A LOT HAD CHANGED SINCE MARCH. In the four months since the whole Kanima situation we'd had a period of rest and it was blissful. Everything had slowly settled back to normal and we had the chance to live the rest of our sophomore year like normal teenagers. There wasn't a day that passed where I didn't have a smile on my face — even when things sometimes got too much — because I had never been happier. There was something about living a life without feeling the constant weight of an impending doom looming that I found so beautiful.

Jackson had been given the full werewolf 101 by Derek and after our sophomore year finished he and his parents moved to London. I mean, there was nothing like re-creating original 80s movies in real life but each to their own. His parents wanted a fresh start after the whole 'dead but not dead thing'.

Lydia seemed to be coping well without Jackson's presence. This time around it had ended on mutual grounds and so they were happy living as friends.. even if there was still feelings there for one another. After I had given her the whole run down of all things supernatural the last few months of her life seemed to click into place and in her words she no longer felt like she was losing her mind. She knew exactly what was what now and it was so much easier now she was in the loop.

Allison had broken up with Scott shortly after we stopped Jackson from evolving and Gerard going missing. She and I weren't on the best terms after she'd stabbed Isaac several times with her knives and tried to kill Derek also while under Gerard's influence. I'd come to learn that she was very easily manipulated and influenced and once that person got her wrapped around their finger her entire personality shifted. I had lost a lot of trust in her since we'd both moved to Beacon Hills but we were still friends and we kept in touch when she and Chris went to France for summer break.

Scott had taken the break up well — better than what Stiles and I were anticipating actually — and he said to Allison that he'd wait for her. It was sweet because it showed just how much Scott really loved her, I just hoped she didn't do anything to hurt him. My friend had barely passed his sophomore year and so when he did it was a big relief to us all. He had dedicated his summer to bettering himself as a student and he committed to his studying, ready to dive straight into Junior year when it started.

And Stiles and I.. well, we were great. We'd finally had the opportunity to do things normal couples did, we went out on dates every Friday night, we had movie nights and most importantly we could sit together the whole night without being interrupted by some sort of supernatural emergency. We'd slowly gotten even closer than before, pushing our boundaries out respectfully. I loved it.. and I loved him, I just hadn't told him that yet. I was waiting for the perfect opportunity and I had planned when I was going to tell him. On Friday we were going on a date to celebrate our nine month anniversary, I was going to tell him I loved him when we got home. The sheriff was on nights on Friday too and I'd planned our post-date.

It was going to be perfect.

Over the months we'd spent together, joint at the hip, we'd had our little disagreements and I'd spent a night or two at Lydia's but we always got over it together. Stiles and I recognised we needed space away from each other and that didn't bother us because sometimes he did drive me wild — in several aspects — and I him too. Tonight I had to have some girl time. I'd been staring at his hair for hours and the moment I started running my hands through it I melted into putty in his hands. You see, Stiles had made the decision to grow his hair out. Gone was that buzz cut and now in its place was a head of gorgeous hair. It was the perfect length, styled upwards a little but when he'd just gotten out the shower like he had before I'd come out.. god.

When Lydia texted me to let me know she was outside I ran out of that room quicker than a lightening bolt because I just couldn't resist and neither could he. I was trying to hold out until Friday, it was only six more days away but boy was it hard. I'd always found Stiles attractive, even when he had his buzz cut but there was just something about him with long hair.. not to mention he'd been training with Scott for the new lacrosse season so he could finally make it to first line.

I was glad to be sitting in Lydia's backseat, even if I was about to fifth wheel on a double date. It was more like a triple date considering I'd invited Danny along for my own sanity but it's not like the two of us were dating. When we picked up Allison I didn't quite know what to except — tension wise. I'd given her my honest opinion of her before she went to France.. not to be mean but because she'd asked for it. She told me she wanted to work on becoming a better person so I told her how I respected her as a friend but that she had to start thinking for herself and stop allowing herself to be so easily manipulated.

She seemed happy to see me though when she got into Lydia's car and I just hoped that from now one the two of us would be all right. I hoped there'd be no more betrayals on her part.

