Retrouvaille [2] Scott McCall

Chapter 19: Required Reading

++++++

In Scott's living room, there was a stack of copies of the Dread Doctors book, as well as the original, set up on the table with everyone staring down tensely at them. 

"My mom's book club usually has more wine," Lydia put out there, breaking the silence. "Well, they also probably didn't read books that cause violent hallucinations," Stiles threw back. "That's why Malia's here," Scott pointed out. "So none of us go running into traffic?" asked Kira. Scott nodded. "Or worse." 

The plan was for all of them to read the book and have Malia on watch since the book already made her go crazed once. Malia had no problem with the plan as she was in no rush to go through what happened at the road again.

"Like what happened to Judy?" asked Malia. "Judy?" said Luna. "Chapter 14," she explained.

Lydia let out a frustrated huff as she moved to pick up the paperback copy up. "Maybe I should have my mother read it. She might remember a girl with a tail leaping off the ceiling and attacking everyone." "Yeah, if it works," mumbled Stiles doubtfully. "It has to." "What's that mean?" Luna asked.

"I think I saw them during my surgery. When I look at the cover of the book, it's almost like-" she stopped as she was having trouble putting what she wanted to say to words. "A memory trying to surface," said Theo, making everyone look up at him. Stiles let his eyes narrow a bit at him. Lydia nodded. 'Yeah."

Kira moved to wrap her hands around herself nervously as the events back at Eichen played back in her mind. "Isn't that what Valack wanted when he wrote it?"

"If they did something to me," Lydia gave a hard look at the book's cover. "I want to know what it is." She then moved off to sit down in a nearby armchair with the book so she could start reading.

One by one, everyone moved to the table and grabbed a copy of the book. Scott and Luna moved to take spots on the couch next to Lydia while Theo sat down in a chair next to Lydia. Kira sat on the floor. Stiles had gone off with their own copy and sat at the kitchen table with Malia following after them. Each of them took a deep breath and braced themselves before they moved to begin reading.

It was a little over an hour after they started reading when the tension and anxiety that everyone had felt was now fully replaced with boredom.

Scott looked over at Luna, to see her getting irritable and he found that he was too with this. "Anyone feel anything yet?" he asked out loud. Luna shook her head. "Tired," she mumbled. "Hungry," Lydia hissed out irritably. "Uh, I think he meant the book," said Theo. Lydia and Luna stared at each other before they let out deep breaths. Nothing seemed to be happening. Scott was starting to hope that this all didn't end up being a waste of time. Still, he knew they couldn't give up yet. So, he forced himself to just keep reading.

Back at the living room, Kira suddenly sighed and put away her copy before closing her eyes. It didn't seem like trying to read this book would get any easier for her and she was starting to get tired. Luna noticed her looking like she was getting ready to sleep.

"You're not giving up, are you?" Luna asked her. "Just resting my eyes," she told her, while moving to make herself more comfortable. She then moved to join Luna on the couch and turned off the lamp beside her before she started to make herself comfortable. Luna sighed before she went back to reading. She had to shush Malia when she came in and asked a little loudly if any of them wanted a coffee before pointing over to Kira. At one point, she asked Scott if he could move Kira into his room which he did. He carried her off to his room so she could rest before he returned downstairs to everyone.

The rest of them kept reading and waiting for anything to happen to them. But after two more hours, the only thing that ended up happening to them was them all falling to sleep across the living room. Trying to read the book had become taxing to all of them and one by one decided to rest their eyes which turned into just nodding out. Stiles nodded off on his spot on the floor. Even Malia was finding herself wiped from watching over them trying to read and found herself needing to take a small nap herself.