CHAPTER 117

The loud sound of heavy impacts resounded throughout the loft of Derek's apartment as the half-moon light from the night sky passed through his skylight and shone on his sweaty figure as he fist slammed into the padded pillar in the middle of the room.

Punch after punch, drop after drop, his mind went entirely into focus as he slammed into the padded pillar until everything came to a halting stop as the half-moon came into clear view after the clouds finally cleared. 

Huffing under his breath, Derek looked around and squinted his eyes as he looked around. 

"Someone there?" He called out but his reply came as the silent room. "Hello?" 

With his instincts sharp and on alert, he surveyed the whole loft but still found no other presence than himself in the room. 

His eyes hardened at the unnatural silence and he went straight to the door and pushed it open, yet found nothing… at least until he turned to go back inside. 

His eyes further diluted as he saw the sigil painted on the surface of his door. 

A triskelion, but unlike the one painted on his back, all the lines on this one were straight, making it look like a triangle with its edge shooting off into three smaller coiling triangles. 

... 

For Tristan and Malia, time slowly passed peacefully and not much had been happening, at least at the moment. 

Other than some heated glares which had been lacking intensity from Allison's dad anytime they crossed each other, they have been mostly unbothered by anything else. 

Their team won the regional cup, again, so that was something that made everyone super excited for a brief period of time before it started dying down. Unfortunately for Tristan though, that win came with the recognition, ergo popularity, which mostly resulted in a crowded table that he actively started dodging. 

At least that was after they finally took the subtle hint after Malia lost it and chased them all from crowding their table during lunchtime or anytime in general. 

As for Lydia's continued friendship with them considering Tristan did kill Jackson, it could only be attributed to her being understanding which wasn't even saying enough. Though most of her coming to understanding the circumstances surrounding Jackson's death was thanks to Allison's efforts. 

Though she didn't speak as much to Tristan like she used to do, their relationship managed to remain as friends. At least both of them were mature enough to understand the plight of the other to some degree. 

That was good, all things considered. 

For the more annoying bit, after Malia's 'subtle' hint for everyone to get lost, apparently only Scott and Stiles seemed not to get it. 

Scott mostly because these were the only supernaturals like him that he could associate with, and knowing from Derek and Deaton that they didn't just go around killing people helped calm his Stiles-induced apprehensiveness of them to acceptable levels. 

Stiles' reason for sticking with them on the hand was much more simpler; getting to know more about their side of the world and spending much time with Lydia. 

The result of the increasing friendship circle was Tristan spending less time in it. He was cool with everyone there but what he wasn't cool with was engaging with everyone in it or being made to. 

….. 

"You know that continuing staring at her isn't going to do anything but make you look creepy, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry for not feeling too confident, you know?" Boyd sharply retorted, sighing as he withdrew his gaze from Erica who was currently working out for their PE. "I think she might have the hots for you."

Tristan stopped, looked at Erica, then at Boyd, then at Malia, saying nothing at all. 

Boyd effortlessly understood the unspoken words but that didn't help his plight in anyway. "How do you guys even do it?"

Tristan asked back absentmindedly as he loosely did his workout. "Do what?"

Boyd's eyes were focused on a few certain people as he replied Tristan. "You guys – Isaac, Erica , Scott, Allison, even Lydia – it's like something changed in you guys overnight and yet, somehow, you guys just gravitate towards each other?" He looked at his best friend questioningly. 

"It's not a conspiracy, Boyd. Like-minded people flock to each other, or in this case, social butterflies." Tristan said, not even deigning to consider Boyd's words. 

Boyd didn't really believe that, thinking they knew each other in a circle outside school, but dropped it for something else, "Sooo, any tips for me in asking Erica out?".

Tristan stopped his workout, looking once again at Erica and Boyd, noting their key differences. "Be confident. And sincere."

"Sincere?" Boyd remarked doubtingly. 

"Yeah, sincerity. Despite the whole Madonna thing she got going on, duh she's not a saint or anything like that, but she's kind of innocent, definitely not in the way you're thinking, at least when it comes to sincerity."

