Nothing Personal

After School

Dark grey clouds loomed over her head, precipitation threatening Madison's sunny outlook. She sighed in annoyance and focused on the rambunctious boys yelling to each other from each end of the field. She sat isolated at the end of the bleachers away from the giggling girls squealing over the latest gossip and pulled out her phone, checking over her text messages. She composed a quick message, adding 'TABI' as the receiver, and typed in bold letters, not so nicely telling her to hurry up. Immediately after she sent that one, she skimmed over a message Cecelia had sent her, along with Katherine and Lucas.

From her peripheral vision she spotted Stiles' hand shoot up and wave at her direction. Kindly she waved back and his attention was redirected at the angry coach who demanded he rejoin the group of huddled guys.

A distant engine caught her sensitive hearing and she spun her head around, stretching her neck towards the left, next to the parking lot where a pepper red sports car spun into the vacant lot and park swiftly close to the field's protective chain link fence. A small girl stepped out of the driver's seat, locked the car from a few feet away, stopped for a second, waiting for a loud beep to verify her car was indeed safe, and continued to walk closer to the bleacher's entrance. Loud footsteps bounced off the metal and Madison stared intently at the bleacher's opening, her eyes livid and frustrated.

"What took you so long?" Madison snarled as a new figure approached her. The two sat on the very edge of the bleachers while the boys warmed up with push-ups on the wet field. The new presence rolled her unique emerald eyes and plopped down beside Madison's tense body. "Tabitha!"

"Calm down," Tabitha calmly replied, breathing out heavily before leaning against the next row of seats. Opposite of Madison, Tabitha possessed a much smoother blend of looks, with a perfect golden complexion and natural maple brown locks, cut shorter than Madison's, only two inches below her shoulders but easily tied up in a short pony tail that brushed against her back. Her face was creamy and smooth with a focus point of dark green eyes, curtained under exotic blackened lashes. Her nose was much larger compared to Madison's defined looks with plumper pink lips and a beauty mark above lips, right outside the area of natural cherry blush dusted over her cheeks. Her eyebrows weren't as sharply angled and closer to her eyes than Madison's.

And while Madison was sharply dressed in strict attire, Tabitha was casually but attractively dressed in dark-washed boot cut designer jeans and a loose one-shoulder brightly colored, neon yellow tee that hid her athletic torso but pronounced her womanly curves that Madison was secretly envious of. Her feet were adorned by expensive, eccentric red and orange Nike basketball shoes. Tabitha was the perfect sports model.

"What took you so long?" Madison demanded again.

"Well Aubrey," Tabitha sarcastically started, rolling her wide, feminine eyes, "I was way out in Wicca Heights, seeing it's my mom's weekend. It's going to take me a while to get from there to here, especially seeing as I had just gotten home. Thanks for the warning by the way," she finished, still using sarcasm all the way. Madison rolled her eyes. Tabitha was probably the most vocal of her pack but also the slyest. She didn't know what quality overlooked the other. "At least I'm here now. What did you need?"

Madison nodded towards Scott. "See the guy in '11'?" Tabitha immediately spotted him with her hawk eyes that for a moment flashed gold before a blink erased the trace any the golden lining and returned her eyes into a stunning green color. Tabitha nodded and eyed the boy curiously before glancing back at Madison. "That's Scott McCall."

"The Beta," Tabitha guessed, recalling the name before in a conversation she had with Madison. Madison nodded. "So what's the game plan?"

Madison shook her head. "I was supposed to meet Allison today but it's been fifteen minutes already and she hasn't shown. I guess she has other plans today so I'll meet her another time. It gives us a good time to talk. How was Lydia? When did you last check on her?"

