'danger is real, but fear is a choice.'

    SHE DIDN'T feel safe. Even under her shield crafted of blankets, she knew she wasn't protected. Last night's events fluttered in her mind and Faye found herself running her hands on her cheeks, touching the tear stained skin. The shadows from the depths of her room darted between the streams on morning sun, scrutinizing her every move. Darkness clouded her thoughts, pushing away all the good thoughts and replacing them with the memories of the monsters she had seen last night. 

  "Faye! Breakfast!" The voice pushed away her thoughts as Faye pushed herself off the battered mattress and forced herself out of her room. The hallway closed in on her, making her gasp for breath. When she blinked, the walls were at their normal state. She gripped the railing and trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen, her footsteps growing louder as the floor transitioned from carpet to tile.

  "Good morning!" Her mother exclaimed, taking a sip of coffee. The blonde's eyes darted to the kitchen table to find her dad reading the newspaper while eating a bowl of cereal.

 "I'm not hungry," Faye lied, trying to hide the grumbles her stomach produced. Her mother frowned and placed her coffee down and ambled over to her daughter.

 "Are you not feeling well?" Abigail placed a hand of Faye's forehead. Faye chewed on the thought, wondering if she could get away with lying. She didn't like lying to her parents, but if it meant she got to stay home, then she would gladly do it.

 "She seems fine, Abigail," Her father said. "She's not coughing, sniffling or throwing up. She's probably just tired."

    Faye rolled her knuckles into the palm of her hand, squeezing them until they turned pink. Her mother exhaled a warm breath, the air tickling Faye's face. She slipped her hand off Faye's warm forehead and pulled her into a hug. "I know you don't like the new school, but I promise you that it will get better," she murmured, tucking a piece of Faye's hair behind her hear. "I promise."

     The blonde attempted to gulp the invisible block lodged in her throat. Pain consumed her lower jaw, making it feel heavy. Her knees wobbled as she turned around and walked up the stairs, stifling her sad hiccups. Distress burned into her skin, the forest fire of horror trailing up her arms and sparked down the curves of her spine. She attempted to breathe, but the air was dense like smoke, and it only made her struggle more.

    Faye crossed her arms over her abdomen as she slumped into the bathroom, her ice cold eyes flickering to the mirror. "Get over it," she hissed to the girl in the reflection. Even with the powerful words, she still felt weak.  Her feet anchored to the ground as she tried to move. Her body used every ounce of strength to keep her in her place and collapse, but Faye fought against the internal need. She hesitantly collected the power inside her and shuffled out of the bathroom, her feet sliding on the carpet.

     "Pull yourself together," she mumbled under a shaky breath as she pulled off her pajamas and threw on a white Henley and jeans. Faye twisted her knotted blonde hair into a braid and trotted back down the stairs to find her parents gone. She swung her purse onto her shoulder, the leather rubbing into her skin. She could feel her skin becoming warm from the friction, but she ignored it and walked out the door. Without even knowing it, she locked the door to her safe haven. Once she left her house, she was no longer safe from the monsters that belonged in her nightmares.

   THE ATMOSPHERE of the populous hallways was not security. The corners hidden by lockers enveloped the dangers of every step. Eyes studied her from every angle of the school as she turned into Mr. Westover's empty classroom. Her binder, her glasses and her phone all laid on his desk, begging to be retrieved. She slid on her glasses, her eyesight immediately becoming clearer. Her eyelashes fluttered against the glass lenses as she blinked to adjust her eyesight. Faye threw her phone into her purse and grabbed her binder just as the first bell went.

     'Chemistry ', Faye thought. 'Why did I sign myself up for Chemistry? ' The blonde squeezed through the doorway, only to see her worst nightmare; Scott McCall. He sat beside the dork he called his best friend, his eyes on Faye. She couldn't see his brown eyes anymore. All she saw was the piercing yellow eyes that she had seen last night. The memory haunted her vision, making Faye submit to fear and decline her head towards the ground. Her eyes followed the concrete floor, trying to distract her from the fact that she couldn't breath. Air went into her lungs, but she couldn't feel it come out.

   Her hands began to quiver, her fingers curling up under the plastic binder. The palms of her hands became coated in a layer of sweat, making her binder slip out of her grip and land on the floor. The metal clicked against the concrete and Faye dropped to her knees, trying to scavenge the papers that slipped out. Everyone looked up to see the commotion of the sound, but only one person came to help her.

 "I can do it myself," she snapped, her teeth grinding against each other. Scott ignored Faye's rude voice, and silently handed Faye the loose papers.

 "You didn't give me a chance to explain," Scott finally said, his voice soft and quiet.

 "You didn't deserve it," Faye shot back. He winced at her tone, but the calmness in his voice remained.

