" Ennis? "
»»———- ———-««
"Okay, the last time I got a call like this from you... Liam was tied up in your bathroom." Asher huffed, walking into Scott's bedroom where she saw him, Stiles, and Liam.
"This is a little different." Scott said.
She glanced over to see the bathroom door shut and they were all crowded around. "Um... Who's in there this time?"
"Her name is Hayden." Liam answered.
"Wait... Why didn't you call Rey, then? Isn't this Hayden girl on the soccer team?" Asher blinked. "Reya's the captain."
Stiles shut in his eyes in annoyance. "I forgot about that."
"Just-" Scott stopped them. He walked over to the door and knocked. "Hey, Hayden. It's Scott. I know that you're scared, but we just... We want to help." When she didn't answer, he turned back to his friends. "I can hear her heart beating. She's really freaked out."
"Liam, what the hell happened?" Asher asked.
He shrugged slightly. "She was okay when we got here. I went to text you for two seconds and she locked herself in."
"Why?" Stiles questioned.
"I don't know." Liam answered.
"She's definitely a chimera?" Scott had to be sure.
The beta nodded. "She said she heard a voice saying, "Your condition improves.""
Asher puts her face in her hands. "This is like a nightmare, oh my God."
"Okay, that's unsettling." Stiles agrees, walking up to the bathroom door. "Hayden." He knocks. "This is Stiles. Your sister works with my dad down at the station. Look, just open the door, okay? You can trust us."
When there was still no answer, or no move for the door to be unlocked, Stiles backed away. The boys looked at Asher to see if she wanted to try.
She rolled her eyes, stepping up towards the door. "Hey, Hayden? My name's Asher, I don't think we've met. Um... This is probably super confusing and a little terrifying, but it's gonna be okay. Open the door and we can help you."
Waiting... Waiting... Still nothing.
Asher sighed as she crossed her arms across her chest, walking away.
"Were you just... nice?" Stiles stared at her.
"I'm a very nice person, Stiles." Asher retorted.
"No, you're not!" He argued.
"Stiles, I swear to God, we don't have time for this right now." Asher dropped her arms and balled her fists up in annoyance.
The Stilinski boy huffed, leaving it alone.
"Are you guys done?" Scott said, making the two turn to see him and Liam just staring at them.
Stiles nodded, though he was obviously annoyed. Asher shrugged.
The alpha gave them a look before heading back to the door. "We just need to tell you the truth, Hayden. And that kind of thing is usually better face-to-face. Listen, either you're gonna unlock the door, or I'm gonna have to break it open." Scott bargains. "It's okay if you don't want to talk, or if you're not ready to believe us. But I just... I gotta know that you're okay in there."
Scott looked back at his friends. The three took small steps back as he prepared to break open the door. Though, just before he could, the door unlocks and swings open slightly. Scott puts his hand against it and slowly pushes it open, and all of their faces contort to shock when they see Hayden.
With fangs, claws, and glowing gold eyes.
"I believe you." Hayden says.
--------------------
Standing around a table in the library, Scott spreads a map out onto surface.
"We're back on telluric currents?" Reya assumed, eyes darting around the sheet of paper.
Scott shrugged a little. "If the Dread Doctors didn't like coming into Eichen House because of them, then we can use them to protect Hayden."
"Okay, so, besides Eichen, where's the strongest convergence?" Stiles asked.
Scott reached forward and tapped a spot on the map. It read: Beacon Hills High School. "We're standing on it."
"You- You want to hide her in a high school?" Reya furrowed her brows.
"For how long?" Stiles added.
"If we have to? All night." Scott answered.
Reya leaned forward onto the table, deciding to listen to this, probably stupid, plan.
"Liam convinced Hayden not to tell her sister just yet. She's working a double tonight, and she thinks Hayden's staying at a friends." Scott explains.
"But it's just a school, though." Stiles said. "You know, I mean, it's not exactly a fortress."
