Forgotten
The gunshot echoed through the woods and August and Stiles examined the target. "Little to the left, but not bad," August remarked.
"Not bad? That's was almost a bullseye!" Stiles argued, turning to Scott and the hunter flailing his arms at them. The two jumped back before Steve pinned Stiles's arm to his side.
"Don't point that at someone unless you plan to shoot them," the alpha reminded.
Stiles looked down at the gun. "Oh shit, sorry."
"You'll remember at some point, hopefully you don't have to kill someone to get it," August commented, causing Stiles's jaw to drop.
"It's getting late, maybe we should head back," Scott said. The boy shook his head and closed his mouth as the four made their way to the Jeep
"Dispatch to all units, we have a 503 carrying medical supplies heading southeast on Crescent," a voice stated over the radio as they neared.
"Hell yeah," Stiles cheered as he ran to the driver side door.
"503?" Steve asked.
"Grand theft auto," Stiles stated starting the Jeep as August got in.
"We'll meet you there," Steve stated, looking to Scott. The other alpha nodded before running off.
Jay pulled his shorts back on as he walked to the bathroom, smirking. He rinsed his face with water before moving to return to the bedroom but froze when he found a coyote staring him down. "Malia!" the werecheetah shouted. "You have a wild animal in your house!" The coyote growled at him and Jay shifted in response. His amber eyes meeting the coyote's before its eyes shined blue. "Malia?" he asked, relaxing.
Jay watched the coyote transition back to Malia's human form. "I figured it out the other day," she said, smirking.
"So, you decided to scare me with it?" Jay asked. Malia shrugged in response. "So, round two?" he added eyeing her naked body.
"If you finally tell me what your tattoos mean," she replied.
Jay looked down at his chest. "The lightning bolt represents Thane, the werewolf Steve bit. The clock is for Daren, a weretiger and father figure for me. They both died to save me. The two is just the number of times that's happened," Jay whispered.
"Oh," Malia sighed, walking up to him.
"Maybe just cuddle for now," Jay suggested. Malia nodded and the two returned to bed, facing each other. Malia raised her eyebrows and used her head to point to the wall behind Jay. "Every time," the werecheetah sighed, turning over.
"Another slow night?" Leonard asked Melissa as she approached, not looking up from his screen.
"Thankfully," she sighed waving at Kaia. "What're you reading?"
"Brushing up on some anatomy," Leonard stated as Melissa looked over his shoulder.
"This looks like it's college level," she commented.
"It is," Kaia replied, pointing to the margins. "And the notes describe the difference with supernatural creatures."
"Sounds useful," Melissa mentioned as she read over the werelion's shoulder.
"Did someone steal medical supplies?" Leonard asked, turning to Melissa.
"I haven't heard anything, why?"
"Steve and the others are after someone who has reportedly stolen a van carrying some," Kaia explained.
"I'll look into it," Melissa told them before returning to the nurse's station.
"We can handle this," Steve thought to August as they ran after the stolen van.
August watched as Scott jumped onto the hood of the van, causing the driver to swerve. "Pull over," the true alpha roared.
"They're going to get someone hurt," August muttered.
"How else are we going to stop them?" Stiles asked.
"Slow down a bit," August stated, pulling his bow from the backseat.
"But we'll lose him," Stiles said as Steve leapt through the van's passenger window.
"Just do it," August replied rolling down the window.
"What the Hell are you doing?" Stiles asked as the hunter climbed out the window. He bent over, pulling back an arrow and using his legs to stop from falling out. He fired the arrow at the back tire, blowing it and causing the driver to lose control.
The van spun in a circle, flinging Scott to the ground. Stiles swerved as he slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting the alpha. Steve hit his head on the dash as the van collided with the overpass support. The alpha shook his head and turned to see the driver running away.
"No need to reveal yourself to the entire Beacon County sheriff's department," August thought to the alpha when they heard sirens. "Let the police handle it." Steve stumbled out of the van and ran back to the others, helping Scott to his feet.
Three squad cars slid to a stop around them as August stuffed his bow into the backseat of the Jeep. The sheriff stepped out of his car and walked over to the boys. "The driver ran that way," Steve muttered, rubbing the bump on his head as it disappeared. The sheriff nodded towards one of the deputies who started running after the driver.
"Why an arrow?" Stiles whispered to the hunter as the remaining deputies and his dad examined the van.
"I'm better with a bow than a gun," August replied.
"Then why do you always carry a gun?" Scott asked.
"A gun's easier to conceal."
"What in the Hell were you four thinking?" the sheriff asked as he approached them.
"We were just trying to help," Scott answered.
"Well, why don't you help explain to me what the hell happened here?"
"Right, well, we were trying to gently persuade him to pull over," Stiles started before being interrupted by a look from his dad.
"And when that didn't work, we took out his tire to stop him," August said. "Gently," he added when the sheriff turned to him.
"He was getting away?" Scott added when the sheriff continued to just stare at him.
"He got away," the sheriff stated.
"I should have gone after him," Steve thought, looking to the hunter.
"Right, because, obviously, he's some sort of criminal mastermind, Dad," Stiles said as the sheriff walked past them to the back of the van.
"Uh-huh. You want to guess what the stolen merchandise is?" the sheriff asked as he opened the back doors, revealing air tanks filling the back of the van. "Hmm?" he added, turning back to them.
"Leonard?" Steve thought to the werelion.
"Still looking," the werelion replied.
"Critical life-saving medical equipment?" Stiles asked.
"No," the sheriff stated.
"Materials for an explosive device?" August stated.
"Poison gas?" Stiles asked when the sheriff shook his head.
"Nope."
"Filled with drugs?" Stiles said, causing Steve to turn to him and tilt his head.
"Helium," Leonard thought at the same time as the sheriff told them.
"Helium?" Stiles asked.
"Why does a hospital need helium?" Steve asked. The sheriff shrugged at the alpha before turning to his son.
"Cools MRI machines. And Heliox Therapy too," Leonard explained.
"Why don't you boys go home before you cause another major accident?"
Stiles sighed as he and Scott moved towards the Jeep. Steve and August waved as they headed home on foot.
"Who steals that much helium?" Steve asked the hunter as they walked down the road.
"Maybe he's a cheap clown," August suggested, earning a look from the alpha. "Nothing has really been going on around here lately, maybe we should leave. Roam around, help out others."
"Beacon Hills is the home of a supernatural beacon, the thing we are supposed to be protecting."
"The Republic and the Hale pack were supposed to protect it. They've both been dissolved, and nothing catastrophic has happened. Scott and his pack can handle things here while we're away, and we can always come back if needed. According to Mary and Yuki, the European Republic is still in shambles. They have nothing protecting the nemeton there. We could help them rebuild."
"Maybe you're right," Steve shrugged before feeling his phone vibrate. The alpha pulled his phone out and read Stiles's message. "Liam and Hayden found a kid whose parents apparently disappeared while driving a car. Seems like something is going on," he stated, showing the phone to August. The hunter sighed as the two turned and made their way to the sheriff's station.
"Expecting someone?" Jay asked when they heard a knock on the door.
"No," Malia muttered as they got out of bed.
"It's me," Jay heard Zach's voice in his head.
Jay rolled his eyes as they moved to the door. "What's up?" Jay asked once the door was open.
"Kid's missing his parents, need help searching for them," the chimera stated.
"That's good, I can give my new ability a try," Malia stated. Zach's eyes widened as he watched the werecoyote undress before Jay pushed the chimera away and turned him around. "One of you grab my clothes for later?"
