11. FORMALITY

I jumped out of my seat in a fright almost stumbling right into the examination table. I hardly got any sleep knowing that Derek was captured by the Argents, and I was plagued with unclear nightmares about where he was. The one thing I knew for sure- he was in a lot of pain.

"Sleep well?", Mr. Deaton joked.

I stretched my arms, slowly rolling my neck from side to side in order to loosen my tense muscles. 

"Hardly.".

Scott bolted up not too long afterwards, surprise across his face when he saw me and Mr. Deaton.

"Welcome to the land of the conscious. You doing okay?", the veterinarian asked him kindly, tapping his chest.

Scott nodded, looking a lot better than he did last night. Mr. Deaton advised him to stay seated, and I gave him a relieved smile. The hair on my arms and neck stood up when we heard the sound of doorbell. There was only one person I knew that would cause me to feel that uneasy- Peter Hale.

Mr. Deaton called out a 'hello', Scott and I both giving him a nervous look before he went to check who it was. My heart hammered inside my chest when Peter's voice filled the room.

"Hi there. I'm here to pick up…".

Scott and I moved in attempts to get as far away from the reception area as we could. My brain tuned out the conversation between Mr. Deaton and Peter and focused on something else, someone else.

"Don't look…", Derek's weak voice called out inside my head.

Again, just like with Scott, I could only make out little details. He was tied to a fence inside a dark room, wires taped to his chest which were connected to a machine. Scott shook my shoulder before I could see anything else.

"Lorelai, come on, we have to go! Peter's after Allison!".

∞∞∞∞

Stiles was already waiting for us at Scott's house before we turned his entire room upside down searching for his phone. 

"Call it again!".

I leaned against the door pane watching the guy frantically move around while Stiles sat unfazed on a chair. I was back on thin ice with my mom for not telling her I was sleeping over at Scott's because our 'school project' took longer than expected. We were going to address my lack of communication over dinner later.

"I can't afford a new one, and I can't do this alone. We have to find Derek.", Scott cried.

"Well, 'A' you're not alone, you have us. And 'B' didn't you say Derek walked into gunfire? He sounds pretty dead.", Stiles counter argued.

"He's not dead, the Argents have him. They're gonna use him to get to Alpha.", I butted in, a lump in my throat.

I couldn't get the image of how terrible Derek looked out of my head. They were torturing him.

"All right, so then, just let them do what they're planning, you know? They use Derek to find Peter, problem solved.".

Stiles' ignorance was starting to get on my nerves. 

"Dude! If the Argents find Peter, they find Scott and me. And I was pretty sure they aren't gonna let the three of us just walk free.".

"Okay true, but going back to Scott's phone… You know, you probably lost it when you two were fighting. You remember that? When he was trying to kill you? After you interrupted him trying to kill Jackson? Are you starting to see a pattern of violent behavior, here?", Stiles rambled on.

"He wasn't going to kill anyone. And we're not letting him die.", Scott said softly, pausing for a moment.

"Could you at least think about letting him die? For me?", Stiles begged. 

Scott cocked his head to the side as if he heard something.

"My mom just got home from work… She's crying…", he said as he sat down on the bed.

"Scott, you can't protect everyone…", Stiles directed to Scott.

"I have to…".

We stood in silence, not knowing what to say next. It was during that moment when I realized that Scott had done everything he could to try and help everyone he loves. It wasn't fair that he had to take this on himself. Even though I was around, I wasn't helpful thanks to my inability to work out the fundamentals of being a druid. And I was running out of time…

∞∞∞∞

"Young lady, did you forget you own a cell phone? I've been trying to get a hold of you since lunch!", my mom yelled as soon as I stepped inside the house.

"I'm sorry, I was with Scott and Stiles. Scott's taking the breakup pretty bad…", I droned, heading straight to the kitchen.

I left the McCall household with a guilty conscious and a head full of worry. The last thing I needed was a lecture about answering text messages on time.

"Yeah, well, I wanted to tell you that we have a visitor.", she explained, pulling me away from the plate of chocolate muffins that was laid on the counter.

Groaning, I followed her into the living room. 

"It's been way too long, my little lamb!".

Ms. Amelia wrapped me in a tight hug, her strong lavender scent hitting my nose. 

"You're squishing me…", I grunted, and she quickly let go.

My mom had to rush off to the hospital because they needed some extra hands, leaving me and Ms. Amelia alone. After making some tea, we got comfortable on the couch.

"Did you not get my message?", she asked, taking a sip.

