Allison was dead. Aiden was dead. Lydia Martin had lost two of the most important people in her life in a matter of days. Allison Argent had been her best friend. She had loved her as a sister would. Aiden had been one of the first people she had truly cared for since Jackson; something she thought would never happen again.

Lydia sat on her bed, staring down at her hands. They had taken the Nogitsune out of Stiles, but that didn't change anything.

Allison and Aiden were still dead. That had been three weeks ago.

Lydia didn't blame Stiles at all. She blamed herself for both. She was a banshee, she should have warned everyone. She should have made them stay away. Of course she knew someone was going to die. She knew someone would die the night Allison did, but she didn't anticipate Aiden's death. She had seen Ethan holding his brothers body, sobbing.

'Why didn't I warn them?' Was the only thought on her mind. She had tried to warn the others of an upcoming death but it hadn't been enough.

Her nails were painted purple, but they were chipped. She hadn't had any energy to paint them again. Her face was barren of make-up, and her long red hair was in tangles all around her face. Strands stuck to her tear stained cheeks.

'Why am I crying, I'm sick of always crying'

Her mother had tried to check in on her, but got no response each time. Scott had been round once, and the two of them had sat together. Not speaking, not watching TV. Just sat there. But it was enough. They were both going through the same thing, and just knowing someone else was there to understand was the best thing for the pair of them.

Kira had been round a few times. She had tried to get Lydia to speak but it didn't work. Kira hadn't known Allison as well as the others, and barely knew Aiden at all. Lydia had listened to her drone on and on about how things would get better, and that death was a part of life. Bullshit. Aiden and Allison were both 17. They hadn't deserved death so early.

Stiles hadn't been to visit. On one of Kira's visits, she had been told that Stiles was better and had left Beacon Hills, over two weeks ago and no one had heard from him. He'd needed some time away; he blamed himself for the deaths of his friends.

'It wasn't his fault' Lydia told herself. But the monster was wearing Stiles face as the Oni stabbed Allison. As they killed Aiden. His Oni. The Nogitsune's Oni. A fox wearing a humans face.

Why had he left town? Stupid Stiles. Was he running? He should know that he couldn't run from his problems. Especially not these ones. These problems were too large and too important. Stiles should have stayed. He should have been here to mourn the others with her and Scott. Isaac had left with Christ Argent, but they knew Allison differently than her and Scott had, and wanted to grieve in their own ways. But Stiles should have stayed. He always knew what to say and do to make her feel better.

But not this time. He had run off and this time he had let her down. He had let Scott down.

But this was Stiles. She couldn't be mad at him forever. Stiles had been so confusing for her since he had entered her life. She had loved Jackson, but when he had left, Stiles had been there. She wasn't stupid. His feelings for her were clear. And she had even contemplated that she might have them back. Stiles put her on a pedestal, above everyone. The little things he did made her laugh, he made her smile with things he said. But he had still just left. She had realised hidden feelings for him from the hurt she felt. But of course she had just lost Aiden, and she couldn't do that to his memory.

She was angry . Angry at Scott for not coming over to try and get through this together. Angry at Kira for not knowing how she felt. Angry at her mother for no reason.

But she was mostly angry at herself.

She was still staring at her nails, she realised. Allison's nails had been red when she had died.

'Lydia stop thinking about me' a voice in her head said. Allison's voice.

Images of the two of them spun through Lydia's mind, memories they had shared. She didn't want it to end.

She resumed to stare at her nails, her mind blank once again. Her mother placed some food on her bed at lunchtime, but it had been hours since. She heard a knock on her door at five. Her mother knew she wouldn't respond, so she just walked in.

"Lydia hunny someone's here to see you" she said softly. Lydia knew what she was doing. She walked on eggshells around her, one wrong move and she might break.

"Unless it's Scott, I don't care" Lydia whispered.

"It's not Scott. It's a boy named Stiles" Natalie Martin said and noticed the instant reaction. Lydia moved her head up slowly to look at her mother, to see if she was lying.

"Tell him to come up" Lydia said.

"Surely it would be better to come downstairs-"

"Tell him to come upstairs" Lydia replied. Natalie exited her room. Soon she heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

Stiles.