"It is not a double date." My friend said to Allison, "Alex and Danny are coming, it is a group thing."

"Do they know it's a group thing?" Allison asked Lydia.

"Danny does." I quipped from the backseat.

"Lydia, I told you I'm not ready to get back out there." Allison said to her.

"You were in France and didn't do any dating for four months?" Lydia asked her incredulously.

Allison shrugged before she said, "Did you? I mean after—"

"—Do not.. say his name." Lydia interrupted.

"Ah, yes." I mused, sitting back in my chair, "The J word."

"The J word?" Allison laughed, "Really?"

"It's a sensitive subject." I said to her.

"It's not sensitive." Lydia exclaimed.

Allison turned to us both again, "Is he okay? I mean, did everything work out?"

"Well, the doctors looked like total idiots when he turned up alive but everyone got over it. And yes, Derek taught him the whole werewolf 101.. like how not to randomly kill people during a full moon."

Allison smiled at her before glancing fleetingly to me with a knowing expression, "So then you've talked to him?"

"Uh, not since he left for London." She replied.

"You mean since his dad moved him to London." Allison corrected.

"Whatever, he left." Lydia said dismissively, "And seriously, an American werewolf in London? Like that's not going to be a disaster."

"My thoughts exactly." I nodded.

"So-so you're totally over him?" Allison asked her.

"Would I be going on a double date if I wasn't?" Lydia exasperated.

I smiled to myself as I chuckled in amusement before saying, "She caught you out there, Lyd."

"Yes, it is a double date." Lydia had no choice but to admit, "Alex just likes to bring Danny along so she doesn't have to fifth wheel."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I denied, "Fifth wheeling is my passion."

"Just like running away from Stiles whenever the two of you get mildly intimate is, too." She quipped.

Allison gaped, turning back to me with a shocked expression while my jaw dropped, "Hey, that is not true!" I defended.

"Oh yeah." Lydia rolled her eyes as we approached a red light, "So you just so happened to be running out of the house when I picked you up ten minutes ago."

"Lydia, I hate you." I mumbled before I looked to Allison, "Four months I've had to put up with this shit by myself."

"What— I can't believe you two haven't done it yet." Allison said to me.

"She wants it to be the perfect moment." Lydia told her before I even had the chance to open my mouth, "Even though they're both desperate to do said deed, Alex is making them both suffer and wait until she tells him she loves him on Friday."

"You haven't told him you love him yet?" Allison asked me.

"Not everyone tells a person you love them three weeks after meeting them, Allison." I argued my case.

"But you have done other things?" Allison asked me.

"Of course." I mumbled, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

"They're not total prudes." Lydia chuckled while I shook my head.

"I hate you both." I said then.

"Oh come on, Alex." Allison laughed, "We're just joking with you."

"I know but it's still embarrassing."

"It's natural." Lydia said to me reassuringly, "Everyone is different. You and Stiles are just taking your time.. better to know you're one hundred percent ready and comfortable than to rush into it."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, poking my body through their seats as I looked to them both.

"Hey, I didn't say there was anything wrong with it." Allison smiled innocently.

"Just you two wait." I grumbled, "The next time either of you start seeing someone you won't hear the end of it from me."

Allison and Lydia both laughed then and I couldn't help but smile too. Our friends face dropped sharply though as she turned to look out the front window while saying, "Oh my god."

"What?" I muttered.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. I can't see him, not now." Allison continued.

"What? Can't see who?" I mumbled, turning to look out of Lydia's window. I noticed that Scott and Stiles had stopped adjacent to us and Stiles waved as Scott hid away. I couldn't help but find some amusement in the situation as I snorted under my breath and said, "Impeccable timing."

"Not now, Alex, please." Allison pleaded, "Lydia, go, just go!"

"But the light!" Lydia exclaimed.

"I don't care, please."

"Lydia maybe you should just go, there's no one around." I suggested as Stiles began to roll Scott's window down, shouting to us.

Lydia shook her head, putting her foot on the gas and speeding through the red light. The three of us remained in silence as we drove and I looked to Allison and patted her shoulder comfortingly, "Are you all right?"

