inhuman [2] // teen wolf

34. nemeton

During her recess with Olivia, Riley got a vague message from Lydia, telling her to meet her at the school's parking lot. Great, another day she was going to miss out on because of the stupid things that they needed to figure out. She already knew Lydia needed something, but it must have been important, since she is the foreteller of death.

"Hey, I've got to go. I'll text you later." Riley mumbled, packing up her lunch in her bag and getting up from the cafeteria. Olivia had a mouthful of chicken when she grabbed onto Riley's arm before she could leave. She waited until she swallowed all of the chicken before speaking to her.

"Where are you going? Can I come with you?" She asked, and Riley sighed.

"Um, no, it's kind of a personal thing." She half-lied, trying to shrug off Olivia's grip on her wrist.

"No, it's not. It's about something magical, isn't it?" She asked curiously, as she stood up as well with her bag on her shoulder.

"No,  of course not." Riley shook her head, frowning at her best friend who wiped her mouth with a napkin and tucked her chair in.

"It is, and I'm coming with you. I don't care what you say, I've got beef with that alpha pack and I need to express it. Let's go." Olivia argued, and started to drag her to the exit of the cafeteria.

"Olivia, wait." Riley said, resisting her pull lightly, even though they didn't stop. She was pulled along the corridor, and she spotted Stiles talking to a tall man with an FBI badge through a classroom window. She wondered if that had to do with his father. It had to be about that, what else would it be? Once they rounded the corner and the front doors were in site, Riley tugged back and used her other hand to grab Olivia and pull her around. "Olivia, you're not coming. I don't want you to get involved anymore."

"Who are you to say that? You're not my mother, Riley. If Stiles can take care of himself, and if Lydia can to, then why can't I? They've lost as much as I have, possibly more, and they're not being protected by you. I don't need it, and I'm coming with you!" She ranted, which left Riley with no words. She did have a point, and she even made Riley second-guess her decision. She didn't know what to do. Maybe she should ask Scott or Stiles? Well, only when Scott stops deciding to be a little bitch for Deucalion and come back. The next best thing was Stiles, but he was clearly occupied.

Riley had no choice but to listen to herself. Olivia had already been hurt by them, she just doesn't want her to be hurt more. But maybe Riley is indirectly hurting her by not letting her in on her life. God, this was a big decision to make.

"We're wasting time talking about this. Come on." Olivia muttered, and Riley let go of her and followed her out of the door and out to where Lydia was standing on her phone. Well, it looks like Riley's mind was made up for her.

**

"You." Lydia spoke quietly, staring at the broad man in front of her.

"Me." Peter answered in confusion, his hand still on the large metal door.

"You." Lydia repeated, angrier than last. Peter's eyes slightly widened as he sighed and stepped to the side.

"Me." He said, as he remembered what he had done to Lydia. "Derek, we have visitors."

The three girls walked inside, Olivia looking around at the nice loft, until her eyes locked on the man standing in the middle of the room.

"Is that...?" She trailed off, before Peter interrupted her.

"Who are you?" He asked, frowning at the girl as she glared at him.

"Olivia." she replied, not faltering from the clearly larger man. "Boyd's... Friend."

"Look, we don't really have time for introductions." Lydia said, charging inside the room and putting her bag down on the couch. The two other girls followed, both of them leaning on the table in the centre of the loft as Peter came and sat down on the couch as Lydia watched him.

"What do we owe for this pleasure?" Peter asked, putting his feet onto the coffee table as he leaned back. Riley and Olivia looked at Lydia, having no information from the girl on the whole ride there as to why exactly they were there. Derek came over as well, sitting down opposite to Peter, but refusing to look at anyone.

"We know where Jennifer is hiding the guardians. The nemeton, in the root cellar. You know where it is, don't you?" Lydia briefly explained, leaving the room in silence. Peter looked up at her, his smile disappearing in an instant.

"The nemeton?" He repeated, taking his feet off the table and leaning forward. His chin rested in his hand as he looked at the ground, his forehead crinkling as he thought. The name sounded familiar to Riley, but she didn't think much of it; it was a small town, she was bound to hear it once or twice.

"Yes, the Nemeton. Where is it?" Lydia asked, urgency in her voice. But Peter did not think of it as being urgent, as he sighed and shook his head as he glanced at Derek.

"I don't know." He replied, and Riley scoffed.

"You don't know where it is?" She asked, getting off the table and walking over next to Lydia as she crossed her arms.

"Stiles said you've been there." Lydia continued, and Peter closed his eyes.

"We have. But after a few memorable experiences there, Derek's mother - my older sister - decided that she didn't want us ever going back there. She knew how dangerous it was, so she took the memory of its location from us." Peter explained, and Derek refused to look at any of them.

"Then how are we supposed to find it?" Lydia asked hopelessly, and Riley shrugged her shoulders, even though she knew that Lydia wasn't talking to her. While the four were talking to each other about a strange tree, Olivia spotted a girl in the bed on the other side of the room and walked over, noticing the black blood staining her mouth and just how pale she was. She looked a lot like Derek; the chiseled features, the dark hair and pale skin, but that would mean that this girl would be a werewolf, the same as Derek, as they were related. Maybe not everyone in the family inherits the trait?

"Well, you guys are of no use to us. Liv, let's go." Riley called out, walking over to her best friend, who was staring at Cora.

"Is she dying?" Liv asked, and Riley sighed. In truth, Riley somehow knew that Cora was definitely going to die. She was coughing up black blood, was sickly pale and falling in and out of consciousness. But Riley didn't want Olivia to feel worse.

"She's a werewolf, she's going to heal." Riley replied, and she was glad that the two other werewolves in the room couldn't hear her heartbeat jump.