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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

𝘪 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴

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Meilani stood outside Melissa's bedroom door with her hand raised in a fist. She had been stood there for the past five minutes as she tried to work up the courage to talk to her before school. It had been tense in the McCall house the past few days now that Melissa knew Meilani's secret. Melissa had completely shut herself in her room and didn't say a word to either twin. Though, Meilani had a hunch that Melissa was more upset with Meilani than Scott.

"Mom!" Meilani called through the door, dropping her arm down to the side with a sigh. "Mom, we're gonna have to talk about this eventually." She waited for a moment to see if Melissa would respond, but no response came and the door didn't budge when Meilani tried to open it. "Okay, mom. I'm going with Scott. I love you."

Scott stood up straight when Meilani met him downstairs in the kitchen. He rushed over to her when he noticed the tears that pooled in his twins eyes and brought her into his chest, rubbing her back as the floodgates finally opened. "Mei..."

Meilani sniffled and wrapped her arms around her brother, allowing him to hug her close since she really needed one right now. "She hates me, Scotty. I hate this. I didn't ask to be a werewolf. I didn't ask for Peter Hale to bite me. I didn't ask for Matt to be a dick who controls Jackson because he was butt hurt that not only Allison rejected him but Isaac's dad was a dick to him. I just want everything to be normal again."

Scott frowned and laid his cheek on the top of Meilani's head, continuing to rub her back in soothing circles to try and get her to calm down. He couldn't have her go to school the way she was. There was no way she'd make it through school like this. "She doesn't hate you, okay? Mom's just in shock over the whole thing like I was when I first found out. She'll come around, Mei, I promise. Just give her some time to wrap her mind around everything."

Meilani nodded and continued to cling to Scott, not even caring the two would now be late for school at this point. She just needed to be held for a few minutes before she could feel even remotely close enough to okay and get through the school day. "Have you spoken to Allison?"

"No," Scott sighed and now it was as if Scott needed to hold onto Meilani to feel grounded. Meilani knew that they were twins, but she didn't think that the universe had to make them both be in pain at the same time. Maybe it was a twin thing to have to literally do everything the same like clones. "I tried to get her to meet me so we can talk about everything, but I think Mrs. Argent's death really got to her."

"Yeah, she nearly shot me the other night," Meilani mused, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I wouldn't mess with her if I were you."

Scott chuckled softly and squeezed Meilani one last time before he finally pulled away from the hug. "I'll keep that in mind, but we should really get going before Stiles freaks out that we aren't there."

Meilani nodded in agreement and rubbed the tears away from her face, hoping her eyes didn't look as puffy as they felt. "Never thought I'd be so excited for a day at school in my life."

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Meilani spent much of after school in her room sulking, much to Stiles' distaste since he wanted her around him so he could make sure she was truly okay. However, after Scott assured Stiles he'd be home as well and would make sure Meilani didn't do anything stupid, Stiles relented and dropped the twins off after school. Meilani had to promise Stiles she'd text him throughout the night and Skype him later on before he even let her get out of the car with Scott.

Meilani sighed as she wiped away the mist from the mirror that her hot shower had created. She thought that showering would help her relax, but it only helped the tiniest bit. The feeling of dread and pain still sat heavily on her chest and she thought she'd suffocate sooner or later from it all. Meilani had never had any sort of anxiety or panic attacks before, but now she had a basic idea of how Stiles felt when he had one.

The sound of choking outside her bathroom door alerted Meilani and she rushed out of her ensuite bathroom, halting when she saw Melissa be held up by her throat from the Kanima's tail. The Kanima was was perched in the corner of Meilani's room, bracing itself up on the two walls near the ceiling. Underneath them, Scott was tied up on the floor and he had a scratch on the side of neck that he was sure Jackson gave him so he couldn't move, which contradicted the whole tying him up thing.

"As you can see, Meilani, there's been some interesting developments lately," Gerard said from the chair in the opposite corner of Meilani's room. "I think we should catch up."

Meilani glared at Gerard and grew her nails out into her wolf ones, holding them up threateningly at the older man. If he thought she would hesitate to kill him, he was sadly mistaken.

Gerard didn't even flinch at the sight of Meilani's claws and merely smiled at her. "Oh come on, Meilani, let's be realistic about who's got the upper hand here."

"Let them go," Meilani growled, not bothering to move an inch from where she stood. 

"Can't do that, but let them live? That's up to you," Gerard replied.

