Old Scars, Future Hearts

39

As Marika and Dmitri walked into school the next day, a wad of toilet paper hit Marika's head.

The siblings heard a voice complain, "All right, that's my face!"

The two walked over to the boys as Stiles said, "Hey, dude, good decision, buddy. Good Alpha decision."

"I hope so," Scott said with a nod.

"No, you know so. Then I can take -- What are you looking at?"

"Me?" Scott asked with a frown.

"You. You looking at her?"

"Her? Who her?"

Dmitri smirked. "Kira. You like her?"

Scott began stuttering. "No. I mean yeah, yeah, she's okay. She's new."

"Ask her out, then."

"Now?"

Marika rolled her eyes. "Oh, my gods. Yes, now."

"Right now?"

Stiles interjected, "Right now, Scott. I don't think you get it yet. You're an Alpha. You're the apex predator. Everyone wants you. You're like the hot girl that every guy wants."

"The hot girl?"

"You are the hottest girl."

Scott frowned as Isaac walked up. "What?"

"I'm the hot girl," Scott answered.

"Yes, you are," Isaac replied and a puppy dog smile formed on Scott's face.

In Econ, Coach yelled, "Son of a bitch!" He walked out from his office. "Mischief Night, Devil's Night. I don't care what you call it. You little punks are evil. You think it's funny every Halloween my house gets egged? A man's house is supposed to be his castle. Mine's a frickin' omelet. Oh, this? We're gonna do this again? I don't think so." He threw the box to the ground. Hearing glass break, he opened the box to reveal a mug and picked up a note from his desk. "Happy birthday." Love, Greenberg.""

After class, Isaac asked, "Barrow went after kids with glowing eyes? He said those exact words?"

Stiles nodded. "Yeah. And no one knows how he woke up from anesthesia. Just that when they opened him up, they found a tumor full of live flies, which in any other circumstance would be all kinds of awesome."

Marika grimaced. "Um, I think you need to rethink your definition of awesome."

Lydia frowned. "Did you say flies?"

"Lydia?" Allison asked.

"All day I have been hearing this sound. It's like this buzzing."

"Like the sound of flies?" Marika inquired.

Lydia met her eyes and nodded. "Exactly like the sound of flies."

Stiles ran into some guy as the group was looking for Scott. "Sorry... Hey, dude, where the hell have you been?"

"The police are leaving," Lydia said. "Why are they leaving?"

"The police?" Scott asked with a frown.

"They must have cleared the building and grounds, which means he's not here," Stiles replied.

"Who? What are you guys-"

Lydia pursed her lips. "He has to be here. That sound, the buzzing I've been hearing? It's getting louder."

"How loud, Lydia?" Dmitri questioned.

She closed her eyes.

Outside the front of the school, Stiles ran up to his dad. They talked for a few moments and when he came back, the group met back up with Allison who said, "The Bestiary is literally a thousand pages long. If I'm going to find anything about flies coming out of people's bodies, it could take me all night." She opened the window.