"So you told Malia?"
Stiles was taking me home. Before getting into his car I poured a water bottle all over my face, stiles gave me an old t-shirt, that laid in his back seat to wipe the blood off my face.
Stiles rubbed his thumb against his steering wheel. "No, she saw the dead pool list in my pocket where she was named as Malia Tate".
I didn't realise pay attention when Malia was talking about the dead pool list. I don't remember her being on it but I brushed it out to my forgetting when she mentioned it earlier but now I know for sure she wasn't. So that meant that had another part of the list and they didn't tell me.
"But she wasn't on the list?" I played dumb.
"We found out the other cypher key". Lydia and him had sent the past few days trying to find out the key. I didn't know they had solved it.
"And you didn't tell me?!" I exclaimed. I was kind of annoyed that I wasn't told.
"Sorry you've been busy lately with that British kid", he sneered at the last two words.
"Not busy enough that you couldn't tell me". I didn't mean to raise my voice but I was annoyed. "Seriously Stiles who aren't you keeping things from?"
"Malia is different".
"Of course she is".
Stiles shook his head. The air between became thick, no matter how much we tried to act normal or go back to the way we were, we couldn't. I remembered how much frowning can cause wrinkles so I gently released the tension in my face. Stiles pulled up onto his drive, I muttered a goodbye and left. I felt his eyes on me as I walked into my house but I wasn't going to look back. I don't know if I was right or wrong for the way I was reacting but I didn't care.
"Emily, are you okay?" My dad was sat in the living room, his frown lines were prominent. I didn't see much of my dad due to him working a lot, he did it to keep himself busy. My dad struggles with negative thought so he works to distract himself. I think he's just unhappy with where he's at in life, I dare to ask about it though. He hated showing emotions or being vulnerable with me, he saw this as a weakness.
"I'm good". I walked over to my dad and melted into his embrace. Nothing makes you feel better than a hug from a parent.
"You were almost killed again", his words were muffled in my hair but they were shaky. It killed me knowing he was too ashamed to cry in front of me.
"I know".
He pushed me out of the hug and locked his eyes sternly on mine. "I'm going to talk to Sheriff Stilinski and see if there's any Deputy jobs going. I can't let this keep happening to you".
My stomach dropped, I knew my dad always wanted to work for the sheriff department since we got here. He was constantly asking Sheriff Stilinski about his duties and what a day would entail as a deputy. I just hoped this was curiosity and something he wouldn't actually go for, he was safe as long as he stayed around from the sheriff department. They are unprepared when it comes to the supernatural world so sadly when they come into contact with it, it normally ends in casualties or death.
"Do you think that's a good idea?"
"The best". He kissed me on my forehead and brushed his hands against my hair. "I'll go call Sheriff Stilinski now".
I went up to my room and passed out on my bed. I woke up the next morning with a headache and the feeling that something bad was going to happen. There was a knock on the window, I tried to ignore it knowing it was Stiles but he's persistent.
"What do you want?" I threw my window open to see Stiles trying to keep his balance on the window ledge.
"We need you". He pushed himself back into his room.
"We? Need? What?" The questions rolled off my tongue.
"Scott has an idea so we need you to execute it".
"What is this idea?"
"Come with me and find out". His playful smile irritated me but he knew how to get me to come.
I was curious and I had nothing better to do today. "Fine".
"Oh and bring your laptop".
I got ready for the day as soon as I could, putting on any clothes that were clean. I grabbed my phone that rested on my bedside table, ignoring the text from Alfie and shoved it in my pocket. I slid my laptop off my desk and tucked it under my arm. My dad wasn't home, I looked for him to say goodbye but I couldn't find him. I didn't think he had work today. I pushed my feet into my shoes, forcing them on and walked out the front door. Stiles was sitting in the jeep, he had one hand on the wheel and leant back against his seat, he looked really good. Yet that didn't matter, I'm Emily not Malia, I'm just his friend and will always be. I hopped into the passenger side, placing the laptop on my lap and pulled my seatbelt across me.
Kira and Liam were already at Scott's. When Stiles and I arrived and settled down next to Kira and Liam, Scott got up and cleared his throat. This was all of us, I wonder why Lydia and Malia aren't here. I pushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand. "The benefactor needs visual confirmation for the money to go through. It was in the tape in Garrett's bag".
"The chemist said it yesterday as well. It's the only reason he kept me alive because he needed to find you guys". A gun being pointed at me flashed before my eyes, sending shivers down my spine.
"Right, so I've had an idea. You may not agree with it but I think it's our best option in order to lure the Benefactor to us..."
I cut him off "No". It was obvious what he was thinking.