She sighed and nodded, "I just didn't expect to see him."

"It's okay." Lydia said to her.

I nodded, offering my comfort as Allison turned around in her seat to look out the back window, "Lydia, stop. We need to go back and talk to him."

"Only if you're sure." She replied, slowing down gradually until the car came to a stop.

The three of us turned and looked out the back window to Stiles' Jeep.

"They stopped too." Lydia muttered.

"Why would they stop?"

"It's Scott and Stiles." I said to them both, "God knows, is that answer."

Lydia chucked then, "Alex is right, do you really wanna try applying logic to those two."

Allison frowned before she said, "Maybe we should go back—"

But she was interrupted by something smashing through Lydia's front windscreen. The three of us turned to the front quickly seeing what looked to be a dead deer hanging through the car and we screamed loudly as glass shattered everywhere. My heart pounded against my ribs quickly so much so that I thought it was going to punch a hole through my chest.

The three of us were frozen at first until the adrenaline passed and we regained control of our bodies again. I pulled my seatbelt off harshly, forcing it out of the buckle and reached for the door handle closest to me. I scrambled out of Lydia's car, tripping as I tried to make a quick escape and I put my hand out on the wet road to stop myself from falling.

Lydia caught my arm, helping me up to my feet as the both of us looked to the dead animal in horror.

"Are you okay?" I heard Scott shout to us then and I turned my head to see both him and Stiles running over to us.

"It came out of nowhere." Lydia replied.

Stiles ran over to us and he put his hands on the tops of my arms as he looked over me with wide eyes, "Are you hurt?" He asked me.

"I don't—I don't think so." I stuttered.

"You're bleeding." He noted, holding my forearm and I looked to see tiny little scratches littering my arms.

"It doesn't hurt." I shook my head, "It's fine... Lydia are you okay?"

"It ran right into us."

"Are you okay?" I heard Scott say to Allison then.

"I'm okay." She nodded.

"Well, I'm not okay!" Lydia exasperated then, "I am totally freaking out! How the hell does that thing just run into us?"

I put my hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down while Stiles stayed close to me, "Lyd, it's okay, just take some deep breaths."

Scott walked round Lydia's car to see the deer for himself but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Seeing it from this angle was bad enough.

"I saw it's eyes right before it hit us." Lydia exhaled, "It's like.. it was like it was crazy."

"No, it was scared." Scott said then and I saw as he reached out and put his hand against the dead animal, "Actually.. terrified."

The five of us looked around aimlessly but we couldn't see anything, there was nothing around.

A coincidence, I reassured myself, it was just really, really bad luck.

_____________________

So apparently Scott's tattoo had disappeared minutes after he'd gotten it last night and he was gutted about it, or at least that's what he was telling me when we were walking through school. It was so busy this morning it was unbelievable, I couldn't ever remember seeing the hallways this crowded before. Everyone was bursting with life too, excited to start the new school year when I was still hung up on summer break. We hadn't had long enough in my eyes, I didn't want to go back to school.

"You want to ask Derek for help?" Stiles groaned then as he, Scott and I walked down the hall, "Why, why?"

"He's got the triskele tattooed on his back." Scott replied, "So there has to be a way to do it without healing, right?"

"Yeah, but, still.. doesn't he have his hands a little full?" Stiles said as he pointed to the two missing persons posters of Boyd and Erica. They'd been missing for four months now, the night we stopped Jackson was the last night they had been seen. Derek had said they wanted to leave his pack but we didn't know if something had actually happened to them or if they did make it to another pack.

Regardless, he, Peter and Isaac had been searching high and low for them all that time and they hadn't found anything.

"Look, these are the applications for the career advisor." I heard the principal say then through the open door next to us, "I need them sorted.. and whatever happened to the library while I was gone I want it cleared up. And what.. the hell.. is this?" He asked, picking up what looked to be a Samurai sword and holding it in the air.

My jaw dropped as Scott, Stiles and I eavesdropped on their conversation and quickly Stiles pushed my shoulder, "Go, go, go." He said in a panic, dragging Scott along with us.

