I didn't sleep at all last night.

Suspicion was coursing through my veins and everytime I tried to fall back asleep, my thoughts would wander back to the weird chain of events. Everything started this summer when my mother told me about my aunt, uncle and cousin moving in.Then, the day the three moved in, a dead body was found in the woods and Scott got bitten by something.

Now on the second day of sophomore year, Scott was either going crazy or taking steroids, and my uncle is trying to find some threat in this town that my mother wouldn't help him with. When my alarm focused me from bed, I cringed at the sight of the dark lines underneath my eyes. But the lines from lack of sleep were scars of my suspicion, and I hoped that my mother would notice. But of course, her perfect smile hadn't fluttered at the sight of my scars, and normalcy continued to sweep throughout the Peters household.

I bit down on my green apple as I sat at the island table. Aunt Victoria was in the kitchen, smiling brightly as she made some scrambled eggs, which were apparently Allison's favorite. My cousin sat beside me, smiling as well, as conversation flowed swiftly through the room.

"So, Brynn," Victoria said as she started scooping the yellow food onto a white plate, "Tell me some about yourself, we haven't been able to talk since our first introduction."

I smiled at my aunt and said, "There isn't much to know about me. I'm an average student, I like to binge tv shows and watch movies, and... I really like green apples."

Victoria passed a plate of eggs to her daughter before turning back to me, "What about friends? Boyfriends? How are the people at Beacon High?"

Allison gave her mother a look, but I still answered the question. "No boyfriend, and most of the people at Beacon Hills High are pretty cool. I have a lot of friends, but my two best friends are Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski. I met them in kindergarten, and have been best friends ever since."

Victoria nodded, "Well that's nice. Have you met either of these boys, Allison?"

Allison nodded, and gulped down a bit of egg, "Yeah, I've met Scott. He was the one working at the vet last night when I hit that dog."

A memory flashed through my head. Allison had come home close earlier that night, her eyes puffy from tears. Her parents had been very worried and angry, but she had explained that she had hit a dog and was at the vet overseeing the treatment. It seemed like that event was ages ago.

"Ooh."

At that moment, my phone started buzzing and the sudden sound made everyone jump lightly. I picked up the object and opened the lid to see the name Stiles written on the screen. A light blush came to my cheeks at the thought of my buzzed-haired friends, and for a moment I forgot the two relatives looking at me.

I glanced back up at them and said, "That's one of them now, I'm gonna take this."

Using my socks for extra speed, I zipped through the hallway until I was out of ear shot from the rest of the members of the house. I clicked the answer button, and placed the object next to my ear. Immediately after I answered, loud rambles started flowing into my ear sending waves of pain through my tired boy.

"Bry, you're never going to believe what happened," Stiles rambled, his words slurring together, "I was listening to my dad's calls even though I wasn't supposed to and I heard something crazy. I can't believe Scott was right, I mean he never right, and oh, my god, we gonna have to start making iron in shop cl--"

"Stiles, slow down," I said into the phone interrupting him, "What is going on... and tell me slowly this time."

"I overheard one of my dad's calls. The fiber analysis came back from the lab in LA."

"What fiber analysis?"

"The fiber analysis from the dead body," Stiles said, "There was wolf hair on the body."

My mouth dropped opened, "That means--"

