INT. LYDIA'S CAR

"Hoosiers is not only the best basketball movie ever. It is the best sports movie ever made."

"No," Lydia deadpanned.

"It's got Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper."

"No."

"Lydia, I swear to God you're gonna like it."

"No."

"I am not watching The Notebook again."

INT. VIDEO RENTAL STORE

"Can somebody help me find The Notebook?" Jackson asked. "Hello? Is anybody working here? You gotta be kidding me."

Molly walked around a row of videos. "The Notebook? Oh, I feel sorry for you."

"Thanks. What are you looking for?"

"The Princess Bride. Don't judge."

"It sounds slightly better than The Notebooks, so no judgments here. Maybe we can team up and find them both."

"Yeah we can do that. I haven't seen the clerk. Have you?"

"Nope."

Molly walked between the shelves of movies and noticed spots of blood. She pulled out her pocketknife and walked around cautiously.

The teens came upon the clerk lying on the ground, dead, covered in blood.

"Oh, God," Molly muttered.

She heard something and was instantly more on guard.

Jackson backed into a ladder, which hit something, and the lights shut off.

Quiet growls sounded throughout the silent store. Jackson's eyes widened as he saw a beastly figure with glowing red eyes. Molly pushed him behind her, ready to stab the beast.

Before she could do anything, Jackson grabbed her arm and yanked her into an aisle of movies.

The shelves began falling and one of the shelves fell onto Molly and a sharp end cut her shoulder, making a long, semi-deep incision.

Jackson frowned, saw blood, and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Molly nodded. "I've had worse. This hurts like a bitch though."

Jackson's lower half was trapped. He motioned for Molly to get behind him and she did so, spreading crimson across the floor.

The Alpha appeared and growled at them. It placed a claw on the back of Jackson's neck and Jackson began breathing heavily. The Alpha ran off through a window, shattering the glass.

Molly tried breathing out and did her best to stay awake. She sang Hey Jude in her head, which helped a little.

Sirens blared and grew louder and louder. Officers holding guns appeared and began lifting the shelves. A deputy pulled Molly out and she let out a small yelp.

She was placed on a gurney in an ambulance.

INT. CAR

"Mm," Sheriff Stilinski hummed, looking into a bag. "Did they forget my curly fries?"

"You're not supposed to eat fries, especially the curly ones."

"Well, I'm carrying a lethal weapon. If I want the curly fries, I will have the curly fries."

"If you think getting rid of contractions in all your sentences makes your argument any more legitimate, you are wrong."

Dispatch said, "Unit one, do you copy?"

"Sorry," Stiles apologized.

Sheriff Stilinski picked up the walkie. "Unit one, copy."

"Got a report of a possible 187."

"A murder?" Stiles asked.

They made their way to the crime scene.

"Stay here. Paul, let's get this area locked up."

"Oh, no way," Stiles commented, seeing the scene.

"Why the hell can't I just go home?" Jackson wondered. "I'm fine."

"I hear ya, but the EMT says you hit your head pretty hard," Sheriff Stilinski replied. "They just wanna make sure you don't have a concussion."

"What part of "I'm fine" are you having a problem grasping? Okay, I wanna go home. Shouldn't you be checking on someone else?"

"And I understand that. I will in a moment."

"No, you don't understand, which kind of blows my mind, since it should be a pretty basic concept to grasp for a minimum-wage rent-a-cop like you! Okay, now, I wanna go home!"

"Oh, whoa, is that a dead body?" Stiles questioned.

"Everybody back up," the sheriff instructed. "Back up."

Stiles stepped closer to the body and noticed Molly lying on the gurney. He rushed up to her and asked, "Molly, are you- What happened? Your shoulder. You're bleeding pretty bad. Are you okay?"

Molly nodded and replied, "I'm okay. Do me a favor and don't tell Sam and Dean. I don't want to make them rush back here."

"They should know, Molly."

"Dean's already paranoid enough about me. This will only send him over the edge." Her eyes started closing.

