5. I Got a Spell for That

I was looking for a breath of lifeA little touch of heavenly light/And I only needed one more touchA little taste of devouring rush/Who's side am I on? ~ Breath of Life ~ Florence + the Machine

Ready or notHere I comeYou can't hide ~ Ready or Not ~ Mischa "Book" Chillak ft. Esthero

While Cody waited for Stiles to come pick her up for school all she could think about was how pissed off she was. She was pissed at Isaac for kissing her, even though she wanted him to. She was pissed at Derek for being a jerk and for that fact that he would no doubt be furious when he found out about Isaac kissing her. And she was pissed at herself for caring so much about the two idiots. Derek was an emotionally unavailable due with some serious issues, and Isaac was a fugitive werewolf accused of killing his father. She sure knew how to pick 'em.

Stiles picked up on her moodiness the minute she climbed into the jeep. "What's your problem, witchy?" he asked. Cody sighed, debating whether or not she wanted to tell Stiles. "Come on," he pushed. "Friends are supposed to tell each other about their stupid shit. Then I can do worse stupid shit and we'll suffer together."

Cody looked out the window, biting on her fingernail. "Isaac kissed me."

Stiles gaped at her, that stupid shocked face with his mouth hanging wide open. "Isaac...kissed you? When?"

"Last night."

Stiles seemed to be having trouble understanding. "Last night... after you and Derek had a lover's quarrel."

She glared at him. "It wasn't a lover's quarrel. And yes. Last night."

"Okay," said Stiles, taking a pause to appreciate this mess in its entirety. "So now what?"

"I don't know," said Cody exasperatedly. "The guy's a fugitive on the run so it's not like we could be together or anything. He's also Derek's beta so we really really couldn't be together. And when Derek find out he's gonna be so pissed. And I'm stupid so I care about what Derek thinks but I also care about what Isaac thinks." She stopped to take a deep breath. "Why am I like this?"

Stiles shrugged. "It must be an adopted kid thing 'cuz Allison seems pretty normal." She punched him in the arm.

Cody had told herself she wouldn't think about them all day. She was at school, so she would focus on school. She promised herself she would not think about Derek or Isaac until the final bell of the day. That was the plan. Until she walked into her first period. She had just sat down in the back row next to Stiles when he shot her a concerned look. Then her eyes landed on a head of curly hair. The same curly hair she had been running her fingers through the previous night. What a catastrophe this day was turning out to be. And it was only 7:30 in the morning.

Cody spent all of class keeping her head down and staying out of sight. Of course he knew she was there, but he didn't try to talk to her, which she was grateful for. When the bell rang she took off, grabbing all of her stuff and racing to her locker. Stiles was by her side in a minute.

"Well your day is turning into a real shit show, isn't it?" he said. "With your luck, I bet you ten dollars Derek is going to walk through those doors."

Cody glared. "Oh, is my misery amusing to you somehow?"

"No," said Stiles. "It's just that when I feel bad about my life I just look at yours and remember things could be much worse."

"Thanks so much for that, Stiles," she said with a glare.

Stiles took a few tentative steps away. "Please don't hit me again."

"What the hell is a kanima?" asked Jackson, the moment he sat down next to Cody, Scott, and Stiles in economics.

All three of them whipped around to look at him, ignoring Coach as he talked about how hard the midterm would be.

"Paralyzed, from the neck down," Jackson continued. "Do you have any idea what that feels like?"

"I'm familiar with the sensation," snapped Stiles.

"Why would Derek test you?" asked Scott. "Why would he think that it's you?"

"'Cuz he's a total snake," said Cody. Jackson glared at her.

"How should I know?"

"Wait, they think it's Lydia?" asked Stiles.

"All I heard was her name and something about chemistry," Jackson explained.

"It makes sense," said Cody. "That it's her. She didn't turn after Peter bit her. Maybe this is why."

"It's not Lydia, okay," snapped Stiles. "She—"

"Stilinksi!" Coach shouted. "Jackson! Little Argent! Do you have something you want to share with the class?"

Stiles and Cody looked away while Jackson spluttered. "J-just an undying admiration for my coach..." he said.

"That's real kind of you," said Coach. "Now shut up!" Cody snickered.

"How do we know it's not her?" Cody whispered into Stiles ear.

