I walked into school with Scott and Stiles beside me. Yesterday, the boys went to a birthday party so they could 'move on', that's what Scott said. But when Allison and Lydia showed up, their plan kinda backfired. Apparently they had a bruise on their arm and they needed to find Scott, just in case it meant something.
The three of us walked into the library to see Allison, Lydia, and Derek standing together quietly. "Now that everyone's here, let's talk about the marks on their arms," Scott said as we stopped in a small huddle. Derek made his way towards Lydia and Allison, studying the purple-red bruise.
After a few minutes, Derek sighed, "I don't see anything. How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?"
"But they're the same on each side," Scott pressed but Derek didn't budge.
"It's nothing," Derek told him once again and Scott groaned.
"Pareidolia," Lydia stated out of the blue, "Seeing patterns that aren't there? It's a subset of apophenia..."
"Look, they're just trying to help," I pointed out and Derek rolled his eyes.
"This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic uncle--" He pointed at Lydia and muttered a sarcastic 'thank you'. "And this one, who shot about thirty arrows into me and my pack?" He said as he pointed at Allison.
"Okay, all right, now, come on... No one died, all right?" Stiles tried to say but was stopped by a glare from Derek, "Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay? A little mangling, but no death! And that's what I call an important distinction."
"My mother died," Allison said quietly, and everyone went quiet, except Derek.
He scoffed, "Your family's little honor code killed your mother, not me," Allison shot a harsh glare at Derek and I could feel the tension rising.
"That girl was looking for Scott. I'm here to help him, not you," Allison replied angrily.
"You wanna help? Find something real." He shot back before walking away and I followed him, hoping to try and reason.
"Derek... Give her a chance. Okay? They're on our side now," I told him as we stopped a few feet away from the group, Scott beside me.
"Well, then maybe Scott should tell her what her mother was actually trying to do that night. I'm not following a stupid bruise, I need to find them," He told us and Scott sighed.
"Don't you think that I want to find them too. After everything that's happened, we need to help each other. Now look, you can do whatever you want, but just know, that you won't get far without us," I told him confidently before we walked back to the group. I'm praying to God that I was able to convince him, otherwise, we're screwed.
The bell rang as Derek walked out of the school. Scott, Stiles, and I started to make our way across campus, heading for our next class. "Okay, what would a pack of Alphas want with Erica and Boyd?" Stiles asked as we walked across the damp tarmac.
"I'm not sure it's them they want..." I replied as we hopped up the stairs.
"Okay, what, like, Derek? Like they're recruiting?" Stiles asked and I shrugged. We both looked at Scott. but instead of talking about the Alpha's, he was staring at two students who were walking by; the new twins. "Scott... you okay?" Stiles asked, snapping him out of his trance.
"They might be recruiting, since he is an Alpha," I said as we walked down the hallway and into our Business class with Coach. "I say, we figure out this later. Come up with some type of plan, as well," I said and the boys agreed as we took our seats.
"The stock market is based on two principles-- what are they?" Coach asked as he stood in front of his desk. Scott raised his hand and Coach smiled. "Yes Scott, you can use the bathroom,"
"I-I actually know the answer," Scott replied and Coach started laughing loudly.
Soon enough, his smile dropped and he stared at Scott, "Oh, you're serious,"
"Yes, it's risk and reward,"
"Wow! Who are you? And what have you done with McCall?" Coach said and Scott smiled proudly, "Don't answer that! I like you better! I like you better! Does anybody have a quarter?" He looked around the room and Stiles dug into his pocket. But when he pulled out the quarter, he also pulled out an XXL condom.
"Stilinski... I think you... I think you dropped this," Coach said as he grabbed the condom off of the ground. Everyone stared at Stiles and I could see his face truing red. "Um... congratulations," Coach said salaciously before heading back to the front of the room. "Risk and reward! Put the quarter in the mug, win the reward! Okay, watch Coach."
He put a mug on the ground and backed up a few feet. He bent down to his knee and bounced the quarter into the cup. It bounced twice before sinking into the mug and everyone cheered. "That's how you do it," He said gleefully. " Okay, Danny... Risk? Reward?"
"What's the reward?" Danny asked intrigued.
"You don't have to take the pop quiz tomorrow," Coach told him.
"Coach... it's not a pop quiz if you tell us about it..." Danny replied and Coach groaned.
"You know Danny, I really expected more from you. McCall, risk. Reward. The risk: if you don't put that quarter in the mug, you have to take the pop-- the quiz. And-and you have to write an essay! Risk-- more work. Reward-- no work at all. Or, choose not to play."
I watched as Scott thought about the answers, "Isn't this just a game of chance?"
"No! You know your abilities, your coordination, your focus, past experience... All factors affecting the outcome,"
"No play," Scott replied and the class groaned.
