[ f i f t e e n ]

f i f t e e np a n i c a t t a c k

AMELIA AND SCOTT WERE LOOKING AT EACH OTHER INTENSELY.

The girl moved her pawn, eating Scott's knight. The guy exhaled before moving his queen, not noticing that it was a trap and that in one move, the girl could win.

"Checkmate," the girl said after she moved the pawn. "And that'd be?"

"Fifteen against zero," replied the werewolf as she wrote it down on her notebook. "Do we really have to do this in the middle of the woods?"

Stiles, Scott and Amelia were sitting on a tree with the chessboard placed on top of a fallen tree. While Stiles was observing them, Amelia and Scott were playing.

"The idea is to control your mental state with your physical state," explained Stiles, "and according to Amelia, this helps a lot."

Classes had been suspended till Monday due to the fact that there was a body missing, and the police didn't want to take the chance of a kid finding it.

"Chess is about thinking three steps ahead. It's about tactics and gameplays," Amelia tried to explain, but Scott simply wouldn't get it. "Think of it as... lacrosse."

"This has nothing to do with lacrosse," argued Scott as he placed his pieces again.

"In lacrosse, you have different game plays, ways that the players move in order to get the ball to the net. This is the same thing. It just requieres practice."

"It's just that I don't get it. I'm terrible at it."

"That's because you aren't connecting your mental state to you physical state. This is what is going to help you control your urge to kill, to see three steps ahead," said Stiles.

"This is what helped me find you guys at the school," explained Amelia. "Before, finding a werewolf was complicated. Smells would mix and sounds would start interrupting. With this, now I can focus. I found you guys because I focused on your smell, on the sounds you made, Scott. Chess helps me focus and be better at battle. There's no use for you to have powers if you don't know how take advantage of them."

"I thought that was the reason of the heart monitor," interrupted Scott.

"No, that's for you not to change anytime you get angry. Chess... is for you to know how to use your powers when you are in werewolf form. For you to control your anger, for you to stop letting your bloodlust control you and actually be Scott while you are changed."

Scott nodded. "Okay, I think I get it. If I'm good at chess then I'll have control of what I do, and have control of my powers."

"Exactly," the girl said. "You'll be the master of the board." The girl moved again before smiling. "Checkmate."

"How's that possible? You've been talking the entire time!" Amelia smiled.

"Practice, Scott. You have to be able to do stuff at the same time. Don't get stress, it took me a night locked in the school to understand what my father was trying to teach me."

Scott helped her place the pieces again in their respective positions while Stiles continued to look at his laptop, typing intensely.

"And what are you doing?" Scott asked him before moving his pawn.

"Derek said that Amelia was the first of her species, but I seriously doubt that. The Alpha knew too well that you needed to die in order to have Scott. So did Derek."

"Are you saying that Derek lied?" Amelia asked him and he scoffed.

"Are you surprised? Just because you trusted him does not mean I did."

"Could you stop talking about him in past tense?" Asked the girl. "He's not dead."

"We aren't sure about that," whispered Scott.

"Dead people don't walk," argued the girl. "And his body wasn't where you said it was."

"Well, neither was the janitor's body so we have a theory that the Alpha likes to play with them," said Stiles before looking down to his screen. "According to this, Sealgairean Os-Nàdarrach, in English known as Hunters of the Supernatural or Sealgairs, have been known to be mythological creatures in charge to destroy supernatural activity that threat the human kind."

"I already knew that. They've been hunting for centuries."

"'If a Sealgair fails to complete his purpose, this would be burned alive'!?" Read out loud Stiles in disbelief before looking up. "Huh?"

"That's why I'm telling you I'm the first of my kind. If my family finds out I'm helping you guys, I'm dead. Maybe there were other protectors... they just died before they could protect anyone."

• • •

At night, Stiles insisted that Scott needed to clear his mind and not exercise it with chess any longer. Allison broke up with him, and he had to accept it before it causes him more pain.

"Where are we going?" Asked Scott anxious.

"You'll see," replied Stiles.

"We shouldn't be out here this late. My mom is in freak out after what happened at the school." Amelia could confirm that. Scott had to sneak out though his window so he could arrive to their chess match.

"Well, your mom isn't the sheriff, okay?" Said Stiles. "There's no comparison, trust me."

"Can you at least just tell me what we're doing here?" Scott questioned before looking at Amelia. "Please?"

"It's his idea, not mine," the girl replied while Stiles helped her avoid the little rocks.

"Okay, when your best friend gets dumped, you do not make him play chess with his protector..." The girl raised her eyebrows."

