The Edited Chapter
After a few seconds of silence, Stiles sighed. "I really hope so. See you tomorrow, then."
"Wait," Scott interrupted. "Start using the truck tonight. I enchanted it; it can protect you if you're attacked suddenly, and it can withstand the explosion of at least ten grenades at a time."
Stiles's facial muscles twitched. He turned to Scott stiffly. "You really went all out, didn't you?"
Scott smirked with pure arrogance. He dropped a line familiar to every Jujutsu Kaisen fan: "Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored One."
Melissa and Stiles both burst into laughter at the cringey delivery. "What in the world was that?" Melissa asked, wiping her eyes.
"It's from an anime I watched," Scott admitted.
Stiles shook his head, heading for the door. "If I stay here any longer, I'll be infected by the stupid lines you keep saying. Alright, see you tomorrow!" his voice echoed from outside.
Scott turned to his mother. "Alright then, do you want me to stay with you in case something goes wrong, or do you think you can handle yourself?"
Melissa shook her head lightly. "I'll be fine."
Scott took a deep breath. "Okay then. Good night." Before Melissa could reply, he pulled out a handgun. "I don't know if the Alpha that bit me will come looking, so you should keep this on you."
"Does this have the same functions as the one you gave Stiles?" she asked, eyeing the weapon.
"Yeah, it does—and even better. It's like a life-bound tool, or whatever they call weapons like that."
"So, what does it do?" Melissa interrupted.
Scott swallowed and replied, "You add a drop of blood to it and it's bound to you. If it senses you're in danger, it acts on its own and shoots. The bullets don't stop until they pierce the person harboring malice toward you. And so it doesn't randomly shoot at everyone, it only works if it feels that person is stronger than you."
Melissa blinked rapidly. "You really do go overboard with these gadgets of yours."
Scott smirked. "What can I say? I—"
"Don't you dare say that line again in front of me or anyone!" Melissa warned, her voice rising.
Scott shrank back, sensing that "Mexican Melissa" was on the verge of being unleashed. He put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay! Fine, I won't."
He stepped closer and hugged her. Though she was surprised—Scott rarely initiated hugs lately—she squeezed him back.
"I know things are about to get a whole lot crazier," Scott whispered. "Dangerous things are probably coming to our door, but just remember: you have an invincible werewolf son."
Melissa chuckled and let him go. "Alright, I'll accept that one. Now go to bed; you have school tomorrow."
"Okay. Good night, love you," he said, heading up the stairs. Melissa sighed and turned toward her own room.
At the Mikaelson Residence
Flashback: A few hours ago...
The new Mikaelson residence looked like any other house you could find in a suburb. It was a white, two-story building with a dark brown roof. The porch was painted brown with four stairs leading to the entrance and a small garden off to the side.
Inside, the Mikaelsons patiently awaited Hope's arrival from school—including Kol, whom the rest of the world often forgot. In one corner of the living room, Hayley and Freya chatted quietly. In another, Elijah looked like he was contemplating the weight of the world.
Soon, the creaking of the door drew their attention. They all turned simultaneously to see a beaming Hope, whose smile was bright enough to captivate anyone.
"How was school?" Hayley asked, walking toward Hope with a slight smile and hugging her.
"It was fine," Hope replied. "I also saw him and the other two girls. They're very friendly."
"Is that all?" Freya asked from across the room.
Hope shook her head. "No. One of the girls was a 'Cold One' and the other was just human, but she looked like she recognized us both."
"Do you know why?" Freya pressed.
Hope thought for a moment. "She isn't supernatural, so she can't enter a trance-state to see her mate. She probably knew us from her dreams."
"And how surprised did she look on a scale of one to ten?"
"Ten," Hope replied instantly.
Freya raised a brow. "That means she must have been having the dreams quite frequently to be that shocked upon seeing you."
Elijah finally spoke up. "A 'Cold One,' you say?"
"What are they?" Kol asked, leaning forward.
"They're like vampires," Elijah explained, "except their skin becomes like diamonds. Instead of burning in sunlight, they glow like disco balls. Unlike us, who bleed when cut, their wounds appear like fine cracks in stone. Apart from that, they are mostly similar to our kind."
"I also made friends with the girlfriend of some guy who I assume used to bully Scott," Hope added. "She has quite a strange behavior—arrogant, and a pro when it comes to sarcasm." She glanced pointedly at Kol and Klaus.
"Oh really? I would love to meet her someday," Klaus replied in his signature blend of accents.
Kol simply gave a look that said: Why the hell are you looking at me?
"Alright, I have things to do," Klaus announced, standing up. "I shall not spend the rest of my evening listening to teenage tragic love stories and the mysteries of the supernatural. Goodbye."
"Or are you just going to go kill the boy?" Kol and Rebekah asked simultaneously.
"No, I am not such a monster that I would kill a helpless child," Klaus smirked. "Instead, I'll wait until after the full moon to see what he meant when he said I wouldn't be able to kill him."
"He said that?" Kol asked, surprised. "I thought you hadn't even met the boy yet."
"Oh, I haven't," Klaus said smoothly. "He said so in that vision, dear foolish brother of mine."
Kol's eye twitched. "Then I shall be joining you in this waiting."
"And so will I," Elijah added.
Hope looked worried for Scott, yet there was a faint hint of pity in her eyes for the three legendary men standing in front of her. They had no idea what they were in for.