Getting towards the end of the season now
Question of the Chapter: Which of our hero characters do you think would make a good villain?
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Gasoline dripped from my hair and down my face as I felt myself losing consciousness. The music was becoming too much for my senses.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Scott try to get up again, only to be kicked in the chest by the security guard. The man knelt down in front of the Alpha, a sinister smile on his face as he lit a lighter.
All he had to do was drop it and the five of us would be gone; burned alive like the Hale family.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I awaited the inevitable, my head still spinning.
But then, it just stopped. Opening my eyes, I saw that Scott was holding the man's fist, his eyes glowing red. Twisting, he broke the bones until the lighter was shut and away from the man.
Then, Braeden came out of no where, knocking the man out. Derek was close behind, the two of them taking out the three remaining guards in hand-to-hand combat.
The five of us were completely conscious at that point, but still pretty weak. We watched helplessly as the guard reached for the lighter again.
Drawing my strength, I yelled as I pushed out my power into one blow, sending the lighter far out of his reach. At the same time, Braeden reached down and snapped the man's neck.
We were actually okay. We somehow managed to survive another close call.
"What happened to the gun?" Scott asked Derek as the beta approached us.
Derek gave him a look as if to ask if he were an idiot. "You're covered in gasoline."
"Oh, yeah."
Derek reached a hand down as helped Scott to his feet and we all began to do the same for each other. My head was still a bit stuffy from the music and then from using my ability on such low fuel, but I managed to stand.
Isaac stood by me, both of us keeping each other standing. The others were healing fine, but the effect the music had on the air and my body was still lingering. I could feel each hair standing on end, my skin crawling at the sensation.
"I-I think I'm going to go home. I want to shower off all the gasoline," I mumbled.
Scott hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "Isaac, you make sure Riley and Malia get home. I'll take Liam."
Isaac agreed without a second thought, helping Malia to her feet. I was going to say I would be fine, but I knew they weren't going to agree.
"Can I stay at your place?" Malia asked softly, rubbing her eyes.
"Of course," I replied with a small smile.
Malia and I went in my car while Isaac followed behind on his bike. We didn't really need him, but I guess the way we acted before we all got dragged away warranted a check in.
It didn't take us long to get to my house, the two of them following me inside. Charlotte and Iris were no where to be found, but a note on the fridge revealed they had gone out for dinner. I wasn't sure what was going on there; I'd have to ask Charlotte about it sometime.
I told Malia I'd go for a shower, and then she could have one so that we could rid ourselves of the gasoline.
Retreating to my shower was the most amazing feeling. The hot water was so revitalising, right between warm and scolding. I ran my fingers through my hair, smelling the gasoline as the water attempted to wash it away.
I scrubbed my whole body and washed my hair twice in an attempt to get rid of the smell. That security guard and DJ weren't messing around, they had very nearly just killed us all.
We couldn't keep scathing by; one day our luck was going to run out.
After I got out, I let Malia know she could go before I went to my room to get dressed. I checked on my phone which I had put on charge because apparently it had died, hoping that it was on. Unfortunately, it was still charging.
I took my time getting dressed, pulling on a pair of leggings and a sweater, just wanting to be comfortable. Picking my towel back up, I began to dry my hair, trying to remove the water so it wouldn't be dripping on my fresh clothes.
When I heard a knock at my door, I looked up to see Isaac. "Hey, how are you."
"Well, we almost just got barbecued, but somehow made it out alive. So, overall? Alright, I guess."
Isaac gave a small laugh as he took another step into the room as I continued to dry my hair. "I just got a call from Scott, he said you weren't answering your phone?"
"It died. What's wrong?"
He took a breath, biting his lip. "It's Stiles. He's in the hospital."
"What?" I gasped dropping the towel and walking over to stand directly in front of the boy, craning my neck to look at him. "You better not be lying, Isaac, because this isn't funny."
"I'm not, I swear," he said quickly. "He's at Beacon Memorial with Melissa. Apparently something happened when they went to Eichen; I'm not sure what."
