⋆ The Murders ⋆

word count: 4128

"We're lacking contestants for the Cross Country coming up since this generation is full of people who sit on their ass all day," Coach Finstock yelled. Juno shivered in her gym clothes, she was lucky the sky was overcast, so there was no chance of even a little bit of sunlight hitting her exposed arms and legs, but it did mean her and half of the class would freeze. "So, whoever does the best in this practice run will be picked for the track team, and Cross Country will be mandatory." 

The entire class groaned except for Juno. Sports was definitely easy for her, due to her supernatural strength and speed she didn't have any trouble with pacing herself in long distance runs like these. "The Lacrosse team will be joining you guys as a practice, don't let those losers outshine you." 

The Lacrosse team got up from the bench on the side of the track once Coach beckoned them to come over. They all gathered around behind him, obviously not wanting to mix with the PE class. Stiles noticed Juno and smiled at her, sending her an awkward wave as he did. Juno smiled also, making Coach blow all the air in his lungs into his whistle, right in Stiles' face. "No flirting on the field Stilinski!" Coach yelled.

Stiles awkwardly fumbled as he tried to regain his hearing in his left ear. He glared at Coach, and felt his cheeks grow pink as he heard Juno and the rest of the class chuckle. "First five to finish who aren't on the Lacrosse team are in." Coach announced as he read off his check board. Stiles' eyes widened as he moved closer to Coach, looking over his shoulder and reading the papers he had. 

"Wait so does that mean-"

"It's compulsory for the team! I don't want any of you turning into fat asses!" Coach interrupted. Stiles nodded, his face pure disappointment. "Right, everyone line up! And go on my whistle, ten laps!" Both the team and the PE class groaned as they lined up horizontally on the track. Some in Juno's class were already in their stance to begin, along with most of the Lacrosse team. Juno sighed as she stood there, she knew she could catch up even if she began when everyone was one lap ahead of her. 

Stiles had pushed past some students to make his way next to her. "Sup?" Stiles asked, trying to act cool. 

Juno couldn't hide the smile that formed on her face at his ridiculousness when he was around her. "You ready?" She asked him. 

Stiles scoffed, "uh yeah, I'm totally ready! Ten laps? That's nothing," Stiles said with questionable confidence. Juno could feel his anxiousness, she cursed under her breath as she began to feel anxious also because of Stiles. "You seem a bit nervous..." Stiles muttered, noticing her nervousness.

She shrugged, "maybe a little, since I'm up against a whole team of big, buff Lacrosse players..." Juno lied. 

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine." Stiles reassured. Juno could still sense the anxiety, and started to jump up and down in her position slightly to 'warm up' despite not needing it. Stiles watched as Coach put the whistle between his lips, making him prepare to run. "Juno, aren't you gonna-"

The whistle cut Stiles' words off, and Juno instantly took off. She sighed of relief as the anxiety went away as she left Stiles behind, but in her gut, she felt guilty about it. Stiles stood stunned at Juno's speed, but quickly began running before Coach could tell him off.

In front of Juno was Isaac and Scott, and another boy she hadn't seen around before. It looked as if all three were competing with each other, and as Juno got closer, she knew that they were all Werewolves as the disgusting scent filled her nostrils. 

The boys were fit, but at the speed they were going, they would eventually wear out by lap 4, in fact, Isaac already looked as if he wanted to slow down. Juno ran next to Scott, and slowed down to their speed which was comfortable for her. Scott and Isaac turned their eyes to her and looked at her in shock.

"J-Juno! I didn't know you were a runner!" Isaac puffed out as he ran. The boy next to him began to speed up with all the effort in him, but he wasn't ahead by much.

Juno laughed as the boys all looked at her oddly, "you boys better start catching up if you don't want to all tie for second place," Juno teased. She picked up her speed, and raced far ahead of them. Isaac almost tripped over as he watched her completely leave them behind. 

"Yes Clarke! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Coach cheered from the sidelines as Juno finished her first lap. 

