"What do you mean? Where– no, no how do you know where he's taking them?" Stiles stammers out, resting his hands on his hips.
I clear my throat and move past him to sit on the edge of my bed "You know how Lyds was helping him over the summer research the bestiary trying to figure out what he is?"
Stiles doesn't let up on his furrowed brow adorable confused expression and at his nod with my question, I continue "Well she told me something he mentioned to her. Jordan has been having this dream– the same dream every night for a while. He's walking in the woods carrying a body and every night he's taking the body to the same place– a big tree stump in the middle of the woods."
Stiles brows raise as his eyes widen slightly "Holy shit"
I set my hands on either side of me as I cross my legs and sit further back on the bed, elaborating "So maybe it started out as a dream for what he would need to do should this situation ever arrive."
"Okay but we still don't know what Jordan is right?" Stiles inquires as he quickly moves to sit on my bed in front of me.
I shake my head softly "No– mainly because Jordan doesn't have any special powers or signals as to what he could be. Except we can add one thing to the list– human fire torch who needs to take dead supernatural bodies to the main power source that drew him here in the first place."
Stiles lifts one side of his mouth to humor me before he sighs and reaches out, setting his hand on top of mine "We need to tell him and my dad what we found"
Making a noise of disagreement I offer "I kind of think we should only tell Scott and Lyds for now."
Stiles draws his brows in and nods towards me with his silent question. I shrug and offer "Jordan has no idea what he's doing– he doesn't seem to remember anything regarding taking the bodies and he seems to only be dangerous or cause destruction when someone tries to get in his way of taking them."
"And after how my dad reacted tonight at the hospital–" Stiles trails off and I squeeze his hand as I softly finish for him "If he knew the truth– he would definitely get in his way." and we can't let that happen
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It's been five days since we got Liam and Hayden back, five days since we found out about Jordan.
We told Scott and Lydia about him being the one to take the bodies and they agreed with Stiles and I that we should keep this between us. Not telling Noah about Jordan– or even Jordan about Jordan– feels awful however it's a lie of omission we can tolerate for the time being to keep them safe
We haven't seen any new Chimeras, and we haven't seen the Dread Doctors.
Scott's asthma is back– we have no idea how it came back but it did. He has his inhaler on him always and seems to be clinging to it just as bad as before he was a werewolf.
We haven't heard from Kira since her and her parents left to figure out what is happening with her. Kira shared with Scott a memory she triggered with the Dread Doctors, they did something to her the night of Scribe Night when she was stuck in the traffic jam with her parents. Her inner fox is taking over and until she can make sure she won't hurt any of us– she needs to stay away and fix what the doctors broke.
Mom shared that herself and Noah actually found a link between all the chimeras the Doctors have created– all of them were already genetic chimeras to begin with. Their medical records, that mom definitely didn't steal for non official police business, showed that they all had previously received allogeneic transplants, meaning they all received skin grafts or other tissue from other humans and were already carrying two sets of DNA prior to the Dread Doctors interference.
Which means now Noah has something for his deputies to be looking out for trying to find out who the next target will be. They are questioning anyone who's a genetic Chimera– anyone who's got two sets of DNA. No one really knows what they're looking for. Some think it's a serial killer– some probably know it's worse.
There seems to be a disconnect between us all however no one seems to care enough to fix it
Malia has distanced herself from us– either she thinks we haven't noticed or she doesn't care one way or the other, but she's still looking for her mom. I've seen her looking at crime scene photos, like the ones Scott showed us, in class when she thinks no one is looking.
The two chimeras we are aware of, Hayden and Corey, are both healing faster and getting stronger from what we can tell– though both seem to not want any of our help after what Scott did to both of them rightfully so if I'm being honest
Liam is still pretty pissed at Scott for what happened at the school the night they were taken and Scott was planning on using Hayden for bait to capture the Doctors. I get why he's upset, I just miss him him and Hayden are going strong though and I'm so happy for them
Stiles and I have been trying to find the bodies, which means finding the Nemeton. We've been driving around for days, searching all of the woods where we could have sworn it was however we're coming up with bupkis.
