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NOTHING IS THE SAME after that. Several days pass and all of them are filled with sadness and death. Derek is gone. Scott is hurt. Stiles is hell-bent on the idea of druid and darachs. And Isaac— Isaac just wants to kill the twins and he wants to find out why Hallie is at the center of all the problems.
Granted, she had no part in the whole 'crazy alpha pack killing Derek' thing. And she didn't appear to be aware of why there had been a corpse in her bathtub, or why someone was dead in her backyard. It wasn't like Isaac thought she was bad or anything — there was no way she behind any of it, not with the way she reacted to everything. He swore, he saw something die behind those blue eyes the moment she saw her third dead body that day at practice.
But something was off. It was not a coincidence. Scott agreed with him now, and so did Stiles— of course, Stiles was convinced she was some type of darach queen bee and was controlling everything and no, Isaac didn't believe that one bit.
He knew he couldn't dwell on her, though. Not when Derek is dead and Scott is bleeding out. It's so hard for him to push her out of his mind— especially when she's on the same bus as him, sitting alone near the back— but he has to, because Boyd is seconds away from attempting to tear apart Ethan and as much as he hates the alpha, even Isaac knows that a bus full of his classmates is not the place to have it out with him.
Isaac notices Stiles walking up the aisle to talk to Coach Finstock then, and the coach is as difficult as usual, not even giving Stiles a chance to talk before blowing his whistle in his face. And then it all happens quickly after that— Stiles returns to his seat, only to get up several moments later and approach Jared and oh. There's vomit and then the bus is pulling off the road and the cross country team is exiting in a rush of gagging and held noses.
"What's going on?" Isaac asks Stiles when the bus is empty, and the other boy responds with a shake of his head. He sees Lydia and Allison, and then he sees them practically dragging Scott into the bathroom. Stiles leaves him without an answer and, with a sigh, Isaac runs a hand through his hair, mumbling "just great" under his breath.
"Do you know what's going on?" He's surprised to hear the voice, surprised that the girl approached him. She's been quite and distant for the past days and Isaac has never gotten a chance to really talk to her since the day at her house when she found the body. "Do you think we're going to make the meet?"
Isaac is facing Hallie fully now, looking down at her when he answers. "I doubt it. This traffic is crazy, not to mention it's going to storm."
She nods. "Oh, okay," and it's quiet in an awkward way for a few moments. She clears her throat and says, "So. Pretty wild week, right?"
"Yeah, I'd say," Isaac replies, laughing slightly. She has the trace of a smile on her pink lips— Isaac has to wonder if they're naturally the bubblegum color, or if she just religiously applies some type of lip gloss— and she tilts her head towards him like she is confused. "Although, I'm sure this is all boring compared to Orange County, right?"
This earns a real giggle on her part. "Totally," she nods. "I mean, this is nothing. Huntington Beach is notorious for it's weird deaths, y'know."
She's talking about the subject lightly, and Isaac can barely hide his surprise at the fact; he nods in reply, a small smirk on his lips. He opens his mouth to say something, but then Stiles is rushing out of the bathroom with an undecipherable look on his face. Isaac doesn't even get a chance to ask what's wrong before Stiles is pulling him towards the bus, away from Hallie.
"What's happening? Is Scott alright?"
Stiles shakes his head. "He's not healing from the scratch. I don't—" Stiles pauses, shrugs. "Lydia things it's something psychological, it has something to do with Derek. But—"
He doesn't get to finish because Isaac suddenly turns on his heels and walks towards where Danny and Ethan are currently standing, the anger practically radiating from him. He doesn't think, just does; his hand is on Ethan's shoulder, turning him around so that they're face to face. Danny let's out a surprised sounding "huh?" just as Isaac's fist slams into Ethan's jaw.
It's all white in Isaac's head; he sees nothing spare from the white hot rage that blinds him, and all he could think about as he lands more punches on the twin is death. Erica. Derek. Now Scott. He's straddling the limp body on the ground, landing hit after hit on Ethan. He thinks he could keep going forever— nothing else matters, not Danny screaming in the background or Coach Finstock trying to pull Isaac off of the alpha, certainly not the crowd that has gathered round.
There is one more punch to his jaw, and then, like an electric jolt, a voice causes Isaac to cease his assault.
"Isaac!"
Scott's voice sticks out from everyone else and it has Isaac leaning away from Ethan, crouching before turning around and seeing that, yes, it's Scott. And Scott doesn't look like he's dying anymore. The smile that comes to his face after seeing that his friend is alive is short lived, because now he finally takes it all in and hears Coach Finstock threatening expulsion, and Danny is looking at him like he's evil. And Hallie— he's seen the scared expression on her face before, but never because of him. Her blue eyes lack sparkle and she's looking at him like she'd look at a murderer and fuck, Isaac realizes that he's screwed up.