"You gotta stay awake."

"Let me rest for a little bit."

"Sleeping when you're hurt is bad. You need to try to keep your eyes open."

But she didn't hear his warning.

EXT. ROOFTOP

"Starting to get it?" Derek asked.

"Uh, I get that he's killing people, but I don't get why," Scott replied. "I mean, this isn't standard practice, right? We don't go out in the middle of the night murdering everyone, do we?"

"No. We're predators. We don't have to be killers."

"Then why is he a killer?"

"That's what we're gonna find out."

As they left, the spiral mark glowed red on the roof.

INT. DEREK'S HOUSE

"You know, I have a life too," Scott said.

"No, you don't," Derek told him.

"Yes, I do! I don't care what you say about making me his pet or-"

"Part of his pack."

"Whatever. I have homework to do. I have to go to a parent/teacher conference tomorrow because I'm failing Chemistry."

"You wanna do homework? Or do you wanna not die? You have less than a week until the full moon. You don't kill with him, he kills you."

"Okay, seriously, who made up these rules?"

"It's a rite of passage into his pack."

"You know what else is a rite of passage? Graduating from high school. And you don't have to kill anyone to do it! Why can't you just find him yourself? Why can't you just sniff him out when he's a human?"

"Because his human scent could be entirely different. It has to be you. You have a connection with him, a link that you can't understand. If I can teach you to control your abilities, you can find him."

"So if I help you - you can stop him?"

"Not alone. We're stronger in numbers. A pack makes the individual more powerful."

"How am I supposed to help if I have no idea what I'm doing?"

"Because I'm gonna teach you. Do you remember what happened that first night you were shot in the arm - Right after you were hit?"

"Yeah, I changed back."

"And when you were hit by his car, the same thing, right? Wha's the common denominator?"

Derek broke Scott's arm and the latter frowned. "What the hell are you doing?"

"It'll heal."

"It still hurt!"

"And that's what keeps you human - Pain. Maybe you will survive."

INT. SCHOOL

Allison opened her locker and quickly hid the birthday surprise that Lydia had given.

Scott walked up and asked, "Is today your birthday?"

"No, no," Allison replied. "Uh, no. I mean, yes. Please don't tell anybody. I don't even know how Lydia found out. I haven't even told Molly."

"Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because I don't want people to know. Because - I'm 17."

"You're 17?"

"That's the reaction I'm trying to avoid."

"Why? I mean, I-I totally get it. Uh, you had to repeat a year because of all the moving around, right?" She kissed him. "What was that for?"

"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?""

"That's what you hear on your birthday?"

"Oh, yeah. All day long."

"Then - What if we got out of here?"

"Skip class?"

"Yeah, the whole day."

"Well, you're asking someone who's never skipped one class to bail out the entire day, and I don't-"

"No, see, that's perfect. If you get caught, then they'll go easy on you."

"Well, what if you get caught?"

"Let's - try not to think about that."

HARRIS' CLASS

"Just a friendly reminder - Parent/teacher conferences are tonight," Harris told the class. "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. Has anyone seen Scott McCall?"

Harris glanced at his door as someone entered. "Hey, Jackson. If you need to leave early for any reason, you let me know." He turned back to the class. "Everyone, start reading Chapter Nine. Mr. Stilinski. Try putting the highlighter down between paragraphs. It's chemistry, not a coloring book."

Stiles spit out the cap and caught it before turning to his left. "Hey, Danny. Can I ask you a question?"

"No," Danny replied.

"Well, I'm going to anyway. Um, did Lydia or Molly show up in your homeroom today?"

"No."

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Answer's still no."

"Does anyone know what happened to them and Jackson last night?"

"He wouldn't - tell me."

"But he's your best friend. One more question."

"What?"

"Do you find me attractive?" He fell out of his chair.

EXT. SCHOOL PARKING LOT

"Uh, maybe this is a bad idea," Allison said. "And my dad would kill me if he found out."

"Do you always follow your dad's rules?"

