CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
SIGN OF THE TIMES
( i'm sorry in advance )
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Liam stands up to face the alpha, "What do you mean no?" He asks, his tone full of rage and disbelief. All eyes fall onto the two, everyone contemplating whether or not they should step in to calm the situation down.

"Liam, look at them. They're too weak. It will kill them," Scott whispers, causing the Dunbar boy to slowly look at both girl's. His eyes softening almost instantly when he's see's their poor state. He turns his head back towards the alpha as he listens to him speak, "We don't even know what the mercury's doing to them. We don't even know if it is actually mercury. This can't be the only way to save their life."

"It saved mine," Liam reminds the McCall boy.

Scott slowly shakes his head from left to right, his gaze falling onto the ground, "You know, that was different. You were hanging off a ledge."

The beta steps forward, his tone growing louder as he spoke, "You promised. You said you'd do everything you could."

"Which is why I'm not going to do something I think is going to kill them," Scott sternly informs the boy, gasping slightly when he finishes his sentence. "There has to be-." He begins, however, his breathing interrupts him, making all eyes fall onto him.

"Scott," Theo announces, standing up from his place next to the huntress and tossing the McCall boy his inhaler.

The alpha catches it with ease and quickly shakes it before using it. His breathing slowly going back to normal, diverting his attention back towards the beta, "There's another way to save them."

Hayden and Elena's breathing intensifies, catching Theo, Brett, and Marcos's attention, "Guys, I don't know what the statistics are for surviving a werewolf bite, but they're definitely not surviving this. We need to do something." He announces, earning nods from the other boy's in agreement.

Scott quickly pulls out his phone, dialing his mom's number before walking out of the room with Theo following after him. Elena lies in her brother's arms, her body shivering and aching in pain. She slowly opens her eyes, focusing on her brother, "I don't want to die without Adriana." She whispers, however, Marcos understood her words perfectly.

"You're not going to die, not on my watch," He tells her, tears brimming in his eyes as he looks over every inch of her face, noticing her usual smile replaced with a sudden frown. Marcos inhales deeply, diverting his gaze towards Brett who was staring down at the huntress, his eyes full of worry and concern. "Okay fine, but you hang on for us," He unwillingly gives in, knowing Adriana would never forgive him if she didn't get to say goodbye.

Elena smiles softly at her brother, moving slightly so he can get up. The Talbot boy instantly brings her into his arms, stroking her hair gently as she watches her brother exit the room. He stops at the entrance and turns back around, nodding and smiling sadly at his twin sister before finally walking out.

It wasn't long after that Melissa McCall had arrived at the animal clinic, placing Elena and Hayden onto metal tables so she was able to work on them better, "What's that?" Liam asks, motioning to what Melissa was about to perform on the two sick girl's.

"It's call chelation therapy. It removes heavy metals from the blood. But the problem is, is that it can injure the kidneys and Hayden only has one to begin with so," She explains, sticking a needle into the Romero girl's arm and making a groan escape from her mouth.

The beta takes notice of this and grabs a hold of Melissa's arm in an attempt to stop her, "Hey, you're hurting her."

"And you're hurting me," Melissa announces, immediately catching her son's attention and causing Liam to instantly let go.

He drops his head in disappointment of his actions as he mumbles a quick apology. The Raeken boy notices the tension in the air before speaking up, "Hey guys. Remember, we're here to save two life's. Not kill each other."

Scott nods, "It's the full moon. We can feel it even during the day."

"And it's a Supermoon," Brett adds, catching Melissa's attention as she continues working on both of the girl's.

"What is that supposed to make you guys, like super strong? Super aggressive?" She questions, looking amongst the werewolves in the room for an answer.

They all nod as her son speaks up, "Both."

Scott and Theo exit the room, trying to discuss a few things in private as Melissa gently wraps the girl's up in blankets that she brought while also sticking an IV in their veins. Once the two boy's were done speaking, the Raeken boy enters the room and walks over towards the Calavera girl.

Brett carefully watches Theo as he takes the huntress's hand in his. The Talbot boy's body tenses, trying to restrain himself from making a scene in front of the brunette because he knew now wasn't the time. Elena's eyes slowly flutter open, an instant smile forming on her face as she looks into the Raeken boy's eyes.

His eyes showing clear signs of concern with a hint of what almost looks like guilt, "I gotta leave for a while, okay?

Elena slowly nods, squeezing onto his hand a little tighter, "You're coming back, right?"

Theo smiles sadly, bringing a hand up to and moving her hair from her face, "Yeah, I'd never leave you behind." He whispers, earning a soft smile from the huntress as he gives her hand one last squeeze before kissing it softly and exiting the building.

The Talbot boy takes Theo's place, holding onto Elena's hand as the McCall woman does the same for Hayden, "It's not working, is it?" Liam asks, snapping Brett out of his thoughts about what just occurred between Elena and Theo.

"They should be showing signs of improvement," Melissa tells them before reaching down to gently stroke the Romero girl's hair, "Hayden?"

