Pure × Isaac Lahey

15.

x x

Elora felt like an old lady, walking through the halls of BHHS with a box of graded papers and in a flattering skirt and blouse.

She really just wanted her combat boots, to be honest.

Unlocking the classroom door, she let it shut behind her. Setting down her things, she twisted her hair into a loose bun that still looked professional and charmed it to stay in place.

Within the following five minutes, a boy in red plaid surfaced.

Stiles had knocked on the door as he came in, "Ms. Win-" He took the look she gave him. "Hey, Elora."

"Hi, Stiles," she opened the lid of her box, sorting out the stacks. "What's up?"

"I, uh, I wasn't sure if you were caught up on what's going on." He had something on his mind, absently playing with his fingers as he approached her. "Two out of three sacrifices happened last night."

"The healers," she nodded lightly. "And there's going to be one more."

Stiles held eye contact with her for a small silence.

He didn't trust her.

"Are you okay, Stiles?" Elora finally asked, growing slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm fine, I was just..." He had to get it out. "Where were you last night?"

Elora slightly narrowed her eyes, "Are you accusing me?"

"No, just questioning." Stiles held a fleck of seriousness in his tone. "Are you going to give me an answer?"

"I was with Cora and Derek," she said, "trying to be a family again, definitely not killing people." She got out her phone, unlocking it and showing him a picture to prove it.

Stiles evaluated the photo, handing the phone back after a minute. "You," he sighed, pinching his nose for a second, "you do get why you're suspicious to me, right?"

"Because you don't know the line between witchcraft and paganism." El wasn't mad at him. In fact, she thought he was brave to approach her like he had.

"Honestly, there's so much on witchcraft that I don't know what's real and what's not," he replied. "But I mean with all of the things going on, the witch seemed like the guilty party."

"The witch usually does," she said. "Prejudices die hard. But there is a fine line between me and a druid. My power comes from within me - I was born with it. Druids, they don't have magic themselves. They're considered the backwash version of my kind."

Stiles nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, uh, sorry about coming on so strong."

"I don't blame you. You want to figure this out. Trust me, I get it." Elora smiled lightly, "We'll figure it out, Stiles."

"Yeah, but can we do it before another person dies?"

Unlikely.

x x

Elora greeted one of her later hours, Scott and Stiles in His & His plaid shirts at a table further back.

"I've got your labs graded, I just have to get them into the system." El, Ms. Winchester, stood at the front of the room. "I was pleased with all of them. You have a quiz Wednesday over the unit. You get today and tomorrow in class to study and I'm more than happy to answer any questions you have. Study pages are on the board and you're free to use your phones for music if it helps you with concentration."