"Not lately."

"Good. Start the car."

"Where are we going?"

"Uh, I don't know. Somewhere. Anywhere."

"Nowhere I can be seen, right? 'Cause I could get detention."

"Please start the car."

"Or suspended."

"Allison, car, start, now."

INT. LOCKER ROOM

"I-I don't know where Scott is," Jackson said.

"I'm not here for Scott," Derek told him. "I'm here for you."

"Wh-wh-why me? I-I didn't do anything."

"No, but you saw something, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't - I didn't see anything."

"What was it, hmm? An animal? A mountain lion?"

"I didn't see anything. I swear. I'm - I'm not lying."

"Then calm down and say it again."

"Say what? That I'm not lying?"

"Tell me you didn't see anything. Slowly."

"I didn't - see anything. I'm not lying."

"One more thing. You should really get that checked out."

INT. CAR

Scott answered Stiles' call. "Finally! Have you been getting any of my texts?"

"Yeah, like all nine million of them," Scott replied.

"Do you have any idea what's going on? Lydia and Molly are totally M.I.A., Jackson looks like he's got a time bomb inserted into his face, another random guy's dead, and you have to do something about it."

"Like what?"

"Something."

"Okay, I'll deal with it later." He hung up. "Left, left, left, left, left."

As Allison turned sharply, she put a hand in front of him. "Sorry, sorry. I just totally soccer-mom'd you. I'm sorry."

"That's all right. I'll just pick up my masculinity on the way back."

"You're still not okay with this, are you?"

"I just feel like I need an alibi."

"Well, if we get caught, I'll just say it was my fault."

"You don't need to take the blame for me. It was my choice."

"Oh, good! 'Cause if we get caught, I'm totally gonna blame you."

"Oh, really."

"Hell yeah! And they'd believe me. You know, totally hot girl asks you to skip the day with her. Like I'm gonna say no."

"So you throw me under the bus, just like that?"

"Yeah. Throw, push, shove-"

"And what if I decide to drag you down with me?"

"I'd just yell for help."

"Well, what if I did this?" She kissed his cheek.

"I'd scream for help."

"And if I did this?" She kissed him.

"I'd beg for mercy."

INT. LYDIA'S HOUSE

"Honey, Molly, there's a Stiles here to see you," Mrs. Martin said.

"What the hell is a "Stiles"?" Lydia asked.

Molly stared at the door as she held her injured shoulder.

"She took a little something to ease her nerves. You can - you can go in. Molly's here because she didn't want Lydia to be alone."

"Thanks," Stiles replied.

"What are you doing here?" Molly asked.

"I was just making sure you two were okay?"

"Why?" the girls wondered.

"Because I was worried about you two today. How are you two feeling?"

"I feel - Fantastic," Lydia said.

Molly shrugged and winced. "Ow. I've had worse, so I'll be okay. Eventually."

"Oh." He looked at Lydia. "What - I bet you can't say, uh, "I saw Suzy sittin' in a shoeshine shop" ten times fast."

"I saw Shuzy-" Lydia began. "I shaw - I saw-"

"What? Lydia, what did you see? Molly, what did you see?"

"Something," the girls said.

"Something like - Like a mountain lion?"

"A mountain lion," Lydia repeated.

"Are you sure you saw a mountain lion, or are you just saying that because that's what the police told you?"

"A mountain lion."

He picked up a stuffed giraffe. "What's this?"

"A mountain lion."

"Okay. You're so drunk. Oh-" She started cuddling into him.

Molly cracked a smirk. "Aw, that's so cute!"

She glanced at her phone to see a message from Isaac. 'I heard you got hurt last night. Are you okay?'

'Nothing some bandages and time can't fix. I'm okay, thanks for asking'

'Good that you're okay'

She smiled lightly at the awkward concern and set her phone on her lap. "Stiles, we saw the Alpha. It was this... hideous beast. I've seen scary in my day, but this was terrifying."