Not even stopping to think, I grabbed my bag, keys, phone, portable charger and threw on a pair of shoes.
"Tell Malia what happened so she won't be pissed at me and tell her I'll call her later. You guys are welcome to hang around here if you like, I don't mind either way. But, please keep an eye on her for me?"
"Yeah, of course. Let me know if he's okay," Isaac said with a small smile of encouragement.
I looked over my shoulder at him as I left the room. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"A lot of things," I replied, smiling towards him. He was one of my best friends, I couldn't imagine doing this without him.
♧♤♢♡
When I arrived at the hospital, I basically was running through the halls. When I spotted Melissa, I skidded to a stop. "Where he is?"
"Hey, he's okay," she told me gently, putting a hand on each of my arms. "Come on, I'll take you to him."
"Thank you," I replied softly, trying to catch my breath.
Melissa lead me down the halls, finally stopped and opening the door to a room. Walking in, I saw Stiles sitting on the bed fiddling with his fingers.
Walking over to him rather quickly, I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him as close to me as possible. "I heard you almost died," I mumbled.
"I heard you almost died."
"A little," I said, attempting to laugh.
We both thanked Melissa as she left, going to sit on the bed together. He shifted to make room for me, allowing me to lay in his arms with his hands on my waist.
"What happened at Eichen?" I asked quietly.
He sighed as he moved a hand to run his fingers through my hair. "It's Meredith. She's the Benefactor."
"What? But she- she's dead."
"Apparently not. We went to find files on those names in the Eichen filing room and Brunski tied us up. Turns out he's a serial killer. He was going to kill us, he had a needle in Lydia's neck, and then Parrish showed up and shot him. As he was dying, he said that we had it wrong and that Meredith was controlling him, not the other way around. She showed up, Parrish arrested her."
I couldn't find the words to voice my amazement at the story. We hadn't even stopped to consider that Meredith wasn't really dead, the story of her death seeming real. But Brunski was the one to relay the event of her 'death', so it made sense.
"What happened at the school?" Stiles asked, his fingers still in my hair.
I felt the sensation of the music vibrating my bones for a moment, my body shuddering. "Assassins. The DJ was working with the security officers. They did something to the music that really messed us up and then tried to light us on fire. Just your average day in Beacon Hills," I explained.
"Shit," he mumbled.
"Yeah," I agreed. "I'm fine, though. I'm more worried about you. Melissa mentioned that you might have a concussion?"
He waved a hand, shaking his head. "I'm fine. I mean, he punched me in the head, but I'm fine."
"Well, either way, you're staying here the night and then getting a check up in the morning. You can't heal, Stiles, and you're not going to be any help to anyone, let alone yourself, if you have a concussion."
He hesitated, biting his lip. "Okay. But only if you stay with me."
"You know I'm not going anywhere," I said, a small smile reaching my lips.
♧♤♢♡
When I woke up, it took me a moment to realise where I was. Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital; I felt like we were here every other day.
Noticing the spot beside me was empty, I sat up in search of Stiles. The boy was gathering his things and putting his shoes on, preparing to leave.
"Stiles, you agreed to a check up."
He looked over his shoulder when he heard my voice. "I told you I'm okay. We need to go and help everyone."
I was about to argue when I saw Melissa open the door, telling him to sit back down.
"I'm completely and totally fine."
"Uh-uh-uh," she scolded as she got the boy to stop moving. "You completely and totally have a concussion, Stiles. Lie back down. The doctor said you're not leaving without a CT scan."
"We still haven't paid for the last one," he countered, continuing to pack his bag.
But Melissa knew Stiles, and we knew Melissa, and she wasn't about to let him leave this hospital. "Oh, no, no, no. Meredith is at the station. Your dad said it could take some time but he would get her to talk. Even if I let you go, what would you do?"
This made Stiles stop, looking down to his feet. "Okay, fine." He put his bag down, walking back over to sit on the end of the bed near me. "Can you do me one little favour?"
"Anything."
"Can you get me a tape player?"
Melissa's brows pulled together in confusion, as did mine. "Like cassettes?"
