"Where are you taking me?" The sour wolf complains. I discreetly wipe away a single tear that had gotten free. I feel my hands begin to fiddle with my sleeve as we get closer to the closet. I pause in front of the door, resting my hand on the doorknob.
"She's in here." I say quietly, knowing he could hear me as I open the door. Derek walks in slowly, pausing once he sees our deceased friend.
"Call Stiles to come get you. I've got it from here." He says once he reappears with Erica in his arms, her head turned so it just looks like she is sleeping.
"I don't need a babysitter. I can look after myself." I cross my arms, annoyed that he thinks so little of me.
"From what I've been told of how sick you've been recently, yes you do. And no matter how 'powerful' you think you are now, taking on an entire pack of Alpha's is not going to bring Erica back. So call your little boyfriend. And. Go. Home." He pushes past me, heading back to Scott and Allison. I huff but follow after him, pulling out my phone and dialing Stiles' number.
"Hey, Naddy. You feeling better?" He says cheerfully down the phone. Oh God, I'm going to get in so much trouble.
"Yeah, actually could you come get me? I need to talk to you." I ask politely.
"Sure thing. I'll be at the house in ten minutes."
"Wait Stiles, I'm not there." I listen to silence on the other end of the line.
"Please do not tell me you sneaked out of the house. Again." He says in an angry manner. I don't reply, leaving that as my answer. "Right, I'll be at the bank in fifteen minutes." He hangs up without saying goodbye. I sigh, knowing that I would be getting an earful from him once he gets here.
"... I couldn't do it..." I look up to see that we had arrived back to Scott and Allison. They both stare at Erica in Derek's arms before looking to me behind him, giving me a sympathetic smile.
"Scott, can you take Nadia home before going after those two. She's still sick." Allison says as she turns back to Scott.
"No, I'm fine. I've told you, it's just a bug, and I'm getting better." I say before Scott could answer. "Besides, Stiles is coming to get me. Mr. No Emotions over here made me call him." I huff, throwing a pointed look at Derek. But looking at Derek meant looking at Erica, which made my stomach turn at the sight of her decaying face. My hand flew up to my mouth instantly, my face scrunching up at the thought of being sick again. Scott, who had witnessed these actions numerous times over the last few weeks, reacts quickly and rushes me behind the vault door for privacy while I empty my stomach... Again.
"Oh yeah, you're so much better. Definitely able to take on a pack of Alpha's." Derek says very sarcastically. I straighten up, wiping my mouth on a tissue from my pocket, turning to the Alpha with a grimace on my face.
"Oh, shut up sour wolf." I glare at him as Scott pulls me to his side in a comforting way.
"What're you doing here Nadia?" He says gently.
"I wanted to help. I knew you and Stiles wouldn't let me come so I faked feeling sick and snuck out."
"And what about Allison?" She begins to speak before I cut her off.
"I made her take me here. I threatened to tell everyone that she fancied Greenburg if she didn't." I give her a shy smile, not wanting her to get in trouble too, which she returns. "I'm just tired of being sick and weak lately. I worked hard over the summer to perfect my magic. What's the point of it if I can't use it?" I rant, crossing my arms in annoyance.
"Have you finished having your little tantrum yet?" I turn to the sour wolf, glaring at him again. "Your problems aren't important right now. We have two dangerous, fully transformed werewolves who haven't felt the moon in months, an Alpha pack who are killing innocent people as well as Erica who I need to take care of. Your little stomach bug isn't the top priority right now." I felt the rage boiling up inside of my like it normally does when Derek is near. "So shut up and go outside because Stiles is here." He nods to the general direction of the entrance, where my boyfriend is supposed to be.
"Oh I swear, if I get my hands on you I'll-"
"Nadia, stop. It's not worth it. But he's right, Stiles is outside. Go home and rest. Please." Scott pulls me back before I could rush at him.
"Nadia!" Oh crap. "Nadia. Where are you?" Stiles' voice could be heard in the distance, gradually getting closer. "Where the hell are..." He comes to a stop round the corner, taking in the scene. Derek holding a dead Erica in his arms, Scott holding a tear stained me to him while Allison stands to the side. He looks at each of us in turn, staring at Erica before glancing back at me and opening his arms. I rush into them instantly, my eyes watering yet again. "Go. I'll take care of her." I feel his voice vibrate through his chest. He hugs me closer as I hear the others footsteps walk off.
"I'm sorry." I whisper, not sure if he heard it or not.
"Come on, let's get you home." He pulls away slightly to put his arm around my shoulder and guide me to the Jeep. Once inside, he speaks again. "I don't know why you can't just stay home and rest, Naddy. You're still sick." He starts up the engine, the vehicle making a clunking sound before starting.
