𝟎𝟗. 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙　꒰ 𝕤𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙 𝕤𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕝 ꒱　.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧

꒰ 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 | 𝟐.𝟎𝟗 ꒱

In Allison's room, the three girls dumped bags of clothes on the hunter's bed. After all the havoc, stress, and chaos two of the girls had been through, they couldn't wait for a chance to relax and forget. Allison and Lucy had been looking forward to Lydia's birthday party for quite some time.

"How many dresses are you planning on wearing tonight?" Allison giggled, holding a dress up to her body as she looked in the mirror.

"It's my birthday party." Lydia grinned. "I'm thinking host dress, evening dress, then, hm, after-hours casual?" She listed, her best friends laughing as they watched her count on hand.

"When are you going to find the time to change?" Lucy asked, sifting through the pile of clothes to find her dress. It was a simple light pink, sleeveless dress, that flowed to her middle thighs.

"Don't worry, Luce. I'll find time." Lydia winked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"I noticed that you didn't send out any invites," Allison hinted, holding up a different dress.

"It's the biggest party of the year, Allison. Everyone knows." Lydia stated, looking to Lucy for help. The brunette nodded.

"It's true, Alli. No one's ever needed invitations to Lydia's parties. We all just memorized her birthdate."

Allison nodded, although both brunettes knew she had brought up the invites for a different reason. "I was just wondering if maybe this year things, you know, might be different."

Lydia scoffed. "Why would anything be different?"

Lucy backed over to Allison's vanity, taking a seat so she could fix her hair and makeup. As she picked up her hairbrush, Allison tossed a dress onto her bed.

"Just cause things have been off lately. Things and people." She mumbled, sitting down on the edge, giving Lydia some space. The strawberry blonde just frowned, still not understanding what Allison meant. To clarify, the taller girl said, "Like Jackson."

"What do you care about Jackson?" Lydia snapped, dropping the dress she had been holding.

"Do you know if he's coming tonight?" Allison asked, continuing to push.

"Everyone's coming," Lydia shrugged, standing up to have a better look at the clothes on the bed. "This one's American rag. I love it, for me." She chirped cheerfully, attempting to change the subject. "This one's material girl. It's for you." Lydia smiled, handing Allison the dress. A knock at the door pulled everyone's attention to Mrs. Argent. "Mrs. Argent, what do you think of this one?"

Lucy took in the woman's appearance, freezing as she saw how deathly pale Allison's mother looked. 

"Oh, it's lovely." Mrs. Argent spoke curtly, with no happiness behind her voice. "Allison, uh, can I grab you for a moment to talk? Just the two of us?"

"Um, can we do it later?" Allison asked, keeping her attention on all the dresses.

"Actually, uh, to be honest, sooner would be... would be better." Her mother moved her shoulder uncomfortably, as if she had done something to it recently.

Allison still hadn't pulled her eyes away from the dresses, so Lucy spoke up quietly. "Alli, you should go." Allison only bit her lip and crossed her arms, clearly in no mood to speak with her mother. Mrs. Argent, however, was quick to shoot a thankful smile towards Lucy. Her tight smile only made Lucy worry, and wonder, if something was wrong.

"Party is at ten!" Lydia reminded everyone, glancing up at Mrs. Argent.

"Um, will you be around before then?" Mrs. Argent asked again, keeping her eyes on her daughter.

"I think so." Allison finally nodded.

"You think so?"

"I don't know!" She snapped, turning to face her mother for the first time. Hurt flashed in the older women's eyes, and she backed away, closing the door as she left. Lydia mumbled about how Allison would look good in the green dress and the hunter immediately turned her attention back to the clothing.

"Allison..." Lucy muttered. "You should talk to her before we leave. It could be important, and it did sound urgent."

"I'll think about it," Allison mumbled, holding the green dress up.

"Allison, you might regret it." Lucy's parents flashed through her mind as she spoke. As if she knew what she was thinking about, Allison sighed softly.

"I know, I- I just wish she'd stay out of my life sometimes." Lucy knew Allison was referring to the supernatural, which was why she only nodded before returning to her makeup.

In the end, it was Allison's choice. Lucy couldn't force her ideas onto her friend. Allison's parents were not Lucy's parents. They were both alive and well.