"I haven't even explained the plan yet".
"And you don't need to. I already know what it is".He moved his hand to suggest I continue. "You want to temporarily kill yourself Scott and somehow get the benefactor to find you to confirm the kill and it's not happening".
"Emily it's the only way".
I shook my head. "I understand you want to stop them as soon as you can but this? Scott, this is pushing it. What if you don't make it back? What if you actually die?"
"We won't know unless we try". He didn't seem phased by the mention of death.
"I don't want to find out". I wiped the tiredness from my eyes. "Do you all seriously think this is a good idea?"
"No", Kira said. "But I agree that it's the only way".
Stiles nodded, Liam on the other hand seemed sceptical. "Isn't it kind of dangerous? I mean have you guys ever done something like this before?"
"Something dangerous? Or something idiotic?" Stiles questioned him back.
"I think that's a yes for both", Kira answered for Stiles.
"You don't have to do this", Scott said before his eyes locked onto mine. "Any of you but we do need you".
"I don't know", I said quietly.
"I'm not scared".
"Then you're borderline idiotic". Stiles placed his hand on Liam's shoulder.
All eyes fell on me. I was still unsure but it was clear either way they were going through with this plan, with or without me. "This is dangerous but we are all borderline idiotic so okay I'm in".
Kira squeezed my arm in approval.
"The Benefactor will need to know if the target is really dead. Especially if it's someone high on the list. So to get that visual confirmation they'll have to come and get it themselves". Stiles delivered this like he had been rehearsing it.
"What are the laptops for?" I asked. My laptop sat still on the table, seeming useless to this plan.
"Those are for the security cameras we need to connect to every camera and have a clear view of everything and everyone in that hospital. Leave it to me, I'll handle the technical side of things".
"Okay and how do we kill Scott?"
Kira butted in. "That's where my mum comes in".
Kira's mum arrived later that evening. She muttered her hellos and walked upstairs beckoning the others to follow her. Stiles and I left to go set up our laptops at the hospital. I grabbed a bag and put mine, Kira's, Scott's and Liam's laptops into it. Mellisa lead us to a quiet room close to the comma room. I found an empty chair and sat back in it letting Stiles do his thing. The light from the laptop made his face look pale, reminding me of the nogitsune. I leant my head back and closed my eyes thinking about other things. Alfie, I still haven't replied to his text. I pulled out my phone and unlocked it. I clicked on Alfie's name to see a few texts from him.
'Are you okay? Today was crazy'.
'Goodnight Emily, I hope you're doing well'
'Morning. I'm kind of worried that you haven't responded but I trust that you're okay x'
'I saw something today that made me think of you. Let me know if you're free today. I'd love to show you it'.
The texts were sent hours apart, it had been more than 24 hours since I'd spoken to Alfie. So I sent off a quick text back to him.
'Hey, I'm good. Still shaken up. I'm busy today but I'll let you know when I'm free'.
"How's Alfie doing?" Stiles asked from across the room.
"How did you know I was messaging him?" I put my phone back in my pocket.
"Your face, it lit up just like it used to..." he stopped himself from speaking further. I could easily fill in the rest of the sentence. 'Like it used to with me'
I chewed on my bottom lip. I didn't know what to make of it, should I be happy he noticed the way I looked at him or sad that he knew how I felt and still hurt me. "He was just checking up on me".
Stiles nodded and went back to working on the laptops. My phone vibrated against my thigh but I decided to ignore the text from Alfie and respond later.
"I've done it", stiles backed away from the laptops. I walked over and looked at the squares on the screen. Each was a view of a different corridor or room which Stiles deemed important.
"Do you really think this is going to work?"
"I don't know but I also don't know what else we can do. I don't want anyone else to die, you were almost killed yesterday Emily". Our eyes stayed on each other for a beat too long.
I stayed quiet. Sometimes I can see the old Stiles, the one that used to be mine, that used to care so much about me. I missed him.
"It's the only option we have right now", he sighed.
"I don't like this".
His hand found it's place on my back. He rubbed the small of my back gently. I fell into him and resting my head against his. "Neither do I". After a few second his phone buzzed. "They're here we should go".
We went down to the morgue where Scott was placed. I felt nervous to see his corpse, I've already seen one of my friends die, I didn't want to see another. I have to keep reminding myself he's coming back. We only had forty five minutes, if we didn't bring him back before then, he would actually die. Mellisa, Liam Kira and her mum were already there standing over his body. He looked pale, I gently brushed my hand against his cheek, it was ice cold. "Where do we go from here?"
