Twenty One, You're Coming Back, Right?
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THE HALLS of beacon hills high were dead silent till they weren't, they did never stay silent — someone was always dying here. a frown sat on luna's face as she watched souls in hazmat suits walk in, her hand tucked away tightly in stiles'. something was off, with them, it was no doubt — it was obvious. luna felt like the two of them had been swimming in problems, and were starting to drown.
but we're they sinking?
"bet they're thinking small pox," luna wasn't paying mind to stiles' words. she sat quietly next to malia, she felt guilty — but she hadn't done anything. "not likely," all four students heads snapped towards the aging male teacher.
luna didn't like him, she got a bad vibe.
and when luna willow sage gets bad vibes, you listen to them.
"small pox was eradicated worldwide in 1979. we've only managed to completely eradicate two viruses in history. the other was rinderpest, it killed cows." luna's face scrunched up slightly, confusion clear on malia's face. "so, we should be comforted by that, right?"
"unless it's something worse."
stiles huffed, al their gazes moving away from the teacher. "whatever it is, they're taking it pretty seriously. there's a lot of cars and trucks out there .. your dads with them." luna's gaze flickered to malia, "is noah okay? like — does he sound stress?"
stiles hummed, "when does he not — i should probably call him." the raven haired boy stood for his phone, only to be stopped. "don't bother, they would've shut off any access to all outside communication by now." the man shrugged, "no cell service, no wifi. no one starting to panic. looks like we're all just going to have to wait here and see what happens."
luna scoffed gently, "this guy talks a lot of shit for someone in hitting distance." malia cracked a smile, kira sighing, "he's talking like he's been in something like this before." stiles rolled his eyes as he sat back down, "he probably has."
a sigh slipped past luna as the girl pulled her dark hair into a ponytail, a soft groan slipping past her at the lack of a rubber band around her wrist. her cheeks dusting over as stiles past her one, her gaze flicking to the band between his fingers then to his whiskey eyes. "had one on my wrist, always. you're always losing yours."
the girl beamed softly as she pulled her hair up, shoulders dropping once more. "what's the matter?" luna's gaze flicker to malia, "don't know — i feel fine, just hot."
luna's finger tips tapped at her arms as her arms crossed over her chest, her gaze landing on the woman stabbing out blood from students veins. she never did like needles. "kira, do you ever get that feeling that scott and stiles aren't telling you everything?"
luna seem to freeze up at the malia's words, kira sending the girl a quick glance as she stared back at the dirty blonde. "w-what do you mean?" the dirty blonde beamed, almost like this was a joke. "like they hide stuff, don't you ever feel like that, luna?"
"well, um, i guess — but i'd blame it on the fact that their males, y'know. they aren't that cool, like us." kira raised an eyebrow at the girls choice of words, luna shrugging — it was clear both brunette's were slightly panicking. "well," kira cleared her throat gently. "i think if they did, they'd probably would have a pretty good reason for it."
malia groaned, clearly not satisfied with kira's answer — the dirty blonde turning to luna. "do you know what they're hiding in the bag under scott's bed?"
luna shrugged — trying to avoid the question, a push of air slipping past her lips. "how bout' you, kira?"
the girls face seem to go red, "m-me what? i've never been under scott's bed, or in it! j-just on it .. wearing clothes!" luna had to bite back a giggle at the now flustered kitsune, malia stared dumbfounded at the girl.
"kira yukimura," the girl turned towards the woman taking blood samples. "you feeling alright, kira?" kira nodded gently, forcing out a quick nervous smile. "i don't like needles either. i promise, it'll be fast." luna's eyes seem to widen at the spark of electricity leaving kira & burning the woman's suit at the contact of the needle. "oh, i think that's our cue to go, mhm, ladies up and at em' please!"
luna grabbed onto malia's hand, dragging the girl as malia quickly latched onto kira's bent arm — all three girls disappearing to the boys locker room.
luna frowned as she watched scott's eyes flicker red, kira's father sighing — "it's still happening." malia huffed, claws on show. "i can't make them go back." all eyes flickered to luna, the girl humming, "oh - i feel just fine." stiles sighed, shaking his head as he nodded towards a mirror.
the girl frowned as she turned, eyes widening at her snow white eyes — the lines of red around her irises. "you gotta be kidding me.."
"the virus is affecting you three in a way it won't hit any human being." stiles hummed, "you guys have to stay out of sight. we have to quarantine you, from the quarantine." luna groaned, rolling her eyes as stiles' squeezed her shoulders gently.
"okay - but where? i mean, what if they get violent? like on a full moon." luna huffed at kira's words, eyes rolling — not specifically at kira, just the situation. scott was next to speak, misery written on his face. "we shouldn't stay in here, not in the locker room."
"a classroom is not going to hold us."
"what bout' the basement?"
"nope — too many ways out."
"we something secure, somewhere nobody can find us."
