chapter twenty-five
❝  acting stupid for fun, all we needed was love ❞
tattoo

━━━━༺❀༻━━━━

Dear Diary,

Spending the summer with your dad after not having seen him for six years, watching him get murdered, and then come back to life, is pretty weird. What's even weirder is seeing Peter Hale be a father figure. What's even weirder than that, is living with him and Derek.

At least, though, after pining over Stiles since sophomore year, I'm finally able to call him my boyfriend. My boyfriend who my dad and Derek hate. At least he's not someone like Scott, though, right? Actually, Derek said he'd rather me date Scott, I take it back.

"Oh, come on, I'd be hot with a tattoo!"

Peter looks at Kennedy with a rose brow. "First of all, if Stiles told you that, I'll kill him. Second of all, no."

Kennedy groans as she follows her dad into his kitchen. "Come on, we've been hanging out all summer and you don't even let me do anything fun."

"Maybe because your definition of fun is getting tattoos." Peter said with a sarcastic smile. Kennedy slouched her shoulders, raising a brow. "You can go with them, how about that?"

Kennedy smiles wide, kissing her dads cheek. "Thanks, Daddy!" She chimed. She hopped up the stairs to her room, where her phone sat. Sliding on her denim jacket over her dress, she dials her boyfriend.

"Hello, gorgeous," A voice says into the phone.

Kennedy places a hand on her hip. "Scott, where's Stiles?" She asks right away.

Scott pouts in defeat, sad she noticed to fast. He looks at Stiles. "He's driving. You're on speaker, by the way."

Stiles leans to the phone. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hi, handsome." Kennedy says with a smile. "How far away are you guys?"

"Pulling up now." Stiles said.

Scott looked at the phone, "Did you get Peter to say yes?" He asked.

Kennedy walked down the stairs, "I got him to say yes to me joining, but not yes to me getting one." She complained, sticking her tongue out at Peter before walking out of the apartment.

"Well, then you can get one when you turn eighteen." Stiles told her. In all honesty, he didn't really want Kennedy to get a tattoo yet. Scott was getting one, and Stiles hated the design. Stiles was worried, with Kennedy's indecisiveness, she'd hate hers too. However, if she really wanted one, he'd join her as emotional support.

Kennedy walked out the front door of the building, waving at them as Scott hopped out. "Ladies first," Scott said. Kennedy flicked him off, climbing into the back seat. Despite her and Stiles dating, Kennedy and Scott already declared that the front seat will always be Scott's spot, no matter what.

༺❀༻

The tattoo parlor was unsurprisingly empty. Kevin, the tattoo artist, looks down at the sheet of paper. "Boy, it's a good thing you drew me a picture." He says sarcastically. Scott smiles, still excited.

"Hey, Scott, sure you don't want something like this?" Stiles's voice causes Kennedy to look up from the booklet she was looking at, revealing a lizard man that heavily resembles a kanima. Scott sighed, looking at Stiles with a really? look. "Too soon?" Stiles put down the book, lifting up another one. "I don't know, man, are you sure about this? I mean, these things are pretty permanent, you know?"

Scott shrugs, "I'm not changing my mind." He says finally.

"Okay, but why two bands?"

Scott shook his head. "I just like it."

Stiles put down the other booklet, using his hands to speak. "But don't you think your first tattoo should have some sort of meaning, you know, or something?" He inquired.

"Getting a tattoo means something." Scott adds, "Right, Kennedy?"

The brunette girl looked up, "Well, Stiles, Scott is right."

"Tattooing goes back thousands of years. The tahitian word tatua means to leave a mark." Kevin explains as he prepares his tattoo gun. "Like a rite of passage."

Scott nods, "Yeah, you see? He gets it."

"He's covered in tattoos, Scott, literally."

Kennedy slaps Stiles's chest. Kevin looks at Scott, "Okay, you ready?" Scott nodded, "You ain't got any problems with needles, do you?"

Scott shook his head. "Nope."

Stiles walked around to see the needle go to Scott's arm. "I tend to get a little squeamish though, so," Stiles trailed off, before passing out completely. Kennedy sighed, shaking her head at her boyfriend.

