd done at the video store. Her eyes began to fill with tears again as she sat up in bed, her lip began to quiver as her breathing grew heavier, soon, she was hypverntilating as her father tried to calm her down. But she couldn't. Her eyes kept on the window, watching the red-eyed beast place his long claw to his mouth, silencing her, a warning to keep this little secret to herself.

The girl's brown eyes turned back to her father, her breathing calm as if by the click of a finger, it worried the man as he looked at her with a furrowed brow, wondering what had gotten into her, how she was on the border of a panic attack just a few seconds ago, and now, she was fine again. Honey spoke clearly, calmly as she told her father she saw nothing.

As the words left her mouth, the bedroom door opened again, Allison walked in with a nervous smile across her face, watching as Kate and Jude moved back from the girl, she could tell she'd walked into something by the look across their faces. But all three looked back at her, feigning a smile, acting as though this had just been a supportive conversation.

·❥·

Honey's head was buried as she rested it on the desk in chemistry class, her head still pounding even three days after her and Jackson's run-in with the Alpha. She had distanced herself for the three days, only talking to Scott and Stiles over text, both had asked her if she'd said anything to her father or his girlfriend, both receiving the same simple answer of no. Honey didn't quite get why they were so concerned, why both of them had asked the same question, but she guessed it was just Scott being paranoid as they edged closer to the full moon. Even while she kept a strong distance from werewolves, she still kept track, hoping she would feel back up to speed when the full moon rolled around.

She hadn't seen the wolf in a while, and he hadn't shown up at school today, usually, it would be a detail that bothered her, she would be caught up in it, she and Stiles would scour every corner in search of him. But since the video store, she barely had the strength to pull herself out of bed. She hadn't slept in those three days. Every time she closed her eyes she saw it again. The beast. The Alpha. Those red eyes burning into her. It was all she could think about. It had consumed all of her time, in every reflective surface, she saw it, watching it watch her. She would sit beside her father on the couch only to see it in the TV in that split second it turned black, or while she sat at the dinner table with him and Kate, seeing it in the reflection of the patio doors. It was watching her every move, waiting for something.

Surprisingly, as Mr. Harris stood at the front of the class talking, he didn't once point out the girl with her head down like he usually would, trying to make a fool out of her in front of everyone in the class. Even when she had walked in this morning he hadn't made a comment about how she was tardy or a reminder that she was still banned from sitting beside Stiles. All he did was give a pitiful smile as she slid into the class with her head down, knowing that all eyes were on her, just one of the teenagers who had been at the video store. And so far, it seemed like she was the only one brave enough to step into the school when the rumors were still rife.

"Just a friendly reminder, parent/teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a 'C' average are required to attend. I won't name you, because the shame and self-disgust should be more than enough punishment." Harris spat out as he completed laps around the class, stopping at a boy frantically highlighting his textbook. "Has anyone seen Scott McCall?" He asked. Stiles had looked up to see the man staring at him, the blonde girl raising her head to look at him too, she also wondered whether he knew where Scott was this morning.

Before Stiles could come up with a lie to cover his best friend's absence, the classroom door had opened, Jackson Whittemore walked in, a similar look to his blonde accomplice in the attack at the video store. His head was bowed, his eyes dark, tired. Just like they had Honey, the all took a long hard stare at him, wondering what they had all been through Saturday night. Whether they saw the murderer.

Jackson took his seat beside the blonde, the two looked at one another, sharing an emotionless expression before a hand was placed on their shoulders, both turning to look at the man on the other end of it. Harris had a sympathetic look across his face as he told them "Hey, if you need to leave early for any reason, you let me know." He advised as Jackson nodded his head, while the blonde was still in shock that this side of the man existed. "Everyone start reading chapter nine. Mr. Stilinski. Try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's chemistry, not a coloring book." He added, the sound of a pen dropping from behind, clearly, Stiles had listened.

Honey peered over her shoulder at the Stilinski boy, mouthing the question of where Scott was, but he didn't know either as he shook his head, he thought that she might have known where he had wandered off to this time. But at least both of them could assume that it wasn't at the Hale house, he didn't dare to go there without his blonde sidekick. So where the hell was he?

With her books clutched tight to her chest Honey walked through the school halls, her eyes had become heavier throughout the day until it was unbearable to keep them open, she felt as if she could fall asleep while she walked, the tile floor looked comfy enough to take a quick nap. And if she happened to fall asleep in school she knew she would be safe with all of these people in her presence, a luxury she didn't quite have at home. Of course, her father was there, and Kate was too most of the time, but it wasn't as though they could keep a close watch of her all night.