"I didn't get dumped," argued Scott. He was still in denial. "We're taking a break."

"Same thing," whispered the girl.

"Alright, well, when your best friend gets told by his girlfriend that they're taking a break..." He stopped walking, lifting up a bottle of Jack with a smile "... you get your best friend drunk."

The sun had set hours ago, and the three were sitting at the picnic area of the Beacon Hills Park with the bottle of Jack Daniels in between them.

Amelia's head was laying on Stiles's stomach as he put the bottle down, while Scott was sitting on a rock near them, not even drunk.

"Dude, you know, she's just one... One girl," said the guy as he ran his fingers through Amelia's hair. She knew he was really drunk. "You know, there are so many... There are so many other girls in the sea."

"Fish, Stiles," she corrected him, "fish in the sea."

"Fish?" He asked, looking down to her. "Why are you talking about fish, Ames? I'm talking about girls." She rolled her eyes before closing them.

Stiles had started a fire on a dumpster earlier in the night, and she was trying to warm up with it. She wasn't drunk, or as drunk as she should be with all of what she had drunk during the night.

"I love girls," Stiles admitted, making Amelia chuckle. "I love them. I love... Especially one with brunette straight hair, green shiny eyes with dashes of blue, that know how to use a bow... 5'3"..."

Amelia looked up to him for a few seconds before looking up to the moon again. Was he...

Scott looked at his best friend for a few seconds, realizing that he was so drunk that he didn't notice he was confessing to Amelia that he liked her.

"Like Amelia?" He asked and Stiles nodded.

"Yeah, exactly..." his best friend whisper. "Hey, how did you know I was talking about... About... What was I talking about?"

"How you were madly in love with me," answered Amelia before looking up to Scott.

"You aren't drunk either?" He asked and she chuckled.

"Just a bit tipsy. You know, it might be like not needing your inhaler anymore," she pointed up. "Maybe... you can't get drunk as a wolf."

"And why can't you?" He asked her and she shrugged, watching as she sat down.

"Where are you going?" Stiles asked as she lifted her head from his chest. "What...? Am I drunk?"

"Wasted," the girl said before looking at Scott. "I can heal fast too," she replied, "not as fast as you though, it appears."

Stiles looked over to Scott, who did not seem happy at all. Amelia knew he was still thinking about Allison.

"Come one, dude. I know it hurts. I know! Well, I don't know." Stiles chuckled after he talked. "But I know this! I know that as much as being broken up hurts, being alone is way worse."

Amelia looked over to Stiles before rolling her eyes. He was alone because he wanted to. He had a million opportunities of asking her out and yet, he didn't! And she was not going to chase him around.

Scott looked at him for a few seconds before Stiles chuckled again.

"That didn't make any sense," he said between laughter. "I need a drink."

But as when Stiles was about to grab the bottle of Jack, someone win him to it, grabbing it before he did.

"Well, look at these three little kids getting their drink on," said the man.

"Give it back," insisted Scott. Amelia quickly grabbed her purse, knowing she had her crossbow inside.

"What was that, little man?"

"I think he wants a drink," said the other.

"I want the bottle," affirmed Scott seriously, not even flinching.

Amelia could hear his heartbeat. It was steady. He wasn't nervous. In fact, he was getting angry.

"Scott, maybe we should just go," offered Stiles when he saw the two men.

"You brought me here to get me drunk, Stiles," interrupted the werewolf. "I'm not drunk yet."

Amelia decided to leave it to the werewolf. She was a bit drunk and she didn't want to aim the arrow wrongly. She she just stepped out.

"Give me the bottle," Scott insisted after he got closer to the man, Amelia and Stiles sitting closer, watching the whole thing. Next, Scott's voice became distorted, and she knew that he was getting angry. "Give me the bottle of Jack."

Amelia and Stiles saw as Scott's nails grew out, with their eyes wide open.

"Scott," whispered Stiles as they saw Scott grab the bottle and toss it towards the trees.

When they got out of the picnic area, Stiles was skipping towards Scott, making Amelia laugh.

"Okay," said Stiles, "please tell me that was because of the breakup... or 'cause tomorrow's the full moon?"

Scott opened the jeep door for Stiles and Amelia pushed him to the backseat, him passing out inside of it.

"Well that was fun," said the girl. "Let's do that again sometime."

• • •

Amelia was waiting for Allison at the school entrance. She wanted to apologize for what happened on Wednesday.

She saw as her dad's red truck parked on front, and the girl waited for her to get out.

In the meantime, Allison was trying to unlock the door.