Meilani glanced to Melissa who held onto the tail that was wrapped around her throat to keep it from completely strangling her and Scott's eyes widened when her eyes landed on him, practically screaming to not give in so easily. Part of her wanted to just leap forward and attack Gerard because if he was dead, no one would be there to control Jackson. However, this was also Allison's grandfather, she couldn't just kill him when he hadn't actually attacked her first. It wouldn't look like self-defense if she prematurely attacked.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk. You haven't been answering your phone," Gerard explained and he had the audacity to look pissed at her. 

"Let them go, and we can talk about whatever you want," Meilani demanded, fighting the urge to curl her hands into fists since her claws were too long for that.

Gerard sighed and pushed himself up from Meilani's chair, slowly walking around the room until he was stood in front of Melissa, the Kanima and Scott. "I want the same thing that I have always wanted. I want Derek and his pack."

Meilani rolled her eyes and let her claws grow back in, crossing her arms. "You have them all in hiding. How would you like me to know where they are?"

"I think with the proper motivation, you could draw them out. If you hadn't noticed, I now have a fairly impressive means by which I can motivate people," Gerard reminded and the Kanima hissed as if to give Meilani a double reminder of what Gerard referenced to. "Why do you think I'm able to control him? Oh, you know the myth, Meilani. The Kanima is a weapon of vengeance."

"This is about Kate?" Meilani whispered.

"I didn't just come here to bury my daughter," Gerard admitted and the smile that he shot Meilani sent a shiver down her back. "I came to avenge her."

Meilani gasped as the Kanima dropped Melissa and she ran over to her mom, dropping to her knees in front of her as the woman choked. She glared at the back of Gerard's head as he walked out of the room while the Kanima crawled along the walls and down the hallway. She took the tape off Scott's mouth and untied his ropes, letting him sit on her chair and felt a bit relieved when Scott's fingers twitched. 

"You guys okay?"

"I don't know what's happening," Melissa cried, squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head. "I don't know what that thing was or even what you are, but whatever he wants, just give it to him, Meilani."

Meilani eyes softened at the frightened state of her mom and dropped back down in front of her mom, trying to get Melissa to look at her. "Mom, it's not that easy."

"Do what he wants. Just give him what he wants."

"I don't know if I can."

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The next morning, Meilani had all but ran out of the house to go to work. She suggested to Scott that he should stay home since he still felt a bit off from the Kanima's scratch. The two of them never took a day off and she knew that Deaton wouldn't mind, especially when she explained what happened the night before to him. Of course, she left out the part about what Gerard wanted or that he was even there, just that the Kanima showed up and attacked Melissa and Scott then left.

The sound of the bell above the entrance door alerted Deaton and Meilani who stood in the examination room, prepping the next dog for his procedure. She froze when the familiar scent hit and the dogs in the kennel started to go mad. Meilani rushed over to the door of the examination room to see Isaac stood in the reception area of the clinic. 

Deaton smiled softly at the werewolf and walked over to the gate, pushing it open gently so Isaac could step through. "It's okay, Isaac. We're open."

Isaac slowly made his way into the examination room and shrugged off his leather jacket, placing it on the spare table to the side while Meilani and Deaton continued to prep the dog since his owner would be back at the end of the day for him. His nose twitched when he stood at the end of the table, the stench from the dog wafting into his nostrils. "Why does it smell like that?"

Meilani chuckled and continued to soothe the dog while Deaton gave it a shot to keep him from moving so they could work without hurting him. "I said the same thing to Deaton a few months ago. With our heightened sense of smell, we can tell the difference between which animals are getting healthy and which are dying."

"He's not getting better, is he?" Isaac asked and Meilani could see the sadness that flashed across his face at the sight of the poor dog.

"Like cancer."

"Osteosarcoma," Deaton corrected and stroked the dog's back who still whimpered and whined. "It has a very distinct scent, doesn't it? Come here, Isaac." He stepped over so Isaac could stand on the other side of the dog from Meilani. "I know you're well aware of what your new abilities can do for you. Improved strength, speed and healing. You ever wonder what it could do for others? Give me your hand."

Isaac cautiously placed his hand into Deaton's, a look of apprehensiveness appearing on his face. He allowed Deaton to place his hand on the dog's back and Meilani grinned when she saw the black veins travel up Isaac's arm. The sight of the black veins spooked Isaac and he jumped back from the dog, staring down at his fading veins in shock. "What did I do?"

"You took some of his pain away," Meilani informed.

"Only a little bit," Deaton chimed in, stuffing his hands into the pockets on his lab coat. "But sometimes a little can make quite a difference."

