I could hardly believe that Danny, of all people, was the one to give us the breakthrough we needed to find Emma. I snuck into his hospital room and dug through his stuff until I found a paper he had written for Harris' Physics class about telluric currents. Turns out he was really onto something.
"Emma's gotta be at one of the six locations, but they're all over town," said Scott over the phone. "I don't know how we can get to all of them fast enough,"
"Well we might not have to," I said, pacing back and forth outside the hospital. "Danny was doing a project on something for Mr. Harris' Physics class and I think it actually means something."
"What project?" Scott asked,
"It's on um..." I had to check the title of the paper again. "Telluric currents,"
Scott paused for a moment. "Did you say currents?"
"Yeah,"
We hung up and I hurried to my jeep, driving as fast as possible to Emma's house, where we all agreed to meet. Scott's bike occupied the driveway, Lydia's car on the street. Eric was still with Derek, Isaac, and Boyd, following through with their plan for Kali's attack.
Allison's father's maps were strewn out across the kitchen table as Scott, Cora, Lydia, and I all surrounded it. I examined Danny's paper further, re-reading the key parts that related most to our situation.
"Okay, so what does some kid's homework have to do with finding Emma?" Cora asked.
"Because it's not just homework, okay? It's a project on geomagnetic fields," I explained. "They flow through the earth, they can even be affected by lunar phases, alright? Now look at this, this is a note from Harris on Danny's proposal,"
I pointed out the scrawl of red writing on the corner of the paper.
"I strongly advise you chose another subject," read Lydia. "The ideas here, while innovative and thoughtful, border on pseudoscience. Not suitable for class,"
"Harris wasn't just a sacrifice," said Scott. "He knew something,"
I grabbed the large map that had been stuffed between the pages of Danny's paper and laid it out on the table. "And check this out," I said. "Allison's dad wasn't the only one with a map. Danny had one too,"
I flattened out the map as Scott began placing out the pieces of Mr. Argent's map.
"Danny marked all the telluric currents," I said. "Kay, now the weird thing about Beacon Hills is that it actually is a beacon. I mean you wouldn't believe how much energy flowing through this earth is around this town,"
"Stiles," said Scott. "Look, they match,"
I looked down to see that he was right. Mr. Argent's maps where the same as Danny's. That means that they both knew something. Although, Danny's discovery may have just been a fluke, whereas Mr. Argent knew what he was figuring out.
"Alright there's three places, right?" Scott asked, grabbing a pen and beginning to circle locations, including Emma's house and where her father's body was found. "The place where they're kidnapped and the place where their body was found,"
"That's right on a telluric current," pointed out Lydia, referring to the places Scott had marked.
"So maybe where she is sacrificed is somewhere in between," said Scott.
Gears were spinning in my head almost too fast to keep up. "Alright, let me see that," I grabbed the pen from Scott. "You said there's six more bodies to be found,"
I drew an 'X' through the circle Scott had made around Emma's house.
"Emma's one of them," I said. "So she's gotta be somewhere in between, right?"
"Stop," said Cora, grabbing my hand that was wrapped around the pen. I looked up at her as she slowly moved my hand to the side, stopping at the place where two of the currents met, right over the title 'Beacon Hills First National Bank'. "She's in the vault. She's in the same vault,"
My stomach felt like it jumped into my throat. We found her. We know where she is. Now we just have to get to her before it's too late. The four of us cleared up the papers and maps, ready to clear out and head to the vault.
"Guys, wait," said Lydia.
"Lydia, there's not time," said Scott, already halfway out the door.
Cora looked up from her phone with a solemn expression. "It's Eric," she said. "The plan didn't work. They cut the power,"
No, no their plan was supposed to work. Eric told us that they had everything under control, that when Kali stepped foot into the loft she would be electrocuted through the currents flowing through the water. This was all supposed to work out.
We all looked to Scott. "It's just like he said,"
His eyes were wide and his mind seemed to be reeling.
"Go," he said. "Go, I can save Emma myself,"
"Scott," I said, taking a step forward. This is Emma we're talking about, the girl I'm madly in love with. Not that I don't trust Scott, because I do, but I want to help save her. I have to.
"Cora won't be able to get there fast enough without you," he said. "Go, we can save both of them,"
"Scott!" I said, but I was too late. He'd already sprinted out of the house.
I let out a heavy sigh and slumped my shoulders. Lydia and Cora were giving me sympathetic looks. I tried to go back to what Emma had written me in her letter. She told me that Scott would find her. She also told me to have faith. I'm trying to, I really am, but it's not as easy as she makes it out to be.
Well, there's no use in my just standing here and feeling sorry for myself. Emma wouldn't want that. So, if I can't save her, then I at least have to save Derek. I know that she forgives him, so I owe it to her to try and keep him alive.