Tabitha shook her head. "I saw her last night before grabbing my stuff at dad's place. She's still in a coma. Oh wait!" Tabitha suddenly blurted, her eyes catching a familiar face in the crowd of players. "He was there!" She pointed at the boy talking to Scott. Madison smacked Tabitha's hand down before they noticed and recognized the boy as Stiles and sighed. It didn't surprise her. Peter told her how Stiles saved her by telling him how to find Derek. Peter suspected Stiles longed for Lydia. Stiles looked up at Madison and raised his hand, about to wave when he spotted her new companion. Confused, he tapped Scott's shoulder and pointed to them. Scott narrowed his eyes at Tabitha, assessing her, sniffing the current and registering her odd scent. Madison's face reddened in anger as she realized she completely forgot about Tabitha's scent and worried Scott would confront them but he seemed to shrug it off.

"You didn't think I was dumb enough to expose myself to werewolves, would ya?" Tabitha challenge and lifted her arms to Madison's face. A surge of strawberries assaulted her nose and she scrunched in disgust as the intense scent stung her nostrils. "It's a scented lotion I bought. It works like a miracle. It masks most of my scent. From a distance, you can't even smell my natural scent." Madison nodded in approval and sighed in huge relief. "That kid is kind of cute though, in a boyish charm. He almost saw me last night but I don't think he would recognize me."

"Have you talked to him yet?" Madison interrogated.

Tabitha shook her head, annoyed. "I'm not just your Beta you know. I don't like being talked to so formally," Tabitha spoke out, a sneer on her lips. "I'm your friend too. At least I hope to be considered one. That's why you bit me for, isn't it? Wasn't it because you trusted me?" She snapped, bearing her sharp teeth but not phasing at all. "Or was I just a random attack?"

The truth was Madison eyed Tabitha as a potential pack mate since the first week at St. Catherine's prep. Madison had stayed after school watching the soccer game when she noticed Tabitha. She was impressed with the girl's fluid movements, how determined she was, and how focused she was on the black and white ball. It was like a grey hound with a faux hare around the track field. Madison definitely considered Tabitha's endurance and agility when considering making a pack. She'd be honest when she'd admit how nervous she was when she cornered Tabitha in the parking lot that night. Tabitha was her first and she was nervous whether she actually killed her or not. Imagine her relief when Tabitha showed her she wasn't just a fighter on the field but in life, too.

"Agility was and still is your best quality and I realized I didn't need just a runner but someone with stealth. You weren't random, Tabby. You were chosen for a reason."

"You didn't even know me personally then."

"No, but I do now, and I trust you with my life," Madison concluded, ending the topic. Tabitha sighed in discontent but let it slide. "So," Madison redirected the conversation, "I see you're driving Tom's car."

Tabitha growled under her breathe and Madison jumped back, surprised. "Yeah," Tabitha hissed through clenched teeth. "We switched cars for a day because he needed to borrow my Escape to drive him and his friends to a football game and needed even more space to carry their equipment." She heaved a heavy breath. "Mom was out so they couldn't use her Explorer. I'm really peeved about it, too, because if he drives my SUV like he does with his car, it's coming back with at least a dent tonight and I might go on a massacre and go Robert DeFeo on their asses."

Madison laughed and patted her friend's tense shoulder. "I'm sure he knows what you're capable of. I don't think he would risk that. He's going to be careful with it."

"He better be," Tabitha warned under her breath and Madison saw a gold rim line her pupils. She quickly smacked Tabitha on the back of her head, violently snapping her back into reality. Tabitha rubbed the sore spot and shot Madison a dirty look. "And the worst part is," Tabitha continued to complain, "I left my iPod in the console. If they use it and find out I have Justin Bieber in my library, I'll never hear the end of it! It's not like I have his whole album, just a few songs. His song Baby and Boyfriend really kind of grew on me…"

"I just lost a lot of respect for you," Madison teased with a grin. Tabitha rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out.

"Girls," a voice yelled. The two perked their heads to the coach who flagged them down. Tabitha pointed to herself, shooting him a confused gaze. "Yes, I mean you two! Come down here! I'm going to use you as a demonstration." The girls hesitantly rose as Tabitha heaved up a tote bag and swung it over her shoulders. They walked over the railing where the coach pointed to them. Before them stood the whole lacrosse team, their faces just as confused as theirs. "You see these ladies, boys? These are the kind of girls you play for, the ones you try to impress! And they didn't pay attention to you while you practice! You need to play better! You need to attract their attention! Impress them boys!"