Considering what we had to do the last time in order to find this stupid thing I'll glady keep driving around the fucking woods in leui of an ice bath sacrifice
Stiles' aggravated huff brings me back to the present task at hand as we continue to search the woods "It's almost like this thing doesn't want to be found."
"Maybe it knows we're late for class– because we've been here twice." I smirk and point towards the tree beside us.
"Shit" Stiles groans as he looks at the tree with the white X we previously had drawn on it on our first pass through.
"Maybe we should talk to Jordan" I offer with a shrug and Stiles lifts his hand out to me with his epiphany "Hang on– if the Nemeton is covered in bodies, shouldn't you be able to find them?"
"Me?" I squeak and point to myself with my free hand
Stiles smirks and tries to cover his laugh "Yes, you babe. Come on, that's what you do. You're my badass banshee, you find the bodies."
I level him with a look, trying to hold back my smile as I sarcastically jab "Well, your badass banshee is apparently having an off couple of days because we've been out here for hours every day these past few days and I haven't gotten any type of feeling or clue as to where this fucking tree stump of death is. I really think we should bring Jordan in on the know of his extracurricular activities."
"We can't." Stiles argues and I miss the look on his face as I continue thoughtfully "Why not? Maybe him being out here will be able to lead us exactly to wherever this stump that seems to have actual Room of Requirement magical capabilities will become visible to him."
Stiles smiles with my words, however his face quickly becomes somber "Because Adds, if he finds the bodies that means my dad will find the bodies. Specificallyone body in particular that can't be found right now– we have to be the ones to find the bodies"
I soften my face and close the gap between us, reaching out and grabbing his hands in mine "Hey just because Jordan finds the bodies doesn't mean the truth about Donovan will be attached to his body."
"That doesn't mean it will make everyone finding out he's dead any easier for me" Stiles argues and I pull him closer "I know that– I just, I'm sorry I think we need to tell Jordan he's the one taking the bodies. It's always better when they know"
Stiles huffs and rests his forehead against mine. He moves his thumbs back and forth against the back of my hands before he quips lightly "Well then, he should know he owes me a Jeep."
I chuckle softly, shaking my head twice against his and push forward on my toes to connect our lips.
Stiles makes a little noise of content before he softly drops my hands and slides one of his around my waist while the other reaches up to cup my cheek in his palm. My hands move up to rest on his chest, bunching the material slightly as he effortlessly moves his lips with mine.
My phone ringing earns a groan of frustration from the both of us before we pull away "Can we please have a getaway with no phones or interruptions– soon, like very soon?"
Connecting my eyes with his as I smile softly, I nod with his suggestion and push up on my toes to peck his lips quickly between my words "Best– idea– ever"
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Theo grabs Stiles and I in between class and we fill him in on our search for the Nemeton that Scott apparently filled him in on this morning "You guys are sure that's where Parrish is taking the bodies?"
I nod and look between them "Lydia says that's what happens in his dream, she volunteered to be the one to tell Jordan– so they're going out to the woods right now to see if anything can jog his memory for a location."
Theo nods before we move further into the library and he offers "I mean, you know if Lydia finds the Nemeton, she's also going to find Donovan..." Stiles turns around quickly, throwing a pointed look towards him and Theo actually has the decency to look guilty as he looks around us, stating softly "Sorry."
Stiles nods his head to the side before he counters back "She's also going to find Josh."
Theo takes a moment, licking his lips quickly before he shakes his head softly as he elaborates "You know what, maybe she should. I think things are different now for Scott. Especially after what he did to Corey. I don't think he's going to blame us for defending ourselves– I know he won't blame you."
