Dark Side of the World // S.S. [Book Two]

Chapter 47

Scott and I head to Liam's. While I hate losing friends, I know that you have to keep going. In the words of Winston Churchill, 'If you're going through hell, keep going.'

Liam is hiding under his covers pretending to be sick. Scott says sternly, "Liam."

He grunts and pretends to cough. "No, I'm...I'm sick."

"You're not sick." Scott answers.

Liam starts stammering. "Yeah, I'm like deathly ill. It's serious. I think..." He lets out an obviously fake cough. "I think it's the flu."

"It's not flu season."

"Uh, then I probably have pneumonia."

Scott rolls his eyes. "Liam, you're a werewolf. You can't get pneumonia. Like Meg."

I smile awkwardly. "Um, Scott? I'm half-mortal. I can actually get sick. Li, you've got to go to school, otherwise you'll get in trouble. Come on." I pull his covers off.

Liam immediately pulls his covers back up. "I don't think I should go to school. Or outside. Or anywhere. Ever again."

Scott shakes his head. "It doesn't matter what you think, okay? Because you gotta go. Now all you do is pretend like nothing happened."

Liam scoffs. "Pretend? I'm just supposed to pretend?"

Scott thinks of another analogy. "Think of it like when Superman gets caught with his glasses off. You know, he doesn't give up. He puts them back on and says, "I'm still Clark Kent.""

Liam frowns. "You want me to wear glasses?"

"No!" Scott cries, dragging Liam off the bed. "I want you to go to school, okay? And be Liam Dunbar. Just like how Superman has to be Clark Kent, like Spiderman, and Captain America..."

"Captain America is just Steve Rogers." Liam answers, now from the floor. "Everybody already loves him. Unlike us, who everyone hates. They hate us for trying to save their lives."

I nod. "You're right. We are trying to save lives. Just like P--Spiderman tries to save Queens, we're trying to save Beacon Hills."

Scott glances to me and back to Liam. "Exactly. Which is why you're gonna get up and go to school and pretend like nothing ever happened. Because if you don't, more people could die."

"Because of me." Liam mutters.

Scott sighs. "Meg and I didn't really know Brett or Lori. Well, not like you did. But we know you." Scott grabs Liam's backpack and places it on his covers. "And if you're afraid of seeing more of your friends die, you'll go."

Liam heads off to school and Scott, Malia, Lydia, and I meet up with Mr. Argent to explain what had happened with Brett and Lori. Lydia places an arm around my shoulder as I say, "They were murdered. Killed by a new hunter in Beacon Hills."

Scott continues, "You know, when he took out the Hellhound, we thought it was luck. That we were dealing with an amateur. But now we know that whoever this new hunter is, he has a teacher."

"Gerard." Mr. Argent answers, pursing his lips. "Which means this is my fault. I'm the one who let him go."

Lydia glances to Scott. "You couldn't have done anything. The same goes for you, Meg."

"He could've killed him." Malia states, earning a look from Lydia. "Just saying."

Lydia shakes her head. "We're not executioners."

"You are when it comes to war."

Scott glances between us. "That's why we're going to make peace."