[ t w e n t y n i n e ]

t w e n t y  n i n ee r i c a

"SO SCOTT WASN'T LYING WHEN HE SAID YOU HAD A THING FOR CHESS," was the thing Allison pointed out as the two played on the floor of the basement.

Amelia chuckled before moving her pawn, looking at the girl. "I bet your dad trains you a bit differently than this."

"Last time he faked a kidnap."

"Cool," Lizzie said as she looked up from her arrow. "Can you pretend a kidnap?"

"No, Lizzie," her sister told her before moving the knight. "Checkmate..."

Allison looked down at the board for a few seconds before raising her eyes towards the girl, who was simply standing up as her sister took her place, ready to play.

"Okay, I understand why you and Scott play chess, and that's to control your powers," pointed Allison out before she stood up, standing in front of Amelia. "How is it gonna help me?"

Amelia nodded. It was a valid question.

"Your opponent has the supernatural ability to run faster, lift two cars at the same time and has better reflexes that you. It can catch an arrow easily, but that depends how you release it."

"You're teaching me how to hunt werewolves?" Amelia shook her head.

"Nah, I think that you get enough from your father... I'm teaching you how to hunt Sealgairs. And this is how Sealgairs train, this is how you are going to know them and hunt them down."

Allison looked at her friend quietly, trying to understand what she was saying.

"Sealgairs are more difficult than werewolves. Werewolves are drawn by instinct, they are weak if they travel alone, that's why hunters separate them, I bet your father told you that." She nodded. "Sealgairs work great in groups... but they aren't weak alone. They are supernatural creatures born to hunt, and the only way to beat them is to win at their game."

"Why am I interested in beating Sealgairs?" Allison questioned and Amelia chuckled.

"Because Sealgairs kill everything they have in front of them. There is no code. So if the Argents get in their way of their pray, they won't be afraid of shooting... and right now, I am their prey."

"How do I win against someone that doesn't have any rules?" Allison asked and Amelia pointed towards the chessboard.

"You are really good in the physical part, and I got your father training you for that so I don't have to get my hands too dirty," Amelia said before she approached Lizzie, who was ready to start playing. "But you have to beat them in the mental state. Sealgairs are seekers that haven't made their connection, so their powers are in minimum capacity. You have an advantage: you are human."

"How's that an advantage?"

"That Sealgairs can only smell and hear supernatural creatures, not humans. The Argents have spent too much time afraid of to even realize that they have an advantage over them by simply being normal. They won't see you coming. Many years ago, seekers were terrified of what humans were capable of, and that's why they decided to protect the creatures. Make them fear you again. And don't be afraid of being afraid... use fear as your fuel, not your guide."

• • •

"See!? Take Sealgair as an example! That is perfect form!" Yelled Coach as the girl stepped on the ground, taking off the harness and giving it to Allison, who grabbed it with a smile. "Have you climbed before?"

The girl remembered that time she climbed the school building and got in through the ventilation duct. That made her smile.

"Yeah, I used to climb mountains," he told the coach before approaching Stiles, who grabbed her waist and placed three kisses on her cheek.

"You did great," he told her and she chuckled. "And you did it without supernatural powers."

"Yeah, but I could have done it quicker," punished herself the girl as she looked at Scott and Allison starting to climb. "It sucks, you know?"

"They are gonna come back," assured her her boyfriend, leaving another kiss on her cheek. "They are just taking a break, sitting on the bench for a while, they got tired of being incredibly awesome."

"Well they left their worst player in charge in the final quarter of the game, loosing by ten goals." She turned around, noticing how surprised was Stiles for that lacrosse reference. "Hey, after a while something must have stuck."

Stiles chuckled as they saw Allison and Scott climbing up, and how the guy was using his supernatural abilities to be quicker than her.

"Cheater," murmured Amelia, and as if Allison was reading her mind, the girl kicked Scott's foot, making him lose balance and fall down.

Coach approached the werewolf as he stayed hanging from the rope before finally landing on the ground, making Amelia laugh.

"Please tell me someone recorded that," whispered Amelia between giggles.

Coach sat down next to him, trying to hold his laughter but not doing a great job. "McCall, I don't know why, but your pain gives me a special kind of joy." He laughed.

"I feel you," said Amelia and Coach pointed a finger gun at her before looking looking at the rest.

"Alright, next two!" He stood up, pointing at Stiles. "Stilinski, Erica, let's go. The wall!"

"You are gonna do fine," Amelia told her boyfriend as she left a quick peck on his lips before he walked towards the wall, starting to climb it next to the blonde girl.

Before she could even climb the half, Stiles was already getting down, walking towards his girlfriend with a big smile.

But before she could congratulate him, Erica, the girl that climbed next to him, started to hyperventilate, making Amelia and the rest of the group walk towards her.

"Erica!" Coach called her. "Dizzy? Is it vertigo?"

"Vertigo's a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear," mentioned Lydia, making Amelia look at her. "She's just freaking out."

