Chapter 81,"Maid Of Gevaudan"
━━━━━━━━━━━━
My eyes flash open and I roll over onto my side, coughing and sputtering while trying to catch my breath. Feels as if I haven't taken a breath in ages. That thought brings me to my senses and my throat constricts.
I died.
Lifting myself up into a sitting position, I take in my surroundings only to see that I'm nowhere familiar. A colorful little girl's room with dolls scattered in the corner, a fluffy rug across from it with books piled on top. I glance down to see I'm lying on her bed, the comforter pink and slightly torn with a princess blanket draped over the bottom half of the bed.
Something about the set up sparks a feeling in the pit of my stomach. A sense of familiarity I didn't catch before. But even as I try to rack my brain, I can't seem to pinpoint how I know this vague place.
I push myself off the bed to stand up and that's when I look down to analyze my clothing. I have white sneakers, grey sweatpants, and a maroon sweater over a dark shirt. Comfy to say the least.
Stepping out of the room, I'm met with more vaguely familiar house settings. Something I've must've seen at a very early age. Maybe a place my mom brought Scott and I? It's a possibility I won't overrule.
After a while I finally find my way to the front door and I quickly leave the house, hoping to be met with someone, anyone who can cue me in on what's going on. I hope for Scott and Stiles. The thought of seeing either of them makes me leave the home quicker. But, in the back of my mind I fear I already know what's happening. As I hurry across the green lawn and to the road in front of it, I begin to register where I am. A lump forms in my throat as I spin on my heel, almost falling back into the deserted road, to see the small blue house I now know so well. My house. The place I was born into, where I lived with the family that gave up on me. Where the woman who now wants to kill me played as my loving mother. Although it's obvious she never loved me at all.
"Nice place." A voice says from behind me. My eyes widen in disbelief as I take in the voice I've heard many times my sophomore year. Someone I tried my best to help. Turning quickly, my fear skyrockets as I'm met face to face with Erica. She tilts her head with a toothless grin and a breath gets caught in my throat.
"Aww, you're speechless! I'm glad," she says, her words coming out all wrong. I thought the two of us ended on alright terms, but this Erica is newly turned. "I would say I'm surprised to see you, but this makes sense." She looks around for dramatic affect.
"I thought death would be peaceful." I say in barely a whisper, trying to make sense of this situation.
Erica scoffs. "For you? No. For you, this is as good as it gets."
My eyes flash towards hers. "Punishment? I think I endured enough of that when I was alive." I snap. She raises a brow in amusement.
"Seeing me is a punishment? Wow, no wonder you're here."
"No, the Erica I remember would've hugged me or-or gave me a better greeting."
"Would she?" Erica asks, her eyes narrowing. "you overshadowed me, even after I got the Werewolf upgrade. All eyes were always on you. Derek's eyes were always on you. Still are." She hisses, taking a threatening step towards me. My hands clench at my sides.
"Maybe it was the effort you made to get to him that had everyone look away." I tell her and I watch as her jaw sets.
"Good one." She says.
I sigh with a roll of my eyes. "Look, Erica, I don't have the patience to bicker with you right now. Where am I?"
"Hell."
"Yeah, this isn't Hell."
"Pretty close though." I mumble.
"Where else did you think you would end up, Princess?"
Her nickname sends a shiver down my spine. She's the only one that has ever called me that.
"Right," I huff. "I'll figure this out myself then."
Turning away from Erica, back towards the house, I'm met with another face that strikes immediate pain in my chest. A face I desperately needed to see in person again.
Tears spring in my eyes. "Christine?" I say softly.
She smiles lightly, mockingly. And that's how I know something's definitely wrong. "Surprise." She says before smashing an object into the side of my head. My body plummets to the grassy lawn and as soon as my face makes contact with the ground, I'm met with darkness once again.
***
"And she just...came back?" Lydia asks while watching Katherine; Stiles sitting close beside her.
"Yeah, she did." Melissa says with a small smile, so happy to see her daughter breathing and to hear the consistent beeps of the heart monitor.
Stiles holds Katherine's hand up to his lips, trying to keep himself from crying in relief. Although, the thought that keeps running through his head is why she won't wake up. What is keeping her from opening her eyes?
"The wires didn't hurt her?" Scott asks while looking over his sister's bare arms, making sure she wasn't harmed during the whole resurrection performance.
"I checked her once we brought her back," Melissa tells her son. "there were no marks on her or anything. Her magic must've been protecting her."
"Why won't she wake up?" Stiles asks in barely a whisper. All eyes land on him, trying to decipher what he said.
"Stiles?" Scott asks.
"Why won't she wake up?" Stiles asks slightly louder, keeping his eyes on Katherine's peaceful frame.
Everyone goes quiet, unsure what to think or say as they all have the same question running through their heads.
"I don't know," Melissa finally answers, her smile disappearing completely. "I don't know."
***
Cold water splashes onto my face and I bolt upright into a sitting position, coughing and trying to wipe the water away with my hands. My eyes are squeezed shut but I can feel how unsafe I am. Or, as unsafe as I can be while dead.
