『Act I • Side A』
CHAPTER EIGHT

✨🌙🔮🌙✨

Juniper frowns as she gazes further into her own reflection, using her finger to drag the skin underneath her eye. She inspects it, widening her eyes that only cause it to burn and when she lets go of her poor eye, her frown deepens. 

"Purple eyes? C'mon that makes no sense." She mutters, pouting disappointingly trying to look into her eyes from every possible angle. "They're just plain brown."

"For now, yeah, they are." A soft voice chuckles from behind. Eliza Fawkes folds her hands as she raises an eyebrow at a disturbed June, shaking her head at her naivety. "They won't be always be purple, only when you decide to use your powers."

June huffs through her nose, turning around to face the blonde with her eyebrows contorted angrily. "If you would, for once, tell me something that I actually would understand, that would be great."

Eliza rolls her eyes, "June. . ." She calls out, "For the hundredth time, you are a Lunar witch."

"And for the hundredth time, I don't know what that means!"

"It means you have control over the moon." Eliza grunted annoyingly, clearly done with June's bickering. "It means you are anti- werewolf."

June glares at the witch sourly. "I said something I would understand! What the hell is anti-werewolf?"

Although the first part of what Eliza says made sense to June. For as long as she remembered, June was simply just fascinated by the moon. She would gaze at it every night, stargazing it with sparkles for eyes, and all she ever wanted was to just fly to it. Even her conservative parents strangely allowed her to watch the moon every night, even though sometimes she stayed up too late just for the sake of it. Maybe they understood, or maybe she's just lucky.

June suddenly widens her eyes as she realises something. "I forgot to call my parents! It's past midnight they would be worried sick."

"Don't bother." Eliza scoffs.

"Excuse me?"

Eliza pulls June's phone away from her grasp, holding her shoulders as though to comfort her. "I told my parents to tell your parents." She finishes the sentence with a smile as though what she just said was the most casual thing. The thing is, it is anything but casual.

June shrugs away from the fire girl's grasp, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why would you do that?" 

Eliza rolls her eyes. "Your parents adore my family."

June passes her a dismissive look although she knows it is true. Although she can't pick on a particular reason why, her parents really did admire the Fawkes'. Haruto and Mitsuki were both quiet people except with Maia and Kaleb Fawkes, both June's parents become overenthusiastic when Eliza's are around. 

"Are you wondering why your parents love mine so much?" Eliza predicts, instantly seeing through June. The 'Lunar' witch bites her lips as she nods, feeling uncomfortable with how easily Eliza read her mind.

"Its 'cuz your parents know my parents are witches too. It's only natural they'd get along so well."

June furrows her brows, searching Eliza's face as though she wants her to be lying. When she sees nothing but honesty in the blonde's fair face, her forehead frowns deeper. "Too?" She confusedly asks, "Are you saying my parents are . . . like us?"

Eliza gives the same look June did her moments ago, only to widen her eyes with realisation. "You really know nothing," She says softly, causing June to tense up more than she already is. "Witches, they're hereditary . . . your mum's a Lunar witch too. I thought you knew that." Eliza sounds guilty, but June wonders why she should feel guilty. Her heart pounds faster as June moves away slowly, feeling as though two large hands are choking her. This is the secret. What June's parents kept from her. . . they were a family of witches, of Lunar ones. They have control over the moon? This is why her parents let her stay up late at night, gazing into the silver orb. Because they understand her with their experience. She thinks of her mother and June loses air to breathe.

There's a frantic knock on the door. June can hardly care about that. She tries to stop thinking about it for now since there is a larger issue in their hands. They're still in the hellish motel, searching for the rest of the werewolves before they rip themselves apart. As much as she wants to forget about what she just discovered, her racing heart won't let her. "Are you done practicing yet?"

Practicing. It's what June was supposed to do, try and learn to use her magic with Eliza's help. But the blonde girl's  big mouth served as the biggest distraction June can ask for.

Ignoring Eliza's blue eyes, June proceeds to open the door and like she expected, she sees Allison's anxious state, her fair lips stuck between her teeth. She takes her hand away from her face when she sees June's ghostly state. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." June bites back swiftly, exiting the bathroom to encounter an equally nervous Lydia and Stiles on the bed. "Did you find Scott yet?"

