Chapter Nineteen ✧Cause Of Death✧

As soon as Hayden had announced my presence to the nearly empty club, the two guys standing at the bar looked over my way to see what the commotion was about. Suddenly very conscious of all the attention being on me, I looked down at my feet sheepishly and tried to remember the speech I had been rehearsing my entire walk to the club., which hadn't exactly been short. 

Hayden seemed to notice my attention-induced blank mind, because once she got over the fact that I was there she quickly led me over to a corner of the club. 

"Can you tell me what's going on now?" Hayden questioned once the others were out of ear shot. 

"Oh, um yeah. One second," I stammered. Clumsily, I began fumbling through my pockets until I could successfully grip and pull out what I'd brought Hayden. Extending my arm awkwardly out to her, I held out a small but still significant wad of money.  "I, uh, wanted to bring this to you." 

"You're kidding right?" Hayden raised an eyebrow and looked from the money to me. "What are you paying me for." 

"Well, um, actually, I'm trying to pay you back," I hurriedly began to explain before Hayden could turn down the offer. "I know you have to pay for the drinks I made you spill the other night all your self and I know this is all under the table since you're underage so you're probably not making a lot of money and I know that I've ran into you a lot because I'm clumsy and a mess and I feel bad and I know that must make me come off as unfriendly or something which I'm not I'm just- just, well I'm just..." 

Running out of both breath and words, my probably frantic eyes fell from Hayden's to the floor between us. I tried to remember where my train of thought was going, but I'd gone off on such a tangent from what I had originally planned on saying that I couldn't remember the points I had hit and the one's I'd forgotten to say.

"You're so awkward. And small," Hayden noted. She tilted her head to the side and I was very conscious of the fact that she was studying me. "I'm definitely not taking your money." 

"I don't mean to be dramatic but I might implode if you don't," I murmured in a small voice.

 I couldn't quite explain why this was so important for me, but I knew it was something I needed to do. This was possibly one of the last things I had any control of in my life and I needed it to go right. I just needed to do something good to remember that I still could and that good things might still be able to happen to my friends. 

"Look, I know that you have, you know, issues with people and contact and socializing and all of that, so it was really nice of you to come out here and I appreciate it, but I just can't take you money," Hayden's voice had lowered too, and softened significantly as if she didn't want to set me off. 

Realizing how noticeable my anxiety was to other's always made me feel self conscious, even ashamed sometimes, but I knew Hayden was only mentioning it to try to be kind. I took a deep breath and nodded through her words. 

"For someone so quite and shy, you always seem to in the middle of things when it means helping people. I admire that. I can definitely see why Liam's into you." Hayden let out an almost bitter laugh. "Don't see why you're at all in to him though, but, you know, not my business I guess."

"We've been through a lot together," I tried to explain, but honestly, there was no way to explain the complicated feelings and obstacles and supernatural disasters that brought us together and made me not able to remember that there had even been a time where he wasn't a part of my life, even though we'd only less then a year ago. 

Suddenly, I realized I still had the money in my hands and looked from it to Hayden expectantly. Watching me do this, Hayden let out another soft laugh, this one more genuine then sarcastic. 

"You're really not going to let this go, are you?" She inquired. She tapped her fingers against the tray of candles she was holding before her face lit up with an idea. "Fine, how about this? Instead of expecting your money, I'll except you're help instead. Help me set up for tonight and we'll call it even, okay?" 

Knowing this was the closest thing to repaying her as I was going to get, I nodded my head eagerly. Hayden smiled triumphantly before holding out a few candles to me. 

Together, with just enough small talk that Hayden wouldn't feel awkward working in silence and I wouldn't feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, we'd both lit and placed all the candles on the respected tables. After that task was done, Hayden showed me to the back where the kept the supplies, among which were some glow sticks, which were the reason we had come back. 

As I put my hand into the box of glow sticks to pull one out, Hayden explained to me that they normally put a handful at the bar for people to grab along with scattering some glow sticks at the tables for people to take as they pleased. I'd looked up to nod at Hayden to show her I was following along with what she was staying, but I never made it to the simple action as my heart felt like it stopped beating in my chest when my eyes landed on a flickering figure. 

Even though she was flickering in and out, I knew exactly who it was trying to flash to a brief existence just past Hayden. Although the figure was a blur and only came to life in second intervals, I knew it was supposed to be the shape of Allison Argent. Unfortunately, I also knew it wasn't the huntress at all, but instead Genevieve Carodine contacting me through Allison. 

Between every flicker, Genevieve seemed to attempt to move closer to and closer to Hayden until she was breathing just down her neck. My breathe caught in my throat as the air around as froze. Genevieve had never appeared to me like this. It seemed clear that she had something urgent to say, and it was just as clear by her grim appearance that I could just make out that this was not a good occasion at all. I hated the fact that suddenly I was once again a terrified little girl again, petrified to move as I watched the scene unravel before me. 

Genevieve turned Allison's head slightly, studying what she could from Hayden's face as she hovered over her. I didn't bother making a noise because I knew there was no way for Hayden to see her. If she didn't notice a ghostly figure standing at her back, breathing down her neck and studying her, then she never would. I was alone in seeing these visions after all. 