"Well, actually," Tabitha cut in, receiving a dirty look from the coach. She ignored his messy head of hair and continued to talk. "My friend and I were kind of eyeing those two over there," she pointed to Scott and his friend Stiles who stood faithfully behind him. "Number 11 and 24 caught our attention." She winked at Stiles suggestively. He blushed while Madison shot her a dirty look. "He can work on cradling a little better but other than that, his footing is great. Scott," Madison slapped her shoulder as his name slipped Tabitha's lips and Tabitha nursed her bruised bone while suppressing a curse. "Scott is just cute in general."

The boys laughed while Scott rubbed the back of his neck while his face heated up. Jackson glared behind him viciously.

The coach glared at her. "Who are you anyways? I don't recognize you."

"Oh, that's probably because I don't go here. My friend, Aubrey, here, is transferring here instead but she filled me on some of the people she already met. Scott being one of them," she waved at Scott again who blushed deeper. Stiles laughed loudly, smacking his friend's back, saying something along the boys of 'Atta boy.' "I'm Tabitha Reed though by call me Tabby for short. Everyone does," she reached over and extended her small hand which the Coach questionably shook.

"And where do you go to school?"

"St. Catherine's prep," she replied with a milky white smile. Madison rolled her eyes.

"Do you play any sports?"

"A couple…" She started, noticing the coach's curious gaze. "My main sport is varsity tennis. I play a little golf with my dad on the weekends at the country club," Madison rolled her eyes at that one, annoyed how condescending the words "country club" seemed to be off of the tip of Tabitha's tongue. "I played varsity soccer until I developed a stress fracture from the constant running and force from the ball when I kicked it," she lied, using the excuse Madison gave her.

The real reason Tabitha quit soccer is because her nature would be easily identified and it would pose a risk. Madison allowed her to play tennis because it didn't seem like that demanding of a sport.

A saddened look came over Tabitha's face and Madison felt a little guilt that she had forced Tabitha to drop the most important aspects of Tabby's life after she forcibly changed her. Madison wasn't all that heartless. She still felt remorse over those she felt responsible over and Tabitha was her first beta, her best friend. Tabitha would drop everything in an instant for her. She knew that as the two came to depend on each other, as Madison would do the same. Exterior impressions aside, the two were as close as sisters would become.

Quickly recovering, Tabitha shot the coach a grin. "Just for fun I play some occasional lacrosse with my brothers," she nodded her head towards the field.

"How well do you think you play?" Coach Finstock curiously asked.

Tabitha shrugged and tilted her hand in a wave motion, "so-and-so, I guess," she modestly answered while Madison hid back a smirk. Lacrosse may have not been a serious sport to her but Tabitha was pretty much professional at any sport she conquered, natural talent aside, living in a house full of boys made her extremely competitive and she vowed to push herself to the physical limit, one Madison wasn't quite sure of anymore as she witnessed Tabitha do some pretty impressive moves in action. "I'm not a professional but it isn't too different from tennis. It requires the same amount of hand coordination."

Coach Finstock laughed humorously and rolled his condescendingly dark eyes. "On contrary girl, lacrosse is much different. It requires constant endurance and you always have to move, anticipating the next pass and always on guard."

Tabitha waved it off. "I know, I know. I've been drilled on this. Lacrosse is like soccer, football, and tennis combined. All of which I have mastered." The coach raised a bushy brow and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. "My brothers are varsity football players. Tom is a quarterback, Tyler is center guard, and Trent is a running back."

The coach's eyebrows skyrocketed to his graying hairline and he stared at the girl amazed. "How many brothers do you have?" He asked in disbelief.