He could only bring himself to step further away from Ethan, and then he lets Scott do the rest— he's pulling Isaac away, saying, "What were you thinking, Isaac?"
"I thought you were dying," he admits, letting out a shakey breath and bringing a hand to scratch behind his neck. "I'm sorry, Scott. That was stupid. But they can't just get away with hurting everyone."
'I know, and they won't. But this isn't the time or place to taken it out on them," Scott says, always the level headed one. He puts a comforting hand on Isaac's shoulder and tells him, "I'm good, man. And we'll get back at them for Derek, don't worry."
ONE OF THE DOWNSIDES of being the new girl is not making friends quickly. And when you're the new girl who found a chopped up body in the bathtub, it makes getting friends that much harder. And, so no— for the first time in her life, Hallie has no one to call a friend. She thought, for a second, that Isaac may have been a candidate. Then she saw him practically kill a boy and, no, she can't be around someone like that.
And not having anyone to talk to kind of sucks. It sucks even more when the bus pulls into a motel for the night and Coach Finstock says, "Pair up, choose wisely." Hallie feels like the last picked in gym class, the last one in class without a lab partner. She sighs and takes a key from the Coach's hand, knowing that she would probably be staying in the creepy motel room alone for the night. That sucks. Hallie is caught in a never ending cycle of suck.
Almost everyone has left the bus and is headed towards the motel. The two girls, Allison and Lydia (who aren't even on the cross country team, Hallie notices) are looking at the looming building, and the redhead says something about how she has a bad feeling about the place. In her head, Hallie can't help but agree.
Another sigh escapes Hallie's mouth and, with a last glance back to the bus, she adjusts the strap of her duffel on her shoulder and heads towards her room— room 221.
"Ugh."
There was no hiding her disdain towards the room; it was, in simple terms, a mess. Wallpaper was pealing off in spots, the table near the twin bed was missing a leg, and god only knows the last time the carpet was vacuumed. There was no changing it, though — she was stuck in the room for the night whether she liked it or not (which, she didn't— not one bit).
After throwing her duffel bag on the bed and taking a small tour through the room and adjoining bathroom, her stomach growls and she's reminded that she hasn't eaten anything since her apple at lunch, and suddenly the only thing on her mind is food. She has none with her— it's not like she was expecting traffic and a storm and a postponed meet, and she certainly wasn't expecting to stay the night in a shitty hotel— but she did bring money with her.
She recalls passing a vending machine on her way to her room and, although it surely wouldn't offer a healthy, filling meal, it'd be enough to calm her growling stomach.
After opening the door, a surprised "oof!" escapes her lips, because she opened the door just as Stiles was walking past and she practically knocks the poor guy down.
"Woah, woah," he says, putting hands on her arms to steady both her and himself. "You good?" When she nods, he removes his hands.
"Yeah, sorry," she apologizes, straightening out her shirt. "I was just heading down to uh, get a snack or something." Stiles is staring at her with narrowed eyes like he expects her to do something, and she feels like she owes him an explanation. Granted, it's not the best explanation.
"I'm with you on that," he nods. "There's a vending machine I was headed out to."
Not sure if he intended it as an invitation or not, Hallie still tags along. The company of Stiles, someone she barely knows, is better than walking the area of the dimly - lit motel alone. Part of her wonders, as they walk in silence, if his father has told him everything that is going on with her and her house — it wouldn't be a surprise to her if he did. It might explain the way the boy acts around her; he's nice enough, but sometimes, she catches him just looking at her, like he is expecting her to break at any moment.
"Looks like Boyd was hungry, too," Stiles says once their down the staircase. He nods towards the boy who is staring wordlessly at the machine.
Something is wrong with him. Hallie seems to realize it before Stiles, who is, in a way that she suspects is natural to him, attempting to crack jokes in Boyd's direction. Boyd is having none of it, though, and continues to stare blankly ahead.
"Hey, Stiles, I think I saw another one further down. Maybe we should—"
Hallie's suggestion is cut off by smash! of crumbling glass beneath Boyd's fist.
She flinches backwards, a shriek coming from her lips. Stiles, less freaked out by the werewolf's behavior, puts his hands on Hallie for the second time that night, attempting to steady her as she calms down. For Hallie, the seconds after the punch are worse than the initial action— Boyd, with a certain numbness to his features, simply stares at them before reaching into the now-broken machine and walking away with his food.
