Chapter Twenty-Six
Mother Knows Best
My shaking hands let go of Stiles's shoulders and I noticed that his chest stopped moving. It was like the whole world stopped and I reliving a nightmare. No hallucination, no hell could ever amount to what I was feeling right now. I killed him...I killed Stiles. The same Stiles that I kissed, the same Stiles that has been my best friends since we were kids, the same Stiles that I've been falling for ever since the beginning of the year.
He's dead.
That's the only thing my mind could wrap around. He's dead, Allison's dead, Scott's dead. There all dead. Deaton seemed to notice my distress, his eyes filling with concern, "Shay, are you okay?"
I didn't respond, I couldn't. Instead, tears filled my eyes and I placed my hand over my mouth, trying not to cry. "Isaac, why don't you take Shay home. Its been a long day."
Isaac nodded, silent as well. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me out the door. Out of a grave site. The car ride to my house was completely silent. My body was numb and I was too. Mind, body, soul. I didn't feel anything. It was like I was in totally shock to where I couldn't process anything.
As Isaac and I walked in my empty house, Isaac turned to me, worriness crossing over his face, "Why don't you go take a bath or something. I'll make tea, okay?"
Since I couldn't form words, I nodded before walking upstairs. Once I got to the bathroom, I twisted the knob and let the water rise in the bathtub. I carefully stripped from my clothing, letting the clothes dropped to the floor. I felt like glass, just from one touch I could shatter into a million pieces.
Once the water was hot and almost completely filled, I slipped in and let the water warm my body. But still, I didn't feel anything. All I could think about was the fact that my friends were dead. Stiles, Allison, Scott. Stiles, Allison, and Scott. Dead, all of them are dead! What if they don't come back? What if I never see them again?
Suddenly, within the blink of an eye, I felt cold. Like icy, deathly cold. The numbness of my body increased and my lungs felt like a rubber band was strangling them. Without a second thought or even a reason why, I slipped under the water.
And I just completely let go.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I woke up on grave payment. When my eyes opened, all I saw was the darkened sky with shiny diamonds in the sky. The air was thick and cool, like a summer breeze was just passing by. No pain, no nothing. Slowly and gradually, I sat up.
I noticed that I was in the middle of the road, an empty and endless road. The last thing I remembered was being in the bathtub and going under. This could be a dream. But this feels so much like reality. Finally I stood up,stumbling a bit, before my whole body froze. I recognized where I was.
On the bridge where my parents died.
The night of the car crash was still brutally impacted into my brain and I could never block it out. I grabbed the railing of the bridge and stared below, seeing the deep water of the bay. I didn't understand why I was here or even how I got here.
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" A feminine voice said from behind. I whipped around to look at the person and my eyes widened immensely.
"Mom?" I questioned, breathless. How was she here? She's dead! No, shes not suppose to be here! But she is, my sub-conscious whispered to me. I wanted to give her hug and cry into her shoulder but my body froze and stuck in place.
"Hey sweetheart." She smiled softly, that same smile I miss so damn much, "Its been a long time since I've last seen you."
"Mama, how are you here?" I asked her, bewildered.
"Honey." She sighed, as if it was hard for her to explain, "You're in between states."
"Am-am I dead?" I whispered, horrified.
"No, you're in between states meaning you are in between life and death." She explained to me.
I took a step forward, "Are you real or am I just hallucinating again?"
She shrugged, as if simple, "That's up for you to decide."
My mom then sighed before stroking my cheek, "I know what you've been going through. And it's okay. This bridge is where your life should have ended, if Derek hadn't saved you."
My eyes widened, "Wait, what? Derek, Derek saved-"
"Saved you. Yes, he did. I suppose he didn't tell you that. But you were ready to die, remember?" She said and it was my mother's voice but I could never imagine her saying those words.
I shook my head, "I don't know what to do."
"Yes, you do. You know exactly what to do." Her eyes than wandered down below to the water. Was she? Was she asking me what I think she was asking me?
"That's right. You'll stay here and be with me and your father. All the pain, problems, and pressure will all be over." Once she saw the disbelief on my face, she continued, "It's the right thing to do, Shay. You know it is. Admit it."
"Because I have seven wonders..." I began choking up, "I have seven sins. I'm a monster and I deserve to die."
Something, someone, inside my head was screaming at me not too. That these words coming out of my mouth was not spoken by me.
Once the realization came through, I shook my head, "I can't do this! I can't leave Jenna."
"Jenna is better off without you. Don't you see that?" My mom questioned.
I snapped my head towards her, "But mom, she won't have anyone."
"Jenna will be fine. You'll be in her heart as a loving niece, not a monster who can hurt people." My mom kept going on.
I nodded, as if it made sense, and tears welled up in my eyes, "Y-You're right. I'm sorry, I-"
Tears streamed down my face and I couldn't stop the sob that escaped my lips, "I'm sorry, mommy I didn't mean to disappoint you."
A sudden sadness washed over her face, "Oh, sweetheart, you didn't. You didin't disappoint me or your father. You were everything we have hoped for. You were the perfect daughter. But you were meant to die and you were meant to stay dead."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"If she awake?"
"I don't know but her heart beat is back."
