Scarlett was with Scott in the animal clinic waiting for Derek to arrive. Finally, after what felt like hours, though it was probably only about ten minutes, Scott opens the front door. He steps aside to let Derek and Isaac in.
"What's he doing here?" Scott questions the Alpha.
"I need him." Derek answers.
"I don't trust him."
"He doesn't trust you either." Isaac replies, sending a glare to Scott before looking back at Scarlett with a smirk covering his lips.
"And Derek doesn't care." Derek quickly says, stopping any arguing. "Now where's the vet and is he going to help us or not?"
"That depends." Dr. Deaton answers, making his presence known to the werewolves. "Your friend Jackson. Are we planning to kill him or save him?"
"Save him." The twins answer together.
At the same time Derek and Isaac say, "Kill him."
Without missing a beat Scott and Scarlett send a glare to the other two, Scott once again repeats, "Save him."
The group of five move to an exam room after Dr. Deaton gets reassured that they will not be killing Jackson. They watch as the vet unlocks a drawer to reveal dozens of glass jars, different grains and petals inside each.
Derek is drawn tot the Celtic symbols on each of the jars: a Triqueta, an Awen, Taranis wheel and others. Isaac reaches out to touch one of the jars but before his hand reaches it, Derek grabs his wrist, stopping him. "What what you touch." The Alpha scolds his Beta.
Deaton takes out one of the jars with a symbol of a shield knot on it and looks at the contents inside. "What are you? Some kind of witch?" Isaac asks.
"No, I'm a veterinarian. But I do have experience treating an unusually wide variety of animals."
Scarlett scoffs, "You're telling me."
Deaton sends the young girl a small smile as he places the jar back down. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure if anything here is going to be an effective defense against a paralytic toxin."
"We're open to suggestions." Derek says.
"How about an effective offense?" Isaac asks.
"We tried." Derek answers then turns his head to the vet, "I nearly ripped its head off and Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets back up. If anything, I think it's getting stronger."
"Great, just what we need." Scar mumbles, rolling her eyes at the thought of the Kanima getting stronger.
"Has it shown any weaknesses?" Deaton asks.
"One. It's either afraid of water or can't swim." Scarlett answers glancing at Derek as he nods in agreement.
"Does that go for Jackson as well?"
Scarlett immediately starts shaking her head, "No. He's on the swim team."
Deaton pauses, thinking for a moment. He then removes a new item from the drawer. It's an old, scratched steel pendant. "Essentially you're trying to catch two people. A puppet and puppeteer." He places the odd piece on the table. "One killed the husband. But the other had to take care of the wife. Do we know why?"
"I don't think Jackson could do it." Scott speaks up, "His mother died pregnant too. She might have been murdered. I think he couldn't let the same thing happen to someone else."
"How do you know it's not part of the rules? The Kanima kills murderers. If Jackson killed the wife, the baby would have died too." Isaac says.
"Then doesn't that mean your father was a murderer?" Scott questions, looking at Isaac with confusion evident on his face.
"Wouldn't surprise me if he was." Isaac simply answers. Scarlett glances at the Beta, biting her lip. She can't imagine having a parent that horrible. Her dad, Raphael, wasn't great but compared to Isaac's father, she would take her dad any day.
Isaac raises his eyes, feeling Scarlett's gaze on him. He lightly smiles and gives a stiff nod, telling her that he's alright. Derek's voice breaks their eye contact, "But the Bestiary said if the bond's strong enough, it'll kill whoever the master wants it too."
"Hold on." Deaton replies, "The book says they're bonded. What if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson, but from the person controlling him?" Deaton pulls another jar from the drawer, this one is filled with gray ash. The symbol on it is for Rowan.
Deaton unscrews the lid and begins lightly pouring out the contents around the amulet he previously placed on the table. He then continues to speak, "That could mean the same properties that affect a creature like the Kanima will also affect its human Master."
"And what does that mean?" Isaac asks.
"It means we can catch them." Scott answers, "Both of them."
*_*_*_*_*_*
In school the next day Scarlett was talking with Lydia by their lockers, "So you have a date?" She asks with a smirk.
Scarlett rolls her eyes, "It's not a date. I told him I'm not ready for that but I'd be happy to go with him as friends."
