It was the dreaded gym class. A rock climbing wall had been placed in the middle of the room and we all crowded around it, two black mats on the floor as people connected themselves to the harnesses.

It was the day after the full moon, and I had been quick to realise that Isaac and Scott weren't on the same side. Apparently Derek was turning more people into werewolves because he needed a pack, and Scott didn't agree with that, because he was putting teenagers at risk of werewolf hunters.

I also realised that my morals aligned with Scott, which was slightly concerning since I'd thought I was siding with the hunters. Now I wasn't so sure, especially since Isaac had become a werewolf. I didn't want to fight him.

I was also informed and updated on the Allison and Scott drama, their history together and how they now have to date in secret because Chris threatened to kill Scott if Allison ever talked to him again. Talk about complicated.

I watched in amusement as Allison and Scott raced each other climbing the wall, bickering with one another throughout it. At one point, Scott got distracted and Allison kicked his foot, sending him careening backwards and falling to the floor, the harness keeping him in the air at the last possible second.

The crowd laughed, and Allison let a small, satisfied smirk curve along her face before she, much more gracefully than Scott, descended the wall.

"Okay, next two," Coach yelled. "Stilinski, Erica, let's go!"

Erica looked up at the wall with undisguised fear, shuffling forward as someone attached the harness to her. I watched worriedly, half paying attention to Lydia, who had decided we were friends now, talk about the new dress she got.

Stiles was racing ahead as Erica struggled on the first few rocks, her deep breaths loud enough that I could hear it from the ground. I cast her a nervous glance but didn't say anything, waiting for her to go higher.

She didn't though. Instead she just stayed where she was, even after Stiles finished, shaking slightly from exertion and fear. I started forward and Stiles looked at me strange, before following my gaze and finding Erica sobbing as she clung to the wall.

Soon others in the crowd noticed and then everyone was surrounding her as Coach pushed his way to the front of the group.

"Erica," he yelled. "Dizzy? Is it vertigo?"

Lydia scrunched up her face incredulously. "Vertigo is a disfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She's just freaking out."

Everyone looked up at Erica, watching as she gripped the wall tightly. She sobbed an "I'm fine" but it wasn't convincing, and my anxiety was increasing with every passing second watching her.

"Coach, maybe it's not safe," I said. "She's epileptic."

Coach looked at me in bafflement. "What? Why doesn't anyone tell me this stuff?" he looked up at Erica. "Erica, you're fine. Just kick off from the wall. There's a mat to catch you."

I winced. A mat to catch you didn't sound very reassuring. Nevertheless after a few tense seconds of silence, Erica slowly started to lean back, her body trembling as she let go of the rock and slowly made her decent back to the ground.

"See, you're fine. It's okay," Coach assured her. "Shake it off. You're fine."

Erica glanced around uneasily as the people around her started laughing. She ducked her head down and walked away, pushing through the crowd of people to make her escape. I followed her, sending everybody who laughed dirty looks as I not so gently shoved them out of my way.

"You okay?" I asked her when we both exited the gym.

Erica whirled around to face me, startled. "Why do you care?"

"Because those guys were jerks for laughing," I said calmly, "and I know if it happened to me I'd be crying."

Erica looked at me with surprise, before mumbling, "I'm fine. You should probably go."

I hesitated for a moment before sighing and doing as she said. I wanted to stay, but I didn't want to push her and ruin the precious headway I'd made with her. I made it to the girls locker room where the female P.E. teacher informed us of Isaac's status as a fugitive.

I nearly let out a gasp. Isaac was a fugitive? As in a fugitive of the law? As in he was wanted? What was happening here? How could Isaac be a fugitive? I knew perfectly well how he could be, but I still couldn't believe it. It just didn't sound right, Isaac being a fugitive, yet it was true.

"Do you know him?" Lydia questioned when she saw my expression.

I blinked, trying to hide some of the emotions displayed on my face. "Oh, um, yeah. We're friends."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun around, heart hammering in my chest, but it was only Allison. So I was a bit jumpier after yesterday. Who wouldn't be?

"We're going ice-skating after school tomorrow," she said. "You should join us."

I laughed. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to pass. Ice skating and I do not mix. I can't stand on ice without falling, let alone move on it with skates."

Allison sighed, giving me a look. "Are you sure? Because I know you're upset about Isaac, and you're always locking yourself in your room so I thought some time hanging out would be fun."

I gave her smile. "I'm sure, and I would love to hang out, just not on the ice."

