Chapter 20: Fed Up

The only thing that kept Catori awake was Stiles' never ending chatter even if Mr. Yukimura was trying to teach some History and had told him off a few times.

She just zoned out, being too tired to figure out if it was just because she was bored to death or if it had something to do with her alleged seer skills. Only the sound of the bell ringing woke her up from her absent daydream.

Seeing as she was so feeble, Stiles ventured to hold her around the waist and walked with her to the hall filled with students running up and down.

Catori didn't even look at him as she slipped down the wall until she sat down in the floor, exhausted. The boy did the same, staring at her.

"You know where Lydia is?" Catori was definitely missing her friend.

"She can skip a few classes, so she's doing some research" He replied with a shrug. "Maybe solve one of the mysteries"

A moment of silence followed until Stiles spoke again.

"Why the long face, grumpy Cat?" He tried to cheer her up.

"I'm exhausted" She replied, letting her head fall on his shoulder

At least one good thing was their relationship. They were very intimate, feeling comfortable with the physical contact even if they weren't an actual couple per se. But Stiles and Catori enjoyed small samples of fondness like holding hands or cuddling.

"The life in Beacon Hills usually is exhausting" He softly shrugged since her head was still resting over his shoulder. "But that's why you have to keep a positive attitude, like me"

"You're not positive, Stiles" The girl chuckled, feeling so in need of physical comfort that she reached out to hold his hand. "You're hyper"

"Why don't you stop picking on me and show me a smile?" He moved his hand, which was intertwined with hers, to poke her in the ribs.

"Stop..." Catori hid her face on his shoulder and slapped him in the stomach.

"Wow, it's rare to see the cuddly adorable side of you, kitty" He teased her, still trying to tickle her. "I like it"

"I'm gonna punch you" She warned him, making him laugh, which also made her smile.

"Wouldn't you smile for me, grumpy Cat?" Stiles fondly rubbed her arm.

"I hate you" She told him, her voice muffled in the fabric of his sweater.

"What was that?"

"I hate you!"

"I don't know what you said, but it was probably an insult, huh?"

"Hey, guys" Scott's voice startled them a little, they looked up to their friend towering over them. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Yeah, Stiles getting on my nerves" Catori rubbed her eyes and smiled in spite of herself. "So go ahead"

"Love is in the air" The aforesaid sarcastically said, standing up and holding her by the arm to pull the girl up as well.

"Derek told me he's outside" Scott carried on, with a small smile plastered on his lips at the sight of the two of them. "He might have some information"

"Let's go then" Stiles nodded, proceeding to follow after his best friend. "You coming, Cat?"

"I think I'm just gonna stay here" Assuming her previous position, she sat on the floor again. "You guys go on"

"Don't get in trouble while we're away" Stiles winked at her playfully.

"Can't promise anything"

Catori sighed when they were gone. She didn't feel entirely comfortable letting them know how much the situation affected her. It was enough that they knew she was distraught.

She knew that, even being weak, it didn't change their perception of her. Catori had no real reason to be hiding her vulnerability, and she was aware of that fact. But a part of her wouldn't allow her to give into her feelings completely, she was still too proud.

"Are you lost and gave up?" A friendly voice told her.

The girl looked up to see a smiling Liam, accompanied by Kira, Mason and Malia. She sighed in response and shrugged.

Mason offered a hand for her to take, helping her on her feet.

"I'm just looking forward for brighter times, you know?" Catori mumbled, avoiding their glares. "Maybe when a supernatural pack is not planning something evil and we have the information to defend ourselves"

"You're in a good mood" Kira nudged her softly before linking her arm with Catori's.

"I just wished we figured everything out" The girl felt like she was feeling sorry for herself even if she couldn't help it.

"Let's go outside" Malia mumbled, dedicating her a small smile.

She knew they were just trying to perk her up, but Catori couldn't help but to tiredly roll her eyes, not feeling like yet another pack meeting. Derek was supposed to be outside, chatting with Scott and Stiles.

The moment they stepped outside, someone cleared their throat. Everyone grinned when they saw Stiles standing there with a mischievous smirk plastered on his lips.

"Mind if I steal her from you?" He asked them, glancing at Catori.

"All yours" Kira laughed, freeing her arm and gently pushing her towards him. He was coolly leaning against the wall and held her by the waist.

