Risen

14

"I'm not looking forward to his bad mood with me" Nova commented lowly

Rock music had filled the air as she hid in the shadows with Erica,

"Why would he be in a bad mood with you?" Erica asked curiously

"He's still sore about my rejection" honesty in her voice

They watched as Danny walked away to head to the showers, Jackson looking at the bar above him, with the added weight that only a supernatural creature is able to lift, but he struggled with it. He was able to lower it to his chest with ease, but trying to bring it back up was a whole different story. As he struggled, Erica walked over to him, standing in the place where Danny once stood, bending slightly and grabbing the bar with one hand, lifting it up with ease and putting it back on the rack, Jackson panting slightly because of his struggle,

"Thanks" he muttered, his eyes closed

"Any time" Erica replied

His eyes opened at the sound of her voice, her hand snapping to his neck, pulling him up.

∆

Erica and Nova brought Jackson to the abandoned train station, the redhead letting him go, Isaac taking her place, which let her walk inside,

"Special delivery" light sarcasm in her voice

"And one for you" reaching behind him

A happy sound emitted from her when he held up a takeout box, which contained onion rings, fried mushrooms and fried zucchini sticks, Nova taking the box, thanking Derek as she leaned back against the train he sat in, opening the box and digging in. No matter what situation they were in, Derek always managed to get her something to eat, mostly because he knew she was almost always hungry but because he enjoyed getting things for her. Erica and Isaac dragged Jackson in the building, the captain of the lacrosse team putting up a bit of a struggle, but stopped when he saw Derek,

"What happened to you on the night of the full moon?" the alpha asked

"What?" Jackson asked "nothing. Nothing happened"

"You're lying" looking up at him as he put a black glove on one of his hands

"No, wait. No, wait, I can – I can prove it" he said  ". . I taped myself"

"You taped yourself?" Isaac chuckled

"Yes" looking at the beta "it was the full moon. And maybe while you were curled in the corner having an existential crisis about turning into a monster, I was preparing for the so-called gift your big, bad Alpha promised me" looking at Derek for a brief moment, before looking back at Isaac "and what did I get? Nothing. You want proof? Let me get the video" Derek putting the other glove on his other hand

"No" Derek said, smiling slightly "no, I have a better idea"

Derek picked up a large shard of glass, a piece of the mirror that had been broken in the pool area of the school. Nova watched as Jackson was forced to his knees, popping a fried mushroom in her mouth,

"What is that?" He asked as Derek stood up

"You know, Jackson, you've always been kind of a snake" the alpha replied "and everyone knows a snake can't be poisoned by its own venom"

Isaac forced Jackson's mouth open as Derek walked over to them, Nova dipping a fried zucchini stick in a small cup of ranch before taking a bite. Derek held a sharp end of the glass over Jackson's mouth, a drop of the kanima venom falling on his tongue, which caused the teen to instantly choke. Isaac and Erica released him, which allowed Jackson to fall to the floor, the effects of the venom quickly taking effect, Jackson's eyes showing fear as he looked at the four of them. Derek let out a small sigh through his nose, walking over to him and crouching down,

"You're still a snake, Jackson" he said "just not the one we're looking for"

X

"You don't seem like the type to wear a grim reaper style hoodie" Nova commented as she held up a large hoodie

"Keep it" Derek said as he looked down at a sheet of paper "it's got a lot of pockets, so you won't have to carry around a backpack all the time"

"Ooh, you had me at pockets" a smile forming on her lips

Derek couldn't help the chuckle that emitted from him, shaking his head slightly, looking up from the sheet of paper just as she tried on the hoodie. It was big on her, something she had expected, the sleeves were baggy on her arms and the end of the hoodie reached a little below her knees, taking her hair down, shaking her head and letting it fan out, looking at her reflection in the glass. A soft smile formed on his lips, watching as she lifted the collar of the hoodie and took in the scent, a small smile forming on her own lips when the hoodie smelled like him. It was comforting. She sat down in one of the seats, pulling the book from her backpack and unlocking it with the small key she kept around her wrist, leaning back in the seat as Derek looked back at the sheet of paper,

"Is that the application for that loft you were looking into?" She asked, finding the page where she left off

"Yeah" nodding slightly "it'll need some fixing up, but it'll do"

"I can help with that" looking at him "my Dad taught me a few things"

"Like what?" looking back at her

"He made sure I wouldn't have to rely on a man for help with fixing things" a small smile forming on her lips "pipes, wires, cars. You name it, I can fix it"

"I'll keep that in mind" giving her a small smile

"My payment is foods" looking back down at the book

Shapeshifting - Phoenixes can take a human form to conceal their true form, which is that of a giant bird.

Fire Mimicry - the power to transform into or have a physical body made up of fire

Nova's eyebrows furrowed slightly, leaning forward in her seat, rereading the last two of the small paragraphs, a small smile forming on her lips,

"Hey . ." She said, looking back at Derek "can you do me a small favor?"