Scott nodded. "Lydia's got an idea for that. Remember how Valack quoted Tesla?"
"Frequency and vibration." Reya recalled.
"She thinks that he wasn't saying that just to sound smart. She thinks maybe it was a clue." Scott explains.
"To do what?" Stiles didn't understand.
Reya's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it. "To disrupt their frequency. That makes sense." She grinned.
Scott nodded at her. "Parrish took three cellphone jammers from the station. He thinks he can broaden their range of frequency. Asher's helping them. She said something about how she still needs to "convince Parrish to light her on fire?" I stopped asking questions. Anyway, it's a long shot.... But it's the best we've got right now."
---------------------
"Lydia, can I tell you something?" Asher suddenly asked.
The two girls were about to get out of Lydia's car and head into her house to wait until they needed to be at the school.
Lydia let her hand drop from the door handle and turned to Asher with a confused expression. "Yeah, of course. You know that."
Asher nodded, fingers tapping against her thighs. "I had my memory. I know what the Dread Doctors did to me, but..."
The redhead furrowed her brows. "When?"
"The other day after school. When you had yours about your grandmother." Asher sighed.
"What? Why didn't you tell anyone?" Lydia tilted her head.
Asher frustratingly ran a hand through her hair, leg now bouncing up and down. "Because I don't know what they did to me."
Seeing the expression on her girlfriends face, Asher could tell she didn't get it.
"I didn't want to tell anyone until I figured out what they... amplified in me. I don't know if, or when, or what's going to happen to me." Asher explained.
"What did they do?" Lydia asked.
The lioness ran her tongue across her lips, letting out a deep breath. "My heart... They injected something into my heart. And they embedded something in my skin, Lydia. They said it was "amplification." I don't know what that means."
Lydia stared at her in concern. "Amplification? Do you think they can adjust your abilities? Change things?"
"What if they can? What if they made something stronger, or- Or added something to me. I don't know. I just don't want to feel scared of myself anymore." Asher rubbed her eyes. "And this stupid memory doesn't get us any closer to understanding them then we are now, so... I don't know what to do."
Lydia reached over and grabbed her hand. "It's okay. No one is going to be mad that you didn't tell, I know I'm not. And you know that we're gonna figure this out, we always do."
Asher shook her head. "What if what they did to me makes me lose control? Even though I have an anchor? I don't want to hurt anybody, Lydia."
"Listen to me, okay?" Lydia said, getting Asher to meet her gaze. "Whatever the hell these Dread Doctors did to you doesn't matter. If something new happens, you'll learn to control it. If something doesn't? Even better. We're going to beat these guys and we're going to help these kids." Lydia squeezed her hand. "It's okay."
"I was helpless." Asher said quietly. "They attacked me and I just it happen."
Lydia frowned.
"I should've fought." Asher huffed.
"Don't." Lydia said sternly.
The brunette looked up. "Don't, what?"
"Don't make this your fault, Ash." Lydia elaborated. "
Asher closed her eyes, leaning back against the seat. She intertwined her fingers with Lydia's in an attempt to ground herself. "Sorry for making this a bigger deal than it is. I sound too emotional. It's not like I've never been attacked before." She opens her eyes.
"Making this a bigger deal- Asher, they could have killed you. They might've done something to your powers. This is a big deal." Lydia said, exasperated.
Shrugging, Asher let any emotion she had fade away to a neutral expression. "Well, I hate being emotional. Can we go inside now?"
Lydia sighed lowly. She leaned over and kissed Asher's cheek softly. "Sure. We can watch a move or something until we've gotta leave. Sound good?"
Asher smiled, nodding. "Great."
--------------------
Asher stands next to Lydia, Parrish, and Malia as the man opens the trunk of his car. Sitting in there is the three cellphone jammers.
Malia's expression changes to disbelief as she reaches in to grab one. "We're betting our lives on these?"
"I think we're betting Hayden's life on them." Lydia corrects.