"Oh my god." I muttered as we walked.

"I know." Scott nodded.

"We destroyed the library." I whisper shouted.

"Well technically it was Jackson." Stiles pointed out, "We just so happened to be there when it happened."

I shook my head as we walked down the corridor, passing Lydia and Allison and I turned to my two friends, "I've got to get a few things from my locker, I'll see you both later."

Stiles nodded, pressing a short kiss to my temple as Scott said, "Bye."

"See you in English." Stiles replied.

I nodded, walking to my locker and entering the code for my padlock, pulling it off and opening my locker door next to Allison's.

"And how are you this morning, Alex?" Lydia asked me.

"Wishing I wasn't here." I responded truthfully, "I miss summer break already."

"Don't we all." She sighed then, "But just look at this.. freshmen, tons and tons of fresh men."

"You mean fresh boys?" Allison said to her, "Lydia they're fourteen."

"Eh, some are more mature than others." She said then.

I chuckled in amusement, looking to her before I put my world history book in my locker for later on, "That's funny, tell me another joke."

"It wasn't a joke." She said to me seriously.

"Yeah? Sure seemed like one." I replied.

"Lydia you can't sleep with freshmen." Allison said to her.

"Lydia has to go for the years below us because she's already slept with those in our year and the year above." I mused to Allison then.

"Well at least I've—"

"—Don't go there, Lydia." I interrupted her with a smile, "I already know exactly what's going to come out of your mouth."

She narrowed her eyes at me jokingly as I returned to sorting my bag out for this morning.

"You know, it's okay to be single." Allison said to her, "Focus on yourself for a little while, work on becoming a better person."

Lydia chuckled, "Allison, I love you, so if you need to do that thing where we talk about me and pretend like we're not actually talking about you it's totally fine." Allison chuckled under her breath as Lydia continued, "But I don't want a boyfriend.. I want a distraction."

I pulled my head out of my locker to look at Lydia, "Correction, you want a friend with benefits."

"They're all one in the same, Alex." She told me, pushing my head into my locker jokingly, "Get back to trying to sort that mess you call a locker out."

"You're so rude, I don't know why I'm friends with you." I said in mock offence, laughing as I opted on putting my whole bag in my locker.

"Brothers?" I heard Allison ask then.

"Twins." Lydia replied in amusement.

"Twins?" I asked, my ears peaking as I looked to them, "Where?"

"Behind you." Lydia said with a soft smirk on her face. I could tell by her eyes that she liked one of them, or maybe even both of them and I hadn't even turned around yet.

"Oh god help them." I joked, turning to see who had caught their attention.

They were easily identifiable in the crowd of students and I found my lips parting in shock when I cast my eyes over them. At first, I thought I was dreaming but then I realised my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.. I really was seeing them.

And I knew them.

"Holy shit." I muttered then.

"Alex?" Allison said curiously. I could feel both her and Lydia's gaze on me but I was too busy staring at the twins as they passed us.

They didn't see or notice us and so they carried on down the corridor but I couldn't let them go without saying something to them. I closed my locker door and glanced to them fleetingly as I walked away, "I'll see you in English."

"Hey, Alex!" Lydia called after me but I didn't listen to her. I walked through the busy crowds of students quickly as I chased after the twins and as I rounded the corner and called their names they finally turned back to look at me.

Ethan and Aiden's faces were a picture of shock as I walked over to them both but it didn't take long before they were both wrapping their arms around me. I hugged them both, standing on the tops of my toes to try and match their height but it was no use, they towered over me and when the three of us pulled away I smiled at them, "Jesus, you two are taller than mountains."

"No you're just a short ass." Aiden quipped as he grinned, shoving my shoulder lightly.

"There's a reason Ethan's my favourite you know." I bit back, smiling at his twin brother.

Ethan looped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side while looking to Aiden, "You hear that? I'm her favourite."

Aiden shook his head while he rolled his eyes but he didn't reply as I looked to them both, "So are you two stalking me now? What the hell are you guys doing here."

Aiden shrugged, "We moved."

"State the obvious." I deadpanned.