"Oh, god. Fuck!" She can't hold it in anymore, and she struggles to free herself from Stiles' grasp. "What is wrong with people here!? Is everyone fucking insane?!" She thinks she might be hyperventilating; it's catching up to her, the reminder of the bodies and of Isaac punching Ethan into oblivion, and then whatever the fuck just happened before her eyes.
"Calm down, Hallie," Stiles says. He's frowning, eyes flicking back to see where Boyd is headed. "Breath, okay? Breath."
She's breathing, alright. She's breathing like she would after running five miles and she is dizzy and she can't think, not of anything besides the awful things that she has been witness to. They cycle in her brain — pool of blood, mutilated body, body at practice, crazy Isaac, crazy Boyd, and repeat.
"Breath normally," Stiles clarifies, and he has never really dealt with something like this before (except when he experienced it himself), and he'll feel real shitty if the girl passes out or dies. "Hey, you're good, you're okay. Let me just —" he pauses in what might be a comical way if there wasn't a hyperventilating girl in front of him, reaching to grab a handful of snacks from the machine. "Come on, eat something."
She still breathes erratically and her eyes still tear as she grabs the chocolate bar from his hands, and her fingers shake as she opens it, but she manages to chew it and swallow it without choking so Stiles takes that as a good sign.
"Who are you staying with tonight?" he asks. Hallie has taken sitting on the ground, leaning against the vending machine, so Stiles has to crouch to be at her level.
"No one."
He let's out a breath. "Right. Well, no offense, Hallie, but you don't seem okay to be alone and if I send you back and you freak out and have an anxiety attack and die alone in your room, I'll feel bad," he pauses, realizing his words were a bit on the harsh side. "So, I hope you don't mind sharing a room with Allison and Lydia. They're not too bad."
Hallie finishes the rest of the chocolate bar and, after a few silent moments, nods. In a way, she is grateful for Stiles acting the way he did— not freaking out, not laughing at her for freaking out. And staying with the girls instead of being alone in the room— no, that doesn't seem like a bad idea.
Granted, she had no part in the whole 'crazy alpha pack killing Derek' thing. And she didn't appear to be aware of why there had been a corpse in her bathtub, or why someone was dead in her backyard. It wasn't like Isaac thought she was bad or anything — there was no way she behind any of it, not with the way she reacted to everything. He swore, he saw something die behind those blue eyes the moment she saw her third dead body that day at practice.
But something was off. It was not a coincidence. Scott agreed with him now, and so did Stiles— of course, Stiles was convinced she was some type of darach queen bee and was controlling everything and no, Isaac didn't believe that one bit.
He knew he couldn't dwell on her, though. Not when Derek is dead and Scott is bleeding out. It's so hard for him to push her out of his mind— especially when she's on the same bus as him, sitting alone near the back— but he has to, because Boyd is seconds away from attempting to tear apart Ethan and as much as he hates the alpha, even Isaac knows that a bus full of his classmates is not the place to have it out with him.
Isaac notices Stiles walking up the aisle to talk to Coach Finstock then, and the coach is as difficult as usual, not even giving Stiles a chance to talk before blowing his whistle in his face. And then it all happens quickly after that— Stiles returns to his seat, only to get up several moments later and approach Jared and oh. There's vomit and then the bus is pulling off the road and the cross country team is exiting in a rush of gagging and held noses.
"What's going on?" Isaac asks Stiles when the bus is empty, and the other boy responds with a shake of his head. He sees Lydia and Allison, and then he sees them practically dragging Scott into the bathroom. Stiles leaves him without an answer and, with a sigh, Isaac runs a hand through his hair, mumbling "just great" under his breath.
"Do you know what's going on?" He's surprised to hear the voice, surprised that the girl approached him. She's been quite and distant for the past days and Isaac has never gotten a chance to really talk to her since the day at her house when she found the body. "Do you think we're going to make the meet?"
Isaac is facing Hallie fully now, looking down at her when he answers. "I doubt it. This traffic is crazy, not to mention it's going to storm."
She nods. "Oh, okay," and it's quiet in an awkward way for a few moments. She clears her throat and says, "So. Pretty wild week, right?"
"Yeah, I'd say," Isaac replies, laughing slightly. She has the trace of a smile on her pink lips— Isaac has to wonder if they're naturally the bubblegum color, or if she just religiously applies some type of lip gloss— and she tilts her head towards him like she is confused. "Although, I'm sure this is all boring compared to Orange County, right?"
