Calculatingly Wise

39

Malia sat on Theo's chest, punching his face repeatedly.

"It's okay," Theo said. "You don't have to stop."

"Trust me, I won't," Malia growled.

Tessa glared at him and said to Malia, "Keep going."

Theo smiled suggestively at Tessa. "I missed that."

The demigoddess stared at him icily as Malia rushed Theo, growling softly.

Scott grabbed Malia and held her by the waist. "Slow down, okay? Tessa, enough. He's going back in the ground."

Liam shook his head. "You can't. He remembers Stiles."

Tessa let out a sarcastic scoff. "He what?"

Malia glared at Theo and sneered. "Scott remembers Stiles. Tessa, Lydia and I remember Stiles."

"The Dread Doctors knew all about the Wild Hunt. Tessa knows some things about the Wild Hunt. He can help us," Liam protested.

Tessa narrowed her eyes. "How do we know we can trust him?"

Scott glanced to her. "She's right. He could kill us."

The blonde inched her dagger closer to Theo's neck.

Scott pulled her back and Liam shook his head. "He's my responsibility." He held up a sword. "Mrs. Yukimura gave me the sword."

Theo sighed. "It's so awkward when Mom and Dad fight."

"Shut up!" everyone cried.

Hayden appeared and said, "You're both right. If Theo tries anything, we'll send him back to the Skinwalkers. But for right now..."

"He goes back now," Scott interrupted.

"Except Liam's the one with the right sword," Theo pointed out.

"Shut up!" the group yelled.

Scott pinched the bridge of his nose, motioning for Liam and Tessa to follow him.

They made their way into the kitchen and Scott crossed his arms. Liam frowned and asked, "What, you don't trust me?"

Scott sighed. "I don't trust him. Tessa?"

She shook her head. "Not a single bit."

Scott nodded and turned to Liam. "Remember who he is. He got into your head and tried to kill me. And when that didn't work, he killed me. And Tracy, and Josh and his sister."

Liam pursed his lips. "But this might be our only chance to get Stiles back."

Scott's eyes narrowed. "Can't we just try to find somebody that we at least trust?"

"This might be a mistake. But you don't know that yet. And you made some mistakes when you were learning to be an alpha."

Scott nodded. "I made a lot. But we don't have time for mistakes. I can't lose Stiles. Tessa can't lose Stiles."

Liam's eyes shone a little brighter. "So we should try anything we can to save him. Right? Even Theo."

"Convince us," Scott told him.

Tessa narrowed her eyes. "Convince him. I refuse to work with a backstabber."

They walked back into the living room and Liam walked towards Theo. "I can put you back in the ground at any time."

Theo smirked. "You also need a transformer that can handle five billion joules of electricity. I know where to find one and I can show you how it works. I'll tell you if Malia and Tessa promise not to kill me."

Malia let out a growl and Tessa fingered her dagger threateningly.

"They promise," Liam said.

Malia glared at Scott. "No I don't. We're really gonna do this? Trust him?"

Tessa scoffed. "I'm not trusting him again. That was a mistake."

Scott sighed. "We're not going to trust him. We're going to use him."

"You got a better idea?" Hayden snapped.

"I've got an idea. It may not be better, but at least it's not him," Malia retorted before walking off.

Tessa nodded and noticed a message from the sheriff. She held up her phone. "Scott?"

"Go. We can handle this. Go ahead and take my bike."

"I'll go by foot. Not too far."

Tessa ran to the Stilinski home and walked inside. She made her way to a ragged hole in the wall.

The sheriff looked at her and asked, "You knew about this, didn't you?" Tessa shrugged. "God, it was on the blueprints. It was here when we moved in. That was 18 years ago."

Tessa heard a voice. "I need to get back to my friends. They're worried about me. Tessa. Scott. Liam. All of them."

"Tessa?" the sheriff called. "What is it?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nothing. I just thought I heard someone."

He nodded and frowned. "I don't understand how you knew this was here. If you want to discuss the possibility that I had a son... I'm listening."

Tessa closed the door and reiterated the whole situation with Lenore.

"So, wait a sec. So, this woman "Lenore", she conjured up her dead son?" the sheriff asked.

The blonde nodded. "She was the only one left. She had to fill a void. So she filled it with her dead son."

"And you saw this kid?"

"We all did. He was real. He was there. But..."

"But what?"

"She was there when everybody was taken. Lydia told me she saw it happen. But she didn't want to believe it. She chose to believe in her son."

The sheriff's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say? You think Claudia is not real? You think I made up a phantom wife?"

"You're afraid to remember him," Tessa stated bluntly.

He pursed his lips. "She's a flesh and blood woman. She's real. Everything else here is just... Is just speculation. Conjecture. It's just, it's a theory based on a... On a ghost town."

As soon as the sheriff finished, the demigoddess made her way to the door. She noticed a lacrosse jersey, numbered 24, and helmet.

Tessa picked up the jersey and inhaled the scent, getting the warm, tingly feeling again.

The sheriff looked at her weirdly and Tessa asked, "You don't see anything?"

"I see a deeply disturbed young woman."

The blonde sighed. "You're afraid to remember him because you're afraid of what it means."

"Why do you care so much I remember him?"

"Because you loved him," Tessa replied, tossing the jersey to him. "As much if not more than I do."

Sheriff Stilinski's hand shot up and he caught it, staring at her with both curiosity and amazement.