By this point of sleep deprivation, she was clinging to the thought of sanity, she could remember what it felt like to feel normal, to look at things and see a simple object and not the reflection of a red-eyed beast, those were the days. And they seemed far behind her. She was sick of the dull ache in her head, the lack of sleep, but most of all, the pitiful looks while walking down the halls, which was at the top of the list of things she hated right now. They looked at her like she was just an innocent little creature who needed someone to take care of her, but she wasn't that, but she was going slightly insane as the minutes passed.

Honey reached her locker, resting her head against it, trying to gather the energy to open it, or to think of her combination which seemed like cracking the DaVinci code. She closed her eyes in an attempt to collect herself, to remember her combination, but it only made matters worse as that night flashed before her eyes once again. Jackson trapped. The breath of the Alpha on her neck. Those glowing red eyes. Before she knew it, she was in the middle of the halls hyperventilating, her hands shaking and her eyes streaming. If there was one thing Honey knew about, it was that of having a panic attack. She tried to push through it, stumbling through the halls with her vision blurred from the tears, trying to find her way to the bathroom.

A pair of hands stopped the blonde as they held onto her arms, steadying her as she made out a face, trying to identify them with the assistance of a voice. Jackson guided the girl into an empty classroom, allowing her to slide down against one of the walls, curling up as she tried to breathe at a normal rate. Honey's hands shook as she pushed her hair out of her face, wiping the tears on her face with the sleeve of her top while Jackson waited close by, unsure what to do.

"Are- Are you okay? Do you... Do you need something?" He asked as he looked around the room, it didn't seem like the place where he would find anything of use unless an economics textbook brought a feeling of comfort to her. The boy didn't get an answer, Honey didn't have enough air in her lungs to provide him with a sentence as she continued to spiral. Jackson kneeled down in front of the girl, placing his hands on her cheeks. "Hey, listen to me. Deep breaths, okay? Listen to my voice, focus on it, breathe." He instructed as the blonde tried her best to follow.

Honey nodded through her tears as she tried to follow his instructions, Jackson allowed her to grab ahold of his hands, holding onto them tightly until she calmed down, pulling herself out of a panic attack that couldn't have happened in a worse place. She was no stranger to them, that was for sure, but usually, she managed to push her to a more concealed place, and alone. Now, she hadn't been so lucky, now, she would have to answer questions that she hadn't ever had an answer to.

Only when Jackson believed that the girl was doing better did he let go of her hand, sitting down beside her as he mirrored her, both resting their heads on the wall behind them, participating in silence that somehow felt comforting considering the circumstances they were in. Honey sniffles managed to intervene a few times, but for the majority, it was just the two of them trying to be a comfort to one another, just two people in a mutual circumstance.

Honey caught herself staring at the boy beside her as he stared up at the ceiling, wondering if he felt just as bad as she did, if he had been struggling to sleep like her, if he had been kept up with the thought that that beast would come back for him to ensure they kept the secret. This wasn't her first radio, she'd been sworn to secrecy about all of this before, and she had never broken it, this was just the first time she felt like her life was truly at risk because of it. Jackson had turned to look at the girl, noticing her staring at him, waiting for her to say something, assuming that it was the reason she had been looking.

The girl quickly cleared her throat, searching for a topic. "I noticed Lydia wasn't here today." She spat out, a confused expression wiping over his face. He knew she had no interest in the redhead when their silent feud had already been a topic of many gossip circles around school, other girls in the sophomore year waiting to see who would make it out alive, surprisingly, the bets were all on Honey, the mysterious new girl. Honey realized how stupid it was to bring up Lydia, she didn't have any interest in the girl who had been nothing but torturous to her since she moved here, or Scott and Stiles since long before she had even known them.

Still, Jackson entertained the conversation. "Yeah, she's at home. Doctors put her on some meds because of what she saw." He shrugged, seemingly just as uninterested as Honey was over Lydia.

Honey sat up, now she was interested. "What she saw?" She repeated.

Jackson nodded. "Whatever that thing was in there with us." He explained vaguely, his tone dull. "I guess she saw it too. I mean, it's not like she had a concussion or got trapped up some shelves or anything but apparently, it was enough to score her a few days off." He added with haste.

The blonde stood up quickly, picking up her bag that she had dropped to the floor when she had walked in, Jackson joined her, wondering where she was going. "I- Uh... I just remembered that I have to be somewhere..." She stammered, pointing towards the door as she tried to speak. "But thank you for helping me. I- I really appreciate it." Honey nodded before making a hasty exit, the boy stood watching her leave, only a little confused as to what just happened.