A while later, Juno was on her ninth lap, while Isaac, Scott and the other boy were finishing their seventh. Stiles... well Stiles was trying. Stiles' steps came to a halt as he fell to his hands and knees, panting and over exaggerating his facial features so he could possibly be pulled off the track and stop the running. 

Juno stopped by Stiles' side and bent down to look at him. "Hey, Stiles are you alright?" Juno asked. No matter how hard Stiles tried, he couldn't act cool in front of Juno since he felt as if he were about to die. He panted and looked at her, shaking his head. "You should probably go on the bench then-"

"No, no just leave me here in the middle of the track to just take a nap and I'll be good in an hour," Stiles huffed. Juno couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped her lips. She felt bad for laughing at him, but it didn't help that Stiles did so well at amusing her. "How are you not tired?" Stiles asked as he looked at Juno, who showed no signs of tiredness or discomfort whatsoever.

Juno got up and shrugged, "I've just done this a lot." Juno took off before Stiles could say another word. Scott and Isaac both stopped by Stiles, while the other boy kept running to try and catch up with Juno. 

Scott helped Stiles up who was still heaving as he watched Juno run. "She's not human... What is she some sort of Werecheetah?" Stiles joked as he regained his balance.

"For once I actually think Stiles is right, there's no way a girl like her can be that fast," Isaac said.

Stiles rolled his eyes, "gee thanks scarf boy."

"She could just be really athletic, didn't you say she did a whole bunch of other sports at other schools?" Scott asked Stiles.

Stiles nodded, "well yeah but she never said she was faster than Usain Bolt! Seriously Scott I mean I know you're sick of me going on about her but what if she's a Werewolf?" 

Scott simply sighed, not wanting to continue on the topic. They watched Juno as she finished her final lap, walking over to the bench that Coach was sitting on. Coach got up, scowling at Juno and pointing at the track.

"Hey Clarke no time for a rest stop, get back out there!" He ordered.

"Coach I finished my ten," Juno said. She was breathing quicker than normal, only to make it seem to others that she was somewhat tired after the run. 

Coach's jaw dropped, but quickly formed into a big grin. "Well, alright then! Hey have you ever played Lacrosse?"

"I have, but I don't want to outshine your team," Juno teased, as the boy that was previously running with Scott and Isaac sprinted over to where her and Coach were. He stopped and bent over as he tried to catch his breath. 

Coach laughed at Juno's teasing as he glared down at the boy. "Ethan Steiner! First to finish on the team, yet here, Clarke totally kicked your ass," Coach teased. He took two pieces of paper off his clip board and gave them to Juno and Ethan. "Congratulations Clarke, fill this in and hand it in tomorrow." Coach then walked away and along the tracks to yell at the students falling behind.

"You're pretty fast," Ethan spoke up just as Juno was about to leave. Juno sighed as she turned back around, really not wanting to meet another Werewolf. 'Might as well call this town Beacon Howls' she thought. 

Juno shrugged, "yes, good observation," Juno said bluntly. She turned back around to leave again, but Ethan's voice stopped her again.

"Where are you from?" He asked, stepping closer to her. All of a sudden, Scott, Isaac and Stiles had arrived. Isaac looked like he wanted to hurt Ethan badly, Scott looked ready to hold Isaac back, and Stiles was too focused on Juno to care about the others. 

"She is from not here, a different place... That is not Beacon Hills," Stiles stuttered. Juno raised an eyebrow in confusion at Stiles. "What? I figured you'd be annoyed by that question by now..."

Juno nodded, "you're right, thanks. Also, sorry I couldn't go to wherever you went last night, how'd it go?"

"Oh you know, it was pretty meh. Just did some party stuff, at a party, we partied..." Juno couldn't help but laugh at his awkwardness. Stiles smiled as he noticed the little details about her laugh. The dimples that appeared, how she would scrunch up her nose slightly. Stiles quickly snapped out of his trance, not wanting to fall for the girl. 

Scott rolled his eyes as he looked over at his best friend. He was suspicious of her humanity not long ago, and was now swooning over her. He had to admit that the girl was incredibly beautiful, but he had eyes for another, and it was clear that his best friend was completely whipped because of Juno.

