Azalea's outfit:
Scott's house / Stiles's House / Hospital / Eichen House -
School / Hospital -
Chapter Forty-Two
🦊 Riddled 🦊
Azalea woke up to her phone ringing making her grab it to see Scott calling her. "Scott?" She asked after she answered the call, "I need you and Isaac to get over here as quickly as you can." Scott said and Azalea furrowed her brows as she sat up.
"What's wrong?" She asked and he sighed, "Somethings wrong with Stiles." He said and her eyes widened as she quickly got out of bed. "Okay, I'll get Isaac up and we'll be over in a couple minutes." She said and he sighed in relief, "Okay." He said before hanging up. "Isaac! Get up! We need to go to Scott's!" She called out as she grabbed her hoodie and put it on.
"What's going on?" Isaac asked as he walked into her room as she grabbed her shoes, "Scott needs our help. Something's wrong with Stiles." She said and he nodded before running back to his room. "Need me to do anything?" Stefan asked as he walked into Azalea's room, "I don't know yet. I'll call you when we figure out more." She said and he nodded.
A few minutes later, Azalea and Isaac walked into Scott's house as he walked down the stairs. "Okay, let's go." Scott said and they were about to walk out but Scott's phone started ringing making him pull it out to see Stiles calling him.
"Stiles?" He asked after he instantly answered, "Did you call him? Did you call my dad?" Stiles asked making him sigh. "No, just Azalea and Isaac. We're coming to find you. Can you figure out where you are? Try to find something and tell us where to look." Scott said as he glanced up at Azalea and Isaac who was listening in.
"It's a basement... I think-I think I'm in some kind of basement..." Stiles said still breathing heavily, "In a house?" Scott asked. "No, it looks bigger- like, industrial. I think there's a furnace. But it's cold. It's freezing down here. I gotta turn the-I gotta turn the phone off, Scott, It's going to die." Stiles said making his eyes widen.
"Wait, wait, wait! What else is there? What do you see?" Scott said trying to get more clues as to where he could be. "The phone's dying. I can't talk. I have to go. Please..." Stiles whispered shakily. "Stiles... Why are you whispering?" Scott asked worriedly.
"Because I think there's someone in here with me..." Stiles whispered making Scott look up at Azalea and Isaac wide eyed.
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Azalea, Scott and Isaac ran into Stiles's bedroom to see Lydia and Aiden standing there, "How did you know? Did he call you, too?" Scott asked and Lydia shook her head. "I heard it." Lydia said and Aiden shook his head slightly, "Don't ask- it gets more confusing when you ask." He said and Lydia sighed.
"Not as confusing as this." She said and they moved over to show Stiles's bed where red yarn tied to a pair of scissors that had been stabbed into the bed. Each sting connected to a picture on the walls. "He uses red for unsolved cases..." Lydia said, looking back at everyone. "Maybe he thinks he's part of an unsolved case?" Aiden suggested, "Or is an unsolved case?" Isaac said as he glanced around.
"Hold on- is he still out there? You don't know where he is?" Lydia asked making Azalea, Scott and Isaac glance at each other. "He said that he was in an industrial basement somewhere." Scott said and Isaac nodded, "We came here to get a better scent."
"What else did he say?" Lydia asked and they looked over at Scott who sighed, "Something's wrong with his leg- it's bleeding." He said and Azalea nodded. "And he's freezing." She said, "Tonight's the coldest night of the year. It's going to drop into the twenties." Aiden said and Azalea nodded.
"What did his dad say?" Lydia asked making them glance at each other again, "We kind of... We didn't tell him yet." Scott said making Lydia's eyes widen. "Stiles is bleeding and freezing and you didn't call his dad?" She asked incredulously.
"He made me promise not too. We can find him by scent. If he was sleepwalking, he couldn't have gotten far, right?" Scott said and Azalea sighed. "You didn't notice that his jeep is gone did you?" She asked and he sighed and looked down making her grab his hand.
"Scott, there's only so much we can do. We have to tell Stilinski, I don't have the best feeling about all of this, Scott." Azalea said and Lydia started to pull out her phone. "Wait, guys! Hold on- I can get more help. I can call Derek, Allison-" Scott tried to stop Lydia making her scoff.
"Everyone except for the cops. Great idea!" Lydia said, "You guys remember they only get these feelings when someone's about to die, right?" Aiden said and Azalea nodded in agreement making Scott sigh. "Lydia you don't have to call his dad. It's five minutes to the station." He said and they all nodded. Scott, Isaac, Azalea and Aiden went to leave but Lydia grabbed Aiden's arm, "We'll catch up." She said making Azalea furrow her brows, "What? Why?" She asked.
"There's something here..." Lydia said and Isaac nodded, "Yeah, evidence of total insanity." Isaac said and then hissed in pain when Azalea pinched his arm and shot him a look. "We can figure out what's wrong with him after we find a way to keep him from freezing to death." Scott said and Lydia nodded.
"Go. We'll be right behind you." She said and Scott, Isaac and Azalea walked out.