"You're lucky you got out of there with only a shoulder wound," Stiles said.

"Yeah. No kidding. But it wasn't totally trying to hurt me or Jackson which was weird. It was like it wanted something and then left, which is all the more confusing."

"And equally concerning."

"No kidding."

EXT. FOREST

"Oh!" Scott yelled, steadying Allison. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Allison replied. "I think you just earned your masculinity back." She pulled out her phone.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just texting Lydia "thank you" for the birthday stuff."

"No. If mine's off, yours is too."

"So we're disconnecting from the world?"

"You can handle that for one day, right?"

"Uh, just one text, and then I will be all yours, okay?"

"Okay."

INT. LYDIA'S ROOM

"Well, I'm gonna - go. Uh, I'll let you two get back to the whole post-tramautic stress thing." He got up to leave.

"Mm," Lydia hummed. "Stay."

"M-me? Stay? You want me to stay?" He sat next to her.

"Yes, please. Stay. Please. Jackson."

"And - we're done here." Lydia's phone chimed. "You want me to get that? It's a text. I don't know how to-"

Molly made her way to Stiles, holding her shoulder, and watched the video. Her breath hitched, seeing that Lydia had captured the Alpha. "Told you."

EXT. FOREST - HALE HOUSE

"He wants us to wait," an old hunter said.

"So I've been reminded - To death," Kate replied.

"And that means we're not allowed to kill him," the young hunter added.

"But it doesn't mean we can't say hello."

INT. HALE HOUSE

"No one home," the young hunter noted.

"Oh, he's here," Kate said. "He's just not feeling particularly hospitable."

"Maybe he's out burying a bone in the backyard."

"Really? A dog joke? We're going there, and that's the best you got? If you wanna provoke him, say something like, "Too bad your sister 'bit it' before she had her first litter." Too bad she howled like a bitch when we cut her in half!"

Derek attacked the hunters and took out the two male hunters but before he could take out Kate, she tased him and began taunting him.

"This one grew up in all the right places. I don't know whether to kill it or - lick it."

INT. STILES' ROOM

Molly sat on the floor as Stiles called Scott.

Stiles left a voice message. "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! Oh, and by the way, do you even care that our new friend is hurt? Goodbye. God."

Molly glanced up with a sigh. "He's probably got his phone off. Сука."

"Yeah maybe. I will seriously kill him, bring him back and kill him again. How are you? How's your shoulder? What does сука mean?"

"One question at a time, dude. Shoulder's okay, but it hurts. I'm fine. Сука is bitch in Russian."

"You can speak Russian?"

"Not fluently. But I got bored and learned curse words in varying languages. Mostly to annoy the hell out of Dean and kind of Sam. Their reactions are priceless."

"You're kind of-"

"Psycho? It's been said." She looked up. "Hello, Sheriff."

"Hi, Molly," the sheriff replied before turning to his son. "Please tell me I'm gonna hear good news at this parent/teacher thing tonight."

"Depends on how you define "good news,"" Stiles replied.

"I define it as you getting straight A's with no behavioral issues."

"You might wanna rethink that definition."

"'Nuff said." He left the room.

"Come on, Scott," Stiles muttered. "Where the hell are you?"

Molly shrugged and winced again. "I have to stop doing that. He's probably hanging out with his girlfriend."

INT. DEREK'S HOUSE

Kate continued tasing Derek. "900,000 volts. You were never good with electricity, were you? Which is why I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. And, well, maybe we can help each other out. Yes, your sister was severed into pieces and used as bait to try to catch you. Unpleasant, and frankly, a little too Texas chainsaw massacre for my taste, but quite true. Now, he's the part that might really kick you in your new balls - We didn't kill her. You think I'm lying?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Derek retorted.

