SYMMETRY ➽ D. HALE [1]

17 ; theoretical problems

17 ➽ THEORETICAL PROBLEMS [UNEDITED]

Elise's ears rang incessantly as she stared at Scott. He had managed to drag himself to the opposite wall from Derek and Elise and was clutching his abdomen, which was littered with bloodied bullet wounds. She watched her brother with watery eyes as he gritted his teeth in agony.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked to its owner. Derek looked down at her with worry evident in his eyes as he spoke, "Go! Take your brother and get out!"

"We can't," Elise shouted over the gunfire, which had thinned out some since it had initially started moments earlier, though it was still too strong for them to make an effective escape. "They're right outside!"

"Go through the back," Derek insisted with urgency in his voice as his eyes burned the electric blue shade that had become familiar to Elise. "I'll keep them busy."

Before the brunette had a chance to protest, he had pulled open the front door and stepped out onto the porch, attracting the hunters' attention. Elise took the opportunity to scramble across the uneven floorboards to her brother's side. Blood pulsed steadily from his open wounds.

"Scott, we have to go," She whispered, guiding one of his arms over her shoulder as she carefully wrapped her arm around his torso, making sure to avoid supporting him with her injured side. He winced as she helped him to his feet, shifting his weight onto her as the pair started toward the back exit.

Despite the toll his wounds were taking on him, Scott was able to break into a jog (with Elise's help) as the two made it safely out of the back door of the Hale house. Fallen branches and dried leaves crunched underfoot as the McCall siblings continued, not risking a second look behind them until they were a small, yet safe distance behind the treeline.

Scott removed his weight from his sister's side, leaning against a tree as she braced her hands against her knees. "Where are we going?" he asked, heaving for breath.

"The hunters probably saw my car when they showed up, I doubt we'd be able to get back to it," the brunette shook her head. She took a shaky breath as she looked back to the Hale house. She could no longer hear the echo of a fight and she could only hope that Derek had made it out in one piece.

Elise turned back to her brother, about to suggest that they continue moving. The words died on her lips as Scott slumped to the ground. Pale purple smoke curled up from the wounds in his torso, fading into the night air. Wolfsbane.

"Scott!" Elise gasped, dropping to the ground next to her brother. Dark blood leaked from the corners of his lips, and his skin was scalding to the touch. She doubted that he would be able to fight the infection for as long as Derek had been able to when Kate Argent had shot him, especially because of the alarming number of bullets that had been shot into him. "Listen, you have to hold on, alright? I'll get us out of here."

The sound of a twig snapping behind her caused Elise to spin around, on her feet within a matter of seconds. There was a man standing only a few feet away. How he'd managed to get so close without either sibling noticing, Elise didn't know and she didn't care. She squared her shoulders, stepping protectively in front of her brother.

"Leave us alone," she hissed through clenched teeth as the man took a step closer. The lack of light made it impossible to distinguish any features, meaning that the figure could belong to anyone- friend or foe.

The man took another step forward, finally speaking, "It's okay, Elise. I'm here to help."

"Deaton?"

➽

"So, I guess you're kind of Beacon Hills expert on the things that go bump in the night?" Elise questioned. She was sitting in Deaton's office, with him propped in the chair opposite of her. Scott was still unconscious in his operating room, but thanks to Deaton, he was alive.