Stiles sat at his desk, fiddling with the phone he had stolen from Lydia Martin, waiting for either Scott or Honey to burst through his door at any moment. After visiting the girl he'd immediately texted both of them to meet him here, expecting them to be the ones waiting for him, but he was yet to find either of them waiting to see what the emergency was. He anticipated Scott taking a little while longer, he always did, but Honey was usually here straight away, eager to find out the latest advancement. Until she moved in with her dad, now it was hard to catch her even while at school. Even more so since the video store, she had been distant, usually distant, she had hardly looked at him this morning, only when questioning if he knew where Scott was. Which he didn't, even now, nobody knew where he was, or Allison for that matter, so he had his assumptions.

Maybe he hadn't seen much of Honey since the video store, but he could still tell that something wasn't right with her, she was more secretive than usual, which he hadn't thought was possible, her eyes had been puffy when she walked into class this morning and well, she wasn't hot on the tail of their werewolf friend to find out where he was and why he'd skipped school.

As much as Stiles craved to know what happened that night, he felt like he had seen more than enough from the video that Lydia had accidentally taken. His heart had been palpitating just by watching it, he couldn't imagine how his blonde friend felt, to be so close to the real thing, how she felt knowing that she could have been killed in an instant because of it. Watching that video made him feel sympathetic even for Jackson, that was how he knew this was bad.

After half an hour of waiting, the blonde girl finally appeared at his door, her eyes were puffy, it was clear that something had happened to her, but before he could even open his mouth Honey had shook her head, a signal for him not to ask, instead, she asked what he had called her here for, and where Scott was. The second question he still couldn't answer, Scott was still M.I.A, but the first question he answered by placing the phone in her hand. He explained that after hearing Lydia wasn't in school he had visited her house to check up on her, partly because he was a little curious to get more information on the Alpha, and while he was there, he had taken a look at her phone. And after what he'd seen, stole it, wanting to show it to Scott so they could figure out just what they were going to do about this Alpha that was killing people.

Honey looked down at the phone that was in her hand, the video ready to play, she knew what it would be, how she would see the Alpha again, and she needed no help with visioning it. He kept an eye on the girl, waiting for her to play it, ready to comfort her if need be. Honey's finger began hovering over the play button, her heart already palpitating as she edged closer, but at the very last second, her finger moved, pressing on the trash button, permanently deleting the evidence.

She placed the phone back in his hand. "Problem solved." She deadpanned, the boy's jaw on the floor as he looked down at the missing video. "Maybe I'm not Lydia's biggest fan, but she doesn't deserve to have to see it and live it all over again. And Scott doesn't need it to know what it looks like, trust me, I can give him a more than vivid description with the number of times it has been in my head."

The boy was lost for words, unsure what he was supposed to say, comforting her had been good in theory, but the truth was he had no idea how to actually do it. He had never been through the kind of thing she had, and if even someone as strong as Honey was affected by this, then he was sure that this Alpha was something to be feared, more than he thought.

Before he managed to find a suitable sentence, a knock sounded at the door, starling both Stiles and Honey as they quickly turned around, relieved to see Noah, though Stiles had hoped that it might be Scott finally showing his face today. For a moment he had forgotten what he had come to say, too surprised that Honey was back in his home, a good sight, especially since she wasn't in the back of an ambulance this time. He greeted the girl, telling her how good it was for her to be back in the house, that perhaps it was time to reschedule their movie night, he made sure to tell her how disappointed Stiles had been that it didn't happen, how he never shut up about her. A smug smile grew across her face as she turned back to Stiles who shook his head, his cheeks a shade of rosy red as he interrupted his father before he could embarrass him further, asking the man what he needed. And then Noah remembered.

The parent-teacher conference tonight. "Please tell me I'm gonna hear good news at this thing tonight." He pleaded as he looked at his son, Honey turned back to Stiles once again, his cheeks had returned to their normal color, but now he had a weary smile across his face.

"Depends on how you define good news." The boy told his father, Honey turned to Noah with an awkward smile on her face, this definitely felt like a conversation she shouldn't be here for, it felt like it was one she should probably be at home having with her own father, maybe Mr. Harris had been lenient with her this morning, but that had probably faded by now, he would tell her father just how much of a pain she was in his class. The same thing he would probably say about Stiles.

"I define it as getting straight A's with no behavioural issues."