Stiles raised his hand and Coach tossed him the quarter. Stiles made his way to the front and bent down on one knee. Just before Stiles bounce the quarter, his dad walked in and tried calling his name, but Stiles was too focused. "Stiles," Stilinski said once more. Stiles looked up to see his dad and a deputy at the door. The three of them walked out of the class and into the hall.
"What'd you think that's about?" I whispered to Scott and he shrugged.
"I have no clue, but it doesn't sound good," He replied as Danny got up from his seat and bounced the quarter into the mug.
"Reward!" Coach cheered and then looked around the class, "Who's next," A few people raised their hands, "Greenburg, put your hand down. You don't have a chance,"
ϟ
"So, you think they kidnapped Heather to turn her?" I questioned as we walked through the halls of Beacon Hills High School.
"Derek says it's easier to turn teenagers..." Stiles pointed out and I agreed.
"But what would a pack of Alphas need with a Beta?" Scott thought out loud and I started wondering the same thing.
"Scott, I don't know." Stiles said impatiently, "I don't care. All right? This girl... Our moms were best friends before mine died, okay? We used to take frickin' bubble baths together when we were three. I gotta find her!"
"Then we pray that Isaac can remember what happened," I said and Scott stopped.
"How? Peter and Derek couldn't do it. Do you know any other Werewolves with a better trick?" Stiles pressed as he stopped with Scott.
"What if it's not a werewolf, but someone who knows a lot about them," Scott answered and I knew he was talking about Deaton.
ϟ
And that is how we ended up dumping multiple bags of ice into a large metal tub, used to clean dogs. Stiles and I dumped two more bags of ice while Scott and Derek grabbed a few more. Over in the doorway, Isaac and Deaton were talking about what was going to happen. We were going to put Isaac in the ice and slow his heart rate down. Then we were going to hypnotize him and try and figure out where he saw Erica and Boyd. I had no clue if this was going to work, but I didn't care, all I wanted to do was find them.
Isaac and Deaton walked towards the tub as I dumped another bag of ice. I dipped my hand and immediately pulled it out due to the cold shock. "How slow does his heart rate need to be?" I asked as I wiped my hand on my thick sweater.
"Very slow," Deaton replied and I grabbed a bunch of empty bags and put them into the trash can.
"How slow is very slow ?" Derek asked and Deaton sighed.
"Nearly dead," All of us looked at Deaton, eyes wide. We could kill Isaac by accident, this was not part of the plan.
"It is safe though, right?" Isaac asked as he crouched down beside the tub and dipped his hand in. Just like me, he pulled it out quickly, hissing in pain.
"Do you want me to answer honestly?" Deaton asked and Isaac shook his head. The sound of rubber being pulled made all of us turn around. Standing by the doorway wearing a long rubber glove on his arm, was Stiles. He noticed everyone staring and questioned us with a small 'what', before realizing what we were staring at. He pulled off the glove and dropped it on the desk.
Isaac stood back up and stared at the tub, "Look, if it feels too risky, you don't have to do it," I told him. I didn't want to see someone else die, especially if he trusted us enough to keep him alive.
Instead of agreeing, Isaac took off his shirt, revealing his pale but extremely fit chest. He took a deep breath after tossing his shirt to the side. He climbed into the tub slowly and sat down, despite the cold temperatures. I rolled up my sleeves and stood at one end of the tub, next to Scott and Derek. The three of us were going to hold Isaac under, just enough that his heart rate slows. We quickly pushed him under, while ice and water overflowed from the sides and soaking our shoes. He lifted his head out of the water, eyes gold and roaring. "Get him back under," Deaton told us as we pushed him back into the water.
My chest hurt as I could feel him trying to come back up for air, struggling against our grip. He pushed to the top and grabbed the rim of the tub, trying to keep himself up. "Hold him," Deaton said once again and I groaned.
"We're trying," I told him angrily as we pushed him under once again. Once his head was underwater again, he slowly stopped fighting and stopped moving altogether. I pulled my arms out of the tub and took a step towards Derek on instinct. I could feel his cold hand touch my forearm, pulling me towards him, then let go when he realized what he was doing. I licked my dry lips and made my way towards Stiles as Isaac floated back to the surface.
Isaac took a small breath as Deaton told us in a hushed voice, "Now, remember... only I talk to him. Too many voices will confuse him and draw him out." Everyone nodded as Scott and Derek held him in the tub softly. "Isaac, can you hear me?"
"Yes... I can hear you," He replied quietly.
"This is Dr. Deaton. I'd like to ask you a few questions. Is that all right?"
"Yes."
"I want to ask you about the night you found Erica and Boyd." Thunder clapped outside as the lighting flashed brightly through the window, "I want you to remember it for me in as vivid detail as possible like you're actually there again."
Isaac started to panic, "I.. I don't wanna do that. I don't- I don't wanna do that. I don't wanna do that." He repeated as the lights flashed in the clinic. He started moving around and all of us held his body down.
"Isaac, it's all right. Just relax. They're just memories. You can't be hurt by a memory." Deaton said calmly as the lights started flickering more and more by the second.