"Seriously Scar, whether you believe it's a date or not, I'm happy you're getting back out there. You're gorgeous and need to get laid."
Scarlett laughs, shaking her head. "I am not planning on having sex with him. I don't even want to kiss him."
"Oh come on! It's not like Matt is bad looking. Definitely not my type and you could do better. But for a little fling, it could be fun."
"Speaking of a little fling..." Scarlett trails off, her eyes meeting Isaac's from across the hall. A small smile falls onto her lips when he starts smirking, clearly hearing what she had said.
Lydia turns her head to see who Scarlett is looking at, "You and Isaac?"
Scarlett bites her lip, tearing her eyes away and turning back to Lydia. "We made out. And I honestly wouldn't be disappointed if something more happened."
Scar glances at Isaac again, seeing his smirk grow at her words. "But you're going on a date with someone else?" Lydia asks, now confused.
"It's not a date, Lyds. And I said yes, to hanging out as friends, before Isaac and I kissed."
Lydia holds her hands up, "Hey I'm not judging. I bet if you gave more people the time you would easily see that there are more than just those two interested in you."
"Hmm" Scarlett hums, "Probably, but you're one to talk. Miss prettiest girl in school."
Lydia rolls her eyes, "I think we may tie for that honor."
Scar laughs, "Sure, let's go with that." Scarlett's eyes find Isaac once more, he subtly nods his head and starts walking away, "I'll see you later Lyds."
The strawberry blonde nods as Scarlett walks away, moving in the direction Isaac went. She looks around with a small frown on her lips. "Where did he go?" She mumbles, starting to move once more. She feels a hand wrap around her wrist pulling her into an empty classroom. The door closing once she's safely inside.
"I for one, think you're the prettiest girl in the school." Scarlett instantly rolls her eyes and lightly shoves Isaac's chest.
"That was cheesy." Scarlett replies as she wraps her arms around his neck. Before he has the chance to reply, she gently brings his head down to attach her lips to his. They only break apart when the bell rings. Scarlett lets out a groan at the sound, not wanting this moment to end.
Isaac lightly chuckles, nudging his nose against her neck. He then presses feather like kisses on her exposed neck and collar-bone as Scarlett hums in content, her eyes fluttering closed. "We should get to class." He finally speaks up, though he doesn't break apart.
"It's my free period. And you're already late, might as well skip." Scarlett smirks. He lets out another laugh, his head falling back and blue eyes lighting up. It brings a smile to Scarlett's face as she watches him, "You should laugh more. It sounds nice."
His eyes meet Scarlett's once more, "Well if I spend more time with you then you'll probably be hearing it more often." The duo share a smile before he leans back down and reattaches their lips.
*_*_*_*_*_*
Later that day, Scarlett was once again in the vet clinic, but this time without Derek and Isaac. In their place was Stiles instead. Deaton holds up a vial of clear liquid. The trio step forward to get a better look, "Ketamine?" Scott asks.
"Same things we use on dogs. Just a higher dosage." Deaton confirms. He then hands Scott the vial and a hypodermic, "If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down enough to buy you some time."
"Ketamine for the Kanima." They all throw Scott questioning glances and upon seeing their faces he mutters, "Yeah, that wasn't funny."
Deaton then places a glass jar in front of Stiles, it's filled with the same gray ash from yesterday. "This is a sample of what you'll use to create the barrier. Now, this part is for you, Stiles and Scarlett."
Scarlett's eyes slightly widen, "Does it need to be both of us? I'm not sure if I'll be able to get away from Matt for that long."
"No, but it needs to be one of you."
Scarlett turns to Stiles who sighs, "That sounds like a lot of pressure. Could we find a slightly less pressure-filled task for me?"
Deaton pours a little bit of the ash into his hand to allow Stiles to get a closer look. "It's from a mountain ash tree which is believed by many cultures to protect against the supernatural. This office is lined with mountain ash wood which makes it difficult for someone like Scott to cause me any trouble."
"So I spread this around the whole building and neither Jackson or whoever's controlling him won't be able to cross?" Stiles questions.
Deaton nods, "They'll be trapped."
"That doesn't sound too hard." Scott says.
"That's not all there is. Think of it like gunpowder. It's just powder until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles." Deaton continues.
