Take On The World ◎ Scott McCall

Chapter 14: Sacrifice

Sacrifice themselves for the people they love.

That's what Deaton said they would have to do in order to save them and also another way to find the nemeton. Imogen stared at the object in her hand. It had been her fault that her uncle was taken. She should've taken more precautions to keep him safe.

Now they had to be surrogate sacrifices for them.

Her eyes flickered to her boyfriend who stood beside her, she had yet to speak to him since they all came back to the Animal clinic where they found Isaac, Allison, and Lydia filling the tubs with ice. There were also herbs inside the ice filled tubs. He looked at her, obviously feeling her staring and she looked away, hearing him sigh. She didn't want to be annoyed with him especially since they were about to die but she couldn't help herself.

"All right." Deaton started, staring at the three who were tense. "What did you bring?"

Stiles clenched the item in his hand before showing him. "Um, I got my dad's badge. Jennifer kind of crushed it in her hand, so I tried hammering it out a bit." He paused, looking at the object. "Still doesn't look great."

"Well, it doesn't need to look good if it has meaning." He told him softly.

Isaac eyed the item in the young witches hand. "Is that a stethoscope?" He asked, surprised that she chose that specific item especially since it was the only thing aside from the note that her uncle left. He had half expected her to start crying like Allison had but the only thing she said was that they needed to regroup with the others.

Imogen gave him a faint smile. "Yeah, my uncle and I didn't exactly get along after I was put into his care when my mom died. It was a year after she died that I got really sick and I thought I was going to die like she did. I don't think I ever saw him look so scared before." There was a melancholic air around her as she reminisced. "After, he gave me his stethoscope and made me listen to my heartbeat and said that as long as my heart was beating I was alive so I shouldn't worry. After I got better, we started to actually get along."

She remembered how tense the two whenever they were in the same room after her mother died. Part of her had blamed him for not being there to save her mom but now that she knew the truth, she realized that he probably had blamed her as well.

Deaton gave the girl a small smile before looking at his protégé. "Scott?"

The teen wolf switched his gaze away from his girlfriend who still staring at the item in her hands as he spoke up. "My dad got my mom this watch when she first got hired at the hospital." He said, bitterly thinking about his father who walked out on him and his mom. "She used to say it was the only thing in their marriage that ever worked."

The Vet nodded, now that they all had their items, it was time to begin. "Okay, the three of you will get in. Each of us will hold you down until you're essentially..." He paused. "Well, dead. But it's not just someone to hold you under. It needs to be someone who can pull you back, someone that has a strong connection to you, a kind of emotional tether." His eyes flickered around the room. "Lydia... You go with Stiles."

"So, do I go with Imogen?" Allison asked curiously, wondering just how Lydia and Stiles had close enough for them to form a strong connection. It was no secret that Stiles was in love with her friend but could Lydia possibly return his affections?

Deaton glanced at her, "Actually, I was thinking Isaac would go with Imogen and I will go with Scott." That seem to make everyone pause.

Imogen blinked in surprise, her eyes flickering to Scott who everyone else seemed to also be looking at. Isaac shifted nervously in his spot, unsure if he had done something wrong. Scott himself, knew that his girlfriend and the blue eyed beta were friends just as long as he knew Imogen. Even though he knew of Isaac's affections for her, he didn't have to worry. He knew that Isaac was doing his best to move on from her and he didn't doubt Imogen's love for him. He looked at her with a soft look, no jealousy evident. "It's okay." He assured her.