Chapter Seventeen

Avoiding everything in my life is probably the one thing I'm good at. Avoiding Scott, avoiding Allison, avoiding Lydia. When I'm at home, I can avoid them. When I'm at school, I cannot.

"Paige!" Scott's voice spoke as I walked to my locker. I tried to ignore him the best I could, keeping my head down and opening my locker. He skids towards me, making a stop. "Hey, Paige."

I glared at him. "What do you want?"

"I just—I just want to apologise," Scott tells me. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I was out of my mind, the full moon affected me more than I thought. Seriously. I never meant to hurt you."

I took a deep breath, glancing at him. "Scott... I don't know what to say, honestly."

"Please, let me make it up to you. Somehow." Scott pleaded. "I don't want you mad at me. I messed up, I—I know."

"Yeah, you did." I agreed and closed my locker, turning to him. "Look, I don't know if I can fully trust you anymore."

"Why not?" Scott questioned. "I—"

"What if something like that happened again, Scott?" I raised an eyebrow. "I don't want to hurt Allison more than I already have."

His eyes widen. "You told her?"

"No. But I know if I do, she'll be mad at me..." I frowned. "And I can't lose my best friend."

"Look, I'm trying to do better, I promise." Scott pleaded. "We need you on our side, Paige. I can't do this thing without you."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Can we just... Pretend like it never happened? Please? It's stressing me out too much." 

"Okay. Done, forgotten. I will never mention it again." Scott quickly spoke.

"To our grave?" I questioned seriously.

Scott nodded. "To our grave." And we shook on it. "I promise I am trying to get this thing under control with the help of Derek."

"Derek?" I asked. "Derek's dead."

Scott shakes his head. "No, he isn't. We need your help with something."

"What?" My eyes widen. "Derek's not dead? How? We were so sure?"

"He somehow survived," Scott half-explained. "We were being chased by the police last night and the Argents. Derek told us that before his sister died, she was onto something about getting to know who the Alpha is. The first thing is Harris."

"Harris? Our teacher?" I questioned, and he nodded. "Why?"

Scott shakes his head. "He doesn't know. And the second thing, there was a symbol, and it looks like the exact one on Allison's necklace."

"The Beast of Gévaudan?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, exactly. And the second thing is I can get cured to be with Allison again. So, can you help us?" Scott tilts his head.

"Help you what?"

"Get Allison's necklace." I give him a look. "Don't you guys borrow each other's jewellery?"

"No?" I raised an eyebrow. "I don't know; I haven't had many girl friends before."

Scott sighed. "Oh, God. How am I supposed to get that necklace?"

"I don't know?" I raised an eyebrow. "Well, I hope you figure it out—"

"Paige, please, I need your help," Scott begged, giving me some puppy dog eyes. "Please. You're Allison's best friend, surely... You can... I don't—"

"Scott," I cut him off. "Just slowly ease into her again, don't come off too strong, okay?"

"Okay, ease in how?" Scott asked.

I huffed. "Scott, I don't know how many times I have to stress this enough, but this is the first time in years I've had friends, I don't know how. Figure that out on your own. I'm going to lunch, I'll see you later."

⇉

I sat with Allison and Lydia at lunch. I still felt slight guilt about Scott kissing me as I sit next to her, they were laughing about something, and I was zoning out.

Allison nudged me. "Hey, everything okay?"

"Yeah." I tore my eyes from the table and sent her a forced smile. I glanced down at her necklace. "Hey, cool necklace."

Allison beamed. "Thanks! My Aunt got it for my birthday; it's a family heirloom, she said."

"I wish we have a family heirloom." Lydia rolled her eyes at us.

"I'll be right back." Jackson had spoken before leaving us promptly.

Lydia gave him a weird look focusing on Allison and me again. "So—I was thinking, since the Winter Formal is coming up, we should all go shopping together."

Allison pressed a smile. "Sounds good, Lydia."

"I don't know...." I frowned. "I don't have a date, and..."