He sneered at me jokingly as I looked to his brother, "But seriously, America is a big place. How did you guys end up in Beacon Hills?"

Ethan shrugged, "We heard about it, decided it was worth a visit."

I gaped mockingly, "You guys are stalking me."

Aiden laughed as he shook his head. He met my gaze to say something but before he had the chance my name was called behind us. The three of us turned to see Miss. Morrell standing there and I pouted in disappointment somewhat.

"This doesn't look like your English class, Alex." Morrell said to me with a hint of a grin.

"But the bell hasn't even—" I was interrupted as first bell rang, signalling the start of class and I frowned in disappointment.

"You don't want to be late for your first class of the year, do you?" She asked me.

"You definitely have a radar with me on it." I said to my guidance counsellor before I looked to Ethan and said in a quieter tone, "I'm being serious she finds me wherever I am."

"English, Miss. Anderson." She reminded me.

"Oh come on." I pleaded, "I haven't seen them in over a year, it's a reunion."

She glanced fleetingly to both Ethan and Aiden before she looked back to me and said, "You can reunite at lunch time, perhaps?"

"Fine." I sighed, "English it is."

Morrell nodded, "I trust you can make your own way there but I know your teacher will report back to me." She said before she turned to take her leave, "I'll see you tomorrow morning, in your free period."

I watched as she walked away before I looked back to the twins and smiled at them, "I'll see you later, I guess."

Aiden chuckled, "Why does she have a radar on you?"

"She's my guidance counsellor and.. she sometimes acts like my babysitter too. She's always stopping me from skipping school." I said to them both.

"Well, we don't wanna make a bad impression on her." Ethan said to me, "And we're not taking the fault for you being late for your English class, so go."

"Aw, I missed you both too." I said to them sarcastically with a smile.

Aiden shoved me away with a smile, "We'll text you, see when our free periods line up."

I nodded as I walked backwards away from them, "Sounds like a plan boys."

I had to run to class. It wasn't how I wanted my first day back to go, running to my first class because I was going to be late, but I made it before our teacher did. I took a seat at the desk in front of Stiles and next to Allison as she sat in front of Scott and I dropped my books on to my desk with a short breath.

"Did you run here?" Allison asked me curiously then with a smile on her face.

"Had to." I nodded as I sat down, "Morrell is on my back like a hawk this year."

"Where were you?" Stiles muttered and I turned back to see him leaning forwards on my desk.

"Yeah, did you find who you were looking for?" Lydia asked me.

"I did thank you." I said to her with a smile before I looked back to Stiles, "I saw some old friends from back when I lived in San Francisco."

"Wait." Allison said then in realisation, "Thats them? The twins you couldn't stop talking about."

"The ones my dad hate? Yeah." I nodded.

"Can you introduce me please?" Lydia asked me, "The taller one is hot."

"Hot?" Stiles asked then and I looked to see his eyes wide, "Friends from San Francisco?"

"Don't worry." I said to him, "We're just friends."

"That's not what I remember you telling me." Allison snorted then.

I looked to her with wide eyes and jutted my head back in Stiles' direction while asking her, "Are you serious?"

Her mouth dropped open when she glanced to Stiles and she looked back to me, "I—I'm sorry."

I exhaled heavily before turning back to Stiles again. He was leaning back in his chair with an expression of disdain on his face and I gave him a comforting smile, "I'll tell you about it after class?"

He only nodded, his lips tight as he pressed them together. This was the first time I'd seen him act like this and I didn't know how to take it. I didn't even know what to say but before I could come up with anything mine and everyone else's phones began to buzz.

I turned back to face the front and picked my phone up off my desk, unlocking it to view a text message from an unknown number.

I began to read through it but I couldn't even read three words when a feminine voice began to read it out loud, "The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky.. seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness."

I looked up from my phone, along with everyone else, to see the woman who was walking into the classroom. She was the same woman who had read the text out loud to us all and she faced our class, "This is the last line to the first book we are going to read." She said, "It is also the last text you will receive in this class, phones off everyone."

