Take On The World ◎ Scott McCall

Chapter 3: Longing

Chapter 3:

Longing

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A few days passed by and it was late at night as Scott sat on his bed, staring at his lacrosse stick. It hadn't been an easy decision but he chose to quit lacrosse and focus on his studies. He couldn't afford his grades to drop. He also knew that someone else would have to become captain once he graduated.

He sighed, setting his stick on his bed as his gaze went to the cork board on his wall that had pinned pictures and other important notices. He noticed that there was a gap and stood up, only to accidentally step on a push pin.

He grimaced as he pulled it out of his foot. That was when he noticed the picture on the floor that was face down.

Scott picked it up and flipped it over. He put it back on the board and couldn't help but frown the longer he stared at the picture. There were two gaps in the picture between him, Malia, and Lydia. It looked like he was holding onto air that made the picture look weird. 

Shaking his head, he headed to the bathroom so he could shower before going to bed. He had to be on the lacrosse field tomorrow so he could help coach in choosing a new captain. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and his fingers brushed over the bite mark. It looked like someone had just bitten him and left their teeth indentations in his skin.

He wondered why it hadn't healed or why he couldn't remember who gave it to him. Shrugging it off, he stripped off the rest of his clothes and took a shower.

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Malia plopped onto the couch with a tired sigh. She had just gotten back from another date with Isaac. They had gone to the arcade which was rather enjoyable after the hours of studying she had done.

As she sat up, her eyes flickered to the image on the coffee table. She picked it up, staring at the man in the photo. She wished she had gotten to meet her dad before he was killed by his evil sister.

"You're home." Omar said, pulling her from her melancholic thoughts. "You hungry? I ordered pizza." It had arrived only minutes before she did.

Malia glanced at him as she set down the picture, "Yeah." She paused. "Allison isn't staying over right?" She really didn't need to hear them going at it again. She had come home early yesterday and found them in the kitchen. She tried to not think about the gross image as she averted her gaze from him.

He grimaced, "Not tonight. She wanted to finish her english paper." He knew why she was asking. "Sorry about that. We kinda just got lost in the moment." He said, feeling mortified that she had walked in on them. "Anyways, pizza?"

Choosing to focus on the food instead of the previous topic, she nodded. She followed after him before stopping mid step as her gaze went to the stairs. She opened her mouth to call out a name but her voice got caught in her throat.

She frowned, wondering just who it was she thought she was going to call out to. It had almost seemed reflexive and she wondered why that was. "Hey, come on before the pizza gets cold." Omar called out to her.

Malia cleared her throat, "Right. Coming." She ignored the nagging feeling she got that something was missing as she headed towards the kitchen.

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After school and after the captain tryouts, Scott went to the animal clinic. He needed Deaton to help him. Earlier at school he had found himself standing at a locker that wasn't his or any of his friends but he for some unknown reason found himself waiting for someone.  But every time he tried to wrack his brain for the name of the person, his memory kept coming up blank. He had also subconsciously gone to Allison and Isaacs science class as if he was waiting for someone else to walk out.

There was this strange longing he's been feeling and can't think of a reason why. His friends were alive and he was sure that Derek was fine as he was visiting Cora. He wasn't sure who he could be missing.

"I keep having this feeling like there's pieces missing. Holes in my memory.  Like this." He held up a shard of glass, "I took that from a windshield at the Sheriff's Impound Lot but I can't remember why I was there."

Deaton took the glass from him, "The subconscious can be a conduit for our memories. Dreams and waking dreams can be powerful tools to help us remember."

The true alpha frowned, "Could it all be connected? The Ghost Riders, the Wild Hunt, the holes?"

"The Wild Hunt are drawn to war and mayhem. I've never heard of it doing anything to anyone's memory. It's almost like you have a form of Phantom limb syndrome." He further explained once he caught the confused look on the young man's face, "It's common in war. Amputees can have the sensation of an itch they can't scratch or a pain that couldn't possibly be there. The missing limb is so important, the brain acts like the limb's still there."

"So, my subconscious is trying to tell me what's missing?"

"It may be."

He felt more frustrated as he didn't even have a clue as to what kind of memory was missing. "How the hell do I figure out what it's saying?" It was obviously important enough that it was affecting the way he felt and his actions.

"Well, the easiest way to do that would be to simply go to sleep."

Scott thanked him and later that night, he went to sleep. Only while he had been dreaming a flash of blue eyes kept appearing to him which startled him awake.

When he awoke, he found himself in the middle of the woods.