An Uneasy Accord

Chapter 44 - Unhealthy Interest

ackson wasn't feeling right.

Ever since he dragged his body from bed the teen had been nothing more than a shell of his normal self. It had been a challenge to force him to shower dress then eat before driving to school. Even Danny had noticed his best friend was off.

In Chemistry Stiles noticed the flush tinge to his face as Jackson rested his head against the lab bench.

"Jackson, you don't look so well," Mr. Harris noticed. "Maybe you should go home."

Stiles pretended to have his nose in the textbook but kept one eye on the slumped figure hobbling out the door. He knew Brooklyn had asked him to tell her of anything that was out of the ordinary and this certainly counted.

"For the rest of you please review the lab for tomorrow which is on page 204," Harris barked with his sharp but young tone. He didn't look like an educator but an overdressed teen as far as Stiles was concerned. Personally, the teen suspected Harris like picking on him because of sporadic tendencies and the teacher's over inflated ego.

Once the bell rang, he had his phone in hand and calling the hunter.

Brooklyn was in the middle of reading about Myles when her phone began vibrating. She had been reading about his shady track record with the insurance company, especially where the Hale fire was concerned.

"Yes, Gilligan….."

"Okay so like Jackson has totally checked out!"

"What do you mean?"

"He's been walking around like someone hit his dog! He hasn't thrown his daily insult at Scott or me! He's all sweaty….."

"Gee thanks for that lovely visual," she rolled her eyes. "Where is he now?"

"I don't know….I mean he wasn't at practice and Coach was going off the deep end!"

"Fine, I'll go track him down," she sighed. "The last thing we need is one delusional jock running all over town."

"What's going on? Why does Jackson look like he has the plague?"

"He was marked," Brooklyn admitted before hanging up and heading out.

She went to the high school first, seeing the silver Porsche parked in the lot. Brooklyn hopped out and placed a hand on the hood, finding it cold as ice.

Well he can't be too far…..

Brooklyn paused to collect her thoughts as she attempted to think like the teen.

Short trip…..

The hunter looked up and over towards the road and decided to start there.

Jackson felt weaker with every step forward. His body was being held hostage as the fever ravaged his body. The chills robbed every inch of skin of the warmth it desperately clung to. His shirt and jacket were soaked through while his body began to ache. He thought he heard the honking of a car horn as collapsed on the bench. The last thing Jackson could recall was the slamming of a door followed by slender arms lifting him up off the chilled wood.

Brooklyn couldn't believe she was doing this.

She had found Jackson slumped over like a drunk on the bench and brought him back to her room. His clothing was piled up in the corner as the blanket shielded his shivering body. Brooklyn wasn't exactly keen to being in such proximity to him given the fact he's trying to expose her along with Derek and Scott.

"Stiles," she held the phone to her ear. "Yeah, he's here. Oh he's not going anywhere. Nope."

Jackson groaned and shifted in the bed as the fever continued its merciless march throughout his body. The marks on his neck burned deeper into his flesh, creating the perfect half moon shapes down his skin. He could hear the hunter's voice but his hearing was muffled by the slamming of his heart against his ribs.