"I'll go to Argents and we will send a message to the benefactor". Stiles nervously chewed on the skin near his nail.
"Do you need me to come with you?" He looked nervous but it must've been due to him looking at his dead best friend.
"No I'll be fine, you, Liam and Kira should go and watch the CCTV", he suggested. "And set a timer on your phone".
There was no action of the CCTV for a while which was to be expected as Stiles and Argent had only just informed the benefactor of Scott's death. A few minutes later Scott and Argent had made it to the hospital. Argent embraced me and handed me some daggers in case I needed to defend myself. They were the most discreet, I couldn't exactly walked around the hospital with a bow an arrow. Once he had passed over the daggers he left the room, to be on the look out for anyone who went into the morgue looking for Scott.
"Is that supposed to do that?" Liam pointed at the lower right of his laptop screen where the camera had gone out. "Where is that?"
"It's the roof". I answered.
"I'll go check it out". Kira said before walking out.
"I don't know if I feel comfortable with her going by herself", I thumbed the daggers I held in my hands.
"Don't worry I'll go after her", Liam said.
He jogged out of the room after her. Yet that still didn't feel like enough.
"I don't think we should be up here. I feel useless I want to be down there in case they show up and somehow hide from the cameras".
"Agreed".
I wrapped my fingers around the daggers and rushed downstairs with Stiles. We only have 20 minutes left, meaning they would arrive soon if not we need to be down there to bring him back. Once we reached the morgue it was quiet. No one was here, yet.
"It seems oddly quiet" I nervously twirled the daggers. The lights above us flickered.
"Yeah like something else is going on".
A second later, argent is thrown through the doors. He fell onto the floor with a loud slap. I rushed over to him, making sure he was okay. "Run. Get out of here". His voice was strained, he was in pain. A pair of feet stood next to him, I looked up to see Kate. I remembered what she looked like from the photos in Allison's room. Except now she looked more menacing. I helped Argent up and we stepped backwards together.
"Get out of the way", she snarled. "I'm taking the body".
"Why visual confirmation?" Stiles asked, his body tensing next to mine.
"Don't worry, handsome. I'm not the benefactor".
I tightened my grip on the dagger when she called him handsome. She took a step forward and so did I. She doesn't intimate me and I was going to show her that. She raised her eyebrows at me surprised by my confidence.
"Then what are you going to do with the body?" Argent asked.
"I wish I could tell you". She threw herself forward, I had my daggers at the ready but I was pulled back by Argent. He put his gun to her chin, keeping her away from Scott. "I always forget you carry two". She laughed to herself. "You're not going to kill me". M
"I'm not going to let you take his body".
"Alright so you guys have a lot to talk about, so maybe... I saw some coffee, a vending machine outside", Stiles said trying to diffuse the situation.
"Yeah I saw they had some M&Ms those are delicious. Nothing like chocolate to sweeten the mood". I joined in.
They ignored us. "Listen to me Kate, we have a plan. We are trying to get to the Benefactor. In case you weren't aware you were on that list too and worth more than most".
"That's why I'm here".
"Then back off and let us do what we planned", argent yelled. She was silent. "Take the berserkers and go. Please".
She stood there for a while, her face unmoved. For a second I thought she was going to push him away but then she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
"Guys we have two minutes we need to wake him up now". Stiles said shoving his phone in my face showing me as the minutes dropped.
"Where's Kira?" I asked.
"The roof. I'll call her". He held his phone to his ear as the phone dialled. "Come on, pick up".
The door swung open and Kira stumbled into the room, Liam wasn't with her. "I'm here". She took a second to catch her breath. "Get him out".
Stiles pulled the lever on one of the door and opened it. Argent then pulled out Scott, Kira rested her hand on his chest. She took a deep breath before sending electricity surging through Scott's body. Scott shot up gasping, Kira's arms fell around his neck. He turned to face her, he looked confused but I guess that's to be expected when you get brought back from the dead. I wonder how many times someone can die and be brought back to life, this is Scott's second time. Kira crashed her lips onto his, he fell into the kiss and I saw the colour come back to his face.
The door opened once again, this time it was Liam was had come through them. "Kira, it's your mother. She's hurt".
Kira had broken from the kiss, her arms retreated from Scott. I watched as she followed Liam out of the door.
Scott coughed drawing my attention back to him. I rested my hand behind his neck, helping him sit up. "How you feeling?"
"Honestly? I don't know". He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands. "Did it work?"
Stiles shook his head and Scott sighed. I didn't like this plan but I at least thought it would work. Did the benefactor know it was a set up?