I did the sly thing and put my phone on silent, putting it into my pocket and out of the way as our teacher walked behind her desk and picked up a piece of chalk, "My name is Ms. Blake and I'm your new English teacher. That extract is from Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad." She said to us, "I would like you all to start by reading the blurb of the book and in your own words write a quick summary about what you think this book is about."

Around me people opened their notepads up and got out their pens, beginning the work, and I followed suit as I flipped the book over and read the back of it. It seemed to be a book about a voyage up a river and I wondered how I was going to summarise that in my own words. I was tempted to just write 'a book about a voyage' but I knew it wouldn't suffice. 

Curiously I opened the book up to the first few pages and I began reading. I had gotten through to chapter 3 when I looked up when the door to our class opened and the principal walked in. He walked over to Ms. Blake and in a hushed tone said something to her before he turned and left the room.

Ms. Blake looked to us and she said, "Mr. McCall?"

I turned to Scott for a second with an arched brow as she beckoned for him to follow her. Scott quickly packed his things away as Ms. Blake opened the door for him and the two of them stepped outside.

Allison turned to me immediately, "What do you think that's about?" She asked.

I shrugged, "Could be anything." I said to her, "But I really need the toilet."

She shook her head to herself as Ms. Blake walked back into the classroom and I put my hand up politely. She noticed my arm and nodded once at me, "Miss. Anderson, everything okay?"

"Actually I was just wondering if I could go to the bathroom." I asked.

I watched as she pressed her lips together and nodded but she seemed hesitant about her decision. I had a small inkling in the back of my mind about why she was so hesitant but I got up out of my seat and walked towards the door. I was half expecting her to follow me so when she did I wasn't at all surprised and when we were both in the hallway I turned to her and smiled, "Ms. Blake, I if was planning on skipping the rest of your class I'd of brought my things with me."

She nodded, "I know.. but I've spoken with the guidance counsellor. It seems as though you've been through a lot. I just wanted to let you know that if for whatever reason you suddenly felt like you needed to step outside for a minute that's okay. We'll be covering some distressing topics in this class and I'd hate to upset you."

I inhaled deeply before nodding, "Thank you."

"Now with that being said, please don't take it as a free pass to leave my class whenever you feel like it."

"Of course not." I said to her.

"Five minutes." She said, "And I expect you to be back."

"Five minutes." I repeated with a nod before I turned and walked down the hallway.

The bathrooms weren't far but I didn't rush to them. I also wasn't five minutes either because when I looked at my phone on the way back I noticed it had been seven minutes since I'd asked permission to go. I didn't think Ms. Blake would be timing how long I was gone for but when I got back it was like I was stepping into a different classroom.

The desks had been flipped, chairs scattered everywhere, and people were laid on the floor. The windows had been smashed in and what still remained appeared to have blood stains on them. What was most alarming though was the litter of dead crows on the tables and floor.

My lips parted in pure confusion as I looked around, stuck in the doorway as I looked at what could only be described as a scene from a horror movie.

__________________

The rest of our English class consisted of students being overlooked by EMTs and questioned by the police. I was beyond confused but when we had been given the all clear to go Stiles took my wrist and dragged me out of the classroom. I wasn't sure where we were heading and since he has his phone pressed to his ear I couldn't ask him either.

"We got a serious problem at school." He said, "Ms. Blake's class — well, no, I'm pretty sure this qualifies for immediate discussion.... Derek's house? What? What the hell are you doing at Derek's?"

I watched as he brought the phone away from his ear and sighed before putting it back in his pocket, "Looks like we're going to Derek's house."

"Why?" I asked him.

"That's where Scott is." He grumbled as we walked out into the parking lot. I put my head down, hoping Morrell wasn't around as I got into his Jeep and put my belt on.

Stiles pulled out of the parking lot quickly and pulled on to the main road as I said, "What is going on?"

"I don't know." He sighed as he rubbed his face with one hand. I couldn't help but notice how jittery he seemed, "First the deer, then apparently Lydia's dog bit her last night and now the crows. It just seems a bit strange to me."

"You think it's connected?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "It's plausible."

I nodded as silence seeped between us and I glanced to Stiles again, "Hey, about what Allison said—"

"It's nothing." He said, shaking his head dismissively.

