Amara's outfit:
Party -
School / Animal Clinic -
Loft / Bank -
Chapter Twenty-Six
â Chaos Rising â
Hurrying along the sidewalk of a suburban neighborhood, Stiles glances over to Scott. "What?"
"What, what do you mean, "what"?"
"I mean "what," and you know what".
"'What' what?"
"That look you were giving."
"I didn't give a look."
"Oh, there was a distinct look, Scott."
"What look?"
"The look that says that the last thing you feel like doing right now is going to a party. " Stiles says and Scott sighed, "It's not that. It just seems weird going to a different high school's party."
"What? Would you... God, one drink, all right? You'll be fine. I went to nursery school with this girl, okay? She promised to introduce us to all of her friends. So tonight, no girls, we're just having fun." Stiles said and Amara furrowed her brows slightly.
"If there's no girls then why are you making me come?" Amara asked making them look over at her, "Because you're our gay best friend, you don't count. Plus, if we didnt bring you, you'd call us homophobic." Stiles and Amara scoffed. "I don't do that." She said and Scott raised his eyebrows, "During the summer you said it was homophobic that we didn't take you with us to practice lacrosse." Scott said and Amara held her hand up.
"It was very offensive that you didn't even ask your best friend if she wanted to go." Amara said and Stiles gave her a look, "You hate watching lacrosse practice! You complain the whole time." Stiles said and Scott nodded in agreement making Amara looked at them offensive. "It is very homophobic that the two of you are ganging up on me." Amara jokingly said as they neared the house.
"Homophobes aside, let's do this party." Amara said while rubbing her hands together and Stiles nodded. "That's what I'm talking about." Stiles said and they turn down a walkway to the door of an upscale house. "How's my breath smell?" Scott asked making them look at him weird, "I'm not smelling your breath." Stiles said. "Do you have any gum?" Scott asked and Amara shook her head, "You're fine!" She said.
Amara, Stiles and Scott walked into the house and after a couple second they heard someone yell Stiles' name making them all look over to see some blonde girl walking over. "Hey! There's the birthday gi-" Stiles started to say but Heather cut him off by kissing him.
"So happy you made it. Come help me pick out a bottle of wine." Shocked by the kiss, Stiles glances to Scott and Amara who gives him an encouraging nod while Amara also gave him two thumbs up. As Heather draws Stiles away, Scott walked up to Heather's friend, Danielle and smiled at her.
"Hey." He said and she just looked him up and down before cocking an eyebrow and walking away. "Oh! That's gotta hurt the ego." Amara said as she laughed making Scott playfully shove her. Amara's phone when off making Amara pull it out to see a text from Allison.
Stepping away from the house, Amara and Scott hurries to the sidewalk where they find Allison and Lydia waiting under a streetlight. "This isn't the talk we were going to have, is it?" Amara asked and Allison shook her head before pulling up her sleeve to reveal a mark on her arm.
Lydia held her arm as well to know the same exact mark on her arm. Amara tilted her head to the side, grabbing the girls arms looking at the bruises, "Interesting..."
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In an empty classroom, Lydia and Allison hold their arms together, forming the complete symbol on their skin. Derek stood in front of them while Amara and Scott stood by his side. Derek raises his eyes to meet Allison's, neither of them blink, glaring at each other. "I don't see anything."
"Look again."
"How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?" Derek asked making Amara sigh, "It's the same on both sides! Exactly the same." Amara said as if that was gonna get Derek to listen. "It's nothing." Derek said. "Pareidolia. Seeing patterns that aren't there? It's a subset of apophenia." Lydia finished and Scott sighed. "They're trying to help." Scott said with a sigh making Derek raise his eyebrows before turning to Allison and Lydia.
"These two? This one, who used me and my cousin to resurrect my psychotic uncle. Thank you." He said sarcastically while looking at Lydia before turning to Allison, "And this one, who shot about thirty arrows into me and my pack? Why Amara still likes you is beyond me." Derek said making Amara look offended.
"That was so unnecessary."
"Okay, all right, now, come on... No one died, all right? Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay? A little mangling, but not death! And that's what I call an important distinction." Stiles said making them glance over him. "My mother died." Allison said and Derek scoffed, "Your family's little honor code killed your mother, not me." Derek said.