Lucy had told Lydia, "Happy birthday" multiple times already, but it didn't stop her from saying it again as she walked through the front door of the Martin residence. She had to rush home to grab Lydia's presents, so she drove separately to the party.

Lydia smiled brightly and pulled her best friend in for a tight hug. "Thank you."

"Of course." Lucy grinned, turning as someone knocked at the door.

"Oh, another guest. Don't forget to try the punch!" Lydia reminded her, gesturing to where the drinks sat. Lucy nodded, letting Lydia open the door as she went to grab a drink.

Going outside, Lucy found her brother pacing the concrete. Alone. Lucy's heart fell, knowing that her friend might not have the party she dreamed of.

"Hey, Scott." Lucy walked up to him, taking a sip of her punch. "Mm, this is delicious!"

"Is it?" Scott asked, grabbing the cup and taking a large sip.

"Hey! Get your own!" Lucy laughed, playfully shoving her brother.

"Hey, guys," Stiles said, walking up to the duo with a drink in hand. "What's up?"

"Scott stole my drink." Lucy playfully rolled her eyes as her brother finished the punch.

"Oh, here, have mine." Stiles offered her the cup, making Lucy's heart pound.

"Are you sure?" She asked, gently reaching for the cup.

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll grab another one later." Stiles waited for her to take the drink before he slipped his hands into his pockets. Lucy thanked him, taking a sip of the delicious concoction Lydia had made. "Have you guys seen Jackson anywhere?" The buzz-cut boy asked.

"Nope. Have you seen Allison?" Scott asked, hoping his secret girlfriend was on her way.

"Yeah, we got ready at her place. Lydia drove here to get set up and I went home to grab Lydia's gifts. I haven't seen her since though, but her mom wanted to talk so she should be on her way soon." Lucy assured him, taking another sip.

"That good, huh?" Stiles teased, to which Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Well, when Allison gets here, we'll have to fill her in. I figured out that it does have something to do with water. The fact that all the victims were on the swim team, or worked with the swim team, and the way the Kanima reacted around the pool." 

"So, whoever's controlling the Kanima really hates the swim team?" Scott sighed.

"Hated the swim team." Stiles corrected. "Specifically, the 2006 swim team. It could be another teacher. Maybe like a student back then. I mean, who are we missing though? What haven't we thought of?"

"Well, knowing it's someone from the 2006 school year helps a lot. It'll narrow it down." Lucy pointed out. "Can your dad check?"

Stiles shook his head. "No, he got let go temporarily."

"Oh, that's right..." Lucy mumbled. "I'm so sorry, Stiles."

He shrugged but welcomed her comforting hug. From over her shoulder, Stiles saw Scott's eyebrows raise teasingly.

"Uh, Jackson's not here." Allison's voice surprised Lucy and she broke the hug, smiling at her friend.

"Yeah, no one's here. Usually, the place is packed full."

"Maybe it's just early?" Scott offered.

"Or maybe nobody's coming because Lydia's turned into the town whack job." Stiles deadpanned. Lucy scoffed and slapped his arm, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Well, we have to do something, because we've completely ignored her for the past few weeks." Allison groaned as the group looked over to the birthday girl who was patiently waiting for people to arrive.

"We don't owe her a party." Scott shrugged.

"Yes, we do!" Lucy frowned. "We've been ignoring her and lying to her. We are going to give her a party!"

"I guess I could use my co-captain status to get the Lacrosse team here." Scott sighed, knowing his sister was right.

"Yeah, I also know some people who can get this thing going." Stiles caved. "Like, really going." Pulling out their phones, the boys began typing.

"Great, I'll text some people from school. Get everyone to spread the word." Lucy pulled out her phone, Allison doing the same.

After a few short minutes, cars and people began piling at the Martin house. It was worth it, the group realized, to see Lydia's smile as she welcomed everyone in.

Lucy stayed by Allison's side, drinking as much punch as their hearts desired as they danced to the upbeat music blaring from all the speakers. Every time Lydia passed by, offering drinks, they each took another one.

