On My Own | Hale - TVD/TO/TW [4]

1 | Mind Trip

The sun shines brightly down on Beacon Hills as Lexi Adams saunters up to the veterinary clinic. She has a swagger in her step the pack had not seen before: Peter and Derek Hale, Scott McCall, and Stiles Stilinski watch as she pauses before the door, her outstretched hand dropping.

"Just so you know, this does not get better," she says, glancing back at them. "The moment I step through this door..."

"It's better than you giving up," Derek replies. "I don't care what we see—we get through this as a pack."

As she smiles, sadness creeps into her expression. "Dahlia may not allow it," she says. "Do you have any idea where the others are? I certainly don't. For all I know, she could be hurting them—"

Scott shakes his head. "It's just a second. We don't even know that time passed. They're fine."

"Really?" Lexi arches an eyebrow. "This is the last semester a certain person is alive. You going to be able to get through that?"

No one answers.

The bell rings above her as she pushes through the door. "Alan," she greets with a grin when she sees the vet in his examination room. "It has been a long time," she says as she gives him a hug.

"Too long," he agrees.

Lexi's eyes move around the room: a metal tub fills the space with bags of ice lining the brick walls. "So, where is our test subject?" She asks. She removes her leather jacket and her purse, placing them over a nearby chair before she snaps her fingers, magically filling the tub with water.

Deaton clears his throat. "He's coming." His heartbeat quickens.

Lexi narrows her eyes. "You wouldn't be lying to me now, would you?"

The back door opens; Lexi spins around. Her heart drops into her gut when she sees the five boys enter the room. Crossing her arms, she mutters, "You said only Isaac."

"I thought it was time for you to stop hiding," Deaton replies.

Derek, Peter, and Isaac pause in the threshold as Scott and Stiles continue chattering to each other, walking further into the room. Lexi averts her gaze to the young boys. "You two haven't changed."

Stiles grins. "Hey, Ms. Adams. Quick question—can you teach us English? The new teacher is incompetent."

She chuckles and shakes her head. "I'm a history teacher, Stiles."

"I'm sorry, where the hell have you been?" Peter exclaims, throwing his hands into the air. "It's been—"

"A month, I know," Lexi replies with a roll of her eyes. "I've been traveling."

"We've been looking for you," Isaac says, his eyes holding a hint of sadness. "You haven't answered your phone."

She bites down on her lip. "Yeah, I've been dealing with some family issues. Missing siblings. Controlling brother. Dead father. The usual." Isaac's eyes light up. "How's your summer been?"

Derek steps forward, his expression stormy as he looks down at her. "A month," he says, his voice almost breaking. "A month with no word from you."

"I sent you a text," she replies, but her voice lacks vibrato. "I just needed some time, ok? I had been running for years, and he's finally gone. I-I don't need to lie anymore. I don't need to hide. I was enjoying my newfound freedom. Can you understand that?"

Derek clenches his jaw. "I would have liked more than a text."

"I would have liked a better father. I guess we don't always get what we want." She grins the tension away, patting Derek on the shoulder. "Besides, I've been tracking Deucalion and his gang of Alphas. I know everything they've done in the past seven years."