"Well, I'm going to get out of my gym clothes. I'll see you in Econ," Juno then left the boys and headed towards the girls' locker room. Stiles sighed as he watched her leave. He then turned to Scott and Ethan, who both had smug smiles on their faces, while Isaac glared.

"Shut up, " Stiles mumbled, looking down at the ground so his blushing wasn't noticeable.

-

Juno sat at the back of the classroom, with Stiles in front of her and Scott on his left. She was quickly jotting down notes as Coach lectured the class about Economics. It wasn't necessary, but she would do what it took to not fail her classes. 

"Does anybody have a quarter?" Coach asked. Stiles reached into his pocket to reach a coin, but of course because of his clumsy nature, the contents of his pocket fell onto the ground. Stiles stared at the condom on the ground, the one that he would have used at the party last night if his friend hadn't disappeared. 

Coach walked up to the coin on the ground and picked it up, but also picked up the condom. "Stilinski uh, I think you dropped this..." Juno instantly looked up from her notes once she sensed Stiles' embarrassment and immediately felt it radiate onto her. She watched as Coach dumped the condom on Stiles' desk, and eyed Juno before looking back at Stiles. "And Congratulations," he muttered before returning to the front with Stiles' quarter.

Juno and Stiles' jaws both dropped at the same time. "No we're-" They tried in unison.

"Don't get your panties in a twist I was just joking around!" Coach yelled, "besides, as if a track star like Clarke would get with you, Bilinski." 

There was a knot that formed in Juno's gut. She knew it wasn't Stiles' emotions, but her own. Was she really bummed at the thought that she wouldn't get with Stiles? Juno shook the thought from her head. She was only attracted to his blood scent, nothing more. Although, once she rid herself of the sad feeling of her own, it was still there. She stared at the back of Stiles' head, he was looking down at his desk. She wished she was gifted with Cyrus' power to read minds so she could know what he was truly thinking, instead, she could only feel what he felt, which was sadness.

Juno sighed and ripped the corner of her page off. She drew a love heart on it, then folded the small piece of paper. Juno tapped on Stiles' shoulder, alerting him and making him turn around. She held out the paper for him to take, smiling at him as he did so. Stiles turned around and unfolded the small paper. The sight of the tiny heart drawn in black pen made him blush. Juno could feel butterflies in her stomach, knowing that Stiles had opened the paper. Stiles smiled to himself, and kept the paper in his hands.

A man in a sheriff's uniform knocked on the classroom door, with other police officers behind him. Stiles' posture changed noticing his dad in the doorway. "Excuse me, can I see Stiles for a moment?" He asked Coach. He nodded, making Stiles get up from his seat. He shoved the piece of paper in his pocket, then left the classroom.

"Right, who wants to gamble?" Coach asked. A boy sitting at the front, Danny, raised his hand and got up from his desk, taking the quarter from Coach and aimed at the mug he had placed a few feet away from Danny on the floor.

Outside of the classroom, Stiles stood shocked as his father told him the news of finding his childhood friend dead, the friend who hosted the party he went to last night. 

"Her friends said you were the last person who saw her, do you know what happened?" Sheriff Stilinski asked.

Stiles struggled to find words, "n-no I was with her, th-then I went to the bathroom. I came back and she was just gone..."

"Right, I'm sorry son," Stilinski said lowly, pulling Stiles into a tight embrace.

-

Juno sat at the desk in her room, finishing off homework, but also taking many breaks to reply to Allison on her phone. It felt good to be able to talk to people her own age while she wasn't around them, it made her feel as if she wasn't distant from them. 

There were a number of bangs coming from downstairs. Juno tiptoed out of her room and quietly made her way down the stairs. The banging stopped, and instead was replaced by the sound of rustling papers. Juno relaxed as she walked into the dining room, where Cyrus sat at the table, reading through files.

"Does being a surgeon really mean you have to bang the table when you're frustrated?" Juno teased.

