Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/2438006.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings
  Category:
      F/M, M/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      Teen_Wolf_(TV)
  Relationship:
      Derek_Hale/Stiles_Stilinski, Isaac_Lahey/Scott_McCall, Allison_Argent/
      Scott_McCall, Allison_Argent/Isaac_Lahey/Scott_McCall, Lydia_Martin/
      Jackson_Whittemore, Ethan/Danny_Mahealani, Aiden/Jackson_Whittemore,
      Vernon_Boyd/Erica_Reyes, Lydia_Martin/Jordan_Parrish, Garrett/Violet
  Character:
      Scott_McCall, Stiles_Stilinski, Derek_Hale, Isaac_Lahey, Allison_Argent,
      Lydia_Martin, Jackson_Whittemore, Aiden_(Teen_Wolf), Ethan_(Teen_Wolf),
      Liam_Dunbar, Danny_Mahealani, Jordan_Parrish, Vernon_Boyd, Erica_Reyes,
      Garrett_(Teen_Wolf), Violet_(Teen_Wolf), Kira_Yukimura, Sheriff
      Stilinski, Melissa_McCall, Alan_Deaton, Chris_Argent, Gerard_Argent,
      Jennifer_Blake, William_Barrow
  Additional Tags:
      Alternate_Universe_-_Magic, Witchcraft, Witch_Hunters, Horror, Thriller,
      Drama, Heavy_Angst, Blood_Magic, Dark_Magic, Necromancy, Character_Death,
      Resurrection, Betrayal, Love_Triangles, Threesome_-_F/M/M, Disturbing
      Themes, Graphic_Description, Blood_and_Gore, Torture, Recreational_Drug
      Use, Underage_Drinking, Underage_Sex
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-10-12 Chapters: 1/10 Words: 5528
****** Beacon Hills Horror Story ******
by bigredcrazyk
Summary
     As a young coven of powerful witches in Beacon Hills unlock the roots
     of their magic hidden in the past, a secret society of religious
     zealots would seek to burn each one of them to ash. Although the
     battle lines are drawn, the ability to decipher ally from enemy
     becomes increasingly difficult to discern, and in this twisted game
     of deception and murder, the coven must fight for their lives against
     the witch hunters' plot to eliminate them.
     Based loosely on the television series American Horror Story: Coven.
Notes
See the end of the work for notes
“Shut up, Stiles. I doubt strongly you could make cross-country even if you
trained all year. The only reason you made first-string lacrosse was because
Scott has pull with Coach, despite Jackson’s protests about how shitty you
are,” Ethan drawled after Stiles’ remarked that cross-country wasn’t a real
sport.
“Whatever, dude. Come try out for lacrosse and I’ll show you how good I am,” he
huffed in his defense, pounding his chest with his right fist.
Ethan smacked his lips before taunting, “Oh, I saw how good you are at the game
last weekend. How many goals did you miss? Was it... three? And fumbled how
many passes-”
“Dude! That’s not fair! I was just off my game is all!” Stiles groaned.
“Seriously though,” Scott chimed in, “you gotta stop blowing off practices;
bust your butt like the rest of us. Coach asked after the game if it was a good
idea to keep you on first-string, and I felt like I was lying to him when I
said it was.”
Stiles bowed his head shamefully before replying, “I know… but Dad is all over
my ass about grades. If I don’t skip practice every now and then to study, he’s
gonna pull me from the team altogether.”
“Why are your grades shit? You’re like just as smart Lydia,” Ethan stated.
Stiles sighed exaggeratedly, heaving his entire body. He then answered,
“Because I don’t apply myself, or some other bull Miss Morrell told my dad. I
just hate homework. I don’t believe in it. School work should stay in school.
Why would we spend eight hours here just to turn around and do another four or
more hours at home? It’s fuckin’ stupid.”
“Preach,” Ethan agreed as Scott nodded as well.