"Come on," I said, leading the two girls out to my jeep and speeding off towards the loft
☀
~~EMMA POV~~
Long beads of sweat trickled down my arms, my face matted and sticky. My arms were sore and shaking from pulling myself up, my feet dangling a foot off the ground. A circle of mountain ash surrounded where I was hung. The rope burned into my wrists, the skin trying to heal itself around it.
My vision was beginning to blur and my mind go foggy. I was losing energy. I don't know how much more strength I have to keep pulling myself up. Yet, once again, I wrapped my hands around the rope and pulled with all of my force until I could snag a small breath of air.
I was careful with what little breath I managed. I had to use it wisely, since I don't have much strength to pull myself back up again quite yet. My body is trying to fight it, the black blood I've begun coughing up is proof of that. The liquid covered my chin and some of it rested in my mouth, me not having the energy to spit it out.
I've been hanging here for longer than I can keep track of. All I know is that if Scott doesn't find me soon, it might be too late. I don't want it to be too late. I planned this out so carefully, making sure I left enough of what I knew behind for my friends to find me.
Thoughts of Stiles filled my mind as I pulled myself up again, the rope digging deeper into my wrists. I sucked in a breath, holding onto it for dear life. I tried not to think about my current situation, and instead replay all of the happy memories I have.
I thought about all the nights I fell asleep kissing Stiles in my bed, because that's enough for us. I love waking up next to him, his hair ruffled and flat on side side. I love how raw and raspy his voice is in the morning when he tells me he loves me. That gives me a reason to keep waking up, to keep pulling myself up for another breath.
I don't want last night to be the last time I ever get to see him. I don't want to leave him without getting to say a proper goodbye. I at least owe him that much.
Suffocation was beginning to set in. Black spots dotted my vision and my body became heavy. This was it. After all this time, I was really dying. My lungs hacked up another round of black blood, adding to the stain down my shirt.
Holding on was too much. I was trying. I thought about my friends and about Stiles. I thought about Eric. I can't die. I'm all the family he has left. We need each other. But my lungs were running out of air, and I was out of strength. My head began to feel like an expanding balloon, ready to pop at any moment.
I tried keeping my eyes open, but my eyelids were too heavy. I could see it, that little white light everyone always talks about. It was like a door swinging open, and there, on the other side, was my family, awaiting me with open arms. I may be dying, but I'm not afraid. They're with me. It doesn't hurt.
Suddenly, the light seemed to be fading away. Something was happening around me. I was aware, but my eyes were still too heavy to open. I pushed myself, trying to find that last ounce of strength to hold on for even a second longer.
My eyes fluttered open, only slits. My stomach flipped when I saw Scott standing before me, rays of light emitting from where his palms met the circle of mountain ash. He was doing it. He was going to break it. He grunted as he pushed against it, his noises pulling me in and out of consciousness.
He was getting closer. His entire body was pressed against the circle, blue and yellow rays of light bouncing off of him. His eyes looked up to meet mine, glowing their bright amber yellow. Then, it happened, just as I'd expected. His eyes burned into a deep red, staying that way, until he was pushed back.
He rolled on the ground, drained of energy. But he wasn't the only one. I was slipping again. I could feel the last breath escape my lungs. Soon my body would shrivel up into just skin and bones, entirely drained of air.
"Scott," I heard a familiar voice say. "Let me give it a shot,"
There was a loud ringing in my ears before I collapsed limp onto the ground. Sheriff Stilinski managed to break the circle when he came over to me, allowing Scott to grab a hold of my frail body. He wrapped me up in his arms, leaning against the wall. I sucked in breaths, grabbing a chunk of his shirt in my fist.
"How'd you find us?" Scott asked the Sheriff, calmingly rocking my back and forth.
"The symbols and pictures on your wall, Emma," he said, pointing to the bank logo on the floor behind us. "I knew that one of them looked familiar,"
Posting those pictures was all part of my plan. I knew that I would be taken to one of six locations, since I'd been religiously mapping out the sacrifices ever since Heather was taken. The Sheriff recognizing one of them was something I could have only hoped for. He saved my life.
"Thank you, Mr. Stilinski," I said, panting and still out of breath. "For being one hell of a detective,"
"You bet," he said, grabbing my hand and giving it a small squeeze, kind of like Stiles always does. "Now, let's get you an ambulance,"
Once he was out of earshot, I pulled my head off of Scott's chest and stared at him. "Your eyes were red," I told him. He looked at me, perplexed. "Bright red,"
"How is that possible?" He asked.
"Paramedics are on their way," said the Sheriff, popping back into the vault. "I'll be back in half a minute,"
I waited until he was gone before I began speaking again, fighting for air between words. "It's rare," I said. "Something that hasn't happened in a hundred years but every once in a while a beta can become an alpha without having to steal or take that power."
I wondered if maybe somehow my mother knew that this would happen, and that's why she told me so much about it just before she died. As if somehow she knew all of this would happen.
"They call it a True Alpha," I explained. "It's one who rises purely on the strength of the character, by virtue, a sheer force of will."
