Cynical.
Suspicious
I woke up in my bed, both of my parents and Scott standing over me. I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position, my body aching.
"No sweetie. You don't have to get up. It's alright." My mom pushed away some hair that was sticking to my forehead. I laid back against my pillows, exhaling loudly. I knew what conversation was coming, and I needed to talk to Scott.
"How long have I been out?"
"A few hours. Alana, why didn't you tell us you'd been fainting again?" I didn't want to answer her question right now. I wanted to know why I screamed. I wanted answers.
"Mom, dad, can I talk to Scott alone please?" I gave them a pleading look, hoping for once they wouldn't be over protective. If Scott wanted to hurt me, he would have done it already. We'd been alone more than once. He never even made a move to touch me.
"Sure honey." My mom pulled my dad from the room and closed the door behind her, leaving me with an extremely worried werewolf.
"Scott, who died?" I knew it was coming. I wasn't screaming for no reason, and I had a feeling the screaming wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
"Sean Walcott. He was a wendigo." I had no idea what a wendigo was. If I was being entirely honest, I didn't know anything, but if he was dead, it was probably a good thing.
"How did he die?"
"I'm guessing it was an assassin? I really don't know. He didn't have a mouth, and he told me to be quiet."
Mute
The word came to the front of my mind. It was the last thing I heard before everything went black, and it had to mean something.
"Mute." I pushed myself into a sitting position, trying to put together some semblance of an answer, but I didn't have much to go off of. I didn't know what a wendigo was, and I didn't know why one had died. I didn't know the person that killed him or why he didn't have a mouth. Nothing was making sense, and it was starting to make my head hurt.
"What did you say?" Scott asked, raising his eyebrows at me.
"Mute. That was what I heard before I passed out. I don't know what it means or if it's a person, but that's what I heard." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, probably texting Lydia or Stiles. Maybe both. I crossed my legs and ran my fingers through my damp hair, trying to make sense of everything.
"Can you meet with us tomorrow morning?" I felt like I didn't have a choice.
"Yeah, and thank you. I know you're the one that brought me back, and my head doesn't hurt, so I'm assuming you caught me before I hit the linoleum. I'll see you in the morning." He nodded and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him though it was useless. I was surprised my parents hadn't been standing right outside the room listening to our conversation. My mom walked in, and my dad was still outside either talking to Scott or gathering his bearings before he freaked out.
"Sweetie, we can move again. It'll be fine." She perched herself on the right side of me, grabbing my hand. I shook my head, pushing my free hand through my hair again.
"No. We're not moving. We've been here two days. I'm fine. Scott isn't going to let anything happen to me." And I knew he wouldn't. Somehow, with someone else dying, he'd managed to keep me safe. He hadn't tried to put me in harms way, and he was the only one that somewhat knew what was going on with me. I had no choice but to trust him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It'll be alright, I promise." I didn't know if it was going to be okay, but I didn't want to tell her that. She seemed freaked out enough as it was, and she wasn't even the one that was dealing with it. She kissed my head and walked out of my room. I flopped back against my pillows, staring up at my ceiling with wide eyes. I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into, and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to get myself out of it. I slid down under my blankets and shut the light off, hoping to get at least a little bit of sleep. I closed my eyes, trying to shut my brain off.
***
Liam was acting weirder than normal when we got on the bus. He barely said two words, and he just seemed angry. I watched him snap at Mason, and I knew something was up. I wanted to ask, but I was the last person he'd tell anything to, so I avoided him and settled for asking Scott. I realized I didn't know where I was supposed to meet him, but I got my answer when I saw him standing in the courtyard with Lydia and Stiles. I walked over quickly, my eyes darting around. I had a strange feeling that we were being watched, and I didn't like it.
"Hey." I stood closest to Lydia. I was still iffy about Stiles, and Scott looked like he had a lot on his mind, "What's going on?" I asked, my eyes flickering between the three of them.
"There's going to be a full moon on Friday." I was going to ask why that was important, but then it clicked that Scott was a werewolf. That couldn't be good.
"Okay. Is that bad? Does something happen to us on full moons?" I asked, turning to Lydia. I hadn't experienced anything horrible before, but it seemed as though whatever power I had was stronger here. I never heard voices before, only static. I was hearing clear things now, and I didn't know if that was good or bad.
"Not us." She looked at Scott, but I felt like there was something that they weren't telling me.
"Are you gonna be okay?"
"It's not me. It's Liam." I was officially confused. Stiles was quiet, and when I looked at him, I noticed that he was staring at me.
"Well what's wrong with Liam?"
"Remember I told you about the wendigo that died? He was trying to kill Liam. I bit him so that he wouldn't die." So now Liam was a werewolf? What the hell was going on?
"Does Liam even know what's going on?" It was probably why he'd been so upset when we were on the bus. It would make sense. He already had a bit of an anger issue. Clearly, the bite just intensified it.