The three walked down the stairs and out the side doors toward their usual
lunch table on the school patio. Liam treaded quietly behind with his head
down, having been there all along. It was common to find him trailing after
Scott because he didn’t have many friends of his own. He’d only just started as
a freshman student at Beacon Hills and hadn’t quite found his place yet among
his peers, so he tended to hang out with the older lacrosse players because
those were the only people he knew. They seemed to tolerate his presence so
long as he kept quiet, and Liam did just that; having a place to sit at lunch
with a group was better than eating alone.
Noticing a schoolyard dispute nearby, the clique paused to see what was going
on. They witnessed a senior boy continuously shove a much smaller sophomore for
accidentally stepping on his new sneakers, or something of the like, and a mob
was steadily encircling them. The elder of the two shouted derogatory curses
over and over, but just as he was about to strike the sophomore, another boy
stepped into the fray. He was tall and slender with dirty-blonde curls atop his
head, and he dressed in a gray and white striped cardigan and charcoal-colored
skinny jeans. Scott didn’t recognize him, and his comrades didn’t seem to
either because Stiles muttered, “Who’s that?”
The lanky teen moved between them, grabbed the senior by the throat, and glared
him down while demanding that he never assault another person again. He even
ordered him to apologize to everyone he’d ever been a jerk to. Surprisingly,
the senior nodded, said he was sorry to the sophomore, collected his backpack,
and hurried away, stopping only to apologize to another student for something
he’d done to her years ago.
Scott found it odd considering this particular youth had a reputation for not
backing down from confrontation. He felt the whole thing seemed off. “Did you
guys notice anything weird about that?” he asked under his breath.
Ethan was the first to reply. “Yeah, what that new kid did… It was like-”
“Magic?” Stiles finished his sentence in a hushed tone. “Like full-blown
possession. It’s one of the gifts listed in mom’s old diary; total domination
of one’s body and mind.”
Scott gaped after the dirty-blonde for a fleeting moment. He happened to glance
at Scott from across the courtyard, and the second they made eye contact, Scott
turned away and joined the others at their table. Jackson, Allison, and Lydia
were already seated.
“What happened over there?” Allison asked as Scott sat next to her and gave her
a peck on the cheek.
Stiles leaned in and whispered, “Possibly magic, but we aren’t sure.”
“Maybe,” Ethan stressed. “It was just strange the way he commanded the other
student like that.”
“Who?” Jackson asked as his curiosity perked.
“Over there. Striped sweater,” Ethan answered.
The entire table not so subtly gazed in his direction. He was sitting by
himself under a large oak tree, munching on a sandwich and barbeque potato
chips with headphones plugged in his ears.
“I think his name is Isaac,” Allison stated. “He’s in my French class. Just
started today.”
Stiles and Ethan explained what they’d witnessed, and as they mused over the
idea that there could possibly be another witch in Beacon Hills, Aiden
approached with Danny in toe. They immediately derailed their conversation, as
Danny was not privy to the fact that his friends were a young coven of witches.
“What’s up?” he asked as he took his place on Ethan’s lap.
Aiden physically scooted Liam over to make room at the end of the bench. He
dropped down his bag unceremoniously as he added, “Miss anything?”
Everyone started in on the near-fight that had taken place only minutes before,
but left out the part about the new kid and their theories of witchcraft. Scott
tried not to stare at Isaac, but his attention kept getting drawn to him while
they ate. He couldn’t explain why, but something about him was quite alluring.
He was certainly attractive in that androgynous sort of way. For being such a
tall guy, he appeared to be making himself small and inconspicuous. Perhaps he
was the loner type that enjoyed his peace and quiet. Scott remained fixated on
him for most of the meal, keeping one ear on the group conversation so that he
could comment when something pertaining to him was said.
As the bell rang signalling the end of lunch period, the clique began to pack
up and go their separate ways, however, Scott asked that Lydia remain behind.
Jackson gave him a sour look, but didn’t argue, and after Danny was well out of
earshot, Scott stated, “I need you to do me a favor if you don’t mind.”
“What do you need?” she inquired.
“The new boy, Isaac. I need you to get close enough to him to sense if he has
any magic,” Scott muttered. “You can do that, right?”
“Sure. Shouldn’t be a problem,” the redhead cooed. “I’ll let you know later if
I feel anything.”
