From Lovers To Strangers » Scott McCall [3] [DISCONTINUED]

xvi.

xvi.
THE ILLNESS

TALIA RESTED HER HEAD on Scott's shoulder as the two and their friends stood in the school's hallway, waiting until it was time to take the PSAT. "Scott, why didn't you tell me we were taking a test today." She groaned as she released a tired yawn.

Scott had his arm wrapped around her, keeping her close to him as he rested his head on top of hers. "To be honest, I completely forgot."

"I don't know if I can do this...I mean why do I have to? Lydia isn't here, that means she doesn't have to take it!" Malia began to panic with Stiles right next to her, trying to calm her down. "Lydia apparently took it in her freshmen year." Scott told her, getting a confused look from the werecoyote. "So I don't have to take it?!"

"Listen Malia, you're going to do great. You've studied harder than any of us." Talia reassured her. "And while we're trying not to die, we still need to live. If I survive high school, I would like to go to college, a good college." Scott added, gaining a warm smile from Talia.

"The test is only three hours, we can survive three hours." Kira spoke up, trying to calm down Malia. Suddenly the group was called up and each one of them placed their thumbprint on their answer sheet and then was handed a booklet. They then handed Mrs. Martin, Lydia's mom, their phones and took a seat at each available desk.

All the students listened as the male teacher began to explain how the test goes, but Talia couldn't help but get a bad vibe from him. "That man isn't who he says he is." She jerks her head to see Fria standing there, with the same red dress.  "What are you doing here?" Talia whispered, not trying to get her friends' attention she knew she did when she saw Scott and Malia glance at her.

"I'm here to warn you.  That man is dangerous, I suggest you get out here." Talia stared at Fria with wide eyes.  "Dangerous?  How?"  Fria shrugged her shoulders, staring at the man.  "I don't know but you need to leave."

Talia scoffed.  "Leave?  This test is important.  Taking this test will get me into a good college, a good job."  Fria have a stern glare towards the teen.  "If you don't leave, you won't have a future."

Talia shook her head, watching Fria vanish into the air.  When she felt herself jump back into reality, she noticed that everyone was already testing.  Talia flipped open her booklet and began working.

While scanning through the questions that were in front of her eyes, Talia slowly felt her anxiety level rise when she didn't know the answers for any of them.  She had her hand resting on the side of her neck as she read over this one question and released a sigh when she didn't know what the answer was.

She looks around the room to see Scott, Stiles, and Kira filling out the answer bubbles like their was no tomorrow and then her eyes went to Malia who had the same confused face she had.

"Sydney!" Everyone turned their heads when Mrs. Martin ran over to a girl who collapsed onto the ground.  Talia's eyes widen when she saw red and white welts on the girl's arm.  "Everything is fine."  Mrs. Martin reassured everyone as the girl goes back to her seat and continues to work on the test. 

Mrs. Martin then left the room and after a couple minutes, all the students could hear her shouts from outside.  Everyone got up from their seats and stepped into the hallway, only to be yelled at by Mrs. Martin to get back in the classroom. 

Talia walked over to the window with Scott next to her.  The couple noticed men in hazmat suits entering their school.  She then felt his hand slip into hers, "What's going on?" She asked who just got shrug from him. 

"Their from the CDC." The two turn their heads to see Mrs. Martin approach them.  "There is a sickness going around and they plan to isolate it.  We are just waiting for instructions.  If I'm wrong, the CDC will be out quickly and I'll be known as the crazy biology teacher who panicked for nothing."  She then left the two teens and continued to care for that girl Sydney.

»»»

Overtime, more students got the sickness and now Scott and Talia were in the locker room, slowly falling into the illness.  Talia had her hands rubbing Scott's back as his hands clenched the sink and stared into the mirror, his fangs were coming out and his eyes were glowing crimson red. "Talia get away, I can't control myself." Scott groaned, tearing his gaze away from the mirror to his girlfriend.

His eyes then widened when his saw her eyes glowing bright red too. "Your eyes..." He muttered, getting a confused look from her. Talia turned towards the mirror, a gasp escaping her lips when she saw her eyes glowing red instead of their normal brown ones.

"Can you stop it?" He asked, his fangs grazing his lips as he spoke. She shook her head as she blinked. The two teens then jumped when their was a knock on the door, their anxiety levels rising. But it soon dropped when a similar voice filled their ears. "Talia, Scott, it's Ashton. Open up."

Talia rushed to the door and opened it, revealing an out of breath Ashton. He placed his hands on her shoulder and pointed his index finger at her and himself. "We have to go."

"What? Why?!" Talia asked, slightly worried by the tone of his voice. Ashton grabbed her hand and pulled her to one of the benches. He stepped on top of it, Talia following his movements. Scott watched his girlfriend and her ex poke their heads out the window, Ashton pointing his finger towards familiar black haired woman. "Sapphire's here, along with a couple hunters."

Talia began to panic and Scott immediately rushed to her side, Ashton also, the two boys trying to calm down the girl they both care for. "Of course she chose this time to strike, the time when I'm most vulnerable."

"We have to leave." Ashton told her. "Yeah, you need to go." Scott agreed. Talia turned to him with worry in her eyes. "What about you?" She asked and Scott gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. You need to go before Sapphire gets you."

Talia leaned over and pecked his lips before Ashton pulled her out of the locker room. "Alright, hold on." He wrapped his hand around hers as a blue aura surrounded the two of them. The two teens believed that it was going to teleport them to the house but instead, it teleported them to another hallway in the school.

"What the hell?" Ashton exclaimed. "It was suppose to take us home, not on the other side of the school!" Talia stared at the frustrated teen when she realized something. "The illness, it's affecting our abilities." She then laid her out in front of her, a red aura glowing around her hand but almost instantly faded.

The sound of heels hitting the floor, got the two teens' attention, their eyes going towards the end of the hallway and setting upon a smiling Sapphire. "Well well well, I say it's time to finish what we've started."

"The illness that is going around the school is affecting my abilities. That means it's affecting yours. You can't win on your own." Talia shouted at her, getting a laugh from Sapphire. "Who said I was alone."

With a snap of her fingers, two armed hunters appeared by her side, their rifles aiming right at Talia and Ashton. Sapphire had a smirk on her lips as her hands rested on her hip.

"So, how about you show me what you can do. Red Queen!"

Author's note:
I'm sorry that this chapter is short and I haven't been posting as often. It's exam week so I've been focusing on that lately.