"It doesn't seem like it." I responded, pressing my lips together.

He sighed before he asked, "Why doesn't you dad like them?"

"He thought they were a bad influence on me." I told him honestly.

Stiles scoffed and under his breath I heard him mutter a 'great'.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Stiles you don't even know them.. and my dad doesn't like you either, he think you and Scott are bad influences too."

"You're right." He apologised, "I'm sorry, it's just when Allison said that thing about you not being friends."

"Aiden and I kissed once." I told him honestly, "It was a while ago.. didn't mean anything."

He nodded as we pulled up to the Hale house and the two of us got out at the same time. I looked to the house with a faint smile as I closed the door and walked up to the front door and into the dark and dusty place. 

I saw Derek and Scott sat down on what looked to be the only two chairs remaining in this place and I saw Isaac laid on a table in a hospital gown unconscious.

"What happened to Isaac?" I frowned.

"A fight with another Alpha." Derek told me, "He's healing though, he'll be okay."

"There's another pack in town?" I asked.

"They're just passing through." Derek said, "I think they got the message they're not welcome here."

Stiles nodded besides me as he asked, "So, uh, what's going on here?"

"Derek's helping me out with my tattoo." Scott said to us, "What happened in Ms. Blake's class?"

"A bunch of crows smashed through the windows and started attacking everyone until they died, I think it's a pattern but I can't figure out what."

"We can worry about it later." Derek said, "Where was your tattoo?"

"Here, around my arm." Scott said to him, "Can you see it?"

Derek's eyes flashed a vibrant red for a few seconds before he nodded and said, "Yeah, I see it. It's two bands, right? What does it mean?"

Scott sighed in hesitation for a minute before he said, "I don't know. It's just something I traced with my fingers."

I watched as he traced the simple design into the built up dust on the table — two circles, one around the other.

"Why is this so important to you?" Derek asked him curiously.

"Do you know what the word "tattoo" means?" Scott asked him.

"To mark something." Stiles butted in knowingly.

"Well, that's in tahitian." Scott nodded, "In samoan, it means 'open wound'. I knew I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned 18. I always wanted one. I just decided to get it now, to make it kind of a reward."

Derek nodded as he asked, "For what?"

"For not calling or texting Allison all summer. Even when I really wanted to, even when it was so hard not to sometimes." He told us. My heart arched for him as we listened to him talk about it and I couldn't help but feel guilty. Stiles and I had unknowingly been flaunting our happiness right in Scott's face while he was struggling to get over Allison, "I was trying to give her the space she wants. Goin' four months later, it still hurts. It still feels like a, uh..."

"Like an open wound." Stiles aided our friend.

"Yeah." He nodded.

Derek sat back in his chair and picked up what I noticed to be a blow torch and said, "The pain's gonna be worse than anything you've ever felt."

"Ah, that's great." Stiles nodded.

"Do it." Scott said determinedly.

Derek flicked on the blow torch, the blue flame protruding from it and I rose my brows, "This is how werewolves get tattoos?" I asked him, "Thank god I'm human."

"Oh, wow. That's a... that's a lot for me. So I'm gonna take that as my cue." Stiles said as Derek continued to hold the torch on, "I'm just gonna wait outside."

He reached back and grabbed Stiles as he tried to pass him and he said, "Nope. You can help hold him down."

I watched as Stiles walked round the back of Scott's chair and held down on his shoulders. Derek took Scott's arm and brought it closer to him as I brought my hands up to my mouth, chewing on my fingernail.

"Oh, my God." Stiles said in discomfort.

I watched as Derek brought the flame towards Scott's skin until he was burning him with it. Immediately Scott groaned in pain loudly as his flesh burnt and I recoiled somewhat.

"Hold him." Derek snapped at Stiles as Scott continued to yell in pain. I watched as Scott's eyes shone a golden colour, his werewolf eyes surfacing as his canines elongated. The pain was forcing him to shift and it wasn't long before he passed out.

Derek continued, no longer needing Stiles to hold him down and within the next five minutes he was done. The design was simple as I looked at it, two bands around his arm, the top one bigger than the other.