He frowned and pressed, “I want to know as soon as you find out. Before
school’s over. Understand?”
“Do you think he’s one yet to be named?”
Scott shrugged. “Maybe. Just get close enough to see if he’s got the craft or
not.”
Lydia nodded. “Yeah, I’m on it.”
“Good. Come find me when you do.”
                                        
                                      ~*~
                                        
Lydia spotted him at his locker. Flipping her hair and sauntering up next to
him with a seductive gleam in her eye, she asked pointedly, “Hi. You’re Isaac,
right?”
He side-glanced her while placing a textbook from his locker into his canvas
messenger bag. “That’s me,” he courteously stated.
“I’m Lydia.”
“Cool,” Isaac muttered, not paying her much attention.
She was momentarily put off by how disinterested he seemed, but recovered
quickly. “Saw what you did during lunch. That was awfully brave of you to put
your neck on the line for someone else.”
He only shrugged. “I don’t like bullies.”
Lydia eyed him down and back up. He still hadn’t given her a second look.
“Listen, some friends and I are getting together after school. Maybe you’d like
to join us?”
Isaac shut his locker and turned to go. “I’m trying out for lacrosse after
school. Sorry.”
He attempted to step by, but she blocked him, moving into his path. “Oh good!”
she exclaimed. “My boyfriend is the team captain- co-captain. And my best
friend’s boyfriend is the other co-captain. You can ride with them after
practice.”
He gazed at her skeptically before agreeing if only to get by. “Sure. Whatever.
See’ya later.”
As he moved passed, his forearm brushed against her shoulder, and it caused the
hair on the back of her neck to stand. Her eyes widened, although he hadn’t
noticed as he continued on. The redhead slowly smiled, and decided to seek out
Scott immediately.
 
                                      ~*~
 
On the lacrosse field, Scott spoke softly with Jackson. They were having the
team run drills while Coach yelled obscenely at Greenberg.
“Are you sure?” Jackson inquired. “He’s one of us?”
Scott nodded. “Lydia says so. Maybe not one of us, but she said he’s powerful,
like you and me, or Derek.” After finishing his thought, he noticed his best
friend wasn’t giving all his effort and howled, “Pick it up, Stiles!”
Jackson folded his arms across his chest as he shifted his hips. “And just like
that we’re going to bring him to the spot? We don’t even know if we can trust
him.”
“Lydia thinks he’s a good guy. She couldn’t feel any dark intent on his mind,
although apparently he’s got some daddy issues… I said PICK IT UP, STILES!”
“Are you friggin’ kidding me?” Stiles groaned as he passed them, drenched in
sweat and gasping for breath.
Jackson scoffed. “You’re the Supreme. If you want him to tag along, that’s on
you, but I don’t like it. Not until we know if he’s trustworthy.”
Scott frowned at him. “Part of trusting someone is giving them the chance to
prove themselves. Besides, Aiden can wipe his memories if things don’t go
well.”
“I don’t trust him either. Ethan’s legit. He treats Danny like a prince, but
Aiden’s… Aiden’s a snake.”
“You don’t trust anyone, Jackson,” Scott drawled. “Nice, Liam!”
The youngster grinned like a puppy at the praise as he sprinted by the co-
captains.
Jackson rolled his eyes. “I trust Danny. I trust Lydia… mostly. I’ve even
learned to trust you to a certain degree, but not Aiden.”
“Well, Lydia named the twins as part of our coven, so regardless how you feel,
you’re stuck with him. And we’re all suppose to trust each other with our lives
for our magic to be at its strongest, so I suggest you get over it.”
“It’s not like I need you anyway. I’d do fine on my own,” Jackson huffed with
unnecessary gusto.
Scott was beginning to grow irritated with him and his tone reflected that
fact. “Rogue witches get singled out when they don’t have the protection of a
coven. You should know that better than anyone.”