 "Don't you wanna know what I am? Don't you wanna know what you are?"

   Faye snatched the papers out his hand and glared at him. "Stay away from me," she hissed. "Or you'll be sorry." She lightly pushed him backwards, making him stumble on his feet. Stiles's voice clouded her ears, him muttering something that sounded like truck. She grabbed her stuff and walked to the back of the classroom to find a boy she had remembered from yesterday. The boy she had ran into warned her about him.

"This spot's taken," he stated, nodding to the empty seat to his right.

 "I don't care." Faye ignored the boy and dropped her stuff on the table, grabbing the stool and sitting on it. She could see Scott's eyes watch her from her peripheral vision, but he did not say anything.

 "It's Rosenberg, right?" He smirked as Faye froze. "Your dad works with my dad at the law firm. I'm Jackson, Jackson Whittemore."

   Faye was about to say something back, but Mr. Harris walked in and held up a hand, signaling that class was starting. "Albert Einstein once said 'Two things are Infinite: The universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the Universe.'" The blonde could hear Jackson snickering beside her and a few others. "Today, we are doing stations. I will be assigning you partners for the first station, then we will rotate. Remember: your stupidity will most likely work with another's stupidity."

   Mr. Harris began giving everyone partners, his finger pointing to one person, then leading them to their partner. When he pointed at Faye, her heart pounded against her rib cage. Every beat raced through her veins, making her shake and hope for the best. His finger moved across the room, and the teacher ended up pointing at Scott. Faye hesitated, waiting for Mr. Harris to say that it was a mistake. He said nothing.

   Her hands slipped under her binder and she slowly walked to Scott's table, where he was eagerly waiting for her arrival. "I don't want to hear what you hav-"

 "This isn't about me right now Faye. This is about your safety. I need you to stay away from Erica and Isaac."

   Startled, Faye said the first thing that came to her mind. "Who's Isaac?" Scott turned his head and nodded towards a smirking boy with tousled bronze locks. "Can he hear us?" she whispered, paranoia getting ready to pounce on her. Once again, Scott nodded.

 "I know you don't trust me, but I need you to believe me when I say they're dangerous."

  "And you aren't?"

  Scott sighed. "I promise I will explain everything later today. Just promise me you won't ingest anything Erica and Isaac give you."

 "What the hell are you talk-"

  "Switch!" Mr. Harris shouted. Faye seized her binder and her textbook and slowly walked towards the next station, only to find out the Isaac was her next partner. She quietly placed her things down and pulled herself up on the stool. 

    "You must be Faye," he said, his voice lighter than Faye had expected. His cheekbones carved deep crevices into his angular face and his blue eyes sparkled in the hazy science room light. She could see specks of yellow clouding his baby blue eyes, and Faye knew he was a monster too.

  "Leave me alone," she muttered, looking away and pulling out a pencil. Her head tilted upwards, only to see Erica running her hand down Scott's leg. She had a seductive smirk on her face as her fingers trailed his inner thigh. A brunette girl she had seen before sat across the room with the redhead she had seen before, her fingers clenching her pencil and her eyes sending daggers towards Erica.

 "Someone looks jealous," Isaac taunted, his mouth dangerously close to her ear. Faye's hand instinctively went back to push him away. He chuckled, his voice becoming deeper with each guffaw.

 "I'm not jealous," Faye barked, her voice rough and fading. "She's jealous," Faye nodded to the girl gripping her pencil, the yellow wood becoming splintered.

 "Of course she's jealous. She's his girlfriend." Faye's suspicions were confirmed with those three words, and an unfamiliar feeling washed over her like a tidal wave. Guilt.

 "Good for her," Faye blurted out, not meaning to keep the conversation going. A smug grin twisted on Isaac's thin lips.

 "I'd say you're a little hothead." The name rung through her ears, and Faye tried to resist the urge to strangle him.

 "Switch!" Mr. Harris yelled over the uproar of the classroom.

   "See you later hothead." Isaac winked. Infuriated, Faye seized her items once more and made her way to the next station. The brunette girl that she had seen many times gave her a kind smile as she placed her textbook and binder on the glossy table.

 "You're the new girl, right? I'm Allison, also known as the new girl before you."

  Faye smiled for the first time in days. It was small and short, but it was a start. "I'm Faye."

   "Has Scott explained everything to you yet?"

   The blonde stared at the brunette in disbelief. "You know? Does the whole freaking town know?!"

 Allison's smile faded into a thin line. "I know you're scared, but I promise you that you're going to be okay. It took me a little time to adjust as well." Her brown eyes flickered over to the redhead sitting beside Erica, her shoulders squaring back and her muscles becoming tense.

