Translucence

35

Stiles scoffed. "You seriously want to go after her? I mean, what if she just takes you like the others, huh? No offense, but what's the difference between you and them?"

"I'm carrying a .45. Maybe she can heal from a shot to the leg, a sword injury, and a few slashes to the face, but personally, I'd like to see how she holds up with half her skull blown off. We've got one priority right now, and that is to find Melissa and your dad. We've got a map and every clue we need to figure this out. The only thing we don't have is time, which is why I need both of you."

Stiles sighed. "Where do we start?"

"The place where the sacrifices have been committed have usually been different from where the bodies have been found. I think the placement has to do with the strength of the current, so there's the school, the Animal Clinic, the bank."

"Would she really use the same place twice?"

Argent met his eyes. "Only if she didn't succeed the first time."

"Scott's boss," Allison and Kya realized.

"Deaton. It was her only failure. That could mean something."

Stiles let out a frustrated sigh. "That's just one place so far. We're gonna need a lot more help."

"What about Lydia?" Allison wondered.

"Lydia? What can she do?" Argent questioned.

Stiles took a moment to think. "Uh, Lydia's got sort of a talent. She somehow ended up finding a couple of the bodies, um, without actually looking for them."

"What is she? Psychic?"

"No, she's definitely not psychic."

Argent made his way to an arms cache and opened it. Stiles let out a breath. "Whoa." A gun clicked and he added, "I thought you guys were retired."

He shot a smirk at Stiles. "Retired, yes. Defenseless, no. Make sure your phone's on. If you hear from Scott, you let us know immediately."

A new voice grabbed their attention and Kya turned to see Isaac at the door. "I can't shoot a gun or use a crossbow, but... Well, I'm... I'm getting pretty good with these." He flicked his claws.

"Each of you, try to remember he's just doing what he thinks is right."

Kya frowned. "He has a funny way of showing it."

Stiles and Kya headed to Lydia's so she could be informed. Lydia shook her head. "I don't believe it. Scott can't really be with them. He can't be."

Stiles sighed. "You didn't see the look on his face, though. It was..."

"Then what can I do? I mean, I get that I'm some kind of, like, human geiger counter for death, but... I don't know how to turn it on and off yet. All I know is that she tried to kill me because of..."

"Because of what, Lydia? What?"

She met his eyes. "When she called me a Banshee, she was surprised by it. What if that's not why she tried to kill me?"

"Then why did she?" Stiles and Kya asked.

Lydia glanced at him. "That's what we need to find out."

---

As school the next day, fear was evident on Stiles' face.

"What's wrong?" Kya wondered.

Stiles slowly met Kya's eyes. "It's from Isaac. Jennifer, she t... she has Allison's father. She took him. She's got all three now."

"Stiles," she said softly, "they're still alive."

Stiles didn't seem to hear her and began panicking. Lydia glanced at Stiles. "We still have time, right?"