This earns a real giggle on her part. "Totally," she nods. "I mean, this is nothing. Huntington Beach is notorious for it's weird deaths, y'know."
She's talking about the subject lightly, and Isaac can barely hide his surprise at the fact; he nods in reply, a small smirk on his lips. He opens his mouth to say something, but then Stiles is rushing out of the bathroom with an undecipherable look on his face. Isaac doesn't even get a chance to ask what's wrong before Stiles is pulling him towards the bus, away from Hallie.
"What's happening? Is Scott alright?"
Stiles shakes his head. "He's not healing from the scratch. I don't—" Stiles pauses, shrugs. "Lydia things it's something psychological, it has something to do with Derek. But—"
He doesn't get to finish because Isaac suddenly turns on his heels and walks towards where Danny and Ethan are currently standing, the anger practically radiating from him. He doesn't think, just does; his hand is on Ethan's shoulder, turning him around so that they're face to face. Danny let's out a surprised sounding "huh?" just as Isaac's fist slams into Ethan's jaw.
It's all white in Isaac's head; he sees nothing spare from the white hot rage that blinds him, and all he could think about as he lands more punches on the twin is death. Erica. Derek. Now Scott. He's straddling the limp body on the ground, landing hit after hit on Ethan. He thinks he could keep going forever— nothing else matters, not Danny screaming in the background or Coach Finstock trying to pull Isaac off of the alpha, certainly not the crowd that has gathered round.
There is one more punch to his jaw, and then, like an electric jolt, a voice causes Isaac to cease his assault.
"Isaac!"
Scott's voice sticks out from everyone else and it has Isaac leaning away from Ethan, crouching before turning around and seeing that, yes, it's Scott. And Scott doesn't look like he's dying anymore. The smile that comes to his face after seeing that his friend is alive is short lived, because now he finally takes it all in and hears Coach Finstock threatening expulsion, and Danny is looking at him like he's evil. And Hallie— he's seen the scared expression on her face before, but never because of him. Her blue eyes lack sparkle and she's looking at him like she'd look at a murderer and fuck, Isaac realizes that he's screwed up.
He could only bring himself to step further away from Ethan, and then he lets Scott do the rest— he's pulling Isaac away, saying, "What were you thinking, Isaac?"
"I thought you were dying," he admits, letting out a shakey breath and bringing a hand to scratch behind his neck. "I'm sorry, Scott. That was stupid. But they can't just get away with hurting everyone."
'I know, and they won't. But this isn't the time or place to taken it out on them," Scott says, always the level headed one. He puts a comforting hand on Isaac's shoulder and tells him, "I'm good, man. And we'll get back at them for Derek, don't worry."
ONE OF THE DOWNSIDES of being the new girl is not making friends quickly. And when you're the new girl who found a chopped up body in the bathtub, it makes getting friends that much harder. And, so no— for the first time in her life, Hallie has no one to call a friend. She thought, for a second, that Isaac may have been a candidate. Then she saw him practically kill a boy and, no, she can't be around someone like that.
And not having anyone to talk to kind of sucks. It sucks even more when the bus pulls into a motel for the night and Coach Finstock says, "Pair up, choose wisely." Hallie feels like the last picked in gym class, the last one in class without a lab partner. She sighs and takes a key from the Coach's hand, knowing that she would probably be staying in the creepy motel room alone for the night. That sucks. Hallie is caught in a never ending cycle of suck.
Almost everyone has left the bus and is headed towards the motel. The two girls, Allison and Lydia (who aren't even on the cross country team, Hallie notices) are looking at the looming building, and the redhead says something about how she has a bad feeling about the place. In her head, Hallie can't help but agree.
Another sigh escapes Hallie's mouth and, with a last glance back to the bus, she adjusts the strap of her duffel on her shoulder and heads towards her room— room 221.
"Ugh."
There was no hiding her disdain towards the room; it was, in simple terms, a mess. Wallpaper was pealing off in spots, the table near the twin bed was missing a leg, and god only knows the last time the carpet was vacuumed. There was no changing it, though — she was stuck in the room for the night whether she liked it or not (which, she didn't— not one bit).
After throwing her duffel bag on the bed and taking a small tour through the room and adjoining bathroom, her stomach growls and she's reminded that she hasn't eaten anything since her apple at lunch, and suddenly the only thing on her mind is food. She has none with her— it's not like she was expecting traffic and a storm and a postponed meet, and she certainly wasn't expecting to stay the night in a shitty hotel— but she did bring money with her.
She recalls passing a vending machine on her way to her room and, although it surely wouldn't offer a healthy, filling meal, it'd be enough to calm her growling stomach.