Jackson’s eyes darkened at the comment. He appeared on the verge of a violent
action toward Scott, but managed to restrained himself, knowing it’d be
pointless to assault him on the field. Jackson heavily exhaled in an attempt to
control his temper. “I don’t like it when you bring that shit up, Scott,” he
hissed. “Of course, I haven’t forgotten what the witch hunters did to my
biological parents.”
“Well then,” Scott continued as he caught sight of Isaac, “stop acting like you
could make it on your own. When witches don’t have a coven, they burn.” He
paused before adding, “On a side note, Isaac looks pretty good out there. Stick
work is on point and he’s fast; long legs. I think we should add him to the
team.”
Jackson snorted obnoxiously and sneared, “We should put him on first-string and
replace Stiles.”
Scott groaned inwardly as he watched Isaac weave between the cones far more
gracefully than his best friend had. “He’s gonna be so pissed at me for this.”
“You actually agree with me?” Jackson gasped in amazement.
Scott grimaced while watching Stiles trip over his own feet. “Yeah… we gotta
bench him. I’ll tell him alone after practice.”
“Great!” Jackson exclaimed smugly. “Who’re we benching next?”
 
                                      ~*~
                                        
“Really worked up a sweat out there,” Stiles muttered as he stepped out of the
showers. Scott was in toe behind him and both were dripping wet with towels
wrapped around their waists. The captain could only smile sadly at the remark,
knowing in a few minutes he was going to tell Stiles that he wasn’t a starter
anymore.
Jackson came out next with Danny at his side, the two chatting about plans for
the evening.
“So I’ve gotta go over some stuff with Scott, but was wondering if you wanted
to study later, maybe grab a bite to eat?” the shorter of them asked.
Danny frowned and shook his head. “Sorry, man. I’ve got a date with Ethan
tonight. Want me to text you when we finish?”
Jackson smirked at him, giving him a friendly nudge. “Naw. Enjoy yourself. I
wouldn’t text you if I had Lydia over.”
“True,” Danny chuckled.
Scott’s attention was drawn to Isaac as he moved into view from around the
corner. His drenched, curly hair clung to his face; white towel draped low on
his waist. His glistening torso was long and lean, with a happy trail that
spanned down to what appeared to be neatly trimmed pubes. Scott tore his eyes
away as Isaac approached so not to seem overly interested.
“Hey, you’re Scott, right? One of the captains?”
“Hi. Yeah, I’m Scott. And you’re Isaac.”
“That’s me. But hey, Lydia told me to meet up with you after practice, to get a
ride because we’re hanging out somewhere?”
“That’s right,” Scott replied.
“Listen, nothing against you guys, I mean, it’s cool that you’d include the new
kid, or whatever, but it’s kinda weird that you just invite me out of the blue
without knowing me, and I definitely don’t know you. For all I know you could
be driving me out into the middle of nowhere and leaving me or trying to pull
some other stupid prank, so I think I’m just gonna go home-”
“No, you gotta come!” Stiles blurted out.
Isaac glanced to him appearing confused. “Okay… What’s going on?”
“I-uh…” Stiles mumbled, looking from Isaac to Scott for help.
“It’s just we think you’d fit in with our group of friends,” Scott tried to
recover Stiles’ fumble.
Isaac seemed more curious. He leaned in and voiced quietly, “Do you guys like…
drink and toke and stuff? Or… I don’t really know what you’re trying to tell me
here.”
Scott and Stiles peeked at each other before they nodded in unison. “Yes,” they
replied together.
“You like to party, right?” Stiles prodded without missing a beat.
“Definitely. I’m game,” Isaac went on. “I’ve been dying for some smoke, but I
don’t know anyone around here so it’s been hell.”
“But we’ve actually got some things to talk about, privately. We’re all going
to the same place though, so you can ride with Jackson. Guy over there,” Scott
said and pointed at the dark-haired youth with freckles dotting his shoulders.
He stood at his locker in his jockstrap on the opposite side of the room.
“Okay. Guess we’ll catch up later,” Isaac said casually before heading over to
Jackson.
“Wow, that was awkward,” Scott muttered under his breath.
“What do we need to talk about?” Stiles inquired the second Isaac had gone.
“I’ll tell you in the parking lot,” Scott answered shortly.