"That Scott was really bitten by a wolf."

~~~

The Friday morning breeze moved through me, sending a shiver down my spine. I wrapped my leather jacket tighter around my lean body, and continued to wait impatiently for the buzzed-haired teenage boy. My fingernails were digging in the fabric of my leggings, anxiousness escaping from my fingertips.

"Hey, are you okay?" Allison said, glancing at me with worry in her eyes. I took a deep breath, and plastered on a fake smile. People were filling onto the lacrosse field, conversation rising throughout the grounds. The eliminations were before school, and since lacrosse was praised at Beacon Hills High, everyone came to school early. Allison, who was hesitant to come at first, immediately agreed once she heard Scott was playing.

"Yeah, just nervous for Scott and Stiles," I lied, "Stiles seemed pretty anxious on the phone this morning."

"Oh," Allison said, "Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Scott is super good, and Stiles seems... like a pretty good cheerleader."

A light laugh escaped my lips, "Yeah, he is."

"So, are you going to the party tonight?" Allison asked hesitantly.

I nodded, "Yeah, definitely. And I guess you'll be there because of Lydia?"

"Yeah," Allison said, grinning down at her hands, "She seems pretty cool honestly, and so does Jackson."

I wanted to roll my eyes and say something snarky, but I kept up my fake smile.

"What's your deal with Lydia?" Allison asked, "If you don't mind me asking."

"It's fine," I said before shrugging my shoulders, "We've just always had bad blood. We're just two it-girls who are competing for the crown of popularity."

Allison nodded, and her brown eyes suddenly drifted to someone behind me. I turned to see Stiles, who was now wearing his lacrosse outfit, stumbling through the field towards the bleachers. His face was written with anxiousness, and the sound of his voice filled my head. There were animal hairs on the body, wolf hairs. I took a shaken breath, and immediately got to my feet.

"I'm sorry, Allison," I said to her, "I will be back in a couple of seconds."

Allison nodded understandably, and once I got her approval, I jumped down the levels of the bleacher. Once I was on the ground, I started quietly over to Stiles, who was handing in the direction of Scott. We had agreed earlier that we would tell Scott the news together so he would have the emotional support of us both.

Scott was standing on the opposite side of the field, and even from afar I could see his expressionless expression. Stiles and I met up on our stumbling walk over the shaggy-haired boy, and shared one glance before we started rambling about the new piece of the large puzzle of the murder.

"Scott!" I said, somewhat breathless.

"Scott, wait up!" Stiles said.

Scott raised his head, and his blank eyes moved over us, "Stiles, Brynn, I'm playing the first elimination, guys. Can it wait?"

Stiles placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder, and said, "Just hold on, okay? I overheard my dad on the phone. The fiber analysis came back from the lab in LA. They found animal hairs on the body in the woods!"

Scott, not paying attention, picked up his lacrosse stick and started towards the field. "Stiles, I gotta go."

The shaggy-haired boy walked onto the field without another glance back at us. Stiles let out a light sigh and whispered, "You're not gonna believe what the animal was. It was a wolf."

Suddenly, the whistle blew and I jumped lightly at the sound noise. Stiles turned sharply on his heel, and gave me a look asking desperately for advice. Not knowing how to respond, I shrugged my shoulders lazily. Another sigh escaped his thin lips, and he thumped down on the closest bleacher.

"Let's go!" Coach yelled, "Gather round!"

Mimicking Stiles, I let out a breath of air and started back over to where my cousin was sitting. When I sat down beside her, she didn't ask any questions about my absence or why I stumbled away quietly. Her gaze was stuck on something, and I quietly released that it was Scott, who was standing in the half-circle that the lacrosse boys had made.

Allison's smile suddenly brightened, and she gave a small wave in the shaggy-haired boy's directions. Scott's expressionless look disappeared when he saw the new girl, and he returned the same wave. My heart fluttered at the adorable romance, the trope of new-girl-and-awkward-guy being one of my favorites.

"Now, get out there and show me what you got!" Coach yelled, coming to the end of the speech he was giving the teenage boys. The lacrosse players started yelling, adrenaline filling their veins. Their loud shouts made me cringe, and the strong smell of masculate testosterone filled the air. I watched closely as twenty boys got into their positions, and the elimination began.

Coach blew the whistle twice, and the first game started off. The crowd cheered from the sidelines, and the boys who were benched were yelling the loudest. The tiny white ball was passed from player to player. The opposite team tried to stop the passing, but no one was able to stop the quick formation. Eventually, the ball landed in Scott's net and a light supportive whoop escaped my lips.

The shaggy-haired boy hesitated for a moment before he started running forward. Moving his stick side-to-side, he went through some of the defense before getting knocked off of his feet. I cringed when I heard a loud thump, and a sharp breath escaped my lips. My tense expression hardened when I caught the sight of a sharp jawline of the attacker. Jackson glanced down at Scott before turning back towards his team.

Ugh, Jackson was such an asshat.

The whistle blew again, and the boys re-set.

Jackson and Scott leaned over the small ball, their sticks laying on both sides of the circular object. When Coach blew his whistle again, Scott quickly snatched the ball before Jackson could react. Another cheer escaped my lips at my best friend's super speed. At that moment, my eyes fluttered over to where Stiles was sitting and my excitement faded slightly at the sight of his tense face.

Scott made his way swiftly through the defense, and just as he had stated before, it seemed like he had all the time in the world to move through the other boys. The crowd was on the edge of their seats as Scott spun, turned, and jumped through the defense, inching slowly towards the net. Once he came up to the net, it was suddenly blocked by three upperclassmen, and I thought in those moments that the amazing run was over.

But just as that thought came to mind, Scott jumped gracefully over the wall of boys. The jump seemed to happen in slow motion, and amazement immediately crossed over my face. But the amazement quickly disappeared and it was replaced with suspicion. How did this transformation happen so suddenly?

My thoughts moved back to the anxiousness Stiles had when he broke the news about the wolf hair. I needed to talk to him, I needed to know what was going inside his detective mind.

Once Scott landed on the ground, he scored easily. The crowd exploded into cheers and screams, most of them even jumped to their feet. The boys quickly piled on top of the sophomore boy, and their excitement made the air thicken.

"McCall! Get over here!" Coach yelled. Scott, who was still shocked at his own supernatural reflexes, walked slowly over to the lacrosse coach. The two continued to talk about the stunt that the McCall boy just pulled, and even though Coach wore an upset expression, it probably meant that Scott was going to be put on the team. Coach had a way of confusing people with this angry yelling.

I couldn't hear most of the conversation until finally Coach finished with, "You're starting, buddy. You made first line!"

Again, the crowd exploded into cheers and yells. People were getting to their feet and clapping until the skin on their palms were raw. Allison, who was giving from ear to ear, mimicked the excitement from the rest of the crowd.

I knew that I should be jumping off the walls right now, but the excitement that was coursing through my veins the day before had quickly faded. Something was off, and it was putting me on edge. From across the field, Stiles and I made eye contact, and in our stares, we expressed our nervousness for our best friend.