"That girl was looking for Scott and Amara. I'm here to help them, not you." Allison says and Derek raises his eyes slightly, "You wanna help? Find something real." He said and walked out making Scott run after him.
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A book slams down on the teacher's desk, jolting the class to attention. Coach Finstock eyes the students with his standard disdain. "The stock market is based on two principles. What are they?" He asked and Scott raised his hand "Yes, McCall, you can go to the bathroom."
"No Coach, I know the answer." Scott said and Coach started laughing making Scott look at him in offense, "Oh, you're serious." He said making Amara laugh and glance back at Scott. "Yes. Risk and reward." Scott answered. "Wow! Who are you? And what have you done to McCall? Don't answer that. I like you better. I like you better." Coach said and Scott chuckled. "Does anybody have a quarter? A quarter."
"Yep." Stiles says dinning into his pocket. He pulls out a quarter but along with the quarter came something else. Amara glanced down to see a XXL condom on the ground next to her chair making her laugh and glanced at Stiles who was beat red.
Coach walked over and picked it up, "Stilinski, I think you, uh... You dropped this. And congratulations." Coach says as he sets the condom on the desk before turning to the rest of the class. Stiles looks at Scott who looked at him with a proud smile while Amara was still laughing.
Coach returns to his desk. He grabs his "coach rules" mug and sets it on the floor. Stepping back a few paces, he bounces the quarter right into the mug. "Risk and reward. Put the quarter in the mug and you win the reward. Okay. Danny. Risk, reward." He said setting the quarter on Danny's desk, "What's the reward?" Danny asked. "You don't have to take the pop quiz tomorrow."
"Coach, it's not a pop quiz if you tell us about it."
"Danny, you know, I really expect more from you at this point. Really. McCall. Risk, reward. The risk, If you don't put that quarter in the mug, you have to take the pop... the... the quiz. And... and you have to write an essay. Risk, more work. Reward... No work at all. Or choose not to play." Scott picks up the quarter, turning it over in his fingers. "But isn't this just chance?" Scott asked.
"No. You know your abilities, your coordination, your focus, past experience... all factors affecting the outcome. So what's it gonna be McCall? More work, no work, or choose not to play?"
Scott takes a long look at the quarter, but then sets it back down on the desk. "Okay, who's next? Who wants the quarter?" Coach said and Stiles patted his desk with a smile, "There's a gambling man." Coach said as Stiles stood up and walked over to the front. But as Stiles lines up his shot, he doesn't notice the classroom door opening. "Stiles-"
"Yeah, Coach, I got this."
"Stiles." Amara said making him look up. He glances over to see his father, and another deputy waiting in the doorway for him.
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Scott and Amara followed Stiles down the corridor, trying to keep up. "So, you think they kidnapped Heather to turn her?" Scott asked and Stiles shrugged, "Derek says it's easier to turn teenagers." Stiles said and Amara shook her head and sighed.
"I doubt it. The Alpha pack would have no reason for making a Beta." She said and Stiles just sighed and turned to them. "Guys, I don't know. I don't care. All right? This girl... Our moms were best friends before mine died, okay? We used to take frickin' bubble baths together when we were three. I gotta find her!"
"Then we need Isaac to remember." Scott said, "How? Peter and Derek couldn't do it. You know any other Werewolves with a better trick?" Stiles asked and realization crossed over Amara's features.
"Well, not a Werewolf."
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Ice pours into a steel tub filled with water, the kind of tub typically used to bathe animals. Deaton approaches to watch Scott, Stiles and Derek empty bags of ice into it. Kneeling next to the tub, Isaac tentatively touches a finger to the water, instantly taking them out.
"Obviously, it's not going to be particularly comfortable. But if we can slow your heart rate down enough you'll slip into a trance- like state." Deaton says making Isaac look up at him, "Like being hypnotized?" He asked. "Exactly. You'll be half transformed. It'll let us access your subconscious mind."
"How slow does his heart need to be?"
"Very slow."
"How slow is very slow?"
"Nearly dead."
"But it's safe, right?"
"Do you want me to answer honestly?"