They dried off, dressed with haste, and went to Stiles’ Jeep parked in the
front lot next to Scott’s motorbike.
“So come on. What’d we need to talk about?” Stiles asked as he tossed his bag
into the back of his vehicle.
Scott sighed deeply. “I just… I want you to know it was nothing personal. I’m
your best friend and-”
“Christ, Scott, just tell me,” Stiles interrupted him.
“Okay, look… Jackson and I talked it over… and we decided, just until you’re
back on par, that we’re pulling you off first-string,” Scott stated in the
nicest way he possibly could.
Stiles face immediately sobered and his posture sagged. “Are you serious?”
Scott frowned. He truly felt terrible about benching him. “We’ve got a lot of
talent this year, and that means we all have to bust our butts even harder to
make the cut. I know your dad has you devoting most of your energy to studying.
I get it, and it sucks, but you’re not playing at the level you need to be and
we’ve got guys on the bench that deserve it more than you right now.”
Stiles looked like a wounded animal. His head fell as he placed his hands on
his hips. “So you’re really kicking me off first-string?”
“Stiles… it’s not like that. You aren’t the only one. All the starters are
being re-evaluated. What was I suppose to do?”
“I duno, Scott. Maybe don’t betray your best friend?” he answered flatly.
Scott extended his hand affectionately for his shoulder, but Stiles stepped
back just out of reach. It caused Scott to huff remorsefully. “Please, don’t be
mad at me. I can’t have the team questioning my leadership. If it looks like
I’m giving you special treatment, they won’t-”
“Special treatment?! I can’t believe this. Thanks Scott. I’m just gonna quit
the team. I got better shit to worry about and if I’m not even going to play,
there’s no point in working my ass off at practice like today. So thanks.”
“Stiles!” Scott cried out. “Don’t act this way. It’s not permanent. If you keep
practicing and-”
“I’m done, Scott,” Stiles cut him off as he heaved open the driver-side door.
“I’m not mad. Just… Everyone’s waiting for us. I’ll see’ya at the spot.”
The youth didn’t wait for Scott’s response before hopping in and slamming the
door shut behind him. He quickly started his Jeep and peeled away without so
much as glancing back. Scott wearily sighed and shook his head in frustration.
As he turned to get on his motorbike, he notice Liam standing there on the
sidewalk and groaned. “Stiles was suppose to give you a ride, wasn’t he.”
Liam pursed his lips together and hung his head. “Yeah…” he muttered.
The junior boy rubbed the bridge of his nose and groaned. “I don’t have a spare
helmet, so hold on tight, okay?”
Liam nodded and climbed onto the back after Scott fired up the engine, hugging
him securely against his chest as they sped off after Stiles.
 
                                      ~*~
 
Isaac wasn’t exactly sure what he’d have expected after getting into the most
expensive ride he ever sat in with a gorgeous boy, but receiving the silent
treatment certainly was not it. Jackson seemed annoyed by the fact that he was
there, and the few questions Isaac asked in an attempt to make conversation
were answered snidely, so he remained quiet for the duration of the drive.
It was easy to distract himself with the sights of the beautiful forest around
them. Isaac bobbed his head lightly to the hiphop music Jackson played as he
stared out the window. Traveling further into the Beacon Hills Preserve, the
leaves were just starting to turn. They shimmered like emerald jewels against
the sun, dotted with lovely shades of copper, ruby, and gold on that early-
October afternoon. However, Isaac became slightly uncomfortable the longer they
drove; well away from the city after about fifteen minutes. “Where are we
going?” he voiced his concern.
Jackson gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and replied, “Almost
there.” he noticed Isaac shift uneasily in his seat and added, “We don’t like
people knowing about our spot.”
“I can tell,” Isaac sighed.
They veered off the county street onto an unpaved stretch of road and continued
on for another ten minutes through thick trees until coming to a clearing.
Placed on the grassy lot was an abandoned house. The paint was weathered,
faded, and cracked. Shutters hung from rusted fixtures exposing broken windows.