"If you mean light myself on fire, I'm not sure I'm up for that."
Scarlett giggles, shaking her head at the brunette boy. Dr. Deaton speaks up once more, "Let me try a different analogy. I used to play gold. What's interesting about the best golfers is they never swing without first imagining where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind. And their mind takes over. It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish."
"Force of will." Stiles repeats the words the vet said.
"If this is going to work, Stiles, you have to believe it." Stiles nods, keeping his gaze locked on the jar of mountain ash, a determined look on his face.
*_*_*_*_*_*
Scarlett picks Matt up, having borrowed her mother's car for the night. She pulls into a space outside the warehouse. As they step out of the car, Matt turns to her, "Sorry I couldn't drive. My dad usually lends me the car."
Scarlett smiles, "No worries. I actually really like driving so..." She shrugs as she trails off. There is a brief moment of awkward silence. Matt then hold out his hand to Scarlett, she licks her lips as she hesitantly takes it, readjusting her tank top with her other hand.
Once inside the building the music blasts and Scarlett's eyes move around to try and spot Jackson or really anyone else that she knows. Finally, her eyes meet Matt's, "Did you want to dance?" She questions with an awkward smile.
Matt doesn't seem to notice how awkward Scarlett seems as he nods and and moves with her into the crowd. They bob along to the music, Scarlett's eyes still moving throughout the room. Once her attention is back on Matt he opens his mouth to say something, but due to the loud volume of the music she can't make out the words.
"Do you want a drink?" He asks once more, miming drinking from a cup.
"Oh, yeah. Thanks." Scar nods, watching as he moves to another part of the crowded room. With Matt now gone, Scarlett quickly moves to blend in with the crowd more. Still dancing to the music so she doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.
She finally spots Isaac carrying a limp Jackson, Erica right behind them. She rushes over and steps into the door with them, "Where's Scott? I thought he was going to do this?" She questions.
"The Argents are here. He said he needed to talk to them." Isaac replies. Then he glances at her, "Aren't you supposed to be on a date?"
Scarlett groans, "It's not a date. Though I should probably go find him. You two will be okay here?" The two werewolves nod reassuring the brunette. So she turns to leave the room, trying to find Matt.
Finally spotting the photography loving boy, she makes her way over, "Sorry! I got a phone call from my dad."
He gives her a questioning glance as he hands her a drink, "It's fine. Though I never hear you or Scott mention your dad?"
"Uh yeah. It's.. It's complicated." She stutters out.
Matt just nods. Once the drinks are finished he holds out his hand once more, "Let's dance some more? Try and get closer to the DJ?"
"Yeah, sounds good!" She takes his hand once again, letting him pull her through the crowd. They once again start dancing within the crowd. Her eyes are still drifting around looking at the people around them, this time more out of awkwardness than trying to spot someone she knew.
"You're not having a good time." Matt states.
Scarlett turns to look at him, shock evident on her face. "Sorry." She apologizes, grimacing.
"What's wrong?" He questions.
Scarlett shrugs, "I just have a lot on my mind." She pauses for a brief moment then continues, "Do you ever feel like you have the best intentions but you're just making mistake after mistake?"
"No. Unlike the rest of humanity I'm perfect." Scar smiles at the joke, glad that he's trying to distract her. But the smile is quickly wiped off her face as Matt leans in for a kiss. She lurches back in surprise, "Oh God. That was the worst mistake ever. I'm so totally sorry."
Scarlett shakes her head, "No, it's okay. I mean, it's not okay but I..." She takes a breath and points behind her, "I'm going to go to the bathroom."
Instead of going to the bathroom though, she quickly makes her way back to the storage room that Jackson is locked in. Just as she reaches out to open the door, Stiles, Isaac, and Erica run through it. Slamming the door shut as soon as everyone, aside from Jackson, is out.
"Find something to block the door." Stiles says. But before anyone can follow through, the wall next to the door explodes outwards as Jackson crashes through it.
"What the hell just happened?" Scarlett questions in shock.
"He's a lot stronger than we thought." Stiles simply answers.
They all rush out, the three others trying to figure out what happened to Jackson while Scarlett reluctantly tries to find Matt once more. Knowing that she can't hide from him forever, she is his ride home after all.