Perpetual

Chapter 11

Stiles and Tessa rushed inside the school supporting Liam. Hayden ran behind them. They reached an empty classroom, clearing off a desk and carefully laying Liam down on it.

He yelled in pain as they crowded around him.

"Liam?" Hayden asked worriedly.

"I'm okay. I'm fine," Liam insisted.

Tessa winced as she and Stiles pulled his bloodied jersey away from his skin. The cuts were deep and Hayden gagged at the sight of them.

"What? Is it bad?" Liam asked.

"No," Hayden assured him.

At the same time, Stiles replied, "Very."

Tessa smacked the boy's arm. He gave her a sour look but she ignored it.

"What do you guys usually do when this happens?" Hayden asked.

"Uh, I usually pass out," Stiles said. "And I still might do that."

Tessa smacked him again, giving him a look to say he better not pass out right now. He began to look woozy.

"Stiles!" Tessa yelled.

"Okay, okay," he said, pulling himself back. "Scott did this with pain. He could trigger it. Pain makes you human."

"I think he's in enough pain already," Tessa told him. Her heart was racing. Liam looked like he was about to die.

"Right, okay, But maybe adding a little more could help take away the pain."

"Stiles, that literally makes no sense!" Tessa shouted, panicking.

Liam yelled out again and Hayden's eyes widened. "Take away his pain," she whispered.

Stiles and Tessa shared a look of realization.

"Yes, Hayden. Can you take his pain?" Tessa asked.

The girl looked panicked. "I don't know how."

"Well you're gonna have to try because he's not healing and if we don't—" Stiles cut himself off, turning to look at Tessa.

"What?" she asked.

"I was doing some research on what you told us Deucalion said about you being a caladrius and most of the legends say that they're white birds but they can heal and take pain."

Tessa's heart beat sped up even more as Hayden continued to panic beside her. She had forgotten about that.

"Stiles, do I look like a white bird to you? I've only ever healed small cuts and this is definitely not a small cut!"

Stiles started flailing his arms as he attempted to explain. "No, I mean, well, I don't know. But you're a pretty powerful something, a mix of powerful somethings actually."

"Stiles, I—"

"Just try, Tessa!" he shouted.

Tessa stared at him in shock for a second before nodding slowly. She reached down, taking Liam's hand in her own and concentrating on trying to heal him.

After a minute, she sighed, letting go of his hand. "It's not working. I can't do this." Her eyes watered as she watched her brother writhe in pain, knowing there was nothing she could do about it.

"Tessa," Stiles grabbed her by the shoulders, "You can do this. You're one of the most powerful supernatural creatures I've ever met. This is Liam, okay? He needs you. So help him!"