| CHAPTER SEVEN, Looking For Scott |

"Isaac? Isaac?" Allison's voice.

I stood up straight and looked at the Argents. "Lydia," I said plainly. I was about to take off when the orchestra…something was wrong with them. The focus of their eyes. The clarity of their playing. The darkness ringing from the chorus. Something…and then it happened. The chord from inside the piano snapped and the piano teacher was dead before she hit the ground.

"Allison!" I heard Mr. Argent yell and I turned to see him moving, following after her as she made her way towards the stage. I followed as well. Moving through the crowd of scared people, I found the Argents at the stage in time to hear Allison.

"Mistletoe," she said plainly. I looked at the pool of blood to see the small pool of white; she was right.

"Lydia," I said again, looking at them both as they both turned around. "She's in trouble."

They moved and so did I, ahead of them both, hunting for the source of the shrilling shriek. It took me several minutes, but soon I found Lydia, standing in a dark classroom, looking at a teacher's rolling chair. "Lydia," Allison said first, rushing passed me and over to her side. "Lydia?" she said again when Lydia didn't say anything.

"They're…they're gone," she finally said as I moved in between her and the chair; she only continued to look at it as if my body couldn't obstruct her view.

"Who's gone?" Allison asked, pulling back from the hug she'd instigated.

"Lydia…have you seen Scott?" I asked.

"They're gone…"

"Lydia, who's gone?" I said rather forcefully.

Allison looked back at me before returning to Lydia. "Lydia…where're Scott and Stiles?"

"Gone."

I sighed heavily and looked around in frustration. That's when I noticed the gaping hole in the window. "Lydia…?"

"Gone."

I looked down and saw the gun. A police issue. "Lydia…whose is this?"

"They're gone."

"What happened to your neck?" Allison said, peering down and touching the girl's neck. "Dad," she said, calling him into the room, "go get some help. Something's happened to Lydia."

Mr. Argent looked at his daughter, then me, and then her again; he was clearly unsure if he should leave her alone with me. I looked over at Allison and saw her annoyed face; I smirked. He took off down the hall and that's when I smelled it. I looked behind me and noticed the collapsed chairs. "Something definitely happened here," I said, walking closer to the fallen chairs. I looked down and saw blood. I sniffed once. "Allison," I said, beckoning her over. She walked up next to me and peered down at the blood spat. "That's Scott's."

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

Bzzz, bzzz. Bzzz, bzzz. Bzzz, bzzz. Bzzz, bzz—"We're sorry, the number you dialed cannot be reached at this time. Please leave a message after the ton—"

I hung up the call to Scott's phone and tried him again. Nothing. And then again…and again nothing. I closed my eyes and breathed out harder than I wanted, clutching the key chained around my neck hidden under my shirt. I scrolled up on my contacts and tried Derek. Again, nothing.

That's when Allison walked up next to me. "I can't get ahold of Derek or Scott," I said. "How's Lydia?"

"She's got bruising on her neck," she began. "They're taking her to a hospital downtown because Beacon Memorial's being evacuated."

"The storm's that bad?"

"It will be. I overheard an EMT saying the backup generators might be too old to last if the power goes out."

"Beacon Memorial…" I said, pausing, knowing that it was significant somehow. And then it dawned on me. "That's where Cora is, right?"

"I'm taking the two of you home," Mr. Argent said as he walked up to us.

"No, I have to get to the hospital; I can't leave Cora there with just Peter."

As I walked away, I heard Mr. Argent call after me. "Isaac," he said, and I turned. "I'll drive." Thunder struck again and that's when the power in the school went out.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

As we closed in on Beacon Memorial, I saw Derek and Stiles' cars. I pulled the key out from under my shirt and kissed the wolf's head before slipping it back underneath and hopping out of the car. I rushed in behind Allison when I heard her father note that the evacuation must be over.

"Are you catching a scent?" Allison asked me as I slowed to look back at Stiles' jeep.

"No, not with the rain this heavy," I said, not wanting to admit what I was really stopping for. We slowly ventured into the hospital, passing the front reception desk when Mr. Argent snap-loaded his pistol. "I'm gonna' take that as a sign you're a little worried."