~~~

"So let me get this straight... you think Scott, our best friend Scott McCall, is a werewolf?" I asked Stiles, tilting my head at the buzzed-haired boy.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying," Stiles said before turning back to his computer.

A sigh escaped my lips, exhaustion hitting me like a tidal wave. After the lacrosse tryout that morning, Stiles was a nervous wreck and every time that I tried to ask about his anxiousness, he would just say that he would tell me after he did more research. Instead of having to wait, I decided to come over to Stiles house after school, to help with his research.

But I didn't expect that we were going to be looking up facts about a fictional creature.

I slipped off of Stiles' bed, and made my way over to the Stilinski boys desk. I hovered over his shoulder as he started to type in the word werewolves on the search bar. Stiles slammed the enter button roughly, and a list of pictures and articles appeared on the screen.

"Wow, you really think Scott's a werewolf," I mumbled.

Stiles exhaled a sharp breath, and said, "Brynn, just think about it for a second."

"There's nothing to think over," I told him, crossing my arms over my chest, "Werewolves are fictional, we were just joking about it the other day. See, joking, because they're not real."

"Bry, just hear me out, please" Stiles said, "First, Scott gets bitten by something and he thinks it's a wolf. I mean, he heard a wolf howling. Then he starts having super hearing, and super nosies, and other weird stuff like that. Then he suddenly becomes amazing at lacrosse, even though he was crappy the last time we practiced together. And finally, the last piece of important information, the hairs on the dead body came back as wolve hairs. So the overall message of this is that Scott's a werewolf, and we need to start making a hell of a lot of silver."

I thought about Stiles' statement for a moment, letting all of the facts sink in. The facts did make some sense, even though I've only seen a handful of werewolf movies, but my best friend's statement still didn't change my mind that werewolves were fictional creatures.

"The wolf could have been carrying a disease," I stated.

"Already checked all the diseases a wolf can carry," Stiles rambled, "None of them matched."

"How much Adderall have you had?"

"A lot."

"That explains it."

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. The sound made me and Stiles both jump, staring at the door like a killer was going to be standing on the opposite side. After a couple beats of silence, I started towards the door and opened it cautiously. My shoulder untensed when I saw the sight of Scott McCall on the other side.

Scott smiled innocently at me.

Stiles appeared at my side, and let out a loud sigh when he saw the sight of his best friend. "Get in. You gotta see this, dude."

Scott glanced at Stiles before walking into the messy bedroom. Stiles, I learned, had been printing out a bunch of pictures of old legends and old photos of the fictional creature. The papers were scattered around the bedroom floor.

"I've been up all night reading," Stiles explained as he started picking up papers, "Websites, books. All this information."

"How much Adderall have you had today?" Scott asked, mimicking my question from earlier.

"That doesn't matter," Stiles said sharply, "Okay, just listen."

"Is this about the body?" Scott asked, as he and I took a seat on Stiles' bed, "Did they find out who did it?"

"No, they're still questioning people," Stiles said quietly, "even Derek Hale."

"Oh, the guy in the woods that we saw the other day?"

"Seriously, I didn't know that they would be questioning him?" I mumbled, getting slightly off topic.