"Four, five including all of us," she shot off. "Todd and Thomas, Tom for short, are the oldest twins, Tyler came after, I followed, and Trenton –Trent we call him –is a year younger than me. And yes, we have a 'T' thing going on. I don't know why. My parents are kind of odd that way." She counted off with her fingers until she held up her whole palm, all fingers extended.

"Do they all play sports?"

"Oh yes," Tabitha nodded her head slowly, "like it's a religion. Tom, Tyler, and Trent all played football since they were six and all of them made it into varsity. They carry dad's legacy pretty much. Dad was a linebacker at Ole' Miss," Tabitha explained. "Todd is the one who veered off into a different direction and experimented with different sports but soccer is his main sport. He is the one who introduced me to soccer and lacrosse. Together though we're all well rounded."

Coach Finstock was obviously impressed and gaped in astonishment. "Wow," he whispered, absolutely speechless. Tabitha shrugged again. She was used to the reaction. "And which school do they play for?"

"Oh, St. Paul's prep for boys," Tabitha bluntly said. The coach sighed in dismayed as he realized the family would never settle for anything below a private school.

"Are they pretty good?"

She nodded again, "the best," she settled with smugly.

"Want to show us a move, for the boys?" The coach suddenly asked, stealing a stick from one of the boys standing obliviously in the front of the crowd that had huddled closer to the rails. "Thanks Greenburg," Coach Finstock muttered before extending the stick to her, "here, borrow this." Tabitha hesitated before taking it, shooting Madison a look, silently asking for permission. Madison nodded and Tabitha happily leapt over the railings, landing gracefully on the balls of her feet.

"Sure, send in your best player," she challenged the coach with a victorious glint her eyes. Finstock hummed for a second, eyeing his selection of players before picking out McCall and pushing him onto the field.

"Feeling confident?" Scott teased lightly, giving her a friendly smile. She shrugged modestly while a sexy smirk adorned her lips.

"Kind of," she replied, "living with a bunch of jocks kind of toughens you up. I've been through it all." She felt the stick up and down until she felt comfortable at the short distance between her hands. She held the stick up and waited for Scott to toss her the ball he was cradling in his net. "Want to stick with just passing?" Scott nodded and gently tossed her the ball.

What he didn't expect her was to catapult it back like a slingshot. The ball instantly whizzed past his head by millimeters and ram into the goalie's net. The team gaped in admiration while Stiles' eyes narrowed into slits, confused and suspicious as he recognize the action eerily familiar… like the day right after Scott's transformation, the day he "mysteriously" gained inhuman reflexes. Madison clenched her jaw as she realized this, too, and held her breath, hoping Tabitha wouldn't reveal her true physical limits.

Jackson replicated Stiles' suspicions and eyed Tabitha with narrowed, icy orbs. He glanced back at Madison who had a strained expression and began to wonder what her deal was.

The coach clapped enthusiastically, despite the fact his best player just got played, but was astounded by her lightning fast reflexes and capabilities. If only she was of the male gender he'd recruit her onto the team within a snap!

Tabitha bowed respectively while Scott eyed her with suspicion, too, sniffing the air for reassurance, wondering if there was more to just Tabitha's "top" athletic abilities.

"That was amazing!" Coach Finstock announced, waving his hands. "Do it again, would you? Whittemore! Take McCall's place! See if you can intercept it."

"Doubt it," Tabitha mumbled under her breath as she watched the blonde retrieve the ball from the net and cradle it. He whipped it back at her and she caught it with ease, effortlessly lifting the net of her shaft in precise time. He gritted his teeth, anxious and antsy as he switched footing from left to right indecisively. She cradled the ball back and forth, quickly gaining momentum until she suddenly swung it. The ball curved around Jackson who tried to snatch it but his reaction time was off and the length of his stick was too long, narrowly missing the fast flying sphere as it descended into the goalies net for the second time. Jackson found himself tasting the bland taste of grass on his tongue as he realized his dive landed him on the ground face first.

Tabitha released a hearty, loud, deep laugh that echoed throughout the field. He grunted in frustration and avoided looking at the team as he pushed himself off the ground, ready for a second round and redemption before embarrassment devoured him.

