Chapter 11 ✧Just A Dream✧

I'd been in the Sherriff's station dozens of times. The first time, of course, had been the time when my brother and I had been dragged in as suspects in are fathers death, which were were then found innocent for. But since that arrest it had just been because I'd made friends with the sheriff's hyperactive son. 

Anyways, in all the times I'd been in the Sherriff's station, I'd never been in this deep. I didn't even really know where I was at the moment, I just knew I had to keep following the occasional hissing I would hear. 

"Tracy." I called in out a sheepish voice. Then, realizing how weak I must've sounded, I cleared my throat and tried again. "Tracy, it's me. It's Charlotte Lahey. I just want to help you, I promise." 

My words were obviously true, I didn't want to hurt a fly, but I had no idea how I was going to help her. I didn't even know how I'd stop her if she decided she didn't want my help. I really should've came up with a better plan, but I was in too deep now to just walk away. 

Suddenly, and not to mention unexplainably, I felt a presence behind me. I just knew that Tracy was there, and somehow I also knew she wasn't any friendlier then she was a few minutes ago. I took a deep before quickly turning around. 

Tracy was of course standing there, scales covering parts of her face and claws protruding from her finger tips. Suddenly, she held a striking resemblance to a certain Jackson Whittemore, but that whole ordeal had ended after quite a nasty bloodbath, and I was really hoping that wasn't how dealing with Tracy was going to end up. 

"Tracy, I don't want to hurt you." I said as softly as I could. Tracy's slitted eyes remained trained on me as she took a step forward, telling me I wasn't exactly getting across to her. Instinctively, I put my hands up. "I just want to help you. And Lydia's mom. Where is she, by the way?" 

Tracy was in no mood to answer my questions, which I guess shouldn't have been much of a surprise to me. I could sense that she was lunging just before she did so, and when she moved so did I. My hands, which were already up defensibly, stopped trembling and instead pushed outwards towards Tracy's body. 

I'd never touched Tracy, but she still flew backwards. I knew I'd done it, mostly because it wasn't the first time I'd done something like that, but it was the first time I'd really tried to. It was the first time I'd gathered up the courage and the power from myself to fight back in a way I didn't even know I could. 

And it felt amazing. 

I looked down at my hands, hoping I wouldn't blast my own face off, and turned them over. They were my hands, the ones that I drew with, the ones that I washed my hair with, but suddenly they felt different. I felt different. 

You're fight isn't over yet. 

The voice happened so suddenly, I thought someone else might be there. And then I remembered that I was actually going insane. Startled and a bit rattled, I stumbled backwards as Tracy got back to her feet. Suddenly, there was a pit in my stomach. I knew Tracy was going to lunge at me again, but I didn't want to try using whatever I had anymore, because what if it triggered the voice again. What if every time I used my powers, I became less and less like my self? 

I was worrying myself. I probably should've changed my middle name from Evangeline to overthinker, but right then I couldn't help myself. No longer sure what I should do, I stepped backwards, trying to get away from Tracy as I frantically tried clearing my mind. I should've been watching were I was going because next thing I knew, I had tripped over something. 

Now on the ground, I looked over to see what had caused me to fall and let out a sound that was a little bit more then a gasp but a little bit less then a shriek. It was Lydia's mom. Even though I didn't quite know what I was doing, I reached out to her to see if I could find some sign of a pulse. I'd only just put my fingers to the side of the older woman's neck when I found a hand around my own throat. 

Tracy pulled me up to my feet by gripping my throat tightly. I could feel her claws on my skin, straining it so it was almost breaking. I knew it wouldn't take too much more for her paralysis-inducing venom to start soaking into my skin. It had happened to me before, and the feeling of being completely helpless, a prisoner in your own body, was quite possibly one of the worst feelings in the entire world. 

I attempted to say something to Tracy, to tell her it was just a dream and that she needed to snap out of it, but that only in resulted in her grip on my neck tightening. Suddenly, she had me pushed up against a wall, and I realized I was out of options. I'd came down here to save Lydia's mom, and now I was the one that needed saving. What was I thinking? 

I felt a rush of anger towards myself, for being unable to do one single thing for my friends. Then I felt anger towards my friends, who had been right when they always told me to stay back. After that anger washed through my veins, I felt all my rage be directed towards Tracy. I was only trying to help her, to finally do something good with my life, and what I got in return is the threat of being a paralytic state for what would be the third time in my life. That was not going to happen. 

My hands rose up, clutching on to Tracy's wrist. The girl let out an angry hiss, but I could feel her hold around my next already losing its strength. Heat radiated from the palms of my hand, and I could see and orange-ish glow spreading from Tracy's scaly skin. Within seconds, she was letting out a pained howl and recoiled. 

Once she'd let go of me, I fell back against the wall to catch my breath. My throat hurt, my hands felt like they were on fire, and my body felt drained off all energy, but at least I was still alive. 