"Not really. No." Isaac said as Amara and Makena walked in with some jars and a few candles. "Luckily, Makena can put a protection spell over you." Deaton said as Makena started placing candle around the tub, then went to start lighting the candle while Deaton went to explain everything more. But before he could say anything a rubber snapping catches their attention.
They look over to Stiles who pulls on latex surgical gloves. Feeling their eyes on him Stiles turns to the group with a slight smile. "What?" He asked and Derek raised his eyebrows at him making him frown and take the glove off.
"If it feels too risky, you don't have to do this." Amara said looking at Isaac, who stared at the tub for a moment. He took his shirt off, tossing it onto a table before stepping into the tub with a soft splash. Already shivering, he takes a few quick breaths to prepare, then gives them a nod.
Grabbing him by the arms, Amara, Scott and Derek plunge Isaac into the ice-filled water. Isaac bursts from the icy water, gasping through his fangs as his body convulses from the cold. "Get him back under." Deaton says and they push Isaac beneath the swirling ice, struggling to keep him submerged while Stiles clutches at his
ankles. Isaac's body shudders, jerking upward.
"Hold him."
"We're trying!"
Isaac's eyes snap open, glowing yellow. Strangled gasps come from his throat. But then, finally, his body relaxes. Breath slowing, he slips back amid the ice and closes his eyes. Deaton looked up at Makena and nodded making Makena glance at everyone.
"Now, remember... only I talk to him. Too many voices will confuse him and draw him out." Makena said and everyone nodded, "Isaac? Can you hear me?" She asked and Isaac stirs, eyes moving under the lids as if dreaming. "Yes, I can hear you." Isaac answered making Makena nod, "This is Makena. I would like to ask you a few questions. Is that all right with you?"
"Yes."
"I want to ask you about the night you found Erica and Boyd. I want you to remember it for me in as vivid detail as possible, like you're actually there again." Makena says and Isaac tenses, rising up from the water. Amara and Scott gently press him back, but he begins to struggle. "I-I don't wanna do that. I don't- I don't wanna do that. I don't wanna do that."
"Isaac, it's all right. Just relax. They're just memories. You can't be hurt by a memory."
"I don't wanna do that."
"It's all right."
"I don't wanna do that."
"Relax. Relax." Makena said calmly and Isaac eased back down, seeming to relax again. "Good. Now, let's go back to that night- to the place you found Erica and Boyd. Can you tell me what you see? Is there some kind of building? A house?"
"It's not... It's not a house. It's stone. I think marble." Isaac said and Makena nodded slightly, "That's perfect. Can you give me any other descriptors?" Makena asked.
"It's dusty... and so empty..."
'Like an abandoned building?" Makena asked and Isaac didn't answer, "Isaac? Isaac?" Makena asked. Suddenly, Isaac's His hand around Scott's wrist, grabbing him with a sudden intensity. "Isaac, relax-"
"No, no, no, they see me! They see me!"
"Just memories- you won't be hurt by your memories. Just relax. Relax." Makena said calmly and, breathing hard, Isaac's grip begins to loosen until finally, he releases his grip on Scott. "Good. Now, tell us what you see. Tell us everything."
Eyes open, Isaac stares up at the ceiling, transfixed by the memory, "I hear him. He's talking about the full moon, about being out of control when the moon rises." Isaac said. "Is he talking to Erica?" Makena asked, "I think so. I can't... I can't see her, I ca-I can't see either of them."
"Can you hear anything else?"
"They're worried what they'll do during the moon. They're... worried that they're gonna hurt each other." Isaac said and Derek looked up, "If they're locked together on the full moon, they're gonna tear each other apart." Derek whispered and Makena nodded and looked back down at Isaac. "Isaac, we need to find them right now. Can you see them?"
"No..."
"Do you know what kind of room it is? Is there any kind of a marker? A number on a door? A sign?" Makena asked and Isaac draws in a sudden, terrified breath as he shot up, "They're here." He said in a whisper. "They... They..." Isaac whispered starting to panic again as Amara gently pushed him back down. "It's all right-"
"No!" Isaac yelled and started to struggle more, "They see me. They see me." Isaac cut him off. "This isn't working." Derek said, leaning forward, "Isaac, where are you?" He said making Makena look at him. "You're going to confuse him." Makena said, "They're coming- they found me." Isaac struggles, water splashing up as panic grabs hold of him.