The four of them left the two standing there and went to meet with Derek and Scott.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"I knew you'd end up meeting us"

"You're a nerd"

"Do you have plans for the evening?" Stiles pushed himself off the wall and smirked wider.

"Yes" Grinning herself, still not resisting the way he made her feel, Catori pushed his hands off her. Knowing she was trying to look all tough and that she actually didn't mind his attitude nor the physical touch, he chuckled.

"What do you have to do?"

"Stuff"

"What? Staying home and feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Precisely" Catori raised an eyebrow smugly, starting to walk away.

The boy took a few seconds to himself, watching her walk away with a goofy grin on his lips. He just admired her, feeling such a rush of fondness and admiration towards Catori.

"Hey, Cat!" He finally piped up, chasing after her and holding her by the wrist. "What do you say we-?"

Stiles couldn't finish his sentence. Suddenly everyone was screaming and running. Something had landed on the top of a car, so hard that it broke the windows and shatters of glass went flying everywhere.

In a reflex, he threw himself to Catori. He used his own body as a shield, wrapping his arms around her, as he pushed her out of the danger's way.

The both of them fell to the floor, and Catori bumped her head on the ground as they landed. It took a few seconds for them to recover.

All the students around were still screaming, running away as the commotion dazed Stiles and Catori.

The boy's hands held her arms tightly as they sat up, looking around in search for whatever was causing the racket.

A man stood in the roof of the destroyed car, just then leaping down onto the floor. He had curly brown hair and deep black eyes. Despite his wide shoulders and big built, he was very thin and his face looked as gaunt as his body was.

When Catori angrily snatched away from Stiles' reach, he glanced at her in shock. There was a cut on her forehead, blood dripping from it, but she stood up determined.

He opened his mouth to ask her if she was okay, but he closed it again when the girl shouted at the mysterious man.

"Fuck you!" Catori's face was red with anger, she was madder than ever.

Thinking that she had gone crazy, Stiles hurriedly pulled himself up and held her arm, ready to distract the guy while the rest of the pack arrived in order to keep her safe.

He had noticed Scott, Derek and everyone watching the scene from the other side of the parking lot. They were on their way to help them.

"I'm tired of you terrorizing me and my friends!" Catori didn't even look at Stiles as she swatted him away and charged at the man.

"Cat!" For a full five seconds, he was frozen and couldn't move for the life of him. Even if he wanted to run and help her.

As she was running towards the man, driven by fury, she kept her fist up with the intention of crushing it against his face. He saw this and showed her his blue werewolf eyes as well as his fangs. But she didn't care, she swung her fist at him.

The man took Catori's arm and used the force and inertia to turn her around and lock her in a tight embrace in which her back was against his chest.

Seeing she was in actual danger and fighting against a werewolf, Stiles finally was able to snap out of it and run to help her. Just as he was, however, Catori did something astonishing that made him stop dead in his tracks. She doubled over herself sharply and quickly, using her force to throw the man off her and smash him against the ground.

When he quickly recovered and stood on his feet, Catori struck back. She kicked his stomach and pushed her elbow against his nose. As he was holding his face in pain, she punched him in the face so hard that he fell to the floor, out cold.

The girl winced and held her hand tight, but she was beaming as she observed the result of her jujitsu skills.

With wide eyes and a racing heart, Stiles approached her and looked her up and down.

"You okay?"

"Yeah" She replied un between ragged breaths, even if she was smiling.

"That was..." Stiles blinked repeatedly, trying to take in what had just happened. "Whoa, that was awesome!"

"Thanks" Her chest went up and down along with her accelerated heart and breathing patterns. "That was a rush of adrenaline"

"How did you do that?!" The boy exclaimed, dumbfounded as he stared at her.

"I'm fed up" Catori breathed out. "I'm fed up being clueless or defenseless, I decided to take matters into my own hands"

"That's my girl" Stiles grinned proudly, placing an arm over her shoulders and affectionately pushing her against him. Catori grinned in appreciation.

"You guys okay?!" Scott was suddenly there next to them.

"Yeah" The girl replied with a sigh.

"Miss Ninja Badass over here kicked his ass, did you see that?" Stiles stared at his friend Scott, who nodded.

