Tethered // Teen Wolf // Isaac Lahey

TWELVE

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KOREY

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I had no idea how I found the school, but somehow, through my own panic and desperation to find Archie, I discovered the right path.

The school was dark and empty, only one abandoned car inhabiting the parking lot and a whole bunch of dimly lit streetlamps.

Archie was nowhere to be found, and his scent had yet to surround the air anywhere nearby.

I shuffled over to a bench under one of the streetlamps, collapsing on top of it as I waited, finally looking down at the steadily growing patch of red on my shirt. I swallowed thickly, raising my hands to look at my blood caked hands. My hands looked like Derek's now, coated in blood, but at least the blood on my hands was my own. His was innocent blood, blood I had helped spill.

I went to drop my hands again but a bark of pain escaped my throat as I did and I froze, a shudder coursing through me as I turned my eyes to the jagged break in my forearm where one half of the bone pressed out against my skin.

For the first time in my life, I truly and entirely regretted tethering to someone. Not only had I gotten someone killed, but now, I was back to square one... again. "It's okay," I mumbled to myself, lowering my arm into my lap, "it's okay, Archie will help me." As if on cue, my phone buzzed to life again, and I snapped it up, "Hello?"

"Where are you?" Archie breathed out, "I need you to be here. Where are you?!"

I winced at the shrillness in his voice, shooting off the bench, "I'm here! I'm at the school, where are you?"

Archie took in a few shuddering breaths, his footsteps loud and echoing over the phone, "I'm sorry for yelling. Come to the field."

"Okay," I nodded quickly even though he couldn't see, tearing up the path that led to the back of the school. The main entrance was bolted locked so I had to go around. "Is everything okay? You sound—"

"Korey, run," Archie forced out, a cough catching in his throat; he had to be running as hard as he could to be out of breath.

"I'm coming, I promise," I pulled the phone away from my ear for a second, tossing it into pocket so I could grab onto the metal of the fence. I ignored how badly my injured arm hurt, climbing up as quickly as I could before jumping over the top of the fence and grabbing my phone again. "I'm nearly there, okay?"

"Hurry!" Archie demanded, "I'm nearly there!"

I took off running again, dodging between the school trash bins and the shed, coming out from behind the bleachers. "I can see the field!"

"I'm nearly there! I can smell you," Archie huffed out, "I need to tell you something, Korey!"

"What is it?" I pushed myself to go faster, running away from the bleachers and onto the lacrosse field, my heart thumping harshly against my ribs. For some reason, all the stadium lights were on, but I chose not to dwell on it as I reached the centre of the field, turning in circles. "Arch? Where are you?"

"I'm nearly there."

I nodded aimlessly, taking a few deep breaths, "I have to tell you something too. I did something really bad and—"

"Whatever it is, it's okay," Archie promised me, his voice firm, "you're a kid, you're allowed to make mistakes and make bad choices. You're a kid."

My heart jolted strangely, lacing with the sour nerves I so desperately resented, "Archie?"