It was the middle of the night. I was fast asleep. And of course the only thing that could possibly wake me up was the sound of my phone ringing loudly. Stiles had left a few hours ago after we had watched 2 of the Star Wars movies. "Hello?" I spoke into the phone, my voice groggy and lower than usual.

"Bella, it's Stiles. Something happened at the video store." My eyebrows were furrowed as I stayed in bed. "Lydia was there." I sat up quickly in bed, throwing on a jacket and shorts, not bothering to change into a different shirt.

"Ok. I'm on my way." I bit my lip as I ran down the stairs, borrowing mom's car. I would explain what happened to her later. As soon as I pulled into the video store parking lot, I saw the police cars and the ambulances. Lydia and Jackson were near one of the ambulances. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was racing towards Jackson and Lydia. Stiles' father stopped me, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry Isabella. You can't go past the tape." I sighed but nodded. I understood. I looked around, seeing Stiles step out of his father's police car.

"Hey Bell - woah! Is that a dead body?!" Stiles yells, looking past me. All any of us could see was the limp arm that had fallen off the gurney. Stiles' father looked back at him, sighing, which made Stiles grin as he moved back into the car. I looked back towards the body, feeling sick to my stomach as I looked away. My eyes caught those of Derek and Scott as they backed away from the edge of the video store. I turned back to Stiles as he rolled the window down, looking up at me.

"Thanks for the call." I said, offering him a smile.

"Are you going to be ok?" He asked and I nodded.

"I'll be fine. Just knowing that Lydia is ok is enough. It could've been her on that gurney." I turned back towards the scene, shaking my head. This was the alpha. But why did he only kill the one guy? Why didn't he kill Jackson? What is his goal?

✧

Scott and I walked into the school the next day and upon seeing Allison, I smiled, skipping towards her as balloons floated out of her locker. "Happy birthday Allison." I smiled at her as she sighed, trying to stuff all the balloons back in her locker.

"Who told you?" She asked, but she knew as I sent her a look. "Lydia." We both said. Scott came up behind me and looked over my shoulder at Allison.

"Is today your birthday?" Scott asked her. She chuckled, shaking her head as she closed her locker.

"No, no. Uh, no. I mean, yes. Please don't tell anybody. I don't even know how Lydia found out." She looked at me and I just shrugged.

"I have no idea how Lydia found out." Scott looked between the two of us, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Allison blushed, looking back at the two of us.

"Because I don't want people to know. Because..." She paused, looking around to make sure no one could hear her. "I'm 17."

"You're 17?" Scott and I asked at the same time, staring back at Allison. She was older than us.

"That's the reaction I'm trying to avoid." Allison sighed, shaking her head. I looked back at Scott, nudging him.

"Why? I mean, I - I totally get it. Uh, you had to repeat a year because of all the moving around, right?" Allison looked back at my brother, kind of surprised. She smiled, kissing him. "What was that for?" He asked, still blushing.

"For - literally being the first person to ever make the correct assumption. Everybody's always like, 'What - Did you get held back?' 'Did you ride the short bus?' Uh, 'Did you have a baby?'" I looked back at her, stunned.

"That's what you hear on your birthday?" I asked her, leaning against the lockers.

"Oh, yeah. All day long." I heard the bell ring and I nodded my head towards the classrooms.

"Then - What if we got out of here?" I looked back at Scott, my eyes wide.

"You're going to skip class? Way to be a good influence, big brother." I said sarcastically, making Scott shove me lightly. I stuck my tongue out before smiling back at Allison. "Don't get in too much trouble. I'll see you around." I said as I backed away, walking to class. I wasn't going to get into any trouble.

✧

I sat in front of Stiles, tapping my foot. Class was almost over and Harris was going on and on about the parent-teacher conferences. "Just a friendly reminder - Parent/teacher conferences are tonight. Students below a "C" average are required to attend. I won't name you, because the shame and self - disgust should be more than enough punishment." He walked through class and I was sure he was taking attendance. "Has anyone seen Scott McCall?" Everyone in the classroom turned to look at me and Stiles.

"Umm, why are you looking at me? I'm not my brother's keeper." I shrugged, looking back at my book.

