Phoebe's POV:

As soon as school was over, Mason, Liam, and I didn't hesitate to make a trip to the underground tunnels since there was no other option of where the rats could have come from.

"You know, what happened in the class isn't as irrational as you think." I spoke up and flicked on the switch for my flashlight to light up the path that had patches of slime. "There's an evolutionary advantage of having natural fears of bugs, spiders, snakes, and rats."

Liam's expression churns into disgust as he lifted his foot off of the slimy patch. "How do you know they came from here?"

"Well, they came crawling through the vents," Mason explained, shining his flashlight on the pipes above us. "and those pipes lead directly down here."

We stop as soon as we reached an intersection in the tunnels, but my eyes widen in horror at the large pile of tangled-up and bloody dead rats in the corner of the room.

"W-What's that?" Liam whispered.

Mason took a step closer to the pile in curiosity. "It's a rat king."

Olivia's POV:

I place the box of weapons on top of the metal cart before wheeling it close to my mom. "Allison wanted me to tell you that she wants you to have her spare knives just in case." I explain with an assuring smile. "And after doing some research, it turns out Phoenix blood can help heal some wounds so I left behind two pints each for you, Phoebe, and Dad."

"Liv--"

"And!" I cut in, taking out the large taser-wand from the box and placing it on the tray. "A spare stun baton from Argent."

"Isn't this a bit much? I mean, I could always call Liam or Phoebe." She hesitantly asks, taking the taser from the tray. She presses down on the button and instantly blue electrical currents flicker along the outside of it which causes her to flinch back. "Oh!"

I raise a brow. "It doesn't hurt to be extra careful, you know. Scott is giving Melissa one too."

She chuckles, placing the weapon back inside the box. "Did she also tell you that she gave me some supplies as well?"

Before I could ask, she walks over to the nearby desk and pulls open the drawer, revealing over a dozen jars filled with various herbs and plants, a large syringe gun, tweezers, and other medical tools.

"Oh...Melissa gave you that?"

She nods with a proud smile. "She taught me how to make some medicines to heal supernatural induced injuries. If something does happen, and people get hurt, then we got it covered."

"Well then...maybe I should add another pint of blood just in case you run out--"

"Olivia," My mom laughed, grabbing onto my hands with a smile. "stop worrying. You have orientation next month but you and Allison still have to settle in at your apartment. What you should be worrying about is scheduling your classes."

I take a seat on the stool behind me. "I know but...it's going to feel weird not seeing you, Phoebe, Dad, and everyone else every day."

She closes the drawer back into place before turning to face me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Do you remember what I told you as soon as we moved here?"

I exhale through my nose, remembering her words clearly. "Things are going to change and I can't rely on you all the time. I have to...grow up."

She nods. "And Olivia, you have grown up to be the best daughter I could ever ask for. After everything that was thrown against our family, you never gave up and I'm so so proud of what you've accomplished." She grabs onto my hands to pull me to stand on my feet and wrapped her arms around me, embracing me into a tight hug. "I can't wait to watch my baby grow up to become an incredible nurse."

"All because of you, mom." My voice muffled against her shoulder. "Everything I did and what I still want to do, it's all for you."

Phoebe's POV:

"You've got two minutes." Malia crossed her arms over her chest, watching as Mason poked the dead rats with a stick.

"We just need your perspective of what you think might have happened to the rats." I gently explain. "I promise it won't take long."

"Yeah, what do you think happened?" Liam added.

Malia sighed and crouched down to Mason's level. "Rats freaked out, crawled all over each other," She reaches out and grabs one of the rats by the tail. "got their tails knotted up, and tore each other apart trying to break free."

As she pulls it out of the pile, it squelches at the movement in which I hold back a gag.

"You read up on rat kings?" Mason curiously asks as they both get up to stand.

Malia frowns as she holds up the rat by the tail to examine it closely. "What's a rat king?"

She leaned her head closer and sniffs at her for a moment before holding it out towards us which we instinctively back away in disgust.

"Oh, I'm good, thank you!" Liam uttered as Mason backed away towards the intersection of the tunnels.

"I'm good–just...over here." Mason called out and awkwardly leaned against the pipes.

Malia rolled her eyes in annoyance and held it towards Liam's face. "Can't you smell it? It's fear."

He gently pushes her arm away, leading her to drop the rat on the pile once more. "Yeah, it's the same as the ones in the math classroom." He nervously swallowed.

"Why were there rats in a classroom?"

"Hundreds of them ran in during second period." I explain.

Her expression shifted into curiosity before she shook her head. "Your two minutes are up." She turned away from us and continues to walk through the tunnels, leaving me to sigh in frustration.