Meilani smiled softly when she noticed the wetness that took over Isaac's eyes. "It's okay. I cried when Deaton showed me the first time, too."

Isaac chuckled shakily and held his arm close to his chest, staring down at the dog he had just helped. He stepped out of the way when Deaton mentioned he would take the dog back to his cage to allow Meilani to clean up while he did more work in his office. Taking a seat on the examination table after Meilani wiped it off, Isaac cleared his throat. "They're leaving tonight, during the game."

Meilani furrowed her eyebrows and shut the cabinet they kept the disinfecting supplies in. "So, why are you telling me?"

"I'm not telling you. I'm asking you. I'm asking for your advice."

"From me?" Meilani balked, taking the supplies to make a new examination tray for Deaton and placing it on the table Isaac had perched himself on. "Why?"

"Because I trust you," Isaac replied, glancing up at the brunette next to him.

"Why?"

"You always seem to want to do the right thing."

Meilani barked out a laugh and opened up the new packages for the tools, placing them neatly on the tray. "That's funny because I usually have no idea what I'm doing. Actually, I always have no idea what I'm doing."

Isaac hummed and crossed his arms across his chest. "Well, you want to tell me what you're doing right now?"

Meilani glanced up at Isaac from the tray and noticed the contemplative look on his face. It was almost as if a switch had flipped and Isaac suddenly wanted to be on her side rather than Derek's. "I'm not going anywhere if that's what you mean. I have too many people here who need me."

"Well, I guess that makes me lucky because - because I don't have anyone, so."

Meilani frowned as Isaac hopped off the examination table and walked over to where his jacket was. "Are you gonna go with them?"

"Yeah, I think I will," Isaac replied, picking up his jacket and putting it back on. "Good luck with the game later."

"Thanks, but I'm not going to the game either. I can't even think about playing some meaningless lacrosse game right now."

Isaac was quiet for a long moment as he analyzed Meilani's tense shoulders and could practically smell the sadness and pain wafting off her. "You weren't at practice last week, were you?"

"No, I skipped it. Why?"

"You didn't hear?"

"Hear... what?"

"Jackson was there," Isaac informed and Meilani froze at the newfound information.

"He was there? Like, he was - "

Isaac nodded and shrugged as if he couldn't explain any of it either. "Like nothing had happened."

Meilani felt her heart rate spike and she ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the ends in stress. "That means - the game tonight?"

"Yeah. He's playing."

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"Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will be joining others from around the world. You will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. Mankind - that word should have new meaning for all of us today," Finstock said through the megaphone in his hand, dressed as President Thomas Whittmore.

"What is he talking about?" Melissa asked Stiles, scaring him, Meilani and Scott who didn't even hear the woman walk into the locker room.

"He does this every year," Stiles replied, shaking his head with an amused smile. "You learn to just kind of tune him out until he's done."

"We are fighting for our right to live," Finstock continued, earning a cheer from the team except Jackson, Stiles, Meilani and Scott. All of which looked annoyed by the speech from Finstock.

Melissa blinked as realization flickered across her face. "Wait, is this?"

"Yeah, it's the speech from Independence Day," Scott finished for his mom, leaning against his lacrosse stick while he waited for Finstock to stop acting like they were about to go to war. 

Finstock's grin only grew as his eyes looked around the locker room at his team - or troops judging by his stolen speech. "But as the day the world declared in one voice... we will not go quietly into the night!"

"It's Coach's favorite movie," Meilani informed and rose an eyebrow when Finstock threw a fist in the air as triumphant music played in the locker room. "I don't even know if he knows any sports speeches."

"I don't think he cares," Stiles said.

"Today we celebrate our independence day!"

Gerard appeared behind Coach Finstock and Meilani, Scott, Stiles and Melissa all tensed up at the sight of him. Any time he was in the same room as them, it never ended well. "Good speech, Coach. I might have chosen something with a little more historical value, but there's no denying your passion. While I haven't been here long, there's no denying my pride in having a winning team for this school. I know you'll all be brilliant tonight, even with only one co-captain leading you."

Meilani's eyes narrowed at Gerard when he glanced at her and if the locker room wasn't filled with peering eyes, she might have given him a more deadly look. However, she had to settle with something more subtle before people started to question it.

"I may be your principal, but I'm also a fan. So don't think I'll be content to watch you merely beat this team. Get out there and murder them."

"You heard the man! Asses on the field!" Coach yelled to the locker room, the whole locker room erupting in cheers as they rushed out to the field.

Meilani ran over to Finstock before he could leave and grabbed his arm. "Coach, are you seriously benching me?"

