withering wonders

Cherry was the first to climb out of her Father’s black SUV, hitching her school bag further up her shoulder. Looking up to Beacon Hills High School, Cherry couldn’t help but feel the anxiety bubble up in the pit of her stomach. This was the fourth inconsistent residency this year, all because Chris Argent was sure he was onto something with the pack of werewolves that were supposedly stalking the small, Californian county. Running a hand through her ponytail to ease herself of her concerns, Cherry waited patiently on the sidewalk for her sister to join her side. The truth of the matter was that the Blanchard’s probably weren’t going to be sticking around, so making friends was useless. The girls had learned to stick together.

Scott McCall rubbed the back of his neck anxiously as he sunk down a little bit in his seat. There had been an attack the previous night, on a school bus, and the police presence around the grounds was making him nervous. Glancing to his left, beyond his best friend; Stiles Stilinski, Scott’s eyebrows furrowed together as he watched a black SUV pull up. It was unusual, he didn’t recognise this car. Watching closely, still trying to look interested in his teacher drawling on about something or other, Scott found that the teacher’s words were drowned out when his focus fell upon two new students. Eyeing the pair, Scott’s gaze fell to the shorter of the two, and he could feel his heartbeat increase within his chest. Scratching the back of his neck, Scott found himself hopeful that their paths would cross and he could get a better look at the enigmatic beauty.

Cassie looked towards the school for a few long moments, watching the building before she sighed. She hated how often they transferred schools, but she’d also gotten used to it and she knew this wouldn’t be the last time. Eventually grabbing her backpack, she climbed out of the SUV and slid it onto her shoulder before she peered at Cherry once their father had driven off. “I can’t believe we’re at Argent’s beck and call now,” she muttered quietly, only ever feeling like she could speak up when it came to her sister. She never dared to question their father’s decisions - and, really, she didn’t often bother to get close to anybody, either. Sighing, she led the way into the building. “All because the Argents can’t handle a pack on their own. Brilliant.” But, she fell silent once they walked through the school’s doors, not wanting to attract attention to them.

Stiles leaned back in his seat, tapping his pencil against his desk casually, though it mostly helped to keep his mind distracted from the many things that had gone very, very wrong since the night they went to find that body - since the night Scott got bitten and turned into a werewolf. Peering over at his friend with the thought, he blinked when he saw that Scott was looking past him. “What is it?” he asked quietly, arching a brow before he turned his head a bit to see what held his friend’s attention so much. When he spotted two girls, though, he paused, blinking several times, his attention more on the taller of the pair than the fact that an SUV was driving away now or the fact that they were obviously new. Shifting a bit to sit up, he couldn’t help but to watch the girl, curious about her, hoping she’d be in a few of his classes, wanting to go talk to her, but knowing he really couldn’t when they were in class - maybe he could catch her after the bell, though.

With Scott’s senses amplified since the night he was bitten, he waved a hand to quickly dismiss Stiles’ question; trying to follow the footsteps of the newcomers and the conversation they were holding - they knew Allison and her Dad? Tensing with the thought, Scott decided that he might need to accept the help that Derek Hale was offering after all, he wanted to appear as normal as possible to get any hunters off his trail. Still, his curiosity peaked with the shorter of the apparent sisters, and he wondered, if she was going to walk through that classroom door, if there was a way he good make a good first impression. Something that would shout normal - and admittedly, something that could get her attention. She was gorgeous, with a voice that was easy to listen to, melodic even, and Scott wanted her to know him, remember him and a kind gesture he did for her on her first day. Running a hand through his hair with the thought, Scott continued to listen to the footsteps, hoping they wouldn’t walk right past the classroom.

Cherry was quick to follow her sister’s lead. “I know,” she muttered bitterly, knowing that Cassie understood her frustration. They had known the Argents’ since they were young, Allison Argent was their age, for goodness sake; but Cherry couldn’t help hold a little bit of resentment towards the family. They were the reason why Cherry and Cassie could never allow themselves to get close to anybody, to make friends, because whenever they even tried the Argents would call again and they would be gone by nightfall, friendships forgotten. Toying with her lower lip as she looked down at her schedule, Cherry noted that the first class of the day was English. “We can do this,” she promised Cassie quietly, offering a small smile as they entered the school. “And English isn’t the worst way to start the day. We’re there together, too.” She smiled, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear as she mentally took note of her locker number, deciding she’d go looking for it later.