The three of them climbed back into the Jeep. Stiles rubbed his head as he looked at Scott. The McCall looked clearly uncomfortable. "You okay?"

"Kinda burns."

Stiles nods, holding an ice pack to his head. Kennedy scoffs forward, taking the ice pack and moving it to a different spot for him. "Yes, you just had your skin stabbed about 100,000 times with a needle."

"Yeah, but I don't think it's supposed to feel like this." Scott says finally. Kennedy takes the ice pack completely, throwing it in her bag so she could freeze it back at Derek's. Scott suddenly tenses up, hissing in pain. "No, it's definitely not supposed to feel like this. Oh, I gotta take this thing off."

Stiles sneaked his head, "No, Scott. Oh, Scott, please stop." Stiles turns away, but can't help but look back to see the tattoo reddened, patchy, and slowly fading away.

"Oh, no, what? No, no, come on." The three of them watched as the tattoo disappears, as if it was never there. "It healed."

Stiles stared for a minute, letting out a breath of relief. "Ah, thank God. I hated it." Scott and Kennedy turn to glare at him. "Sorry."

The car ride continued, and Kennedy spoke up. "So, what about you and Allison? Have you two spoke?"

"Nah, we agreed to give each other the summer. No texts, no calls." Scott explained as Stiles pulled up to a red light.

Stiles looks at the road, then Scott. "So then how do you know she won't be back at school then?" Stiles looks over to the car over, confused.

"After everything that happened, I'm not sure she's coming back at all."

"I think she is. I'd say pretty definite, you know." Scott and Kennedy look at Stiles in confusion. "Like one hundred percent."

Scott and Kennedy turned around to see Lydia and Allison sitting in the car. Scott was surprised to say the least, but quickly turned around. "Oh, my God."

Kennedy watches as Lydia looks over. Kennedy gave a small wave, which Lydia did in fact return. The two spent a lot of free time together this summer, and Kennedy even helped plan whatever double date Lydia was going on. She just didn't know Allison was the other girl.

"Can we just drive please, Stiles?" Scott pleads.

Stiles gestures to the light. "Scott, it's a red light." 

"I think we should talk to her," Kennedy chimes.

"You are so right. Ken. I think we should say something." Stiles says, rolling down the window. Scott pleads for him to say no, "Hey!" Lydia suddenly steps on the gas, speeding away. "You know, they probably didn't see us."

Kennedy rolled her eyes, leaning back as the light turned green. "What are you doing?" Scott asked.

Stiles looked over, "I'm driving."

"We're right behind them."

"Okay, well, do you see any turns?"

Kennedy looks around curiously. "I don't." She states.

Scott spoke up, "I don't want it to look like we're following them." He explains. Kennedy rose an annoyed brow.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Stiles asks his werewolf best friend.

Scott shakes his head, "I don't know, anything." Stiles rolls his eyes, stomping on the gas. The Jeep comes to a completely halt.

"Feel better?" Stiles asks.

Kennedy looks ahead, watching as Lydia's blue car pulls to a stop too. "Guys," Scott and Stiles look over, seeing what Kennedy saw. It was confusing. Just their two cars on the road.

Stiles shrugs in confusion. "Why would they stop?"

"It's Allison and Lydia." Kennedy says, "Do you really wanna try applying your logic to those two?"

Before either boy could answer, crashing came from in front of Lydia's car. The three jump into action, Scott flying out of the car. Stiles less gracefully tumbles out, helping Kennedy before running over.

Allison and Lydia get out of the car quickly. "Are you okay?" Scott asks Allison.

Lydia turns to Kennedy, "It came out of nowhere."

"Are you hurt?" Kennedy asks, looking over her friend.

"It ran right into us."

Scott looks over Allison again. "Are you okay?" He asks once more.

Allison nods slowly. "I'm okay."

"Well, I'm not okay. I am totally freaking out." Lydia screams. The strawberry blond, who's hair was significantly more red nowadays, turns to Kennedy, "How the hell does it just run into us?" Scott walks around to the front if the car to study the deer. "I saw its eyes right before it hit us." The female werewolf shakes her head, an overwhelming stench filling her nose. Not like a smell, per-say, but an emotion. "It was like, it was like it was crazy."