"I know," he said. "When I looked into its eyes I saw pure evil."

"Seems fitting to me," she said.

"Well, when I look into Lydia's eyes I only see fifty percent evil."

"Well, your opinion is a little bit skewed."

"That's not a very good argument," said Scott.

Stiles frowned. "I'm aware of that." "I swear it's not her. It can't be. Lydia's fine."

Lydia was not fine. It took coach about thirty seconds to get her attention because she was staring into space, the look on her face terrified. Coach asked if anyone wanted to try to answer in English, as Lydia had written some strange writing on the board.

"Is that Greek?" asked Scott.

Cody studied it for a moment, then shook her head. "No, it is English, just backwards. It says 'someone help me.'"

Chemistry was an absolute nightmare. It was Cody, Stiles, Scott, Allison, Lydia, Jackson, Erica, and Isaac all in the same classroom. It couldn't get any worse than that. Scott was sure Derek wouldn't kill Lydia without testing her. He just didn't know how or when. Until he saw Isaac and Erica come in, eyes focused on Lydia.

"Go distract your lover boy," Stiles said to Cody.

"Lover boy?" asked Scott.

Cody shook her head. "It's a long story."

They all three sat by Lydia. Mr. Harris went on to explain that they would all be changing partners today for the lab. He told Erica to take the first lab station and all the boys in class raised their hands to volunteer. Cody rolled her eyes. She was assigned to start with Scott. Much to her dismay, Cody was with Lydia.

"Why are your friends being so weird today?" she asked Cody.

Cody shrugged the question off. "More so than usual?"

Lydia thought for a moment. "An excellent question."

Erica had her hand on Scott's thigh and was moving it up. Mr. Harris rang the bell to switch just as she had grabbed the back of his neck. Cody stood, then turned to Lydia.

"Stay away from Erica and Isaac," she warned. Lydia gave her a questioning look. "Just trust me."

Cody sat down at the lab table behind Stiles and Isaac.

Stiles glared at him. "If you touch one hair on her strawberry blonde head I'm gonna skin your little werewolf ass ad give it to her as a coat for her birthday present."

Isaac laughed. "Really? I've never been to one of her big, invite only birthday parties. I did ask her out though"

Stiles scoffed. "That sounds like the beginning of a heartfelt story, but I'm gonna have to pass."

"It was freshman year," Isaac went on.

"And you thought everything was going to be different," Stiles said, mocking sympathy.

"Yeah," said Isaac. "She told me to come back when my bike had an engine, not a chain."

"Yep," snapped Stiles. "Unrequited love is a bitch. Try writing about it in English. You know, channel all that."

Isaac shrugged. "I thought I'd channel it into killing her. Besides, I need her. I've got Cody now."

Stiles grabbed the front of his shirt in a fist. "Let's get one thing straight. You do not have Cody, okay? And I can't wait until Derek finds out that you think that 'cuz he'll tear you apart."

The bell rang and they stood to switch. Mr. Harris explained that the crystal they had just created was edible. Lydia brought it up to her mouth and Stiles, Allison, Scott, and Cody all jumped out of their seats, yelling at her. They shook it off and sat back down as Lydia ate it and nothing happened. Something caught Cody's eye outside, a dark car. And there was Derek, watching, waiting, his face turning to a glare as Lydia remained standing.

"Derek's outside," said Cody, after Scott had dragged them into an empty office.

"Waiting to kill her?" asked Allison.

Stiles shook his head. "God, Cody, your boyfriends are the worst." She lunged at him but Allison pulled her back. "It's not her," Stiles continued.

"She didn't pass the test man," said Scott. "Nothing happened."

"It's not her," Stiles insisted. "It can't be her."

"It doesn't matter," said Allison. "Cuz Derek thinks it's her. So either we can convince him it's not her or we have to figure out a way to protect her."

"He's not going to do anything here," said Scott. "Not at school."

"What about after school? What if we can prove it's not her?"

"Before three clock?" asked Cody.

"Maybe there's something in the bestiary."

"Stiles ran his hand through his hair. "You mean the nine hundred page book written in Latin that none of us can read?"

"I think I know someone who can translate it."

"Maybe I can talk to Derek," said Scott. "Convince him to give us some time to prove it."

"Maybe Cody should go with you," said Allison.