Stiles rolled his eyes when he saw Scott waving him off, though he'd leaned a bit to try to get a better look at the girl while she walked up to the school, not even trying to be discreet about it. He lost sight of her when she walked in, of course, but he already had her face memorized and his heart swelled with the possibility of being able to search her out later, if he got the chance. Or perhaps he'd be lucky enough to have a class or two or many with her. The very thought made him perk up a bit, despite himself. Peering to Scott, he noticed his friend seemed attentive, focused, and he wondered if Scott was listening to the girls. "Scott, are they coming to this class?" he asked quietly, leaning over to his friend in hopes that he could get an answer instead of Scott waving him off again. He paused, though, when he saw that Scott seemed a little tense, and his brows furrowed as he examined his friend with mild concern. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Cassie dropped her gaze to her phone as she walked with her sister, scanning over the group text thread between herself, her sister, and her cousins with a deep frown. "We shouldn't even be here, though," she pointed out quietly, scoffing quietly because it was getting harder and harder to disguise her disdain towards the Argent family. "We should be in Georgia, at the funeral with Rosie and Rylan. But, no, instead we're here, because Argent decided to drag us into chasing down some lead." Rolling her eyes, she lifted her gaze to look at her sister as they walked. "I don't see why the Argents always end up coming before our own family." And, she hated it; she hated her parents, even, for being the ones to actually bend to the Argents' will. "But, right, English. Might as well kick ass at school if we're stuck here." Shrugging, she stopped at the door outside the classroom before opening the door and heading inside first.

Scott, with Stiles' words, was quickly brought back to reality. "They..." Scott blinked, trying to process the word he'd heard. "They know Allison, and her Dad." Scott said matter of factly, rubbing at the back of his neck, a nervous tick he'd developed when he wanted to keep himself anchored to the present. As the classroom door opened though, Scott lifted his gaze to the door, his heart bursting in his chest when he saw the sisters, once again disregarding Stiles. Watching as the girl that had so easily caught his attention walked over the threshold with a lack of confidence, Scott took a long moment to study her as their teacher went to greet them. Brown eyes focusing on the shorter redhead once more, Scott bit back a smile as he watched her closely. He could hear her anxious heartbeat, thumping a few beats per minute more than average. Was she really that nervous? With the way she'd been speaking, she seemed like she could hold her own - there was no way coming to a new school could make someone so beautiful this nervous. Blinking, Scott focused on his pen, realising his thoughts were beginning to drift and his own heartbeat was beginning to increase with nerves. How the hell did this girl have such an affect on him already?

Cherry looked over Cassie's shoulder to the group chat, toying with her lip, sympathetic to her cousins. "I know," she reassured Cassie, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But Rosie wants to move here, it might happen sooner than later." Cherry pointed out gently in return, but she understood her twin's anger, her resentment, towards the Argents. "For now, all we can do is train, study, repeat." Cherry smiled, trying to remain hopeful, despite feeling the complete opposite. Holding a little tightly onto her bag, Cherry followed Cassie into the classroom, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. They'd been to multiple schools, introduced multiple times, and yet, being the new kid was never an easy thing to be. As the teacher introduced them to the class, Cherry shifted anxiously and went to find a spare seat where she could be close to her sister. Seeing a vacant seat behind a boy with a buzzcut and boyish, amber eyes, Cherry decided that spot was as good as any. Sitting down, Cherry offered a smile to Cassie. They had to do this.

Stiles blinked with his friend’s words, watching him for a few moments. “What? How?” he asked quietly, his brows furrowing. “Do they know-know them? Like, what they do? Are they like them? Maybe they’re just all friends, and it’s safe?” He doubted it, though, because what were the chances of a normal family that knew the Argents moving there after the Argents? Watching his friend, he frowned slightly. “It’ll be alright, calm down,” he said quietly before looking ahead when the girls walked in, though he swore his breath left his body when he caught sight of the taller redhead. She was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen, so much so that it was honestly unfair, and he chewed on his lip, admittedly perking up a bit when she sat down behind him, even despite the concerns of why she was there in the first place.