Kennedy shook her head, "No, it was scared." She says finally.

"Actually," Scott placed a hand on the poor animal, "Terrified."

༺❀༻

༺❀༻

It was tense.

Silence filled the room, and Kennedy could tell people were there, but nobody seemed to notice her. "The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds and the tranquil waterway, leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." A voice recited. Kennedy furrowed her brows, unfamiliar with the voice, or the quote. She walked around the desks, realizing she was in a class room. She was at school. An overwhelming sense of uneasiness settled in the girls chest. Like a black cloud had just washed over her.

"Once, twice..."

Suddenly crashing came from the side; like glass shattering, filled her ears. Kennedy jumped back as what looked like crows came flying at her. She let out loud yells as she tried to fight them off, but she couldn't. Claws dug into her arms. She screamed and screamed, trying to get them away. They wouldn't leave her alone.

The sound of an alarm catches Kennedy off guard. She sits up in bed, looking over to see Derek impatiently holding her clock "You're going to be late." He told her.

She looked around her room, throwing a throw pillow at Derek. "I'm fine." She muttered. "Why are you awake anyways?" Derek stood there for a moment, unsure what to say.

"I might've made you breakfast." He confessed. Kennedy rose a brow. "Shut up."

Kennedy giggled as Derek walked out of her room. She sighed, getting ready within thirty or so minutes. The dream traced her mind. She hasn't had anything like that in months. Not since Derek got shot by Kate, and not since she got her memories. The difference now was that she knew it was herself, and she knew it was at school, and she was sleeping. In the other moments like this one, Kennedy didn't see faces, didnt understand the voices, and she was awake. Not wanting to stress herself out, Kennedy pushes the thought away. She trailed out of her room, seeing Isaac walk out of the bathroom, brushing his teeth. "I get out of living with one werewolf and instantly living with two more." She mutters, butting Isaac out of her way. Isaac chuckles as he walks down hall, finding his own stuff in the guest room. The morning continued as normal, Isaac left early, Kennedy ate, then went upstairs to get her stuff.

"Derek!"

Kennedy Hale chased her cousin around her room as he let out a loud laugh. He held her econ textbook in his hands as he ran around. "Come on, little cuz, you can't catch Alpha Derek?" He teased.

"More like Alpha Dickhead." She snipped. Derek gasped, pretending to be offended. He snickered as she took the textbook from his grip. She shoved it in her backpack. "I should tell Scott you're a big softie when I'm around."

Derek's smile quickly turn into his usual brooding stare. "Do it and I'll take your laptop." He warns.

"God, stop parenting me, it's gross." She mumbles, pushing him out of her way. "Allison is picking me up!"

"Dont come home late!" Derek yells.

"Stop parenting me!"

Derek rolls his eyes playfully as Kennedy walks out of her room, and therefore out of the loft. He sighs, looking around her room. He was proud of himself, having decorated her room and her room only. It was upstairs, the "loft" technically separated into two rooms that Peter had a wall built to separate. Her room was significantly more colorful, the walls actually painted an off white and her bed with floral pink, red, and black bedding. When Derek walked in, he came to her bed in the middle of the far wall, and next to him to his left was her vanity with makeup and jewelry. On the wall to the right of the bed, and a few feet from Derek, was her dresser which was filled to the brim with clothes. Her bed had drawers on the bottom, also filled with clothes and her wooden headboard that matched the other furniture. In the corner next to her bed, was a chair that hung from the ceiling. A cork board above her dresser was covered in photos, including photos of her and Allison from Lydia's party, photos of her and Lydia growing up. Derek had even managed to find a photo of him, Kennedy, and Sloane. It was Halloween, and Kennedy was around eight. She was dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and Derek has dressed as the Beast from her demand (aka he just had his wolf face).

It was comforting for Derek to know that despite their past, Kennedy is adjusting in their home nicely. She was his family, and all he had left. He felt bad sometimes, knowing that Peter would never truly be the father Kennedy wanted him to be. Peter wasnt the same guy Kennedy remembered, and deep down all of them knew that. She still tried, though. Derek just hoped maybe one day, he could be someone she could look up to.

