"a promise to the dead"

CASSIE WAS SITTING ON LIAM'S bed, as he and Mason had been playing video games all night long, while she had just sat there. She was sitting on her phone, occasionally looking over at the TV as they played their video game, not having a clue of what was going on. She knew that something was up with Liam lately, and since the night of the bonfire, so when Mason told her that he was going round, she had instantly opted to come with him. She and Liam had grown quite close throughout the time that Cassie had found out about him and the others being supernatural, and she wanted to help him out when she knew something was wrong with him and he was clearly scared.
He had visited her in hospital a lot when she was there, and they were hanging out almost everyday, needless to say, she really liked him, and she really hoped that it was the other way around, too.

Cassie hadn't spoken to Stiles at all, since her father had given her the huge speech about sneaking out of the hospital, on the night of the bonfire when her stitches had ripped open, needless to say, he wasn't happy with her at all, and neither was Melissa, who had told her she wasn't allowed to leave until Noah had given her the okay.
Mason still had no idea about anything to do with the supernatural, and neither did Ellie; but Cassie wasn't hanging out with her that much lately, due to everything going on and the fact she was in the hospital for weeks, she's stuck mostly by Liam's side, in case anything happens, as she had been avoiding Stiles and the rest of the pack.
Just like she had asked, Stiles hadn't kept her updated on any of their supernatural business, and the same went to Liam, but it seemed that he was avoiding the pack just as much as the girl was; Cassie didn't like lying to Mason and Ellie, so the least she knew, the better off she was.

If Mason left Liam and Cassie alone tonight at any point, she will be sure to ask him what's been bothering him, as she was eager to know, and she was sure that he would want to ask about why she was avoiding the pack, too. The two boys both laughed as they finished another game, causing Cassie to look up at them from behind her phone screen.
"When did you get so good?" Mason laughed at Liam, after the boy having won yet another game, "You been practicing? Or did you just suddenly get superhuman reflexes?" He asked, causing Cassie to smirk at his comment.

"Uh... Practicing." Liam stuttered, scared that Mason would soon guess about what Liam was, "Yeah, I've been practicing." He told Mason, with a nervous smile.

"And I should be studying." Mason announced, knowing he should be at home right now studying for his test, he dropped his remote on the floor and stood up, not before looking towards Cassie to find out if she was coming also. "Cass, you coming?" He asked her.

"Where are you going?" Liam asked in a hurry, suddenly panicked, as Cassie shuffled off of the bed, pausing at the end of his bed when he had asked where they were going. He wanted them to stay.

"Home? We've got a History test tomorrow." Mason told Liam, Cassie had barely studied for that test, but she was hoping that she wouldn't fail it, as that would give her dad another reason to moan at her about her behaviour lately.

Liam looked up at him with wide eyes, "Come on. One more game." He begged, before looking over at Cassie, "What about you, Cassie?" He asked, hoping that she would stay, too.

Cassie looked at him weirdly, "I don't play games." She told him, knowing that there would be absolutely no point in doing so, as she wouldn't even know where to start.

"Yeah, but you said that four games ago." Mason laughed, as Cassie looked at him in confusion; he was acting really strange, stranger than usual.

"Study here." Liam suggested, just as Mason got to the door and Cassie finally stood up, going to grab her hoodie from the floor. "You two can stay over. Come on, one more game. Just one." He begged, as his two friends looked down at him in concern.

"You okay?" Mason asked him, while Cassie looked at him weirdly, now wanting to ask Liam what was wrong, now more than ever - if he didn't tell her what was wrong, she was definitely going to text Scott, as much as she didn't want to. But, this behaviour was scaring her slightly, so she might have no choice but to message the alpha..

"Yeah. You're right. You two should go. I should probably study too. I'll see you two at school." Liam then said, feeling a sudden sadness wash over him at the fact that the two weren't going to stay the night with him. He was now worrying that he would have the same nightmare, and he couldn't help but cringe at the memory of it.

"Umm..." Cassie trailed off, when she saw that Mason was waiting for her at the door of Liam's bedroom, "I'm gonna stay a while longer, I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked him, making the decision now to stay with him and find out what was wrong with him. Mason gave her a knowing look and winked at her, before eventually leaving the two alone, finally. Cassie rolled her eyes at her friend before turning back to Liam, who was still on the floor with his remote in his hand. "Okay, what is wrong with you?" Cassie then asked him, putting a hand on her hip in suspicion.

"What do you mean?" Liam asked innocently, looking away from her as he couldn't lie to her face - she had done so much for him since they had first met, and he just didn't want to put more stress on her, knowing that she was arguing with her father right now because of the bonfire, when she tried to help him and ripped open her stitches. He felt like it was his fault, and he didn't want to upset her any further..

"You're acting really strange lately." Cassie told him, not wanting to take no for an answer. "And more paranoid, so are you going to tell me what's wrong with you?" She asked, keeping her hand on her hip. When he didn't reply, only looking at the floor sadly, she sighed and sat down besides him, "Liam." She told him, causing him to look up at her with his wide puppy eyes, "You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" She said, softly.