Hayden gasps slightly, her breathing making it difficult to talk, "Call Val. My sister, Valerie."

"She's a deputy," Liam informs them as Scott enters the room, listening to the Romero girl talk as he gently places a hand on Elena's forehead.

The McCall boy sighs, taking his attention away from the huntress who smiled at him softly, "I think I might know where she is. Theo just texted me about the high school. He said there's cops everywhere. Might be another Chimera."

"My sister, I don't want to die without my sister," Hayden mumbles, causing Scott to nod in response.

"I'll get her," The alpha tells her before moving his attention towards Elena, "And I'll try and find Marcos and Adriana too." He adds slowly turning around to exit the room.

However, before he can do so, Liam speaks up, "Wait, what are you going to tell her?"

"If I have to, I'll tell her everything," Scott answers, leaving the group in the capable hands of his mom.

Melissa tries her best to keep the girl's alive, however, she doesn't expect rashes to start forming on their wrists and neck. "They're getting worse, aren't they?" Liam asks, noticing Melissa's change in behavior when she see's the patterns appearing on the girl's skin.

"Yeah. Which is why we're taking them to the hospital," She tells him, causing Brett to nod, gently dropping the huntress's hand and starting to help Melissa gather her things.

"How's that gonna help?" The Dunbar boy questions, not sure how this new plan was going to save them.

"We're in an animal clinic and I need equipment designed for humans," Melissa explains before slowly turning to face the beta, "I said that we're going to take them to the hospital. I didn't say we're going through the front door."

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Melissa, Liam, Brett, Hayden, and Elena all made it into the hospital elevator, the two girls sitting in wheelchairs with IV's still connected to them. The McCall woman reaches out, pressing the fourth floor button. A groan escapes from the Romero girl's lips, catching everyone else's attention.

A black substance begins to fill the girl's IV bags, earning widen eyes from the two boys as they look to Melissa, "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure," She answers honestly, shaking her head left and right before looking from the two girls to the two werewolves, "But it's definitely not good."

Elena leans her head back, reaching out to grab the Talbot boy's hand, "Where are Marcos and Adriana?"

"They'll be here, okay?" He reassures her, instantly taking her hand in his, squeezing it gently to comfort her.

Hayden slowly looks up to Liam, the huntress's question making her wonder about her sister as well, "What about my sister?

Melissa gently runs a hand through the Romero girl's hair, "Scott's out looking for your sister Hayden. He's looking for all three of them. And he's going to bring them here as soon as he can, alright?" Hayden slowly nods, closing her eyes and leaning closer towards the Dunbar boy. Liam sadly looks at the girl as the elevator door opens.

The two boys push the girl's wheelchairs, following Melissa into a secluded room as she began working on them yet again. Once the girl's were all situated, the Dunbar boy grabs Hayden's hand, "I'll be right back." He tells her, squeezing her hand gently and walking out of the room. "Text Mason. He can help while I'm gone," He informs Brett and Melissa, earning a nod in response as the Talbot boy pulls out his phone.

About thirty minutes later, Mason comes rushing in with supplies, "Over here, yeah." Melissa tells him, causing him to quickly set everything down onto a metal table.

"Shouldn't we be talking to one of the doctors?" The Hewitt boy questions, his eyes softening as he looks between the two girls. Both of them lying there with rashes all over their entire bodies and sweating immensely.

Melissa cocks her head to the side, "I've been wrestling with that for hours. Do we bring them in and watch them treat them as normal patients while we stand here knowing that's not going to work? Or do we keeping trying everything medically possible to save her while her body does things that shouldn't be medically possible?"

Brett's eyes move up from the huntress towards Melissa, his eyes showing clear signs of worry and concern, "Are they dying?"

"With the amount of mercury in their bodies right now, they shouldn't even be alive," She answers, causing him to instantly take a deep breath and gently grab Elena's hand.

A few moments after Melissa had said that, she checks the Romero girl's pulse, noticing it is slowing down, "Oh, no, no, no, no." She mumbles, checking the side of her neck to see if the reading from her wrist was accurate. "I think you better get Liam," She announces, catching Elena's attention almost immediately.

"What about Scott?" The Hewitt boy questions back, causing Melissa to shake her head.

"He's not answering. And if Liam wants to be with her, he needs to get here now. Because she's dying and I don't know what else to do," She admits, looking sadly at the Romero girl before shifting her gaze to the huntress. Elena nods slowly, knowing what Melissa was trying to say. This was it, these were going to be Elena's last moments alive.

Brett turns to Mason, "Go, I will text you if anything changes."

The Hewitt boy looks between both girls, his eyes brimming with tears before looking back at Melissa, "Just get him here Mason." The Hewitt boy continues glancing at the Romero and Calavera, contemplating on what to do. However, as soon as Melissa shouts at him to go, he instantly runs out of the room.

Not long after Mason left, Hayden's monitor began to slowly beep until it finally flatlined. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, tears falling from the Calavera girl's eyes as she watches the Romero girl take her last breath. Melissa quickly turns the machine off, making her way over to Elena.