Stiles licks his bottom lip before he turns around, looking behind him for a few moments. Theo shares a look with me, however I don't move my eyes from Stiles. I watch as he breathes in deeply and turns back to face us, moving his eyes from my concerned ones to connect his with Theo's– sharing a look with him that says he wants to believe him however I know he doesn't
We head to class and about fifteen minutes into the class we see a commotion outside the windows with ambulances before they load up someone on a stretcher.
Just before they load them into the back of the ambulance the paramedic moves and I'm able to see that it's Corey on the stretcher. He's got mercury covering his mouth and all down his shirt, I widen my eyes and look back at Stiles before I grab my phone and text Scott I don't hear anything back from Scott before class is over though
We grab our things and head out into the hallway, Stiles grabs my hand and we head down the stairs towards the hallway with our lockers.
We see Malia walking towards us, a blank look on her face as she slowly makes her way through the hallway. Stiles and I share a look before we walk quickly towards her
"Mal?" I reach out and grab her hand causing her to lift her head and connect her eyes with mine as I inquire "Hey– hey, what happened?"
She takes a quick gasp of air before she states "I hate this. I hate losing like this. I'm not like Scott. I can't deal with another body– another failure"
I watch sadly as a tear falls down her cheek, however she quickly breaks my hold on her and she walks past us and down the hallway once more.
Stiles turns to me and I shake my head, at a loss for words before we hear a scream echoing down the hallway behind us what the fuck is happening?
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The dead body Malia must have been talking about was found outside the front of the school's doors. The girl had her neck broken and she was leaking mercury from her mouth and one of her fingernails that was missing.
Noah and his deputies arrive on the scene very quickly and they get the girl's body loaded up to be taken away.
However another dead chimera means Jordan will be memory loss activated to steal it and since Lydia is with him, naturally I start to worry that she won't answer her fucking phone.
I get her voicemail for the umpteenth time and Stiles shows me his phone with a message from Scott saying he found Corey's body in the ambulance bay at the hospital.
I close my eyes that we couldn't keep him safe, snapping them open when I hear her voicemail to leave a message "Lyds, for the love of God, answer your phone. There's another dead chimera– two actually. So right now is probably not a great time to be alone with Jordan. If he's coming to get the bodies, you can't get in his way. Lyds, hear what I'm saying, okay– please do not get in his way."
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Liam and Hayden were attacked by the Doctor's at the club she works at and Theo apparently showed up just in time to help fight them off he has a way of doing that and I don't know what to take from that
Hayden was injected with something by one of the doctors so Liam and Theo brought her to the animal clinic which is where Scott texted us to meet him.
Stiles was able to get his jeep back from the mechanic's garage and after taking him to pick it up we headed to my house so I could drop off mom's car.
It starts pouring down rain on our way to the animal clinic and we are just pulling into the parking lot at the same time Scott is getting off of his bike.
We climb out of Roscoe and walk around the front as Stiles informs through the rain "Hey, sorry... I had trouble starting the Jeep again– that thing's barely hanging on."
Scott rests his helmet on his bike and turns around to face us, not saying anything as an unreadable expression comes over his features.
Our clothes are soaked in no time and I feel the cold of the rain all the way to my bones as I offer through a little shiver "We couldn't get in touch with Malia or Lydia– have you heard from them?"
Scott doesn't answer or make any move to confirm he's hearing anything we've said, he just continues to move his eyes between us– not making eye contact though as he shifts back and forth on his feet.
Stiles doesn't move other than to flick his eyes over to me before he tries once more "Scott?"
Scott answers, however not with words, he pulls one side of his jacket away from him producing a wrench from one of the inside pockets of his jacket and lifts it out into the space between the three of us.
My mouth parts slightly with what that wrench could possibly be from, and Stiles confirms my suspicions as he hesitantly asks "Where did you get that?"
Scott raises his brows as he pushes to clarify "This is yours?"
Stiles doesn't answer, however he looks over to me and back to Scott– his silence enough of an answer before he reaches out and takes the wrench from Scott's hand.
