CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
caught in the middle
YASMINE MCALL
Peter had dragged Stiles and I to Stiles' baby blue Jeep and forced us to get in, then gotten in himself. He sat next to Stiles in the front, his claws out as he told the hazel-eyed boy which way to drive.
I had been sitting in the back, my hands still trembling a little. Lydia's blood was all over me and the thought of her dying scared the living hell out of me. It would be my fault if she died. If I'd just gotten there faster, then Peter wouldn't have had the chance to hurt her.
Yes, I didn't necessarily like Lydia and she didn't necessarily like me either, but there was no part of me that wanted to see her dead. I'd known her for so long and I honestly couldn't imagine how things would be without Lydia in the picture.
There was a little part in the back of my brain that kept reminding me that if Lydia died, then Stiles would be mine and not hers, but I tried to ignore that little voice in the back of my head. I didn't want Lydia to die - not tonight and not because of Peter Hale or because of me.
Stiles pulled into a parking lot, snapping me out of my thoughts. I glanced up and saw a car parked right next to us.
The minute Stiles got out of the Jeep, Peter grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him with him, while he shot me a look.
"Whose car is this?" I questioned as Peter stopped in front of a dark gray car and pulled out a pair of keys.
"It belonged to my nurse," He replied calmly as he tried to find the right key.
"What happened your n-" Stiles asked, jumping back when he saw the dead nurse lying in the trunk. "Oh my God!"
My eyes widened when I saw Jennifer lying dead in the trunk of her own car. I felt sorry for her, but some part of me felt like she should've known what she was signing up for when she began helping Peter. Despite feeling like it was her own fault, I took a few steps back in shock, my hand now placed over my mouth.
Peter leaned down, lifted Jennifer's limp arm and picked up a laptop bag, which he then handed to Stiles. "I got better," he shrugged and slammed the trunk door.
"Good luck getting a signal down here." Stiles remarked. "Oh, MiFi. And you're a Mac guy." He said as Peter pulled out a MacBook and placed it on the car's trunk. "Does that go for all werewolves, or just personal preference?"
Peter glanced back at me, then at Stiles. "Turn it on. Get connected."
"You know, you're really killing the whole werewolf mystique thing here." Stiles stated as he turned over the little device and began typing in the MiFi code. "Look, you still need Scott's username and password, and I'm sorry, but I don't know them."
I stood in the back, just hugging myself. I still couldn't believe what I'd seen. I knew Peter was eventually going to find his way to Derek, because he was an incredibly smart and cunning man. I knew Stiles would try to distract him and keep him away from Scott as long as possible, because Scott was like his brother.
And I knew that Stiles hadn't spoken to me since we stood on the lacrosse field, because he probably felt like what happened to Lydia was either my fault, or because he felt I could've prevented it if I'd just gotten there faster.
Peter shook his head. "You know both of them."
"No, I don't." Stiles lied, seeming pretty convincing.
Also forgetting that he was lying to a werewolf who could hear his heartbeat and, even worse, an Alpha who, most likely, had better hearing than normal werewolves.
"Even if I couldn't hear your heartbeat, I would still be able to tell that you're lying." The Alpha stated annoyed, staring over at Stiles.
Stiles began nearing Peter. "Dude, I swear to God-"
I gasped and ran forward towards them as Peter grabbed Stiles' neck and slammed him onto the trunk.
"I can be very persuasive, Stiles." Peter taunted, holding me back with his other arm. "Don't make me persuade you."
I broke free of Peter's grip and stepped forward. "I'll do it." I stated loudly. "I know Scott's username and password, I'll type it in."
Peter let Stiles go and moved him to the side, then grabbed my arm and dragged me forward to the laptop. "You better not be lying, Yasmine." He threatened, but in a gentler tone.
I cleared my throat and began typing in the MiFi code that Stiles hadn't. "What happens after you find Derek?" I questioned, ignoring Stiles' hazel eyes on me.
He was probably judging me right now, but the only reason I volunteered to type the username and password in, was so Peter wouldn't hurt him anymore, but he wouldn't understand.
"Don't think, Yasmine. Type." Peter ordered.
"You're gonna kill people, aren't you?" Stiles asked Peter, a harsh tone in his voice that was also laced with hurt.
I stopped typing and turned around to see Stiles already looking at me, a hurt look in his eyes. He didn't look angry and for a second, I swear I saw him nod reassuringly towards me before he reverted his gaze to Peter.
"Only the responsible ones." Peter answered truthfully and grabbed my shoulders, turning me back around to the laptop, his claws hitting my arms.
I took a deep breath. "Look, if I do this, you have to promise to leave Scott out of it." I gazed right into Peter's blue eyes, a determined expression on my face.