He left Scott to come around and it wasn't long before he did, gasping awake as sweat clung to skin like a second layer. Our friends eyes widened as he looked down to his arm and said, "It worked."

I rose my brows and nodded, "So it did."

Scott looked to his new tattoo as he stood up in the chair and reached for his shirt, "Thanks."

"No problem." Derek nodded.

Scott put his shirt back on and rolled the sleeve up to the top of his arm, tracing his fingers over the inked pattern on his skin in amazement as the three of us walked slowly through the house.

"Well, it looks pretty damn permanent now." Stiles said.

"Yeah." Scott nodded, "I kind of needed something permanent. Everything that's happened to us... everything just changes so fast. Everything's so, uh... ephemeral."

The three of us stopped by the staircase and I looked to Scott and tilted my head in surprise, "Big word there, Scotty."

Stiles nodded impressed, "Studying for the PSATs?"

"Yep."

"Nice."

"Speaking of the PSATs." I said then and looked to Stiles with a smile as Scott opened the door.

He put his arm over my shoulders as he dipped down to press a kiss to my lips, "Yes, I'll help you study for them."

"Thank you." I responded in appreciation.

The three of us turned to take our leave but stopped as we looked to the front door. I furrowed my brows seeing the fresh coat of red paint on it and looked to Stiles, "Was it red when we came in?"

He pulled his lips down in thought, "Must've been."

"You painted the door." Scott said as he looked to Derek, "Why'd you paint the door?"

"Go home, Scott." Derek replied.

"That doesn't sound like a comforting answer." I mumbled.

Scott traced the paintwork curiously as he said, "And why only one side?"

Scott forced his claws out on command and he scraped his sharp claw across the paint. We watched as it flaked away effortlessly and he started clawing at the door, peeling off the paint job.

"Scott." Derek called to him but he didn't listen until he'd scraped off the paint to reveal a symbol engraved on to the door.

I furrowed my brows and looked to Derek, "What is that?"

"The birds at school and the deer last night..." Scott wondered out loud, "Just like the night I got trampled by the deer.. when I got bit by the Alpha."

A sense of dread washed over me and I sobbed tearlessly in despair, "Oh.. god, not again."

"How many are there?" Scott asked Derek.

"A pack of 'em." Derek sighed deeply, "An Alpha pack."

"I'm leaving." I declared immediately, "I'm packing my bags and I'm leaving this town."

"Alex—" Derek tried to say but I shook my head.

"I'm not doing this again." I told him, "Peter was bad enough.. a pack of them?" I shook my head firmly, "No. No way, not happening. We barely made it out alive last time. What makes you think we're going to survive again?"

Stiles took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly before he asked Derek, "All of them? How does that even work?"

"I hear there's some kind of a leader." He said to us, "He's called Deucalion. We know they have Boyd and Erica."

"See." I said immediately, "You're proving my point right there."

"Peter, Isaac, and I have been looking for them for the last four months."

"They've been here this whole time?" I gaped, my eyes widening.

"Let's say you find them. How do you deal with an Alpha pack?" Scott asked.

"With all the help I can get." Derek replied honestly.

Scott looked back to Stiles and I then and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Where is she?" Isaac asked suddenly. His outburst made me jump and the four of us turned to see him sitting up on the table, "Where's the girl?"

"What girl?" Derek asked him, his words voicing all our of thoughts.

I closed my eyes as I inhaled deeply, our period free of supernatural threat was over.. as was our time of playing ignorant.

_________________

A/N; seasssssooooooon threeeeeeeee!! I'm so excited it's unbelievable but first a little clearing up and forewarning to do. The next couple of chapters will be shifting completely off script. I know the second episode 'chaos rising' starts with it being the same day as the first episode but I've decided to change that.

The first few minutes of the second episode will be included in the next chapter but after that it's shifting off script. I'm increasing the timeline too so the second episode will take place over a week or maybe longer instead of a day.

Also, these next few chapters are gonna be rough. Y'all might hate me but trust I've done what I've done for the greater good. There is a reason behind it all.