Kennedy walked out, squealing as she rushes to Allison. The Argent wrapped her arms around Kennedy tightly. "Oh my god, I've missed you." Allison breathes. She pulls away, looking over Kennedy's outfit. "You are so beautiful, no wonder why everybody's talking about you."

The Hale frowned as she slid into the car, Lydia promptly sat in the backseat, typing away on her phone. "People are talking about me? Why?"

"Oh, just the fact you're a Hale, you're dating a nobody, and they're already planning you becoming prom queen, homecoming queen, and placing bets on how soon you'll leave Stiles for Isaac." Lydia chimed, the sound of her thumb tapping away loud enough for the two up front to hear.

Kennedy turned to Lydia, "I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a spoon." She said. "Not only do I really like Stiles, but Isaac and I do not get along like that."

Allison drove out of the parking lot. "You made out with him." She pointed out.

"You made out with Isaac?"

Kennedy rolled her eyes at Lydia. "It was one time! It was when we first started working together. Sometimes pack members have..tension." She explained, "He only did it to make that Matt guy jealous."

Lydia scrunched her nose. "Okay, totally valid." She said. "So, do all packs have tension?" She asked as she wiggled her brows.

"Well, Erica did try to make out with Derek. I heard he threw her to the ground so fast, and that he washed his mouth out for a month because she was only, like, sixteen." Kennedy explained. "It's not a long lasting thing. It's usually when werewolves are newbies to their heightened senses and get overwhelmed by teenage hormones."

Allison nodded, "So have you been overwhelmed by teenage hormones with Stiles?" She teased with a smile. Kennedy groaned, running her hand over her face.

"No." Kennedy announced loudly for both girls. "Stiles and I haven't been like that. It's just...lots of food, movies, and making sure neither Derek or my dad see me get out of the Jeep." She says. Kennedy fiddles with the hem of her dress, smiling in thought. "Sex just hasn't been something either of us have needed."

Lydia hums in thought, "Well, good for you. I'm glad you found a guy who doesn't always want to have sex!" She chirps. Kennedy rolls her eyes playfully, leaning back in her seat. "Okay, you have to hear about the guy I met."

༺❀༻

Kennedy stood at Allison's locker, her last stop before English. Lydia looked around in fascination. "Freshmen. Tons and tons of fresh men."

Allison looked at Allison. "You mean fresh boys. Lydia, they're 14."

Lydia waved her hand, "Eh, some are more mature than others."

"You know, it's okay to be single." Kennedy followed.

Allison nodded, "Ken is right, focus on yourself for a little while, work on becoming a better person."

Lydia looked at the two brunettes. "Allison, I love you." She says, "So if you need to do that thing where we talk about me and pretend like we're not actually talking about you, it's totally fine. But I don't want a boyfriend." Lydia inhaled deeply as she leaned on the locker, checking out the boys walking around. "I want a distraction."

As if on cue, two boys come walking down the ball. Denim, leather, motorcycle helmets, and sexy brooding looks. Kennedy's mouth hung open as she, Lydia, and Allison watched them. "Brothers?" Allison inquired.

Lydia smirked as they stared. "Twins." She hums.

Kennedy elbows Lydia, the two bursting into giggles. Allison rose a brow at them both. "You two are literally the same person, it's insane." She says as she shuts her locker.

"Not true!" Lydia says, "I don't fall for nerd brains."

"Whatever!" Kennedy squealed, shoving Lydia. The three girls laugh as they walk towards their first class.

Allison walked aside Kennedy. "So, are you excited for having lots of Stiles in your classes?" She asked with a wink.

Kennedy groaned, "It's not like he and I are going to make out in the halls like a typical 2005 chick flick." she said. As the trio walked in, immediately her eyes landed on Stiles. "Okay, maybe I'll sneak a kiss or two."

Lydia and Allison giggled as Lydia walked to the first empty seat she saw. Kennedy did as well, sitting in front of Stiles. Stiles looks over, smiling at her. "Hey," He chimes.

Kennedy turns to him, a smile instantly on her face. "Hi." She looks at his stuff on his desk, "You excited for another year of hell?"