🦊
Stilinski took a couple deep, looking like he was a pinch from breaking down after Azalea, Scott and Isaac explained everything to him. "If his Jeep is gone, that's where we start. Parrish, let's get an APB out on a blue 1980 CJ-5 Jeep." Stilinski said making Azalea look over at the deputy sitting in front of them. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him, getting a stranger but warm and comforting vibe off him.
"Cordova, I want a list of any kind of industrial basement or sub-level of any building that he could've gotten into while sleepwalking. It's the coldest night of the year so far... So, if he's out their barefoot in just a t-shirt, he could already be hypothermic. Let's move fast. Let's think fast. Three of you come with me." Stilinski said and lead the three teenagers into his office.
"Okay... Is there anything you need to tell me that I can't tell anybody out there?" tStilinski asked and Scott nodded slightly, "Lydia knew he was missing." He said. "Can she help find him?" Stilinski asked and Azalea sighed, "She's working on it."
"Anything else?" Stilinski asked looked over at her, "I called my brother and Derek and Scott called Allison for help." Azalea said and he sighed. "Can-can you find him by scent?" Stilinski asked, looking at Scott but before he could answer someone knocked on the door and opened it. "We got it, sir. We found the Jeep." Parrish said making them look at him.
🦊
They pulled into the hospital parking lot before jumping out if their cars and running over to Stiles' jeep. "It's dead. He must have left the lights on." Stilinski sighed. "Why would he come here?" Scott asked. "Lets find out." Stilinski said and they ran into the hospital. Stilinski went to Melissa while Scott, Azalea and Issac went to the roof where they knew Derek and Stefan were.
"He's not here. Not anymore." Derek said and Azalea raised her eyebrows, "You mean, the whole building?" She asked and Stefan nodded. "Gone." He said making them sigh, "I'll go tell Stilinski." Isaac said as Azalea walked up to her brother and Derek.
"Notice how strong the scent is up here?" Derek asked when Scott came up to them, "Ever hear of chemo-signals? Chemical signals that communicate emotion. And just our sweat can give off anger, fear, or disgust. Take a deep breath and tell me what you feel." Stefan said and Scott closed his eyes, "Stress."
"And anxiety, the smell is stong." Azalea as she glanced around, "What was he doing up here?" Scott asked and Derek shook his head.."I don't know... But there was definitely some kind of struggle." Derek said and Scott furrowed his brows. "With who?" He asked, "Himself." Stefan said as he glanced around. Azalea was about to say something but her phone ran making her look down to see Lydia calling her.
🦊
Standing outside the gates to Eichen House, Stilinski gets ou ut his car to meet up with Lydia, Azalea and Scott. "Lydia, I don't want to say, "Are you sure about this?", but..." Stilinski trailed off and Lydia shook her head, "No- he's here. I swear to God he's here." She said and Stilinski took a deep breath and nodded before they all went inside.
"I need access to all basement rooms in this facility." Stilinski said walking up to the guy at the front desk who nodded. They ran down towards the basement area and Lydia paused for a moment, "It's here. It's right here." She said before running towards a door down the hall. Stilinski pulled out a flashlight before kicking the door open and they all quickly ran down the stairs.
"Stiles?" Lydia called out as they glanced around the basement that showed no sign of Stiles anywhere. Just a lot of old dust and cobweb covered furniture and equipment. "Lydia...?" Scott trailed off slightly and Lydia shook her head, "I don't get it. This has to be it." She said in a slight whisper and Stilinski shook his head.
"Then where is he, huh? Where is he?" Stilinski asked before turning to Lydia, "Where is he?" He asked loudly making her flinched slightly and Azalea gently grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry..." Stilinski said and Lydia just stared off into the distance, "I don't understand..." Lydia whispered and Azalea sighed softly.
"Come on." Azalea said, gently grabbing Lydia's arms and directing her towards the stairs.
🦊
Everyone looks up at the sound of footsteps to see Stilinski walking over to them making them stand up. "He's sleeping now... And he's just fine." He said making them all sigh in relief, "He doesn't remember much. It's a bit like a dream to him." He said then looked over at Agent McCall.
"Thank you." He said and McCall shrugged, "It was that repellent we sprayed in the coyote den to keep other animals out. I couldn't go near it without my eyes watering. it just a good thing he mentioned it over the phone." McCall said as if it was nothing. "No, it was more than that. Thank you." Stilinski said and McCall shrugged slightly, "It was a lucky connection." He said making Stilinski give him a look.
"McCall, can you shut up please and accept my sincerest gratitude?" Stilinski said and McCall smiled awkwardly and nodded, "Accepted." McCall said and they shook hands as Melissa turned to the teenagers. "All right, you three. You've got school in less than six hours. Go home. Go to sleep." Melissa said and they nodded, "Okay." Scott said as Melissa hugged him before they started walking away.