"Stay close to me," he said, which was odd given his history and the recent threat assessment back at the school.

Then I caught a noise. "Hahh, I think I heard something," I whispered, stopping.

"Where?" Allison asked.

"Below us," I said, lowering myself to the floor. My ear touched the cold ground and I could hear clanking footsteps and other mechanical noises. But definitely footsteps. I stood up and listened even more carefully. "There're someone above us, too." We hustled up the stairs to the second floor and slowly crept through hallways when we heard the footsteps. There were two sets. And they were both coming around the corner. "There's two," I said as quietly as I could to Mr. Argent. And as we rounded the corner, I saw Scott. I felt my heart beat rather harshly against the key against it.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

"So then they're essentially trapped?" Mr. Argent began as the five of us hurried into an abandoned room.

"Yeah, right," Scott said.

"But there's no way of getting them out without turning the power back on," I said.

"Wa-wa-wa-wa-wait," Melissa interjected. "But if there power's back on then they're gonna' hear the elevator moving, right?"

"And then they'll be on Jennifer and Derek as soon as it stops," Scott added. "We can't get in a fight with them."

"Well you've got us now," Mr. Argent said, looking at Allison, though rather worriedly.

"It's too much to risk," Scott said. "They want her dead, and if she dies then there's nothing we can do for Stiles' dad or Cora."

"I don't even think I know which teacher this is," Mr. Argent said.

"She's the one with the brown hair. She's kinda' hot." As soon as it left my mouth I swore inside. Maybe it was subconsciousness trying to get Scott to not realize I was worried about him? To be honest, I have no idea and they're reaction was fitting: they all turned to look at me. "It's, uh, just, it's just an observation." That was the truth…but a little too late.

"I've got an idea," Allison suddenly said.

— Ʌ | Ʌ | Ʌ —

I soon found myself sitting in the front seat of the Mr. Argent's SUV. I plugged my phone into the dash holder and saw Allison's name pop up on the screen. I touched the green icon and her face appeared. "You ready?" she asked.

I exhaled and looked forward. "Yeah."

"You aren't nervous are you?"

"Do I look nervous?" I said, looking down at the phone.

"No, not at all." She placed the phone into position and I heard her dad's voice.

"Did he look nervous?" he asked.

"Terrified," she replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I can still hear you. Very, very clearly."

"Just go as soon as you see them," she said, looking back into the phone's micro-camera.

"Yeah," I said, looking forward. "Yeah I got it." I pulled out the little key again and kissed it once more, returning it beneath my shirt.

A few minutes passed and I heard footprints. And then Allison was rounding the corner. Hot on her heels were the twins. I picked up the phone and threw it into the passenger's seat while starting the car. I shifted into 'Drive' and sped off, making my way for the garage. I soon pulled up alongside the ambulance Peter, Stiles, and Cora were supposed to be in and hopped out of the car, Peter and Stiles moving just before me.

"Alright, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon," I said, rushing around to the other side of the car to open it for Cora's limp form which dangled in Peter's arms. We helped her in head first, Peter moving around to the other side so her head could rest in his lap. As I turned to head back for the driver's seat I saw Stiles staring at the ambulance door. "Stiles, let's go!" I called after him, dancing around to the door. I watched him, not quite getting in. He looked back at me, then to the door, then back at me, and took off to head back into the hospital. "Stiles!"

I hopped in and threw the gear into 'Reverse,' waiting for Stiles who was hopefully bringing Scott and Melissa back with him. "C'mon, we gotta' go," Peter said hurriedly from behind me. "Drive you idiot."

"I can't, not without Scott," I said desperately, my grip tightening on the gear shift, my gaze unbroken from the door appearing on the SUV's rear-view video camera. And then there were gunshots. Four of them.

"C'mon, do you want the Argents dead, too? Make your choice." I wasn't going to go, but then I saw Ethan and Aiden appear on the screen. "Oh, for the love of God, go! Nowww!"