A lot happened over the next few days. Lydia found the final cipher key, it was Derek. The last two keys were Allison and Aiden, who were dead. Turns out Parrish the deputy is supernatural but he's not like any supernatural creature we've met before. One of his colleagues tried to kill him by setting him on fire but he survived and fought him causing Sheriff Stilinski to get shot during the chaos. Luckily it was only in the arm so he was fine. My dad got an interview to be an officer, I still don't know how I feel about him working with Sheriff Stilinski. Alfie and I hung out a few times. I was really enjoying being around him it was like a break from all the drama of the supernatural world. Today after school we decided to go for a walk throughout the woods.
"What's you're favourite animal?" Alfie asked.
I walked a bit slower taken aback by the question. "Bit of a random question".
"Well I feel like we know each but don't know much about each other if you know what I mean", he shrugged.
"I can't say I do".
"So like I don't know what your favourite colour is, or your dream vacation or even what your favourite movie is. So I ask you Emily, what is your favourite animal?"
"A wolf". The word came out without me thinking about it. I remembered I used to love wolves as a kid and that hadn't of crossed my mind until now. How fitting that some of my friends are werewolves. Younger Emily would've loved it, Im sure she would've wanted to become one herself. Now a wolf represents something different to me, making it even more important to me.
"Why a wolf?" He kicked a stone on the ground.
I couldn't give Alfie the real reason so I glossed over the truth. "I have always loved them since I was young. I watched a nature documentary and saw how they acted as a pack, it was something I'd admire. I have always wanted to have a pack of my own". And now I have one. "What about you?"
"Dogs. I guess I could say something cool like tigers or lions you know to look tough but nothing beats dogs. The undying love they have for you. No matter what you do they will always love you and always be there for you when no one else can".
"Yeah I get that but I find that sad like no matter how many times you hurt your dog they'll still come running back to you, loving you unconditionally. It's like they don't have a mind of their own".
"They just care no matter who you are or what you've done".
I feel like there was some emphasis on 'what you've done', what had Alfie done?
"What was your life like, before Beacon Hills?"
"Umm not anything special kind of the same just with not so many serial killers hanging about", he chuckled at the danger like it didn't bother him. "I went to school, hung out with my friends and played video games the only difference is there wasn't you". He grinned stupidly at me causing me to have butterflies.
"I'm sure in London there's about ten of me", I chewed on my bottom lip.
"You overestimate London".
"I used to want to live there, it was only until we moved here that I felt like my future held a different path". Everything changed the moment I stepped foot in Beacon Hills.
"What do you want to do with your life?" This is a question most people asked me but one I always shrugged at.
I thought about it for a while and there was only one thing my mind kept coming back to. "I would love to work with animals, maybe do a zoology degree or work at an animal shelter".
"Why don't you work at the animal clinic place? Doesn't your friend Scott work there?"
"How did you know?" It wasn't common knowledge that Scott worked there but that's mostly because people didn't pay attention.
"I've taken our cat there before".
"You have a cat?" My brows knitted, he had never mentioned a cat before.
"Yeah his name is Kyle".
"That's a cool name".
"Thank you. I'm serious though about the animal clinic".
I had never thought about it before, I don't know why I hadn't of ask Deaton about it before but maybe I could take a Saturday shift. I know Scott hadn't been there as much due to recent events. Next time I see Scott I'll ask him. "I'll do it".
He smiled, proud of himself for the suggestion.
"What about you?"
"I would like to have my own business. I don't know what it would be but I just want something that is mine where I can build and see it become something spectacular". His eyes lit up, this was a topic he was passionate about and I know how that felt. When I thought about caring for animals and having a life surrounded by them, I feel so fulfilled like nothing could make me sad again.
"I can see that. You're going to be a sleazy businessman and I'll be a crazy cat lady".
He chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Maybe, no matter who we are as long as we are together I don't care".
I looked down, unsure on if a future with Alfie is a future I want. I'm not fully sure of my feelings yet, I still need time. I feel pressured as he's so sure he likes me something I've never experienced and I feel bad that I don't feel the same yet. He walked me to my house as our conversation continued to our favourite movies, tv shows and colours, his was purple. Stiles was in the driveway working on his car, he acted like he didn't see us but from the corner of my eye I could see him looking over. I kissed Alfie goodbye, nerves surfed through my veins but it was more because Stiles was watching. Alfie brushed his nose against mine. "I'll see you tomorrow".
It was the season bonfire tomorrow night, Alfie asked me to go with him a few days ago and I agree. "See you".
He put his hands in his pockets and walked off. I looked over one last time to Stiles, he was hidden under the bonnet of his jeep. I gave up trying to get his attention and walked into my house.