"Because I've been sick for weeks, Stiles! All I've been doing is staying home and resting and I'm tired of it. I've taken everything Melissa has given me and it's still not working. I want to help, that's what I've been practicing for all summer. But don't you think it's weird that I started getting sick a couple weeks before supernatural stuff started happening again?"
"No one is sick for this long unless it's serious. Maybe you do have something seriously wrong with you or your magic is stopping you from getting better, I don't know. And it's just a coincidence that there's supernatural stuff. Not everything has something to do with werewolves and god knows what else."
"Maybe but, I felt strange and ill before we were hit by the deer and before the birds attacked. You can't say that's a coincidence!"
"You were still sick when you were in the car, the bird attack was the next day, that's not enough time for you to get better. Besides, you felt sick at the party and nothing-"He gets cut off by his phone ringing. He nods to his jacket pocket for me to get it for him, while he pulls over. Looking at the screen, I see Lydia's name.
~8~
Stiles pulls into the parking lot of the public pool. I fly out of the Jeep, following just behind him.
"Lydia? Lydia!" He shouts, unable to see her in the dark light. Running through the fence, we spot her hugging herself by the poolside, all alone.
"I'm okay. That. That over there. Not okay." She points to the bloody, dead body slouched on the lifeguard chair. I see Stiles pulling out his phone as I hug Lydia.
"I'm calling my dad."
"I already called 9-1-1." She chokes out.
"You called the police before you called me?"
"I'm supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?"
"YES!" Stiles looks his phone to find it's already vibrating with an incoming call from Scott. Lydia and I listen quietly as Stiles talks to his best friend.
"Hello?" There's a long pause where, I assume, Scott is telling Stiles about what has happened this night. "Yeah, we're with Lydia. She found a dead body, probably from Boyd and Cora. "Throat, ripped out. Blood everywhere." He looks at the young man's body. "It's like The frickin' Shining over here. If two little girls walked out and asked me to come play with them forever and ever I seriously would not be surprised." I shudder at the movie reference. "Make sure? Who else is ripping out throats around here?" A glistening in the corner of my eye catches my attention. I look over and see it coming from the pool boy. Letting go of Lydia, I step over to the body, careful not to step in any blood. I see his ring that had caught my attention. A golden band on his ring finger, the word PURITY etched onto it. I shake my head, not really knowing why I had walked over there in the first place.
~8~
"I told you, I don't need a babysitter." I say as I walk into my room, Stiles right behind me. I shrug off my jacket and throw it to the side before sitting on my bed.
"You sorta do. You snuck out of the house, again, and found your best friend dead. You need someone to stop you from going on a revenge murder spree." He sits down next to me on my bed.
"Alright, fine. But shouldn't you be more worried about Lydia? She did find a dead body."
"You found one too. And you are my girlfriend. You're my top priority as well as my dad." He shuffles closer to me. "And from everything that you've been through, all the death in your life, you're not alone anymore. You have me. You have Isaac, my dad, Melissa, Scott, Lydia, Allison... It's not like when you lived with your dad. You have people that really care about you now."
His words hit something inside of me and the next thing I knew, I was kissing him. Kissing me back, his arms went around my waist, mine around his neck. As the kissing gets more intense, he guides me gently down onto the bed, bracing his arms either side of my head. I run a hand through his hair as he moves to kiss my neck. I giggle quietly, closing my eyes in bliss. Stiles always finds a way to distract me from everything going on in my life. My hands reach down and start to tug at the flannel shirt he's wearing, managing to pull it off of him. Stiles kisses my lips again as he rests his body against mine gently as not to crush me. I wrap my arms around his neck as a hand sneaks up the side of my top. It rests on my side as his thumb brushes my skin soothingly. As I grip the back of his top, ready to lift it over his head, his pocket starts to vibrate against me. We pull apart panting, looking down to see where the interruption was coming from.
"I swear; we can't just have one minute to ourselves can we?" Stiles groans, moving off me to sit on the side of the bed, pulling out his phone. "Hello?" He says, annoyance in his voice. I straighten my top out as I sit up, sorting my messy hair out at the same time. "Ok. I'll be there soon." Stiles hangs quickly after, his voice softer than before.
"Who was that?" I watch as he picks his flannel shirt up from where I had thrown it, pulling it back on before answering me.
"Melissa. She said there was something at the hospital that she wanted me to see." I nod, standing to grab my jacket but his hand grabs my arm before I can. "You're not coming too."