Cody shook her head. "He's mad at me right now."

"Why?"

"We had a fight."

"Yeah, and Isaac kissed you," Stiles said.

Cody glared at him. "What the hell, Stiles?"

"Wait," said Allison. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage. Cody can has more power over the boys than we do. Let her try." She glared. "I'll handle Erica."

"Okay," said Scott. "But if anything happens you have to let me handle it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Allison demanded.

"It means you can't handle it like I can. I just don't want you getting hurt."

Allison pulled a crossbow out of her bag. "I can protect myself."

***

Cody followed Scott out to the lacrosse field.

"I want to talk to Derek," he demanded, his eyes falling on Boyd.

Boyd shrugged, seeming completely at ease. "Talk to me."

"I don't want to fight."

"Good," said Boyd with a smile. "'Cuz I'm twice the size of you."

"Yeah, and I'm a witch," said Cody. "So that sort of evens the playing field."

"You want to know what I think?" asked Scott. "I'm twice as fast."

He lunged at Boyd, taking him down quickly and then standing back in a fighting position. Cody rolled her eyes. Apparently all these boys knew how to do was fight.

"She failed the test." Derek's voice made Cody jump.

"That doesn't prove anything," said Cody.

"Lydia's different," Scott snapped.

"I know," said Derek, his voice conversational despite the serious subject. "At night she turns into a homicidal walking snake."

"I'm not going to let you kill her," said Scott.

Derek raised those damn eyebrows, his expression amused. "Who said I was gonna do it?"

Scott turned to run but Boyd stuck his arm and knocked him over. Scott laid on the ground, gasping for breath. Cody turned to Boyd and smiled as sweetly as possible. "Hi, Boyd," she said nervously, taking a few steps back. "You're not really gonna hit a girl, are you?"

Boyd smiles, but it wasn't his usual nice guy smile. It was creepy. "You know, you may have Isaac wrapped around your finger, but not me. No matter how cute you are."

Cody was still trying to stall. "You think I'm cute?" Boyd cracked his nice guy smile.

"Yeah, yeah, you're adorable," said Derek, waving the two of them off. He turned back to Scott. "I don't know why you think you have to protect everyone now, Scott," said Derek. "But Lydia has killed people. And she'll do it again and next time it will be one of us."

"You're wrong," Scott gasped out.

"She was bitten by an alpha," said Derek. "It's her. It's like us, a shapeshifter. You don't know what you're dealing with. It happens rarely and it happens for a reason."

"What reason?" asked Cody.

"Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are." Derek extended his hand to help Scott to his feet. "Even Stiles calls her cold blooded."

Cody shrugged. "That's valid."

"Cody!" Scott snapped.

Cody put her hands up in defense. "I'm just saying. It could be her. But that doesn't mean she deserves to die."

"What if she's immune?" asked Scott. "What if she's got something inside her that makes her immune to the bite? That's why she didn't get paralyzed."

"No one's immune," said Derek. "I've never seen it or heard of it."

Cody turned to him. "You'd never seen a witch 'til you met me."

Derek's face fell into its natural, irritated look. "It's never happened."

"What about Jackson?" asked Scott.

"That's why you tested him, isn't it?" asked Cody. "'Cuz you gave him the bite. But he's still just Jackson. Sadly."

"Peter said the bite either turns you or kills you," said Scott.

Cody glared at Derek. "You were hoping he would die. But you bit him and nothing happened. And you have no idea why, do you?"

Derek clenched his teeth. "No."

"I have a theory," said Scott. "Lydia's immune and somehow she passed it on to Jackson. You know I'm right."

"No!"

"You cannot do this!"

"I can't let her live! She's dangerous. You should have known that."

"I was dangerous," said Cody. "Before I learned to control it. You didn't kill me."

Scott rolled his eyes. "Yeah, there's a reason for that. He likes you a while lot more than he likes Lydia."

"Scott, shut up," snapped Cody. She turned back to Derek. "You used to think only shapeshifters were out there. You thought witches were just a story. Then I came along. Maybe Lydia is something else that's why she didn't turn. She was already something supernatural."

"I've never heard of anything like that," said Derek.

"Just because you've never heard of it doesn't mean it's not real."

"I was hoping I would convince you," said Scott. "But then, I wasn't counting on it."