Vines and bushes grew up the outside walls. The wooden stairs leading up to the
front porch were rotted, the porch itself caved in, and there appeared to be
fire damage on several places of the home.
They pulled in next to a few other parked vehicles and Jackson turned off the
engine. “Come on,” he ordered as he unfastened his seatbelt and stepped out of
the Porsche.
Isaac followed him around the side of the house and he realized that the entire
rear wall had been destroyed in the fire; bits of blackened and charred rubble
littering the ground. They entered through the collapsed wall, passed what was
once a kitchen, and met several familiar faces in a cleared out sitting room.
Lydia was there, as well as the twins and Allison. Isaac recognized the smell
immediately. They were passing a blunt between them, currently hanging from
Ethan’s lips.
“No, but seriously, could he really be the next-” Aiden was saying as the two
boys came in, thick smoke exhaling from his mouth, but stopped abruptly as he
noticed them.
Lydia popped up and gave Jackson a kiss, allowing him room to sit where she had
been on a beat up, old, reclining chair, and then moved into his lap.
Ethan passed the smoldering blunt to Jackson without hesitating. “What’s up?”
he asked.
Jackson shrugged and pointed to Isaac as he inhaled the heavy smoke, and Ethan
rose to greet the newcomer. “I’m Ethan. That’s Aiden, Allison, and I guess you
already met Jackson and Lydia. Welcome.”
Isaac nodded as he glanced around the room. There were mismatched pieces of
furniture scattered about, as well as tables covered with all sorts of bizarre
objects. Ancient books, crystals and stones, strange, potted plants that he
didn’t recognize, and old papers with unfamiliar text. There were also things
hanging from the ceiling, almost like dreamcatchers but not quite.
“So what is this place?” he asked curiously.
“Well, I think we’re going to wait to tell you about it until the others
arrive,” Ethan replied, throwing his arm around Isaac’s shoulders. “Want to
join our little smokers' circle?”
“For sure!” Isaac exclaimed. “You have no idea…”
Ethan grinned, taking the blunt from Lydia and placing it between Isaac’s lips.
“There you go,” he chuckled.
Isaac closed his eyes, enjoying the taste of the cannabis smoke as he inhaled
it. He held it in his lungs for a few moments before blowing it out through his
nose. “Mmmmmm,” he moaned in pleasure. “That’s good shit.”
“Thank you very much,” Ethan cooed. “Grow it myself. Pretty dank.”
“I’ll say,” Isaac agreed as he took another hit and passed it to Allison beside
him.
They all heard the tired engine of another vehicle pull in out front, and
moments later Stiles’ face appeared in one of the windows.
“Hey guys,” he acknowledged them, but not with his usual zest.
As he went around back to come in, Allison asked, “Is he okay?”
Jackson smirked and answered, “Scott benched him. He’s probably not in a very
good mood.”
Lydia smacked Jackson’s arm and glared at him. “Don’t sound so pleased.”
This caused Jackson to roll his eyes at her. “Whatever. Let’s get another blunt
in rotation before it gets crowded in here.”
“Already ahead of you,” Ethan stated, pulling out a sack of high-grade weed and
a grape swisher.
Stiles entered and went straight to the seat in the corner. He plopped down and
folded his arms across his chest moodily.
“You okay?” Lydia quietly probed. He shrugged but chose not to answer her
vocally. She frowned, reached out and patted his arm, and then said, “Is Scott
on his way?” He shrugged again uncaringly.
Allison caught Lydia’s eye before she leaned in to Stiles. “Wanna smoke? Take
the edge off.”
He shook his head. “No thanks."
“I’ll talk to Scott,” she whispered.
He finally looked at her and frowned. “Just don’t. Please? I don’t want to deal
with it.”
“If you want…” Allison sighed, and then perked as she heard Scott’s bike
approaching in the distance.
The others grew louder, chatting about sports and school, but calmed as Scott
and Liam joined them. Scott gave Stiles a pained glance before turning his
attention to the group. “Did you tell him anything?” he asked regarding Isaac.
“We waited for you,” Aiden replied.
Isaac sat there staring up at Scott. “What’s this all about?” he inquired in
confusion. “What is this place?”