Stiles turns the wrench over in his hand, looking down in shame at the one end that's covered in blood splatters as Scott questions "Why didn't you tell me?"
I cross my arms in front of me, not even feeling the cold of the rain pouring down around us anymore as I try to stay grounded to the scene unfolding before my eyes.
My heart is hurting for them, for the trust that is broken with the lies and the terror that is rolling off of Stiles as he waits for Scott's reaction.
"I was going to." Stiles' broken voice flows through the noise of the pouring rain before Scott counters back quickly "No, but why didn't you tell me when it happened?"
I move my eyes over to Stiles as he lifts his head and softly confesses "I couldn't."
Scott pushes "You killed him? You killed Donovan?"
Stiles looks up to him, connecting his unwavering eyes from Scott's "Well, he was going to kill my dad. Huh? Was I supposed to just let him?"
"You weren't supposed to do this– none of us are." Scott rushes out and I narrow my eyes with his words he's looking at this from the wrong way
Stiles realizes it too because he jerks his head back slightly "You think I had a choice?"
"There's always a choice."
Stiles doesn't miss a beat, his voice raising as he frantically works through his words "Yeah, well, I can't do what you can, Scott. I know you wouldn't have done it. You probably would've just figured something out, right?"
Scott nods, raising his brows slightly with his agreement "I'd try."
"Yeah, because you're Scott McCall! You're the true Alpha! Guess what? All of us can't be true Alphas. Some of us have to make mistakes. Some of us have to get our hands a little bloody sometimes. Some of us are HUMAN!" Stiles bellows, his aggravation at the very thing he was worried about most is now happening right before him as tears gather in my eyes.
"So, you had to kill him?" Scott again sticks with the same ridiculous question that is making me believe he doesn't have the full fucking story to what happened
"Scott, he was going to kill my dad." Stiles stresses, desperately trying to get Scott to see it from his side– which he doesn't as he proves with his next words "But the way that it happened... there's a point when it's– it's not self defense anymore!"
I shake my head a few times, drawing my brows inwards with my complete confusion as Stiles vocalizes my inner question "What are you even talking about? I didn't have a choice, Scott!"
Stiles throws his hands out to his side as he continues brokenly, "You don't even believe me, do you?"
Scott clears his face, raising his brows with the sincerity to his words as he states "I want to."
"Okay, all right, so... so, believe me then. Scott, say you believe me."
My brows draw inwards sadly and I uncross one of my arms, covering my mouth with my hand as I feel the warm trail my tears leave down my cheeks through the rain as I move my eyes between the pair.
Through his silence, I want to shout at Scott to come to his senses and say what I know he knows– that he believes him. However this is their moment– their fight for their friendship that I can't get in the middle of.
A broken look flashes over Stiles' face as he shifts on his feet and desperately tries once more to get what he needs Scott to say the most in this moment "Say it– say you believe me."
"Stiles, we can't kill people that we're trying to save." Scott offers instead and amidst the sadness that has transpired in the last few minutes, I'm hit with an anger I have never felt towards my brother before.
Stiles breathes in deeply, reigning in his own agitation before he steps closer to Scott, lifting the hand holding the wrench slightly with his words "Say you believe me."
Shock overcomes Scott's features as he has the nerve to look scared of Stiles holding the wrench. Scott looks from Stiles' face to his hand with the wrench a few times.
Stiles does the same as Scott steps back from him, the previous action changing his words from cautious to more anger filled "We can't kill people! Do you believe that?"
"Well, what do I do about this?" Stiles questions, his voice breaking with his words and at Scott's silence he continues more softly yet still urgently "What do you want me to do? Okay, just be... Scott, just tell me how to fix this, all right? Please, just tell me, what do you want me to do?" say something Scott
Scott opens his mouth a few times before he offers "Maybe... maybe you should talk to your dad."