"No, no we have to keep looking." Lydia responds, chewing her bubblegum lips. "After Boyd and Isaac, I'm scared to think about Scott."

"Don't say such things." Stiles snaps.

Before this, the gang came across Vernon Boyd and Isaac Lahey-- two other werewolves from Beacon Hills High, and it definitely wasn't a pleasurable first encounter for June. Both of them acted as possessed as Scott and Ethan earlier, and it scared June seeing their state, acting like hungry wild animals. Boyd went as far as drowning himself with a safe over his chest so he can't wake up even if he wanted to. June snaps her mind away from the horrid memories, trying not to think of Scott that way.

But she can't stop thinking of him. Especially not when suddenly, out of nowhere, a depressing wave washed over the young witch, making her feel like drowning in an endless sleep. Her heart churned, her chest feels like it's shrinking and once again June searches for air to fill in her lungs. Stiles is the first one to notice her state, "June?" He worriedly calls, walking over to her. The others turn over to look at the witch. "June. June?" His voice suddenly becomes urgent as he holds her best friend's shoulder, shaking her frantically.

June's head begin to spin. She feels unworthy, unworthy of living. The feeling is so unlike what she normally felt. No, June knows she wants to live, she wants to experience everything she can. She will never want to . . . kill herself. The world around her turned into a puddle, she feels like someone else has taken over her body, yet at the same time she still feels like herself. 

She widens her eyes as Stiles holds her face with his hand, panicking at June's unusual self. The others peer over her worriedly, Lydia shaking her hand as though she wants her to wake up from a deep sleep. Juniper begins to think, ignoring all their pleas. She feels like a disappointment,  which she always does-- but not like this. This is something else, something bigger than her. June doesn't know how she knows it, but she does. 

"Scott."

"What?"

June finally takes a large breath, holding Stiles's hands tightly. "Scott." She repeats, more urgently this time. "He's in danger."

Allison looks at her ominously, her mouth agape. "How do you know that?"

June shakes her head hurriedly, shrugging her shoulders. "I . . . I just do."

Without wasting another moment, June rushes out of the room, her heart thumping against her rib cage. She can feel the fear Scott is going through. She tries swallowing the dread, but her throat is clogged with large chains. It's gonna be okay, she tells herself, he'll be safe.

But when June and the rest reach down finally, she wants to scream.

They slowly close around Scott McCall, stranded on the ground, a flare blazing sapphire in his hand. His eyes downcast, miserable, but the most identifiable part is how he is drenched in liquid-- and it's not water.

Eliza inhales the scent with her eyes closed, as an Agni witch she knows the scent way too well. When her eyes open, they're glassy with tears. "Gasoline." Her voice is almost inaudible but June's heart becomes static, just like the others.

"Scott?" Allison calls out worriedly, her voice shaking.

The werewolf slowly elevates his eyes, glowering at the group. Soaking wet, gasoline drips through his lashes and June just wants to run away. But she can't, her feet are glued to the floor.

Scott opens his mouth, his lower lip shivers. "There is no hope,"  his voice falters, sending bile in June's throat. The contradicting emotions within her make her want to rip her head into two halves-- she's feeling both hers and Scott's emotions. And Scott is not okay.

"What do you mean Scott?" Allison whimpers, although there is a smile on her face since she's trying to calm him down. But the tears emitting from her eyes tells otherwise. "There's always hope."

"Not for me," Scott's voice cracks, "Not for Derek."

"Derek wasn't your fault."

"Every time I try to fight back, it just gets worse." Scott ignores Allison. "People keep getting hurt and killed."

"Scott." June steps in, her voice is trembling. "Scott, this isn't you."

He shakes his head. "I already told you June," Scott says devastatingly, his salty tears colliding with the explosive gasoline. "This is the real me."

"No, Scott, this isn't you." Stiles says again, stressing on what June said just now. The witch's eyebrows furrow, as she blinks back her tears. She has never seen Stiles so scared. The last time that happened was when his mother died. "Okay? This is someone inside your head making you do all these horrible things."