I cocked my head to the side, trying to remember when she sent me a text. 

"Oh… You mean the whispering and the burning in my chest? Couldn't you have found a less dramatic way to do it, like a dream or something?".

Ms. Amelia chuckled as she took my hand.

"Told ya you were special… Your mom know about this yet?".

I shook my head and she let out a hum.

"Good. Your father was adamant on keeping it a secret, except I wasn't sure how he was going to cover it up when you came of age. I'm sorry about what happened to him, little lamb.".

We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Ms. Amelia, how do you know about all this?", I asked, scratching my chin.

"The supernatural isn't just centred around Beacon Hills. And it's not just limited to werewolves and druids.".

"So, you're saying that there are other supernatural beings out there?".

She nodded her head, "I come from a family similarly to yours. Except we aren't druids, we're witches.".

My jaw dropped.

"You're a what now?".

"Oh, love, I don't know why you're surprised, I was never secretive about it.".

"Well, that would explain how you were able to help my sleeping issues… And that weird connection you have with cats in the alley…", I sighed.

She laughed.

"As much as I have missed jesting around with you, I came here with an urgent warning.".

Ms. Amelia wore a grim look on her face as she continued.

"Lorelai, things in Beacon Hills are about to take a turn for the worst. It was prophesied that the town's destined to be destroyed, along with people in it. And you are the only one who can prevent it from happening.".

∞∞∞∞

"Hey, can we talk?", Allison gently gripped my arm, pulling me into an empty classroom.

"So, um I just found out something really intense about my family and- Woah, are you okay?".

Since my lovely chat with Ms. Amelia, my brain was on overdrive. I barely slept the night before, and now with the added stress of a town's fate in my hands, it made things worse. Not to mention Derek's cryptic message, telling me not to look.

"Yeah, yeah, my insomnia's been acting up. What's going on?".

Something seemed different about Allison, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"I was thinking about that story you told me, the one on how you got your scar?", she pointed at my wrist.

"It was a bear…", I said uncertainly.

A small part of me knew where she was going with this, and I hoped I was wrong.

"But what if it wasn't?", Allison whispered.

"What exactly are you saying?".

"Lorelai, this is going to sound crazy, but hear me out. All these animal attacks, there's more to it-".

The sound of my phone ringing cut her off. It was Stiles.

"How fast can you get to the boys' locker room? It's an emergency!".

Grateful for whatever disaster was going on there, I told him I'd meet him there before turning my attention back to Allison.

"You have to go don't you?", she sighed.

"I promise we will talk about this later, okay!".

I didn't wait for her response, and I bolted out of the classroom. I felt bad for leaving her alone, but at the same time, I didn't know how I was going to lie to her if the conversation escalated and she brought up the whole werewolves are real topic. 

Finally, reaching the locker room, my heart pounding, I walked right into an awkward conversation with Coach Finstock and Scott.

"And if you show up at the dance, and I see you there? I'm gonna drag you out by your teeth. Maolán, what the heck are you doing in the boys' locker room?", Coach questioned.

"I…", shrugging my shoulders, I stumbled for an answer.

Stiles coming to my rescue once again, rambled about me having his textbook. Coach Finstock stormed off into his office, not actually caring about his reasoning.

"Yeah, we need your help to convince Jackson to take Allison to the dance.", Scott filled me in while pushing me in the direction of his locker before confronting Jackson.

"You want me to take her to the formal?", Jackson asked.

"I don't want you to, I need you to.", Scott responded.

"Screw you.", the jerk spat, turning to Stiles, "You know what? Screw you, too. In fact, screw each other.".

He glanced at me, guilt flashing across his face for a second before his usual smug returned. I rolled my eyes at him, frustrated at how inconsiderate he was being. They argued amongst themselves, Stiles bringing up the fact that Scott had saved his life, and Jackson rationalising that Scott had healed. 

I merely observed how badly this was going, waiting for the right moment to step in. Jackson shoved past the two boys, shaking his head at me.

"Well, I shouldn't say 'I told you so…' cause it's not strong enough. How about, I'm always right, and you should listen to whatever I have to say and never disagree ever, ever, for the sake of your wolfihood?", Stiles suggested.

"Hey, Stiles? Shut up. Scott, you're not done. There's one more option.", I finally jumped in.

Scott, catching on, grinned.

"She's right, I'm not done.", he said, going after Jackson.

The poor boy got quite a fright when Scott wolfed out in front of him which made him agree to take Allison to the formal. Even though Scott wasn't allowed to go to the dance, he was still planning to do so.