Peter sighed. "Do you know why wolves hunt in packs?" He asked, now looking back at me. "It's because their favorite prey are too large to be brought down by one wolf alone. I need Derek and Scott. I need both of them."
"He's not gonna help you." Stiles spoke determinedly from behind and walked closer, now standing on my right.
"Oh, he will." Peter replied, almost patronizingly. "Because it'll save Allison. And you and Yasmine will, because it will save Scott. Your best friend, and your brother, whom you know so well, you even have his username and password."
I sighed and shared a look with Stiles, who looked as defeated as I felt, before I typed in Scott's username and password.
"His username is 'Allison'? His password is also 'Allison'?" Peter asked in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe how in love Scott was with Allison.
"Still want him in your pack?" Stiles and I questioned sarcastically at the same time.
^^^^
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Wait, what the... That's where they're keeping him? At his house?" Peter and Stiles leaned over and glanced down at the screen, where it said that Scott's phone was located at the Hale house.
Peter had this little knowing smirk on his lips as he began packing up the laptop. "Not at it. Under it. I know exactly where that is." A roar echoed throughout the parking space, Stiles and I sharing a similar expression as we looked to each other. "And I'm not the only one."
Peter opened the door to Jennifer's car and placed the laptop on the backseat, just as another howl echoed through the air. "Give me your keys." He ordered Stiles.
Stiles sighed annoyed and handed Peter his keys. "Careful. She grinds in seconds." Peter opened his palm, only to reveal Stiles', now, bent keys. "So you're not gonna kill me?" He asked as Peter handed him back his keys and was about to open the door to Jennifer's car.
"Oh God," I muttered under my breath as Peter began walking closer.
"Don't you understand yet? I'm not the bad guy here."
Stiles wasn't believing that load of bullshit though. "You turn into a giant monster with red eyes and fangs, and you're not the bad guy here?"
Peter exhaled. "I like you, Stiles. Since you've helped me, I'm going to give you something in return. Do you want the bite?"
My eyes widened. "What?" My voice meshed with Stiles', who'd just asked the same question.
"Do you want the bite?" Peter asked slowly. "If it didn't kill you - and it could - you'll become like us."
"Like you." I mumbled and glared up at Peter. He'd already ruined Scott's life by turning him into a werewolf, now he was offering to ruin Stiles'. Some part of me was terrified that Stiles would say yes, but some part of me believed that Stiles would never say yes to this offer.
"Yes, a werewolf. Would you like me to draw you a picture?" Peter questioned sarcastically. "That first night in the woods. I took Scott because I needed a new pack. It could've easily been you. You'd be ever but as powerful as him. No more standing by his side, watching him become stronger, and quicker, more popular, watching him get the girl. You'd be equals. Maybe more." Peter lifted Stiles' arm and held it up to his mouth. "Yes or no?"
Stiles ripped his arm out of Peter's grasp just as he was about to bite him. "I don't wanna be like you." He spat.
A sigh of relief left my mouth and I could breathe normally again. I was happy that Stiles had rejected Peter's offer. All Peter was trying to do was turn Stiles and Scott against each other. He knew that together, he wouldn't be able to manipulate them, but if they were separated, then maybe he could.
"Do you know what I heard just then? Your heart beating slightly faster over the words 'I don't want'. You may believe you're telling me the truth, but you are lying to yourself." Peter said confidently. "Goodbye, Stiles, Yasmine." He got into Jennifer's car and sped off, leaving us in the parking garage with a pair of bent keys.
^^^^
Stiles and I rushed out of the elevator at the hospital. We'd heard from a few students that Lydia had been taken to the hospital by Jackson and we'd both agreed that we needed to go make sure she was okay.
We didn't get very far before the Sheriff showed up and grabbed Stiles' shoulders.
"You know what? It's good that we're in a hospital, because I'm gonna kill you." The Sheriff said to Stiles, not even shooting me a glance.
"I'm- I'm sorry." Stiles immediately began apologizing. "I lost the keys to my Jeep. We had to run all the way here."
"Stiles, I don't care!" The Sheriff outburst in anger, not caring that people could hear him. The people that did hear him just turned back around and began doing their own thing again.
I stepped forward. "Is she gonna be okay?" I questioned in a meek voice.
The Sheriff sighed and pulled off his jacket, handing it to me, probably because of the amount of blood that was on my dress. "They don't know, partially because they don't know what happened. She lost a lot of blood, but there's something else going on with her."
My eyes drifted to where Lydia laid in a hospital bed, her mother stroking her strawberry blonde hair. Tears whelmed in my eyes and I blinked furiously to get them to disappear as I tightened the Sheriff's jacket around me.
"What do you mean?" Sweat ran down Stiles' forehead, a worried expression on his gorgeous face.