"I don't know. Have you seen him?"
"Yeah. He was on the bus this morning, but I didn't talk to him. He seemed pissed, and he's rude enough to me as it is." Stiles and Scott exchanged a look before leaving me with Lydia, which I didn't mind.
"Scott said you heard something last night." She got right to the point. It was a little unnerving, but we didn't have time to beat around the bush.
"I fainted again last night. I heard the word mute. I don't know what it means, but Scott said whatever killed the wendigo didn't have a mouth."
"But mute can mean anything. That's all you heard? You're sure there was nothing else?" I tried to rack my brain, but that was only thing I remembered.
"No, nothing. I mean, maybe that's the guy's name? If he doesn't have a mouth then he can't talk. Not sure that's going to help us or anyone find this guy, but it's a start, right?" The bell rang, and I watched people say bye to their friends and scatter. I really wasn't in the mood to go to class, but the second day of school called for it.
"Yeah. Go to class. I'll see you at lunch." I nodded and walked inside, trying to remember the route that Scott took me on the day before to find Coach Finstock's class. Mason was inside already, but Liam was nowhere to be found. I sat in the same seat I had the day before, pulling out my homework questions.
"Have you seen Liam?" Mason asked the second I sat down.
"Not since we got off the bus." I could tell they were close just by the way Mason looked worried. It wasn't out of the ordinary for someone to be late to class, but it was obvious that Mason knew something was up.
"Are you okay? I heard you fainted in class yesterday." I didn't know that spread around the school, but it should have been obvious. You'd think being in a class with a bunch of older students would stop them from spreading business that wasn't theirs to tell, but this was high school. No one was safe.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I just didn't eat breakfast." I lied, my cheeks tinting red as I turned my attention to my notebook. I pretended to read over my homework, hoping he wouldn't ask me anymore questions. The second bell rang, and Coach Finstock walked into the room, already seeming to be in a bad mood.
"Pass up your homework." He snapped. I watched everyone scramble, pulling papers out of their bags and binders, passing them to the front. I handed my homework to Mason and immediately made myself busy. Two people that were sitting a couple rows away caught my attention. I'd seen them on the bus a few times, and I knew they were a couple. They were speaking in hushed whispers about what seemed to be a serious conversation. I watched the girl clutch her necklace tightly before she looked down at it. The boy she was talking to nodded in my direction, and the girl's head whipped around. She sent me an icy glare, and I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I turned back to Coach Finstock, hoping my gut was wrong, but they seemed suspicious. Of what, I didn't know, but it couldn't have been good.
"No sweetie. You don't have to get up. It's alright." My mom pushed away some hair that was sticking to my forehead. I laid back against my pillows, exhaling loudly. I knew what conversation was coming, and I needed to talk to Scott.
"How long have I been out?"
"A few hours. Alana, why didn't you tell us you'd been fainting again?" I didn't want to answer her question right now. I wanted to know why I screamed. I wanted answers.
"Mom, dad, can I talk to Scott alone please?" I gave them a pleading look, hoping for once they wouldn't be over protective. If Scott wanted to hurt me, he would have done it already. We'd been alone more than once. He never even made a move to touch me.
"Sure honey." My mom pulled my dad from the room and closed the door behind her, leaving me with an extremely worried werewolf.
"Scott, who died?" I knew it was coming. I wasn't screaming for no reason, and I had a feeling the screaming wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
"Sean Walcott. He was a wendigo." I had no idea what a wendigo was. If I was being entirely honest, I didn't know anything, but if he was dead, it was probably a good thing.
"How did he die?"
"I'm guessing it was an assassin? I really don't know. He didn't have a mouth, and he told me to be quiet."
Mute
The word came to the front of my mind. It was the last thing I heard before everything went black, and it had to mean something.
"Mute." I pushed myself into a sitting position, trying to put together some semblance of an answer, but I didn't have much to go off of. I didn't know what a wendigo was, and I didn't know why one had died. I didn't know the person that killed him or why he didn't have a mouth. Nothing was making sense, and it was starting to make my head hurt.
"What did you say?" Scott asked, raising his eyebrows at me.
"Mute. That was what I heard before I passed out. I don't know what it means or if it's a person, but that's what I heard." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, probably texting Lydia or Stiles. Maybe both. I crossed my legs and ran my fingers through my damp hair, trying to make sense of everything.
"Can you meet with us tomorrow morning?" I felt like I didn't have a choice.
"Yeah, and thank you. I know you're the one that brought me back, and my head doesn't hurt, so I'm assuming you caught me before I hit the linoleum. I'll see you in the morning." He nodded and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him though it was useless. I was surprised my parents hadn't been standing right outside the room listening to our conversation. My mom walked in, and my dad was still outside either talking to Scott or gathering his bearings before he freaked out.
"Sweetie, we can move again. It'll be fine." She perched herself on the right side of me, grabbing my hand. I shook my head, pushing my free hand through my hair again.