The huntress turns towards the McCall woman, grabbing her hand and looking her right in the eyes, "You need to go find Scott." She begins, earning furrowed brows from both Melissa and Brett. But before either of them can protest, she continues speaking, "Something's not right and I know he needs you now. I'll be okay until you get back." She pauses, motioning to the hands of the werewolf who hasn't left her side once, "Just go find him, okay? Go find your son."

Melissa unwillingly nods, giving the huntress a soft smile before leaving the room. The Calavera girl can feel her body begin to shut down, knowing these were going to be her last few moments, she looks at the Talbot boy, "Please tell Marcos and Adriana that I love them, and that they were the only family that I ever needed."

However, he immediately shakes his head, not wanting to come to terms with the fact Elena was indeed dying, "No, you're going to tell them yourself."

"Please?" She pleads, her voice becoming softer and quieter as she spoke. Realization finally paints itself onto Brett's face after hearing the huntress's heartbeat slowing down. Tears slowly begin to spill from his eyes, finally accepting that these were going to be her last few moments with him. He instantly takes her hand, squeezing it gently so she knows he's there.

A gasp escapes her lips, knowing this was going to be her last chance to ever tell the werewolf her true feelings, "I-I do, I do like you, Brett."

She admits, earning a small smile from the Talbot boy as he cocks his head to the side, mumbling a small, "Yeah?"

Elena nods, tears falling and staining her cheeks as she looks him in the eyes, "I've always liked you." She tells him, softly placing her hand to his cheek and wiping his tears that had fallen from his eyes. That was all Brett needed to hear before softly attaching his lips to her's. The huntress closes her eyes, taking in the moment as best as she could. The two slowly pull away, knowing they both have wanted to do that for a while.

However, the special and happy moment was instantly taken away when the huntress had taken her final breath. Her eyes instantly closing forever, causing the werewolf to let out a sob as he tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, admiring her face one last time.

The Talbot boy didn't even hear Marcos or Adriana enter the room. Their eyes widening as their mouths hung open, staring at their now dead sister. The Calavera boy falls to his knees, tears flowing from his eyes like a waterfall. Adriana tries her best to comfort him, bringing him into her arms as her eyes never leave Elena.

The two of them in utter shock at what they had walked into. Knowing that they didn't even get to say goodbye, knowing that they would never see her smile again, knowing that their sister, Elena Calavera, was gone. And she was never coming back.

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Elena's eyes shoot open, instantly looking around and noticing that she was surrounded by white lights and walls. Her eyes falling on a familiar figure standing in the distance. The huntress furrows her eyebrows, stepping closer to the person, "Allison?" She mumbles, recognizing the girl's familiar brown hair.

The Argent girl slowly turns around, a smile on her face as she makes eye contact with her old best friend, "Hey E." She says, causing a smile to fall onto the Calavera girl's lips as she remembers the nickname only Allison had given her.

The huntress immediately pulls her into a tight hug, tears falling from her eyes since she had thought that she wouldn't be able to see her again. The two girls slowly pull away, the Argent girl looking the huntress up and down before she spoke, "Beacon Hills looks good on you."

Elena smiles at the girl's joke, "I missed you." She tells her, earning a slow nod from Allison who smiles softly at her, "I never did get the chance to say goodbye." She mumbles, however, the Argent girl heard every word.

Allison takes the girl's hands into her's, staring into her eyes as she spoke, "You've come such a long way and I'm so proud of you, Elena." The huntress smiles, thinking back to her journey with the pack. The little bickering moments she had with Stiles, the friendships that had grown between her and the three girls, and the advice she had gotten from the alpha. But all of that was gone now, and she would never get it back.

"I love you Ally," She tells her, pulling the archer into yet another hug, sad smiles appearing on both of the girl's faces.

"I love you too," She replies, both of the girls closing their eyes and taking in this moment with each other. "Never forget that Elena," Allison adds but before the huntress can say anything else, her eyes instantly open, revealing the dark and gloomy woods of Beacon Hills.

Elena looks around frantically, fear and concern in her eyes as she notices Hayden, Corey, Tracy, and another boy around their age looking the same way. Theo crouches down to be eye length with the huntress, placing both his hands on her shoulders to calm her down, "It's okay, you're okay." He reassures her, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear as he looks at her in her eyes. "I told you I'd never leave you behind," He reminds the girl before picking her up and carrying her bridal style with the four other teenagers following right behind them.

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AUTHORS NOTE

Hey guys and welcome to chapter twenty two of Howl !! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and now we are onto the second part of season five. And, I promise you guys will get to see everyone else's reactions to Elena's 'death' in the next chapter. Also, Elena still has no idea Theo was the one who had betrayed them yet but she will find out in these upcoming chapters !!

Now, I did look over this chapter before publishing, but if there are any mistakes I should know about please let me know. Thank you guys so much for all of the love and support, it means the absolute world to me !!  Please don't forget to vote and comment, it helps me out a lot, and it gives me even more motivation to continue writing <33

— Brooke

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