After opening the door, a surprised "oof!" escapes her lips, because she opened the door just as Stiles was walking past and she practically knocks the poor guy down.
"Woah, woah," he says, putting hands on her arms to steady both her and himself. "You good?" When she nods, he removes his hands.
"Yeah, sorry," she apologizes, straightening out her shirt. "I was just heading down to uh, get a snack or something." Stiles is staring at her with narrowed eyes like he expects her to do something, and she feels like she owes him an explanation. Granted, it's not the best explanation.
"I'm with you on that," he nods. "There's a vending machine I was headed out to."
Not sure if he intended it as an invitation or not, Hallie still tags along. The company of Stiles, someone she barely knows, is better than walking the area of the dimly - lit motel alone. Part of her wonders, as they walk in silence, if his father has told him everything that is going on with her and her house — it wouldn't be a surprise to her if he did. It might explain the way the boy acts around her; he's nice enough, but sometimes, she catches him just looking at her, like he is expecting her to break at any moment.
"Looks like Boyd was hungry, too," Stiles says once their down the staircase. He nods towards the boy who is staring wordlessly at the machine.
Something is wrong with him. Hallie seems to realize it before Stiles, who is, in a way that she suspects is natural to him, attempting to crack jokes in Boyd's direction. Boyd is having none of it, though, and continues to stare blankly ahead.
"Hey, Stiles, I think I saw another one further down. Maybe we should—"
Hallie's suggestion is cut off by smash! of crumbling glass beneath Boyd's fist.
She flinches backwards, a shriek coming from her lips. Stiles, less freaked out by the werewolf's behavior, puts his hands on Hallie for the second time that night, attempting to steady her as she calms down. For Hallie, the seconds after the punch are worse than the initial action— Boyd, with a certain numbness to his features, simply stares at them before reaching into the now-broken machine and walking away with his food.
"Oh, god. Fuck!" She can't hold it in anymore, and she struggles to free herself from Stiles' grasp. "What is wrong with people here!? Is everyone fucking insane?!" She thinks she might be hyperventilating; it's catching up to her, the reminder of the bodies and of Isaac punching Ethan into oblivion, and then whatever the fuck just happened before her eyes.
"Calm down, Hallie," Stiles says. He's frowning, eyes flicking back to see where Boyd is headed. "Breath, okay? Breath."
She's breathing, alright. She's breathing like she would after running five miles and she is dizzy and she can't think, not of anything besides the awful things that she has been witness to. They cycle in her brain — pool of blood, mutilated body, body at practice, crazy Isaac, crazy Boyd, and repeat.
"Breath normally," Stiles clarifies, and he has never really dealt with something like this before (except when he experienced it himself), and he'll feel real shitty if the girl passes out or dies. "Hey, you're good, you're okay. Let me just —" he pauses in what might be a comical way if there wasn't a hyperventilating girl in front of him, reaching to grab a handful of snacks from the machine. "Come on, eat something."
She still breathes erratically and her eyes still tear as she grabs the chocolate bar from his hands, and her fingers shake as she opens it, but she manages to chew it and swallow it without choking so Stiles takes that as a good sign.
"Who are you staying with tonight?" he asks. Hallie has taken sitting on the ground, leaning against the vending machine, so Stiles has to crouch to be at her level.
"No one."
He let's out a breath. "Right. Well, no offense, Hallie, but you don't seem okay to be alone and if I send you back and you freak out and have an anxiety attack and die alone in your room, I'll feel bad," he pauses, realizing his words were a bit on the harsh side. "So, I hope you don't mind sharing a room with Allison and Lydia. They're not too bad."
Hallie finishes the rest of the chocolate bar and, after a few silent moments, nods. In a way, she is grateful for Stiles acting the way he did— not freaking out, not laughing at her for freaking out. And staying with the girls instead of being alone in the room— no, that doesn't seem like a bad idea.
♠ ♠ ♠
:-)okay several things to cover.
a) is this chapter too long? it was actually intended to have a much longer part, but i've decided to split it into two because i know a lot of people don't like to read anything over 2k words.
b) the Stiles/Hallie friendship will be important o k a y that is why there isn't really Isaac in the second part.
c) are you guys more interested in the darach/druid plot, or alpha pack? bc my plan is to stay mainly darach based BUT if no one is interested in that, i can always change a few things.
d) i'm worried i've made Hallie into too much of a cry baby but idk i feel like most people (or maybe it's just me idk) would react similarly if they have gone through those things she has.
e) i'm also worried that my writing is just shit tbh.