"Took you long enough." Erica says. I rub my eyes to clear them and when they open, I'm met with Erica sitting in front of me with an empty cup in her hand. Immediately I glare at her, tucking strands of wet hair behind my ears.
"Where's Christine?" I ask angrily. She just smiles at my tone which angers me even more.
"You got her killed, Katherine, you really think she wants to talk to you?"
I know that no matter what happened that night, I did not get Christine killed. She was protecting me, and her dying because of it made me blame myself. But also...Derek.
"Derek killed her."
"For you." She responds quickly.
I grip the end of the sofa I realize I'm sitting on, my anger and frustration only becoming more apparent.
"I get it, alright? This is all my fault. I got you and Christine killed," I tell her. "Is that what you want to hear?"
Erica tilts her head and throws the empty cup aside. I flinch. "No, I want you to believe it."
"I do!" I exclaim. "I blamed myself every time someone died. I relived every death every night! How do you think it feels to be born with this magic and not able to save anyone?"
She finally goes quiet. Her silence makes me fidgety. "I'm so sorry about what happened to you, Erica. You didn't deserve that."
I notice tears start to form in her eyes and she looks away from me to hide them. My heart constricts in my chest at the sight, but even then I'm not sure I want to let my guard down.
And sure enough, a hand grabs on to my arm tightly and I look over to see Christine. She stares down at me with hard eyes and I don't realize what she's going until she's already done it. A needle presses into my forearm, hard. Blood begins to seep from the wound around the syringe and panic blossoms in my chest.
"Christine!" I beg. She presses down and I gasp as memories explode in front of me.
***
"Parrish isn't the only one who can help defeat La Bete," Gerard tells Lydia. The strawberry blonde looks over the book in front of her, her eyes widening.
"It's Katherine."
Her eyes flash up to the older man who nods at her statement.
"Marie-Jeanne may have killed The Beast, but who do you think helped her?"
Lydia looks back down at the book, confusion overriding her thoughts.
"Henri." She says quietly.
"A Witch, Lydia." Gerard corrects. "A Witch."
"How?"
"The abnormal steel forged with Wolfsbane and Mountain Ash, their blood thrown into the mix could only have been done by a Sorceress." The older Argent explains.
"Hunters and Witches." The girl says in thought.
"They work greatly together." The younger Argent states.
"The bond between Allison and Katherine."
"Just the thing History wanted." Gerard agrees.
"Passed down from their ancestors." Says the girl while looking up between the two Argent's.
"We need Katherine." Gerard says and Lydia's eyes narrow at the man.
"Well, she's currently in a coma so if you have an idea on how to wake her up, let me know." At that, she turns to leave the dark basement in search of Parrish only to be stopped.
"We need you, Lydia." Argent says. The girl slowly turns back to face him. "Without a Hunter and a Witch, we need a Harbinger. A Banshee."
Lydia inhales sharply. "I can't." She says shakily.
"You access the Supernatural. It works through you." He tells her.
"And it doesn't control you." Gerard adds.
Her eyes flash towards him. "How would you know?" She asks sternly. "Why do you care? Why are you suddenly on our side?"
"Because it's my name too." He says. "Our name will be remembered as well, Lydia. For killing the Beast."
The girl just keeps her narrowed eyes on him, wondering what he could possibly want from her at this point.
"But I'm not an Argent," she states. "and I'm not Allison nor am I Katherine. So, if you really are so desperate, help us find a way to wake Katherine up." Lydia notices the hurt in Argent's eyes, but at that moment she could care less for she has more important things to deal with. So, she turns back towards the exit and leaves the two men behind.
***
"That was the best summer of your life," Christine says. "Too bad it had to come to an end." I swat the syringe out of my arm once coming back to reality, angry tears pouring down my face.
"Get out of my head!" I yell, spit flying from my mouth. Christine smirks.
The images of Allison, having her so near yet so far kills me. My heart practically feels like it's being ripped out of my chest.
"It's bad enough that I'm here in this hell-hole! You don't have to keep torturing me!" I say, my voice becoming raw.
"But we do." Erica adds from right beside me. I flinch before looking towards her with a look of hurt. "You deserve the pain and you know it. Because it's your fault. It is all your fault."
Those words seem to tip me over the edge. I begin sobbing, gasping. I clutch at my chest as if my heart physically hurts and somehow I end up on the floor on me knees.
"It's all my fault." I cry in defeat.
***
"Gerard kept saying that Katherine could defeat the Beast. Like she's our only hope." Lydia says while pacing in the Hospital room.
Scott keeps his eyes on his sister, making sure she's still breathing. "I think we all knew it would be her." He says quietly, causing Lydia to give him a sad look.
"I don't know what to do," he continues. "Katherine won't wake up and I'm not sure if it's Supernatural or just a coma, but if she doesn't...we can't just...kill Mason."
The strawberry-blonde stays quiet, unsure what to say. Her mind is torn between Katherine and Parrish. Death and the Hellhound. Everything just continues to become more complicated.