"No," Stiles sighed, "But at least this year I have a genius girlfriend." Kennedy rolled her eyes, but it was true. Lydia was the smartest girl in school, a natural genius, but Kennedy was a close second. It was astonishing to Scott and Stiles that Kennedy was able to succeed all the while still worrying about werewolf drama.

Allison awkwardly took the seat next to Kennedy, which happened to be in front of Scott. Kennedy leaned over, "Dont worry, I'll try and make this painstakingly less awkward." She assured her friend. Allison felt lucky Kennedy was still her friend. The Argent didn't deserve it, considering she tried to kill Derek, Erica, Boyd, and Isaac, as well as almost shooting Scott in the face with an arrow. But, Kennedy was Kennedy, and she was willing to give Allison another chance despite that they had a lot to work through. Everyones phones began to buzz, most students pulling them out. Kennedy turned to Stiles. "Mines off." She admitted. Stiles leaned over, letting her read the text.

A voice began to speak. "The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds and the tranquil waterway," Kennedy looked up to see who she assumed was their teacher. "Leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." Jennifer Blake looked around the class, "This is the last line to the first book we are going to read. It is also the last text you will receive in this class. Phones off, everyone."

Kennedy looked at her notebook, writing down the notes for class. She has an overwhelming sense of deja vu. She flipped through pages of her work, thinking about what she dreamt about. Why was she so scared? What was up with the birds? Why could she feel the claws, something she shouldn't be able to feel in a dream? It was all so strange. The thought of telling Derek or Peter crossed her mind. They might know more than her. However, what if they thought she was crazy, and sent her to an insane asylum like Eichen House? Though, sending a werewolf to Eichen doesn't seem very smart.

"Mr. McCall?" Ms. Blake called out. Scott looked up, gathering his things as his cue to leave.

Kennedy watched Scott walk by her, he gave a reassuring nod, letting her know he'll contact her if anything happens. He walks out the door, and she turns to Stiles. "What do you think it is?"

Stiles shrugs, "Maybe the world is ending and somehow only Scott the teenage dog boy is the only one that can save us all from impending doom." He waved his hands in the air dramatically, and Kennedy rolled her eyes. Stiles looked over at Lydia, looking down at the large bandage on her ankle. "Hey, Lydia. What is that? Is that from the accident?"

Lydia turned to look at Stiles, and then her friend. "No. Prada bit me." She chirped.

"Your dog?" Stiles inquired. Lydia turned to him again, staring at him with a straight face.

"No, Kennedy's code name." She deadpanned. Stiles turned to Kennedy, who let out a low growl before baring her fangs playfully. Lydia and Kennedy looked at Stiles. "Yes, my dog."

Stiles watched as both girls turned to their work. "Has it ever bitten you before?" He asked. Lydia shook her head, "Okay. What if it's, like, the same thing as the deer?" Kennedy sighed as she slowly looked up, watching their teacher continue to do who knows what. "You know, like, how animals start acting weird right before an earthquake or something?"

Lydia looked at Stiles questioningly, "Meaning what? There's gonna be an earthquake?"

"Or something." Stiles said. "I just...maybe it means something's coming. Something bad." Kennedy looks at him in confusion.

Lydia raises a brow. "It was a deer and a dog."

Kennedy gasped, patting Stiles's desk, "What's that thing you say about threes?" She asked, looking down in thought, "Once, twice," She stops herself when something smacks the window. Lydia turns around, a black bird splat against the glass. It falls down, leaving its bloodstain there. Kennedy looked at Stiles questioningly, an uneasy feeling in her chest. Ms. Blake set her chalk down as she slowly walked up to the windows. Birds upon birds, cawing as they headed towards the school. Kennedy jumped when one ran into the glass again. And another, and another.

Until one suddenly broke a window.

Chaos erupted in the classroom as birds came flying in. Instantly, Stiles grabbed Kennedy, pulling her low to the ground. "Get down, everyone! Get down!" Ms. Blake shouted. Lydia slid out of her desk, grabbing onto Kennedy's hand. Stiles shielded his girlfriend and her friend.