Despite the menacing feeling I had in the bottom of my stomach that was eating me from the inside out, the apparition behind Hayden didn't look hateful or angry, but instead sorrowful and heavy hearted. Her lips right by Hayden's ear she finally spoke. 

Even though she stood next to Hayden, I felt the coldness of her dead breathe prickling the back of my next. Her voice crooned softly right into my own ear. 

"She was created to kill you." A haunting voice was crawling around my head now. "And she is what will give you control of your powers. Keep her close and prepare for your fall, Charlotte Lahey." 

Just as my own personal ghost flickered out of existence, I finally gasped in a breath and stumbled backwards. Hayden realized something was wrong and was looking at me in concern. 

"What happened?" Hayden tried to step forward, but I reacted immediately with another step back. "Is this like a panic attack or something? Charlotte? Do you want me to call someone? Liam?" 

Even though I knew Genevieve was gone, her words still circled my mind, ensnaring with every syllable. One word in particular stood out, though. Created. Hayden was created. An idea just as awful as the dizzying as possibly receiving a death omen popped into my head. Slowly, I gripped a glowstick. 

"I-I need you to close your eyes," I finally managed to breath out. 

Hayden desperately tried to read me. "What? I don't care what's happening, you don't need to try to hide it, just tell me what's going on." 

"Please," It wasn't so much of a request as a command, although I'm not sure it came off as one. "Just for a second, close your eyes." 

Not looking happy about it, Hayden closed her eyes. Her lips made a tight line to show her displeasure, but I ignored them as I carefully broke the glow stick to make it light up. Then, I held it up to be just level with Hayden's eyes. 

"Open." 

Quickly, Hayden's eyes snapped opened. Just as I had dreadfully expected, they reacted with the glow stick and were glazed over with a glowing haze. Right when they made eye contact with my own eyes, my knee's buckled. All of the sudden, my entire body felt like a weight and I couldn't stop myself from falling, just as I couldn't stop the world from going completely black. 

The noises around me were muffled at best. Confused at what was going on, I forced my eyes open. Slowly, the blurry figures in front of me turned to identifiable faces and the humming in my ears turned into actual voices. I could identify one of the voice's as Liam's before my eyes even landed on him. 

"Char? Can you here me?" His voice echoed around me. 

"Mhm," I groaned unconvincingly back at him. I'd already been propped against the wall of the back closet of Sinema, but I tried to sit up a little bit on my own. 

"Is she okay?" Hayden asked. She was standing behind Liam. 

Liam looked at me for a second to make sure I was going to stay awake. Then, he slowly nodded. "Yeah, yeah I think so. Thanks again for calling me." 

That explained why Liam was here. Hayden must've been worried enough when whatever had happened to me happened to put aside her hatred for Liam and called him. Unsurprisingly, Liam had come to my aid. He looked back at me worriedly and I felt a wave of gratitude for him wash over me. 

"Um, do you need anything?" Hayden asked, referring to me. 

For the first time since I'd woken up I made myself look over at Hayden. Genevieve's voice wrung clearly through my mind, each word equally unforgettable. And I already knew the part that Hayden was created was right, so who's to say the rest wasn't right either. 

I quickly dropped her gaze. "Water, please?" 

Hayden nodded quickly before leaving to go find some water. Liam turned to me and began trying to ask me what happened, but I anxiously cut him off. 

"She's a Chimera." 

Liam's concerned face froze for a second. It took him a second to take in what I had just said for his face to change expression. Now his eyes held a look of confusion. His mouth formed an 'o' as I'm sure a million different question's raced through his head. Carefully, he picked which one to ask first. 

"How do you know that?" Liam asked. His voice had dropped significantly as he carefully watched the door for Hayden to return. 

I tried to decide which part of the story to start with, but I figured me telling him I had received a death omen from a ghost using Allison to haunt me would lead to questions I've been trying to avoid for so long so instead I skipped a head some. 

"I just... had a feeling," I explained slowly. I realized I didn't sound completely convinced myself and hoped Liam wrote that off as a side effect of me collapsing. "And then I decided to check that feeling with those glow sticks over there and, Liam, they made her eyes glow like we said a Chimera's would. And it makes sense, I mean, remember when Tracy grabbed her with her claws? That has already healed." 

"I didn't even notice," Liam murmured. He let out a long sigh. Even with us discovering a new Chimera, Liam didn't seem to be finished fretting over me. "Was this right before you passed out? I mean, do you think it shocked you into passing out or something?" 

I remembered the feeling I had felt as soon as I had looked into Hayden's glowing eyes. It was like the life had been drained out of me and I wasn't entirely sure I had completely recovered. But I didn't really have an explanation for why that could've happened. I'd never felt something like that before. It didn't feel like I had passed out so much as had momentarily died, but I really didn't want to think about that. 

"It is the last thing I remember," I admitted. I quickly noticed that this didn't calm the nervous storm brewing in Liam's eyes and tried to get myself to smile. "I'm okay now, though." 