"Paige, you are going," Lydia spoke sternly. "Trust me; it'll be super fun."

"I have someone in mind that could take you," Allison smirked, looking over at me.

I give her a look. "Who?"

"It's a surprise," Allison spoke, and my guilt returned.

"Allie... I need to tell you something." I gave her a soft look, and she frowned. "Um... Scott kissed me yesterday. Or... I kissed him... I don't really know; it happened all too fast—"

"What?" She blurted out, a sour look on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know." I could feel the tears in my eyes and Lydia gave me a bitch look face. "I'm really, really sorry, Allison. It really did happen all too fast; one minute we were talking, and the next—I'm just sorry."

Her sour expression turned soft, I was almost in tears as I stared with shame on my lap. She placed a hand on my leg gently. "It's okay," Allison spoke softly. "I can tell you genuinely mean it. The—The apology. Thank you for telling me."

I nodded, feeling some relief. "Are you kidding me?" Lydia asked. "You're just gonna forgive her?"

"Lydia." Allison sent her a glare. "Besides, Scott and I broke up. He can do what he wants." I could tell these actions hurt her, and I felt awful.

"Let me make it up to you." I met Allison's eyes. "I'll—I'll buy your formal dress."

Allison shakes her head. "No, Paige, it's fine. Really."

"No, I'm buying you a formal dress," I told her. "Please. It's the least I can do; I've been a shit friend."

Allison gave me a gentle smile. "Okay."

"Right, now we have to go shopping together." Lydia beamed, looking between the two of us. I shifted uncomfortably.

⇉

I stand close to my locker, trying to avoid everyone. In my mind, I still think Allison might be mad at me. I know Lydia thinks of me differently. But it's not my fault. Why can't I drop this and forget it ever happened? Why did I have to bring it up?

"Are you breaking up with me?" I heard Lydia's voice through the hallways and spotted her and Jackson. I frowned.

"Dumping, actually. I'm dumping you." Jackson spoke to her harshly. He shuts the locker and slings his bag over his shoulder.

"Dumped by the Co-Captain of the Lacrosse team." Lydia scoffed. Jackson pauses, the emphasis on Co cracking his confidence ever-so-slightly. "I wonder how many minutes it will take to get over that. Oh, wait... Seconds." Jackson stalked off, ignoring her, and I felt bad for her.

Lydia was about to be in tears as she hid away in a corridor, and I followed her. "Lyds?" I asked quietly, and she glanced at me, trying to wipe her tears away.

"What?" She snapped defesnivly.

"Are you okay?" I asked carefully. "I saw—"

"You saw me break up with him, okay?" Lydia told me sternly, giving me a look. I nodded. "I broke up with him." She was trying to convince herself that.

"Lyds—"

"Paige, seriously," Lydia glared at me. "I'm fine."

"Pretty girls, don't cry, Lydia." I remind her, and her face falls. "Besides, Jackson was a dick towards you. You... You knew that, didn't you?"

"Yeah." Lydia looked down at her feet. "But at the end of the day, I love him. I'm always going to love him."

⇉

"So, what's this big news you're eager to tell me?" I walked into Stiles' room, almost giving him a heart attack as he twirled around in his seat.

"Jesus, Paige," Stiles muttered, but his face lit up. "I made the first line!"

My mouth dropped. "You what? Really! Congrats!" I opened my arms for a hug, and he took it, wrapping his arms around me. I pulled back, grinning. "This is huge!"

"I know!" Stiles exclaimed. "But, call me Biles from now, okay?"

"Why?" I frowned.

"Don't worry about it," Stiles was still smiling. "And Scott made Co-Captain, too."

"Oh, yeah, he told me." I nodded. "Where is Scott?" Stiles shrugged. "Well—"

"Stiles?" Sheriff Stilinski was at the closed door.

"Yeah—" Stiles looked at him, then his eyes darted somewhere else, spotting Derek hidden in the corner of the doorway. "Derek?"