"Where are you?" Derek asked as ice spills across the floor around while Derek struggles to hold Isaac still. "Derek, his heart rate- he could go into shock." Deaton said and Makena nodded, "Derek, let him go." Makena said but Derek didn't listen and shouts again, voice thundering at Isaac.
"Where are you? What did you see?"
"A vault- it's a vault- a bank vault."
Water splashing, Isaac jerks up from the tub, alert and excited, he's completely out of the trance. "I know where they are. I saw it. I saw the name." He said and while Amara and Scott help him out, Deaton throws a towel around his shoulders. "Beacon Hills First National. It's an abandoned bank. They've been keeping them in a vault. Locked inside..." Isaac said noticing their subdued reactions.
"What? What's wrong?" He said and Stiles sighed, "You don't remember what you said right before you came out of it?" Stiles asked and Isaac furrowed his brows and shook his head. "You said when they caught you, they dragged you into a room. And there was a body in it." Amara said making him look at her, "What body?" He asked and she sighed as she glanced at the others for a moment.
"Erica. You said it was Erica."
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"She's not dead." Derek said as he paced around slightly making Amara sigh as she moved some hair out of her face. "Der, he said, 'There's a dead body. It's Erica.' That doesn't really leave us much room for interpretation." Aamara said from where she sat on a table next to Isaac.
"Then who was in the vault with Boyd?" Derek asked and Stiles sighed and shrugged, "Someone else, obviously." He said. "Maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle." Scott suggested and Isaac shook his head, "No, she wasn't like us... And whoever was in the vault with Boyd was."
"What if that's how Erica died? They, like, pit them against each other during the full moons and see which one survives? It's like Werewolf Thunderdome." Stiles said making Derek look at him, "Then we get them out tonight."
"Be smart about this, Derek. You can't just go storming in." Deaton said and Derek shrugged slightly, "If Isaac got in, then so can we." Derek said and Makena sighed and shook her head. "Except, Isaac didn't get through a vault door." Makena said and Scott nodded in agreement, "We need a plan."
"How are we gonna come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than twenty-four hours?"
"Uh, I think someone already did." Stiles said as he looked down at his phone, "Beacon Hills First National Bank closes its doors three months after vault robbery." Doesn't say here how it was robbed, but it probably won't take long to find out." Stiles said reading an article. "How long?" Derek asked and Stiles chucked and raised his eyebrows.
"It's the internet, Derek, okay? Minutes."
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Scott, Derek, Amara and Makena crowd around a table in Derek's loft where Stiles unrolls a blueprint of the bank. "Okay, you see this? This is how they got in- it's a rooftop air conditioning vent, leads down inside into the wall of the vault, which is here. Okay?" Stiles said and with a red marker, Stiles circles the vault and Makena nodded.
"One of the robbers was lowered into this shaft. But that space is small, it took him twelve hours to drill into that wall, which is stone. Then, throughout the rest of the night, they siphoned the cash up to the guys back on the roof through that one little shaft in the wall." Makena said. "Can we fit in there?" Scott asked and Stiles nodded, "Yes, we can, but very, very barely. And, they also patched the wall, obviously, so we're gonna need a drill of some kind. I'm thinking maybe a diamond-bit-"
"Look, forget the drill." Derek said making Stiles look at him with raised eyebrows, "Sorry?" He asked incredulously. "If I go in first, how much space do I have?" Derek said making Stiles look at him flabbergasted.
"What do you... What do you think you're gonna do, Derek? You gonna punch through the wall?" Stiles asked and Derek roll his eyes. "Yes, Stiles. I'm gonna punch through the wall." Derek said patronizingly making Stiles scoff and turn to him. "Okay. Okay, big guy, let's see it! Let's see that fist. Big old fist. Make it, come on! Get it out there! Don't be scared, big bad wolf!"
Derek holds out his clenched fist while glancing over at Peter who watched in amusement while sitting on the spiral stair case. Stiles puts one hand on Derek's elbow and the other a few inches from his fist.