The Sheriff himself seemed confused as he answered his son. "The doctors say it's like she's having an allergic reaction. Her body keeps going into shock." He glanced between Stiles and I. "Did any of you see anything? I mean, do you have any idea who or what attacked her?"
"No. No, I have no idea." Stiles lied.
The Sheriff now looked at me and I gulped as I answered his question. "No, I didn't see anything. I saw Lydia lying in the middle of the lacrosse field and I called Jackson. I told him to get Lydia to the hospital while I went looking for Stiles." I lied, Stiles nodding as to verify my story.
The Sheriff nodded to himself. "What about Scott?"
Stiles looked up from the ground. "What do you mean? What about him?"
"Did he see anything?"
My breath got caught in my throat. "What do you... Is he not here?" I questioned worried and glanced around, my hair going everywhere.
"What are you talking about?" The Sheriff asked in return. "I've been calling him on his cell. I've gotten no response."
Stiles nudged me slightly and nodded towards Jackson who was standing outside Lydia's room, looking right at us. He shrugged, shaking his head, hinting he hadn't seen Scott either. "Yeah, you're not gonna get one."
^^^^
Jackson and I stood outside Lydia's room in silence. None of us had uttered a word as we watched Natalie Martin stroke her daughter's strawberry blonde hair, tears pooling in her tear-ducts.
"-You know it has something to do with Derek."
I turned my head and saw Stiles and the Sheriff walking out of the office. I ignored Jackson's eyes on me and approached the father and son, still wearing the Sheriff's jacket.
"What?" The Sheriff stopped Stiles just as I approached them, standing next to the aforementioned boy. "I thought you three said you barely knew him."
"Alright, we might know him a little better than that." Stiles finally admitted to his father, his hand dangling by mine as we both stared at the Sheriff.
The older man threw an arm around his son's neck and began dragging him down the corridor, shooting me a look. "You do realize that I'm elected to this job, right?" He questioned both Stiles and I.
"And if we help you figure this out, you'll be re-elected. Am I right?" I smiled sweetly. "Sheriff Stilinski, come on." I urged.
The Sheriff stopped walking and lowered his arm from Stiles' neck, looking down the corridor where a few nurses and doctors stood. "You know what? That girl in there has got nothing to do with a six-year-old arson case."
Stiles immediately snapped into action. "When did you decide that it was definitely arson?" He questioned his father.
"When we got a key witness." He answered, but spoke again before Stiles could say anything. "And, no, I'm not telling you who it is, but yeah, yeah, we know it's arson. And it was probably organized by a young woman."
My eyebrows pulled together as I began walking on the Sheriff's left side. "What young woman?"
The Sheriff glanced at me momentarily. "If I knew that, she'd be in jail."
"Was she young then or is she young now?" Stiles refused to give up just like myself.
Between Stiles and I, there was still a little awkwardness, but somehow we both knew that only if we worked together, we could figure this out. I was sad that he'd admitted to his feelings towards Lydia and I didn't really know why he was mad, but we'd have to resolve whatever issues we had between us after we'd figured out where Scott was or what the hell was going on.
"She's probably in her late twenties." The Sheriff's phone rang. "Oh, I gotta grab this call." He looked down at his phone.
Stiles still wasn't giving up. "You don't know her name?"
"No, I don't - What is this? 20 questions? All we know is that she had a very distinctive - what do you call it - a pendant." His phone kept ringing.
"What the hell is a pendant?!" Stiles outburst.
"Stiles, do you go to school?!" The Sheriff retorted just as loudly as Stiles had asked. "A pendant! A pendant-"
"It's a necklace." I interfered.
The Sheriff snapped his fingers in my direction. "Exactly, Yasmine, it's a necklace. Now, can I answer the phone?"
"Yes." Stiles sighed as the Sheriff answered the phone and began walking down the corridor. "How the hell do you know what a pendant is?" He asked me.
I rolled my eyes and pulled my messy hair into a quick ponytail, so my hair wouldn't get in my face. "Because I actually pay attention in class." I began walking.
As my heels clicked on the floor and I walked away, the Sheriff's words swirled around in my head. A young woman in her late twenties with a distinctive pendant...
Suddenly it clicked in my head. "Stiles!" I spun around on my heels with wide eyes, only to see him staring back at me with the exactly same look.
Like me, he knew exactly who'd killed most of Hale family six years ago and who was keeping Derek captive.
_
This was a pretty long chapter, but next chapter will probably be just as long or even longer.
there's some drama between Yasmine and Stiles, but they're still able to work together. Next chapter is the last chapter besides the epilogue! I'm so excited!
Information about the sequel will be in the author's note in the next chapter and I'm so excited to begin season two. Please leave a comment telling me what you thought and press that star button, yo.
next chapter; it all comes to an end 😈
xo.