Parrish grabs another one and hands it to Lydia. "Well, I'm glad I brought my gun."
Malia hands him the one she had as she grabs the final one. Parrish closes the trunk.
"I'm also glad you brought your gun. Even if you won't let me shoot it." Asher added.
"You're a were-lion. Why do you need a gun?" Malia questioned.
Asher shrugs. "Fun. Stilinski won't let me shoot his either. It's like you guys think I'm crazy irresponsible."
Parrish glances at Lydia and they share a look.
"Asher, I mean this with love... You are." Parrish says.
She looks between him and Lydia, offence on her face. "Wow, okay." Asher huffs. "Now, I'm just gonna have to steal it."
Asher then walks off towards the school, barely giving them time to process what she said.
"Wait- Asher, what?" Parrish calls after her.
"I don't think she's serious." Malia says, though her tone is uncertain.
Lydia shakes her head. "No, she is."
After Lydia and Asher set their jammer up in a distant classroom, they join the others in the locker room. Well, more like Lydia set it up, Asher just followed her like a lovesick fool.
Parrish was setting up his jammer, Hayden and Liam were moving a locker in front of the door, and Scott was doing his own thing. Once it was done, Parrish left the room and went to his car where he was sit and watch.
Malia was outside the locker room aswell, her standing guard near the trophy case where her jammer was set up.
After a small conversation between Asher and Lydia, they decided to go and talk to Scott. He looked up as they walked up to him and the three sort of huddled up.
"Is it me or is Liam not aware of the second part of the plan?" Lydia says.
Scott glances away, a nervous expression on his face. "I'm still not sure if there's gonna be a second part of the plan."
"Or if it's going to work." Lydia adds.
Scott nods slightly.
"At least we're trying, Scotty." Asher pats his arm.
"Yeah." He gives her a tight-lipped smile.
"Scott." Asher called.
The wolf stopped, whatever he was seeing gone now. He turned around to see Asher and Lydia, together as always.
"Stiles and Theo are all alone, and since we can't use our phones... We can't check on them." Asher tells him.
"I didn't even think about that." Scott huffs.
"Neither did we." Lydia replies. "So were standing here waiting for guys in masks and breathing tubes to show up. But who or what are Stiles and Theo waiting for?"
Worry began to overtake Scott's face, his eyebrows pinching together. He looked down at his feet.
Asher, who was sitting behind Lydia on one of the benches, was unusually silent. Normally, she'd be cracking jokes or trying to make some sort of conversation, but right now she just couldn't find the energy to do so. She was worried about Stiles, determined to protect Hayden and Liam, and scared of the Dread Doctors, so... Yeah, she was quiet.
She moved to sit normally on the bench, leaning her head on Lydia's back. The banshee let her do so, not moving at all.
Not paying any attention to Liam standing up from his spot on the floor, she just let her eyes close.
Just as she did, chains rattling made them all look over. Liam was standing over the bag Scott brought, chains in his hands.
The beta looked back at Scott. "What are we going to do with these?"
"Brought them just in case." Scott answered.
"In case of what?" Liam pressed.
Lydia turned her body which caused Asher to have to lift her head up. "In case we had a chance to catch one of them."
"If we can't make the school a fortress, then maybe we can make it a trap." Scott continued, walking towards the kid.
Liam nodded towards Hayden on the ground. "They're coming for her, doesn't that mean she's the bait?"
Looking over at her, they all saw Hayden staring at Scott with a confused and slightly frightened expression.
Liam angrily put the chains back into the bag, slowly turning around.
"Liam, we brought her here to protect her." Lydia gets to her feet and goes to stand between Scott and Hayden, who is now standing.
"And now she's bait." Liam said.
"Am I?" Hayden looked at them.
Scott met her eyes. "No. No one's bait." He turned back to Liam. "But we can't be bodyguards to everyone, every night."