"So, you're gonna ride your bike to a dance that you're not even allowed to go to, without a date, a suit, or a way in, with Werewolves and Werewolf Hunters all out to kick your little Werewolf ass?", Stiles summarized.

"Yeah… You're gonna help me?".

"Hell yeah! What about you Lorelai, going with anyone special?".

"Eh. Was thinking of skipping this one out, I've got a witch to deal with at home. Fill me in on anymore developments!", I said quickly, walking away.

"She's kidding right? Lorelai?", I heard Stiles call out.

I waved before disappearing around the corner. I had a weird feeling that something bad was going to happen… 

∞∞∞∞

"What do you mean she left?", I questioned my mom.

"She got on a flight and went back home, Lory. Why are you so upset?".

I paced anxiously around the dining room, biting the skin of my thumb. I still had so many questions for Ms. Amelia regarding my abilities and how to use them. 

"And by the way, thanks for telling me about the formal tonight!".

"Oh, yeah… I'm not going.", I said, sitting down.

My mom scoffed.

"Like hell you aren't. I already got you a dress, it's on your bed. This is sophomore year, Lory. Make the most of it. Trust me, if you don't go, you're going to regret it!".

I whined, complaining that I don't have a date and that I had so much homework to catch up on, but she didn't buy it.

"You have gone through too much not to enjoy your life! Now shut your trap and get upstairs. I'll come help you with your hair when you're done changing.".

Grumbling underneath my breath, I made my way to my room, closing the door behind me. There, laid neatly on my bed, was a long sleeve knee length royal blue dress. It was simple yet elegant, my mom always had an eye for these types of things. 

I let out a deep breath as I tried to make peace with what was currently happening. I hated that my mind went there, but this could be the last dance I ever attended. 

Grabbing a quick shower, I put on the dress. My mom poked her head through the door asking if I was ready for her. I mumbled a yes and she came in, a hair straightener in one hand and her makeup bag in the other.

"Mom, is all this necessary?".

"Lory, just shush, okay? Trust me.".

I've honestly never seen her this excited for anything in a long time. She decided to go with neutral colors with a little glitter to make my forest green eyes pop, and nude lipstick. As for my plain brown hair, she experimented with loose curls that actually worked out very nicely.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you did a really good job, mom. Thank you…".

She hugged me tightly, tears in her eyes, "I wish your dad was here…".

"Me too…".

"Oh, I have one more thing. Close your eyes.".

She broke the hug and I felt her clasp something around my neck. 

"I found it on dresser table and thought it would look really pretty with your outfit.".

My mom had threaded a chain through the pendant that Derek gave me which allowed me to talk to my dead grandmother the last time I touched it. Thankfully, nothing happened.

I hugged my mom again before she drove me to school which didn't bother me at all. You'd think I'd be embarrassed that I was showing up on my own, with my mom driving me, but at that point I didn't care. As I got out the car, she looked down at my shoes, frowning.

"Seriously, Lorelai… Combat boots?".

"Hey, I allowed you to paint my face, isn't that enough?", I joked.

"Love you mom.".

I gave her a quick grimace before powerwalking to the entrance. Maybe it was the nerves, but I felt really nauseous. I still had a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Are you planning to go inside, or stare at everyone from the door like a stalker?", Stiles' voice broke me out of my spiralling thoughts.

When I turned around, both him and Lydia gasped.

"You look like a girl!", my spastic friend blurted out.

"That's exactly what I was going for!", I answered with fake enthusiasm.

"You guys look good too just by the way.", I added.

Lydia smiled, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere. I kind of felt bad for Stiles and slipped my arm through his free one.

"Now people will think you're cool because you're walking in with two dates.".

Lydia snorted at my comment while Stiles just scoffed.

"Hey!".

The three of us slowly made our way inside, the music pounding in my ears, Lydia trailing behind us. 

"This is literally my worst nightmare.", I mumbled.

We immediately eyed a free table and took a seat. I caught sight of a very uneasy Jackson and an awkward Allison on the dancefloor who mouthed a hey when she saw us. I smacked Stiles' arm, cocking my head in Lydia's direction.

"You wanna dance?", he asked his childhood crush, catching my drift.

I got up to give them some privacy, hoping that the strawberry blonde would finally give him the time of day. The air around me suddenly felt cold, and hair on my neck stood up. That only meant one thing- the Alpha was here. 

I looked frantically around for any sign of Scott, just to hear Coach shouting at the guy. Following the voice, I found him, in the arms of Danny Māhealani.