Now it was Boyd's turn to awed, until something clicked, and then he looked weirdly at Tristan but the pale not-emo teen deftly added. 

"No, it's not whatever you're thinking. I'm just highly observant, especially in figuring people out. It doesn't help that most teens, 'special' or not, are open books if you just pay them the slightest attention." Tristan explained and walked towards a group of students who were getting ready for a run leaving Boyd alone. 

"Hey! You're still helping me… right?" He called out but Tristan was already on his run. 

….. 

"Why are you being competitive all of a sudden?" Malia asked as she looked at Allison who was beside her and visibly putting the effort in what was supposed to be a casual run. 

Allison answered easily with orderly breath despite the exertion. "Not competing, but comparing, no not that. I'm observing the difference, yeah that." She said, having a bit of trouble putting her thoughts into clear words. 

Malia shrugged, not particularly caring either. "It's an overwhelming difference, but for your observation, this is me basically doing nothing." She said. 

"So, little to no effort?" Allison asked. 

Malia laughed for a second and replied dryly, no hint of amusement in her voice. "None. I'm actually trying not to run at 'normal' speed. Trust me, this is not what you want a comparison of. Especially with a were-creature."

It was now Allison's turn to laugh and she smartly gave up. She might have understood if Malia had said little effort, 5% maximum, not her saying she was pushing herself below her normal, basically working at negative percentages. 

Huff. Huff. 

Someone pushed through to them at that moment, two people actually, and joined in on their conversation. "What's up girls?"

Erica and Lydia caught up with them and while Lydia was being casual and trying to exercise herself with her friends, Erica confronted Malia. 

"Hey, snouts. How about testing baseline?" She said patronizingly.

Malia glared at her because of the ironic insulting nickname but was more than glad to pick up the challenge. Who was Malia? No one challenged her, even in something she's not good at. 

"Hey, powerpuff girls. Humans?" Lydia called out, glancing at the people behind them but Erica waved off her concerns. 

"Don't worry, it's baseline. Nothing freaky."

"So, a normal race? At least your version of normal, I think." Lydia thought loudly to herself but at that point Malia and Erica were gone, putting a sizable distance between them and the rest of the running students. 

"They call that baseline?" Allison asked with widening eyes at what was basically her full sprint at 120% for short distances, not the extended lap they were going. 

Beside her, Lydia looked at the two go and just sighed to herself, feeling a little envious of their capabilities unlike her who essentially functioned as a random soon-to-be-dead countdown alarm. 

"That's cheating on so many levels." She muttered. 

On the other side of the track, Erica was falling behind Malia who still looked as if she wasn't even trying. "Just give it up. There's no way you're beating me, definitely not in a race." She casually commented but Erica snorted. 

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think so? Maybe it would be different if we pushed ourselves, you'll never know." 

"I would. You can't beat me like this, what makes you think you will if we get serious. At least catch up to Derek's speed if you want to beat me."

That seemed to piss Erica off as Malia basically said she had to compare to an Alpha if she wanted to beat her. 

"Okay, let's stop here before we push it past the world record." Malia said and considerately slowed down, practically to a walk, until the lap ended. 

She looked at Erica who was walking with her and for the first time since knowing her, addressed her on neutral grounds. "Hey are you trying to push yourself? Not just on Tristan, but me and also possibly Derek? What is it that you want?" She asked despite having a clue and Erica's scrunched face at the question was all the answers she needed. 

"You wouldn't understand. You didn't live it." She said bitingly.

Malia, unfazed still, nodded. "Of course I wouldn't." She said, and added. "But stacking yourself against people too stronger than yourself will make your own progress seem negligible. Start from a small goal and then go higher from there."

Erica looked skeptically at her, but asked. "Like what?" At her question, Malia's hands drew her sight to Scott who arrived behind Tristan and Isaac. "McCall?" 

"Yeah. As far as I know, he's got some good instincts but his senses could use a little work." Malia said as she made her way inside to take a shower before meeting up with Tristan for a hopeful steamy session before classes. 

"Oh, and stop pinning for Tristan or I'll gouge out your eyes."

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