"Yeah, look at that! Okay, see this? That's maybe three inches of room to gather enough force to punch through soild co-" Stiles said but was cut off by Derek slamming his fist into Stiles's palm making the teen boy fall back on to the desk in pain as he held his hand, walking away.
"He can do it!"
"I'll get through the wall. Who's following me?" Derek asked, glancing over at Peter who scoffed, "Don't look at me! I'm not up to fighting speed, yet. And honestly, with Isaac out of commission, you're not looking at very good odds for yourself." Peter said and Derek gave him a look.
"So, I'm supposed to just let them die?" Derek asked and Peter shrugged slightly, "One of them already is dead." Peter said and Derek shook his head. "We don't know that!" He said and Amara sighed softly as she glanced over at her mother for a moment.
"Do I have to remind you what we're up against here? A pack of Alphas, all of them killers. And, if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them combine bodies to form one giant Alpha. I'm sure Erica and Boyd were sweet kids. They're gonna be missed." Peter said making Stiles sigh irritably.
"Can someone kill him again, please." Stiles said and Amara nodded slowly, "Contemplating it." She muttered making Peter look at his daughter in offense. "Derek, seriously? Not worth the risk." Peter said as he looked back at Derek and Amara rolled her eyes, "I'll go." She said and Derek nodded before looking at Scott.
"What about you?"
"Yeah, if you want me to come..." Stiles said, thinking Derek was talking to him, "Not you." Derek said before looking at Scott who peers down at the bank vault circled on the blueprint. "I don't know about Erica... But, if Boyd's alive, we have to do something. We have to try." Scott said and Amara raised her eyebrows, "But?"
"Who's the other girl? The one locked in there with Boyd?"
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"What?" Derek asked, looking over at Scott as they and Amara stood outside the back of the bank. "There's just something I can't get out of my head." Scott said and Amara sighed, "The moon's rising, Scott. What is it?" She asked.
"Risk and reward." He said, glancing over at her while Derek raised his eyebrows, "Which means what?" He asked. "We're not measuring the risk with enough information. We don't know enough." Scott said and Derek shook his head slightly, "We know time's running out!" He said and Scott nodded.
"Yeah, but think about it- they put the triskele on your door four months ago. What have they been doing all this time? Why wait until now?" Scott said and Amara furrowed her brows slightly and nodded, "Actually- he has a point. One thing my mom always told me about Deucalion is theres always something more then things seem with him." She said and Derek said impatiently.
"We don't have time to figure out every little detail-" Derek said and Scott cut him off slightly, "Okay, but what if this detail- the reason why they waited- is the most important one?" Scott asked. "Then we do nothing, and Boyd and Erica are dead. I know what I'm risking- my life for theirs." Derek said before running up a pile of trash, grabbing into a bared window then jumping over to the ladder before looking down at them.
"And I won't blame you if you don't follow me." Derek said and Scott and Amara glanced at each other before Scott gestured for her to go ahead of him.
A little while later Derek managed to punch through the wall and the three of them stepped into the vault. They glanced around before seeing a figure standing near a pillar. "Boyd?" Derek asked and all he got in response was Boyd growling at him while stepping forward, "Boyd, it's me. It's Derek." Derek said and then Scott's phone started buzzing making him pull it out.
"Stiles, now is not the best time..." Scott said after answering the phone, "Scott! Scott! No, listen to me, okay? Look, you gotta get outta there. Look, the walls of the vault are made from a mineral called hecatolite- it scatters the moonlight." Stiles said making Amara's eyes widen as she looked over at Scott.
"What does that mean?" Scott asked while Derek held his arm out slightly, "We're here to get you out, okay...?" Derek asked and Boyd growled at him. "Look, it keeps the moonlight out, okay? They haven't felt the full moon in months-" Makena said and Peter started talking, "Okay, think of it like the gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. They used to starve the lions for three days, making them more vicious, more out of control. Deucalion has kept them from shifting for three months, diminishing their tolerance to it."
