Chương 6: New Bonds

Lucas stepped into the hallway just as the noise hit him. Lockers slamming. Voices overlapping. Laughter. Footsteps. Too much. His body stiffened for a second, senses reacting before his mind could catch up. Every sound felt sharper, closer, like it was happening right next to his ear.

"…this is going to be annoying," he muttered under his breath, forcing himself to keep walking like nothing was wrong. Lucas slowed his steps as he caught fragments of a conversation ahead of him.

"…I'm telling you, it wasn't a dog," Scott said, his voice lower than usual, tense.

"It seems more like a wolf," Scott added, with a tone even he couldn't fully believe.

"A wolf?" Stiles said with a doubtful voice.

"Buddy, the last time wolves were seen in California was 60 years ago." Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to Scott and Stiles' conversation. Wolves. So that's what they're talking about. It seems Scott is not far from finding what he became. He moved closer without making it obvious.

"I'm serious," Scott insisted, frustration slipping through.

"It didn't feel normal."

"Getting attacked in the woods at night is not normal, Scott!" Stiles replied, throwing his hands up slightly.

"That's literally the definition of not normal."

"You left me there alone, did you forget about that, Stiles?" Scott spoke with an angry tone, still mad about being left alone in the woods.

"Don't tell me you're still mad about that?"

"Well my dad saw me, and I thought it was better for just one of us to get caught, while the other one still searches for the dead body," Stiles replied, attempting to shift the focus of the discussion.

"Then I have to thank you, Stiles," Scott replied.

"No need—" If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Just as Stiles was about to finish, Scott continued:"Thank you for leaving me alone in the forest with a dead body and the killer nearby."

"Wait, dead body?" asked Stiles, completely ignoring the sarcasm in Scott's voice.

"You found the upper part of the missing body?"

"Why didn't you say that from the beginning?" Stiles shouted, causing a few glances from the people around them.

"The fact that I almost died maybe contributed to that," Scott replied, trying to lower his voice while shooting a death glare at Stiles.

"Ok… ok… sorry buddy. Do you remember the spot where you found it?" Stiles asked, diverting the attention again.

"Well yeah, kinda… I dropped my inhaler too," Scott said, calming down.

"Stiles! Let's get back to the main subject, we still don't know what bit me," Scott added, frustrated.

"Maybe I know exactly what bit you," Stiles said, trying to sound mysterious.

"You know?" Scott asked with an hopeful expression.

"Yeah, and it can give you a deadly disease called lycanthropy," Stiles replied, trying to maintain a straight face. Panic started to appear on Scott's face.

"What kind of disease is that?"

"It appears once a month on the night of the full moon."

"Once a month?" Scott asked, even more confused.

"Yeah, that's when you transform into a werewolf… A-woooooooo!" Stiles howled as he couldn't hold it in anymore and broke into laughter.

"Yeah, real funny, Stiles," Scott's face crumpled as he wished he could strangle his friend. Lucas stopped just close enough.

"Maybe he's right." Both of them turned. Stiles looked at him confused.

"And you are…?"

"I'm Lucas. Lucas Ashford. I just moved in town a month ago." Scott looked more guarded now. Lucas didn't react.

"Wolves might not be common," he continued calmly, "but that doesn't mean something else isn't out there." Stiles stared at him for a second.

"Something else?" asked Stiles.

"Like a mountain lion?"

"Hmm… maybe something more unnatural."

"Well that's not at all comforting," replied Stiles with a weird expression. Lucas shrugged slightly.

"It's not supposed to be."

"Why would you say that what bit me was unnatural?" Scott asked. Lucas met his eyes for a moment, pondering what to tell him.

"Because whatever attacked you…" he paused slightly, like he was choosing his words, "you already know it wasn't normal." Silence followed as Scott thought of the figure that almost killed him. Stiles looked between them.

"You seem pretty sure about what it is," said Stiles with a probing tone.

"Not at all, but you had a pretty good idea."

"What?.. you mean the werewolf thing?" Scott interjected, doubtful, while Stiles shook his head in amusement.

"Dude, you've got a big imagination." Lucas saw the doubtful expressions on both of their faces but ignored it.

"I guess time will tell." Then Lucas walked away, just before stopping and turning back again as if he remembered something.

"Scott, you should be careful not to let anger control you."

"Wait… wha?" Scott tried to ask more, but Lucas walked away without explaining.

"Stiles, what do you think he meant by that?" Scott asked, confused. Stiles thought for a moment.

"Maybe he meant you can literally lose control… or maybe he's just crazy."

"Definitely the second option," Scott replied, shaking his head to drop the subject.

"Let's go, we have lacrosse practice. Maybe the coach will put us on the field."

"Let's go, but quit dreaming," Stiles replied, knowing they would spend most of the time on the bench. Soon both rushed to the field.