Kennedy looked up, watching Allison get down too. Kennedy pushed against Stiles, grabbing the Argents wrist. Allison flailed her hands as she tried to get a thrashing bird away. Kennedy winces as claws scratch at her arms, but she doesn't care. The four of them huddle together as best as they can, trying to keep each other as safe as possible. Students screamed and crows hawked, and Kennedy closed her eyes tightly as she felt Stiles hold on to her while she held on to Lydia and Allison.

Suddenly, it was silent. Students began to look around, the birds having literally dropped dead. Kennedy slowly stood up, Stiles keeping his arm around her. It was a disaster in the english classroom. She thought of the of her dream from last night.

"Once, twice."

The Hale looked around in confusion. She knew this would happen. No, she didn't know how, but she knew. Kennedy had already seen this happen. The girl's boyfriend looked at her, watching her confused eyes search the space. "Kenny, you okay?" He asked. The brunette looked over at him, her attention back to the real world.

"Once is an incident," Kennedy began, "Twice is a coincidence," She looked at Stiles, who had a small cut on his forehead. "Three's a pattern."

༺❀༻

"Are you sure you don't need me to come get you?"

Kennedy groaned as she held her phone to her ear. Stiles looked over at her, standing with the Sheriff. Allison stood with her dad, and Lydia was off fixing her hair. "Derek, really, I'm fine." She began.

"Are you sure? I'm in the car with Scott and Isaac right now."

Kennedy paused, "What? Why?"

Derek sighed, "Isaac was attacked, okay? Long story." He told her. "Meet me at the house."

"If I didn't want you to come get me what makes you think I want to go to you at all?"

The elder Hale looked at Scott. Scott rose a brow, listening in. Derek exhales sharply. "I'll get you a movie."

Kennedy rose a brow, "What about a movie and you have to watch the entire thing with me?" She chirped. Derek looked at Scott. The McCall watched in curiosity when Derek exhaled through his nose.

"Fine."

Kennedy giggled, hanging up the phone. She walked over to Allison, putting an arm on the girl. "Are you alright?"

Allison nodded slowly, "I'm fine. Are you?" Chris looked between the girls, just casually listening.

"Even if I wasn't, I'd heal." She winked. Kennedy looked at Chris, "Before you ask, no I didnt piss anyone off recently that would cause them to send birds to the school."

Chris put his hands in his pocket. "Actually, I was going to thank you for helping Allison today." He said.

Kennedy purses her lips, "She would've been fine without me." She mumbled.

"Maybe, but it's the way you still cared." He told her. Kennedy looked at Allison, who had a small smile on her face. The Hale grinned at Chris, before feeling Stiles grab her arm.

"We gotta go." Stiles said finally.

Kennedy looked at him, "Did Derek tell you?"

"No, I called Scott and he told me to meet him at Derek's. I'm just forcing you to come with me."

She shrugged, the two walking down the hall. "Oh, that's good. I didn't feel like running anyways." The two walked past a girl they didn't notice, but she noticed them. The girl watched in shock as Kennedy Hale walked by. If she didn't know better, she would've mistaken Kennedy for none other than Sloane Valet. The resemblance was uncanny, and the girl wanted to say something. She's been trying to find Scott McCall and Kennedy Hale for so long, but Kennedy was already gone before she could go after her, so she needed to find Scott.

༺❀༻

Derek flashed his alpha eyes as he observed Scott's arm. "Yeah, I see it. It's two bands, right?" Stiles crossed his arms over his chest and Kennedy sighed. "What does it mean?"

Scott sheepishly shrugged, "I don't know. It's just something I traced with my fingers." Scott looked at the dusty table, drawing the tattoo in a circle.

"Why is this so important to you?" Derek asked.

Scott looked at Kennedy and Stiles. "Do you know what the word tattoo means?"

"To mark something." Stiles answered. Derek looked at his cousins boyfriend, watching the human proudly nod.

Scott looked at the picture again, "Well, that's in tahitian. In samoan, it means open wound." He explained. Kennedy was surprised that Scott even knew this. He was never the type to know much about, well, anything. "I knew I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned 18. I always wanted one. I just decided to get it now, to make it kind of a reward."