Scott began, “This is… sacred ground. Some of our ancestors called this place
home. And it’s important that this place stays a secret. We don’t want others
coming out here or it getting torn down. You have to swear you won’t tell
anyone. Not your parents or your best friend or anyone.”
Isaac nodded. “Sure. I know how to keep a secret.”
“I’m sure you do,” Scott said with a warm smile. “Tell us what you did today
with that guy at lunch.”
Isaac shifted nervously, suddenly overwhelmed with discomfort. “I don’t know
what you mean,” he said coyly.
“Don’t play dumb,” Jackson drawled.
Scott immediately interjected, “What he means is that you can be yourself with
us. You don’t have to hide anything. We won’t judge you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jackson hissed.
“Could you shut the fuck up and let Scott speak?” Aiden snapped at him.
Jackson’s expression turned more sour than usual and he threatened, “How about
you choose your words more carefully when you talk to me.”
“Or what?” Aiden drawled. “You gonna make me suffer?”
“Give me a reason,” Jackson growled menacingly.
“Hey!” Lydia yelped. “Enough!”
Scott also made to cut in-between them. “Guys, can you cool it for five
minutes?”
Both Jackson and Aiden glared at one another, but didn’t pursue the
confrontation further.
Scott looked back to Isaac. “As I was saying, we’re different than most people.
And I think you’re different, too. Tell us what you did today.”
Isaac gazed around, noticing all eyes were on him. He didn’t like being put on
the spot. “Listen, I don’t feel comfortable with this and I think I’d like to
go home.”
“For fucks sake, stop beating around the bush and just tell him!” Stiles crowed
from the corner.
Scott glanced to Stiles and chewed his bottom lip. When he didn’t answer right
away, Ethan chimed in, “Hey Liam. Light me?” He placed the blunt he just
finished rolling to his lips and waited. Liam, who was leaning against the wall
across the room, focused on the tip, and a small spark ignited it out of thin
air.
Isaac’s eyes widened. “What the hell?”
Scott smiled at him and said, “We know what you did today at school because
we’re like you. Witches. Descendants of Salem. The real deal. And you used mind
control out in the open. That’s not wise to use your power for the world to see
like that. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself.”
Isaac appeared shell-shocked. “This is crazy,” he breathed as he rose from his
seat, but Ethan stood with him and threw his arm around him once more.
“Don’t freak. You’re safe here,” he told Isaac reassuringly and handed him the
blunt.
Everyone stayed silent while Isaac took a long drag from it, gauging for his
reaction. After exhaling the smoke, he finally asked, “Witches?”
The others began to grin and nod. “Yeah,” Scott replied. “You’re not alone.
There’s people like us everywhere, but we have to be quiet about it. That’s why
I sought you out right away. You can’t use your magic in public.”
“I knew I couldn’t be the only one!” Isaac declared excitedly. “This is so
cool. Witches… I had no idea what this power even was. I’ve been able to
control others since-”
“Puberty?” Allison finished. “It’s a gift. Only the strongest witches have
special abil-”
“We didn’t bring him out here to tell him all our secrets,” Jackson interrupted
rudely. “We brought him out here to see if he’s a member of our coven. Lydia
needs to test his magic, and if he’s not one of us, he doesn’t need to know
anything else about us.”
“He should still know about his heritage, even if he’s not one of us,” Aiden
stated in a snappy tone. “We can at least teach him how to defend himself and
fly under the radar regardless if he’s gonna be in our coven or not.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Jackson fired back.
“I don’t give a shit if you did or not,” Aiden barked as he rose, towering over
Jackson.
“Guys, don’t do this,” Scott groaned.
“Can we not?” Lydia added in frustration, but Jackson shifted out from under
her and met Aiden chest-to-chest, although he was much shorter than the twin.
“You really wanna take me on?” he taunted harshly.
As tension in the air climbed, Scott stood as well. “Stop this right now,” he
demanded.
“Shut up, Scott!” Jackson snarled. “Just because everyone else voted you
Supreme, doesn’t mean I’m just going to cower when you say so.”