"No. We're not moving. We've been here two days. I'm fine. Scott isn't going to let anything happen to me." And I knew he wouldn't. Somehow, with someone else dying, he'd managed to keep me safe. He hadn't tried to put me in harms way, and he was the only one that somewhat knew what was going on with me. I had no choice but to trust him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It'll be alright, I promise." I didn't know if it was going to be okay, but I didn't want to tell her that. She seemed freaked out enough as it was, and she wasn't even the one that was dealing with it. She kissed my head and walked out of my room. I flopped back against my pillows, staring up at my ceiling with wide eyes. I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into, and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to get myself out of it. I slid down under my blankets and shut the light off, hoping to get at least a little bit of sleep. I closed my eyes, trying to shut my brain off.
***
Liam was acting weirder than normal when we got on the bus. He barely said two words, and he just seemed angry. I watched him snap at Mason, and I knew something was up. I wanted to ask, but I was the last person he'd tell anything to, so I avoided him and settled for asking Scott. I realized I didn't know where I was supposed to meet him, but I got my answer when I saw him standing in the courtyard with Lydia and Stiles. I walked over quickly, my eyes darting around. I had a strange feeling that we were being watched, and I didn't like it.
"Hey." I stood closest to Lydia. I was still iffy about Stiles, and Scott looked like he had a lot on his mind, "What's going on?" I asked, my eyes flickering between the three of them.
"There's going to be a full moon on Friday." I was going to ask why that was important, but then it clicked that Scott was a werewolf. That couldn't be good.
"Okay. Is that bad? Does something happen to us on full moons?" I asked, turning to Lydia. I hadn't experienced anything horrible before, but it seemed as though whatever power I had was stronger here. I never heard voices before, only static. I was hearing clear things now, and I didn't know if that was good or bad.
"Not us." She looked at Scott, but I felt like there was something that they weren't telling me.
"Are you gonna be okay?"
"It's not me. It's Liam." I was officially confused. Stiles was quiet, and when I looked at him, I noticed that he was staring at me.
"Well what's wrong with Liam?"
"Remember I told you about the wendigo that died? He was trying to kill Liam. I bit him so that he wouldn't die." So now Liam was a werewolf? What the hell was going on?
"Does Liam even know what's going on?" It was probably why he'd been so upset when we were on the bus. It would make sense. He already had a bit of an anger issue. Clearly, the bite just intensified it.
"I don't know. Have you seen him?"
"Yeah. He was on the bus this morning, but I didn't talk to him. He seemed pissed, and he's rude enough to me as it is." Stiles and Scott exchanged a look before leaving me with Lydia, which I didn't mind.
"Scott said you heard something last night." She got right to the point. It was a little unnerving, but we didn't have time to beat around the bush.
"I fainted again last night. I heard the word mute. I don't know what it means, but Scott said whatever killed the wendigo didn't have a mouth."
"But mute can mean anything. That's all you heard? You're sure there was nothing else?" I tried to rack my brain, but that was only thing I remembered.
"No, nothing. I mean, maybe that's the guy's name? If he doesn't have a mouth then he can't talk. Not sure that's going to help us or anyone find this guy, but it's a start, right?" The bell rang, and I watched people say bye to their friends and scatter. I really wasn't in the mood to go to class, but the second day of school called for it.
"Yeah. Go to class. I'll see you at lunch." I nodded and walked inside, trying to remember the route that Scott took me on the day before to find Coach Finstock's class. Mason was inside already, but Liam was nowhere to be found. I sat in the same seat I had the day before, pulling out my homework questions.
"Have you seen Liam?" Mason asked the second I sat down.
"Not since we got off the bus." I could tell they were close just by the way Mason looked worried. It wasn't out of the ordinary for someone to be late to class, but it was obvious that Mason knew something was up.
"Are you okay? I heard you fainted in class yesterday." I didn't know that spread around the school, but it should have been obvious. You'd think being in a class with a bunch of older students would stop them from spreading business that wasn't theirs to tell, but this was high school. No one was safe.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I just didn't eat breakfast." I lied, my cheeks tinting red as I turned my attention to my notebook. I pretended to read over my homework, hoping he wouldn't ask me anymore questions. The second bell rang, and Coach Finstock walked into the room, already seeming to be in a bad mood.
"Pass up your homework." He snapped. I watched everyone scramble, pulling papers out of their bags and binders, passing them to the front. I handed my homework to Mason and immediately made myself busy. Two people that were sitting a couple rows away caught my attention. I'd seen them on the bus a few times, and I knew they were a couple. They were speaking in hushed whispers about what seemed to be a serious conversation. I watched the girl clutch her necklace tightly before she looked down at it. The boy she was talking to nodded in my direction, and the girl's head whipped around. She sent me an icy glare, and I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I turned back to Coach Finstock, hoping my gut was wrong, but they seemed suspicious. Of what, I didn't know, but it couldn't have been good.