"We all saw" He replied, making a face as he observed her and gently brushed his finger over the bloody cut on her forehead. "Although you might want to go to the infirmary, Tori"

"I think I might have broken my hand as well" She groaned in pain as she opened and closed her hand.

"Let's get you checked" Scott kindly held her close to him as he walked her back into the building to take her to the infirmary.

Derek was the only one to stay outside with Stiles, who was too amazed by what had just happened to move.

It all had happened so fast that he knew it must have been one whole minute or two between the moment in which the car's windows exploded and the guy was knocked out by Catori.

She had defeated a werewolf, a man who was considerably taller and stronger than her. Surely all those jujitsu lessons paid off, as well as that rush of adrenaline and blind anger that overcame her. Stiles knew she wouldn't be able to pull of something like that ever again, but it was impressive nonetheless.

"Catori is full of surprises, huh?" Derek mumbled, staring at the shocked Stiles in amusement.

"Sure is" The other boy replied with a silly lopsided grin.

That was the Catori he knew and loved.

*

The gang split up. Some went to check on Lydia and maybe try and help her if she still hadn't found anything on her research. The others went to talk to Deaton and update him on what had just occurred.

Derek went to tell this same information to Scott and Catori once they were finished in the infirmary. He had to put up with Stiles trying to get the info out of him even if he had told him he would tell him once the four of them were there.

When Catori and Scott appeared at the main door again, Derek spoke.

"Are you alright, Catori?"

"A bump in my head and a few broken knuckles" She replied, holding up her bandaged hand and using her index finger to point at her forehead. "I'll be fine"

"Do you know who that was?" Scott asked Derek gravely.

"That was Norman" His green eyes fell over the alpha as the four of them proceeded to walk to their cars. "I'm sure of it"

"At least now we know something" Scott added, responding with a small shrug when all eyes fell on him. "He's a werewolf"

"Not a very powerful one" Derek intervened, tilting his head slightly to the side. "No offense, Catori, but if he was an alpha or a beta you wouldn't have been able to defeat him"

"I know" The girl said, remembering about George and the other encounters with werewolves or supernatural creatures.

Just that those times it was different. She was different.

"She kicked ass, though" Stiles grinned at her, almost flirtatiously.

"I have to admit, you impressed all of us" Derek admitted with a nod.

Scott smiled, beaming with pride at the thought of Catori being brave enough to face not only Norman, but her own inner struggles and insecurities in the way. He knew the reason she attacked Norman was because he represented all that was wrong with her at the moment and she finally decided to confront them.

Flattered and a little embarrassed, Catori averted her eyes. A smile appeared on her lips.

"So..." Scott piped up, voicing his doubts. "Are you saying he's an omega?"

Derek pursed his lips gravely, taking a few seconds to answer the question.

"I'm not completely sure, but maybe"

"I don't understand" Stiles frowned. "You once said that the guy was an alpha"

"I know it doesn't make sense" The older one accepted. "But he's like the strongest of the weak, like the alpha of the omega"

"We'll look into it" Scott patted Stiles in the shoulder.

"As we do everything" Catori sarcastically said, making the latter chuckle.

"You better take her home, Stiles" Derek suggested, looking over to the Jeep as they had arrived next to it. "Scott and I will try and find something about Norman and why he attacked you"

Catori nodded in agreement and resigned herself to be taken home. Not that she felt like carrying on with the regular high school day anyway.

Scott and Derek went over to the other car to do some digging while the other two were left there with the Jeep.

The girl just got in without saying a word, even if she felt different within. She started the day feeling sorry for herself, feeble and empathic. But now she felt energized, she felt powerful and motivated.

It was the first time in a while that she felt in control. Even if they were still clueless about many things, Catori realized that she could fight like she used to do. She could leave all those worries behind, all those fears and concerns about the supernatural and all the crazy stuff that happened in Beacon Hills.

Because, even if she hadn't beaten up Norman, her friends would have. The whole pack was there for her, prepared to intervene and protect her. She belonged into the pack, she was like family. And even Stiles, who was human, same thing went for him. And talking about Stiles...

As he climbed in the driver's seat and started the engine, Catori glanced at him and grinned to herself.

"Don't think I didn't realize"

"About what?"

"You protected me"

His cheeks suddenly turned pink, even if his caramel brown eyes lingered on the road ahead.