"I don't know what happened. I was so sure..." Lydia said and Scott sighed, "Yeah, we werent much help, either. Doesn't matter, he's okay." Scott said and Azalea nodded in agreement before all of the sudden Lydia looked back confused. "Lydia? Do you hear something?" Azalea asked and Lydia shook her head.
"No. I didn't hear anything." She said and started walking but Azalea grabbed her arm gently to stop her, "He may not have been at Eichen House but that doesn't necessarily mean you were wrong." Azalea said and Lydia looked at her confused.
"Banshee powers are never wrong and tricky to get the hang of. And even when you do, you won't be at your full potential. Trust your Banshee feelings, Eichen House could just be a problem later on." Azalea said and Lydia stared at her for a moment before signing and nodding slightly.
🦊
Azalea walked down the stairs after class, with Kira to see Scott walking out of his class. "Are you gonna go to him?" Kira asked, looking over at Azalea who was staring at Scott, "No." Azalea sighed making Kira furrow her brows. "Why not?" She asked and Azalea went to say something but before she could someone else spoke up.
"He's a little preoccupied... But I can help you." Derek said as he and Stefan walked up to the two girls making them look at him confused, "Because I want you to tell us everything that happened at the power station with William Barrow Actually, I want you to show us." He said and Azalea raised her eyebrows at her brother who nodded slightly.
Azalea sighed, noticing Kira's nervous expression, "Don't worry." Azalea said making Kira look at her. "They're more annoying than scary." She said.
🦊
"It was around here, I think... But everything kind of looks the same now." Kira said as she and Azalea lead Derek and Stefan into the substation. They looked around until they noticed scrape marks in the concrete. Following the line, it lead into an open gate to a power box that had a baseball bad stuck to it.
"What is that? Is that a baseball bat?" Kira asked, "It's Stiles's bat." Stefan said before glancing at Derek and Azalea who looked at him as well. Derek walked over and went to grab it but it took a full pulls to get it off, "It's magnetized." He walked over to the start of the scrapes and bat started attracting back to the power box.
"Kira, I'm going to need you to tell me everything you know about foxfire." Derek said making her look at him confused. He nodded to something behind them making them turn around to see a "DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE" sign.
🦊
A little while later they pulled up to the hospital all they all got out of Derek's car but Kira paused slightly making them look at her. "I don't know if I should go in..." She said making Azalea furrow her brows, "Why not?" She asked and Kira sighed softly.
"You're going to tell Scott that Barrow might have used foxfire- created by me- to jump-start the Nogitsune's power inside Stiles." She said and they nodded slightly, "Yeah." Stefan said and Kira nodded. "Basically, that I helped a dark spirit take control of his best friend." She said making Derek and the Novac siblings look at each other for a moment before nodded.
"Yeah... you should probably wait here." Azalea said and Kira nodded before the three walked into the hospital. "You know where they're at?" Stefan asked and Azalea nodded, "Stiles has an MRI, so Scott's probably somewhere around there." She said before leading him towards where the MRI took is.
Just like she said, Scott was sitting in the of the chairs outside the room, staring at the ground as Derek and Stefan walked up and sat across from him while Azalea sat down next to him. "You know the stuff you were telling me about chemo signals earlier? It reminded me of the time you were teaching me to use anger to control the shift." Scott said and Derek smiled.
"I think you ended up teaching me more about that." Derek said making Azalea chuckle and nodded while Scott smiled, "Are you teaching me again?" He asked and Derek shrugged slightly.
"Think of it as sharing a few trade secrets. You know, I took Cora back to South America, right? It's where she spent most of her time after the fire. But that's not the only reason I left... I needed to talk to my mother." Derek said making Scott raise his eyebrows, "You're dead mother?" He asked and Derek nodded.
"She told me something that changed my perspective on a lot of things. She said that my family didn't just live in Beacon Hills- they protected it. This town needs someone to protect it. Someone like you." Derek said and Scott smiled softly and looked down. Azalea looked at him for a moment before grabbing his hand making him glance at her and smile before looking at Derek.
"And someone like you to teach me a few trade secrets." Scott said then the look of realization crossed his face before he stood up. "He was trying to protect us. Stiles was protecting us-" Scott said making Derek, Stefan and Azalea stand up, realising the same thing, "From himself." Azalea said.
A few minuets later they ran into the roof looking around, "What are we looking for?" Derek asked. "I'm not sure... But I think Stiles wasn't just up here struggling with himself. I think he was struggling not to do something." Scott said then noticed a box in front of one of the fences.
He climbed onto it then reached up on top of the roofing of the fence and pulled down a white duffel bag making a bunch of wires and tools fall out. They looked at it confused before looking around, and thats when they noticed a slightly cut wire above them.
They started to walk back but Azalea slowed to a stop as she turned her head slightly. "What is it?" Scott asked and Azalea furrowed her brows as she heard a low hum of electricity. She thought for a second before her eyes widen, "One of the wires are cut." She said.
Right as she turned around the electrical box they where just at suddenly exploded into a million sparks making Scott pull Azalea back while Derek pulled Stefan back as the wire they saw earlier snapped and started wiping back and forth.