"Everyone, start reading Chapter Nine." I opened the book, flipping the chapter. "Mr. Stilinski." We all looked up and I looked back at Stiles. "Try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's chemistry, not a coloring book." I chuckled as Stiles took the cap out of his mouth, putting it back on the desk.

"Hey, Bella. Can I ask you a question?" I heard Stiles ask from behind me.

"Sure." I replied, looking back at him.

"Did Lydia show up in your homeroom today?" I shook my head.

"No, she stayed home." I told him, shrugging. I turned back towards my book.

"Hey Danny, can I ask you a question?" Stiles asked. I chuckled.

"No." Danny replied simply.

"Well, I'm going to anyway. Does anyone know what happened to her and Jackson last night?" Danny sighed.

"He wouldn't tell me." I turned around, facing Danny.

"But he's your best friend." I spoke up and Danny just looked up at me shrugging. I guess even best friends have their secrets.
"One more question." Stiles said, making both Danny and I look at him. "Do you find me attractive?" Danny didn't answer as Stiles leaned forward in his chair, waiting. Suddenly, his chair slipped out from under him, causing him to land on the floor. I looked back at Danny, both of us laughing under our breath. Why I liked Stiles, the world will never know.

As soon as Chemistry ended, Stiles and I left the classroom. Stiles had already pulled out his phone, calling Scott every second. When my brother finally answered, he seemed too distracted to care about what Stiles was telling him. So Stiles and I decided that we would make it our mission to check in on Lydia and hopefully figure out what happened last night. Lydia's mom let us in, smiling when she saw me. "Hello Isabella. Lydia is right upstairs." I smiled at her nodding.

"Thank you." I looked back at Stiles as we stepped inside of the house.

"This is Stiles. We just wanted to check in on Lydia." Her mom nodded, though she was still eyeing Stiles. I smiled at her as I walked up the familiar stairs to Lydia's room. I knocked lightly, before stepping inside. "Lydia?" I looked into the room to make sure she was decent before letting Stiles in. "Stiles and I are here to see you." I spoke up, seeing her on her bed.

"What the hell is a "Stiles"?" I chuckled, shaking my head as I saw Stiles' reaction. I looked at her nightstand, seeing a bottle of pills. "What are you doing here?" She muttered, sitting up. Stiles sat on the edge on the bed, trying not to invade Lyd's privacy. I leaned against the wall, staring back at her. She looked awful.

"We just wanted to just in on you and make sure you were ok." Stiles said, making Lydia roll her eyes.

"Why?" I sighed and shook my head at her.

"Because we were worried, Lydia." Lydia drew her attention away from Stiles and back to me. "How are you feeling?" I asked her, making her look me in the eyes. I could always tell when she was lying or hurting. That's what friendship is all about, you know? Her eyes, despite the use of the drugs, showed me how terrified she was of whatever she saw last night.

"I feel..." She thought about it for a second, looking at the ceiling. "Fantastic." She giggled, laying back down on her bed. I looked back at Stiles, shaking my head. I looked back at the bottle, wondering how many pills she took.

"Oh. What - I bet you can't say, uh, 'I saw Suzy sittin' in a shoe shine shop' ten times fast." Stiles said to Lydia who just furrowed her eyebrows, looking back at Stiles.

"I saw Shuzy - I shaw - I saw..." Lyds mumbled, her eyes going wide as she stared blankly.

"What? Lydia, what did you see?" I asked her, putting my hand on her shoulder. She stared down at the floor.

"Something."

"Something like - Like a mountain lion?" Stiles asked her. She glanced back up at me and Stiles.

"A mountain lion." She answered, sounding confident.

"Are you sure you saw a mountain lion, or are you just saying that because that's what the police told you?" Stiles nodded as she looked back to me.

"A mountain lion." She repeated. I looked back at Stiles.

"Pass me that." I asked Stiles, pointing to the stuffed giraffe on her bed. "Hey Lyds, what's this?" I asked her, making her look at the giraffe.

"A mountain lion." I looked up at Stiles, both of us trying not to laugh.

"Okay. You're so drunk." Stiles commented. Lydia dropped her head on Stiles' thigh and he looked at me for help. I lightly grabbed Lydia, picking her up and resting her back on her pillow.

"Well, we're gonna go. Uh, I'll let you get back to the whole post-traumatic stress thing." I told her, brushing her hair out of her face. Just as Stiles and I were about to leave, Lydia mumbled something.