Amelia looked up again, noticing how the girl was clearly having a panic attack or something.

"Erica!" Called her this time Amelia.

"I'm fine, Amelia."

Stiles looked down to his girlfriend in confusion, noticing she was frowning too. "You know her?"

"She's in my English class." The girl looked over to the Coach. "Maybe it's not safe. You know she's epileptic."

He clearly did not know. "W-why doesn't anybody tell me this stuff? Epileptic? Erica, you're fine. Just-just kick off from, from the wall!" He yelled at her, making Amelia glanced at the girl one more time. She noticed the girl was sobbing. "There's... there's a mat to catch you."

Amelia was about to start climbing the wall to get her, but she saw as the girl let go, getting down slowly.

At least she was fine.

• • •

The next day, after she dropped Lizzie to middle school, she was going to start the car again when she noticed that someone was sitting next to her.

"God, dammit, Derek!" She yelled before hitting the steering wheel angrily. "Would you please stop appearing out of nowhere until I get my powers back?"

"Why would I do that if it is so fun to scare you?" She rolled her eyes. People started to honk at her from behind and she had no other choice but to start driving. "So, have you done any research?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "And nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"There is no explanation for a seeker suddenly loosing his powers," she explained to him.

"Which means that it's not an exterior cause," he assumed and she nodded.

"There's something wrong with me. Mentally."

Derek stared at her for a few seconds, noticing how she was grabbing strongly the steering wheel. She looked so upset, she looked pissed.

"Do you think it has to be with the fact that your father and your entire family is going after you?"

"Probably. Or it could be you turning random teenagers into werewolves and trying to get me into your pack by freaking me out!" She exclaimed angrily, looking over to him. "You are a stressful being to deal with, doggie."

"Don't call me doggie," he complained like a little kid who was hurt.

"I'll call you whatever I want!" She closed her eyes for two seconds before looking back at the road, exhaling. "Sorry for snapping at you."

"Don't apologize..." he said. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'll let you know of something I did so you can get advantage."

"What did you do, Derek?"

• • •

"We have a problem!" She exclaimed before looking towards where Scott was staring. "Could you please explain me what my boyfriend is doing over there?" Amelia asked him as she sat next to him at the lunch table.

"It's a surprise," he said, only gaining a bad look from her part. "We are going on a double-date... well, double-date and Lydia. Allison kinda felt bad about the whole 'Leave her to death, being bitten by an Alpha, supernatural run through the woods', you know?"

"Sure," she told him. "And where is this double-date gonna be?"

"That is a surprise." She raised her eyebrows. "Ice skating rink."

Ice skating?

"I'm terrible at ice-skating," she whispered to herself before looking at the werewolf. "But really terrible."

He shrugged. "Great. Now I'll know to keep my camera turned on." Amelia rolled her eyes before looking back towards Stiles, who was approaching them.

The guy sat down in front of his tray, looking at Scott and Amelia before leaving the keys on the table.

"Got 'em," he said, but Scott got distracted as he looked over the door, Stiles doing the same.

"That was the problem I wanted to tell you about," whispered Amelia.

Erica Reyes entered the cafeteria in all her glory. She was wearing high-animal-printed-heels and a black mini skirt, with a white shirt that could let everyone look at her chest.

They heard as Lydia placed her hands abruptly on the table, yet they still stared at the woman.

"What the holy hell is that?" The strawberry blonde asked and Scott was the one who answered.

"It's Erica." 

The woman left the cafeteria, still getting everyone's attention.

The three stood up from their chairs, running towards where Erica had just left the same way she entered.

They approached the entrance of the school, getting out quickly and watching Erica get in a black car.

Derek's black car.

"I told you we had a problem."

• • •

They were in Allison's room when there was suddenly a knock. Lydia, Allison and Amelia looked up towards Allison's father, who was staring at them seriously.

"Headed out?" Asked the man and Amelia's hand immediately went over her bag. She knew that the Argents wanted to hunt Lydia down, although they weren't necessarily sure she was a werewolf.

"Studying," lied Allison. The man quickly glanced over to Amelia, who gave him a tiny smile before looking at Allison.

The man called her daughter with a nod and the girl approached him, sighing. Amelia pretended to look at her phone, actually trying to listen to the conversation.

"Just studying, Dad," assured her the hunter in training, and Amelia couldn't help but to raise her eyebrows.

"I get it," said the man, "but we need you to remember what happened."

"You want me to stop being friends with them?"

Oh, if Amelia could punch someone that second, she would definitely punch Chris Argent.

"Actually, we want the opposite." That surprised Amelia, who quickly looked over Lydia. The girl wasn't even paying attention. She looked again towards Allison and her dad. "I know how this might sound, but we need you to keep an eye on the two of them."

"You want me to spy on Amelia and Lydia?"

Amelia picked one of the books Allison had on her desk. They were historical books, and it was the one with the legend of the beast that Allison had told them about a few months ago.

"We want you to look out for Lydia, to make sure everything's okay with her... Amelia? We'll handle her."

She would like to see them try.