"Why not?" I ask trying to free myself from his grip but to no avail. "I want to help. I want to know what's going on. And not find out from you later." I say quickly when he goes to argue back. He huffs, grabbing my jacket for me and shoving it into my arms as he heads to the door.
"Fine. But you stay with me the entire time. No going off to find the Alphas and if you feel sick, you tell me straight away. Okay?" He turns to me sternly at the top of the stairs, the sweet loving moment we had shared only moments ago completely forgotten. I nod, grabbing his out stretched hand and following him down the stairs.
~8~
We rush into the hospital not too long after. People rushing around make it hard for me to spot Melissa but Stiles points her out as she hurries from behind the reception desk. She goes to grab Stiles' arm when she spots me, grabbing mine instead.
"What are you doing here?" She asks angrily. "You're supposed to be at home." I break free from her tight grip, squeezing Stiles' hand in mine.
"I'm tired of being weak. I want to help. You can't stop me."
"Believe me, I've already tried. She's not budging." Stiles adds, glaring at me playfully. Melissa huffs in annoyance, motioning for us to follow her down the corridor.
"Over here. And if you tell anyone I showed you this I swear to God I'll kill you slowly and painfully."
"Why do you want me to see a body I've already seen?" Stiles asks in confusion.
"Because you didn't see everything."
We walk into the cold, depressing morgue, where two bodies are laid on the metal tables. Melissa pulls back a sheet to reveal the now less bloody face of the boy from the pool. She motions for Stiles and I to move closer.
"See this around his neck? That's a ligature mark. That means he was strangled with something like a rope or cord." She points to a thin, bruising red line around the young man's neck.
"Wait a second." Stiles says. "What kind of werewolf strangles someone? That's not very werewolfy."
"Werewolfy's not a word." I mutter quietly. Stiles throws a glare at me while Melissa just ignores me.
"Exactly what I thought. And then there's this..." She carefully lifts the man's head, showing a clear dent in the poor man's head. My stomach churns slightly but nothing comes up.
"In a second I'm going to see my dinner all over the floor." Stiles places a hand over his stomach in disgust.
"Stiles, look. This kid was hit in the back of the head. Hard enough to kill him. In fact, any one of these things could've killed him. Somebody seriously wanted this poor kid dead."
"Then this can't be Boyd or Cora. They wouldn't do all that. Maybe it's just one murder. Like random coincidence."
"I don't think it's just one." Melissa shakes her head in disagreement.
"How come?"
"Because that girl over there..." She motions to the other table that has a body covered with the same sheet as the young man before us. "She has the same exact injuries." We walk calmly over to the table in question, lifting the sheet slowly to uncover the body. Stiles walks over after her, standing in my view of the girl. "The M-E said this one wasn't just strangled. Whoever did it used a garrote. Like a stick you put through the rope and twist around and... Stiles?"
I noticed that Stiles had frozen in... shock? I hurry past him to look at the girl, recognizing her instantly. My hand lifts to my mouth in realisation. I grab Stiles' arm in comfort as Melissa continues.
"Oh my God, did you know her?" She asks gently. Stiles nods in reply, still frozen in shock. She quickly covers the body, but his eyes are still on her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." He blinks back tears as the arm I'm holding is wrapped around my shoulder, pulling my body to his in comfort.
"I was... I was at her party. It was a birthday party. Her name's Heather." He pulls me closer still, resting his head on mine, my own arm wrapping around his waist, as he stares intensely at his old friend.
"We should call your father. You're a witness." Melissa says, but Stiles ignores her.
"Actually, I was the last person to see her... But I already... talked to his... dad." I speak up, beginning to trail off towards the end as an idea forms in my head. I turn my head to look at the pool boy, a thoughtful expression on my face. I look back at Heather, then at the pool boy again, as invisible clues start to put themselves together in my head. I look at Stiles slowly, giving him a questioning look before I snaps my head to Melissa.
"Did anyone else come in tonight? Like any other bodies? Or anyone missing?"
"No. I mean no bodies but-"
"What?"
"Two girls. They brought the first one in, Caitlin, to do a tox screen. From what I overheard, it sounds like her girlfriend, Emily, just disappeared. They were in the woods and-"
"And nobody's found her yet?"
"I don't know."
"And is..."
"Caitlin."
"Is Caitlin still here? Now?"
"I think so."
"What room is she in?"
"Okay, hold on just a second-"
"I need to talk to her."
"Why?"
"Because, I think... I think I know what's going on."
~8~
"We weren't doing anything that bad. I've camped out there plenty of times." I still refuse to tell the others what my theory was, demanding that Melissa took us straight to Caitlin. The girl in question, who looked a couple years older than me and Stiles, understandably looked confused when two teenagers and a nurse walked into her room. But, despite this, she agreed to answer my questions.
