10. CO-CAPTAIN

"He's still at the school, we need to get to him before Peter does!". 

I used my Spidey tingle to pinpoint Scott's location. Stiles was still shaking as he drove like a maniac. All my bones seemed to have fully mended themselves and the only feeling that flooded through my body was anxiety.

I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my head and images began flashing through my mind. I was witnessing someone's memories- Peter's. The recent murders, the Hale fire, his recovery, he was inside Scott's head, and I think he was inside mine too. 

"Faster Stiles!", I yelled.

The guy shot me a frantic look, indicating that we were already there. Jumping out and pulling him towards the locker room, we ran as fast as we could. Stiles barged in first.

"Dude, we have a huge problem!".

"Trust me, I know.". 

Scott was sitting on the bench, hair wet and half his body wrapped in a towel. 

"The Argents think the second Beta's Jackson, because of the scars at the back of his neck…".

"And why is that a bad thing?", Stiles asked sarcastically, and we gave him a look. 

He held his hands up in defense.

"Even though he's an asshole, he's still innocent.". 

"That's not even the worst part. Guys, Peter's going after the Argents next, they're the ones responsible for the fire…".

As Stiles drove us home, I lingered on Peter's memories- particularly the fire. I swore I caught a glimpse of my grandmother. What I couldn't fathom was the fact that they didn't consider whether there were innocent people inside and that some of them were children. Their screams were embedded in my mind. I wondered if the choice was given to Allison- would she follow in her family's footsteps too? 

As for Derek, I couldn't believe he'd join the likes of his uncle just to buy me some time. For his case, I hoped it was worth it… 

∞∞∞∞

"Allison... when you said you needed to stop for an errand before we went shopping... a five-mile hike in the woods was not what I was expecting.", Lydia complained breathlessly as we trekked through the Beacon Hills Preserve.

Scott begged me to stay close to Allison in case Peter decided to go after her. Unfortunately for me, that meant winter formal dress shopping at the mall. 

I trailed beside Allison who had a determined look in her eye, gripping the big bag which contained some very fancy weaponry which hung on her shoulder. I sensed some tension between Lydia and Allison, knowing very well the reason behind it. 

"Before I forget, I wanted to ask if you're okay with something… Jackson invited me to the winter formal.", Allison said, acting as cool as a cucumber. 

Lydia tried her best to cover up her freak-out.

"Uh-huh. Just as friends. But I just wanted to make sure you're okay with it, first.", Allison continued.

"Sure. As long as it's just friends.", the redhead girl responded uncomfortably.

"Well, yeah. I mean, it's not like I would take him to the coach's office during lacrosse practice to make out with him or anything…".

I snorted at her retort, earning a smug look from her, but a wide-eyed expression from Lydia. While the tongue-tied redhead rambled an apology, I tried to calm my nerves as I watched Allison take out the crossbow that was in the bag. 

"What does that do?", Lydia asked as Allison screwed an arrowhead onto its shaft.

"We're about to find out…", she answered, nocking the arrow back.

My heart jumped out of my chest when she let it fly, and sparks erupted from it as soon as it hit a tree.

"Jesus…", I gasped.

None of us expected that.

"Well, that was fun! Any more lethal weapons you wanna try out?", Lydia questioned sarcastically.

I couldn't help but realize that my friend was natural born huntress, and it was only a matter of time before she found out about Scott, and inevitably me. 

"Lorelai, you're oddly quiet this morning.".

I was about to answer when the sound of a branch snapping made me jump. Allison and Lydia heard it too, and the three of us looked around, hoping to catch sight of what was behind it. She handed her bow over to Lydia, wanting to investigate. 

"Don't worry, it's probably nothing. Lorelai, stay with her.", Allison instructed.

"Allison, no. I'll go.".

She shook her head, "The last time you went off, we thought you were never coming back. It's my turn to play hero now.".

Astounded by her newfound confidence, Lydia was trembling beside me.

"Well, what if that nothing is something, and that something is dangerous?", Lydia whimpered.

"Shoot it.", she said, leaving the two of us behind, wondering off into the trees in search of the possible predator. 

My heart thumped rapidly inside my chest while Lydia glanced nervously between me and the trees- she was utterly afraid.

"Any ideas on what you wanna wear for the winter formal?", I cringed, trying to take her mind off whatever was about to jump out and eat us.

Grateful for the distraction, she went on about different cuts and colors that she was thinking about, and then started talking about what would look good on me. Her body began to relax while mine was still on high alert. If it was Peter stalking us in the woods, I had to make sure I was ready. Unlike at the hospital…

∞∞∞∞

I stood outside the animal clinic, my nerves slowly starting to get the best of me. I asked Allison to drop me off there before they went to the mall, lying that I had a last-minute job interview that completely slipped my mind. Turns out the creeper in the woods was just my ol' pal Scotty.

I stared at the open sign, reminded myself that I was finally going to get the answers I've been searching for the past three weeks. I let go of the breath I was holding, urging myself to step inside. Instantly, my mind travelled back to that night we brought Derek in when he was shot by the wolfsbane bullet, and then the memory of my dad.

As I pushed open the door, I was greeted by a subtle gust of wind. Hoping it was nothing, I hesitantly ventured in. At least this time, I used the front entrance. There was something in the air, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. 

"Mountain ash, Lorelai. You can come through.", a male voice called out from the examination room. 

"I was wondering when you were finally going to stop by.", a conscious Alan Deaton greeted with a friendly smile.

His voice sounded very familiar, and I gawked at him when it eventually clicked.

"You… It was you who carried me home that night… But how… How did you know where I was? That we were back in Beacon Hills?", I stuttered, slightly annoyed with myself that I didn't recognize the voice when he spoke in the memory.