"Yes. Tapes."
"Yeah, I'll see what I can do," she said before looking at me. "Don't let him leave."
I nodded with a small smile, "You have my word, Melissa."
She left moments later and I glanced over to see Stiles removing something from his bag. He held it up, to reveal it to be a cassette with the name 'LORRAINE MARTIN' taped to it.
"Stiles, why do you have that?"
He stared at the tape, turning it in his hands. "Brunski was playing it for Lydia. I took it after Parrish shot him."
"Of course you did," I nodded. "Well, if Melissa can't find a cassette player, I'm pretty sure that Charlotte owns one. So, if you agree to stay and get that CT scan, then you can use that one. Deal?"
He paused for a moment, biting his lip, before bobbing his head. "Alright, deal. And maybe while we wait, we can listen to those voice mails you left me. With everything that happened, I didn't get the chance."
My eyes widened as I sat up straighter, thinking back to the messages. "Um, yeah, no, they're not that important. I think one of them is just complete silence."
"And the other four?" He asked with a smirk.
"More silence?" I said softly, wincing.
His smile widened as he pulled out his phone. I attempted to grab it out of his hands, but he quickly jumped off the hospital bed. I stood up and tried to grab it out of his hands, but he just held it up out of my reach.
"Okay, now I really have to listen to these voicemails," he laughed as he unlocked his phone, still holding his phone up high.
"No fair," I whined as I grabbed his arm and tried to snatch it out of his hands.
He hit play on the first message and put it on speaker, my voice playing loudly. 'Hey, I'm here at the bonfire thing and all I can think about is how much I wanna kiss you. Like. . . a lot.' The message was followed by my laughter, and I kept trying to get his phone, remembering the messages that were still to come.
"You wanna kiss me really bad, huh?" He asked with a chuckle, leaning towards me.
"Not right now I don't," I pouted, crossing my arms. "Shouldn't you be in bed if you have a concussion?"
"I'm willing to risk it to listen to these," he laughed, moving on to the next voicemail.
'We should also sleep together again at some point. I liked that. Shit, I said that a little loud. Oh well.'
Stiles pursed his lips to keep from bursting out laughing as my cheeks burned red. "You're so cute," he managed to get out.
'About time,' Malia then said in the background. Then, Stiles laughed.
"Shut up," I mumbled, sitting on the bed as I realised he wasn't going to let me take the phone away. I let out a weak laugh as I looked over at him, "I was drunk. Sort've. I can't explain it."
"It's okay," he smiled as he sat next to me. "Besides, I'm not exactly against your proposition."
"Stiles Stilinski," I gasped.
He chuckled with a blush as he played the third, 'I also wanted to say, that I am completely, totally, desperately in love with you, too. If that weren't obvious.'
"You stole my line," he said softly through a smile.
I felt his arm snake around me, pulling me towards him. I rested my head on his shoulder, listening to his heartbeat speed up slightly. It meant a lot to him to hear that, even if I was 'drunk'. It didn't matter, it was true.
'Why haven't you been answering me? Did you change your mind already?'
"Wow, that took a turn," he said to me, not letting me go.
"I was incapacitated, I cannot be held accountable. And besides, you usually answer and I was jumping to conclusions," I explained. "Put the last one on."
He nodded, pressing on the fifth.
'Sorry, I'm being a bit melodramatic. I know it's only been a few hours, and I'm a bit light-headed, and I just. . . I really miss you.'
"Happy?" I asked.
He turned to press a kiss to my forehead softly, leaning back to look at me. "More than I ever thought I could be."
"Don't go making me cry in this hospital, I already look like crap," I chuckled, biting my lip.
Stiles smirked, cocking his head to the side, "Again with the being melodramatic."
"Wow," I said, dragging the word out as I escaped his embrace. "You were doing so well," I joked.
My boyfriend rolled his eyes as he dragged me back over to him, kissing me. Our lips moved in unison, all thoughts being pushed from my mind.
The sound of someone clearing their throat made us separate quickly, turning to see Melissa standing at the door. "Sorry to interrupt," she said, trying to hide her smile. "I couldn't find a cassette player."
