"So, the Walcott's were the first," Stiles explains. "At least the first that we know about. Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were killed by a professional assassin called The Mute. Weapon of choice, a military tomahawk. But then The Mute was killed by Peter Hale after he tried to blow up Derek and Lexi with a Claymore mine. Next was Demarco. He delivered a keg to the party at Lydia's lake house. And got decapitated outside his car. And then last night, 23-year-old Carrie Hudson." Lexi looks down, remembering the blonde haired beta.
"It's a deadpool," Scott states, seeing the sheriff's wary look. "A hit list of supernatural creatures. This is only part of it. The rest still has to be decoded."
"Who found this list?" The sheriff asks.
"Lydia." Stiles answers.
"How?"
"She wrote it," Stiles says.
"Actually, she transcribed it. Without realizing it." Lexi corrects.
"Banshee?" The sheriff inquires.
"Banshee." Lexi nods.
"Beautiful." He sighs. "All right, what are these numbers next to the names?"
"We're getting to that. First, you need to know that the code was broken with a cipher key." Stiles tells his dad.
"Wait. You mean, like a... Like a keyword?"
"It's actually a name." Stiles looks down. Lexi looks at the two awkward boys and sighs.
"Allison." She states, hiding her emotions of the girl. "Her name broke a third of the list. And now we think there is two other cipher keys."
"Which will give us the rest of the names." The sheriff nods. "Okay. So how do we get the cipher keys?
"Same way we got the code," Stiles says.
"Lydia," Scott explains. "She's been out at the lake house all weekend trying to find the other two keywords."
"You didn't know about Demarco or Carrie—" Lexi interrupts the sheriff.
"I knew Carrie. I helped her through her first full moons. I warned her Alpha, but I guess I wasn't fast enough."
"What about these other two names on the list? Uh, Kayleen Bettcher and Elias Town. They werewolves too?" The sheriff asks her.
"We don't know," Scott admits. "But Deaton said that the Nemeton would draw supernatural creatures here."
"Here being Beacon Hills? Or Beacon County? The population of Beacon Hills is just under 30,000." The sheriff exclaims.
"And dropping..." Stiles mutters. His father sends him an annoyed look.
"But if we're talking Beacon County, then you're looking at close to 500,000. Look, how many werewolves, banshees, kitsunes and whatever the hell else is out there are we talking about? And what if the next cipher key uncovers not 12 names but 100?"
"We don't think there would be that many. There's a limit." Stiles states.
"Because of the numbers. We think that once we decode the names, the numbers will add up to 117." Scott adds.
"117 what?" The sheriff inquires.
"Million." Lexi sighs, gaining their attention. Stiles takes a third of the deadpool and starts to put M's and K's next to each number. "117 million dollars. Stolen from the Hale vault and is being used by someone to finance all these murders. Someone who wants every supernatural in Beacon Hills dead."
"So the coded list goes out. And somehow these professional assassins get that list." The sheriff clarifies.
"And a cipher key." Stiles continues.
"And then they go after the names on the list. They being killers with no mouths, tomahawks, thermo-cut wires that can take your head off."
"Let me see." Stiles grabs photos from the crime scene where Carrie Hudson was found. "Carrie was also stabbed. What's this mark?" He points to a small indentation around the wound.
"We're not sure yet. We're still waiting on the ME's report. There's one other thing I don't get. How did this new assassin know that Demarco was going to be at the lake house?" The sheriff questions.
"Everyone knows he delivers kegs to teenagers for a little extra cash," Scott says.
"Ah. So whoever ordered that keg killed Demarco."
"Yeah, it was someone at the party." Stiles agrees.
"A student." Scott sighs.
"I'm going back to Derek's. I'll do some research on this." Lexi states tiredly. "Maybe the ancestors will talk today, I don't know. Just..." She looks at the two boys worriedly. "Don't die at school, alright? It's very disappointing."
"See? Even she agrees that dying in school sucks!" Stiles exclaims. Scott gives him a confused look. "Remember when we were stuck in the school with Peter? I was all upset about dying at school, and you acted like it was no big deal!"
"Oh." Scott murmurs, eyes wide.
"See you all soon." Lexi laughs, starting to walk out.
"Wait, Lexi!" She stops as Scott runs up to her. "I need a favor." She raises her eyebrows in suspicion. "Actually, I need a favor from both you and Derek."
—|—|—|—
Liam slams his bag into his locker, upset about the fact that he has to face his old school at the scrimmage. He looks up to grab his lacrosse stick, only to find it missing. "What the hell? Where's my stick?" He looks around. The sound of a door opening puts him on edge.