"Yeah, I'll get 'em," Jay replied before they watched the fully shifted coyote run past.
"That's amazing," Zach commented. "Can you all do that?"
"No, it's a Hale family ability," Jay stated, throwing Malia's clothes in a bag. "Do we have any information on the parents?"
"Two adults, one male, one female. And they're missing."
"Specific," Jay muttered before running off. Zach chuckled before spreading his wings and flying into the sky.
"The last name is Turner," Kaia said.
"Should probably look for any Jane and John Does that have been brought in as well," Leonard suggested.
"Yeah, this isn't my first rodeo," Melissa commented as she searched patient files. "No John or Jane Does were admitted recently, no record of anyone with the last name Turner other than Alex."
"That's the kid's name. We have his records but not his parents?" Leonard asked.
"Says he was born here, no mother or father on the birth certificate though," Melissa replied.
"Anonymous adoption?" Kaia asked.
"No special notes. We should still have a record for his mother giving birth here," Melissa muttered as she continued to search the records.
"I didn't get a feeling, did you?" Lydia asked.
Fiona shook her head. "They could still be alive. You should help search," she said turning to Charlie. The beta nodded before running off.
"Liam and Hayden are already out searching as well," Lydia stated.
"They couldn't find the parent's in any medical files, maybe they don't exist?"
"Here take this," Jay said as he stopped in front of Lydia, holing out a bag.
Lydia carefully took the bag before Jay ran off again. "What's this?"
"Malia's clothes apparently," Fiona replied, causing Lydia to turn to her. "She can turn into a coyote now."
"Steve should be the one to do it," Scott whispered as they talked to the sheriff outside of his office. "He has more experience and can heal Alex afterwards. It'll hurt less."
"Right, the problem will be getting the kid to let us do it," the sheriff replied.
"We haven't been able to find anything about the parents, this might be the only way we can find a lead," August told him. The sheriff nodded slowly and walked into his office, where Alex was sitting.
"Alex, you know we're having trouble locating your parents. And since you can't remember anything, we have a method. An unusual method that might help you remember. But I need you to be okay with it. I also need you to know that it might hurt a bit," the sheriff explained.
"I don't care, I just want to find my mom and dad," Alex stated. The sheriff turned towards the four and nodded for them to come in.
They closed the door behind them and closed all the blinds, preventing any of the deputies from looking into the office. "Hey, Alex. I'm Steve," the alpha stated, kneeling in front of the boy. "I'm going to do my best to make sure this doesn't hurt, but there'll be a bit of a pinch, okay?" The boy nodded and Steve moved behind him. "Are you ready?" Alex nodded again. Steve set his claws above the boy's neck before pushing them into his skin.
"I hate how this looks every time," Stiles stated as Alex's body arched and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
"It'll give us some idea of what we're looking for," August replied.
Steve watched as Alex and his parents drove down the road. "I told you we shouldn't have taken him to an R-rated movie," his mother sighed, looking back at Alex who was staring out the window in silence.
"I wasn't scared," Alex protested, turning to his parents.
"Well, I was terrified," his dad replied as he drove down the road. "Maybe we shouldn't take me to R-rated movies."
The family chuckled after his comment. "You weren't scared, not even just a little?" his mom asked.
"Maybe a little," Alex admitted.
The car turned a corner and the family screamed as Mr. Turner slammed on the brakes, coming to a stop right before hitting a man on a horse. The man had long hair and was wearing a thick brown jacket and a cowboy hat. Either the man's was wearing a mask or his skin was pale white, with black circles filling the void where his eyes should be and black lines where the skin has crinkled or peeled away. The mouth was absent, covered in the same lines as the rest of his face, as if it were stitched shut by his skin
Lightning flashed behind the man as his horse reared and whinnied. As the horse returned to the ground, the man dismounted. The family watched, frozen in fear, as the man pushed aside his trench coat and pulled out a revolver.
"Will, drive!" Alex's mother pleaded as the man approached, pointing the revolver at them. "Drive!" she shouted as Will struggled against the unmovable gear shift. "Get down!" she shouted turning to Alex and trying to duck behind the dash.
Alex fell to the floor in the back seat as the windshield exploded from the gunshot. The man ran onto the hood and pulled Mr. Turner out of the car. His mother started to scream as the passenger side door was ripped from the car. She reached out to hold on to the gear shift, screaming as she looked back at Alex. Alex watched as she was pulled out of the car and her screaming stopped. The man and Alex's parents seemed to have vanished outside as another flash of lightning filled the sky.
Steve and Alex gasped as the alpha removed his claws from Alex, the wound vanishing as Steve withdrew.
"What'd you see?" Scott asked.
"A guy on a horse."
"A horse?" Stiles asked.
"He had a gun. He took his parents."
"Okay, a guy with a gun. That sounds like my department, not yours."
"What about the parents? What happened to them?" Stiles asked.
"Steve?" August said turning to the alpha.
"It seemed like they disappeared, but it could just be how Alex remembered it. It doesn't really make sense. Something seemed off about the guy on the horse though," Steve replied.
"Show the pack?" August suggested and Steve sent the image of the rider to the others.
"Nothing in the bestiary looks like that as far as I know," Leonard replied.
"I don't recognize it," August admitted.
"So most likely just a guy on a horse?" the sheriff asked.
"I don't know," Steve admitted.
"I've got this feeling," Scott whispered.
"What kind of feeling?" the sheriff asked.
"They're coming back," Alex stated, looking up to them. "They're coming for me."
August open his mouth before the sheriff nodded for them to talk outside. "So, if it's a guy with a gun it isn't supernatural, right?" the sheriff asked.
"It could be," Stiles stated.
"Stiles—" his dad started.
"Let us look into it some more, but for now, it doesn't seem like it's supernatural," August stated, interrupting the sheriff.
"Fine, the car's in the impound lot, see if you can gather anything from there," the sheriff said.
"Meet there," August thought to the pack as they walked out of the station.
"What're you doing?" Scott asked as Stiles pulled out his phone and started to dial Lydia's number.
"She's already on her way," Steve told him. "She was with Fiona."
"Did they sense anything?" Stiles asked.
"No," Steve replied, shaking his head.
"They're not dead," Lydia said as her and Fiona stepped out of Lydia's car and joined Steve, Scott, Stiles, August, Leonard, and Kaia.
"How can you be sure? You haven't even looked at the car," Stiles said as he dug around the back seat.
"You're doubting my abilities?" Fiona asked. Lydia turned towards Stiles and raised her eyebrows.
"Just look at the car," Stiles said before looking under the back seats.
"Just humor him," August added, kicking the back door closed.
Lydia rolled her eyes and set the bag on the hood. She grabbed the edge of the shattered windshield by the driver's side while Fiona walked to the passenger. The two banshees got into the car and started to touch the interior, looking for any clue. Fiona sighed and turned to the other banshee as Lydia looked up into the rearview mirror. "Hm," Lydia hummed.
"What?" Stiles asked clamoring off the ground and leaning over the center console.
"This is the perfect shade for me. Forget the name," Lydia muttered, rubbing her eyeshadow.
"Can we please stay on topic here?" Stiles whispered.
"There's not much of a topic here," Fiona commented as Scott walked around the front of the car.
Steve shook his head, smirking slightly before looking at the hinges of the missing passenger side door. "Play nice," he whispered Fiona. The banshee sighed as she rolled her eyes before looking at the hinges with Steve.
"She's right, I'm not getting anything," Lydia stated.
The group looked up when they heard a coyote howl behind a wall of tires. Malia leapt over them, her eyes shining blue before running over to the car. Lydia stepped out of the car as Zach landed next to her. Jay slid to a stop as he and Charlie joined the chimera.