"Then why aren't we talking to Stiles' dad? Why aren't we doing something better than hiding in a school?" Liam argued.
Asher let out an annoyed huff and got to her feet. She stood on the other side of Scott. "Let's hear you come up with a plan then, huh? Go back to Scott's? Keep running? This is our best shot, so take it or leave it." She growled.
Scott put a hand on her shoulder. "We don't know anything about them or what they want, Liam, okay? They're winning and we don't even know what the game is."
"What if they come in here and those things don't work?" Liam took a few steps closer, tone getting angrier. "What if you have an asthma attack again? What are we gonna do?"
"I don't know." Scott answered.
"This plan sucks!" The beta shouted.
"You got a better one?" Scott's hand dropped from Asher's shoulder, agreeing with her earlier words. "Kids are dying and she's next! So, somebody has to do something. Somebody has to save everyone. So, somebody's got to be the bait!" He yelled, feeling overwhelmed.
Liam just stared at him, his anger not fading.
The alpha seemed to realize what he said, stepping backwards. He lowered his head.
Everyone was silent for a beat and the atmosphere was intense. Liam took a step closer to Scott.
"Scott." He said. "Promise me... that you'll do everything you can to save her." Liam begged. "Scott... Promise."
He was quiet for a second, meeting the boys eyes. "I'll do everything I can." Scott agreed. "I promise."
"Guys." Hayden interrupted them, digging through her bag. "I think I might need a little help right now. I forgot my pills. I have a bottle in my locker. I can get them, but-"
"I'll get them." Scott stopped her. "What's your combination?"
After a minute, the locker in front of the door was moved and they opened it. Scott, Lydia, and Asher stepped out.
"Hurry, I'll keep watch." Lydia said.
"I need to go talk to Liam. Be careful, okay?" Asher tells them.
Scott grabs her arm. "Ash."
"I'm not going to yell at him. I just need to talk to him." Asher assures him. "Now, go."
Asher leaves them be, pulling her arm out of Scott's grasp. She walks back into the room to see Liam and Hayden conversing quietly.
"Liam. Get over here." Asher demands.
"What-" Liam looks up.
"Just- Sorry... Can I talk to you?" She corrects herself.
Liam nods and walks over to her, a confused look on his face. "What's wrong?"
She shakes her head. "Nothing's wrong with me. What's wrong with you?" Asher crosses her arms.
"What are you talking about?" Liam stares at her.
"Scott has always done everything he can to help you, to help everyone, yet the second a girl you have crush on comes into play, you just throw that away? That dude out there would have done whatever he could to save her anyway, but you still felt the need to argue with him about it." Asher started. "He doesn't deserve the hard time you're giving him, Liam. If you ever try him like that again, I don't care how old you are, I don't care if you're just upset... We're gonna have another one of these super chill conversations, you got me? So, calm the fuck down."
Liam frowned a little, glancing away from her face.
"I get you can't control your emotions sometimes, neither can I, but Scott doesn't deserve that. He's trying his best, he always has." Asher says. "You need to try a little harder to understand that."
The beta finally meets her eyes again, nodding. "Yeah, okay."
Asher grabs his shoulders. She smirks playfully. "So... You really got a crush on this girl?"
Liam groans loudly, shoving her off of him. "Shut up, Ash."
She laughs, nodding. "Okay, okay... I'm gonna head back over there. No funny business, got it?"
He stares at her in horror, jaw dropped. "Oh, my God! Go away." Liam complains.
Liam watches Asher walk back towards the door and join Lydia's side. He chuckles lowly, heading towards Hayden again.
"He's not back, yet?" Asher asks, startling Lydia. "Sorry, Red."
The redhead shakes her head. "No." She steps outside. "Scott?" Lydia whispers.
No answer.
The two girls look at each other, worried about their friend.
Asher realizes what her girlfriend wants to do. "Lydia, this is a terrib-"
But Lydia is already walked carefully, yet quickly down the hallway.