 Cyrus huffed and rolled his eyes. "Any work can make you do that if you're frustrated," he muttered as he scanned the paper he was holding. "The body of a teenage girl came in, strangled by a makeshift garrote and had her skull bashed in."

Juno's eyes widened, "Charming... So Beacon Hills has some gruesome murderers, what does that have to do with surgical work? Shouldn't figuring out who did it be left to the police?" 

"I have to write the autopsy since the coroners of this town are about as intelligent as a rock," Cyrus answers. "I have a hunch that this might happen again, so stay safe."

"Do you know what you're talking to?" Juno scoffed, "nothing can kill us-" Juno was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing from her room. 

Cyrus groaned, "shut that thing off, or make it ring quieter," he snapped. Juno quickly ran up the stairs to turn off her phone. She picked it up, but was startled to see Lydia calling her so late. She answered the phone, not expecting Lydia to in tears. 

"J-Juno, th-theres a-" Lydia sobbed.

"Lydia? What is it? Where are you?" 

Lydia's breathing was shaky, but she was still able to form words, "a pool... I'm at-" Lydia was cut off, causing Juno to panic slightly. She quickly grabbed a leather jacket hanging from the back of her bedroom door and put it on. Her fast paced steps down the stairs alerted Cyrus, who used his speed to sprint to the front door in under a second, blocking Juno's path.

"Where are you going? Did you not hear me before telling you to stay safe?" Cyrus warned.

"My friend Lydia was upset, can I not just go and comfort her?" Juno pleaded. Cyrus' eyes began to glow as he searched Juno's thoughts, causing her to groan and shove him out of the way. "I said no mind reading!" She called out as she began to use her senses and track Lydia down.

-

"I'm supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?" Lydia snapped, looking up at Stiles with angry eyes. 

Stiles stared at Lydia in disbelief, before stretching out his arms and yelling as if the answer to that question was obvious, "yes!"

"Well I called Juno too, she should be on her way-"

"Why would you call Juno?" Stiles interrupted.

"Because she's my friend?" Lydia snapped. Lydia and Stiles' gaze quickly turned to the direction of where there were footsteps. Juno walked over to the two with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. Her eyes met Stiles', making her feel embarrassed of her appearance. She was only wearing her sleep wear, sweats, a plain shirt, and a jacket over the top, not to mention she was bare faced with her hair tied back, she was worried she looked like death.

Juno's steps slowed as she noticed the dead body sat in the lifeguard's chair. There was an alarming amount of blood which was what made Juno step back. "What the hell is that?" She gasped.

Stiles looked at the dead body, "oh this? Oh you know the usual, a dead body-"

"Quit it," Juno spat, she wasn't in the mood for Stiles' humour and sarcasm. "Why am I here with you two looking at a dead body?"

"I was driving to the store..." Lydia spoke up, "but I guess I kind of zoned out... I ended up here instead and yeah..."

"Juno, can you come take a look?" Stiles asked.

Juno took another step back and looked at Stiles like he were crazy. "Why the hell would I want to do that?"

"I don't know! Identify how he was killed or if there's a weapon nearby..." Stiles trailed off. Juno walked closer to Stiles, but made sure she stood slightly behind him so she wasn't near the body, but also so Stiles' scent would drown out the scent of the fresh blood in front of her. She noticed a harsh line along the man's neck.

"A garrote..." She thought out loud. 

Stiles turned to her, "a garrote?" Juno pointed at the body's neck, still staying behind Stiles. 

"See the harsh line? He was strangled, and I don't know any other weapon that could do that other than a garrote, or in this case someone made their own, see the thin rope on the ground? Due to all the blood, his head was bashed in also," Juno sighed. Cyrus was right with this continuing, so far this would be the second body with the same wounds. Could there be a serial killer on the loose?

Stiles looked down at Juno with a smile on his face. "Huh, I didn't notice that," he muttered. "Good job, also, if you're going to cling on me, can you maybe do it a little softer?" Stiles teased. Juno froze, and her eyes widened. She looked at her hands, which were clinging onto Stiles' left arm for dear life, probably causing him an intense amount of pain because of her strength. She quickly let go and stepped away from him.