Scott's eyes met mine. "You knew this would happen,"
"I believed, Scott," I said. "I always believed,"
The thought had always been there, in the back of my mind, but it never really settled until I realized that Scott had become an alpha of his own pack. His passion for others and his ability to guide them in the right direction was all the evidence I needed to support my theory. Now it's been confirmed.
That's why Brittany was here. She, much like the Alpha Pack, heard about Scott's potential. She came seeking the rarest alpha she could find in order to give her more strength and power. A True Alpha is one unlike any other.
"You're not the only one," said Scott.
"No," I said, swallowing. "Deaucalion isn't after Derek...he's after you,"
☀
"Where is she? Where is she?" I heard his voice pushing forwards in the distance. I craned my neck over the paramedic tending to the wounds on my wrist. Luckily they weren't healing as fast as usual because of how weak I am. Then I saw him, pushing past a deputy as his eyes locked with mine. "Emma!"
I hoped off the back of the ambulance, meeting him halfway. His arms wrapped themselves around me and I sunk into his embrace like I belonged there. Maybe I do. I coiled my own arms around his torso, burying my face in his chest so he couldn't see the tears in my eyes. I thought I would never get to see him again, yet here am I in his arms.
"Oh thank god," he said. "Thank god,"
I could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he held me close to him. I clutched the back of his plaid shirt into my fists, never wanting to let him go. I was moments away from death, and this time there would have been no going back.
"Where's Eric?" I asked, my voice muffled into his shoulder.
"Emma," he started.
I pulled away, still gripping him but looking into his eyes. "No, no," The look on his face caused my stomach to feel like it was being shoved down my throat. I needed him to come out with it, but I didn't want him to say anything I didn't want to hear.
"He's fine," he said, squeezing my shoulders. I sigh of relief washed over me. "It's Boyd,"
"Wh-what?" I stuttered.
"They killed him," he said. My entire body seemed to have gone numb. "Emma, Boyd's dead,"
No, no. If anyone was supposed to die tonight it was supposed to be me, not Boyd. He didn't deserve this. He's just a teenage boy. He's never hurt anyone. This isn't how it was supposed to work out.
"No," I sobbed, falling into Stiles' chest again. "No, you're lying,"
It can't be true. Boyd can't be dead. I refuse to believe it. I refuse to believe that another one of the people I was supposed to protect is dead. I can't live with anymore of that guilt. It already feels like it's burying me alive.
"Shhh," said Stiles, rubbing my back as I tugged down on his shirt. "It's okay, it's okay,"
But it's not. It will never be okay. It's not possible after everything that's happened. The days of being okay have long since passed. "It should've been me," I sobbed.
"Don't say that," said Stiles, his arms squeezing around my shoulders.
"No one else was supposed to die,"
"This isn't your fault," he said. He held me at arm's length, his caramel eyes staring heavily into my navy ones. "Okay? This isn't your fault. It was Kali's way of getting back at Derek for what happened to Ennis. So don't you think for a minute that this is because of you, okay?"
I swallowed my tears and nodded at him.
"God I thought I lost you," he said, breathlessly pulling me back into his chest. He ran a hand over my hair, smoothing it down. I breathed in his scent, the one that has conditioned my heart to race just at the smell.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," I said, quietly. "I didn't want you to worry about me,"
"I'm your boyfriend, Emma," he said. "It's my job to worry about you,"
A small laugh escaped my lips between the tears. I should tell him. I promised him I would. I'm just afraid of what he might think once he finds out about this dark thing that sleep inside of me. I've put him through too much already.
We held each other like that for a moment longer, before another thought popped into my head. "I need to go see Derek," I said, taking a step back from Stiles. His face faltered again and it made my stomach churn.
"He left, Emma," said Stiles.
Disbelief consumed my eyes. "What? No, why would he do that? Is he coming back?"
"They think you're dead,"
"They?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Stiles let out a heavy sigh, his eyes drifting from mine. "Stiles?"
"Eric's gone too,"
I shook my head, stepping backwards. He wouldn't do that. My brother wouldn't just leave everyone behind like that, even if he did think that I was dead. He wouldn't leave without proving it to himself first. I know he wouldn't.
"No, no," I said. "We have to find him, tell him that I'm alive,"
"Scott's been calling him and Derek for twenty minutes," said Stiles. "No answer,"
I started crying again. It's easy to cry when you realize that everyone you love will either leave you or die. One way or another, everyone around me always gets hurt. Maybe I should be the one leaving. I don't have to die but just walk away with what innocence I still have left.
If I can't save the people I'm trying to protect, then what good am I anyways?
-------------------------------
Thanks so much for reading!
I have so much stuff I need to do I want to scream.
Anyways, what did you think of the chapter? Definitely a bit of a different perspective I'd say.
Thanks again and don't forget to comment, vote, and follow!
GIF not mine.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
-Alyssa