Jackson bit down on his pouty, bottom lip, hard enough to split the soft flesh.
Blood trickled down his chin, and everyone instantly backed away as if
terrified by the act, excluding Scott, who stood his ground.
“I don’t want to fight you, Jackson,” he stated.
“Maybe I’m sick of taking orders from you,” Jackson asserted. “Maybe it’s time
we elect a new Supreme.”
Stiles, no longer able to remain silent at the threat directed at his best
friend, lept to his feet. “Don’t you talk to Scott like that!” he yelled
angrily.
Jackson turned on him. “You have no say! You’re not even part of this coven!”
As he finished speaking, Stiles doubled over in pain and then collapsed to his
knees. As soon as Stiles went down, Scott lunged at Jackson, but the smaller
brunette spat blood in Scott’s face. The second it spattered across his skin,
Scott crumpled to the floor, writhing and screaming in agony as if every nerve
ending within his body had been assaulted.
“Jackson, stop!” Lydia shouted.
Others protested as well, but Jackson didn’t seem to care. He bent over Scott
and hissed, “You see? I’m better than you. Stronger than you. You can’t even
fight back. All that power you have is useless against me.”
As Scott lay howling in pain, and Stiles in no better shape, Aiden came out of
nowhere, punching Jackson bare-knuckled across the cheek. Jackson staggered,
managed to catch himself on one of the tables, and pointed at Aiden. Just like
Scott and Stiles, Aiden sank to the floor, overcome with severe pain the likes
of which he’d never experienced. Jackson focused all his attention on
tormenting Aiden. The twin cried out at first, but the pain became so great so
quickly that he could no longer scream after only moments. His body trembled
and convulsed, muscles seizing as tears streamed down his face.
“Let him go!” Ethan roared, but one venomous glance from Jackson stopped him in
his tracks.
“Jackson!” Lydia tried again. “Don’t do this!”
“Stop, please! You’re killing him!” Ethan begged desperately.
Jackson ignored them, continuing to torture his brother with the destructive
force of his blood magic. Aiden’s pulse raced; he was on the verge of cardiac
arrest. His body couldn’t cope with the immense stress caused by the tremendous
pain surging through him. His eyes rolled into the back of his skull and he
began foaming at the mouth as he shook violently.
Without warning, a fist closed around Jackson’s hair and yanked him around. As
Jackson winced, he found himself facing Isaac, their noses only an inch apart.
Isaac’s pupils blew out, the black expanding to take up all color in his
irises, and Jackson’s eyes mimicked his.
“Stop,” Isaac ordered, resulting in Jackson’s sudden calm. “Release them from
your magic.”
Immediately, Aiden, Scott, and Stiles felt relief from the agony that racked
their bodies. Ethan and Lydia both rushed over to Aiden, while Allison and Liam
helped raise Scott and Stiles to their feet.
“You will never again use your magic on another witch,” Isaac told Jackson
before releasing him. The vindictive youth swayed and toppled over, falling
into a fetal position and staring off blankly as the blue of his irises
returned.
“Thank you,” Scott directed at Isaac while leaning on Allison. “None of us
could have stopped him.”
The dirty-blonde pursed his lips and nodded affirmatively, but before he had
the chance to speak, Lydia’s voice rang out.
“He who enslaves!” The others glanced to her, knowing exactly what was about to
transpire, however, Isaac appeared startled. Her dazzling, hazel orbs glowed
white and her red curls blew with an eerie wind as she gazed directly upward.
“Master of will! Nine of ten in thy sacred coven! Named he is! Named he is! The
Shackle!”
The mystic aura around Lydia faded abruptly and she returned to herself.
Sighing heavily, she looked up at Isaac. “Welcome to the coven, Isaac. You are
one of us.”
 
End Notes
     Happy Halloween! Decided to start working on this in the spirit of
     October. Been musing over the plot for a while. It's still not
     completely ironed out, but since I have a few chapters written and a
     general direction I'm moving toward, I will go ahead with publishing
     it. Hope you enjoy. Will be updating soon. - k
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