"You ready?" She taunted him, flashing her eyes before a wicked grin spread itself over her rosy cheeks. He picked up the ball and once again attempted to whip it past her but as usual she caught it with ease, as if she had all the time in the world to react. Leaning back, she aimed the ball, rocking it within the cradle quickly before stepping forward and catapulting it into the net. He tried to intervene but once again found himself at a disadvantage and hopelessly watched the white blur of the ball pass him and land in the net.

"How do you do that?" Coach Finstock cried, his hands digging into his dandruff infested head of tangled hair. Tabitha shrugged.

"I don't know. It kind of comes to me naturally. I mean, with brothers, you have to act fast or else they'll get you. It's an adapted instinct to react quickly or else I'll find myself on the ground with a sore shoulder and an aching head. They can be pretty tough. Think of it as hot potato. You can't have it too long or else you'll get burned, or in my case, crippled and sore. But what I showed you, it didn't really require running, which despite my injury, I'm really good at. If we have time, I could demonstrate…" She looked over at Madison who was shooting her heated looks. "Or not," she changed her mind, registering Madison's silent warning. "You know, my schedule is kind of strict now that I realize it. I should be heading home soon anyways because my brothers have a game later tonight."

The coach's face fell in disappointment. "Oh, okay… well, what you already showed us was amazing. Did you hear what she said boys? Act quickly! Don't hold the ball too long! Try to replicate her reflexes!" He directed the boys. They all nodded while Stiles watched Tabitha intently as she shoved the stick back to Greenburg who eyed her admiringly and join Madison's side on the bleachers. "I mean now boys! Go out on the field and practice passing." The hoard of red jerseys flew past him and onto the green lawn as clash of plastic rang through the area as players began to competitively toss the ball at each other, purposely making the other's miss.

"Stiles," Scott whispered as Stiles struggled to pick up the ball that had fallen past him as he failed to catch it a second before. "Did you see that? Did you see what she did?"

"Yeah," Stiles dragged out, catching the same drift as Scott. "Do you think she's a… werewolf, too?"

"I don't know," Scott admitted. Worry laced along the creases of his forehead. They both glanced at the pair chatting over the railing. "She doesn't smell like one. She kind of smells like…" he sniffed the low current, "-strawberries and vanilla actually but that doesn't explain her reflexes. It seemed impossible."

"She reminded me of you on the tryout day right after you got bit, how you suddenly became agile and fast." Stiles agreed. "Do you think Aubrey knows?"

Scott shook his head. "Maybe," he whispered, "but we can't be sure. Ask her tonight, Stiles, since she gave you her number. See what she knows."

Stiles nodded and tossed the ball back, a throw Scott easily caught.

Jackson listened to their conversation and glanced at Madison who was walking behind Tabitha off the bleachers and to the parking lot. "I'll be back coach!" Jackson suddenly cried out, dropping his stick as he raced after them. Coach Finstock yelled his name angrily as Jackson passed the fenced boundaries. Sharing a look, Stiles and Scott followed his lead, earning a disgruntled look from the coach who gritted his teach watching them leave the premises.

"The rest of you stay here!" He ordered, pointing his finger.

"Tabby," Madison warned her as she spotted three figures dashing towards them, two being significantly faster than the other. Tabby stopped short in front of the masculine Mustang as she leaned on the back spoiler, tracing the back racing stripes Tom paid to have painted on the flamboyant ride.

"Yeah, I see them," she reassured Madison. "Don't worry."

"I told you they would figure it out," Madison hissed under her breath.

"Calm down, they don't have proof yet. Just act innocent. If they figure me out, fine, but I'll make sure they won't suspect you at all. I'll convince them I'm a rogue."

That seemed to calm down Madison for the time being and she visibly relaxed.

Within a matter of seconds, Jackson stepped forward within feet of Tabitha and overlooked her, noting the iconic car behind her before opening his mouth.