Stiles scoffed while Honey let out a slight laugh, both finding Noah's optimism humourous, he'd known it was a high bar to set, especially with his son, but he had some hope that the blonde in their lives would be a good influence on a son, that perhaps there had been a positive change in his education since she had arrived. It seemed she was a good influence on him in every way but at school. That he could live with if his son was happy, and as long as his grades weren't too bad.

"You might want to rethink that definition, Sheriff," Honey warned him with a soft smile, he gave her a nod, he had thought as much. Eager to move on from the topic of his son's grades and bad behavior at school, Noah offered the girl a ride to the school, perhaps it would give him and her father an opportunity to catch up, something they hadn't done much since the man's arrival, he seemed to be caught up in his new relationship so much so he was neglecting his old ones, with both his old friends or even his daughter.

·❥·

After returning with her father at the school she awkwardly sat beside the man, her head was as low as it could be as Mr. Harris sat opposite her, her worst nightmare. She couldn't tell by how he looked at her whether this was going to be good or not, he wasn't an easy man to read with that straight face of his that never seemed to change. Harris even seemed to intimidate her father, he had tried to break the ice, joking that it felt like he was in the principal's office, but Harris didn't even crack a smile. A tough crowd, as her father had mumbled in her ear.

It seemed the man was playing a game as he continued the silence, almost as if he was waiting for a confession from the girl, for her to become so anxious that she admitted herself that she'd been a little troublesome since moving here, that she wasn't a perfect student by any means, it wasn't as though her father was expecting her to be. His daughter was smart, perhaps too smart for her own good, but good behavior had never been her strong suit, she had been trouble since the moment she could walk and talk. A double of her just as troublesome mother.

Honey was almost ready to confess to it all, her hands were clammy, a bead of golden sweat on her forehead as she felt the lump inside of her throat grow, the ticking of the clock obnoxiously loud in her ears. Even if it was across the room, it felt like it was on her lap, edging her to give a confession probably much too detailed for her own good.

As she opened her mouth, Harris did, beginning their conference, finally. "What can I say about Honey." He pondered as Jude looked at his daughter, a furrowed brow as he waited for the long list of bad things he had to say. "Your daughter is a delight. One of the best in her class." Harris spoke, both Jude and Honey turned their heads to him, muttering a small what, both very much in a sense of disbelief. "Perhaps she can get a little distracted at times..."

"There it is." Jude mumbled to himself.

"But I'm glad to see she has settled in so well. With some hard work and maybe a little less of the whispering with Scott and Stiles, I believe you are capable of doing great things, Miss. Carter." He nodded at the girl with a smile but her jaw was still on the floor, unable to react. This wasn't the chemistry teacher she knew, it had to be someone else. A body double. A friendly twin. But it just wasn't Adrian Harris. She missed the old him.

Jude patted his daughter on the shoulder, a large smile across his face, frankly, it had gone much better than he thought it could have. He could remember her last parent-teacher conference, the last one had been a disaster, to say the least. It had only been a few weeks after Emily's death, it was all still new to them. Honey had been neglecting her studies, her friends, everything. And of course, he hadn't been unbeknownst to the fact that whoever this boy she was dating was, he'd disappeared from his daughter's life. He once thought that would be for the best, part of him still thought that, but he saw how much it hurt her. He was glad to see that this town was doing her good, that it was bringing her joy, helping her to heal and regain what she had lost.

Honey walked out of the school behind her father as he shouted Allison's parents over, since the awkward dinner Honey hadn't seen either of the adults, she hadn't particularly avoided either of them, but she didn't try to either, not when she knew that Allison's father was a hunter and, well, she was very much an ally to the people he hunted. As soon as they approached the two Argents Honey could see the worried, yet angry, look across their faces, Victoria had her phone to her ear as she called her daughter, the two Carters able to catch a snippet of her message. They had just found out that Allison skipped, and neither was pleased.

Argent looked at his friend's daughter, asking whether she had seen or heard from Allison today, but Honey shook her head, she knew nothing, nothing other than the fact Scott was missing too. She thought it was best not to mention that considering the circumstances, both her father and Argent had made it clear they weren't fans of Scott. At least she hadn't planned on her werewolf friend being gone to come up, but that was soon taken out of her hands when she noticed that Melissa McCall was hastily approaching all of them. Melissa had been able to guess that Allison's parents were the ones asking Honey if she had seen the brunette girl today, one her son talked about often. And now she was left with one conclusion.

The McCall woman seemed intimidated as she approached the group, asking whether they were Allison's parents, as though that didn't seem clear already. Both Chris and Victoria looked down at the woman with a turned-up nose. She introduced herself as Scott's mother, followed by that assumption she had made of their daughter being with her son who wasn't answering her calls either. Melissa took a glimpse at Honey who immediately looked anywhere else, her father had noticed that, asking if she knew where Scott was instead, the conversation between the Argents and Melissa paused as they turned to Honey, eager to hear her answer. Honey shook her head, it wasn't a lie, but they all believed it was.

