Crystal Clear ➣ Teen Wolf [1]

01: Chemistry Crystals

CHAPTER ONE: Chemistry Crystals

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

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"Switch!" Mr. Harris bellowed through the bustling classroom for what felt like the millionth time in a minute. It sounded more like a broken record than an actual command at that point. Luna's gaze followed the swift movement of Scott McCall as he slid into the empty seat beside her. But his own gaze was occupied by Allison Argent, while almost all of his friends had their eyes trained on him for some reason.

She tried not to be annoying when he didn't turn to face her or even pretend to help with the task at hand.

"Time." Mr. Harris declared, his voice bouncing off the classroom walls as he rang his obnoxious hand-held bell. The sound startled Luna every time even though she knew to expect it. "If you've catalyzed the reaction correctly, you should now be looking at a crystal."

Luna twirled the crystal in her hand, her heart swelling with satisfaction. She was just thankful that all those hours studying actually paid off for once. "Now for the part of that last experiment, I'm sure you'll all enjoy. You can eat it." She glanced down at the crystal and then at Scott to gauge his interest.

"You can have it if you want," Scott offered, his words aligning perfectly with what she was already planning to do. She was gonna eat it with or without his permission. Raising it to her lips, she took a daring bite. And she's gotta say, the experience surpassed her expectation—a delightful explosion of sugary goodness with a tangy twist of lemon.

If she could buy a whole bag of them, she would.

"Lydia, no!" Scott suddenly shouted, clumsily falling out of his chair. Luna flinched enough to almost choke. What the hell was he shouting about?

"What?" Lydia questioned innocently.

"Um, nothing," Scott stammered, hastily returning to his seat.

Luna smiled, taking the opportunity to subtly raise her hand. "Actually, Lydia, can I have your crystal?" she asked sheepishly. Sure, it was a little overkill to ask for another one, especially from queen bee Lydia Martin of all people, but the first crystal was just too good. She wanted another one, maybe another eight.

Lydia looked confused but complied, handing her crystal over with gentle hands. Luna mentally cheered as she plopped it into her mouth. Even though her own crystal was much better, this one still hit the spot.

And sure, consuming something made entirely of chemicals might not be the best decision overall, but when had she ever cared about what she ate?

The stuff they put in fast food was disgusting but Luna still regularly enjoyed it. Sue her!

But as she audibly chewed, she noticed the confused looks being exchanged by some classmates as they glanced between the window and herself.

Curious, Luna turned her own gaze toward the window, only to find Derek Hale standing a little in the distance, his piercing gaze locked on her. The same Derek Hale whose family died tragically all those years ago. The same Derek Hale who was suspected of murder just last year.

She suddenly felt uncomfortable under his stare but when she looked around to see if maybe she was in the way of someone else he was looking at, there was nobody except Scott who was staring at her as if she suddenly sprouted an extra head.

Unsure of what warranted such a powerful reaction, Luna nervously reached out for the closest thing on the table, a paper towel. She wiped her hands on it, the stickiness from the crystal suddenly feeling all kinds of overwhelming.

Little did Luna know that this one moment, in a seemingly mundane chemistry class, would set her up for a lifetime of weirdness.

Both good and bad.

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First published August 18, 2015

Rewritten as of July 2, 2023

Reminder: this is NOT a Scott endgame fic