Calculatingly Wise

44

The teens trudged through the woods and Malia said, "We can still catch him."

"Catch who?" Scott asked, looking at Malia.

"The killer. What are you thinking about?"

Scott and Tessa stared at the fleur-de-lis bullet she'd found.

The demigoddess held up the bullet. "We need to take this to Mr. Argent."

Malia frowned. "Even if he's the one that fired it?"

Scott nodded. "Especially if he's the one." He stopped abruptly. "Do you hear that?"

Tessa drew her dagger.

After a moment, Malia asked, "Heartbeats?"

"A lot of them. They're here."

"Who?" Lydia wondered.

"Hunters," Tessa confirmed, hearing the fear in her cousin's voice.

He ran off and Malia called after him. "Scott!"

Scott turned and saw hunters coming closer. He stopped, seeing several red laser-sight beams crossing the woods. He bared his fangs, showing his alpha eyes. Tessa raised her dagger, ready to stab it. Scott attacked the closest figure, who was Sheriff Stilinski. "Argh. Scott. Scott, it's me. It's me! Scott! Scott. Tessa, dagger away. You don't need to stab anything."

""Talk first, stab later?" I don't think so," Tessa retorted, keeping her dagger up as she stared at the gun pointed at her cousin's heart and inched her dagger closer to the sheriff. "Move the gun and I'll put the dagger away."

The sheriff did so and said, "Okay, okay. Come on. It's okay. It's okay." He looked around. "Everybody stay back. They're just kids."

Deputy Vargas glared at them, gun still pointed at Scott. "What's wrong with his eyes? Why does she have a gold dagger?"

Tessa turned to the deputy and pointed her dagger at him. "It's Celestial Bronze, asshat. Drop the gun. Now."

Parrish shook his head. "You heard the sheriff. Tessa, put the dagger away. Stand down."

Scott shifted back to normal and started panting. "I'm really sorry. You don't think they'll say anything, do you?"

Parrish smiled at the teens. "No more than they're used to."

"You wanna tell me what happened out here?" the sheriff asked.

"He's a Hellhound."

"A dead Hellhound," Malia added, earning a look from Lydia.

Sheriff Stilinski nodded. "Yep, got that."

Parrish frowned. "Well I don't get it. I didn't think you could kill a Hellhound."

Tessa pursed her lips. "Anything can be killed."

Malia nodded and shrugged. "Looks a lot easier than we thought."

Tessa pocketed the bullet casing as she said, "I don't think it was just any bullet."

"I hope not," Parrish muttered, kneeling next to the body.

After everyone left, Lydia, Malia, Tessa and Scott shared a look. Lydia turned to Scott. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why didn't you say anything?" Scott repeated.

"Why didn't either of you say anything?" Malia asked.

"Why didn't any of you, us, say anything?" Tessa wondered.

Malia frowned at Scott. "Wait, was I supposed to say something?"

Scott looked between his cousin and friends. "None of us said anything to Argent and none of us are going to say anything until we talk to him. Everybody good with that?"