Liam sighed at her words, knowing that there was no way he was getting out of this without admitting what was wrong with him, "I've been having nightmares." He finally admitted, looking embarrassed at his words, afraid that Cassie may look at him differently, or even laugh at him..

Cassie was surprised at this, as this was the last thing she was expecting him to tell her, "Nightmares?" She asked softly, not wanting to hurt his feelings, "About what?" She asked him. It was completely normal to have nightmares - maybe not as bad as Liam was having them, but normal, none the less.

Liam looked back down to the floor as he spoke up again, unable to look her in the eyes as he came out with what was scaring him to near death., "Berserkers." He finally told her, knowing that she knew what they were, as Scott and Stiles had explained it all to her.

Cassie knew what the berserkers were, but what she didn't know, is what they looked like and what they actually did, as she had never seen one in real life before. She didn't expect him to be having nightmares over them, but if he was, then they must be terrifying, and she never wanted to see one. But, from what she's heard from Stiles, Liam has been kicking their butts with Scott and the pack. "Does Scott know this?" She asked him, and when he shook his head, Cassie sighed at him, "You know they're just nightmares. They can't get to you." She told him, hoping that the words would make him feel a little better.

Liam swallowed the lump in his throat, "I know." He nodded, still looking sad at the revelation.

Cassie couldn't believe what she was about to ask, but it had to be done, and she had to make sure he was okay, after all, he had done so much for her when she was in the hospital. "Do you want me to stay with you, tonight?" She hesitantly asked, not knowing how the night would plan out, but she knew that she'd just go along with it..

Liam looked up in shock, not expecting her to suggest to stay round, he knew that they had been getting much closer to each other lately, but he didn't even expect her to even be round tonight, much or less stay the night with him, "Umm..." Liam stuttered, he would like it if she did stay, considering that Mason has just left and he didn't want to be alone, "I... I don't want to force you or anything." He said.

Cassie smiled up at him, "You're not forcing me. I can just text my dad and say that I'm staying at Ellie's for the night." She suggested, knowing that her dad would believe her and allow her to do so. She was wondering where she got this sudden confidence from, considering she mostly looked up to Stiles, but then she realised that she also looked up to Lydia, so maybe that's why.

Liam instantly agreed, wanting her company for the whole night. He had then rushed up and gotten her some of his clothes to sleep in, which she happily accepted, despite the awkwardness lingering between them. Cassie tried to cover it up with jokes, which made it a little better, but overall, they didn't exactly know what to do in the moment. She accepted the top, and headed to his bathroom to change into the large top which practically drowned her, before she came back into the room and sat back on the bed next to Liam.
As they both sat next to each other in the bed, Cassie and Liam gazed at each other, before looking down at each other's lips, unknowingly, both having this one idea in their mind, this one need, but both being afraid to even act on it. A few seconds had passed, and they were both about to lean in, until Cassie's phone dinged, implying that she had a text message. They both jumped back at the sudden noise, and awkwardly laughed at what they were about to do, trying to push it past them. Maybe it wasn't the right time.

Great. Cassie thought, this is just what she needed, a distraction to make things even more awkward. When she unlocked her phone and discovered that it was her dad telling her that it was okay for her to stay at Ellie's, she sighed and put it back onto the bedside table without replying to him. Ever since Cassie found out that Stiles and her dad was keeping a huge secret from her, he had let her have a little more freedom, mostly from feeling guilty about keeping the huge secret from her, but the fact that she had snuck out of the hospital angered her father. But now that she knew about the dangers around her, she could avoid it, and hopefully wouldn't run into anything dangerous.

"Have you spoken to Stiles or the pack?" Liam eventually asked her, as he began to prepare his own bed on the floor so she could sleep in his bed for the night.

Cassie sighed at him, knowing that she eventually had to talk to him about this, as he had opened up to her about his nightmares - it was only fair. "No." She eventually answered, "And I don't plan on talking to them anytime soon." She told him, not caring if he would think otherwise, she knew that he thought she should forgive them, but it was easier said than done..

Liam paused what he was doing and looked up at the girl that he had adored since he first laid eyes on her on his first day of school, "I know that what they did was wrong, but they did it out of caring for you and wanting to keep you safe." Liam eventually told her, causing her to look up at him with sorrow, knowing that he was right, "Stiles might hate me, a lot, but I know for a fact that you're the most important person in his life, and all he wanted to do was keep you safe." He told Cassie, having only known Stiles for a short amount of time, like Cassie, but he just knew that the two of them and their dad were all that they had.

Cassie nodded at him, understanding what he meant, but she still didn't know what she wanted to do when it came to talking to Stiles again. "I just don't know, Liam." She admitted, "For all of our life, we have shared everything with each other, every little detail, just knowing that he kept something from me for so long, something that was this big, it hurts a lot, Liam." She told him, trying to keep in the stray tear that eventually dripped down her cheek.

Liam looked at her sympathetically, before climbing onto the bed and instantly pulling her in for a hug, he didn't like to see her getting upset, ever.
And that night, he held her as she cried herself to sleep.