"Dad, if you insist on driving me to school, you at least have to let me out of the car." Her dad looked at the deputy standing there, exhaling. "Look, there's Amelia, I'll be with her."

Both Kate and Chris turned around abruptly, looking towards Amelia who was waiting there. She had her eyes focused on the two.

"I don't like that girl," said her dad.

"Me neither," murmured Kate.

"Well, she's my friend, so too bad." Allison got out of the truck and walked towards Amelia, who was waiting for her.

The girl gave a last glance towards the Argents before smiling at Allison before taking out a tiny box from her pocket.

"What's this?" Asked Allison and the girl simply stepped on her tippy toes before giving it to her. "For me?"

"It's an 'I'm sorry for behaving like a total psycho the other day and your friendship means a lot to me to let my fight-or-flight reaction destroy it' charm bracelet," explained the girl, making Allison chuckle.

She opened slowly the box and gasped when she saw the present. It was indeed a charms bracelet, with charms like an A, a flag of France, a little bow and arrow and a star.

"It's beautiful! I love it!" She exclaimed. "You are... almost forgiven."

"I assumed that," she admitted in a whisper. "I'm really sorry, Allison. I did what I thought would be best and it was my fault for listening to the crazy ramblings of Scott in a moment of pressure."

Allison looked at her before smiling. "You only needed to give me a hug to gain my forgiveness but I liked that too." Amelia chuckled before hugging Allison, both laughing. "Let's get to class."

They both walked side by side, smiling as they talked.

"It's just weird," said Allison. "Everybody's talking about what happened the other night and nobody knows it was us."

Lydia was quick to join them in the hallway, scoffing. "Thank you for the protection of minors," was the thing she said.

"Do you guys think I made the wrong decision?" Oh no, Amelia didn't want to talk about Scott.

"About that jacket with that dress?" Asked Lydia before chuckling. "Absolutely."

"You know what I mean, Lydia."

Amelia decided to stay quiet, letting Lydia handle the situation.

"Hello? Scott locked us in that classroom and left us for dead." Amelia wanted to intervene, but she decided it was better not to. "He's lucky we're not pressing charges or making him pay our therapy bills."

"What do you say Amelia?" Allison asked her and the girl simply shrugged.

"Scott is a nice guy, he has always been. He told me that night that his purpose what to get you out of there, I lied to you guys and said it was everyone but... he only mentioned you. He did in fact lie to you, and I'm not saying you should trust him again, but just know that... he cares about you. My opinion is that you guys should let the subject die a bit before you rush into anything."

Lydia looked over Amelia before scoffing.

"Just forget the guy, Allison, there's a lot of other lacrosse players dying to get a chance to even talk to you." Amelia raised her eyebrows. "Besides, I still have a lot of questions about how you," she pointed at Amelia, "were there that night in the first place. And how did you enter through the roof."

Amelia chuckled. "Okay, Lydia, someday I'll tell you how I entered through the roof."

• • •

"You have 45 minutes to complete the test," said Mr. Harris.

Amelia was sitting next to Allison. She quickly looked behind her, noticing Stiles sitting at the back. The guy waved at her and she softly waved back before looking at the board again.

"25% of you grade can be earned right now simply by writing your name on the cover of the blue book." She knew Stiles was quick in writing his. "However, as happens every year, one of you will inexplicably fail to put your name on the cover and I'll be left yet again questioning my decision to ever become a teacher." Amelia raised her eyebrows. "So let's get the disappointment over with."

"Why doesn't she talk to me?"

Amelia raised her eyebrows when she heard Scott's voice. She turned around to look at the guy, but he wasn't talking.

"Which one of the following— ugh, I don't know any of this. How can I make Allison want me back? Why would a girl that pretty go out with someone like me in the first place?"

The girl looked back again, noticing that Scott was nervous.

She looked back at her test, realizing what was happening.

She could hear his thoughts.

"Scott? Scott?"

No reply.

She could hear his but he couldn't hear hers.

It had to be with something around the full moon. Scott's powers were increasing and, since they are linked, it had to be affecting her too.

He was having a panic attack and now, she was going to have one too as all the thoughts Scott was having were magically being transported into her brain.

The girl thought about chess. Keep in control, know your moves, know your pieces, think three steps again.

She breathed in before continuing answering the taste, now hearing complete silence, just in time to see Scott leaving the classroom in a hurry.

"Mr. McCall," called his Mr. Harris, but he didn't come back. She saw as Stiles ran after him. "Mr. Stilinski!" She was about to stand up when Harris looked at her. "Don't even think about it."

Amelia sat down on her chair again, looking at the blue book before answering the next question.