"And why tonight?"
"We wanted to be alone for one night. Emily lives with her Mom and I have three roommates. Not exactly romantic settings, you know?" Melissa keeps a lookout by the door while I stand beside Stiles who is stood by Caitlin at the bed as I try to figure out what was going on.
"How long have you two been together?" I ask gently.
"Three months."
"Did you want to make it romantic?" I glance at Stiles slightly when I says this. The night of the party suddenly flashes through my mind, particularly what Stiles had said to me. That he wanted my first time to be romantic, full of candles and rose petals and stuff.
"Yeah, you know. Because..."
"Because it was her first time." I guess for her, already knowing the answer. Tears filling her eyes, Caitlin nods. Melissa looks at me slightly in shock at my response, Stiles looking at me puzzled. Everything in my head finally slotted into place, getting the answer that I needed to confirm what I already knew.
"They're going to find her, right? Aren't they?" She asks, glancing at all three of us. None of us answer.
~8~
After Melissa leads us out of the room and goes off to attend to a patient, Stiles sends a quick message to Scott, telling him to come to the hospital as soon as possible, before dragging me into a quiet waiting room.
"What's going on?"
"I had an idea, which I'm pretty sure Caitlin just proved. It's not good, in fact, it's very, very bad." Stiles looks at my puzzled again, waiting for me to explain further. "When we were at the party, Heather mentioned something about her being a virgin." Stiles looks down at the mention of her name but nods anyway. "Actually, that was why we were arguing in the first place... She wanted to have sex with you." He blinks in confusion, trying to speak before I butt him off. "But that doesn't matter now. Anyway, that pool boy, when we were with Lydia, I noticed he had a ring on his finger. A purity ring."
"What? You're basing a theory off of that? A ring? Why the hell did you think of that when we were in the morgue?" Stiles butts in. I glare at him to shut him up so I can finish.
"Not just that. I remembered it in the morgue because Melissa mentioned talking to your dad about Heather, which I did, and remembered what we were talking about. And about the ring, that's when it all fitted into place in my head. And when Caitlin told us about Emily, it just proved me right."
"Wait, someone's going around killing... virgins?" I nod vigorously. "But... But we're..."
"I-I know and might become a problem but... Along with the feelings I've been having recently, me being sick with the deer and the birds and just generally feeling horrible... It all adds up. Melissa told me the times that Heather and the pool boy might've been killed and they are around the same times that I threw up." I look at him expectantly, hoping that he'd get what I was trying to say.
"I-I still don't understand..." I roll my eyes at his response.
"Stiles, it's my magic! Whoever is killing these people are using magic... I think they're using them as human sacrifices, that's got to be affecting me. That must be why all the animals were acting up, they felt it too. Something weird, different magic to me. It's got to be!"
"Ok, ok I believe you. It's-it's crazy but that normal round here. But what are the sacrifices for?" He scratches the back of his head, looking down at me.
"I... haven't figured that out yet. But I'll figure it out eventually." Stiles' phone beeps just as I finish speaking, alerting him to a message. "Who is it?"
"It's Scott. He says he's outside." Stiles quickly types him a message back before grabbing my hand and dragging me through the dim hallways and back to the morgue. Standing outside is Scott. He goes to say something before Stiles cuts him off. He motions for him to follow as Stiles continues to pull me into the morgue. Once the three of us were in the cold room, Stiles speaks up.
"I think someone else is doing the killing." He goes over to Heathers body and unzips the bag, revealing her pale face.
" So Boyd and Cora might not have killed anyone?" Scott asks as her looks at Heather.
"You're going to wish they did." Stiles replies.
"Why?" Scott asks in confusion.
"Because if Nadia is right, and I really hope she isn't, then we've got something far worse going on. Emily, that girl missing in the woods? They're going to find her. She's part of this. Nadia spotted a pattern. Emily, Heather, the guy Lydia found, all three are going to have the same injuries. Strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in. All three were virgins."
Stiles covers Heather back up before turning to look at Scott and I.
"I've read about this before." He continues.
"So if they're not random killings, what are they?" Scott asks. This time, I answer.
"I was right. It's human sacrifices."
~8~
SSSOORRRRYY! I have been sooo busy lately with college (the last two years of school in England) and I had all of this written apart from the last part. I've had assignments to do and my part-time job at the weekend, it's been pretty tiring. I am soo sorry again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter though. I would like to dedicate this one to SquidaQdaloo as I did post this about a month ago before realising I hadn't finished it so took it down around 10 minutes later and they were so confused so here you go! An actual update! I don't deserve it but comment what you thought!
xxExx