"Wh-Where are you going?" Liam asked, but she didn't bother to turn around.

"Paris. This isn't my problem."

"So, you think this is a problem?" Liam insisted.

"Maybe. Probably. But you've got it covered, and I've got a plane to catch!"

Mason's brows furrow into confusion. "I thought it was delayed?"

"Re-routed!" She calls out before turning the next corner, disappearing from our sight.

"It's okay. I have another idea of who else could help" I assure, causing the boys to turn toward me in confusion. "But first, we need to stop by a sandwich shop."

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

The hospital was practically packed as soon as Mason, Liam, and I stepped into the building. Some victims were carried onto stretchers, nurses were trying their absolute best to tend the patients' wounds, and doctors were rushing back and forth in between rooms.

Up ahead, Melissa stood near the ER reception desk with a clipboard in her hand, looking through the stack of papers attached.

"Ms. McCall?" I called, causing Melissa to look up from the clipboard with a smile and walked toward us.

"Hey–" Her eyes flicker to the three plastic bags in our hands. "Oh my gosh, you brought Liz and I dinner? That's really nice--"

She reached for the bag in Mason's hand but he quickly pulls it away. "This isn't dinner."

"Well, the bags I'm holding, they are dinner." I quickly add, noticing her smile faltered. "But we need your help by taking a look at something."

Mason opens his bag slightly for Melissa to see and in a matter of seconds, her expression churns to disgust. "Ugh. Definitely not dinner."

"So can you?" Liam asked Melissa but she closes the bag shut.

"As much as I would love to do a rat autopsy, I'd rather not lose my appetite." She muttered, taking the bags from my hands. "So thank you for dinner, Phoebe, but get this and yourselves out of here."

"No, but we really need your--"

Melissa fake laughs with a smile, gesturing for us to go away. "No. Out."

"Okay, okay." Liam quickly nods and the three of us turn as Melissa walks away from us with the bags in her hands.

"Well, now what?" Mason questioned.

"We can still ask Ms. Flores?" I suggest. "She's probably on the second floor working on--"

Suddenly I'm harshly bumped to the ground, which causes me to look up, seeing a man dressed in a business suit holding a glare towards another man dressed in a utility jumpsuit with a gash on the side of his head.

"Hey!" Liam hissed, grabbing my arm to pull me to my feet.

"Oh now look what you did!" The man dressed in the utility jumpsuit gestured to me, not bothering to acknowledge Liam's presence. "Add pushing a teenage girl to the ground to the list of things you can't admit are your fault."

"Back off!" The man in the business suit scowled and harshly shoved the other man, causing him to fall backward onto a gurney.

"Hey! Now that's called assault!" The other shouted.

Melissa rushed over with annoyance. "Hey! Can I get security over here?"

Liam quickly steps in front of the man on the gurney. "Sir, you need to calm down--" The man in the business suit immediately cuts him off by punching him right in the nose, causing him to stumble back.

My eyes widen, shocked at the fact that he would abruptly punch him in the face.

Liam tightly held onto his bloody nose but once he looked back up to the man in front of him, his eyes flashed a bright gold with his fangs extended.

"Oh crap..." I whisper as I look around, seeing the patients nearby us wear horrified expressions.

In a matter of seconds, Security finally rushed forward to pull the men apart but Liam continued to growl under his breath, tightly clenching his fists to dig his claws into the palms of his hands.

"Liam, we have to get out of here." I urge, forcing his head down so nobody else can continue to see his fangs, seeing as they stared at him in fear. "Now."

He quickly nods and I grab his hand, unfazed at the contact of the warm liquid in his hand, and tug him away from the scene.

I push past the nurses and other employees trying to stop us as we ran toward the elevators. Liam frantically presses the button on the side, his claws still on display and he quickly clenches his hands again.

The doors slowly slide open and he quickly steps inside as I pushed the button to force close the doors. The sound of someone running causes me to turn around in confusion, but the doors shut before I could see.

I crouch down to Liam's level, seeing as he struggled to maintain his ragged breathing. "Olivia says you have a mantra. What is it?"

He kept his eyes shut. "The sun..." He panted as his sharp canines retracted. "The moon...the truth."

"It might be too soon to ask but what happened back there?" I worriedly ask. "Why are you struggling to keep control?"

He timidly picks at his fingers. "I've been hiding something from you and it's been eating me away for not saying anything."

I furrow my brows into confusion. "What do you mean?"

"If I say it...it might ruin everything between us Phoebe." He whispered.

"It can't be that bad...can it?" I trail off with uncertainty. "Tell me."