"What did you say?" Sheriff Stilinski. Stiles rushed over to the door as Sheriff Stilinski peered through the door. I stepped out of view, giving Derek a look. They had a short conversation as the door was closed; Stiles was outside in the hallway.

Derek and I connected our eyes; I was trying to silence them, telling him why he would show up at the Sheriff's house, out of all places. Stiles slumps back into the room. He glanced at Derek, remembering he was there.

"Scott didn't get the necklace?" Derek questioned him.

"He's still working on it. But there's something else we can try. When we were trapped in the school that night, Scott sent a text to Allison telling her to meet him there." Stiles informed us, and I vaguely remember that. I'm trying to forget about it, but it's been hard too.

"So?"

"So, it wasn't Scott," Stiles told him.

"Can you find out who sent the text?" Derek asked.

"No. But I know someone who can." Stiles smirked slightly.

⇉

School bag over his shoulder, Danny stands in Stiles's room. I was sitting on the bed while Derek sat in the wheely chair reading a book. "You want me to do what?" Danny asked.

"Trace a text." Stiles had explained to Danny that we wanted him to trace a text, but Danny seemed far from happy about it.

"I came here to do lab work. That's what lab partners do." Danny rolled his eyes.

"And we will. After you trace the text." Stiles begged him.

"What makes you think I know how?" Danny gave him a look.

"I saw your arrest report," Stiles spoke quickly, and Danny gave us an embarrassed look.

"I... that was... I was only thirteen. The charges were dropped. No. We're doing lab work." Danny rushed out. Danny sits down. He glances at me. "What's Paige doing here?"

"Well, she always gets A+ in the lab, I thought she could help us out a bit." Stiles lied.

"She doesn't have any textbooks." Danny pointed out.

"She doesn't need 'em. Besides, she'll share mine." Stiles shrugged. It is unbelievably scary at how Stiles can lie so easily.

Danny glances behind us, spotting Derek. "Who is he again?"

"My cousin... um..." Stiles thought. "Miguel." I almost scoffed.

Derek glares over the magazine's edge in disbelief. Even Stiles cringes at his own stupidity. "Is that blood on his shirt?" Danny asked.

I looked over and saw Derek's T-shirt hanging torn and blackened by dried blood. "He gets horrible nosebleeds. Miguel, I thought I told you to just borrow one of my shirts?" Stiles glanced back at Derek. Glaring with even more fury, Derek slowly puts the magazine down and gets up to open Stiles's closet. "So, we both know you've got the skills to trace that text—"

"Stiles." Derek spoke harshly. Stiles glances back at Derek, holding a shirt. "This... no fit."

"Try something else." Stiles rollde his eyes. He turns back but notices Danny gazing past him, eyes fixated on Derek's bare, muscular torso as he grabs another shirt. A smile creeps over Stiles's face, Stiles had his thinking face on, and it's starting to creep me out. "That looks good. What do you think, Danny?"

"Huh?" Danny blinks.

"The shirt?" I continued, seeing where Stiles was going with this. I know Derek is staring daggers at us right now. But this was amusing to me.

"I think—I think it's a nice shirt," Danny responded shyly.

"Think he should try something else?" Stiles asked, sending me a small smirk.

"It's... It's not exactly his colour." Danny stuttered out.

Annoyed, Derek pulls off the T-shirt, repeatedly exposing his perfect abs. As Danny's jaw drops open again, Stiles leans in to whisper in his ear. "Swing for a different team, but you still play ball, don't you, Danny boy?" Stiles whispered, and I rolled my eyes.

"You're a terrible person," Danny muttered.

"I know; it keeps me up at night," Stiles rambled, and I smiled a little. "So about that text..."

"None of these fit," Derek complained.

As Derek took off his t-shirt, Danny quickly spoke. "I'll need the ISP, the phone number and the exact time of the text." It only took 20 minutes for Danny to crack the code. Stiles and I were leaning over his shoulder, watching the computer collaborate. "There. The text was sent from a computer. This one."

"Registered to that account name?" I asked, beginning to shake my head.

