The Awakening ²|Isaac Lahey

9. Erica Reyes

Veronica walked into gym class late, they had rock climbing that day, so she slowly sneaked in next to Stiles as the coach stood up. Scott was already on the floor. "Alright! Next two. Navarro and Stilinski. Cause this should be interesting. Not." he said.

Veronica walked onto the mat as Allison jumped down. "You okay?" Allison whispered softly.

"Yeah, car ran out of gas so I had to stop at a gas station." Veronica said to her. It wasn't a total lie. She did have to stop at a gas station. But she gave Allison a we'll talk later look. Veronica hooked the rope to her body. She glanced over at Stiles and said quietly. "We need to talk." She said as they both began climbing.

"What about?" he asked looking over at her.

"Derek." She said. Stiles didn't respond so she continued. "Remember that memory I told you about? The one I had the night we were stuck in the school?" Stiles nodded. "It was a real memory. Turns out.. Derek is my mom's Nephew.."

"What?!" Stiles asked loudly. Veronica's eyes widened as she looked down at him, then back at her classmates. She could tell by the look on Scott's face he was listening too.

"Okay shut up." She whispered shouting. She looked back at the boy who was struggling to climb. Veronica never realized before how much more agile she was than him. "I've been staying with him and Isaac ever since the full moon. Anyways.." That sentence made Stiles almost lose his grip she looked down at him, she's was nearly at the top. "I think I'm gonna hang out with Derek for a bit."

She was practically at the top when she got distracted by the sound of a camera clicking, she nearly lost her grip and fell, just like Scott had done. Though she didn't. She had made it. She looked down at Stiles as he was just making it to the top right after her. She saluted him before jumping down. Stiles rolled his eyes jokingly before doing the same.

Veronica unhooked the rope as Coach called the next to people. "Daehler and Erika."

With a soft smile Veronica helped attach the rope to Erica. Her hand had accidentally brushed against her hand. She felt nothing but the cold..
as if she was in a dark room made of concrete. Veronica tried to play it off. "Good luck." She said before stepping off the mat. She stood next to Scott and Stiles. As she watched her climb up.

Erica made it halfway up the rock wall by the time Matt was finished. Veronica took a step forward when Erica started hyperventilating. She quickly stepped onto the mat and everyone else followed. "Is it Vertigo."

Lydia and Veronica both took aback at the question. "Vertigo's a dysfunction of the vestibular system of the inner ear. She's just freaking out." Lydia said.

Veronica shook her head softly as everyone looked up at the girl. "No she's not.. get her down from there.."

"Erica!" Coach called up at the girl.

"I'm fine."

"Coach, maybe it's not safe. You know she's epileptic." Veronica said looking over at him.

"Why does nobody tell me this stuff?" Coach said looking back at her.

"Erica?" Veronica took the rope from Stiles and climbed back up. She made it to Erica and held out her hand. "Erica.. you're fine. Just take my hand and kick off the wall. There's a mat to catch us." Erica took Veronica's hand hesitantly. Veronica immediately put Erica's hand around her waist and did the same before kicking off. Slowly but surely they made it to the ground.

"See, you're fine. You're on the ground." Coach said. "You're alright. Let's go. Shake it off. You're fine." Veronica wasn't exactly sure the term 'shake it off' was the best thing to say to an epileptic girl. Veronica put her arm around Erica and walked her away from the wall.

"When I was little.. my dad he took me to this rock climbing place and I made it a quarter of the way up before I had a screaming fit. I was 9. It was embarrassing. But after a cup of ice cream and calming down, I got right back up there and tried again." Veronica whispered, trying to help Erica focus on anything but the snickering students.

Veronica was changing her clothes in the woman's locker room when she looked out and noticed Erica was missing. "Hey.. did you see Erica leave?" Veronica whispered to Allison. Allison looked around before shaking her head.

Veronica walked out of the locker room, she felt like her entire body was shaking. She looked over at the men's locker room at the same time that Scott was coming out. Veronica looked up and seen Erica struggling on the rockwall. Without a second thought she and Scott both took off running. They had gotten there just in time for Scott to catch her as she fell. She was shaking due to a seizure.

"Put her on her side. Put her on her side." Veronica said panicking as Scott said her on the ground. She and Scott turned her. Scott grabbed Erica's hand. "How'd you know?" she asked him.

"I just felt it. How'd you know." he said and asked her.

"I just felt it.." She's repeated back to him. Veronica stroked her hair as Stiles called 911 using her phone.

Veronica was standing in the morgue. "You have to help her Derek.. I mean she could die if you don't-"

"Veronica." he said. "I'm gonna do it." he told her. Veronica nodded and bit her finger as he left. She wasn't expecting to be in the hospital so soon.

She waited a few couple of minutes before Derek came back with Erica. He was holding her pill bottle when Erica came back. "Side affects may include anxiety, weight gain, acne, ulcerative colitis." he said before humming.

"Who are you?" Erica asked in a shaking voice.

"Let''s just say we have a few mutual friends." Derek told her.

"Erica. We just want to help you." Veronica whispered, walking closer to the bed. Erica looked at her in shock. Derek smiled and set down the pill bottle.

"You get a warning right before you have a seizure." Derek said, walking to the foot of the bed to stand next to Veronica.

"It's called an aura. it's like a metallic taste in my mouth." Erica said.

"I guess we have different experiences with Aura's then." Veronica said to her.

"You don't have to lie, Erica. What's it really taste like."

"it tastes like blood." She whispered. Derek nodded before looking over at Veronica.

He turned back to Erica. "What if I told you that all of this could go away. The side effects. The symptoms. All of it." Derek pulled Erica's legs so that she's sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. "And what if all those things not only went away... But everything else got even better."

Erica smiled softly. Veronica understood how she could fall under Derek's charm so easily. "How?"

"Let me show you." he said before flashing her his red eyes.

Veronica had went back to the school just in time for lunch. She had sit down next to Scott and Mattheo like nothing had happened. Stiles came and joined them shortly after. "Got them. Pick you up right after work tonight and we'll meet at the rink, cool?" Scott looked over at the lunch entrance and Veronica held a knowing smile as Erica walked in.

"What the holy hell, is that?" Lydia asked, coming up the group.

"It's Erica." Mattheo said gaping.

Erica looked over at Veronica and sent her a wink,"See you boys tonight." Veronica said before standing up and hooking her arm in Erica's and walking out the cafeteria.

"Is Veronica... Replacing me?" Lydia asked trying not to sound jealous but it didn't work. Scott and Stiles stood up to chase the girl.

Veronica looked over at the boys, she took off her scarf and bandage, revealing that they had almost fullied healed. Instead of scratches, they were now scars. Her eyes flashed an bright orange color before she smiled and got into the same car with Derek and Erica.

"Veronica's a werewolf.. one of Derek's werewolf." Scott said in shock.

Stiles shook his head. “Not one of Derek's.” he said softly.