"Tsk, sweetie - Well - Why don't you just listen to my heart and tell me if I am. Okay. We - didn't - kill - you - sister. Do you hear that? There's no blips or upticks. Just the steady beat of the cold, hard truth. Found bite marks on your sister's body, Derek. What do you think did that? A mountain lion? Why aren't we helping each other out? You might as well admit what you've been guessing all along, which is - The Alpha killed your sister. And all you have to do is tell us who he is, and we'll take care of it for you. Problem solved, everybody goes home happy. Unless - You don't know who he is either. Wow. Guess who just became totally useless."

She attempted to kill him and Derek made his escape.

INT. ANIMAL CLINIC

Deaton left a message. "Hey, Scott, it's me again. I'm just calling to make sure that everything's okay. You were supposed to be here an hour ago. Maybe you forgot. Well, whatever it is, just give me a call and let me know that everything's okay. All right. Thanks." He looked up. "Sheriff Stilinski."

"Listen, I hate to bother you, but, uh, I'm having a bitch of a time getting a consensus on what this is I'm dealing with."

"I'm really flattered you've come to me for help, but, like I said before, I'm no expert."

"But you were pretty certain the other day about our attacker being a mountain lion."

"That's right."

"I wanna show you something. We got a little lucky here. Uh, the video store didn't have any cameras, but a security camera that was watching another parking lot happened to grab a few frames. Take a look at our mountain lion. Here's another." He showed the video.

"It's interesting."

"Actually, uh, this is the interesting one." He showed the other video.

"I see what you mean."

"I've never seen a mountain lion do that."

"Can't say I have either. You've got a problem here."

"My first instinct was it was a bear, but bears don't walk on two legs."

"No, they drop to all fours. Look, like I said, you really need an expert here."

"Yeah, yeah, but - Could this still be a mountain lion?"

Deaton looked at him strangely. "I'm sorry. I've got a sick Doberman that needs my attention."

"No other ideas?"

"I'm sorry. Really, I wish I could help you, but I've got a sick-"

"Yeah. Dog. I heard you. Thanks for humoring me again."

EXT. FOREST

Allison smiled. "So being completely honest, this was - kind of a perfect birthday."

"Good," Scott replied. "I'd know if you were lying anyway."

"Oh, really-"

"You have a tell. You touch your eyebrow right here." He gestured to the spot.

"Let's see if you can figure out if I'm lying now. I wish that my parents weren't coming home from the teacher conferences so - I could spend the rest of the day with you."

"The rest of the day?"

"Well - the rest of the night."

"With me? Oh, God. The parent/teacher conferences. I'm supposed to be there. Ugh, I'm below a "C" on, like, everything."

"Well, they're going on. Right now."

INT. BEACON HILLS HIGH SCHOOL - HARRIS' ROOM

"Jackson's a highly motivated student," Harris said. "In fact, I'd describe him as "unusually driven.""

"Yeah, we were hoping he might ease up on himself a little," Mr. Whittemore replied. "He's always been real hard on himself. It's just, you know, something we assumed was an effect of him being adopted."

"I think I understand. He's never met his biological parents."

"Yeah, that's right. It's the need to please, the overachieving, the desire to make someone proud - Someone he's never even met."

"Something certainly seems to have recalibrated his desire for achievement several notches higher. Not to be too blunt about it, but he seems almost obsessed."

INT. LYDIA'S TEACHER'S CLASSROOM

"Let me tell you, there's plenty to say about Lydia," Lydia's teacher said.

"Did I not predict this?" Lydia's dad asked.

"Here we go," Lydia's mom replied. "Total nuclear meltdown as usual."

"What is it? Is it her grades, concentration issues, erratic behavior?"

"I'm not the one who told her she had to choose who she wants to live with, as if that wouldn't warp a 16-year-old girl."

"Just tell us what the problem is."

Lydia's teacher looked between the parents. "I wasn't aware that there was a problem. Academically, Lydia's one of the finest students I've ever had. Her A.P. classes push the GPA above a 5.0. I'd actually like to have her I.Q. tested. And socially, she displays outstanding leadership qualities. I mean, she's a real leader."

INT. COACH'S CLASSROOM

"Stiles, that's right," Coach said. "I thought "Stiles" was his last name."