"Scott, they're gonna be stronger-"
"More savage, more bloodthirsty... Scott, they're the lions! They're the starved lions, and you, Amara and Derek just stepped into the Colosseum." Makena said and Scott glanced over at the moon light that was starting to shine through the hole.
"Guys... we got a problem. A really big problem." Scott said and they looked at him until there was another growl and a girl walked around Boyd. "Holy shit." Amara whispered in shock while her's and Derek's eyes widened, "Cora?" Derem asked and Scott looked at them confused.
"Who?" Scott asked and Amara slowly took a step forward, "Cora?" She asked and the girl took a painful deep breath. "Derek... Amara... get out. Get out now!" Cora said and Scott lightly tapped Amara's arm making her look at him and he nodded at something. She followed his line of sight to see the entire inside of the vault was lined with mountain ash besides a small gap in front of the door of the vault.
The vault door opened making them look over to see Ms. Morrell crouched down, filling the small gap of mountain ash. "No. No, wait!" Scott said, going to run forward but Boyd and Cora started to shift and growl more violently.
Boyd grabbed Scott and tossed him to the wall before running over to him. Amara quickly ran forward, grabbing Boyd by the back of his jacket and forcefully pulling him back. Cora ran up to Derek, swiping at him while he dodged her clawed hands until Scott ran forward, pushing her into a pillar.
"You know her?" Scott asked, glancing at Derek and Amara as he moved to stand next to them. "She's my sister, my younger sister." Derek said and Amara nodded, "I used to have tea parties with her." She said and Scott furrowed his brows.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Scott asked and Derek shook his head, "Like I have a clue? We thought she was dead!" Derek said. All of the sudden Allison ran up to the vault door, "Look out!" She yelled and Derek and Amara quickly moved out the way. Boyd grabbed Scott before slamming him to a pillar then throwing him to a wall.
Boyd dragged Scott off his feet, smashing him against the wall. Derek turned to help, but Cora blocks his way, attacking with renewed ferocity. Amara sighed in annoyance before letting out a whistle making Boyd turn to her and growl.
He charged at her and swiped his clawed hand but she ducked before elbowing him in the back. He turned around swiped at her again and she blocked his arm before kicking him into the wall. "You alright?" She asked as she walked over to Scott and helped him up, "Yeah, thanks." He said nodding.
Amara turned back to Boyd who got up and growled at them before charging at them. He was about to swipe at both of them but Amara and Scott both grabbed one of Boyd's arms. Although, Boyd's additional strength from the full moon made Amara and Scott's backs hit the wall but they still managed to keep Boyd from clawing them.
"No! Don't break the seal!" Derek yelled making Amara look over to see Allison's hands hovering over the line of ash making her eyes widen. But obviously Allison wasn't going to listen, she was more worried about the six-foot werewolf trying to kill Amara and Scott.
"Boyd!" Allison yelled making him spin around, yellow eyes focusing on her while Amara's eyes widen. "No! Wait, don't!" Amara yelled but Allison whips her hands across the seal and the mountain ash swirls up into the air and a break appears in the barrier. Roaring, Boyd charges toward her. Allison leans against the wall as both Boyd and Cora hurdled out of their prison, racing for freedom.
With their feral growls growing fainter in the distance, Allison steps out only for Derek to walk over to her, grabbing her arm. "Derek! Fighting her isn't going to help anything." Amara said while running over, "What were you thinking?!" Derek yelled making Allison glare at him and rip her arm from his grasp.
"That I had to do something!" She said and Scott stepped forward, "She saved our lives." He said making Derek turn to him. "Yeah, and what do you think they're gonna do out there? Do you have any idea what we just set free?" Derek asked making Allison raise her eyebrows, "You want to blame me? Well, I am not the one turning teenagers into killers." She said and Derek nodded slightly..
"No, that's just the rest of your family." Derek said making Allison squinted at him, "I made mistakes. Gerard is not my fault." She said and Derek raised his eyebrows. "And what about your mother?" He asked making Amara sigh quietly and look away while Allison furrowed her brows in confusion, "What do you mean?" She asked and Derek just turned to his cousin.
"Tell her, Amara." He said making Allison turn to Amara as well, "What does she mean, Amara? What does she mean?" She asked and Amara looked up awkwardly and took a deep breath.