Tracy was stumbling too, but she wasn't giving up yet. She reached out towards me and I attempted to dodge her onslaught, but my move only resulted in the both of us falling to the ground. Tracy was on top of me and I had to use all my strength to keep her claws from scratching any part of my body. With every passing second, her venomous claws got closer and closer to my face, and I knew I was losing the energy to fight her off. 

I tried to kick out my legs, but Tracy pinned them down. Seeing as I knew close to nothing about self defense, I was seriously running out of moves. The look on Tracy's monstrous face told me she knew she was winning, too. Having already laid all my cards out on the table, I let out a strained cry. My muscles began going slack, and the last bit of fight I had in me was finally gone. 

Unsurprisingly, Tracy's hands found her way to the back of my neck, and I felt a cut slice my skin open. With another horrified gasp, I could feel the venom running through my body, and all my limbs became increasingly weak. 

I didn't know what Tracy would do to me next, but luckily I never had to find out. Her body was thrown off of me so quickly, it felt like a weight was lifted off my chest and I'd start floating through the air. Of course that didn't happen, and I instead just lied unmovingly on the floor. 

I managed to move my neck to the side, looking up at the figure above me. Letting out a loud snarl, there was Malia Tate in her unmistakable werecoyote form.  

Jumping over my body, Malia charged at Tracy. The two teenage girls charged at each other, and suddenly they were fighting. Tracy swung her arm at Malia, who swiftly caught it. Malia tried to use this as an advantage, but Tracy was too quick, and soon she was throwing Malia into a wall. 

Malia quickly got back to her feet. This time when Tracy tried to attack her, Malia kicked her in the chest. Tracy attempted to hit Malia again, but the werecoyote easily dodged her. Soon, Malia had Tracy flipped over and on the floor. Moving quickly, Malia knelt down and put her knee to Tracy's throat. 

Suddenly, I realized just how much Malia was winning. I tried reaching out to her, but my body had gone completely numb. "Malia," I croaked desperately. "You just have to get her to know that she's dreaming." 

Malia was better at the task then I was. As Tracy gasped for air and the yellow glow of her reptilian eyes faded, Malia jumped to her feet. The brunette girl looked over at me unsure, and I did my best attempt at a kind nod. 

Tracy rolled over, holding her neck as she tried to catch her breathe. She looked around at Malia and I in a dazed confusion, and I could already tell that she was turning back. 

"Tracy," Malia called out worriedly. "No, no, no. Look at me. You're not dreaming." 

"This is real, Tracy." I urged her to understand. She looked over at where I was lying with a mixture of guilt and horror. I knew she hadn't meant what she'd done, just like I hadn't meant what I'd done, so I did my best to give her an encouraging smile. "All of this is real, do you get that?" 

"You're not dreaming, Tracy," Malia assured the other girl carefully. I was almost amazed at the sincerity and kindness in her voice. Of course I loved Malia, she was a great friend, but she wasn't always the most empathetic of people, which was of course understandable after the interesting life she lived. 

"What's happening to me?" Tracy looked fearfully between Malia and myself. 

I saw them before the other two did. 

Appearing from the shadows, a metal man stepped forward. I wanted to grab Tracy and quickly pull her aside, but all I could do was barely curl my fingers, much less save the girls life. Unable to do anything else, I began to call out to Tracy, but there was a sudden weight on my chest, cutting off my air circulation. 

Struggling to turn my head, I saw another man in metal towering over me. I didn't dare make another sound for the fear I would get crushed under foot. I felt fear bubble up in my chest as it was slowly crushed, which I must say is an incredibly uncomfortable combination. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the first metal figure grab Tracy, puncturing her neck with a long needle. My eyes widened, and was unable to do anything but stare in absolute horror as Tracy fell limp to the ground. Malia rushed towards her, but a new metal figure appeared and grabbed the were coyotes head, pushing it fiercely against a wall. I wanted desperately to help her, but I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do. 

"Her condition is terminal," The metal man standing above me spoke. At least, I thought he was speaking, but his voice was odd, kind of rusty even, like he was speaking through a scratchy old loud speaker. For some reason, it made my skin crawl. Or maybe it was the fact that he had the power to crush my lungs at any moment he wanted to. 

"Stop," I coughed desperately, but it was too late. 

As if nothing had happened, the figures all disappeared once more. I was still paralyzed, but I no longer wanted to move, not even to wipe the silent tear the swept across my cheek. Looking over at a mangled Tracy who was now oozing a silvery ichor, I felt like nothing short of a failure. 

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Holy zeus almighty I finally finished this sucker. I'm sorry it took so long, but here it is! Now I know this chapter didn't cover much as far as the episode goes, but it's very important for whats about to happen to Charlotte in the upcoming chapters! 

Question - How do you think Charlotte will be fitting in to season 5B?