"For what?" Asked Derek. Scott looked downed

"For not calling or texting Allison all summer. Even when I really wanted to, even when it was so hard not to sometimes." Scott confessed. "I was trying to give her the space she wants. Goin' four months later, it still hurts." He exhales slowly, "It still feels like a, uh,"

Stiles looked at his friend, "Like an open wound." He finished. Kennedy smiles softly, finding it oddly poetic.

Derek nodded slowly, pulling out tools. "The pain's gonna be worse than anything you've ever felt."

Stiles clicked his tongue. "Ah, that's great."

"I was there when Derek got his. It was right before the fire." Kennedy said. "He growled at me and my mom just about bit his head off." Derek rolls his eyes at Kennedy's story. It was weird for Scott and Stiles to watch this dynamic. Kennedy had finally embraced her family story, after months of denying it. It was refreshing to see their best friend finally happy.

Scott nodded slowly, "Do it." Derek nodded, setting the flame on the tool.

"Oh, wow. That's a lot for me." Stiles says, "So I'm gonna take that as my cue. I'm just gonna wait outside."

As Stiles walks by, Derek grabs him tightly, "Nope." Kennedy giggled as Derek pushes Stiles back. "You can help Kennedy hold him down."

The human boy looked at Kennedy, who sheepishly smiled. Scott gave another nod at Derek, who looked at Kennedy. Kennedy, smiled wide, excited to see how this worked again. Derek bright the fire to Scott's arm, who instantly began to scream in pain. Stiles struggled to hold Scott as the teen wolf's eyes flashed yellow. On cue, so did Kennedy's, and she pushed him down into his seat firmly, keeping him in place. It wasn't until it became unbearable that Scott passed out from the pain.

Stiles and Kennedy let Derek finish up, standing by a couch. Stiles looked around the abandoned Hale House. "So, what can you tell me about this place?" He asked. Kennedy looked around, smiling softly.

"My mom didn't like it here." She began, "But she wanted to help my grandmother and my father, so we stayed here. She was planning on moving us towards Lydia's neighborhood when I turned twelve, keep her and I closer." Stiles watched as Kennedy's eyes searched the building she once called home. "Derek and I used to make cookies in the winter, except usually we'd undercook them because we really liked cookie dough." She scrunched her nose at the memory, something Stiles admired about her.

"I'm sorry, but imagining Derek baking cookies is impossible." He stated blandly. Kennedy rolled her eyes playfully, "But your mom sounds like she was a really great woman."

Kennedy looked at Stiles, "She was." She stated softly. Derek finished up Scott's arm, causing the two to look over. "When is he going to wake up?" She asked.

Derek sighed, standing up and walking to the couple. "Soon." He bluntly stated. Derek looked between his cousin and Stiles, an unreadable look on his face. "I think now would be a good time for Stiles and I to talk, about boundaries." Kennedy's jaw dropped in horror as Stiles's face paled.

"Bound- boundaries? You mean like, like-"

"Like you're not allowed to have sex with Kennedy. Ever."

At this moment, Kennedy wished the world would swallow her whole. Stiles choked on his own saliva as the two looked at each other wide eyed. Though they hadn't had sex since this all first began, it was still weird for them to talk about. Especially because Derek didn't know. Derek narrowed his eyes at the two teens, thinking back to when he was shot.

"You two must've really done something," Stiles tenses up, "Scott doesn't know," The teenage boy looks over, not saying anything.

Derek blinked in realization, but before he could say anything, Scott shot up. Stiles silently thanked the universe. Scott looked down at his arm, "It worked."

Kennedy smiles wide as she grabs Scott's shirt, "Yep! Now get dressed so we can get the hell out of here," She said as she sent a glare to Derek.

"I second that," Stiles yelled, quickly walking by Derek. The three teens walked towards the door, Stiles looking at the tattoo, "Well, it looks pretty damn permanent now."

Scott pulled down his sleeve, "Yeah. I kind of needed something permanent. Everything that's happened to us, everything just changes so fast. Everything's so," He pauses; thinking of the word he learned today. "Ephemeral."

Stiles and Kennedy looked at each other, before back at Scott. "Studying for the PSAT's?"

"Yep."