"Mm. Stay." Stiles and I looked at each other before we glanced back to the drunk redhead.

"M-me? Stay? You want me to stay?" Stiles asked, confused as he moved back to the bed, sitting down. I crossed my arms over my chest, not being able to help feeling jealous as she looked at Stiles. She looked like she wanted to kiss him. She nodded.

"Yes, please. Stay. Please." She practically begged. I didn't know what to say as she leaned closer to him. "Stay Jackson." I smiled widely, trying to stop myself from laughing as she passed out on Stiles lap. I smirked as Stiles looked back at me, glaring. I kept laughing, my hand covering my mouth.

"And we're done here." Her phone went off as Stiles laid her down, getting off the bed. I grabbed her phone, knowing the password. My eyes went wide as I saw the content of the test.

"Stiles..." He came over to me, looking over my shoulder. His eyes went wide as well as he stared at the phone. On her screen was a picture of the Alpha. Stiles and I shared a worried glance as I slipped her cell into my back pocket.

✧

I paced the room, wishing Scott had answered his phone by now. Both Stiles and I had tried to call him multiple times. But alas, no answer. "Hey, it's me again. Look, I found something, and I don't know what to do, okay? So if you could turn your phone on right now, that'd be great. Or else I'll kill you. Do you understand me? I'm gonna kill you. And I'm too upset to come up with a witty description about how exactly I'm gonna kill you, but I'm just gonna do it, okay? I'm gonna—ugh! Goodbye." Stiles and I were pacing in opposite directions. Stiles hung up, throwing his phone onto his bed, groaning loudly. As soon as Stiles sat down in his new chair, I heard my phone ring. I took it out of my pocket, answering immediately thinking it was Scott. Stiles watched me as I spoke.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Isabella, have you seen your brother?" I sighed, sitting back on Stiles' bed. It was my mom. I looked back at Stiles, shaking my head. 'Just my mom,' I mouthed to him, making him groan.

"No mom. I've been trying to reach him all day." I hear my mom sigh on the other side of the phone.

"Well if he calls you, please tell him he's in big trouble and that he needs to be at school for the parent teacher conference?" I ran a hand through my hair.

"Do you want me to go with you to be a bluffer, mom?" I asked, Stiles raising his eyebrows at me.

"This is why you're my favorite." She tells me and I can hear the stress lifting from her just a little.

"I know. I'll have Stiles drop me off in a few minutes." I tell her. She says thank you once more before she hangs up. Stiles slumped down in his chair, putting his head down on the desk. As we sat in silence, there was a knock on his door, making Stiles jump. In the doorway Mr Stilinski stands there, staring at his son. "Hi Mr Stilinski." I greet, sending him a smile. He smiles back, nodding.

"Hey Bella." He looks back at his son, sighing. "Please tell me I'm gonna hear good news at this parent/teacher thing tonight." Stiles looks at me and then back at his dad. I try not to laugh as I watch Stiles try to answer this.

"Depends on how you define "good news."" Stiles shrugs, looking at his dad.

"I define it as you getting straight A's with no behavioral issues." Stiles looks at me again, glaring as I try not to laugh. I was smiling wide.

"You might wanna rethink that definition." I giggled quietly. I couldn't think of a world where Stiles behaved well. Stiles scrunched up his nose as his dad sighed.

"'Nuff said." His dad looked back at us as he pushed the door open wider. "Don't get into any trouble you two." I blushed, nodding as Mr Stilinski left. I took Lydia's phone out of my pocket and looked back at Stiles.

"Scott isn't going to answer us. Especially if he's with Allison." I told him, shrugging. "I think we need to delete it." I couldn't imagine what would happen if someone else had found this text. Stiles nodded, running a hand through his hair. I unlocked the phone, looking back at Stiles one more time before deleting the message.

✧

Mom and I were sitting in Mr Harris' classroom, my foot tapping anxiously as we waited for Scott. He should've been here by now. Why wasn't he here? I didn't need to be here, but the more my mom stared at her phone, the more stressed she became so I was glad I was here. I kept checking my cell, waiting and hoping to hear from Scott. My foot was bouncing as I looked back at Mr Harris, sending him an apologetic smile. "Where the hell are you? Get to the school now." Mom asked into the phone. I ran my hand through my hair as we looked back at Mr Harris.