Stiles sighed, looking down at me. "Well, if your offer still stands, then I'd best go and get that CT scan."
"I'll be right outside the room," I informed him, standing up to follow him out the door.
We both started walking, and just as I was about to go through the door, Melissa placed a hand on my arm. "Scott told me what happened. I'm glad the you and Stiles worked things out."
My eyes drifted to my boyfriend, who had stopped walking to look back at me. When our eyes met, his seemed to light up, and I couldn't help but feel my heart soar.
"Me too," I replied honestly.
♧♤♢♡
✧*:･ﾟStiles･ﾟ:*✧
"Let's go, Lorraine," Brunski said through the radio we were using which had a tape insert.
Riley had managed to dig an old player out of Charlotte's things in the garage. We literally had to clean the dust off. I mean, who actually uses tapes these days?
Assassins, apparently.
We were currently sitting at Riley's desk listening to the tape that I had. . . borrowed.
"Listen to me," the woman replied. "Please listen. There's something I have to do, something I have to stop."
"I have to take you back to Eichen, Lorraine."
Leaning forward, I adjusted the volume so that we could hear it better. The tape didn't exactly have amazing quality, especially since Brunksi had been recording these without Lorraine knowing.
"No. No," the woman insisted. "I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere."
I noticed Riley's face scrunch in confusion. She wasn't there when we had spoken to Brunksi, so she was unaware of how he had obtained these little 'interviews', if you could even call them that.
"I can hear the recorder in your pocket," Lorraine had told Brunski, and even I leaned forward to listen. I hadn't heard this whole tape, just what he had played for us in the records room of Eichen House. "It's on now, isn't it? You're making a tape. Just like you taped the others."
I hit pause on the stereo, thinking aloud, "This didn't happen at Eichen House."
"So, she went somewhere. But where?" Riley questioned. "She said that there was something she needed to do. Something she needed to stop. Where would she go?"
"That's what we need to find out."
We listened to the tape a few more times, and I began to notice something change on Riley's face. "What is it? Did you think of something?"
"Not really," she said, her bottom lip catching between her teeth in thought. "I just think I heard something in the background."
"Anything we can get could be useful, Ri. Where did you hear it?" I asked her.
She hit rewind on the stereo, the tape whirring as the wheels spun. When she hit play, we were back to Lorraine saying that she needed to stop something.
"Around here," she mumbled, fumbling with the controls on top of the stereo as she turned it up.
"I have to take you back to Eichen, Lorraine," Brunski said again.
Riley pointed to the stereo, speaking quietly, "Here. Listen."
"No. No. I don't think you're gonna be taking me anywhere."
I strained my ears, trying to listen for what Riley heard.
"I can hear the recorder in your pocket. It's on now, isn't it? You're making a tape. Just like you taped the others."
There was definitely a strange sound in the background. Almost like a faint scratching.
"It's the record player," Riley said suddenly, straightening as she turned to face me.
I paused the stereo quickly. "What record player?"
"That weekend when we all stayed with Lydia at the lakehouse, we were in this creepy soundproof room, and there was this record player in there. Lydia was trying to use it to figure out the last cipher key."
"So she escaped from Eichen House to go back to listen to a record player?" I asked, my doubt evident.
"Stranger things have happened," she pointed out. "Besides, Lorraine was like Lydia, right? She was a Banshee."
"Yeah, but only once. She predicted Maddy's death and then just spent decades trying to predict something else."
Riley ran her tongue along her bottom lip, thinking, tapping the desk. Her fingers stopped and she made eye contact with me. "What if she did? Predict another name, I mean. And it wasn't just one, like it was with Maddy. It was more."
I sat up properly as the pieces began to come together in my head, following Riley's train of thought. "Like the Deadpool."
She nodded slowly, "What if all those years ago, Lorraine predicted it? Predicted this? And she knew there was something in the study that could stop it? Maybe that's what she was talking about in the tape."
"We're going to the lake house," I said as I stood up, grabbing her hand. "Right now."