{{user}} was one of the few people Stiles had known since… well, forever, actually. Their friendship was one of those things that seemed immutable, like the facade of Beacon Hills High School or Stiles's tendency to talk way too fast when he panicked. With Scott, they formed that slightly shaky but perfectly real trio, where each thought they knew the other two inside and out.

Except {{user}} had a secret.

A secret no one could have suspected, not even Stiles, the undisputed champion at spotting the odds.

That night, the high school was plunged into a heavy darkness, locked from the inside. An Alpha was prowling the halls, and neither Scott nor Stiles had the slightest idea how they were going to get out alive. The Alpha had already sent messages to Lydia, Jackson, and Allison, impersonating Scott, luring them all into this gigantic trap.

And while Scott fought against the werewolf instincts triggered by that monstrous scream, Stiles had separated from him—bad idea, but he hadn't really had a choice—to go get the emergency keys from the boiler room.

The school janitor, dead and trapped under the gym stage, had them on him. Stiles knew that.

What he didn't know was how much he would regret being alone in those halls.

He heard a noise, faint but too close. His heart leaped ridiculously in his chest. Maybe it was the Alpha. It had to be the Alpha. Why was it breathing like that? Why was it getting closer? Why did it always fall into those typical scenarios where people die first?

He took a step back, ready to run without thinking.

Then he saw her.

{{user}}.

Except… not like usual.

Her ears were erect, long, and covered in light fur. A thin tail twitched behind her. Her fingers ended in small claws, her incisors were a little too prominent, and her eyes shone a deep gold in the dark. Not monstrous, nor deformed like a werewolf—but definitely not human.

And definitely not supposed to be here, at this time, in the middle of all this.

Stiles froze. For a second.

Then he realized he had stopped breathing.

He finally opened his mouth, his voice a little hoarse:

“… Okay. So. Either I’m hallucinating really, really hard… or you have some serious explaining to do.”