"Yeah! Yes. But that's not it, okay?" Stiles said, glancing at me slightly before turning back to Scott.

"What, then?" Scott asked.

"Don't get him started," I mumbled to the shaggy-haired boy.

"Brynn," Stiles scolded.

"Sorry."

"Okay," Stiles said, clearing his throat, "Remember the joke from the other day? Not a joke anymore. The wolf. The bite in the woods. I started doing all this reading. Do you even know why a wolf howls?"

Scott glanced at me, and asked, "Should I?"

I shrugged.

"It's a signal, okay?" Stiles rambled, "When a wolf's alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. So if you heard a wolf howling, that means others could have been nearby. Maybe even a whole pack of them."

"A whole pack of wolves?" Scott asked.

"No, werewolves."

I looked at Scott, who's expression suddenly changed. Annoyance started to line his young face, and his eyes were filled with upsetness.

"Are you seriously wasting my time with this?" Scott asked, getting to his feet, "You know I'm picking up Allison in an hour."

"I saw you on the field today, Scott," Stiles said, grabbing his friends shoulders, "Okay, what you did wasn't just amazing, all right? It was impossible."

"Wait, hold the phone for a second," I said, getting to my feet as well, "You're taking my cousin on a date?"

"Yeah, so I made a good shot," Scott said to Stiles before taking a double take, "And cousin?"

"Yeah, Alli--"

"No, you made an incredible shot," Stiles said, interrupting me, "I mean, the way you moved, your speed, your reflexes. People can't just suddenly do that overnight. And there's the vision and the senses, and don't even think I don't notice that you don't use your inhaler anymore."

"B, are you believing this?" Scott asked me, stopping Stiles in his tracks.

I hesitated before saying, "I mean, he does have a point."

Scott let out a loud groan, "Okay, I can't think about this now. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!? What!? No!" Stiles panicked, "The full moon's tonight. Don't you get it?"

"What are you trying to do?" Scott yelled, "I just made the first line. I got a date with a girl who I can't believe wants to go out with me. Everything in my life is somehow perfect. Why are you trying to ruin it!"

"Shut it!" I yelled, making the two boys close their mouths, "I can't believe after getting a test of popularity this is what happens to you. Go on your date, have fun on the first line, go make some fake friends, but none of it will be worth it in the end."

"Yeah, you're one to talk B," Scott mumbled before starting towards the door. Before leaving, he turned to look at us, and I could see the anger shining bright in his normally kind brown eyes.

"I was just trying to help," Stiles said, his voice small, "You're cursed, Scott. You know, it's not just the moon that will cause physical change. It also just so happens to be when your bloodlust will be at its peak."

"Bloodlust?" Scott groaned, coming back into the room.

"Yeah, your urge to kill."

"I'm already starting to feel an urge to kill Stiles," Scott said, softness returning to his eyes. I could see the nervousness flowing through him, the hardness around him breaking. Something was going on, and it was hard to believe that Stiles was on the right track.

"You gotta hear this," Stiles said as he grabbed a book off of his desk, "The change can be caused by anger, or anything that raises your pulse. All right? I haven't seen anyone raise your pulse like Allison does. You gotta cancel this date. I'm gonna call her right now."

"What are you doing?" Scott asked lazily as Stiles took Scott's phone out of his backpack.

"He's canceling the date," I said, "There's no way that you're gonna kill my cousin."

"It's ringing."

"No, give it to me," Scott yelled suddenly before pushing Stiles against the wall, fist at the ready.

"Scott, stop!" I yelled, as Scott lowered the punch, and hit the chair instead. A grunt escaped the angry boy's lips, and I felt my body begin to tremble with nervousness.

The shaggy-haired boy released Stiles, and continued to take deep breaths, trying quickly to calm himself. Normally, he would use his inhaler, but he didn't grab the device out, just like Stiles had stated before.

"I'm sorry," Scott said, breathless, "I'm sorry. I gotta go get ready for that party."

Scott, shock written all over his face, slowly and cautiously grabbed his backpack before starting over to the half-open bedroom door. Before he left the room, he turned to face us both, and apologized for a third time. Stiles and I didn't say anything in response, panic still high in our system.

Once Scott closed the door behind him, our breathing became lighter.

"Are you okay?" I asked, starting over to the buzzed-haired boy.

He nodded before walking over to his fallen chair. Stiles swiftly picked it up, and set it back on his wheels, but when he spun the object around that's when his mouth fell open. I glanced down at the chair, and mine did the same. On the back of the chair, there were three huge claw marks on the back.

"Oh shit!"