"Pervert," Charlie muttered, turning Zach away from the werecoyote as Malia started to transition back to her human form.
"I don't think they're dead," Lydia stated, handing the bag of clothes to Malia.
"They're dead, probably torn apart," Malia stated.
"If they were torn apart, we would have found their blood," Charlie stated.
"And if they were dead, we'd be able to sense it," Fiona added.
"If they were alive I'd smell it," Malia commented.
"You should have been able to find a scent even if they were dead," Steve stated.
"Have you been able to find their scent?" Scott asked, turning to Steve. Steve shook his head, looking back to the true alpha. "I'm not getting anything either."
"What're you talking about?" Stiles asked turning to the two before pointing at Steve. "You were in his head for four minutes, I timed it."
"Like I said, I don't think he remembered the whole thing, people don't just disappear. And Alex wouldn't exactly be able to pick up their scent like we can," Steve explained.
"No, but we should have been able to pick up a scent from the car," Leonard said.
"Why does it matter if they're dead? Dead is dead," Malia stated.
"Okay, if it's just a robbery, we can't help them. And if it's something supernatural, my dad can't help them," Stiles explained.
"It sounds like you want it to be supernatural," Lydia stated.
"It's been like three months since anything's happened," Stiles replied.
"Yeah, and once a week you drag me out of bed like I'm some sort of supernatural metal detector," Lydia stated.
"She's right," August added. "Half the time we end each training session going after something possibly supernatural."
"Okay, it is way more often than that," Stiles stated. "Y—You can't tell me that you think this is just some series of impossible coincidences?"
"What I'm saying, is maybe that wouldn't be so bad," she replied before walking off. Malia nodded and followed after her, with Jay tailing behind.
"Let's go home," Fiona whispered to Charlie. The beta nodded and the two walked away. Zach shrugged at the others before flying into the air.
Stiles started to follow after everyone before turning to the others. "Couldn't have backed me up," Stiles sighed, looking to August.
"She's not wrong, it wouldn't be so bad. It's possible it was only a one-time robbery or something," August stated.
Stiles scoffed and walked towards the car, slamming the door as he got in the driver's seat. "We haven't exhausted every possibility," Steve whispered as Leonard and Kaia looked at the other cars and Scott walked over to Stiles.
"Why do you want to stay here so badly?" August asked.
"Is it the worst thing to want to just stay here, settle down a bit? Have a home again?" Steve asked the hunter before joining Scott.
"There's something wrong with it," Stiles muttered.
"It's broken," Scott responded. "And it wasn't a magic bullet. It was a regular bullet that blew out a regular windshield. Just like that one," Scott said nodding towards a car that Leonard was examining. "And that one," he said turning to another car. Scott opened his mouth when he moved to the next car, but fell silent and narrowed his eyes. Stiles perked up as he looked at the true alpha.
"It's not like any of them," Leonard stated as he and Kaia approached.
Stiles reached for the dash and picked up one of the shards. "Magic bullet," he muttered.
"There's no such thing as a magic bullet," August stated, grabbing a box and walking over to a car with an intact windshield. "It was probably just the angle." The hunter stood on the box, pulling out his gun, before lining up the shot. "See?" he said, firing his gun.
The bullet passed through the windshield as the broken glass spiderwebbed across the windshield, but didn't shatter. "I saw you damage evidence, you know this is the county sheriff's impound, right?" Stiles said.
"It didn't shatter," August muttered, staring at the glass before turning to Leonard. "You ever come across any magic bullets?"
"Only in some fables that we had. We can look into them some more," the werelion replied.
"We have school tomorrow," Kaia reminded them.
"Hopefully you're not as excited as Leonard was," Steve commented, turning back to Scott and Stiles. "But she's right. We'll look into it and let you guys know if we find anything."
"I can't believe you convinced him to enroll," August whispered to Steve as they walked into school with Charlie.
"It wasn't that hard really, became easier when he found out you were going too," Steve whispered back.
"You used me as leverage?"
"It'll be fun," Steve stated before waving at the others and heading to their table in the courtyard.
"Couldn't he wait two seconds?" August commented as they watched Stiles interrupt Malia's yearbook picture.
"Saved her from that smile," Fiona grimaced.
"I have an idea," Jay said before getting up and running over to her. The werecheetah ran up, kissed her, and ran out of frame before the picture was taken. He turned back with a smirk to find Stiles standing next to her again, making his face drop.
"That was a good one," Malia told the boy. The line of people groaned as Malia repositioned herself. Stiles moved to interrupt the picture again, but Jay held him back.
"It can wait," Jay whispered. Malia nodded at him and prepared to take a picture before Stiles pulled himself away from Jay and ran into frame.
"Stiles!" Malia groaned.
"You're still in the photo," Sydney stated.
The line started to complain about the wait. "Sorry," Malia told them before groaning and walking away. "You ruined it."
"Why would I want to ruin your yearbook photo?" Stiles asked as the three rejoined the others.
"Maybe because you haven't sign up for your own photo yet?" Malia stated.
"Yes, I did," Stiles stated, pulling out his form and snapping it open.
"It's blank," Malia stated. Steve saw Stiles look down at the form, confused.
"Speaking of, have you guys signed up?" Jay asked looking at Charlie, Fiona, August, and Steve.
"Like I'm taking a picture here," Charlie scoffed.
"Filled out both of our forms last night," Fiona replied, smiling at the beta.
"And you two?" Kaia asked.
"We'll get around to it," August told them, as Steve moved to Stiles.
"How'd you forget you didn't fill it out?" Steve asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Maybe 'cause he's sublimating the stress of graduating by avoiding key milestones," Scott said before Stiles could respond. The two packs turned to Scott, surprised by the response. "Psych paper," he bragged.
"Oh," Lydia sighed before nodding.
"I should take psychology," Fiona whispered.
"No more changes," August told her. "I'm surprised the school hasn't picked up on the influx of students, or noticed that Charlie and Fiona look older than high school students."
"How much older?" Malia asked.
"We're twenty," Charlie replied.
Scott's pack raised their eyebrows at the others. "Okay," Stiles sighed. "The deputy searched the car, no slugs, no exit hole. And the address Alex gave my dad is an abandoned house. You guys find anything last night?" Steve's pack remained silent. "You didn't look did you?"
"It was late. I wanted to be alert for school," Leonard replied.
Stiles scoffed. "We have missing parents, a suspicious guy on horseback, and a magic bullet and you were worried about school?" Leonard shrugged. "Alright, who's coming to investigate?
"I've got to retake my photos," Malia stated.
"I should probably make sure no one tries to ruin those again," Jay added, looking at Stiles.
"Yeah, not interested," Lydia added.
"You insulted my banshee prowess," Fiona said. Charlie shrugged at him, smirking slightly.
"I like school," Leonard said.
"I've never been before," Kaia added.
"It's my first day here too," August said.
"And I cannot miss anymore classes," Scott added.
"Scott," Stiles said.
"I missed thirty-eight last semester, and Lydia's mom is the only reason I'm still in school. I can go after school."
"You know what, forget it. I'll take Liam," Stiles said, turning towards the beta. He sighed as he watched the beta make out with Hayden. "Yeah, I'm not taking Liam. But Steve," he added, turning back to the alpha.
"When did I become a last resort?" Steve asked. Stiles sighed opening his mouth to respond but was cut off as Sydney walked over to them.
"Hey guys, can I get a candid?"
"Uh, no," Stiles said.