"the vault."
all eyes seem to snap to stiles, the boys hands falling away from luna .. keeping the girl cold now. she felt cold, but she was hot to the touch. "the hale vault."
"the hales always have an escape route, like their house. there has to be another way in?"
luna truly didn't seem to be worried all too much about the situation, the small portion of the pack staring down at the school's mapping layout — luna on the other hand, was watching her finger twirl gently in malia's dirty blonde locks. "okay, this is where the school sign is, so the vaults got to be right about here."
"i suppose if there's a second entrance, it would probably be accessible from the basement." luna's eyes fluttered shut, head suddenly burning slightly as she pushed back her baby hairs — they were matted to her forehead. "you okay?"
luna's glaciers that would flicker white at moments moved to malia, "i'm fine, i guess — you?" malia huffed, claw clad fingers pushing back her hair. "hot." luna hummed, gently slipping the girls lighter hair of her tan shoulder — malia smiling gently.
"it's probably somewhere in this hallway, or this corridor.." luna's eyes widened as the stiles stumbled a bit, the girls hands wrapping around his arms — his eyes meeting hers. "whoa-"
"you okay?" the boy nodded gently at luna's voice, his tongue gently running over his suddenly dry lips. luna & stiles' watched as mr. yukimura pulled up the boys sleeve gently, "it's happening to you too. you're getting sick, you all are." the man looked to kira, stiles gently resting his head on luna's shoulder.
kira raised an eyebrow, "i don't feel sick?" the man hummed, "i think it's affecting you differently — neurologically. i found your test paper in a pile with the others .." luna raised an eyebrow at all kira's bubbled in answers, but they weren't on the options — off to the sides.
the five seem to look around for an entrance, luna staying close behind stiles — her hand clutching onto the back of his jumper. "hey, you sure you're okay?" luna sighed, the boy gently pushing her matted sweat hair behind both her ears. "m-my head is a little dizzy .. that's all." stiles nodded gently, a soft sigh slipping past him as he gently pressed a kiss to the girls temple.
"oh my god."
"what?"
"look."
the raven haired couple watched as luna pushed back an object, revealing what seem to be the second entrance to the hale vault. "hey, guys!" the rest of the five came over, both boys moving the shelf before the door. "look at the cracks in the walls," luna's fingers gently ran over the cracks .. "looks like the entrance outside, it only opens with claws."
"anyone's claws, right?"
luna raised an eyebrow, no not anyone's claws — hale's only. though, she seem to be silenced with the looks exchanged between the two boys. "hey, mal, can you try?"
"why me?" luna sighed, hiding behind stiles — she didn't like hiding stuff. it ate at her insides, and she'd been doing a lot of it recently.
scott seem to come up with an excuse quickly, "i-i don't have control, and neither does luna." malia's gaze flickered to the girl, luna sending her a gentle smile. "okay, i'll do it, but first. tell me what you two have been hiding from me?" both boys seem to choke up slightly, "i know you think you're trying to protect me, but i can handle it."
the group seemed to grow quiet, malia huffing — "i know i'm on the list!" the other four seem to take that girls words, carrying out their secret more. stiles hummed, "yes .. you're on the list." malia scoffed, "so how much?"
"h-how much what?"
"how much am i worth?"
"four million."
the girl seem to think over, stiles biting his lip gently — slow steps towards the girl. "you okay?" luna raised an eyebrow, kira's gaze flickering between stiles & malia, to luna .. confusion set in stone. "oh, yeah. scott's worth 25, kira's six, luna's 27. they'll take you guys out way before me."
luna scoffed, kira's face filled with worry. stiles sighed, hand running over his face .. "it's, um, progress.."
malia gently placed her claws in the cracks, turning her wrist as the opening went with it — the large stone door sliding open. the five walked in slightly shocked & in a daze as the door slid closed behind them, "welp, everyone welcome to jail. i'm sure none of you've been in it before, it's quite cozy."
all eyes flickered to luna as the girl pushed between stiles & malia ... making her way deeper into the hale area.
malia sat down gently on a metal box, boots swinging slightly .. she couldn't help her eyes from flickering to stiles & luna. they were only a few feet away from her.
luna let out a shaky sigh, and stiles' grip seem to grow tighter on the restless girl. her blue eyes fluttered opened as the boy gently pushed back her hair .. things still felt odd between them. "hi." stiles cracked a smile, his fingers gently tapping at the girls arm. "hey."
the tip of luna's chip painted nail gently traced the boys lips, "i-i hate that we're fighting so much recently.." the boy frowned gently, "it's okay .. real couples do those things. means they're gonna last, everything can't always be happy. it seems to fake after awhile.." the girl hummed, stiles' gently kissing the pad of her hot finger.
their gazes seem to fall away from each other though, luna's tired eyes falling shut as stiles looked off at the other three. "y'know, this is where it all started." the three wolves weren't looking to good, kira was pacing, & stiles' infection seem to be growing. "that's where the money was," the boys gaze lingered on the now empty safe. "117 million in bearer bonds."
kira was too anxious to sit, the girl looking around, "how do you even change bearer bonds into cash?"