"His last name is "Stilinski,"" Sheriff Stilinski stated.

"You named your kid "Stiles Stilinski"?"

"No, that's just what he likes to be called."

"Oh. Well, I like to be called "cupcake" - What is his first name?" He looked at the name. "Wow, that's a form of child abuse. I don't - I don't even know how to pronounce it."

"It was his mother's father's name."

"Wow. You must really love your wife."

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, this just became incredibly awkward."

"Hey, so what do you say we get to the conference part of this conference, cupcake?"

"I like your thinking. So, Stiles. Great kid. Zero ability to focus. Super smart. Never takes advantage of his talents."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, for his final question on his midterm exam, he detailed the entire history of the male circumcision."

"Well, I mean, it does have - historical significance, right? I mean-"

"I teach economics."

"Ah, crap."

INT. MOLLY'S TEACHER'S CLASSROOM

The teacher looked up from her file.

Victoria offered a small smile before saying, "Molly's brothers, her legal guardians, are out of town, so we're filling in."

"I understandy. Molly is a bright student, but she sometimes lacks focus."

"She has a lot going on right now."

INT. HARRIS' CLASSROOM

Melissa spoke into her phone. "Where the hell are you? Get to the school now."

Harris looked at her and suggested, "How about we get started?"

"Sure."

"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."

"Oh, well, personally, I'm not sure what you mean by "home situation.""

"Uh, specifically the lack of an authority figure."

"Yeah, I'm the authority figure, so-"

"Sorry. Allow me to clarify. I mean the lack of a male authority figure."

"Oh. Well, trust me, we're much better off without him in the picture."

"Well, does Scott feel the same way?"

"Yes. I think so."

"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."

INT. ALLISON'S TEACHER'S CLASSROOM

"Allison Argent," Allison's teacher began. "An incredibly sweet girl. And quick to adjust, despite all the moving around."

"We know it's hard on her, but, uh, it's a necessary evil," Chris replied.

"Necessary or not, I'd be prepared for some - How do I put this?"

"Rebelliousness?"

"We appreciate the concern, but we have a great relationship with our daughter," Victoria said. "Very open and honest."

"I'm happy to hear that," Allison's teacher stated. "And let her know that I hope she's feeling better."

"Oh, she wasn't in class?" Chris asked.

"Oh, she wasn't in school. I checked with the office."

EXT. FOREST

Scott looked at his voicemail and listened to one from his mom. "Scott, you need to call me right now."

"Oh, my God," Scott said.

"Your mom?" Allison asked.

"Yeah, I'm dead. Ugh."

EXT. BEACON HILLS HIGH SCHOOL PARKING LOT

Chris spoke into his phone. "Allison, answering your cell phone will make discussing the terms of your grounding much easier. Well, call me back before your punishment reaches Biblical proportions."

"Kate hasn't heard from her either," Victoria told her husband.

"She doesn't do this."

Melissa walked up to Allison's parents. "Excuse me, you're not Allison's parents, are you? I'm Scott's mom, and I hate to say it, but he's not answering his phone either."

"You're his mother?"

"Funny how you say that like it's an accusation."

"Well, I wouldn't claim it as a source of pride, since he basically kidnapped my daughter."

"How do we know skipping school isn't your daughter's idea?"

"My daughter-" Chris trailed, seeing Allison, "is right there. Let's go."

Melissa approached her son. "Where exactly have you been?"

"Nowhere, Mom," Scott replied.

"Nowhere, meaning not at school."

"Kinda."

"It's not his fault. It's my birthday, and we were-" Allison was cut off.

"Allison. In the car," Chris ordered.

An animal suddenly got loose.

Allison went to get in the car and Scott suddenly grabbed her before she could get hit by a car.

"Allison!" Scott cried. "Are you okay?"

"Move! Move!" Sheriff Stilinski yelled, getting hit by the car. "I'm okay."

Chris shot the animal and the crowd looked at the animal. It was a mountain lion.