"Yeah, sure," the others said, drowning out Stiles's response before Scott and Lydia pulled him onto the bench between her and Scott.
"Okay, if you can explain to me why this is blue, I'll let it go," Stiles said, pulling out the shard of glass and handing it to Scott. Leonard tilted his head to get a better view as the others positioned themselves around the table, Steve putting his arm around August and Fiona leaning into Charlie as the beta stood.
"Everyone smile," Sydney said, holding the camera up. The group looked up at the camera and smiled as the picture was taken.
"We can look into it here," Leonard told Stiles as the bell rang, causing them to head to their first class of the day.
"You know this class is for juniors, right?" Mason asked as August sat next to him.
"Physics has never been my thing, should probably get some base knowledge," August stated, getting ready.
"Pretty sure I've seen you figure out the trajectory of an arrow in your head," Jay commented, causing the others to turn towards him. "What? I know some things."
"Okay, then I'm good at physics and wants the easy grade."
"Why do you care about the grade?" Kaia asked him.
"I don't think he does," Zach replied as the blonde teacher walked into the room.
"Good morning, class. I'm Mr. Douglas, and I'll be your teacher for the rest of the year. Let's just get started, shall we?"
"What would Steve have to say about this?" Jay muttered, as August tracked Mr. Douglas's movements.
"I can look, just can't touch," August replied. "Still, probably best to not tell him though."
"Now we know why it was so easy to get him to come to school," Kaia remarked as Mr. Douglas turned to the chalk board and began writing.
"Schrodinger's Cat," he started, before turning around with a smile. "Ah, I can see I impressed you all with my artistic abilities," he said, noticing the class's attentiveness to the front of the room and their smiles.
Jay turned back as he heard Hayden giggle, noticing Liam looking at her surprised before turning to Mason. Mason turned to Corey and saw the chimera beaming at the teacher. "Pathetic," Jay sighed when he saw August doing the same.
"Schrodinger puts his cat in a box with poisonous food," Douglas continued. "Now, until he opens that box, the cat is, in theory, both alive and dead," Douglas continued, moving around the table at the front of the room before sitting on it. "But when he opens it, it's either 'Hello, Mittens,' or 'Goodbye, Socks.'" August and Corey joined the girls in the class as they all giggled with the joke. Jay chuckled lightly when he heard Liam's jaw clench behind him. "Putting aside the potential for animal abuse here, what does it have to do with physics." The entire class raised their hand, except for Liam, Mason, Jay, Zach, and Kaia. "Yes, Hayden?"
"It illustrates the concept of quantum superposition. Light is both a particle and a wave until it is observed," she answered.
Yes. Excellent answer, very impressive," Mr. Douglas chuckled
"I knew that," August muttered, looking back to Hayden. Jay pat the hunter on the back as Liam and leaned forward to get Hayden's attention, but she continued to stare at Mr. Douglas.
"Does observing something change its behavior? Or alter its outcome? That's the question of today's lab on page—" Mr. Douglas started as he searched for his syllabus.
"117," August stated before Douglas could reach the syllabus.
"Right, thank you, August," Mr. Douglas said with a smile. "Break into groups of four."
"This is too funny to keep a secret," Jay whispered to August as they formed a group next to Mason, Liam, Hayden, and Corey.
"Someone has the hots for teacher, bad," Zach added.
"I knew I should have put you guys in a different class," August muttered.
"Well, then we'd miss out on this," Kaia replied.
"Have any of you guys noticed that phones can't geolocate today?" they heard Mason ask behind them.
Kaia pulled out her phone to check, opening her compass app and facing the back wall. "Looks normal to me," Jay stated.
"Yeah, looks like it works," Liam added.
"Yeah, but that's not north," Mason said. Jay looked back and saw Mason facing a different direction than Kaia. "That is," he added pointing to the blackboard at the front of the class.
"Mine is doing it too," Corey said.
"That's strange," Zach added, taking Kaia's phone and spinning around the room.
"Mr. Douglas has a compass," Mason said, pointing towards a case in the front of the room.
"Should I go get it?" Jay asked.
"Corey can become invisible," August reminded him. "He just needs a distraction," the hunter added with a smile before grabbing his book and walking to Mr. Douglas.
Jay shook his head as August started asking questions, turning Mr. Douglas away from the group while Corey started to fade away. Jay cringed as the display case's door creaked open and saw Mr. Douglas start to turn to the front of the room.
"So, are particles bouncing, thus making it look like a wave?" August asked, pulling Mr. Douglas back to him.
"We're more focused on observing how light behaves today, not testing or explaining theories," Mr. Douglas explained as Corey grabbed the compass and closed the door.
"Right, sorry," August stammered as Corey reappeared, setting the compass on the table. The hunter walked back towards the others, stopping next to Mason as he opened the compass. "So, what do we do with this?" August asked, noticing the compass pointing in the wrong direction.
"Follow it," Mason said.
"Seriously?" Hayden asked.
"Where do you think it goes?" Corey asked.
"I have no idea, but we won't find out 'till we open the box," Mason replied.
"Pandora's box?" Jay asked, causing Kaia to facepalm and Zach to laugh.
"Schrodinger's Cat," Hayden corrected.
"I—I still don't get it," Corey confessed.
"I'll come with," August sighed, shaking his head at the chimera before returning to his seat.
"Let me see it again," Leonard stated as he walked with Steve, Stiles, and Scott to Ms. Finch's office. Stiles held the shard up to the werelion and gasped slightly when Leonard broke a piece off of it. "I just want to take a closer look. Wait here," he said as he and Scott walked into the office.
"When you said you wanted to meet, I thought you were worried about moving up to AP Biology," Ms. Finch stated, surprised when she saw Scott with him.
"No, I'm not worried about it at all," Leonard replied.
"We were wondering if you could help us with this," Scott said, holding up the shard while Leonard examined his piece with a microscope.
Ms. Finch glanced over to Leonard, confused. "We were wondering if you could explain where the tint came from," Scott said, returning her focus to the glass.
"A chemical reaction could cause a tint," she explained.
"What about the muzzle flash of a gun? Could that be blue or green?" Scott asked.
"A muzzle flash is created by superheated gasses leaving a gun. Um, it's possible that the gas could include copper, barium, cesium. Those can burn blue and green?"
"Can that tint the glass?" Scott asked.
"You think a gun did this?"
"Maybe," Scott replied.
"Maybe not," Leonard said, removing his piece from the microscope. "Glass has to be superheated in order for it to tint in this way, right?" Ms. Finch nodded. "A bullet wouldn't get that hot."
"No, it wouldn't," she responded, staring at the two.
"Glad it wasn't a bullet then," Leonard smiled. "Thanks for the help," he added as he and Scott exited the office.
"Wasn't a bullet what do you mean?" Stiles asked as they followed Leonard.
"The glass needed to be superheated in order to develop this kind of tint. To the point where it was molten. This glass had to be superheated, and then supercooled to shatter how it did and gain the tint," Leonard explained walking towards the front doors.
"But I saw a bullet in Alex's mind," Steve stated as he and the others followed after the werelion.
"Yeah, a magic bullet," Leonard stated.
"Like supernatural, right?" Stiles asked.
"Yes, Stiles, supernatural cowboys with magical bullets," Leonard replied, not turning back to the others.
Stiles cheered as he walked next to Steve. "Worth missing class over?"
"Absolutely," Leonard replied. "I've never heard anything like this."
"Thirty-nine?" Stiles asked, turning to Scott.
"Thirty-nine," Scott sighed.