"What if it's both?" She asks aloud suddenly. Scott looks over at the girl, intrigued. "What if there's something in her head keeping her like this?"
"Could it be herself?" Scott questions.
Lydia takes in a deep breath. "Knowing Katherine, it very well could be."
"Then she won't wake up unless she wants to." The McCall says in realization. That silences the two immediately because they know that Katherine would punish herself for the things that have happened. And if no one's there to forgive her, will she ever allow herself to be brought back?
***
I pace the street in front of the house, going back and forth while letting myself cry. Letting myself feel everything but not being afraid of what it might bring. And just then I feel my magic pool out of me, and I scream in rage as the red haze shoots towards the home across from me. On impact, the estate explodes into debris from pieces of roof and walls. I feel no remorse, just relief. As if I needed desperately to let that out.
For some reason my mind wanders to Isaac and Argent. How they were there with me every step of my training. How they helped me get to know my abilities and what I could do with them. The thought of them resurfaces tears. Because now I really will never see them again. Especially Isaac who I haven't seen since I was kidnapped from Paris.
My stomach clenches with a deep pain and I lean over to find my breath. I thought I knew where I was, but none of this feels right. I thought I would be met with Allison and a loving Christine. Peace and happiness instead of pure pain and anguish. I know I'm not the best person on the planet, but I really didn't think I would end up...here.
"Katherine." A familiar voice says. A man's voice. I stand up straight, keeping myself turned away from the person I know that's standing behind me. I don't want to fight anymore. "Katherine, it's okay."
I take in a deep breath before turning towards Aiden. "Look, I know I should've been quicker and stopped the Oni, I'm sorry. It was my fault you died and I haven't forgiven myself for that."
I brace myself for him to start yelling and agreeing with me, telling me it really was all my fault. Not that I would disagree with him. But, he doesn't. He sniffs a laugh instead.
"Katherine, I know you blame yourself, but I don't blame you for what happened," he says and I stare at him, speechless. "just because you were there when it happened doesn't mean it happened because of you. Kind of selfish to keep blaming yourself for things."
I scoff in disbelief. "You would too if you could do what I can."
"You have magic now, you weren't able to do much then."
He's right. Goddammit he's right.
But could it really be that simple?
And how come this Aiden is so accepting but Erica and especially Christine aren't? Have they not found peace with their deaths? Did they both truly blame me for what happened to them?
Is that what this is?
I am Death, so do I deal with personal souls? Help them find Peace?
"You're still in pain, aren't you?" I ask Aiden who watches me figure this out.
He sighs. "I just miss being alive, Katherine," he tells me and my stomach churns. "I miss my brother and Lydia. I want them both to know I fought hard to be the good guy." His confession hurts.
"They do know that. I know that," I say. "I'm sorry I didn't help you guys get another chance with Scott."
Scott. His name tugs at my heart. I miss my brother too. So much so that it physically hurts.
"I don't blame you for that either." He smiles lightly, sadly.
"No one thought of you as the villain, Aiden. We all mourned you."
We stand there quietly, taking in each other's words. Maybe there's a deeper reason as to why I'm here. An actual purpose instead of just taunts.
"How sweet." Erica says from behind me. I turn towards her, the peace immediately vanishing. "Too bad he's the only one who feels that way."
Suddenly a gunshot sounds, cracking loud in the silence, and piercing pain blossoms from a spot on my ankle. I fall forward with a pained cry, the feeling all too familiar. I lie on my side on the road, clutching the wound as my knees are pressed to my chest. A pair of feet appear in front of my face and I look up to see none other than Matt, holding up his hand gun.
"Oh, how I just missed you, Katherine."
***
Stiles sits beside Katherine, a book held open on his lap and a notebook on top with a pencil held in his hand. He's been researching non-stop to try and figure out what exactly could be going in on Katherine's head. It's clear to them all that something is keeping her from waking up. And Stiles is searching desperately for a way to fight against it. He needs his Katherine back.
Another hour passes and Stiles sighs, trying desperately to stay awake. He closes the book before setting the research on the floor by his feet, using his now free hands to grab onto Katherine's. His thumb caresses the back of her hand, missing the way she would smile when he would do that.
When the two broke up, he felt lost. Katherine has always meant so much to him, and to have her just to lose her was incredibly painful for him. But, as he sits beside her comatose body that was once dead, he realizes he never wants to be apart from her. Stiles' heart belongs to Katherine. It always has. And Stiles knows how much of a mistake it was to not tell her enough and to have let her go.
He finally says the words he wasn't able to say aloud before. "I love you, Katherine. I love you so much it hurts," tears begin to brim in his eyes. "I need you to come back to me. Please come back." His hand caresses the side of her face as he wishes desperately she would just open her eyes.
The door to the room opens but Stiles stays still, never wanting to take his eyes off Katherine again. Soft footsteps approach the two.
"Don't worry, Stiles." A female voice says. The unfamiliar yet somehow familiar voice causes him to break his stare and turn towards the woman behind him. To Christine.
"She's going to wake up." She says in determination. "I'm going to make sure of it."