Cassie peered up at Cherry as she listened to her sister’s words and she nodded slightly, breathing out a sigh. “Let’s hope so,” she murmured quietly, “It’s not right for them to be dealing with this alone. The sooner they’re here, the better.” Although she still wished that none of them had to come to this place. Slipping her phone into her backpack, she followed Cherry into their classroom, peering around for a few moments. Seeing that Cherry had already chosen her seat, she offered a weak smile to her sister before she made her way to the only other available seat, at least relieved that it was next to Cherry, though it was also behind a boy who looked as nervous as she felt.

"I don't know!" Scott exclaimed. The thought of more hunters coming to Beacon Hills worried him. He was still learning, with Derek Hale's help, how to control himself on a full moon, and the more hunters that the Argents recruited, the more chance Scott had of being injured. He didn't want to put his faith into Derek, he knew he had to learn fast from this point on. "I don't think so, they're definitely from a hunter family." Scott murmured, keeping his thoughts to himself when the girls moved to sit down, and the thought, the knowledge, that the beauty who had so easily captured his attention and adoration and admiration, was sat behind him made his heart beat harder in his chest. Curling his fingers around his desk, Scott tried to focus on his breathing, but he was certain that, from where he was, he could smell the girl's perfume, and it was almost intoxicating.

Cherry sat by her desk and placed her bag at her feet, offering Cassie a wink. "We'll be okay." She murmured to her sister. "We always are in the end. And who knows, this stop might be permanent this time." At least, she hoped. Cherry was so sick and tired of moving around the country, seeking out the supernatural and doing what her ancestors had set out to do: keep humanity as the apex predators, nothing else. Relaxing into her seat, Cherry stared ahead for a moment, wondering if she would make any friends here that weren't Allison Argent. Unpacking her notebook and a pen from her bag, Cherry began taking notes, although with the way the boy in front of her fidgeted, she couldn't help but grow curious.

Stiles listened quietly to Scott, making a face as he peered back at his friend. “Be discreet, stay calm,” he quickly told him, though quietly, not wanting to attract attention to them, or for the new hunters to find out about Scott. His gaze went back to the girl who’d attracted his attention, though, and he couldn’t help but find himself entranced by her. He knew it was dangerous, of course - after all, if they were hunters, they were there to kill werewolves. It was hard to imagine such a beautiful girl being capable of killing anybody, but something about her screamed bad-ass, too, so it obviously wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Still, maybe she didn’t even know about her family; Allison hadn’t, after all. Still, seeing that she was beginning to start taking notes, he shifted to face forward, not wanting her to notice his attention, not wanting her to think he was a creep or anything.

Cassie offered a small smile to Cherry, offering a small nod, hoping her sister was right, honestly. All she wanted, more than anything, was to have a place she could permanently call home. Of course, she also wanted to be normal, to not be a part of a family that set out to hunt down creatures that Cassie wasn’t even sure were the actual monsters their parents told them they were. “Right, let’s hope so,” she murmured in return before settling her attention ahead, though her gaze fell to the boy in front of her and she couldn’t help but notice that he looked a little… Tense. Her brows furrowing with concern, she shifted forward, resting a hand lightly on his shoulder to try to get his attention. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly, not wanting to attract the teacher’s attention to them, “If you’re not feeling well, you should try to see the nurse.”

Cherry had tried to immerse herself in her note taking, but she kept indulging herself in the distraction in front of her, the boy with the too-bright eyes. Every time Cherry had glanced upwards, he was turning away from her, and Cherry, admittedly, found it amusing. She'd never really allowed herself to get to know a boy, and yet, Cherry was certain there was something worth getting to know within him. Cherry knew better, because if her family ended up having to leave again, it meant saying goodbye to anyone that she got close to, but damn it, she was sick of all that. She wanted stability. Gently putting her pen down, Cherry leaned forward a little. "Like what you see?" She teased the boy with a wide smile, unable to stop herself from interacting with him any further. Tucking a stray red hair behind her ear, Cherry looked over the boy's shoulder to his notes, messy but written to every little detail. "I'm Cherry."