The lioness looks between the door and Lydia, trying to decide what to do. She balled her fists up and they swung at her sides before she let out a long sigh.
"I hate myself." She whispers and hurries after Lydia.
But Lydia was gone. She was no where to be seen.
Asher looks around, confused. "...Lydia? Where'd you go?"
No one answered.
Asher glanced both ways as she reached the end of the hallway, still not seeing the redhead anywhere.
"A..." A male's voice could be heard.
The girl froze. She knew that voice, she would never forget it.
She slowly turned to her left, already feeling the tears pool up in her eyes. "Ennis?"
Standing there, in the middle of the hallway, was her Pops. Her Dad. Her Ennis.
Asher couldn't move, she just stared. There was no way...
"It's me, A. I'm here." He spoke.
"Really?" She whispered, her voice seemingly gone.
Ennis gave her a small smile. "I've never lied to you."
She took a step closer, and he didn't disappear, so she kept walking. Asher's pace quickened, and soon enough she was in his arms again. The alpha chuckled, holding the back of her head as they hugged.
"I thought you were gone." Asher was crying now.
Even though she hated crying in front of people, it never mattered when she was with Ennis. He never judged her, and loved her unconditionally.
"I was. But I'm back now. I've missed you so much, Asher." Ennis held her tight, like if he ever let go then she would disappear.
Asher nodded against him. She slowly pulled away, staring up at him. Oh, how she missed her Dad. "What are you... How did you survive? Deucalion- He-"
"Hey, it's okay. It doesn't matter how. I'm back, okay?" Ennis stopped her. He gently grabbed the sides of her face.
His hands slowly moved to her neck and he started to add more pressure, cutting her breath off.
"Ennis-" Asher grabbed his wrists, fighting against him. "Stop it..."
Ennis' eyes faded to black and his face started to change shades. Asher couldn't even recognize it anymore. His face was like a blur, her once beloved Dad gone.
"Why are you- Please.." Asher could feel the consciousness slipping away from her, black dots spotting her vision.
The mans hands let go of her and Asher hit the floor. She was trying desperately to keep her eyes open.
Liam and Hayden.
They were in danger.
Where's Lydia and Scott?
Asher's eyes slowly closed, and she was out cold. All because she missed Ennis.
She didn't even come to the realization that he was never there. That this was the Dread Doctors doing. Asher didn't care, she got to hug her dad again and that meant everything to her, even if it was fake.
Stepping over and around the unconscious were-lion, the previously mentioned people in masks kept getting closer to the locker room.
"Asher!" Scott shouted, him and Mason, who had found him in his little nightmare, ran up to her.
Her eyes were open, even if she though she was passed out. She lay on the ground as if she fell, and to her? She did.
Scott crouched down and flicked his claws out. He carefully swiped them across her arm and she gasped, waking up.
The boys watched as she looked around, tears swelling up in her eyes.
"He wasn't real..." Asher whispered to herself.
"What?" Mason asked.
She wiped her eyes and got to her feet shaking her head. "What happened?" Asher watched her arm heal.
"Come on." Scott didn't answer. He turned on his heel and lead them towards the locker room.
The three barged in, seeing Lydia standing with Malia.
"They're gone." The banshee said.
"Hayden and Liam are gone." Malia added.
Asher glanced around the small room, seeing nothing or no one. Just a smashed cellphone jammer on the ground.
She clenched her jaw, head shaking. "Damn it!" Asher growled, her hands moving to rest on her head.
»»———- ———-««
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asher is scotts protecter and i will let NO ONE forget it. she will do anything to make sure people treat him with the utmost respect, okay? as will i...
not much reya this chapter bc i didn't really know what to do with her??? stiles wouldn't have let her join him and theo bc she doesn't know about donovan and her mom wouldn't have let her go to a school and fight dread doctors so... i didn't know what to do LMAO
don't forget to vote and comment!!
thanks for reading, i hope you enjoyed.
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