"Good, cause if you weren't-," Liam cut himself off, his voice catching slightly. Feeling guilty for making him so concerned, I reached out for his hand. It was okay that he didn't finish the sentence because I knew what he was feeling. I know I would've been the same way if it were him. 

"What are we going to do about Hayden?" I asked after a moment. 

Liam seemed to be more concentrated on holding my hand for a moment before he responded. "Tracy didn't know what was happening to her, right? What if Hayden doesn't know either?" Liam asked. "I think we should tell her. About everything." 

"Who are you telling about what?" Hayden had suddenly appeared in the doorway again, a water bottle clutched in her hands. The strained frown that Liam's presence seemed to always make surface finally appeared on her lips. 

Liam looked at me a little uncertainly, but I nodded to reassure him that this is what we had to do. I tried to get to my feet, but I still wasn't completely sturdy. Liam instinctively wrapped an arm around me and allowed me to use him to steady myself. Once I was sure I wasn't going to fall back down, I forced myself to look at Hayden. 

It's always better when they know, Stiles' voice rang in the back of my head. I was sure he was right about that, but I wonder what he would say knowing what I did about Genevieve Carodine. I was trying not to let her words get to me right now, though, because I truly didn't believe Hayden deserved her fate being decided by the Dread Doctors. 

"Hayden, we have to tell you somethings that might seem a little crazy but I promise you they are all true," I began. Despite the voice echoing in the back of my head, I caught her gaze with my own and held it with as much sincerity as I could. 

"We think that these people, they're called the Dread Doctors, have done something to you, something you probably don't remember," Liam picked up where I left off. 

Hayden's eyes slowly looked from Liam to me. There wasn't an ounce of trust in them. 

"They're like scientists of the supernatural," I hurried to explain before she refused to listen to us. "And they've, well, um, changed, I guess, other people into other things. And they did it to you, too." 

"Other things? What the hell are you talking about? Are you both crazy?" Hayden still hadn't lost the uncertainty from her eyes. 

"Werewolves," Liam piped in. As soon as the word left his lips, he cringed. Claiming that werewolves were running amok wasn't exactly any more believable then claiming they was a dang of physicians running around experimenting on kids and calling themselves the Dread Doctors. 

"Oh, I see," Hayden spoke slowly and cynically. Her frown deepened, which I hadn't thought was possible. "You guys are crazy. What, is this what you do for date night. Find people you don't like or something and pull a prank on them? I can't was really liking you and concerned for you! This is sick." 

With that, Hayden threw the water bottle to the side and abruptly left the room. 

Liam looked over at me in shock. "We need to go after her, right?" 

"Yes!" Standing on my own, I pushed on him softly in the direction of the door and we began hurrying after Hayden. 

We'd apparently driven Hayden tot he point where she couldn't even work because the girl had made a beeline for the exit. Liam and I rushed after her and made it outside just in time to see she was heading for her car. 

"Hayden! Wait, please!" I hollered after her. 

"You're a great actress, Charlotte!" Hayden shouted bitterly over her shoulder. She showed no sign of slowing down. "I mean that faint really terrified me, so kudos to whoever your drama teacher is! They deserve a raise!" 

Hayden finally came to a stop, but only because she was trying to unlock her car. This gave Liam and I the chance to catch up with her. 

"What if I can prove to you that we're not lying," Liam said hurriedly and, honestly, rather loudly. 

Hayden had just opened her door when Liam had spoken up. She finally had her opportunity o get away from us, but apparently Liam had said just the right thing because it made her hesitate. After a second, she slowly turned around. 

"How the hell are you going to do that?" Hayden questioned. 

Liam looked over at me, apparently not sure now if this was the best idea. I wasn't sure if it was either, but I was certain that him showing her that he was a werewolf was probably our only shot at convincing her right now. I gave Liam a small nod, and he took a deep breath before dipping his head. 

Liam took a moment to compose himself and find control of his wolf-self. Then, he looked up at Hayden, his eyes now glowing a brilliant shade of yellow, his fangs elongated, and a roar erupting from his lips. The growl grew to resonate throughout the whole street but never met it's true potential as Hayden matched it with a high-pithced scream of her own and quickly punched Liam straight in the nose. 

if i'm being perfectly honest here, I wasn't a big hayden fan. her character was alright itself, but her whole hate liam thing was really cringey to me when she like was all"i'm vengeful" idk i thought it was wierd. and then like three eps later her and liam are making out and tryna run away together and i was like jeff wyd there was potential and you just blew it up with this. so yeah, i totally did not ship layden at all, but nonetheless i do NOT want to see any Hayden hate here. i don't like seeing hate in my stories and honestly pitting girls against girls isn't my thing so that's why hayden's hatred towards liam hasn't affected how she feels about charlotte so sorry for those of you who were expecting that drama but i hope you enjoy this storyline. 

also, speaking of charlotte and hayden, i actually really love the potential of this relationship? i didn't think I was going to like writing it so much but i did and if it seemed like hayden had some feeling there for charlotte #sorrynotsorry. I have no self control but hey let's see where this budding friendship goes, yeah? 

question - what should hayden and charlotte's ship name be? (i'm a whole trash can I know but I can't help myself)