"So is her pulse and her breathing is even now."
I woke up with a jolt, taking in a deep intake of breath. Instead of seeing the glazing dark sky, I saw the ceiling of the clinic and three faces hovering over me. Lydia, Isaac, and Deaton. The numbness of my body was gone and I, thankfully, felt no pain what so ever. But something was different. I felt different. Although I couldn't put my finger on it.
"You're awake." Lydia breathed out of relief.
My face scrunched up in confusion as I sat up, "What happened?"
"I don't exactly know." Isaac sighed, crossing his arms, "I went into your bathroom and saw you were in the water, motionless. I couldn't get a heartbeat so I brought you to Deaton."
"How long have I been out?" I questioned.
Deaton hesitated to speak, "Sixteen hours."
"Sixteen hours!" I widened my eyes before glancing over at the three tubs across the room, the three others still in the water.
"Yep, sixteen hours of you dead. Completely scared the hell out of me." Isaac mumbled, looking down at the ground. I remember clearly of the conversation with my mother. I wasn't sure if that was just a figment of my imagination or if I was really talking to my deceased mother. All I knew was that, that wasn't my mother. My mother would never say those things to me; she would tell me to be strong and would be happy that I'm living my life.
Deaton sighed, "Shay, we think you might have connected yourself to the three others. You went in between life and death."
Before anyone could say anything, we were all startled by three gasping breaths. They were awake. All of them jolted up from the water but Scott was the first one to talk, "I saw it. I know where it is!"
All of them started to stepped out of the tubs, water dripping down, "We passed it. There's-- There's a stump, this huge tree. Well, it's not huge anymore. It was cut down. But it's still big, though, very big." Stiles yelped.
"It was the night we were looking for the body." Scott added.
"Yeah, the same night you were bit by Peter." Stiles interjected.
"I was there too, in the car with my mother. We almost hit someone." Allison explained.
Realization crossed over Scott's face, "It was me. You almost hit me!"
As Allison gasped in amazement, Scott looked at the rest of us, "We can find it!"
"What?"
Isaac was the first one to speak to the three, "You guys were out for a long time."
"How long is a long time?" Stiles in confusion.
Deaton crossed his arms, "Sixteen hours."
Scott raised his brows, shocked, "We've been in the water for 16 hours?"
I looked up, the color draining from my face, "And the full moon rises in less than four."
A moment of silence passed by and Stiles then looked over at me. Before I could even think about what was happening, Stiles launched himself towards me and crushed me into an embrace. Letting out a breath of air, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my head into the crook of his neck. I didn't care that he was soaking wet and icy cold, he was here. With me.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?" He muttered into my shoulder.
As I stayed silent, Deaton answered for me, "She connected herself, we believe, to all three of you."
Concern dawned on Scott, "W-What does that mean?"
"Since she connected herself to all three of you, somehow, Shay went into an in-between state. A state in between life and death. She was out the same amount of time as the three of you." Deaton explained, "Since she was un-conscious, Shay might had a dream or vision of sorts."
That's when all attention fell upon me. But I was nowhere ready to discuss the fact that my dead mother wanted me to die, "I don't want to talk about it." I sternly stated, "The Lunar eclipse is less than four hours away."
Scott sighed, "I have to go back with Deucalion."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"No dude. You are not going back with him." Stiles demanded while drying his hair with a towel and his grip on my waist tightening.
Scott sighed again, "I made a deal with him."
"You chose now to be the honorable one?" I said in annoyance.
"Does anyone else think that sounds a lot like a deal with the devil?" Stiles questioned, glancing at everyone for some help.
"Why does it matter anyway?" Isaac interjected.
"Because I still don't think that we can beat Jennifer without their help." Scott shrugged and I hated the fact that he may or may not be right.
Allison rolled her eyes and turned to Deaton, "He trusts you more than anyone. Tell him he's wrong."
Deaton narrowed his eyes, clearly in a deep thought, "I'm not so sure he is. Circumstances like this sometimes require that you align yourself with people you'd normally consider enemies."
Isaac raised his brows, like he was hearing the most idiotic thing in the world, "So we're gonna trust him, the guy that calls himself death, destroyer of worlds? We're gonna trust that guy?"
"I wouldn't trust him, no, But you could use him to your advantage. Deucalion may be the enemy, but he could also be the bait." Deaton explained to all of us.
Suddenly, the bell to the clinic rung and Deaton was the first to go to the front desk. All of us decided to follow. Standing in front of the front desk was Ethan, I think. He had this concerned and hopeless expression on his face.
"I'm looking for Lydia and Shay." He said with the lack of emotion. Lydia and I moved to the front of the group.
I narrowed my eyes at him, "What do you want?"
"I need you and Lydia's help." He said.
Stiles then face him, putting a protective hand on my arm, "With what?"
"Stopping my brother and Kali from killing Derek and your aunt Jenna." He dead-pan. My eyes widened and I knew that a blood-bath was about to happen.
Two chapters in one day, feeling pretty proud of myself! I have extreme self confidence that i will finish this book by this week. Did you guys like that whole "mom and Shay" reunion scene? not really that much of a happy reunion.
~ ~ ~ ~ Monrox (Katie)