They opened the doors and rounded the corner before stopping in front of Ms. Martin. "None of you are going anywhere," she stated, pushing them back inside. "Thirty-eight classes, Scott. I had to beg the superintendent."
"Ms. Martin, Scott's the sworn protector of Beacon Hills," Stiles explained.
"He can protect it at three thirty."
"But people's lives are in danger," Leonard protested.
"They'll be fine until after school, I'm sure," she stated, crossing her arms.
The four of them sighed before walking away. "We're not waiting until three thirty," Stiles whispered.
"Nope," Steve replied as they headed towards a side exit. The walked out the doors and headed towards the parking lot before being met by Ms. Martin again. "Jesus, you're everywhere," Steve sighed.
"I'm serious, none of you are leaving school," she told them, marching them back inside.
"Y'know I don't have to be here," Steve told her. "I'm only here to stay nearby in case something happens."
"Well, you won't be able to do that if your expelled."
Steve gapped at her, unable to find his words. "Fine, we'll stay," Stiles told her.
Fiona sat next to Steve, Stiles, Scott, and Lydia as they watched a video in their last class. "You develop supernatural time powers?" Steve whispered when Stiles threw his hand toward the clock.
"I can't believe we're waiting for three thirty," he muttered, not looking away from the clock.
Fiona tilted her head when she heard a woman singing. She looked down to Stiles tapping his thumb on his desk before noticing Lydia doing the same. Fiona tried to find the voice again, but everything was silent, except for the video and Stiles's thumb tapping.
"Everything alright?" Steve asked.
"Thought I heard something, but it's gone now."
"I wish Stiles had time powers right now," Steve sighed, looking up at the clock again.
Eventually ,the bell rang and Steve, Stiles and Scott ran out of the class room. Fiona started packing up her stuff as the rest of the class started to head out the door. She stood and noticed Lydia and her were alone in the class room. The two banshees moved towards the door, but stopped before leaving.
"You hear it too?" Lydia asked.
Fiona nodded. "It's a thunderstorm," she muttered as the two walked back and saw the video on the TV fade into static before hearing a woman singing again. Lydia reached out to touch the TV but the two were knocked back by a lightning bolt. "Jupiter's thunder," Fiona cursed. She moved to stand, but realized she was still next to her desk with Lydia standing beside her.
"That happened, right?" Lydia asked.
"Something happened," Fiona sighed.
"Let's go north then," August commented, looking at the compass Mason was holding.
"We're going to work on the physics assignment," Hayden stated. "Not all of us can be experts at it."
"I'll go," Liam said. "I was able to understand most of the assignment."
"Yeah, I wasn't," Corey added.
"So, us three then," August said looking at Liam and Mason. The two nodded and they headed out of the school, following the compass's direction.
"That's not creepy at all," Stiles commented as they walked up to the house, noticing a storm moving in behind it.
"Well, I've never been one for ghost stories," Steve mentioned walking up to the house. Scott shrugged before following after.
"I thought Leonard was super into this?" Stiles asked.
"He's going to see if he can't look up anything about it. Doesn't think we'll find anything here really," Steve replied. "No thanks, got my eyes for that," Steve added when Stiles handed him a flashlight.
"You don't think glowing red eyes would be a little scary for anyone we might run into?" Stiles asked.
"Fine," Steve sighed, taking the flashlight and stepping into the house. "That's a little creepy," Steve stated as they swept their flashlights over the empty, dust covered house. There was almost no furniture aside from the dining table with dust covering everything except for the dishes set in front of one of the chairs.
"You wanna split up?" Scott asked.
"Uh, absolutely not," Stiles replied.
The two alphas smirked before Scott nodded towards the stairs. The three slowly made their way over, carefully walking up the spiderweb covered steps. They walked down the hall and peered into an empty room. "Maybe Alex got the address wrong," Scott suggested.
"Or he lied," Stiles said.
"Surprising that a kid his age would know of an abandoned house to claim was his," Steve stated.
"Yeah, I mean, why would he lie?" Scott asked as they looked into another empty room. They stopped at the next room and Steve sighed before Stiles shined his flashlight on the door at the end of the hall.
They slowly made their way towards it and Stiles hesitated before opening the door to reveal a fully furnished child's room. "He didn't lie," Stiles said.
"Why didn't the cops say anything about this?" Scott asked.
"They don't know it's here," Stiles answered. "They can't come here without a warrant, and there's no owner of record to serve a warrant to. So, unless there's some kind of threat or imminent danger, they wouldn't come in."
"Even if they did, they probably wouldn't have made it to here. We passed three empty rooms before this, I was about to give up," Steve said before he and Scott turned around.
"What?" Stiles asked.
"I think I heard something," Scott said.
"Stay here," Steve said before he and Scott headed towards the stairs.
August heard a stick crack in the woods behind him and turned to see a man riding a horse in between the trees. "Guys, there it is," August said, turning to tap Liam's shoulder.
The three looked back to the woods, but saw nothing. "I don't see anything," Liam stated.
"Yeah, maybe I was just seeing things," August sighed, scratching his head.
"Well, the door's locked," Mason sighed, standing up and walking towards a window. Liam followed him while August pulled out his lock pick and sot to work. The lock clicked and August opened the door when he heard a crash next to him.
"Subtle," he commented as Liam brushed shards of glass from his hand. "Door's unlocked," he added, nodding towards the open door.
"Yeah, that's probably smarter," Liam muttered as the three walked in.
Steve and Scott moved down the stairs. They walked into the dining room, listening for any other disturbances as they looked towards the living room. The turned back and noticed the set of dishes had vanished, leaving behind spaces in the dust. "That's not normal," Steve whispered as he and Scott stared at the empty spots.
They started toward the kitchen when they heard footsteps in the living room. The two ran back, rounding a corner before running into Mason, Liam, and August. "Jeez," Mason gasped as he jumped back from them.
"What're you doing here?" Liam asked.
"This is Alex's house. What're you doing here?" Scott replied.
"Why didn't you let me know you were here?" Steve asked August.
"Didn't realize it was the same place," August shrugged.
"This is where the compass led us," Liam explained.
"What compass?" Scott asked. Mason held up the compass and they watched as the needle spun back and forth past all the directions. "Why's it doing that?"
"I have no idea," Mason sighed.
"They're all doing it," Liam added, holding up his phone's compass app that had question marks in place of the direction.
"This doesn't make any sense," Steve sighed. "The house looks like its been empty for decades, but it's structurally sound," he explained, stomping on the hard wood.
"The lock wasn't rusted either, so it's been used recently," August explained. "None of the windows were broken until—" he added pointing his thumb to Liam and Mason.
"Then how'd all these leaves get in here?" Liam asked.
"I don't know," Steve muttered. The compass shattered in Mason's hand and they heard a bang upstairs.
"Stiles," Scott whispered before running up the stairs, Steve and the others following after him. "What happened?" Scott asked as Stiles started to get to his feet.
"He's here, he shot at me," Stiles stammered. "It was one of the guys you saw in Alex's memory."
"The horseman?" August asked. Stiles nodded.
"So, you did see him outside?" Liam asked.
August nodded. "I thought I did, but he disappeared?"
"Yeah, so did this guy, right before you guys came up," Stiles said.
"The guy that took Alex's parents?" Mason asked.
"No, they weren't just taken. They were made to disappear. That's why there's no furniture, that's why they weren't in any of the photos. They were erased," Stiles said.
"They weren't in the photos?" August asked.
Stiles nodded and ran back to the room. He opened the door and they found the room completely empty.
"What the hell," Steve muttered.
"We need to figure out what's going on," Scott said.