"That can't be right." Stiles mumbled.

The computer and network name listed on the screen: Beacon Hills Hospital - Melissa McCall.

⇉

"Did you get the picture?" Scott asked over the phone as Stiles had driven Derek and me to the hospital in his Jeep. Scott had sneaked into Allison's room and taken a photo of the picture, sending it to a group chat between me, Scott, and Stiles.

"Yes, and it looks like the drawing," Stiles spoke.

"Ask him if there's something on the back of it. There has to be something. An inscription. An opening. Something." Derek tells him.

"No, the thing's flat. And no, it doesn't open. There's nothing in it, on it, around it, nothing. And where are you? You're supposed to be here. You're First Line." Scott reminded Stiles. In the now parked Jeep, Stiles glances at the radio clock with a pained sigh. "You won't play if you're not here to start."

"I know. If you see my Dad, tell him... tell him I'll be there. Just a little bit late." Stiles cringed, knowing that might not be the case.

Stiles hangs up. "You're not going to make it." Derek stated bluntly.

"I know." Stiles sighed.

"And you didn't tell him about his mother." I also pointed out.

"Not until we find out the truth." Stiles glanced between Stiles and me. We then moved our gaze to the hospital.

"I should really go in there with you," I told Stiles, almost begging him. I didn't want him to go in there alone. "Besides, they know me. I'm Dr Madden's daughter."

"No, you're staying here; that was part of the deal," Derek said. "Or I'm dropping you off at the Lacrosse game myself."

I pouted, slouching in my seat. "Okay, fine."

"By the way, one more thing."

Stiles looked over at Derek. "Yeah?"

Derek grabbed his head and slammed it down on the wheel; Stiles groans in pain. My mouth dropped. "Derek!" I squeaked out from shock.

"Oh, God! What the hell—"

"You know what that was for." Derek glared. "Go. Go." Stiles stumbled out of the car, holding onto his nose and making his way to the hospital.

I sent Derek a look. "Really?"

"What? He deserved it." Derek shrugged, and I scoffed.

"Okay, but I was doing it just as much as he was." I remind him. "So go on, hit me." His face twists up.

"I've been told not to hit girls." Derek jeers back.

"Not that bullshit," I grumbled, leaning forward slightly. Before I could speak anymore, my phone rang. I picked it up, glancing at the ID beforehand. "Hey, Lyds."

Derek glanced at me. "Where are you? Allison and I are waiting for you. The game's about to begin." Lydia ranted.

My mouth dropped slightly. "Oh, God. I... Forgot?"

"How could you forget? It's an important game." Lydia reminded me. "Are you gonna be here or not?"

"Um—I'll be there, just running a bit late. I'll find you guys in the stands, okay?" I lied to them, and that seemed to satisfy Lydia.

"Okay, text me when you get here. We'll keep an eye out for you." Lydia told me. I made a sound from my throat before hanging up and sighed.

"If you need me to, I can drop you off?" Derek offered.

"No, it's fine," I mumbled. "I know I won't be there, and Lydia just might hate me forever for not showing."

"I—"

My phone rang again, and I glanced down; it was Stiles. "Stiles?" I put the phone on speaker.

"I can't find either of them." Stiles is supposed to be looking for either my Mom or Scott's Mom.

Derek takes my phone. "Look, ask for Jennifer. She's been looking after my Uncle." Derek explained to him.

"Yeah, well, he's not here either," Stiles spoke.

"What?" Derek asked.

"He's not here." Stiles continued. "He's gone, Derek."

"Stiles," Derek had a slight panic to his tone. "Get out of there right now. It's him! He's the Alpha! Get out—" Stiles' phone was hung up, my heart racing as I stared at the phone.

My breath hitches. "Derek..."

"Paige, whatever you do, stay right here." Derek glared at me, handing me my phone back. "I mean it!" Derek had left me alone in Stiles' Jeep, feeling helpless.