When Cassie woke up the next morning, she instantly felt Liam's arm draped around her body in a tight hold, making it so she couldn't move anywhere. During the night, Liam had another nightmare, waking Cassie up by gasping for air and basically having a panic attack, so she instantly told him to get into bed with her, which he immediately did, in fear after his nightmare; and after that, he slept like a baby, without another nightmare all night, it was like Cassie was his blocker, and the girl had stopped his bad dreams.
When she looked over at the clock on the bedside table, it was around the time that her dad would be waking up, so she gently untangled herself from Liam, gotten changed, left him a note saying that she had gone home, and quickly walked home to get there by the time her dad woke up, knowing she had to get ready for school.

When Cassie had finally arrived home after around half an hour, her dad had already left for work, and the house only had Stiles left, eating breakfast in the kitchen, minding his own business. "Why are you up so early?" Cassie asked him, popping her head around the door, wanting to know why he was up this early, as he never got up at this time.

"Malia has a math test and she needs to study, so I'm picking her up earlier today." Stiles told her with a mouthful of food, also surprised at the fact that she was speaking to him again without shouting about how he didn't trust her.

"Oh, can I catch a ride too? I have a history test so I need to go to the library to get some books for it." Cassie asked him sheepishly. She had finally decided to take Liam's advice and start to talk to her brother once again; she didn't think that they would be able to get back to how they were before, but she would try to.

Stiles nodded at her instantly, as he swallowed his food. "So... You're talking to me now?" He asked, hesitantly, unsure of what the girl would say back to him.

Cassie sighed, placing her bag onto the floor, before looking towards Stiles with a look, "I cant forgive you, that's for sure." Cassie spoke up, causing him to look down in sadness, "But... I'm going to try." She told him.

Stiles had never heard anything so great in his life, all he ever wanted was her forgiveness, and she was trying, that's all he could ever ask for. He smiled up at her, earning a small smile from the girl in return. Maybe they will be okay..

"So you two almost kissed, huh?" Ellie asked Cassie with a smirk, as they walked down the hallway to the canteen so they can both eat their lunch. Ellie was a little annoyed that her friend hadn't texted her last night straight away after it happened, but she knew that Cassie had been distant lately, so she didn't blame her.

"Uh-Huh." Cassie hummed at Ellie, not exactly wanting to talk about it as it was a very awkward moment, "But my dad totally ruined the moment by texting me." She said, recalling to her phone dinging loudly, making both of them jump.

"That sucks." Ellie complained, as they lined up in the food line, "How have you been lately? I feel like I haven't seen you as much. You've been hanging out with Mason and Liam non-stop." She told her, slightly upset.

"I know. I'm sorry." Cassie said, instantly feeling bad that she had been leaving Ellie out, "I've just been super busy lately, you know with my dad getting shot and all." She explained, as she been given her tray of food, they began to walk to their table, "I've been good, considering. How about you, anything new happening lately?" She asked.

Ellie sat down at a table with a smug smile on her face, "I've been seeing this girl." She told Cassie, causing the girls eyes to widen in surprise.

"Really?" Cassie asked, excitedly, "What's her name?" She asked.

"Nuh-Uh." Ellie tutted, holding her finger up in accusation, "You do not get to know about my love life, when you've been sneaking around with Dunbar and not telling me about it!" She exclaimed, pointing her carrot stick at her, "Besides, she doesn't go here, you wouldn't know her." She said.

Cassie rolled her eyes at Ellie, "I haven't been sneaking around with him." She told Ellie, who raised an eyebrow at her, "We haven't!" She exclaimed, louder this time, "We haven't even kissed yet!" She told her.

"You almost did." Ellie retorted, raising an eyebrow at Cassie.

"Okay, shut up." Cassie chuckled, throwing a fry at her. This was when Mason sat down at their table with his own smile on his face, probably knowing he passed the history test this morning, something Cassie definitely didn't do..

"Almost did what?" Mason asked, as he sat down with his tray of food besides Cassie,

"Cassie almost kissed Dunbar." Ellie answered him, snickering at telling Mason, knowing that he would he equally as excited as she was.

Cassie kicked Ellie from under the table, "Well, Ellie's been seeing someone." She retorted, trying to take the attention off of her and Liam.

Masons eyes widened at the information he was receiving, "Woah. So much information to take in at once." He said, before turning to Cassie, "You kissed Liam?" He asked in disbelief.

Cassie rolled her eyes, "Almost." She told him.

He then turned to Ellie with a look, "And you're seeing someone?" He asked, earning a nod from her. Mason looked back at Cassie, "When did this happen?" He asked.

"Last night." Cassie admitted, after a bit of hesitation.

"After I left?" Mason asked, causing Cassie to nod. She wasn't going to tell either that she actually stayed round too, that would bring up questions that she didn't want to answer.

"And how long has this relationship been going on?" Mason then asked Ellie, feeling a little hurt that she didn't tell him.

"About a month." Ellie replied, sheepishly.

"Wow." Mason sighed, as Cassie popped a fry into her mouth.
"I need to get a boyfriend."