"I don't wanna do that," Isaac repeated over and over again.
"Relax, relax," Deaton said and Isaac stopped talking, "Good. Now, let's go back to that night-- to the place you found Erica and Boyd. Can you tell me what you see? Is there some kind of building? A house?"
"It's not... It's not a house. It's stone. I think marble." Isaac said calmly and I let out a breath of relief.
"That's perfect. Can you give me any other descriptors?" Deaton said soothingly.
"It's dusty... and so empty... like an abandoned building..." His teeth chattered.
"Isaac... Isaac?" I could tell that something was scaring Isaac, something that he was remembering. He reached his arm out of the water and grabbed my hand, even though his eyes were still closed. I looked around the group and I could see Derek staring at our hands.
"Someone's here. Someone's here!" He started freaking out, "No, no, no, they see me! They see me!" Derek and Scott held him down, while my hand still gripped his tightly. Isaac spat out water along with a small scream.
"Just memories-- you won't be hurt by your memories. Just relax. Relax." Deaton tried again and Isaac calmed down once again. "Good. Now, tell us what you see. Tell us everything."
Isaac's eyes opened and he stared dazedly at the ceiling. "I hear him. He's talking about the full moon, about being out of control when the moon rises."
"Is he talking to Erica,"
"I think so. I can't... I can't see her, I ca-I can't see either of them." My chest tightened when he said that he could hear them, meaning that they were alive.
"Can you hear anything else?"
"They're worried... about what they'll do during the moon. They're... worried that they're gonna hurt each other." The lights continued to flicker as the storm grew louder outside.
"If they're locked together on the full moon, they're gonna tear each other apart," Derek told us quietly.
"Isaac, we need to find them right now. Can you see them?" Deaton said and Isaac shook his head, "Do you know what kind of room it is? Is there any kind of marker? A number on a door? A sign?"
Isaac sat up quickly, startling all of us. I tried to move backward but I was still holding Isaac's hand. "They're here! They... They..." He sunk back into the water, almost as if he was scared of something... in the room.
"Just tell us--" Deaton tried to say but Isaac's worrying cut him off.
"They see me! They found me! They're here!" Isaac yelled as he looked around the room, but he wasn't looking around the room. He was still in the trance, which means he was still in his memories.
"This isn't working," Derek said impatiently, "Isaac where are you?" He yelled.
"I can't see them, it's too dark!" Isaac yelled back as ice and water splashed onto the ground.
"Just tell me where you are!" Derek told him and Deaton tried to stop him. Derek was confusing Isaac, he said. "Isaac, where are you? Just tell me where you are!" Derek continued.
"His heart rate... he could go into shock," I yelled quietly at Derek, but he didn't listen. The lights completely went out around us and we were submerged into darkness. "Derek! Let go of him!" I yelled but I was still ignored.
"Isaac, where are you? What did you see?" Derek yelled and Isaac shot his head out of the water.
"A vault! It's a bank vault!" Isaac pulled his top half out of the water, breathing heavily he said, "I saw it! I saw the name." Scott helped him out of the tub and I wrapped a towel around his shoulder. "It's, uh, B-Beacon Hills First National Bank. It's, um... it's an abandoned bank, and they're keeping them locked inside, inside the vault."
I felt as if my mind went blank as I stared at Isaac, "You don't remember what you said right before you came out of it, do you?" Stiles replied softly and I could see the confusion on Isaac's face.
"No..." He said uneasily.
"You said when they captured you, that they dragged you into a room, and that there was a body in it," Stiles replied and I felt the words choking me, making it harder to breathe by the second.
"Who's body...?"
"Erica," I grieved. Isaac's eyes widened and I felt like the whole world shifted under me. I didn't want to lose someone else, but yet, I still did.
"She's not dead," Derek stated in denial.
"Derek, he said, 'There's a dead body. It's Erica.' It doesn't exactly leave us room for interpretation," Stiles pointed out as I stood next to Isaac.
"Then who was in the vault with Boyd?" He asked frustrated.
"Someone else, obviously. Maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle, the one who saved Isaac," I told them, thinking back to when he told us about the girl and the previous night.
"No, she wasn't like us... And whoever was in the vault with Boyd was," Isaac told us and I started wondering who it was.
"What if that's how Erica died? They, like, pit them against each other during the full moons and see which one survives? It's like Werewolf Thunderdome." Stiles said and I looked at him like he was joking.
"Then we get them out, tonight," Derek said and I agreed.
"We need a plan," I said and I looked around the room, hoping someone had a suggestion.
"How are we gonna come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than twenty-four hours?" Derek asked and Stiles stared at his phone.
"I think someone already did. 'Beacon Hills First National Bank closes its doors three months after vault robbery.' It doesn't say here how it was robbed, but it probably won't take long to find out." Stiles said as he read the headline aloud.
"Minutes, probably," I said as I stood next to Stiles, staring at the news article on his phone.