He moves to walk back towards the doors, however he flicks his eyes to me over Stiles' shoulder and states "Addy go inside"
Dropping my hand from my face, I cross my arms again as I look between them and argue "No, what the hell are saying Scott?"
Stiles looks back towards me and I move my steps forward, coming to a stop next to him as Scott elaborates, "I'm saying you need to not be around him right now– do you even know what he did?"
"Yes" I answer without missing a beat and Scott jerks his head back, stammering out "You– you knew and didn't tell me? Why would you put her in the middle of something like this?"
Scott flicks his eyes towards Stiles and I scoff, throwing my arms out to my sides and gaining his attention again "He didn't put me in the middle of anything Scott, I'm a fucking banshee, I knew something happened! I didn't tell you because look at you right now Scott– I don't even know who you are anymore. You got half the story and you're just willing to believe it. Believe the worst in him? You didn't even ask him to tell his–"
"Don't bother Adds, he's made up his mind" Stiles croaks out, interrupting my words and I quickly snap my head to the side to look at him "Stiles–"
Stiles rubs a hand over his eyes and down his face before he shakes his head and walks over to Roscoe. He climbs inside, slamming the door with a force that has me flinching back.
I move to start walking to the passenger side and Scott reaches out, setting his hand on my arm and stopping my movements "Addy don't– I don't want you around him right now"
I scowl deeply as I address the brother I don't even recognize anymore, flicking my eyes between his face and his hand a few times, my eyes connect with his as I seethe out "Let go of me Scott– you aren't making the best decisions at the moment and I don't want to be around you. You don't feel like Stiles is safe? Well I can say the same thing about you. Who gave you the wrench?"
Scott shakes his head, flicking his eyes to the jeep and back to me before he mutters "Doesn't matter. What does matter is what happened and the reason–"
"You don't know shit about what the reason was Scott, you didn't even ask him!" I throw my free hand towards the jeep with a very upset Stiles watching us before Scott argues "Oh and you think you do because he told you?"
"Yes Scott! For fucks sake it's Stiles. You know him!" I reach my free hand over to poke him in the chest as I continue "You should use your keen werewolf senses to figure out that he isn't lying to you. Whoever gave you that wrench told you either what they think happened or a complete deadass lie– they didn't tell you what actually happened. And the fact that you're believing this person no questions asked– over your best fucking friend? Well you can go straight to hell– now let– me– go" I stress through clenched teeth as I quickly rip my arm out of Scott's grasp.
The coldness of the rain is doing nothing to calm my anger, I can't even stand to be around him at the moment
Scott must come to that realization because he moves his eyes between my anger filled ones a few times before he moves to the side and out of my path towards the jeep.
I quicken my steps past him and move to climb into Roscoe, slamming the door and buckling my seat belt as Scott hesitates for a moment, looking at the spot I previously stood before he turns and walks into the clinic.
Stiles starts the jeep however doesn't put it in gear and instead looks over to me "You didn't have to do that you know?"
I look over to him quickly and reach over to rest my hand on his "Yes I did. He's being a complete asshat who is so fucking wrong I can't even believe him right now. He just– he didn't even–" I shake my head and look out the front window at a loss for words as Stiles cuts in "I know"
The sound of the fast falling rain fills the jeep as Stiles turns his hand to connect our palms and he intertwines our fingers, squeezing my hand twice.
I squeeze back with my three squeezes as tears cloud my vision. Amidst the anger that is rolling off of me in waves, my heart is breaking for what just happened.
A line was drawn by Scott for me to choose a side and I crossed it without a second thought. I don't regret my decision though, I know Stiles was the right side to choose that doesn't make this any easier though
Stiles needed Scott more in that moment than he has ever needed him, and Scott let him down completely.
Scott is misinformed and I have the strongest gut feeling that I know who lied to him.
He weaseled his way into our lives– he got Scott to trust him and he just broke the strongest bond next to mine with both of them.
He's going to rue the day he played with our lives fuck you Theo– we're coming for you