The three teens walked to the front door, but Kennedy stopped when she saw the door was different. Scott and Stiles stopped too, looking at it in confusion. "You painted the door." She said. Derek looked back at them. Kennedy looked at her cousin, knowing they practically didn't own this house, and it was getting destroyed anyways. "Why'd you paint the door?"

Derek looks at the girl. "Go home, Ken."

Scott adjusts the door, "And why only one side?" Kennedy watched as Scott flicked a claw, drawing it along the wood.

"Scott." Derek called out, storming over. Kennedy stepped over, making sure her cousin didn't stop the teenage boy as he began to scratch at the paint. Stiles stepped back, covering his eyes as paint chips flew everywhere. It wasn't long until he revealed what was there. It was some symbol, painted in black. Something Kennedy hadn't seen before, but felt like she should have recognized.

"What is this?" Kennedy asked in confusion.

Scott looked at Kennedy, "It all makes sense," He said, "The birds at school and the deer last night, just like the night I got trampled by the deer when I got bit by the Alpha." Kennedy realized what Scott meant. The alpha he and Derek fought at the hospital, the animals. "How many are there?"

Derek looked at Kennedy. "A pack of 'em." Stiles looked at Kennedy, who still seemed unfamiliar. "An Alpha pack."

"All of them?" Stiles gawked, "How does that even work?"

"I hear there's some kind of a leader. He's called Deucalion." Derek said. He looked at Kennedy, "He's an ex boyfriend of your mother's."

Kennedy looked down, "So?" The girl felt mixed emotions. A pack of Alphas was a terrifying thought, especially for her.

Derek looked at her, "Kennedy, there's a lot you don't know about your mom. Stuff I don't even know." He explained.

"Then what do we know?" She snipped.

"We know they have Boyd and Erica." Derek said. Kennedy exhales deeply, missing Erica deeply. "Peter, Isaac, and I have been looking for him for the last four months."

Scott looked at the clearly distressed girl, then turns to Derek. "Let's say you find them. How do you deal with an Alpha pack?"

Derek shrugs, "With all the help I can get."

"Where is she?" Everyone runs around to see Isaac, shirtless and sweaty from healing. "Where's the girl?" He asked. Kennedy looked at her cousin, who was just as confused as she was.

Derek looked at his beta, "What girl?"

༺❀༻

Deucalion stood over Braeden. "Beautiful. But defiant, aren't you?" He coped.

"Because I know something. I know you're afraid of him."

Deucalion smirked down, "Of a teenage boy?"

"Of the man he'll become." Braeden snapped.

"I'm aware of a certain potential threat." Deucalion rose a brow, "But then someone once taught me a very smart way to eliminate threat, get someone else to do it for you." He explained cooly.

Braeden's eyes widened in realization. "Derek." She mumbled. The Alpha flicks his claws, and she speaks up. "What about Kennedy? You and I both know Derek would die for her."

Deucalion nodded in thought, "The Valet girl is to remain untouched, for she is the only Alpha that can do what I need."

Braeden frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Sloane Valet was not an Alpha of her own pack." Deucalion told her, "But she was simply a second leader."

"Two alpha's, one pack." Braeden whispered, "You want an Alpha who's made to co exist with another." 

"I want a Valet." Deucalion stated, raising his claws.

NATALIA'S NOTES
━━━━༺❀༻━━━━

i'm trying to make my authors notes look pretty but it's not working. anywho, welcome to act ii of starting line aka the entirety of s3!

so, i have a confession to make...i accidentally already prewritten all of 3a. aurora (my bestie who y'all see in the comments sometimes) got some sneak peaks & their reaction to one part was "YOURE MEAN. OH MY GOD. THATS AWFUL." so, take that for that you will!

i'm obviously getting started on 3b now, and we all know how that season goes, but i feel like it's going to be MORE COMPLICATED considering where stiles & kennedy are at. so, what do you guys think? would kennedy end up siding WITH void for stiles? would stiles (or void) break up with kennedy in order to "protect her"? what do YOU think she'll do?

clearly it's gonna be very messy, but i'm up for the challenge. this story is by far MY FAVORITE fanfic i've ever written (sorry to all my successful legacies fics) , & i cant wait for you all to see what i have planned for the future.

thank you, i hope you enjoyed this chapter, & i'll see you very soon!