Nightmares & Parties

The air was cold. My chest ached, like it did when I had been running. I never was a fan of cardio. The wound on my shoulder ached, like it had just happened, I could feel my heart hammering in my chest, each beat sending shockwaves of pain through my arm.

"Cassandra, darling, you know that I wouldn't have bitten you if it wasn't in your best interest. You'll be far more powerful than you can even imagine," a voice cooed, nails dragging along my upper arm. The voice was familiar, like I knew the person at one point, but I couldn't place it.

"I dont- I dont want to be powerful," I stammered, still trying to pull away.

"Don't do something you will regret darling."

I woke up with a start, my breathing heavy. I blinked, looking around my surroundings. I wasn't in my bedroom, I was in the drawing room? My skin was somehow both freezing and burning up. I glanced down, my hands were stained black. What was I doing? I blinked a few more times, trying to regain my stability. I had not entered the drawing room in years. It had always been my mothers space. I hadn't drawn or painted in years.

Yet here I was, staring at a canvas covered in charcoal. The image was messy, but the eyes unsettled me. Scrambling to my feet, I flipped the canvas around, and rushed out of the room, locking the door behind me.

Even though the headache from the last few days had faded, the feeling of nausea was overwhelming. I stumbled into the bathroom, and emptied the contents of my stomach into the bowl. I needed to pull myself together. I was already going to be late, but I was debating not going to school at all.

I pushed myself to my feet, turning on the hot water. I scrubbed the charcoal off my skin, watching the black water swirl down the drain. I slowly pulled myself out of the shower, drying myself off. I wrapped myself in a towel before heading back into my bedroom, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and one of Jackson's lacrosse shirts.

I wasn't going today. I didn't want to deal with the questions from Scott and Stiles, the insanity of last night, or my horrible dream. I wanted normalcy, which meant calling Jackson. I reached for my phone, clicking his contact.

"You're not here." he answered, not even bothering to say hello.

"Can't today. But you're coming here, movie day." I paused, rubbing my neck, even though he couldn't see me. "Please." I said, my voice much softer.

"Give me 30. I'll pick up food too," he said, his voice much gentler. I grinned slightly, hanging up.

Now it was time for damage control. I texted Scott, Stiles, and Lydia that I had a migraine and I would see them tomorrow at school. I called the school and told them the same thing. They knew not to argue or call Blaise , it's not like he would answer.

Jackson and I had an unspoken agreement. The same year that he found out he was adopted I lost my parents. Talk about trauma bonding. That's what started the tradition of movie days. We'd pick 3 or 4 movies, eat a bunch of food, and refuse to talk about our problems. We've added getting drunk in the last year, but that was more for Jackson's benefit than mine.

Not even 2o minutes later Jackson was at my door, making his way inside. Sure, he acted like a confident, arrogant jackass most of the time, but nobody was perfect. I gave him a weak smile as he dumped the food on my living room table. I laughed slightly, some of my anxiety slipping away as he flopped down onto the couch.

"Sit your ass down Andie. We're watching the Incredibles first."

Jackson stayed the whole day, and only left when he needed to go to practice. Not once did he ask what was wrong, what had happened, why I was having a breakdown. He just cracked jokes and made sure I ate. It was small, but appreciated. I needed the distraction, and he was perfect.

-----☾-----

I did make it to school the next day, and thank god it was Friday. Which meant it was the night of the party. I slid into my seat beside Allison, looking the brunette up and down. She was smiling brightly, and I raised a brow.

"What's got you all happy Miss Argent?" I teased.

"I'm going to the party with Scott tonight," she admitted, her smile growing.

I squealed, squeezing her hand. "Of course you are! I'm just surprised he worked up the courage to ask you," I admitted, giving her a grin as I watched Scott and Stiles make their way into the room. Scott's eyes immediately fell on Allison, and he smiled widely as he basically stumbled to his seat. I choked back a laugh, but it was sweet.

The rest of the day passed by relatively quickly, and Stiles told me I needed to meet him at his place after school. I had agreed, under the condition that I needed to be gone by 5 so Lydia could play Barbie with me before the party. I pulled the viper to a stop outside his house, making my way up into his room. I knocked lightly, but didn't wait before letting myself in.

"Stiles?" I asked, scaring the boy.

"Jesus, yes, come in. Scott should be here any minute," he said, his voice much faster than usual.

"Adderall addict much?" I teased, flopping down on the bed.

"Shut up. Were you at tryouts today?" he asked, and I shook my head in reply. "Well Scott made a shot, an impossible one. And in all honesty, that whole scott being a werewolf joke? Much less of a joke now." he said, looking me up and down.

"Well, I meant to tell you, two nights ago I-" I was cut off by Scott entering, and I closed my mouth. Maybe they didn't need to know quite yet.

"You need to look at this, I was up all night, reading and researching," Stiles explained, gesturing to the mess around him.

"How much adderall have you had?" Scott asked, echoing my joke from just a few minutes earlier.

"That's not the point," Stiles grumbled.

"Did they find out who did it?" "No, they're still questioning people, including Derek Hale," Stiles explained, and I raised a brow. What did Derek have to do with the dead girl? "But that's not the point, remember the joke from the other day, not a joke anymore Scotty."

Scott looked over at me and I just shrugged. "The wolf howl, the bite, I did all this reading, do you know why a wolf howls?" Stiles asked. Both of us shook our heads. "It's a signal. When a wolf is alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack."

"There aren't wolves in California. You said that yourself," I said softly, chewing the inside of my cheek. He had a point though.

"Not wolves. Werewolves."