"Call it intuition.", he said as he put away some medicine bottles into the cabinet.

"Are… Are you like me? And my dad? And my grandmother?".

I slunk into a nearby chair, my legs shaking uncontrollably out of anxiety, and maybe a little fear.

"I'm a veterinarian, of sorts.", he asked, taking a seat beside me.

"Mr. Deaton, I'm gonna go out on a limb, and hope that you're not one of those psychos that are out to kill me. And even if you are, I don't care at this point. I've been losing my mind these past couple of weeks. Ever since the bite… Nothing… Nothing makes sense! I mean werewolves?!? Ghosts?!?! Freaken Druids?!? Judging by how quickly we moved away after I was attacked in the woods when I was younger, or how dad never encouraged me to have a relationship with my grandmother, I knew that our family had secrets… I… I just never expected it to be this…", I rambled.

He gave me an understanding smile while I blabbed on about everything from my dad's death to the weird abilities I discovered about myself- the dreams, the voices, the connection with Scott and Derek, the healing, and the wind. 

There was something about him that made me feel safe, like I could trust him with my life. After I was done spilling my guts, he gave me a thoughtful look and cleared his throat.

"Lorelai… Have you had any symptoms that resembled an allergic reaction?", he asked, frowning.

"Um yeah, that night when Derek believed you were the Alpha, and we were almost murdered by the real one at the school. My ears bled, my veins turned black, and my skin felt like it was on fire… And then there was this high pitch ringing inside my head whenever something bad was about to happen, but I haven't experienced any of it since that night anyways… Why are you making that face?", my voice hitched in my throat.

"You see, when a Druid leaves the source that fuels their power, it becomes weak, almost dormant. When you came back to Beacon Hills and was bitten by the Alpha-".

"It jumpstarted mine…", I cut in.

He nodded before continuing.

"Precisely. You come from a very special line of Druids, Lorelai, very ancient and very powerful. A few of your ancestors were actual Arch Druids- they had special abilities just like some that you described. An important thing to be aware of is the driving the force of your abilities- your heart. You've managed to develop an empath link with Scott, and Derek without being in a pack to which I'm not surprised, as well as the ability to heal others and yourself. However, what I cannot fathom is the other three you've mentioned… That kind of power requires advanced training or… Or a sacrifice. Even Arch Druids had to go through years of expertise before achieving that.".

"When you say sacrifice, what exactly do you mean?".

He let out a sad sigh, "I'm afraid I have to stop there, Lorelai. You need to be careful. There are others out there who are much worse than Peter Hale.".

"Great. All I got out of this conversation was a freaken History lesson.".

Suddenly the air around me grew thick, and I heard the sound of gunshots going off faintly, followed by two rapidly beating hearts.

"It's… It's… It's Scott, and Derek! They're in trouble!", I gasped. 

Mr. Deaton quickly ushered me out the door, and into his car.

"Do you know where they are?", he asked as he started the engine.

I closed my eyes, trying to calm my breathing to concentrate. Singling out one of the heartbeats, I focused on it hard, images of familiar trees flashing through my mind.

"Beacon Hills Preserve!".

As soon as we stopped in front of the entrance, I raced out of the car, my legs already knowing where to go, Mr. Deaton right behind me. My heart felt like it was about to jump out my chest when I found Scott's unconscious body lying on the ground, his shirt soaked in blood. I immediately dropped to his side, tapping his face.

"They… They… They took Derek.", he mumbled. 

I was about to use my healing mojo on him, but Mr. Deaton stopped me.

"Not here. Let's get him to the Animal Clinic.".

The both of us lifted Scott up the arms, and dragged him to the car, placing him in the back seat. Judging by the way he slipped in and out of consciousness, the bullet that hit him was possibly poisoned.

"Are they gonna kill Derek?", I asked softly as we pulled up at the clinic.

"I honestly don't know.", Mr. Deaton answered sadly.

We moved Scott to the examination room, gently laying him on the table. For a man of his age, Mr. Deaton was actually quite strong. I turned away after he poured a disinfectant over Scott's wound before pulling out the bullet. My hand instinctively grabbed his hand, him squeezing it tightly back, trying not to cry out in pain.

"I wouldn't get up just yet…", Mr. Deaton suggested when Scott opened his eyes, attempting to move, removing his hand from mine.

While he spoke to the wounded wolf about being a vet ninety percent of the time, I placed my hand just above Scott's wound, the little sparks of energy already playing on my fingertips. 

As he passed out again, Mr. Deaton gave me a signal to continue. I pictured the open skin closing and it wasn't long before his wound was healed, and I was the one bleeding. Slightly dizzy, I collapsed onto the chair, Mr. Deaton handing me a cloth.

"I know he was going to heal… I just needed to show you what happens when I do it…", I said softly.

A few minutes later, my body healed itself.

"You have a gift, Lorelai. A special one, your dad and your grandmother knew that.", Mr. Deaton stated.

"I think we have two different definitions of what a gift is, Mr. Deaton.".

He gave me a sad smile before asking me if I wanted a ride home. I shook my head, I wanted to stay with Scott until he woke up. While I tried to get myself comfortable in the chair, my mind travelled to Derek. I tried to feel him out, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of where he was, but I got nothing. 

Thanks to Peter's memories, I knew well what the Argents were capable of- if they could burn down a house with no regard for any innocent lives, what's stopping them from gutting Derek right there and then?

I remembered that I hadn't told Mr. Deaton about the staff or my grandmother's journal. I was too riled up about Derek to bring it up right, and I had a feeling that Mr. Deaton would just answer in riddles anyway. There was one more option I could try, except she was a four-hour plane ride away…