Clattering sounds as he rounds the corner. Lexi stands there, examining his lacrosse stick. "Is this yours?" She asks. "I never really got lacrosse. It hasn't evolved since I was a child."
"I know you." Liam breathes. "You're that teacher everyone loves."
"See? I told you everyone loves your teaching?" Derek walks up behind her, putting his arms around her shoulders protectively. She hands Derek the stick, and he breaks it in half. Liam flinches before Derek throws him the two pieces nonchalantly.
Liam starts to pant, his bright, yellow eyes showing. "You want to take this one?" Lexi asks softly.
Derek smirks as Liam lunges forward. Derek grabs his throat and slams him into the lockers.
"Liam," Scott says, appearing next to Lexi. The beta instantly calms down, eyes turning back to his normal blue color.
"You're right, Mr. Self-Riotous." Lexi praises. "He is angry." Derek lets Liam down, and he glares at all of them.
"This one's yours." Scott sighs, holding Liam a lacrosse stick. The school bell rings as Liam glares at the couple harshly. "Get to class, Liam." Liam complies, quickly grabbing his bag and rushing out. Scott's eyes follow him out, and he turns back to face both Derek and Lexi, smiling. "What are you smiling about?"
"You're gonna be good at this," Derek tells him proudly.
"Are you kidding?" Scott scoffs. "I am totally unprepared. Remember how you said you could teach me a few things? I think, right now I could use a full-on training manual."
"I'll tell you one thing. That anger he has? It will make him strong." Lexi admits.
"And dangerous." Scott groans.
"Very." Derek agrees. Scott sits down, his hands sliding up and down his legs.
"This was supposed to be the semester I could focus on school again." Derek nods in understanding, sitting next to Scott as Lexi leans against the lockers opposite them. "But Kate's back. And I've got a Beta. And there's a dead pool—"
"If all our names are on that list, then that's what we should be focused on," Derek states seriously.
"Do you think Lydia can get that second key?" Lexi asks, feeling guilty that she is even doubting the strawberry blonde.
"She's working on it."
Lexi sighs heavily before Scott leaves. "You alright?" Lexi asks, knowing that Derek had bee having trouble.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He questions, feigning innocence.
She just nods before she takes his hand and they walk out of the school. "What's going on?" She asks, seeing a bunch of kids next to a school bus.
"Lacrosse team?" Derek suggests. Lexi inhales deeply, catching a familiar scent.
"I'll be right back." She tells Derek as she walks towards the group. "What's going on here?" Lexi asks loudly.
The kids part and Lexi sees Scott holding Liam back, blood dripping from his clenched fist, as Stiles talks with Brett Talbot. She walks forward, ending up in between Stiles and Brett.
"Just some friendly talk before the scrimmage." Stiles chuckles nervously. Lexi turns to Brett and smiles innocently.
"You need to back off." She tells him, smiling slightly.
"And why is that?" Brett scoffs.
"I think you know why. I'm Ms. Adams, and, if anyone knows anything about me, it's that I protect my students. You might even say I protect my pack of misfits that I just so happen to care for." Brett's heartbeat goes up, recognizing her. "If this happens again, I won't be nice about it."
She smiles sweetly before walking back to Derek's Camaro. "Nicely done." He smirks.
"I know, right?" She says proudly.
"I got a call from Argent." He tells her. "He wants to meet us here so we can show him what Kate wanted."
"Let's wait, then."
—|—|—|—
"She was here for this. We use it to teach young Betas how to control the shifts on a full moon." Lexi states, handing the Triskelion over to Chris Argent.
"Control was never one of Kate's strengths." Chris sighs.
"You knew she was alive, didn't you?" Derek questions, standing off to the side.
"Not for certain. But I'd been searching ever since you handed me the shotgun shell. I doubt your girlfriend didn't know."
"Hey!" Lexi exclaims. "I thought we were friends." She feigns offense. She turns to Derek to explain. "I thought it was a copycat, not actually Kate."
"What are you gonna do when you find her?" Derek asks Chris, ignoring the fact that Lexi could have told him.
"There's a place I can take her," Chris says.
"Are you saying you have some kind of werewolf jail I wasn't aware of?" Lexi inquires, eyebrows raised, as Chris hands her back the Triskelion.
"Something like that."
"She won't go quietly." Derek states.
"I don't expect her to. And I'll do what's necessary."
"What if I asked you not to?" Derek's head snaps to look at Lexi. "She took something. Not from me, but from Derek." She looks at him worriedly. "Don't think I haven't noticed. At first, I thought it was nothing. But then, you started to lose something else. Your sense of smell." She flashes her red eyes so that Derek's newly yellow eyes come out. "You're losing your power, and I would like to know why."
What was your favorite part of the chapter? Hope you enjoyed!