My mouth hung open ajar, and I stared down at my phone. I bite my bottom lip as I watch Derek enter the hospital. I had already made up my mind as I shoved my phone in my pocket and slipped out of the Jeep, running into the hospital at full speed.

I stumbled across a dead nurse as soon as I got inside. She was blonde, her eyes staring right at me, and I let out a scream, covering my mouth with my hand and stepping backwards.

"Paige... So lovely to meet you." I glanced up, seeing Derek turning slightly, giving me a death glare. He was standing across from his Uncle, whose entire left face was scarred up.

"Paige, get the hell out of here." Derek snapped; he was angry that I had shown up.

"But, Stiles—"

"On the floor," Derek growled, sending me a look. I looked over to see Stiles slipping and sliding around the place. I hide behind the other wall, peeping around. I didn't know what to do.

"You think I killed Laura on purpose? One of my own family?" Peter asked, taking steps towards Derek. Derek lets out a growl, his fangs showing and his eyes bright blue. Peter slammed Derek into the wall, his eyes landing on me. Peter then looked over at Derek and grabbed him by the neck, picking him up. "My mind, my personality were literally," As Peter says this, he drags Derek backwards. "Burned out of me."

That sent a shiver down my spine as Peter continued. "I was being driven by pure instinct." He dropped Derek on the floor by his nurse. He was close by me and bends down to fish out of the nurse's pocket. A peer of keys.

"You want forgiveness?" Derek stood up, turned to Peter and pushed him cleanly across the face. Peter then headbutts him, sending him back.

"I want an understanding." Peter glowered and kicked Derek in the stomach, sending him flying across the floor. "Do you have any idea? Do you have any idea what was happening to me in those years? Slowly healing cell by cell. Then, even more slowly, coming back to consciousness. Yes, becoming an Alpha—taking that from Laura—it pushed me over a plateau in the healing process. I can't help that." Derek stood up and tries to throw punches again, but Peter is effortlessly missing. Peter blocks them, grabbing Derek's wrists and twisting it backwards, making him bow to his knees. "And I tried to tell you what was happening. I tried to warn you."

Peter throws Derek into some glass in another room. "Derek!" I cried out, rushing down the hallway as Peter followed. I grabbed a metal bedpan that sat on the counter. I wasn't sure what I was thinking, but for the element of surprise, I whacked it over Peter's head just as he entered the other room.

He turned to me slowly, giving me an evil look. It didn't look like I had done shit. "You're a brave one, aren't you?" Peter cocked his head at me. He stepped towards me, and just as he was about to punch me, the instincts of what Dad had taught me kicked in.

I blocked it easily, giving him a hard look. I grabbed his wrists tightly, but I knew my human grip wasn't doing anything. He only looked amused in this situation, which made my stomach turn, knowing I had fucked up.

I was thrown into a group of waiting chairs out by the hall and winded. I gasped for air, feeling a lot of pain going through my back. I felt myself slide on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, and I could see many stars gazing in my vision. Black dots, if you will.

I winced in pain as I saw Stiles' face in view. "Paige? Paige." Stiles spoke, panic in his voice. "Can you stay awake for me?"

"Pain." I wheezed out, trying to sit up, but I collapsed back onto the ground.

"I know, I know, I saw." Stiles' voice trembled. "I know you know self-defence, but he's an Alpha, Paige. That is nothing."

I groaned back, telling him I didn't need a lecture. I could feel myself coming okay again, and I tried to sit back up, and I did successfully, leaning onto the chair that had brutally bruised my back.

"Oh, my God," I mumbled, feeling myself breathing normally again. "I'm gonna have a huge bruising tomorrow."

Stiles shake his head. "Do you need me to call your Mom? Get you checked up?"

"N—No, please," I begged. "I don't want her to see or be a part of this." I winced as more pain flowed through my back. "I just need a minute."

"Okay... Do you think we could have a minute in my car?" Stiles asked. I nodded, and he helped me up. He glanced at the nurse. "What do we do with her?"

I almost forgot she was there. "Um..."