After what felt like hours of dancing, Lucy finally sat down, letting her aching feet rest. She glanced around, trying to keep an eye out for Jackson, but her eyes began to feel heavy, and her eyelids drooped. As she slipped in and out of a sleepy state, she could vaguely feel Lydia helping her rest on a sun lounger by the pool.

Lucy sighed and stretched, letting her eyelids finally close. Just as she was about to drift into a deep sleep, she heard a voice.

"Why am I wearing black? What are you, an idiot? I just came from a funeral. You know, people wear black at funerals?"

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed and she opened her eyes. As she stared into the furious eyes of Noah Stilinski, she didn't even realize that she had moved so quickly. Now, she was standing by the refreshment table. "Get out of my face! It's you. It's all you." Mr. Stilinski's eyes darkened. "You know, every day I saw her lying in that hospital slowly dying, I thought, 'how the hell am I supposed to raise this stupid kid on my own? This hyperactive little bastard who keeps ruining my life.'" Lucy gasped, covering her mouth. What was he talking about? "It's all you. It's you, Stiles. You killed your mother. You hear me? You killed her. And now you're killing me."

Lucy's eyes widened and she looked around, looking for Stiles. Where was he? Was he okay? Why was Mr. Stilinski here? What was he talking about? When Lucy couldn't find him, she took a step backwards, just as Mr. Stilinski raised a bottle of beer, throwing it directly at her.

She gasped, closing her eyes as the music came rushing back into her ears. She opened her eyes again, confused and rattled when she realized she was still on the sun lounger. She had never moved. 

Stiles, on the other hand, was standing by the refreshments table, where she had been. His arms were covering his face, but Noah Stilinski was nowhere to be found.

Lucy jumped up, pushing past the crowd to get to Stiles. When she reached him, she gently held onto his shoulders. "Stiles? Hey, are you okay?"

He lowered his arms and looked at her, harshly rubbing the tears out of his eyes. "Yeah. I'm- I'm fine." He backed up, walking away from her touch. "I'm just gonna go and get some space."

"Oh..." Lucy mumbled, nodding her head absentmindedly. "Okay, just- just come find me if you want to talk."

Stiles nodded, but continued walking. Lucy stayed in place, watching sadly as he walked away from her. 

A couple guests bumped into her, and Lucy began to feel extremely hot, despite the cool temperatures. Rushing inside, she began to feel sick as she maneuvered her way to the bathroom. She stumbled inside, flailing her arms as she landing on the floor in front of the toilet.

Footsteps rushed behind her, closing the door and holding her hair up as Lucy leaned over the toilet and vomited everything in her stomach.

"Hey," Scott's voice reassured her, as he rubbed her back. "Get it all out."

"Why?" Lucy groaned, clutching her stomach.

"Lydia spiked the punch with something. It's causing illusions."

Lucy frowned, taking a towel from her brother and rubbing her mouth. She leaned back, letting him hold her as she caught her breath. "I had one, but it- it was like I was Stiles."

"What do you mean?" Scott frowned, rubbing her arms.

"His dad was shouting, but he was shouting at me. He kept calling me Stiles and then, it was like I woke up and Stiles was standing right where I had been."

Scott hummed. "We've all had crazy illusions. Whatever was in the punch must've been strong."

"Right." Lucy replied, but her gut told her it was something else. It was like it was right there, but she couldn't quite figure it out. So, she just laid there, as her brother helped clean the mess. Her mind drifted off again, going back to her illusion. It replayed over and over in her mind as dread filled her stomach. 

Something wasn't right. There was something wrong with her and deep down, Lucy felt as if Derek knew. And yet, she had no answers. It wasn't for a lack of trying, no, she had been trying to get ahold of Derek for days. She had gotten his number for Scott, claiming it was 'just in case of an emergency.' The alpha seemed to be ignoring her. He'd answer to Scott and Stiles, literally anyone but her. It made Lucy feel sick all over again, the stress and confusion eating her alive.

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙　꒰ 𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 ꒱　.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧꒰ 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟷𝟷, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻꒱

✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧

𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦: don't be a silent reader! comment, let me know your thoughts, and always remember to vote!

✧･ﾟ✧･ﾟ✧

𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝕤𝕠 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙 𝕤𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕝 | 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