"I keep felling like it's familiar, y'know?" Stiles said as he flipped through a book as he walked through the school's courtyard, Lydia and Fiona following behind him.
"Pensee civage?" Lydia asked. "A lingering thought you can't reach."
"Okay, well, is there a French word for feeling an overwhelming sense of urgency and impending doom?" Stiles asked.
"Femine un fille phantom?" Lydia chucked.
"Banshee, more or less," Fiona explained when Stiles turned towards her.
"Okay, what—what does your banshee intuition say this is?" Stiles asked.
"Oh, now you want to listen," Fiona commented.
Lydia chuckled a bit before turning to Stiles. "Maybe you don't have to figure it all out right this second."
"But this kid. This kid's got no one. Y'know and—" he started before flipping through the pages. "There's a reason why. There's gotta be." Stiles flipped through a couple more pages before slamming the book closed.
Lydia and Fiona flinched as they heard thunder rumble and the woman singing again. "Give this man a ride, sweet family will die. Killer on the road," Lydia mumbled, reciting the words.
"Riders on the Storm?" Stiles asked.
"What?" Lydia asked.
"It's a song, Riders on the Storm."
"That's it," Lydia said.
"What's it?"
"The Ghost Riders. The Wild Hunt," Lydia said.
"Not Jupiter's Thunder, Odin's," Fiona muttered to herself.
"They come by storm, riding horses. And they take people," Lydia explained.
"Lydia, you're so smart, I could kiss you right now!" Stiles said.
"Do not kiss me," Lydia warned.
"Not gonna, no," Stiles stammered before leaning in a kissing her cheek. "Did it anyway!" he shouted before running away.
Lydia sighed, before turning to watch Stiles run off, a smirk on her face. "We should probably look into this," Fiona said.
"Right," Lydia said after shaking her head.
"Hey guys, wait up," Mason called out as he ran down the school's stairs towards Liam, Hayden, Zach, and Charlie. "I fixed it," he said, holding up the compass.
"Uh, perfect. Looks brand new," Liam said.
"Yeah, you can barely see the super glue," Zach commented, looking at the compass.
"He's going to notice," Hayden chuckled.
"Nah, he'll never notice. We'll just put the compass back and figure out a way to help Scott," Mason replied.
"Or just put the compass back," Hayden suggested.
"We can't just leave it all to Scott," Liam told them.
"He's got Steve and the other helping too," Zach stated. "We could just enjoy some time off?"
"They are the alphas," Hayden stated.
"Not for long," Liam added.
"Who's going to take his place?" she asked, chuckling.
"You don't think I could be the alpha?"
"No, no, I wasn't saying that," she said.
"Yeah, sure you can," Charlie chuckled.
"It's just magnetic anomalies and guys on horseback stealing people? Not something I'd like to deal with," Hayden said.
"We can't just stay out of it."
"What's gonna happen when Scott graduates?" Hayden asked. "When there's no one here to figure things out?
"I can be the—um—" Liam started, his voice breaking. "I can be the alpha," he said more confidently.
"He can be the alpha," Mason added.
Hayden stared at him confused. "Might be a good time to start," Charlie said, sniffing the air. "You guys smell that?"
"What?" Mason asked.
"It's blood," Liam replied.
"I didn't get to watch the last game, but it seems like an entertaining sport," Steve commented as he and Scott walked away from lacrosse practice.
"Scott? Scott," Stiles called out, running after them. "Hey, I figured it out. It's called the Wild Hunt. It's a myth. Only apparently it's real."
"As a lot of myths are," Steve commented. "Leonard, search for the Wild Hunt."
"Fiona told me five minutes ago. We're already on it."
"The guy on the horse?" Scott asked.
"Yeah, they call them Ghost Riders," Stiles explained, before noticing some of the team walking by. "Hang on a second. Hey. That's my jersey. Where'd you get that?"
"Coach gave it to me at practice," the player answered before they walked away.
"We had practice? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?" Stiles asked Scott.
"Why would the Ghost Riders want to take Alex's parents?" Scott asked, focusing Stiles.
"Because that's what they do, they take people, okay? They run around, collecting souls, and once they take you, you're gone."
"But it's not just you, it's everything about you," Scott said.
"Your home, your records, everything that would have people remember you," Steve said.
"Yeah, like how they took Alex's room," Stiles said.
"Does that mean Alex is next?" Scott asked.
"He's still at the station, right?" Steve asked as they ran off.
"Yeah, my dad has him locked up with a guard posted," Stiles said as they reached the Jeep.
"Malia's not responding," Lydia sighed as her and Fiona sat in one of the empty classrooms.
"She's a little occupied. August is on his way," Fiona said.
"No, I'm here," August corrected as he walked through the door. "Premonition?"
"Yeah, but not very clear," Fiona answered.
"Something terrible is going to happen," Lydia muttered.
"Alright, let's figure it out," August stated setting pens and paper on their desk. "If you think of anything write it down, let me know if you guys need anything. I'll go and get a map of the town."
Lydia looked to Fiona. "Maps help us visualize where something is going to happen, even if we don't know what it is yet. It'll help us focus."
"Okay," Lydia sighed, picking up a pen and staring at the paper.
"So, movie or—?" Jay asked, before Malia pulled him into her room.
"Why not both," she said, turning on the TV. The two started making outa and Jay didn't bother trying to figure out what was playing in the background.
"I can't find the source," Liam panted as they met in the halls after splitting up to find where the blood was coming from.
"It's like it's coming from everywhere," Charlie sighed.
"How is that possible?" Mason asked.
"Lots of blood?" Charlie suggested.
"Maybe it's coming from more than one place," Liam suggested.
"In more than one piece," Hayden grimaced.
"If it's in the air, could it be coming out of the vents?" Mason suggested. The five of them looked up and noticed they were right under one of the air conditioning vents.
"That's disgusting," Zach commented before they took off again. They stopped at the boiler room in the courtyard.
"Okay," Liam sighed backing up and preparing to run at the door. As the beta started running Mason grabbed the handle and pulled it open, causing Liam to fly through the open door, screaming.
"It's open," Mason stated after staring at the others for a few seconds.
"Some alpha," Charlie muttered before they stepped in and closed the door behind them.
They walked through the room, Charlie's blue eyes glowing, until they paused in front of the door leading to the HVAC unit. Liam slowly pushed it open, revealing a bleeding man sitting in the corner. He fell over once the door was opened, revealing a massive hole in the back of his head.
Charlie knelt next to the man, examining his head. "Kaia, can you see if there's anything about this?"
"On it," the kitsune replied.
Stiles and the two alphas ran into the sheriff's station and to the cell, but stopped when they noticed Alex was missing. "Where's the kid? What happened to him?" Stiles asked Deputy Clark.
"What kid?" she asked.
"Alex, the kid from the car wreck?" Stiles asked. "The kid whose parents went missing last night?"
"Who's Alex?" she asked.
"We're too late," Steve sighed, looking at the empty cell.
"No," Stiles muttered before turning back to the deputy. "Clark, listen to me. He was here, okay? You met him."
Clark shrugged in response. "Where's the sheriff?" Scott asked.
"He got called out to the high school. They found a body," she told them. "No one's been in lock-up all day."
"Steve, you should check this thing out," Charlie told him. "Kaia's looking into it, but it's nothing we've seen before."
"Check for yourself," Clark added, handing Stiles the intake log.
"Here's not on here," Stiles whispered after flipping through the papers. "They took him."
"I shouldn't have left him alone," Scott said.
"He knew they were coming for him," Stiles add.