"S-sorry... I just don't really like blood..." She lied. The sound of police sirens alerted the three teens. They quickly made their way over to the police cars and the ambulance. Sheriff Stilinski sighed at the sight of his son at yet another crime scene, and stopped the three.

"Why do I always find you in these situations?" He asked tiredly. 

"Lydia called me, she was the one who found the body," Stiles said, pointing to Lydia. The sheriff's eyes fell on Juno, and he looked at her oddly.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" He asked.

"Juno Clarke."

"Why are you here?"

"Lydia called me," Juno answered. The sheriff sighed and directed Lydia to another police officer for questioning. 

"Look, I don't know why you lot are here, but I suggest you get home and get some rest, it's a school night," the sheriff said. "Do you have a ride home?" He asked Juno.

Juno shrugged, "oh no I can walk from here."

Stiles looked at Juno with flailing arms, "what? No are you crazy? It's super late you could-"

"Enough Stiles," the sheriff interrupted, clearly sensing Stiles' over protectiveness for Juno. "Can you give her a ride home?"

Juno sighed and folded her arms in annoyance, while Stiles nodded. The sheriff then left, leaving the two alone surrounded by police cars. Stiles beckoned for Juno to follow him towards his car. Juno reluctantly followed, for she didn't want to endure an annoying conversation with Cyrus when she got home. Stiles rolled his eyes and grabbed Juno's wrist and lead her to his car.

Juno jumped slightly at the sudden contact, but didn't protest at all. She got in the blue jeep, which reeked of Stiles' scent inside, making Juno feel light and calm.

"Right, where do you live?" Stiles asked.

Juno sighed, "twenty two Hawthorne ave."

Stiles laughed as he started the car, "and you wanted to walk home? You may be good at cross country but that sure is a distance," he joked.

"I just didn't want to deal with the questions my brother would throw at me once I get home. 'Oh who was that who dropped you off? Are you friends? Are they a serial killer?'" Juno imitated. 

Stiles laughed at Juno's over exaggerated English accent to imitate Cyrus. "Is that really what your brother sounds like?"

"No, I was just trying to be funny," Juno sighed. "That's not exactly my strong point though, at least not compared to you."

Stiles was lucky that it was dark, so Juno couldn't see his bright red cheeks. "Well, it made me laugh." Juno could feel her whole body heat up at his shyness. "Also, congrats for making the track team, you really did annihilate everyone on the track."

Juno shrugged, "hey, I told you I did a number of sports!" She laughed, "Coach hinted at me joining the Lacrosse team, but I wouldn't want to steal you boys' glory," she teased.

"Oh, now I think you're just being cocky," Stiles chuckled, "we would probably win a lot more if you did, just saying." Stiles pulled up into Juno's driveway and put the jeep in park. He looked up at the two story house. It was one of the nicer houses in the area, but it was no mansion. "Nice house."

Juno unbuckled her seat belt. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks for the-" Juno cut off her words with a gasp as she noticed Cyrus in the front doorway, leaning casually against the door frame, staring at Juno. 

"Is that your brother?" Stiles asked, staring at Cyrus. "He looks uhm..." He gulped, "just a tad bit intimidating..."

Juno took a deep breath, "yeah... Thanks for the ride, Stiles." Juno hopped out of the car and walked up to Cyrus. Stiles waited for Juno to get inside before he backed away. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the note Juno passed to him earlier that day. He sighed, then reversed out of the driveway once the front door of Juno's house closed.

"How'd you know when I'd be back?" Juno asked, "and why were you waiting in the doorway like a weirdo?"

Cyrus looked up in thought, "oh I have this other supernatural power that I haven't told you about, it allows me to know when my sister will come back from running out of the house to meet up with boys," he teased.

Juno glared up at him, causing a smirk to spread across Cyrus' face. He playfully pinched Juno's cheek as if she were a little girl, then walked towards the dining room. "I'm kidding June, I could smell that kid from down the street..."