"What if it isn't? What if it's just me?" Scott says. His body shudders with he coldness he feels, but his voice is steady, like he believes what he's saying is true. "What if doing this is the best thing I could do for everyone else?" His breath hitches, becoming unsteady. Allison rubs a hand over her mouth, her eyes tightly shut as tears poured down. June's breathing fastens, Scott's depressive state almost taking over her as well. The hopelessness she suddenly begins to feel, it's all Scott.

Scott starts crying as he speaks now, "It all started that night—the night I got bitten." He looks at Stiles, only at Stiles. "Do you remember the way it was before that? You and me—we were—we were nothing. We weren't popular, we weren't good at lacrosse," His voice breaks,  "We weren't important. We were no one."

"Maybe I should just be no one again." He looks up to meet everyone's eyes, an anger taking over his otherwise sad state. June's hearts beats faster, her chest grows hot. She opens her mouth, trying to breathe because now what she feels is hate, hate for herself. Her eyes widen as she realises what it actually meant, but like always, June is too late. 

"No one at all."

Scott's nose scrunches, moving the flare in his hand closer to him. He is ready to drop it, to burn himself. June desperately turns to Eliza, whose eyes watered in agony. She can control the fire, she is their hope.

Without warning, Stiles steps forward. "Scott, just listen to me, okay?" He goes closer to Scott-- to the fire that could spread any moment. June wants to scream and run away, she wants this to be just a bad dream. "Stiles!" She cries.

He doesn't respond. "You're not no one okay? You are someone." Stiles tells to Scott who cries hopelessly. "You're—Scott, you're my best friend, okay? And I need you."

He gets closer, leaving only two feet distance between them. June bites her lips to suppress her tears. "Scott, you're my brother. All right?" He finally steps into the puddle of gasoline. June holds her breath and she can feel the girls do it too.

Scott's face changes. His eyebrows are contorted confusedly. A sudden sense of hope fills June's chest-- what if there is a way? It's Scott's mind she feels.

"So if you're going to do this, then I think you're just going to have to take me with you." Stiles declares finally, slowly reaching for the flare in Scott's hand. The werewolf doesn't move, he looks at his best friend, his brother teary-eyed, a sense of hope washing over him, yet uncertainty lingering.

Both of the boys are crying. Allison is crying. June tries to keep herself intact as Eliza stands readily, her palms wide open to control any unwanted fires.

Lydia is looking around, horror-struck as Stiles manages to pluck the flare from Scott's hand, tossing it away without looking. Eliza gasps as the flare manages to escape the kerosene, but only barely. Her eyes are sharp, ready for any unprecedented attacks.

But then, by what seems like some magical force, a gust of wind suddenly picks up and blows the flare back into the gasoline pool. Lydia shrieks, "No!" And sprints towards the duo of best friends, leaping over them to protect them from the fire that roared to life. June is pulled back by Allison, and all of them are dropped on the floor, panic-stricken as their breathing pace increases.

Everyone except Eliza, is on the floor. The Agni stands up to her name, holding herself in front of the fire as she spread her hands, keeping the ferocious embers in place. She screams along with the flames, struggling to control it.

Lydia's movements quake uneasily as she sees a cloaked figure silhouetted in the pillar of flames, its scarred face hissing menacingly. Only she can see it.

Stiles secures a hand over a devastated Scott, but June can feel how he is back to his normal state with the heat, her heart beats calming down. Stiles turns his head to look over at June, concernedly, his face soaked in his own tears. "Are you okay?" His voice struggles to keep itself straight and June finds herself weeping with overwhelm, throwing her hands over his shoulders with no warning. She engulfs him wholly, tasting her own tears on his shoulder. Stiles is taken aback by the gesture, not returning it for a long moment and when he finally does, June's embrace only tightens. She snuggles closer into him, still crying, although his scent is traced with gasoline, June really, really missed his hugs. 

"I missed you." She whimpers into his neck.

She feels his throat vibrate as he chuckles, "Me too, June. Me too."

A/N:
i have nothing much to say except this was just a filler?? i hope the connection thingy between scott & june is a bit more clearer now since that's what i was going for!

let me know what you thought pls!