Destiny [D.H.]

28

I was waiting outside the English classroom, reading a book for fun when I saw Derek walk into the room.

I frowned, confused, and listened.

Ms. Blake screamed. "What do you want? You gonna threaten me? Tell me that no one's gonna believe me? Try to scare me? Kill me?"

"I was gonna see if you were okay," Derek replied.

"Physically or emotionally? Although I guess that presupposes I was emotionally okay before any of this. And according to my therapist, I... it's been debatable for a long time." She sighed.

"I think you're gonna be okay."

"Obviously, you've never taught high school. In 20 minutes, I have to start two dozen teenagers on The Crucible, and I honestly have no idea what I'm gonna say."

"Well, why don't you start by telling them that it's an allegory for McCarthyism?"

"Is that a subtle way of suggesting that I shouldn't say anything? Because I won't. Who are you?"

"I'm Derek."

"Jennifer."

He walked out and smiled, seeing me. "She's okay. Don't worry."

"Great. What are you gonna do today?" I asked.

"I'm gonna make sure Cora's okay."

"Can I come?"

"Nope. You have school. I don't want to get yelled at by your dad if I can help it."

I sighed and made my way to the girls locker room to get ready for gym.

As I got out, I heard a girl scream.

I ran towards the space between the forest and the track field.

"It's him, isn't it?" Scott asked.

"Hey, get out of the way," Sheriff instructed. "Get back. Get this area cordoned off before they trample every piece of evidence."

"Back up!" Deputy Tara cried. "Everyone back!"

"Get these kids out of here," Dad and the sheriff ordered.

Stiles glanced to Sheriff. "Dad, just come here. Look, look. Look at it. It's the same as the others, you see?"

Sheriff nodded. "Yeah, I see that. Do me a favor. Go back to school, yeah? Goes for you too, Eliana. Coach, can you give us a hand here?"

"You heard the man," Coach said. "Nothing to see here. Probably just some homeless kid."

"Coach," Scott called.

"Yeah?"

"He was a senior."

"Oh." Coach sighed. "He wasn't on the team, was he?"

Ashley let out another cry. "Aaaaahh, Kyle! Oh, God, Kyle! Oh, God!"

"Go on. Go, go," Dad and Sheriff said.

Isaac, Stiles and I stood to the side. Scott was a short distance away from us.

"You two see the way the twins looked at him?" Isaac asked.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, you mean like they had no idea what happened?"

"No, no, they knew."

"The kid was strangled with a garrote, all right? Am I the only one recognizing the lack of "werewolfitude" in these murders?"

I shook my head. "No, Stiles, you're not."

Isaac frowned. "Oh, you think it's a coincidence they turn up and then people start dying?"