Vitality

viii.

EDITED

Adele had been allowed to leave the hospital just in time for the Lacrosse game tonight, but she was under strict limitation by Melissa. With much displeasure, Adele was released with crutches for the time being. Adele hobbled into the boy's locker room, Melissa McCall by her side. "Good morning, in less than an hour, aircraft from here will be joining will be joining others from around the world." Coach's voice filled the room. Melissa looked at Adele confused, while the blonde simply shook her head in disappointment. "And you will be launching the largest areal battle in the history of mankind." Coach continued. "That word should have a new meaning to all of us today." Coach began wrapping up his speech for the players. Adele laughed and Stiles walk over to the pair. "Thank God you're okay." Stiles hugged the girl from the side. "What the hell is he talking about?" Melissa motioned toward Coach.

"He does this every year." Stiles shrugged, probably tuning Coach out anyway. "Seriously?" Melissa looked at the grown man flabbergasted. "Yep." Adele pursed her lips as she watched Coach amused. "We are fighting for our right to live!" Coach yelled, causing the guys to yell in agreement. "Wait, is this-" Melissa recognized the speech. "Yeah." Stiles already knew where she was going. "It's the speech from Independence Day." Stiles confirmed, Melissa nodding amused. "But as the day the world declared in one voice." Coach got louder again. "It's his favorite movie." Stiles tried to explain the significance. "We will not go quietly into the night!" Coach kept going. "He doesn't know any sports-related speeches?" Melissa continued to question. "I don't think he cares." Stiles spoke, as Adele leaned the left side of her body onto Stiles. "Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!" Coach yelled with passion, the team yelling back.

"Well spoken, Coach." Gerard Argent walked into the circle of players. Adele narrowed her eyes at the old man. Not only was he partly responsible for her injury, but Stiles and Scott had caught her up on the rest of his agenda as well. "I might have chosen something with a little more historical value, but there's no denying your passion. And while I have indeed not been here long, there's no denying my pride in having a winning team for this school." Gerard made direct contact with Scott. "I know you'll all be brilliant tonight, even with only one co-captain leading you." Gerard smirked. Adele was confused by the statement as Jackson was in the room. "Now I am you're principal, but I am also a man, so don't think I'll be content to watch you merely beat this team, get out there, and murder them!" Gerard ended his speech, the teenagers looking at each other. "You heard the man, asses on the field!" Coach yelled in joy. "Is Coach benching Scott?" Adele questioned as Stiles pulled her out of the way of the team.

"You're dad coming?" Scott looked at Stiles as Adele was between the two on the bench. "Yeah, he's already here." Stiles pointed over to where Melissa and the Sheriff were seated together. "You seen Allison?" Scott then looked around for his girlfriend. "No, you seen Lydia?" Stiles looked around for the girl he was infatuated with. "Not yet." Scott shook his head. "So, do either of you know what's going on?" Adele asked her own question. "Not yet." Scott sighed as he repeated his words. "It's going to be bad, isn't it?" Stiles worried and Adele sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. "I mean like people screaming, running for their lives, blood, killing, maiming kind of bad?" Stiles looked at Scott. "Looks like it." Scott confirmed.

"Scott, the other night seeing my dad get hit over the head by Matt. You know while I'm just lying there and I can't even move, it just-" Stiles struggled to share his feelings. "I-I want to help, you know. I-but I can't do the things that you could do. I can't." Stiles shook his head, causing Adele to grab his hand as comfort. "It's okay." Scott understood where Stiles was coming from. "We're losing, dude." Stiles groaned. "What the hell are you talking about?" Coach appeared behind the three, causing Adele to jump in surprise. "The game hasn't even started, now put on your helmet, get out there, you're in for Greenberg." Coach looked at Stiles, pointing to the field. "What? What happened to Greenberg?" Stiles panicked at the idea of playing. "What happened to Greenberg? He sucks! You suck slightly less." Coach scoffed as if it was obvious. "I'm playing?" Stiles looked at Coach alarmed. "On the field?" Stiles was still overcoming his shock, causing Scott and Adele to laugh. "Yes, unless you'd rather play with yourself." Coach retorted sarcastically. "I already did that today, twice." Stiles blurted shaking his head. "Stiles!" Adele grimaced at the overshared information. "Get the hell out there!" Coach directed Stiles onto the field.