"Hi," he stumbled with words with a shaky voice. "I'm Jackson. Do you mind if we talk alone?" He nodded towards Madison. Complying, Tabitha 'convinced' Madison to go back to the stands. On her way back, she passed Scott and Stiles who shot her a concerned look before joining Jackson's side.

"I know what you are," Jackson boldly stated. Tabitha met him with cool green eyes.

Her voice was low and even. "I don't doubt that. Isn't it obvious? The question really is what are you going to do about it?" Scott and Stiles exchanged glances. Jackson remained stone cold. "Look, I'm not here to do harm. I came to be the way I am on accident but I'm dealing with it."

"Do you know who bit you?" Scott shot off.

Tabitha shook her head. "I don't remember much of that night. I was really drunk," she lied smoothly. "All I know is that I woke up in my car bloody and bruised and it looked like I gave one hell of a fight. I won't be surprised if I left some kind of scar on whoever did this to me."

That part was close to truth, the waking-up part and her post-attack condition, but the rest was bullshit. They didn't know that though and all three of the boys glanced at each other, realizing that Derek –their primary suspicion –had nothing to do with Tabitha and her transformation. "I'll leave now and I won't bother you again, all right? Don't worry."

"Wait!" Stiles stopped her before she pried open the driver side door. "Does-does Aubrey… does she know what you are?"

Tabitha furiously shook her head and boldly stepped away from the car to face him, the tips of their noses almost touching and close enough for Stiles to smell the spearmint gum on her breath.

"No and she better not. I don't want her involved in this. Do I make myself clear? The fact she's attending this school with a pair of werewolves makes me nervous, knowing I can't protect her if one of you fuck ups ends up losing control and mauls her." Stiles jumped back and hid behind Scott for protection as he visibly shook, scared and surprised that a small girl like Tabitha could pose so much danger but the second their eyes connected, he understood the silent threat she broadcasted loud and clear.

"We won't do that," Scott reassured her but kept his arms at his hips, certain she'd bite his hands off if he extended them to comfort her. "I have very good control. Is there more of you?" Scott asked.

"No," she snarled, "not that I know of, and if there are, they haven't bothered me. I'd like to keep it that way." She snapped.

"How do you deal with it?" Scott persisted.

"I deal with it just fine. I live in the country, away from heavy population. Aside from the occasional coyote kill, I haven't hurt one human being. I like my solitary life and I plan on keeping it that way. Now if you excuse me I want to go home now. I have a long drive a head of me." She pried the front door and stepped inside but kept her head out as she faced them one more time. "One thing though… if you hurt Aubrey in any way, and trust me, I will find out. If you hurt her, I will disembowel you and mutilate you, spread parts of your corpses all over the California area and let the wildlife feast off of you. I guarantee you will never be found." Her eyes were harsh and direct, glaring individually at them, specifically at Scott who shook in his worn out shoes. "Comprenden muchachos?" she spoke in her native dialect from her father's side.

They all nodded obediently and watched her slammed the door and rev the engine, hearing its loud purr, before she backed up and accelerated out of the almost vacant parking lot.

"She scares me," Stiles announced. "She kind of reminds me of Derek, green eyes in all."

"I think she would really do that," Jackson worried, glancing back at Scott and Stiles. "I think she could really kill us."

"Me, too," Scott agreed. "Maybe we can get Derek to talk to her."

Stiles stifled a laugh. "That'd be something I'd like to see," Stiles explained after catching their harsh expressions. "Putting her and Derek in the same room? One of them would end up dead and I'm placing my bet on her. Her reflexes are quick. His wouldn't be able to get a hold of her."

Scott gritted his teeth as he realized the probably of Stiles' scenario was very high. "Let's keep her warning in mind and not bring it up until later, okay? She seems adamant that Aubrey doesn't know a thing," Scott reasoned, "and I don't think I want to suffer the consequences if Aubrey does accidently find out, whether we helped her or not."

They left the scene to continue practice but a nagging feeling pestered Jackson about Madison's knowing eyes and questioned that maybe she suspected something, too.