Argent turned back to Melissa. "So you're his mother." The man spat out in disgust.

"Funny how you say that like it's an accusation." Melissa snarled back at him while Honey kept her head bowed, a strong feeling of secondhand embarrassment washing over her. She wanted to defend Melissa, and had it been her own father, she would have, but not against the hunter, a person who could very much kill Melissa's son, a boy she considered one of her best friends. Her father had done the same, choosing to keep out of it all, only to act as a witness, and perhaps a barrier if a fight managed to break out.

For now, it was only an argument between the McCall woman and Argent on who was to blame for the two of them skipping school today, who had kidnapped who. In the midst of their stern arguing Honey's voice broke through it as she pointed out Scott and Allison, it had come out on its own, like word vomit, as for her finger that was stuck out at the two teenagers getting out of Allison's car, well she didn't know what to blame that on.

Melissa didn't waste a single moment storming over to her son with more rage than ever after a conversation with the Argents who followed close behind her, insisting that their daughter gets in the car. Jude took their lead as he told his own daughter to get in the car too, before anyone had the chance to move a loud scream broke through the tension, each of them turned to see a sea of running people, more people beginning to scream, car doors slamming as people made a run for it. As Honey looked out across the car park she noticed Sheriff Stilinski, trying to get all of the people who ran past him to calm down. In the split second that Jude had turned to Chris his daughter had disappeared, as had Scott, both of them already a few feet away, but not together.

Scott was trying to figure out what had everyone so panicked while Honey already had a handful of assumptions, most surrounding the Alpha coming back for round two, to ensure that he got to finish the job he started at the video store, by killing her.

By the time she had reached the other side of the parking lot, she had lost the man in the crowd, a swarm of people screaming and running past her once again until she had lost everyone. She could no longer see her father, the Argents, the McCalls, Noah. With the sound of low growls, the girl turned around frantically, trying to figure out what was making it, whether it was in fact the Alpha coming to get her. As she did, her breaths grew heavy, just like they had this afternoon. It was happening again. She mumbled to herself that this couldn't be happening, not now. Honey continued shouting for Sheriff Stilinski, but her voice was weak amongst all of the clamoring, it was impossible to hear such a weak shout.

Her hand was pressed to her chest as she tried to calm herself, shouting for her dad too, a mix of Scott's name as she begged to find someone, anyone. The girl began backing up, disoriented as she looked around, hoping for a glimpse of someone she knew. A pair of hands gripped onto the girl's shoulders, keeping her steady as she looked up at them with tears in her eyes, Argent. He'd begun guiding the girl to safety, but at the sound of another growl both of them had stopped, he began reaching for his waist, the girl panicked, her first thought was Scott as she began backing up into the parking lot once more. Perhaps she would have been safer with a hunter, but the girl couldn't bring herself to be so close to a man with a gun.

Stumbling back, the girl tripped over her own feet, about to hit the ground had it not been for a passing person to grab her, bringing her back to her feet again. "Honey, you okay?" Noah asked as he steadied the girl. The blonde nodded frantically, relieved that her clumsiness had led her to the Sheriff. He took a hold of the girl's arm, as Argent had tried to do, he began leading her to a safer place, only when they escaped the rows of cars, neither had seen one of them reversing. The moving car collided with them both, knocking them to the ground as Noah tried to act as a cushion for the blonde girl before they'd hit the pavement with a pained groan.

From the distance Allison had seen the two get knocked over, she rushed to their aid, pushing her way through the crowd to help Honey and the Sheriff, risking herself getting hit by another driver who wasn't paying attention to their surroundings. Allison almost reached them before two gunshots had sounded through the air, everyone dropped to their knees, all shielding their heads, freezing for a moment, a silence washing over the parking lot.

Honey looked up, following where the gunshots had come from, her father towered over her, a gun in his hand as he pointed it down at the animal that he had shot. A straight face as he looked down at his daughter, her jaw was slack, her eyes wide with tears, she wasn't sure what to do or say. She never thought she would see him with a gun in his hand, he seemed unrecognizable for a man that she had known and loved her entire life. Her head turned to the animal, the creature that had terrorized them all tonight, but it wasn't the Alpha. It was just a mountain lion. Much to Honey's displeasure, the Alpha's reign of terror hadn't ended tonight, it had only just begun.