"McCall! You're not supposed to! What the hell are you do- What the hell are you doing?", Coach Finstock sputtered.

Everything went silent, and all the attention was now on the flabbergasted lacrosse coach.

"Okay, ho-ho-ho, ha-ha. Hold on, you- I was just saying he's not supposed to- I mean, I wasn't saying that he shouldn't- You guys don't think- You don't- I-I was- Just dance, everybody! Just dance! Dance! It's a party!", he exclaimed, accepting the fact that he wasn't going to win this one.

By the time I got to Scott, he was dancing with Allison. Not wanting to break up their reunion, I looked over to Stiles, but he was just as occupied as Scott. Glad that he at last got Lydia to dance, I decided to search for the Alpha myself. 

I didn't exactly have a game plan but at least if I lured the monster away from the school, my friends would be safe. I exited the gym just to crash into a very tipsy Jackson.

"Out- out of my way, Lorelai.".

He stumbled as he walked down the first step. I caught his arm just as he was about to fall.

"Hey…".

"I'm fine, leave me alone.", he grunted.

"Yeah… I'm not gonna do that. And you're not fine.", I retorted, still holding him up.

"You idiots don't know how good you got it.", Jackson mumbled while I helped him to his car.

"What are you talking about?", I raised my eyebrow at him.

He was about to elaborate when something in the trees grabbed his attention. I followed his stare, and my heart jumped out of my chest. 

"Jackson, no. You don't wanna do this!".

Jackson, already mesmerised by the bright red orbs, decided to go after it. Completely ignoring my pleas, he shoved past me, making a run for the woods.

"Jackson!".

I knew this wasn't going to end well, and I went against my better judgement, sprinting after the lacrosse captain. There was a ninety-nine chance that Peter was probably going to kill him. 

It quite foggy making it hard for me to see as I trekked through the trees. I heard voices, and almost walked into something that was much worse than bumping into the Alpha. It was Allison's dad. I hid quickly behind a tree.

"Unfortunately, Jackson, I don't think I can give you what you want… But, I have a feeling you might be able to help me.", I heard Mr. Argent say.

As soon as I was sure they were gone, I left my hiding spot, running back towards the school. Our problem was about to reach a catastrophic level with Jackson now spilling the beans about Scott.

Even though my legs burned like hell, I didn't stop until I reached the entrance of the gym for the second time that night. I recognized the back of Jackson's head. 

"YOU ASSHOLE!!!", I yelled as I lunged for him, punching him right in the jaw.

"Lorelai, what the hell!", Stiles exclaimed.

Jackson didn't retaliate, clutching his face. He refused to make eye contact with me. 

"What? What's wrong?", Stiles urged.

"Go on, Jackson. Tell him what happened!".

My hand was throbbing, but I didn't care. I got ready to attack him again.

"I-I was out behind the school, and I-I was out-", Jackson stammered.

While Stiles continued his interrogation, I heard the familiar growl echoing through the hallway. It was like everything moved in slow motion as I turned towards the exit. I heard another voice, this time female, calling out for someone.

"Stiles, we have to go! Peter's here and I think he has Lydia!".

I bolted in the direction of the football field, Stiles not too far off behind me. The two of us got there just in time to see Peter extract his fangs, sinking them into Lydia. My heart stopped for a second as Stiles and I both tumbled to the ground, Peter hovering over Lydia's still body.

I trembled beside Stiles' as he begged Peter not to kill her. Lydia was barely breathing, her blood oozing out of her wounds at a very fast rate. If we didn't get to a hospital soon, she was going to bleed out on the field. 

While Peter demanded to know about Derek's whereabouts, I reached out very discreetly, placing my fingers on Lydia's shoulder. The tingles were already there, and I could feel my flesh tearing open.

"TELL ME!!!".

Peter's roar broke my concentration, and I quickly pulled my hand away. Thankful that my dress was a dark blue, no one noticed the stains from my blood. Lydia's injuries didn't heal fully, but at least I managed to stop the bleeding.

"Derek, I think he... I think he knew he was gonna be caught.", Stiles fumbled over his words, looking from me to Peter.

"By the Argents?".

Stiles nodded, explaining that Derek had taken Scott's phone when they got shot. He also pointed out that there was a possibility of tracking the phone down because of the GPS option. 

As Peter and Stiles discussed the logistics regarding Derek's location, I stared at Lydia's body to make sure she was still breathing. I was afraid of something like this happening, I just never expected it to be her…