Scott laughed, getting up to leave. "Are you seriously wasting my time with this? I'm picking Allison up in an hour.

"Scott, I'm only trying to help you! I saw you on the field today. Your moves were incredible. Not to mention your speed, your reflexes, and the hearing. You don't just magically get those overnight."

"You don't need your inhaler anymore either," I added softly, not sure what I really believed yet.

"Look, I don't want to think about this right now, okay? We can talk about this tomorrow."

"No, no Scott, the full moon is tonight, don't you get it?" Stiles said, standing up as well.

"Stiles! I just made the first line, I have a date with a girl who I can't believe actually wants to go out with me! Everything in my life is somehow perfect! Stop Trying to mess it up!" Scott yelled, causing both me and Stiles to flinch back.

"We're just trying to help," I said softly, but Scott wanted nothing to do with it. Stiles went to grab Scott's phone, cancel the date. I was starting to agree. This angry Scott wasn't Scott.

Before Stiles could even get the phone, Scott had slammed him into the wall, his fist inches from his face. I was on my feet, attempting to step between the two, but Scott shoved me back hard enough that I hit the bedroom wall with a smash. I winced, trying to push myself to my feet.

I could almost hear Scott's heart beating out of his chest. It was slowing down as he backed away from Stiles and I. "I- I'm sorry" he mumbled before grabbing his bag and basically running out of the room.

Stiles made his way over, looking over me for any injuries. I was doing the same for him, but I could see the fear in his eyes clear as the ones in my own.

"Cassie," he said quietly, lifting up the chair. I looked over, and my chest dropped into my chest as I looked at the three gashes along the leather.

"We need to get to that party," I mumbled, running a hand through my hair.

-----☾-----

I left Stiles to get ready as I made my way over to Lydia's. I was already 30 minutes late, and her annoyance was obvious as she pulled me inside. "There's a red dress on my bed. Get changed, ass the jewelry and heels, and then I'll get your hair and makeup sorted." she ordered, pushing me into the bedroom. I did as I was told, glancing over myself in the mirror. I blinked in surprise, looking over at my shoulder. I pulled off the bandage, only to reveal clear skin. No scar, no bruise, nothing. I sighed softly, running a hand through her curls as I pulled on the dress. I couldn't deal with my issues right now. Of course I hadn't considered the idea of being a werewolf myself, but something in me knew that wasn't quite right.

"Lydia, I'm ready." I called, and she came into the room, sitting me down at the vanity as she straightened my hair down flat.

"You look gorgeous. Per usual. Now, did you have a date? I could always set you up with someone on the team." She rambled as she started on my makeup.

"I'm happy alone Lydia. Really. Now go be the hostess with the mostest." I teased, giving her a hug.

I watched her make her way downstairs, and I took a moment to compose myself. I could hear the people arriving, and I sighed. I needed to keep an eye on Scott, make sure he didn't hurt Allison, while also trying to keep my own life in order.

By the time I had come down, the party was in full swing. I made my way towards Danny, and whoever his current boy was. Danny was my fun friend, always done for a party or an adventure. I adored him, in every way.

"Cassandra, looking stunning. Have a drink!" he said, pushing a red solo cup into my hand. I took the cup, gratefully, downing it before waving goodbye. I needed to find Scott and Stiles.

I searched for a good half an hour, with no avail. The headache was coming back, and I felt like I was burning up. All of my senses were in overdrive, and I needed some fresh air. I stumbled my way out onto the patio, into the cold night air, when a hand wrapped around my upper arm.

"Cass, we need to talk." I looked up, my eyes meeting Derek's.

"This is a highschool party. Are you stalking me now?" I mumbled, tugging my arm from his grip.

"No, but something happened didn't it? You got bit. When that McCall boy did. But youre different."

I nodded, very confused as to how he knew these things. I hadn't even had that much to drink, so why did everything seem so muddled.

"Cassandra, your mother was special. Powerful. You're going to be like her. I promise that I will explain more later, but right now Scott is a bigger issue. I'll drive you home, okay?" He said, carefully guiding me through the party. I tried to formulate my thoughts, say something, but I couldn't.

I saw Scott race out of the party, followed by a worried Stiles. Allison went to follow, but stopped once she reached the door, which allowed Derek to pull me up next to her. Somehow I found the words to speak, stepping towards the girl.

"Allison? Everything okay?" I asked softly.

"Is something wrong with Scott? We were having a good time, and then he just ran off. Did I do something wrong?" She asked, the hurt obvious on her face.

"No, no, he probably just drank something weird. He never was good with his alcohol." I said gently.

"Are you sure?"

"100%. He's totally into you. But look, let's get you home, okay?" I said, glancing back at Derek. My head was aching, the pounding coming back.

"This is Derek. He can take us home. There's no way I can drive." I admitted, giving the girl a weak smile.

Allison nodded, following me to Derek's car. He opened the door for us and I slid into the back seat, closing my eyes immediately. I just wanted the ache to go back away.

—☆—

Yes, I had dropped Allison off as a way to get to Scott. But Cassandra, I protected her with my life. I hadn't seen her in years, and she had definitely grown up. And here she was, asleep in the back of my car. I smiled weakly, pulling up outside her house. I had already dropped off Allison, and I carefully parked the car, getting out and scooping the blonde up in my arms. The spare key was in the same place that Blaise had always hit it, behind the loose brick. I unlocked the door and made my way inside, carefully placing her on top of her bed.

I glanced down at her before pulling a spare blanket over her body and making my way back to my car, locking the door behind me.

I really did need to be honest with her. But I couldn't, not yet, especially when I didn't even know what was going on.

—☆—