True North

38

"They just left!" the woman screamed, causing the room to shake.

Lydia immediately replied, "We didn't mean to upset you. We'll just be going now."

The teens left the kitchen and Malia reached for the door handle, but it slammed shut.

The woman told them, "No one is leaving. No one is leaving Canaan ever again."

Scott reached for the door handle and tried to twist it, but just like with Malia's attempt, it was stuck.

"Scott," Malia muttered. "Open the door. You're a werewolf."

"I'm trying," he retorted.

Malia walked over to the window and punched it repeatedly, but nothing happened. "What the hell is wrong with this place?"

"Lenore?" Lydia called, turning to the woman. "Could you unlock the door please?"

Lenore shook her head. "Now that you're here, I need you to stay. Caleb likes you."

Lydia smiled. "And we like him. But we need to help our town. People are disappearing, uh, leaving. I mean leaving. You could really help us."

"No one can help you. If they want to leave, they're going to leave. They'll go, and they'll go, and there won't be anything you can do about it."

Caleb appeared at the end of the hallway and said creepily, "Come with me."

"Go," Lydia whispered.

Scott and Malia made their way down the the basement.

As soon as they reached the basement, they saw dirty water. They noticed a TV showing static and an old video recorder that took cassettes.

Scott and Malia stepped into the room and Scott tried to open the window, but it remained shut.

Scott asked, "Caleb, can you help us find a way out of here?"

Caleb put in a DVD of himself and said, "You have to stay because Mommy said so."

Malia frowned. "No, we can't stay. We have to go home."

Caleb's voice doubled. "This is home. This is home."

Caleb picked up another cassette and put it in. A normal-looking Caleb appeared, blowing bubbles.

Something caught Malia's attention. "Scott? Come here for a sec. Look at the date."

The date read August 12, 1985.

Malia asked, "Uh, Caleb? Do you know what year you were born?"

He was dripping wet. "1976."

"And when did you die?"

Caleb didn't answer and water started pouring into the room, down the stairs and walls.

"Am I having another hallucination?"

"If you are, I'm having the same one. We need to get out of here."

Malia looked at her friend. "I know you won't beat an eight-year-old's ass, but I will."

Malia rushed Caleb and stopped. She began choking. Water poured from their mouths.

Scott helped her breathe and she nodded her thanks.

"Lydia!" Scott called, running to the door.

Scott began choking and asked, "What are you doing to us?"

"You're drowning. Just like me. Now we can be friends forever," Caleb replied.

Everything subsided and Scott gasped for air. "Are you okay?" Scott asked and Malia nodded.

"Are you okay?" Malia asked and Scott nodded.

"Mommy says you can go now," Caleb told them, opening the door.

The teens ran up the stairs and Malia glanced back to see Caleb watching himself on TV.

Scott said, "Let's get out of here."

Malia nodded. "Yeah, absolutely."

They walked up the rest of the way and to the front door. Lydia turned to Lenore. "You know, you can still come with us."

Lenore shook her head. "I couldn't leave Caleb."

"Lenore, you know he's not real."

"I couldn't leave Caleb."

As they drove back to Beacon Hills, Scott asked, "You think Stiles and Lena sent us here to warn us? Maybe Beacon Hills is gonna be the next ghost town."

Lydia nodded. "If we don't stop it, yes."

"We need to get them to leave."

Lydia glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "We can't. Not yet."

"Why can't we get rid of them?" Malia wondered.

"Because I saw what happens to people they've taken when they leave."

"Do they all die?"

"No. It's something worse than death. I felt it in Lenore's memory. It's like their souls hollowed out. They became something else. I think they became Ghost Riders. And then... they were gone."

They got back to Scott's and Malia noticed Lydia's look. "Lydia?"

Lydia nodded. "I'm fine." She noticed Malia's raised eyebrow and let out a sigh. "Okay, I was thinking about Lenore. There's myths about the Wild Hunt and the Morrigan. They left Lenore behind."

Malia frowned. "I thought Lenore was a Banshee."

"The Morrigan was a Banshee."

"So when the Wild Hunt moves on from Beacon Hills..."

"I'll be like Lenore. Left behind. Alone."

Malia stepped inside the house and glared at the newcomer. Scott narrowed his eyes. "I hope you realize it's taking all my strength not to tear you in half right now."

Malia growled and Theo turned to look at her. "Hey, Malia. You aren't still upset about the whole shooting thing, are you?"

Malia's eyes glowed blue and she let out a roar.

Theo smiled. "Hi."