"It's not my decision, Meilani," Coach replied and frowned sadly. "I'm sorry."

"No, you have to let me play tonight, Coach! It's important," Meilani begged, needing to be out there to make sure Jackson didn't kill anyone on the field. She couldn't stop him from the bench.

"Not tonight, McCall," Coach denied and walked away from her without allowing her to give another argument.

Meilani chewed on her lower lip nervously, taking her equipment out to the field alone since the boys had ran out without her before Finstock ripped them a new one. She plopped down onto the bench between the boys and groaned. "This night is going to be dangerous." 

"We'll figure something out," Stiles assured Meilani, patting her on the back softly. 

"Is your dad coming?" Scott asked Stiles.

"Yeah, he's already here," Stiles responded, jerking his head behind them to where Noah sat with Melissa in the front row of the bleachers.

Scott exhaled heavily as his eyes scanned the bleachers for a certain curly haired brunette. "You guys seen Allison?"

"No, you seen Lydia?" Stiles asked.

"Not yet," Meilani responded, fiddling with her thumbs nervously as the thought of what would go on tonight plagued her mind. How was she going to protect the players on the field if she were benched? This was the worst possible time for Finstock to bench her, something that Meilani was a hundred percent sure was Gerard's doing.

"You know what's going on, babe?"

Meilani puffed out her cheeks and leant back against the bench. "Nope."

"Yeah, it's going to be bad, isn't it? I mean, like people screaming, running for their lives, blood, killing, maiming kind of bad?"

"Looks like it."

Stiles groaned and rubbed his hands over his face and Meilani could practically smell the tears in his eyes which only broke her heart more. "Guys, the other night seeing my dad get hit over the head by Matt, you know, while I'm just lying there and I can't even move, it just - I want to help, you know, but I can't do the things Meilani can do. I can't..."

Meilani scooted closer to Stiles and wrapped an arm around him, hugging him into her side comfortingly. "It's okay, Sti."

"He's right, Mei. We're losing."

"The hell are you talking about?" Finstock snapped, scaring the three teens who broke apart and glanced behind them to the coach. "Game hasn't even started yet. Now put on your helmet and get out there, Bilinski. You're in for Greenberg."

"What happened to Greenberg?"

"What happened to Greenberg?" Finstock scoffed and gestured to the teen who sat by himself at the end of the bench. "He sucks, but you suck slightly less."

"I'm playing? On the field? With the team?"

Finstock let out a frustrated sound and shook his head. "Yes, unless you'd rather play with yourself."

"I actually don't need to do that because I have - "

"Stiles, stop talking," Meilani covered his mouth and flashed a sheepish smile to the coach whose face morphed into disgust as he realized what Stiles meant. "He'll be right out there, Coach."

Stiles scrambled for his equipment and ran out onto the field before Finstock could maim him. Noah could be heard from the bleachers cheering about how his son was on the field. It warmed Meilani's heart to hear the pure joy in Noah's tone about seeing Stiles out there.

"Meilani, can you hear me? Ah, you can. Good. Then listen closely because the game is about to get interesting. Let's put a real clock on the game, Meilani. I will give you until the last thirty seconds. When that scoreboard clock begins counting down from thirty, if you haven't given me Derek, then Jackson is gonna kill someone," Gerard threatened from somewhere to the side that Meilani couldn't see. Her whole body shook as he maliciously and sadistically droned on about what he could do.

"So tell me, Meilani, who is gonna die tonight? Should it be your mother, who so bravely came out to support you? Or the sheriff, your boyfriend's father? Or the pretty little redhead that managed to survive the bite of an alpha? Or even your precious little twin who you care so deeply about and has a whole life ahead of him? I could even kill that ridiculous coach and do everyone a favor. It's up to you, Meilani, but you are going to help me take Derek down. If you don't.... I'll have Jackson rip someone's head off right in the middle of the field and drench everyone you love and care about in blood."

The ref suddenly raised his hand and blew the whistle, signaling the beginning of the game and the beginning of the ticking time bomb that is Meilani's nerves.

How was she going to get herself out of this one?

AUTHORS NOTE

Hi hey hello

So, I was originally gonna do this episode in one chapter and the next one in two parts. However, I think was a better place to cut this off and do the last episode in one full TENSE CHAPTER WOO! 

Meilani has officially BROKE, peeps. Everything is just spiraling out of control quicker than Meilani anticipated and now she's practically drowning while she tries to decide how to save everyone she loves while also doing the right thing. It's bout to get REAL INTERESTING