Cody followed Scott down the hall, running as fast as her tiny legs would carry her.

"McCall!" coach called down the hall.

Scott waved her on. "Go! They're at my house!" 

Cody ran quickly, irritated that she didn't have a car to get there. When she finally reached Scott's house she was panting, slamming her fist on the door and demanding that Stiles let her in.

"Scott's on his way," she panted, clutching her side.

The three of them stared out the window, watching as Derek and his pack approached.

Stiles, Allison, and Cody peaked out the window to watch Derek and his pack. They were just standing there waiting. For what? Cody wasn't sure.

Allison pulled her phone out. "I think I have to call dad," she said.

"Wait, but if he finds you here, you and Scott—"

"I know," said Allison. Stiles and Cody stared at her. "Well, what else do we do? They're not here to scare us they're here to kill Lydia."

"Hey," said Cody. "I can handle this."

Allison gaped at her. "You're going to take on four werewolves, by yourself?"

Cody grimaced, seeing the flaw in her plan. "Maybe not."

"We need to find a way to protect the house," said Stiles. "You know, stop them from getting in."

"How the hell are we going to do that?" asked Allison.

A genius thought struck Cody. "Wait!" she said. "I got a spell for that!" She pulled the grimoire out of her backpack and smiled. "Courtesy of Derek Hale himself." Stiles mouth hung open while Allison stared. "Seriously. I just need salt, some sage, a knife, and five candles," said Cody.

Stiles gathered the ingredients while Allison stood watch at the window.

Cody followed the instructions in the book, making a circle of salt and placing the five candles around the perimeter. She placed the sage in the shape of a cross directly in the center of the circle. Then she carefully lit each of the five candles, one of each person in the house. She stretched her hands out over the ingredients, closed her eyes, and whispered the words. When she was done the flames of the candles rose to several feet high, then died down again.

"It won't last long," said Cody. "I don't have that much experience with spell work. You might have to shoot one, Ally."

Allison raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Give it a shot," said Stiles. "They don't think we're going to fight. If you shoot one they'll take off."

"Which one?"

"Derek," said Stiles. "Shoot Derek. Preferably in the head."

"Scott could catch can arrow. I'm pretty sure Derek could too," said Allison.

"Then shoot one of the other three."

Allison looked out the window again. "You mean two."

Stiles and Cody looked out the window.

"Where the hell is Isaac?" she asked.

Her question was answered when Isaac marched through the room and threw Allison to the ground. He turned to Stiles.

"You know," said Cody. "Going after someone's friends isn't exactly a good way to get to a girl's heart."

"Go protect Lydia," Cody whispered to Allison. "I'll get Derek."

Cody took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping out onto the porch and in front of Derek.

"You guys are so extra, matching in your leather jackets," sneered Cody, trying to make herself sound as fierce as possible.

Derek smiled. "You'll get one too when you join the pack."

"We've been through this," said Cody, crossing her arms. "I'm not joining your pack."

"So you say," said Derek. "And that was some pretty good spell work," he said.

Cody grinned. "All thanks to the book you gave me."

"It was good," Derek continued. "But not good enough. You know I can help you get better."

Cody rolled her eyes. "What part of the word 'no' do you not understand? I'm not joining your pack. Especially if you keep coming after my friends."

"Friends?" asked Derek. "You hate Lydia!"

"Yeah, she's a pain in the ass. But that doesn't mean you can kill her!"

"I can when she's killing people!"

"God, Derek, your view of the world is so messed up!" exclaimed Cody, running a hand through her hair. "You think that the best solution to any problem is to kill whoever is causing it! What the hell happened to you to make you like this?"

She didn't get an answer. Erica and Isaac's bodies were thrown onto the lawn at Derek's feet. Derek's gaze moved to Scott.

"No I know why you keep resisting me. You're not an omega. You're already an alpha of your own pack." Derek grinned. "But you know you can't beat me."

"But I can hold you off until the cops get here," said Scott as the sirens sounded in the distance.

There was a roar, then the kanima crawled out a window and onto the roof, its scaly body slithering quickly. It bared it's razor sharp black teeth at them and roared.

Lydia burst through the door, a terrified look on her face. "Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" she demanded.

Cody looked from Lydia back to the kanima. "Oh shit," she said. "It's Jackson."

(^Cody doing some boss ass magic)