"He's not dead though, Fiona and Lydia would have had the feeling. He was taken, which mean he was taken somewhere," Steve stated. "We just have to find out where."
Scott nodded before narrowing his eyes. "What if they're coming back for everyone else who was on that road?"
"Then we already know who's next," Stiles said.
"Liam and Hayden," Scott muttered.
"They're at the school with Zach and Charlie. We can get there and help protect them," Steve said before they ran back to the Jeep.
"I need a break," Malia sighed, getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom.
"Maybe when you get back, we can try something a bit more wild," Jay suggested. Malia turned back to him and narrowed her eyes. "Or not. It's just been a while," he mumbled before she closed the door behind her.
"You guys know anything that could have done that?" Charlie asked as they walked towards the back of the school.
"Yeah," Liam growled as he and Hayden turned around, both shifted. "Not sure while you're acting so surprised."
"The deputies are right there," Charlie whispered, moving around the corner so they were out of sight. "What're you talking about."
"We know who killed him," Hayden replied, as she and Liam continued to move towards the others.
"We've seen what color your eyes are," Mason added from behind Liam and Hayden.
"Scott didn't tell you about what happened?" Charlie asked.
"What're you guys doing?" Zach asked as he and Charlie backed away from the shifted betas. The two betas roared at Charlie and Zach before Zach spread his wings, grabbed Charlie and flying off. "I didn't feel like waiting for an answer," he told the beta as they flew toward the pack house.
"Where are you guys?" Steve asked as they made it to the school, squad cars filled the parking lot with a flood of red and blue lights.
"We're heading back home. They were in the courtyard, but started acting weird and tried to attack us," Charlie replied.
"They were in the courtyard, Charlie and Zach needed to leave, so they might have left too," Steve told Scott as they stared into the school.
"I'll check there then. Let me know if you guys find anything. And see if the sheriff knows anything," Scott said.
"Yeah, okay," Stiles said before Scott ran off. "Hey, Scott, wait," Stiles added, turning to the true alpha. "Um—I just—uh—I wanted to say—um," he stammered.
"Tell me later," Scott said.
"Yeah, alright," Stiles muttered before Scott ran off.
"What did you want to tell him?" Steve asked as they watch Scott run away.
"That Alex being taken wasn't his fault," Stiles sighed. "Shouldn't you be out looking for Liam and Hayden?"
"They might have come inside, and it might be better for Scott to find them first."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you later," Steve replied before they ran into the school.
Ms. Martin backed into Stiles before turning to face him. "Woah, slow it down," she warned.
"Sorry, Ms. Martin, Sorry," Stiles said. "Hey, have you seen—uh Liam and Hayden? Actually, forget that. Have you seen my dad?"
"Who?" she asked causing Steve to tilt his head.
"My dad? He's here because of the body?" Stiles told her.
"How do you know about the body?" she asked.
"Because my dad's the sheriff. Ms. Martin are you okay?"
"Do you know where the sheriff is? We need to talk to him," Steve said.
They heard a gurney rattle outside. "Uh, just wait here," she told them before walking off.
"That was not helpful," Steve muttered.
"Yeah," Stiles sighed, looking after her. "Let's find my dad," Stiles added before the two ran off.
"It's going to happen here?" August asked. "They found a body already, was that it?"
"No," Fiona sighed. "It's something else."
"Okay, when did you first have the premonition?" August asked.
Fiona turned when she heard the woman singing. "I was with Stiles," Lydia said. "We realized it was the Wild Hunt, the Riders, the horses, souls getting swept up."
"I found something," Leonard stated. "'Those who see the Wild Hunt beware for you are already lost.'"
Fiona recited it out loud at the same time before turning back to August. "It's you," she whispered.
"Not just me, Stiles said he saw them too," August whispered. "Don't tell Steve, he's with Stiles now. If he knows he'll come to me."
"Leonard broadcasted it to all of us," Fiona said.
"Stiles—" Steve started before he saw Liam, Hayden, and Mason coming around the corner. Steve moved back down the hall.
"Stay with him. I can protect myself," August told Steve.
"We need Scott, I'm going to find him. Stiles is with the others, he'll be fine."
"Unless they've forgotten him too. Maybe that's why they attacked us," Charlie stated.
"We could still use Scott's help," Steve said before running toward the courtyard. "Scott!" the alpha shouted as he caught up to the true alpha.
Scott turned around and slammed Steve into a pillar. "I thought I told you to leave Beacon Hills," Scott growled, fully transformed.
"Scott, what're you talking about?"
"I told you to leave when you killed Donovan, but you're still here."
"We worked through that, remember, I didn't kill Donovan," Steve said, trying to free himself from the other alpha's grip.
"Leave Beacon Hills now, and this time don't come back," Scott growled, throwing Steve to the ground.
"Your friend's in trouble, Scott. You have to help him," Steve called back, returning to his feet.
"Everyone is in trouble while you're around," Scott said, before walking off, his phone ringing.
"Get to Stiles," August ordered.
Malia stepped out of the bathroom, her eyes glowing blue. She growled as she glared at Jay. "This is a bit more wild than I thought," Jay commented, getting out of bed.
She snarled before running towards him, he stepped out of the way and ran to grab his shorts, pulling them on as he moved around her. "Get out!" she growled, turning back to him.
"Malia, calm down, what's going on?"
"Get out of my house!" she repeated before running at him.
"Jump out the window," Jay heard Zach's voice in his head. The werecheetah looked to the open window and dove headfirst out of it. Zach caught the werecheetah before he hit the ground.
"What's going on?" Jay asked as he stared back at Malia's house.
"We're not completely sure. Charlie and Leonard are working on it."
"We have to help Stiles," Lydia said.
"This is the best spot to defend ourselves," August told her.
"Except Stiles isn't here. If Scott and the others don't remember him, then no one is there to protect him," Fiona said.
"You're right," August sighed. "Let's go."
The three ran out of the classroom as August pulled out his gun.
Steve ran into Stiles while the two of them were running down the hall. "You remember me?" Stiles asked.
"Yeah, this way," Steve said, leading him toward August and the others.
"Stiles!" Lydia called out, running past the others to meet Steve and Stiles.
"You all know me. Oh, thank God. You know me," Stiles sighed.
"I know you," Lydia assured him.
"I haven't seen them yet," August told the others.
"Why do we still know who you and Stiles are? Everyone else has forgotten," Steve said.
"Leonard thinks it has to do with the pack link, our memories are harder to erase," August explained.
"And Lydia?" Steve asked.
"We don't know," Fiona admitted.
The wind blew and the group turned as a bunch of leaves flew towards them. August looked behind him when he heard a horse whinny. "Hey, do you see him?" Stiles asked the others.
"See what?" Lydia asked.
"The guy on the horse," Stiles said.
The rest of the group shook their heads and Steve turned to August. "I see him," the hunter muttered, glancing back to Steve.
"If you can see them, they're gonna—" Lydia sighed, her voice shaking.
"No, I know, I know. Okay, they're coming for us," Stiles said, looking at Lydia. "So, you guys have to get away from us right now, okay?"
"He's right," August said, turning to Steve.
"I've never run from a fight," Steve growled as he shifted.
"I'm not leaving you either," Lydia told him.
"Then we fight," August said, aiming his gun. The gunshot echoed through the air before the bullet hit the Ghost Rider. August looked up, wide-eyed as the Rider was unphased. "Or not," August whispered. "Run!"
The five of them ran toward the parking lot, Stiles pulling Lydia along. August fired another shot behind him as the Rider galloped towards them. "Woah, woah, woah," Stiles shouted, stopping the group and leading them away from a second Rider.