Scott could only nod to Stiles' words of reassurance, because he was sure if he was to speak, it would come out as some sort of growl, and he was already struggling enough to try to keep himself grounded, he didn't need the added pressure of the beautiful hunter finding out he was what she was trained to kill. Taking a deep breath, Scott could feel his fingers begin to relax around the edges of the desk, and he could feel the rush of adrenaline begin to slow, his heart finding a steady rhythm once more. Biting his lip, Scott ducked his head to try and study on his notes, his words no longer dancing across the page, but when he heard a gentle voice, a voice he was sure belonged to an angel, speak to him, Scott felt his whole world regain it's shape, it's form, and Scott felt the certainty of belonging. "I uh," Scott cleared his throat, turning to look at the new girl with a small smile, wondering how he was keeping composure. "I'm okay, I think I just had like, a little panic attack or something." He shrugged gently, leaning to gently rest his hand on hers for a moment in a brief gesture of gratitude. "Sorry if I like, interrupted you or anything." Scott looked to the front, ensuring the teacher was still facing the blackboard. "I'm Scott."

Stiles blinked, surprised, taken aback by the girl’s words and, for a moment, he wasn’t sure if she was joking or not - and he wasn’t sure if he should tell her the truth or not, worried about coming on too strongly or putting her off in any sort of way. For a few moments, he found himself opening and closing his mouth, trying to form words, but it mostly came out as babble noises before he eventually straightened, clearing his throat, and trying to calm his heart, surprised with the effect this girl had on him. “I, uh… Actually, you know what, yeah, I am,” he said eventually, nodding, because he didn’t want to lie to her, not for any reason, not ever, and he hoped that his words wouldn’t make things weird or awkward between them. Still, he smiled as he watched her, unable to help it. “Well, Cherry, I’m Stiles. It’s great to meet you.”

Cassie watched the boy in front of her with concern, unable to help it. He’d looked so… Distressed, upset - and all she wanted was to try to find a way to help, no matter what that way was. When he turned to look at her, though, she blinked, finding herself nearly getting lost in the warm chocolate of his eyes, feeling her own heart and nervousness from being at a new school ease, and she offered a small smile in return, shaking her head. “You didn’t interrupt me,” she assured quietly, “I was just worried. I’m glad you’re okay, though.” She wondered what had triggered the panic attack or whatever it was that Scott - as he’d introduced himself - had endured, but she wasn’t sure if it was something she should ask, she didn’t want to make things tense in any way. “I’m Cassie. It’s nice to meet you, Scott.”

Cherry watched with gentle amusement as the boy opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish, and Cherry's smile broadened as he straightened, clearing his throat as if he was going to make the best speech of his life. But when he confirmed that liked what he saw within her, Cherry giggled, her cheeks reddening with a blush. "Well, you know what Stiles, I like what I see too." She winked, studying him. He was lanky, but his smile was so sweet, voice soothing in a way she couldn't explain. In all of her time of being a hunter, Cherry had never known a weakness - but this boy might be it. "It's lovely to meet you, too... hey, I don't suppose you and your friend can show me and my sister around at break? We're new here."

Scott listened to Cassie's words, the sound of her voice, and he breathed out a sigh of relief, because everything about her was so... new to him, warm and sweet; almost like a cosy blanket on a cold night. "You sure?" Scott asked carefully, studying the girl - but when she admitted to being worried about him, Scott blinked in surprise. "Thank you." Scott offered a sweet smile. "Hey, your perfume smells great, by the way." And it was true. There was definitely a hint of jasmine, and he could smell it so clearly that the intense thumping in his chest seemed to soothe itself with the new stimulus of a girl he could admit was beautiful. "It suits you." Scott pulled a face though, realising that probably made no sense. "Cassie's a beautiful name," Scott rested his chin in his palm. "It's nice to meet you, Cassie. What brings you to Beacon Hills?"

Stiles grinned slightly when he noticed Cherry’s amusement, his grin broadening when he saw Cherry’s smile and the red on her cheeks and heard her giggle, and his heart swelled with how absolutely perfect she was. “Well… Good,” he told her as he watched her happily, “I’m really glad to hear it.” And he really, really meant it. When he heard her request, though, he perked up and nodded quickly. “Yeah, we can definitely do that.”

Cassie smiled slightly when she heard Scott thank her, and she watched him for a moment before she shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me,” she assured quietly, though her heart skipped a beat with the sight of Scott’s smile. “My perfume?” She blinked, surprised, because she was so sure it was subtle, barely there. “Thank you.” She smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, too. We’re just… Here for our parents’ business.”