We were interrupted by a commotion outside in the gym, and all of us bolted outside to find Erica falling off the rock climbing wall, as if in slow motion, and landing in Scott's arms who'd arrived in the nick of time.

Once again Erica was surrounded, this time with worried glances as she seemed to be having a seizure. Allison ordered Scott to put her on her side as we waited for an ambulance and I stood there helplessly, watching as she writhed around, her eyes rolled back into her head.

. . .

I still felt bad about Erica's seizure yesterday. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, and that it wasn't my fault, but I had just stood there doing nothing while she suffered. I hadn't known what to do and so hadn't helped her when she needed it.

I walked through the hallways of Beacon Hills High School, looking for a friendly face when I spotted Lydia. I started walking up to her when someone got there first. Jackson grabbed Lydia's arm and yanked her to the side of the corridor, eyes narrowed to slits as he stared at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he hissed. "Show it to me. Come on."

Lydia batted his hands away. "Are you out of your mind?"

I quickened my pace as Jackson reached for Lydia again, looking disgusted as he stared at her.

"Nothing happened to you," he spat. "It's like you're immune.

Lydia sneered at him. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

Jackson seethed, pushing Lydia against the wall as he leaned in close. Lydia winced but said nothing as he whispered some sort of threat to her.

"It's you. Whatever it is; blood, saliva, whatever. You did this to me. You ruined me. You ruined everything."

He went to push her against the wall again but I reached them just in time, grabbing one of Jackson's arms and pulling it tight across his back, a defensive manoeuvre I'd learnt in martial arts.

"Get away from her," I hissed.

Jackson wrenched his arm out of my grip, glowering at me, but he didn't do anything else. He gave Lydia one last scathing look before storming off, and my focus immediately turned to the strawberry blonde girl staring after him.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

Lydia nodded. "Yeah, yes I'm fine. I just need to go the bathroom. You don't have to come."

She was definitely not fine, because she never went to the bathroom by herself. Still, I let her go, muttering about Jackson and what a soul sucking monster he was as I walked to the cafeteria, finding a seat next to Allison.

We talked about classes and homework as we ate, nothing too heavy, when we were disturbed by someone walking into the cafeteria. She turned heads as she entered, with her leopard print heels, short black skirt matched with a leather jacket, and her blonde hair curled into locks. Erica had a smirk on her dark red lips as she walked into the cafeteria, drawing nearly everyone's attention.

She leaned forwards on someone's table and grabbed an apple, taking a bite as she relished in everyone's attention. Then, with as much flair as she'd entered, she walked out of the room, her heels tapping on the floor.

I scrambled out of my seat and followed her, Stiles and Scott right by my side. I silently used a spell, alarm bells going off in my mind when I realised she was a werewolf. The three of us raced outside just in time to see Erica getting into Derek's car, flashing us a self-satisfied smirk.

I gritted my teeth in frustration, only to scold myself for it because I wasn't supposed to care what they did, because I wasn't on Scott's side, only to remember the books warning. Whatever side I related to or sympathised with was the side I should choose, and I wondered if that meant with Scott.

The rest of the day went past in a blur and I found myself in my room after school, the book in my lap as I practised spells. I'd managed to cast a silencing spell on my door, which was helpful for the next spell I attempted.

The jar on my desk exploded, shards of glass flying everywhere. I threw up my arms to shield my face, but none of the glass even touched me. I grinned, feeling triumphant. I'd been practising more self-defence spells, because the other night when I'd done nothing but sit there defenceless as Isaac charged at me had not been a good experience. I wanted to be prepared, to be able to fight when I needed to.

I went downstairs for a snack, rummaging through the cupboards when I heard voices coming from Chris's office. Curious, I creeped closer, identifying the two people as Chris himself and Gerard. I leaned against the door to hear better.

"Why are you so interested in Y/n?" Chris asked. "What did Kate tell you about her?"

Gerard's response was muffled, probably because he was facing away from the door. "Let's just say Kate knew Y/n was important when she took her."

I stumbled away from the door and hurried back upstairs to my room, feeling sick. Had Kate known I was a witch? Was that the real reason why she had taken me in? I mulled over Gerard's words, my attention getting stuck on the usage of the word took. There was no reason to say took, unless Kate hadn't been as honest about my parent's death as I thought.

I pushed the thought away. No. That was ridiculous. I sighed and picked up the book again, turning to the page I had l left off on.

A/N:

a bit of a boring chapter, sorry 😔

the next chapter is one of my favs tho 🤭🤭