"How about we get started? We'll start with Isabella, since Scott isn't here yet." Mom nodded, sighing as she tried to calm down. I folded my hands.

"Isabella is a great student. She does everything she's asked. And while she's maintained an overall high grade in this class, her last test was poor." My smile fell as he handed a copy of the test to my mom. She looked at it before looking at me. On the front of the test, there was a large F. I sighed, trying to ignore her gaze. She wasn't mad. But I could tell she was worried. "Personally, I think it has something to do with her friendship with Mr Stilinski. I hoped she would have chosen better friends." I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. My mom's head snapped back to Mr Harris.

"I'm not sure that's your concern. I happen to like Stiles very much and think he's brought a lot of good to both of my children." Mr Harris nodded, but I knew he was irritated.

"As for your son, lately Scott's mind has been somewhere else, as has his body. Personally, I think it may have something to do with his home situation." Mom and I looked at each other. I could tell where this was going and I was suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Oh, well, personally, I'm not sure what you mean by "home situation."" Mom crossed her arms over her chest as she glared back at Mr Harris.

"Uh, specifically the lack of an authority figure." Mr Harris said, looking nervous.

"My mom is the authority figure. That's why she's here." I glared back at Mr Harris, trying to let him know that he was stepping on toes. My mom grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently.

"Sorry. Allow me to clarify. I mean the lack of a male authority figure." Mom squeezed my hand a little tighter. I couldn't tell if she was trying to calm herself down, or keep me calm. My dad was a sore subject. He left me. He left us.

"Oh. Well, trust me, we're much better off without him in the picture." Mom says, trying to move on. Mom never talked about dad. None of us really knew why he left, but it never mattered.

"Well, does Scott feel the same way? Does Isabella?" I looked back at Harris, my eyes wide.

"Yes. I think so. I hope so." Mom trailed off, looking at me. I nodded. That's how we all felt.

"But he's going through some difficult changes. He just needs a little extra attention, a guiding hand through this crucial stage of his development." He had no idea what Scott was going through. The rest of the conference went fine. No more talking about dad. We stopped expecting Scott to come running through the door but as soon as the conference indeed, mom whipped her phone out. She gave me the keys so I could go to the car. As I walked away from my mom, I saw Allison's car and two figures in the car. I smiled as I walked up the car, watching Scott and Allison get out. I hugged my brother.

"You had me worried." I whispered as I shook my head, moving away from my brother. I smiled at Allison

"Where exactly have you been?" I heard mom yell at Scott as she walked up to us. I couldn't help but smirk at him.

"You are so busted." He nudged me, glaring.

"Nowhere, mom." Scott sighed. I saw Allison's parents walking up behind mom. I had never seen her dad before, but her mom I recognized.

"Nowhere, meaning not at school." Mom said as she crossed her arms. Scott scratched the back of his neck.

"Kinda."

"It's not his fault." Allison said, stepping forward. "It's my birthday, and we were..." She was interrupted by her dad.

"Allison. In the car." He opened the door and Allison started to walk to the car, when suddenly someone screamed. All of us looked in the direction of the scream. People were running left and right through the parking lot. Some were trying to get back into the school and others were running for their cars. I held mom's key in my hand tightly. But I didn't move. I looked all around, Scott's hand in mine tightly.

"Iz, go to the car now." Scott said to me. I looked back up at him, squeezing his hand.

"Don't do anything stupid." I told him as he started to walk away from me slowly. He was using his senses. I bit my lip as I looked around, dragging mom to the car. As we reached the car, I heard hoking as Scott ran through the crowd of people, pushing him and Allison out of the way of the oncoming car. I looked around, hearing Stiles' dad telling people to move and get out of the way. As he was directing people away, a car backed into him, pushing him to the ground. I looked back at mom, before running over to him, ignoring Scott's wishes. "Mr Stilinski, are you ok?" I asked as I knelt to the ground. He groaned as he nodded his head.

"I'm okay." He shook his head. Just as I went to help him up, shots rang out. I helped him up, everyone looking at Allison's dad. People slowly started to walk over to him, looking at the dead animal that laid in front of us. It was a mountain lion. A regular mountain lion. I looked back at Scott as he stared at the animal in confusion.

What the hell just happened?