"I actually didn't need to" The boy smirked playfully, briefly looking at her. "You did pretty well on your own, Cat"

"Don't play dumb, Stiles" To annoy him, she pinched his cheek obnoxiously, laughing when he complained about it. "You shielded me from all the glass"

"I did?" He licked his lips nervously, then biting on his bottom lip. "Guess I did it without realizing"

"It's the second time you do it" Catori was greatly amused by his reaction.

It was funny how much their relationship had changed since the first time it happened. How they barely could stand each other back then.

"Maybe it's just that I think you look better without any glasses sticking out of you" He joked, dedicating her a shit-eating grin.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

He chuckled and relaxed the tension in his shoulders as well as the tight grip on the steering wheel.

"Thanks" Catori simply said, leaning closer to leave a soft kiss on his cheek.

*

When Stiles dropped her off at her place, Catori was feeling restless again. Her newly discovered determined and fighter attitude hadn't diminished, but a thought arrived to her on their way back.

She finally felt strong and brave enough to ask her mom about her alleged seer abilities. With the right approach, it wouldn't seem like a strange thing to ask. A very subtle, nonchalant and casual approach.

Yet Catori still felt jittery about it, even so that she consulted Stiles about it. And he encouraged her, saying that Lydia had more banshees in the family.

She just went to her mother's room and stopped at the door for a moment.

Catori took a deep breath as she nervously pulled at her sleeves until they covered her hands. It would be better to hide her injury as well, and luckily the cut in her forehead could be covered by her hair.

Resolving to just do it and get it over and done with, she knocked on the door. Lucy told her to come in from inside the room, so she did.

"I thought you would be sleeping by now, honey" Lucy looked up from the book she was reading, probably something having to do with the museum.

"I was too restless to sleep" Catori confessed, walking closer and sitting on the edge of the bed with her mom. "And I wanted to ask you something"

"Sure, go ahead" The woman closed her book and put it aside, giving complete attention to what her daughter was saying. "What is it?"

"I've been having these strange feelings lately" She nervously began to say, gulping hard in anticipation. "Hunches, intuitions and gut feelings"

"Why is that strange?" Lucy frowned in intrigue and curiosity.

"Because they're very..." Catori nibbled on her bottom lip as she did her best to find a way to speak her mind without worrying her mother about supernatural beings and bizarre events. "They're very precise and intense"

"Okay..." Her mother nodded, sitting up more. "What about those?"

"I was wondering if this could be hereditary..." The girl averted her eyes in embarrassment and mild humiliation. "Is there more of that in the family?"

"Not on my side of the family tree, I don't think" Lucy narrowed her eyes in deep thought. "But there's your grandmother, your father's mother"

Catori rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

It wasn't like she could go and ask her dad about it, she had barely seen him ever since they moved to Beacon Hills. He basically lived in his work place, and with the adventures the pack went through lately it was even harder to coincide.

"How was grandma?" She asked, not knowing much about her because, just like her mother's mom, she died before Catori was born.

"I knew her, and she was the most intuitive person I've known" Lucy smiled a little, being driven to other times by her memories. "All little things, but always accurate"

"Like what?"

"Well, amongst other things... she knew I would end up marrying your dad. Knew we would have a daughter... She even knew when you'd be born!"

"Wow... really?"

"Yeah, everyone used to call her 'sybil' all the time" The woman chuckled softly. "You know, like the Greek oracles?"

Catori then had another one of those gut feelings she mentioned earlier. A feeling of realization, and overwhelming sensation that told her that word was important. Almost like it was part of her identity.

"Something wrong, Catori?" Lucy noticed this shift in her demeanor and got worried.

"No" The girl rushed to say, forcing a reassuring smile. "I mean... that's just mythology, right?"

"Of course, honey"

Catori felt a lump forming in her throat, her head light and fuzzy. But she did her best to keep smiling and pretend like that name that meant nothing for her mom didn't mean anything for her either.

"Is that all then?" Lucy asked her, to which she nodded again.

She felt speechless, unable to talk because her voice felt weak and shaky. Catori slowly stood to her feet and proceeded to walk to the door.

"Goodnight" Her mother told her sweetly. "And sweet dreams"

The girl looked over her shoulder and smiled one last time, waving her hand goodbye as she went over to the exit.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Catori let out a deep breath that she had been holding. Then she walked to her bedroom in a daze, her head filled with so many confusing thoughts.