"the bank, i guess .. they just let it sit here the whole time, collecting dust. you know bearer bonds are basically extinct?"
"why does it matter?" luna's eyes fluttered opened at kira's question, she wasn't sure why — but her eyes had glossed over .. and she wished, wished she could be a prince and save stiles. take him away from all the mess that surrounded him, maybe then, they wouldn't be fighting. "you know how many problems that money could solve?"
"for you?"
"me, my dad, luna .. scott. the eichen house and MRI bills are crushing him."
scott let out a gentle shaky sigh, "my mom — she does this thing, she writes down all the items in our budget. how much they cost, then she adds them all up and figures out how long we have until .. we'd lose the house."
luna couldn't help the pain in her chest, she hated hearing such sad spoken words from stiles or scott. they both deserved to be happy, and it would be her dying wish. the girl gently tucked herself away into stiles' more, sitting up in between his legs slowly — her chin hooking over his shoulder as her arms squeezed him tightly. a faint smile on his face, hands settled delicately on her waist.
"anything?"
"they're looking for us, someone's gonna have to go out there."
both boys gazes seem to move to malia & luna, they both sat criss-cross on the dirty floor .. luna's fingers gently threaded through malia's dirty blonde locks, forming a braid. kira sat with the two girls, watching them closely .. all their movements were slower than usual, heavy breathing — this virus was catching on quickly.
"we need to tell her the truth about peter .." scott's words were whispers only stiles could stand to hear. "she's going to see the rest of the dead pool eventually."
"try to remember that," whispers back from stiles — hitting scott's ears softly. "peter is the one name missing on that list. which makes him incredibly lucky with the benefactor, if she finds out about him she's going to go to him. you know she is, it's malia. then he's going to twist his way into her head like he does with everyone .. including us. we let him walk around like nothing ever happened, like he's one of the good guys .. scott, he's not one of the good guys. if she finds out about him, she's gone."
and scott wondered, what exactly stiles meant by that? malia being gone? why did he care so much?
"i mean scott, that's probably what he's waiting for and if he wins, we lose."
"we're already losing, stiles, l-look at us. we're all dying."
it almost seemed like blood, but it was too dark & it seem to drip from scott's fingers.
"hey, lu, baby.." the girls eyes seem to flutter back open in a slow daze, slight panic hitting her as her vision was fuzzy for a split second. "luna..?" the back of the boys hand gently landed on the girl's forehead, it was hot — a fever. his hand gently pushed back her dark damp hair .. hand moving to shake her shoulder gently. "hey, baby.."
his heart ached at the girls dark lips, nails faded the dark liquid too .. his hands were gently cupping her face. "i gotta head out for a few, okay?" luna's heart seem to drop at the words he spoke, eyes squeezing shut — hoping when she opened them it wouldn't be as blurry. "w-what? where are y-you going?"
"whatever's happening, it's worse for you guys .. that means it's not just people getting sick, it's another assassin, lu." luna let out a shaky breath, eyes flickering to malia — the girls arms wrapped around herself, sending her a small warm smile.
luna's teeth seem to latch onto her rough bottom lip, the girls hand gently curling around stiles'. the boy smiled softly, "here.." he was quick to pull off his jacket, wrapping it around the brunette as her eyes glossed over.
and for the first time in luna's life, she was scared. actually scared of something, dying without stiles. it was her biggest fear, she'd realized that now.
the boy gently tucked her dark hair behind her ears, "i-i don't want you to go.." the boy sighed, the pad of his thumb running over the girls cheekbone. "i know, i don't wanna leave you either but someone has to go up .. see what's going on.."
"y-you're coming back, right?" the boys hands cupped the girls cheeks, a smile cracking past his raw bitten lips. "yeah, of course, i'd never leave you behind, lu. you're my girl." a smile pulled onto the girls dark drying lips, tears gently rolling down her hot skin. stiles' was quick to wipe them away .. this hurt him to a great extent.
"i-i love you."
"and i love you more, luna."
the boy gently placed a kiss on the girl's forehead, his hand squeezing hers as she smiled weakly. as the boy stood and his hand dragged away from her dainty one she felt like the world stopped, she'd never felt like this before .. and she hoped to never feel like it again. it was an awful type of world stop. luna's smile faded as she watched the boy walk away, wrapping herself tighter in stiles' jacket as she laid down gently. she'd never felt so weak before, she hated it.
and she wished stiles had stayed.
and his heart broke as he walked out, turning around to glance at his friends .. gaze landing on luna's silent crying form as the door slid close slowly.
it was the last thing he saw.
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