"Little Whittemore, why the hell are you on my bench?" Coach finally acknowledged the blonde. "I'm injured, I can't play." Adele shrugged, looking at Coach innocently. "You're not even-you know what, never mind." Coach scoffed and walked away. Adele and Scott laughed, a guilty look taking over Scott's face. "I'm sorry, you know?" Scott looked down at Adele's leg and then back up at her. "It's not your fault, Scott." Adele shook her head, not wanting him to feel guilty. "Yes, it is." Scott looked at Adel in disbelief. "No, it's not. Scott, you're my best friend but you're not the only supernatural in my life." Adele argued with the werewolf. "It's still my fault, I should have done something." Scott blamed himself. "Like what, Scott? You had no idea Gerard and the hunters were going to show up at the police station." Adele shut down his argument. Scott still felt guilty but sighed and looked away, toward the field.

Adele winced as Stiles continuously failed on the field until finally, a time-out whistle blew. Scott was quick to stand up, hoping Coach was going to put him in. "Sit down, McCall." Coach pushed the boy back down on the bench. "But Coach, we're dying out there!" Scott complained. "Oh, I'm aware of that." Coach brushed him off as if it was nothing. "Now sit." Coach hit Scott's shoulder a bit rough.

"Hey, Elle." Isaac Lahey slid next to his best friend on the bench. "You came to help." Adele smiled at the beta. "I came to win." Isaac smirked at her, before turning his gaze to Gerard. "You got a plan yet?" Isaac questioned Scott, fixing his stick. "Nah, right now it's pretty much just keep Jackson from killing anyone." Scott confessed honestly. "Oh, well that might be easier if you're actually in the game." Isaac pointed out Scott's flawed plan. "You have to make it so Coach has no choice, but to play you." Isaac proposed a solution as he looked over at Scott. "How do we do that? He's got a bench full of guys he could use before he ever puts me on the field." Scott motioned over to the other bench of players. Scott then looked back at Isaac, realizing his plan. "Can you do it without putting anyone in the hospital?" Scott looked at the beta hopeful. "I can try." Isaac shrugged, putting his helmet on and patting Adele's leg as he ran away.

"Lahey!" Coach groaned as Isaac slams Beacon Hills' 42 to the ground, the crowd gasping. "Ramirez! You're in." Coach called for another one of his backup players, number 4 standing up. Isaac took Beacon 32 down next, the player landing right in front of Coach. "Murphy! You're in." Coach called for number 7. Isaac just kept slamming guys down on the field, Adele wincing every time. "Lahey! Serious?! What the hell is your problem?" Coach demanded as the whistle blew, but Isaac just shrugged as he continued down the field.

Unfortunately, Isaac was the next player down. Scott sprinted to the field immediately. Adele went to follow only to realize she couldn't. "Fuck." Adele groaned as she used the bench to push herself up, grabbing her crutches. Adele stayed on the sidelines as the medics put Isaac on a stretcher. Adele watched as Coach begrudgingly threw Scott his helmet, Melissa ran up to her son before the game resumed, the two sharing a quick word. The blonde remained standing as she looked around the field, noticing the absence of Gerard. "Shit." Adele cursed as she hobbled off toward the locker room to find Isaac.

Adele reached the locker rooms just in time to stop the hunters from killing Isaac. Adele leaned against her lockers, swinging her crutch as hard as she could against one of the hunter's heads. Isaac looked up to see the blonde smirking at him, Scott running in behind her. Adele quickly moved out of the way, letting Scott take care of the rest of the hunters. "Where is he?" Scott looked around as he threw the last hunter to the side. Adele and Isaac looked at each other, Scott and Isaac running back out to the field. "Oh, come on!" Adele groaned as she attempted to run out behind them.

The lights began to turn on again when Adele arrived at the bleachers. Adele was quick to notice the lacrosse players surrounding a body and her heart plummeted to her chest. Adele took off toward the group. "Jackson!" Adele heard Lydia scream as she neared the body. "Can we get a medic over here? We're going to need a medic!" Coach yelled as Adele stopped next to Lydia. "Jackson." Adele whispered as she stared at the unmoving body of her brother. "He's not breathing, no pulse." Melissa looked over the boy, breaking Adele's heart. "No." Adele whispered in tears, dropping down to her knees and crawling to her brother's body.

"Oh my god!" Lydia continued in hysterics and Adele lifted his shirt up, to find the source of his bleeding. "There's blood! There's blood!" Lydia was annoying Adele, but she didn't care about anyone but Jackson at the moment. The only real family she had left was dead. "Look." Scott pointed towards Jackson's fingers. "He did it to himself." Adele gasped in horror. "Hold his head!" Melissa demanded as she looked at Adele. Melissa began CPR on Jackson, trying to restart his heart but Adele was distracted by another person yelling out. "Where's Stiles? Where the hell is my son?" Sheriff Stilinski yelled out in despair.