"Way before you were supposed to leave on your summer trip, Hayden wanted me to talk to her in private to talk to me about...well, you." He awkwardly explained. "She wanted advice to see what I would do in her shoes if I had the chance to get my family out of a town that could put their lives in danger and...if it was selfish for her to choose someone she loved over her sister."

Tears brim my eyes, realizing what he was. insinuating. "Liam..."

"And I said..." His voice trembled, finally looking up to meet his saddened expression. "that she should get out of Beacon Hills as soon as possible to protect the only family member she has and that you would be okay if she chose her sister."

"She would've stayed if you hadn't pushed her?" I accidentally rasp and he reluctantly nods. "Oh my god."

"I'm so sorry for not telling you sooner. I-I wanted to tell you but I've never seen you so heartbroken over the summer that I felt like I would make things worse by adding to your misery. Especially since Olivia's leaving off to college so I couldn't bring myself to say it. I--" I hold up a hand and push myself to stand up from the floor. "Phoebe, please--"

I push the button to open the doors and I step out of the elevator. "I'm going to see if Ms. Flores got her lunch from Melissa. I'll get a ride from her instead so don't wait for me."

"But--" I ignore his pleas by pressing several buttons on different floors which causes his eyes to widen. "Phoebe!" He tries to call out but I walk away to the next hall without bothering to spare another glance behind.

Olivia's POV:

I carefully roll my suitcase to my car and place it into the backseat along with the rest of my things.

My phone rings in my pocket and I quickly take it out, seeing Allison's name flash across the screen.

I click answer and press it against my ear. "Hey, you." I greet with a smile. "I just finished putting my last suitcase into the car and I still have enough space for your things."

"That's great..."

I slowly close the door with my brows furrowed. "I'm assuming there's a but in that sentence."

"Our flights to go back home are delayed because of the storm in Paris." She cleared her throat.

I furrow my brows in confusion. I could've sworn she said that she could've made it to Beacon Hills in an hour.

"No, it's okay!" I assure, feeling somewhat relieved at the same time. "I have a spare to the complex so I can pack your things and take it with me. It'll be easier for your dad to take you straight to our apartment."

"What did I do to deserve such as amazing girlfriend?" Allison sighed. "Are you sure?"

"If it means it makes things easier for you, I don't mind at all." I assure with a smile. "Just text me what you want me to bring."

"Thank you! I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Careful with your words Ms. Argent." I playfully tutted. "It sounds a bit wanky if you ask me."

"I—" She cut herself off with a laugh. "I hate you. "

"I love you too!" I sing-song. "See you soon."

I end the call and I turn to walk towards the driver's seat but immediately bump into Lydia and Scott, causing me to gasp in surprise.

"Jesus!" I hiss, patting my chest a few times in an attempt to control my heartbeat. "Why are you guys--"

"We can't leave." Lydia cut in. "You have to come with us."

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

"Oui oui!" Malia pumped her fists in the air before grabbing her bag from the bed. She turns to head to the door but stops as soon as she sees, Scott, Lydia, and I standing in the doorway.

"Hey..." I wave with my fingers. "We--"

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" She exasperated, waving her finger around for emphasis. "It's just rats! Rats and wolves, and maybe a little bug problem."

Lydia blankly stared before shaking her head. "We need you."

"And I need Paris."

"Paris has been around for two thousand years! It's not going anywhere." Lydia countered.

Malia rolled her eyes in annoyance before she turned and headed towards her window.

"Malia." Scott warned.

"Liam and Mason called--"

"Yeah, they've got it covered." Malia interrupted me, waving her hand dismissively.

"We can't make you stay, and I don't want to try..." Scott trailed. "But, we were hoping that you would want to."

"Well, I don't."

With a shrug, Scott steps out of the doorway. "Okay."

Malia starts to walk out towards the door but Lydia moves in front of her once more to block her path.

I wrap my arm around Lydia's and pull her out of the way, shaking my head in response to let Malia pass.

We watch as Malia exits the room, a sigh of disappointment escaping from Scott's lips. Suddenly, a bag flies through the door and hits him square in the chest and he scrambled to catch it in his hands.

Malia re-enters her room with reluctance and a scowl on her face. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Find a Hellhound."

➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵ ➵

A/N:
Last night I deadass cried over writing a scene for this book LMAO you'll see as soon as you get to it. Alsooo my girl Olivia Rodrigo won 3 Grammys!! Luv that for her (((even tho i lowkey wanted Ariana to win bc she deserved it too but woOooO!)))

However oOoOOo Liv caught Allison in a lie :O I wonder why?

I hope you all have/had an amazing day! Bye!

~Cimbello