"I can't help you fight them if I can't see them," Steve shouted as Stiles pulled them to a stop again.
"They're everywhere," Stiles muttered.
"Show me," Steve said, turning to August.
The hunter shook his head as they took off toward the Jeep. "If you see them, they'll take you too," August told him.
"Give me a general direction," Fiona shouted as they stopped outside the car.
"You two get in the Jeep," Steve ordered to Stiles and Lydia. The alpha turned back to the empty parking lot, shifting as he prepared to strike. "August!" Steve shouted.
"There," August said, firing at one of the riders. Fiona screamed in their direction, but the Rider moved out of the way. "Just try everywhere!" August said as he continued to fire. Fiona continued to scream until August's clip ran out.
"I need to see them," Steve said turning to the hunter. August shook his head at the alpha. "I need to see them!" August gave Steve a half smile as the riders closed in, hitting August with its whip. Steve collapsed as Fiona watched August disappear in a cloud of smoke.
The banshee turned back to the Jeep and saw Stiles looking at Lydia. "You're gonna forget me," she heard Stiles say.
"I won't. No, I won't," Lydia sobbed. "I won't."
"Lydia, you will. Just try to find some way to remember me, okay? Remember how you were the first girl I ever danced with. Or how I had a crush on you freshman year. Sophomore year. Junior year. Remember how you saved my life."
"You saved my life too."
"Just remember—Remember I love you," Stiles said as the door behind him opened. Stiles was pulled away from Lydia before vanishing. Lydia started to sob as she turned towards Fiona, tears falling down both banshees' faces.
"Remember," Lydia whispered. "Remember. Remember."
Zach landed next to Fiona and picked up Steve. "We're meeting back home to figure out what's going on," the chimera told her. "We'll figure out how to bring August back."
"Okay," Fiona whispered as Zach flew off. She walked over to the Jeep and helped Lydia out. "I have to go," Fiona told her. "If you need anything, let us know. We still remember. We'll find a way to get them back."
Lydia nodded her head quickly, wiping the tears from her eyes. The two banshees parted ways, getting into their cars and driving out of the parking lot.
"Where's Steve?" Fiona asked as she walked into the house and found the others gathered around the table.
"He said he needed to be alone," Charlie replied. "He just lost August, so I don't blame him."
"His connection's blocked too," Leonard stated.
"So, we need to revive some chimera's again to restore it?" Jay asked.
"No, it's not like last time. It's not severed, just blocked. And we all have our connections still," Leonard explained.
"He probably just wants to be alone for now," Kaia said.
"The link is why we can remember Stiles but no one else can, right?" Fiona asked.
"That's my theory," Leonard responded. "We can still remember August too, I don't know if it's permanent though."
"I can't sense August," Zach told them. "It's different than Steve's though."
"It's been severed, like when Thane died. But we're pretty sure they're just taken and not dead," Charlie said.
"We can get them back then?" Zach asked.
"That's the plan," Leonard replied.
"Alright, so why did the others attack us as they were forgetting about Stiles?" Jay asked.
"I had a theory for that too, worked out a timeline of last semester. It seems everything up until Scott confronted Steve and Stiles happened, except Stiles wasn't there. Without Stiles there, Scott and Steve probably fought each other, then Scott told Steve to leave," Leonard explained.
"After that, we can only guess at what happened, but it seemed the two really only reconciled because of Stiles," Charlie added.
"Pretty sure they put everything aside to save the town," Zach said.
"Eventually, yes," Leonard said. "But them working together to help the sheriff was the catalyst for all of us working together."
"Like you and August put aside your differences to help Steve," Jay added.
"Exactly," Charlie said.
"Without them there, our pack probably had some altercations with Scott's pack. Well, at least in their memories," Kaia stated.
"Scott thought Steve was a killer, and I doubt it ever got cleared up. By association, we were all killers," Charlie stated. "Liam and the others saw my blue eyes and didn't realize what had happened in the past, so he assumed I killed the maintenance worker we found in the boiler room."
"So, we don't know what happened in their minds, but because Stiles was removed, it was likely hostile?" Zach asked.
"Yes," Charlie said.
"But we're going to need their help if we want to save Stiles and August," Kaia said.
"Lydia remembers, even after Stiles was taken, she recognized me," Fiona replied.
"That's good, she can help us help the others remember," Charlie replied.
"Why are we meeting out here?" Steve asked, spotting a man standing outside of the light of the full moon.
"The others can't be trust," the man said, his red eyes glowing as he looked up to Steve. "The Republic is using their own children to infiltrate and destroy the pack from the inside," he continued, stepping out of the shadows.
"Why would the Republic do this though, Blake?" Steve asked.
"They want to eliminate us from the Senate. Malik had and Tiberius convinced the others in the secret meeting. They don't think we'd suspect their kids would try to kill us, so they brought them in to lower our guard. But I figured it out," Blake explained.
"What about Charlie, or Zach?"
"Charlie's working with them, he's been promised the alpha status and is free to make his own pack once everything's done. He's promised Zach a place alongside him."
"I can't believe it," Steve muttered, shaking his hand.
"I'm not surprised by his betrayal, he's always had issues with the two of us becoming alpha. Right now we have the advantage. Just keep an eye on them for now. Keep the link closed off and don't tell them about me."
"Okay," Steve sighed. "What about the people the Ghost Rider have taken?"
"No one in our pack was taken, it's Scott's problem."
"That's right," Steve nodded. "If he can't figure it out, then that's his own problem. I'll watch the others, and let you know if I find anything suspicious."
"Good," Blake said, smiling before heading back into the woods.
"Steve isn't coming today?" Jay asked as the pack walked towards the school's side entrance.
"No, he doesn't seem to be himself right now," Charlie stated.
"He'll bounce back," Kaia replied.
"We can lay the groundwork at least," Fiona stated, opening the doors. "We just need Lydia."
The pack stopped when they noticed Scott and his pack leaning against the lockers at the front entrance, glaring at them, Lydia was absent from the group. "Just need Lydia," Leonard sighed.
The bell rang as Lydia walked through the doors. The pack perked up as Lydia looked toward Scott and the others before following their eyes to the pack. She looked confused for a moment before glaring at them and quickly walking towards the others. Scott flashed his red eyes at them before he and his pack walked away.
"She doesn't remember," Lydia muttered.
"Let's take today off," Leonard stated. "This won't be as easy as we thought."
AN: Hi everyone! I'm finally back. I should probably do away with timelines all together at this point. Had a different direction I was going to take the story, but then switched it midway through and had to start over. Then work and other craziness happened as well. But, the good news is I'm back and everything but the epilogue is finished so while I work on that I'm going to start publishing the story.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I modified the Ghost Rider's memory altering affect quite a bit, to the point that it changes who the people who forgot are and how they think events in the past happened. I think the show did a bit of this with Malia losing control of her transformation, but I wanted to go further. Also, fixed TW's retcon of Liam and the other's age. Since it wasn't mentioned in TAC and it wasn't known beforehand, it was an easy fix.
The return of Blake may seem a bit jarring after everything that had happened in the past, but I have big plans.
As for what to expect in this story, the chapters will be significantly longer than previous chapters and the pack link is going to be used a lot more for most of the chapters. Also, as with the other story, sections from the episodes will be removed and covered in other ways if needed/possible. The reasoning is that this is Steve and his pack's story. Only those in the pack link will get sections about them, so anything that happens that isn't witnessed by someone linked will be unknown to us.
As always, let me know what you think! I'm excited to be back to posting chapters again!