   Faye could feel her hand start to tremble, and when she looked at her fingertips, she saw very little blackness soaking in her skin. Hoping Allison wouldn't notice, she swiftly tucked her hands under the table and focused on her breathing. The room stopped swaying and the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach dissipated.  

 "Time!" Mr Harris screamed, his high pitched voice ringing louder than the bell. "If you've done it correctly, then you should have a crystal in front of you. It is also edible, but if I see any crumbs in my classroom, I will give out detention for the delinquent responsible."

     Faye watched Allison turned her head back to the red head. Erica sat beside the redhead, a troublesome smile on her cherry lips. The red head began to eat her blue crystal and the blonde at her side frowned when she crunched it down to dust and swallowed it. Beside Faye, Allison gave a smirk towards Erica, resting her head on her hand.

    The blonde ignored the strange interaction and went back to work, not daring to speak a single word about what had just happened.

"YOU HAVE to come with me," a snarky voice said as Faye closed her locker. She groaned when she realized it was Stiles.

"Not a chance," She replied, pulling her braid over her shoulder.

 "You know, I almost saved your damn life yesterday."

 "Maybe if you weren't such an idiot, you wouldn't have to save my life."

 "How was I supposed to know that you couldn't swim?" Stiles argued, his annoying voice plugging Faye's ears.

 "How was I supposed to know that there was a giant lizard?" she whispered harshly, her eyebrows concealing her angry eyes.

 "Enough," Allison said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You two bicker like children."

 "She started it," Stiles grumbled just as Faye hissed "He started it."

   Allison rolled her chocolate brown eyes, the shadow of a smile crossing her lips. Her lips pulled into a tight line, and her gentle eyes became stern. "But in all seriousness," Allison elaborated, "You need to come with us. We'll tell you everything in the Jeep."

     Somehow, Faye knew that she was not leaving the school unless she left with them. She gave a curt nod and followed them out to the parking lot. Allison greeted the redhead and the jackass, Jackson as they walked up to a cobalt Jeep and a silver Porsche. Faye immediately knew the owner of the Porsche, just by looking at him. Allison waved at the redhead and Jackson as they got into the Porsche, and Allison held out a hand to Faye to help her up as she got in the back seat of the car.

 The Jeep roared to life, blocking out the noise of the other students. Stiles turned his head back and began backing up, keeping his eyes off of Faye. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?" She asked, her voice cracking mid-sentence.

 "Maybe if you were quiet, we'd tell you," Stiles grumbled. Allison smacked him on the arm and turned around in the passenger seat.

 "Do you remember the thing you saw last night?"

   The images scalded her brain, making her wish she had never gone to the pool. Her leg jumped up and down, her hand following it's rhythm. Fear attempted to close her mouth, but Faye broke the hold and asked "Which one?"

 "The giant lizard. That thing is called a kanima. Anyways, one of Scott's old friends thinks that Lydia, the redhead, is the kanima and now he wants to kill her."

  "Why don't you call the police?" Faye panicked, the last few letters jumbled together making the words slur with each other. Her tongue swelled in her sore throat, and Faye expected herself to cry again, but her eyes had no more waterfalls to shed.

 "There's a 85 percent chance he'd kill the police too," Stiles chipped in, pulling into a driveway. 

   Faye sighed and pushed her glasses up the ridge of her nose as she stepped out of the Jeep along with Allison and Stiles. The Porsche parked right behind them, and Jackson walked out with a scowl on his face while Lydia had a small smile on her lip glossed lips.

   Allison pulled out a key from her purse and pushed open the door. "Thank goodness Melissa's not home," she said in a barely audible voice. Faye heard her, and the name Melissa rang a bell. She ransacked her mind, and she remembered the woman from the hospital. Faye groaned. They were at Scott's house.

   "Stay away from the windows," Allison warned, dropping down her school bag and Lydia and Jackson went upstairs, arguing about something. Once they were gone, Allison pulled out a crossbow from her backpack. Faye became solid, waiting for the brunette to shoot her. Did she know about Faye? Did anyone in this house know about her?

  Allison held the crossbow down by her side and peeked between the blinds. "They're here," she said in a hushed whisper.

 "Yup, we're all going to be werewolf chew toys if Scott doesn't get his ass over here!" Stiles groaned and placed his face in his hands.

 "Who's here?" Faye questioned in a quiet voice, still not moving.

  "Derek, Erica and Is-" She stopped mid-sentence, her brown eyes becoming wider. "Where's Isaac?"

    A rough snarl came from the back of the house and Faye, Allison and Stiles all turned around simultaneously. Faye swallowed but managed to speak, her voice faltering. "Found him."

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dedicated to Lxnxi__

thank you for your kind comments!!

xx