"Matthew Daehler?"
After leaving the party, we raced back to Stiles' house to talk to his dad. While he may not be the Sherrif anymore, he's still the best chance we have.
"Yes." Stiles answers his father.
"This kid's the real killer?"
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Dad, everyone knows the police look for ways to connect victims in a murder. All he had to do was go through their transcripts and find out which class they all attended."
"Except for the rave promoter, Kara. She wasn't in Harris's class."
"Oh yeah, that's right. So I guess they're dropping the charges against him?"
They glare at each other for a moment, causing Scott and I to look at each other awkwardly, before the Sherrif gives in.
"No, they're not dropping the charges. Which doesn't prove anything." Stiles tries to high five me, happy that he was right, but I'm too short to reach his hand. Stilinski turns to Scott. "Scott, you believe this?"
"It's not easy to explain how we know, but if you can just trust us. We know it's Matt."
"He took Harris's car. He knew if the cops found tire tracks at one of the murders and that if enough of the victims were in Harris's class, he'd be arrested." Stiles explains.
"Fine." The Sherrif sighs. "I'll allow the remote possibility. But give me a motive. Why would this kid want most of the 2006 swim team and its coach dead?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Stiles asks in disbelief. "Our swim team sucks! They haven't won in years." The Sherrif just glares at him in responce. "Okay, we don't exactly have a motive yet. But then again, does Harris?"
The Sherrif just stares at the picture of Matt, trying to decide what to say.
"What do you want me to do?" He gives in.
"We need to look at the rest of the evidence." Scott says, a hopeful look on his face.
"That's all back at the station. Where I no longer work." He says angrily.
"Trust me, they'll let you in." Stiles confidently.
"Trust you?" He asks in disbelief.
"Trust Scott and I?" I ask.
"You two I trust." Stiles makes a face to show how offended he was, while Scott and I just laugh.
As we enter the police station, the night officer's head pops up, the clicking of the door alerting her to our presence.
"It's two in the morning." She says irritated as we approach the desk.
"Believe me, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't extremely important." The Sherrif says tiredly. Stiles pulls Scott and I to the side to whisper.
"We look at the hospital stuff first, okay?"
"Why?" Scot asks.
"Because all of the murders were committed by Jackson except for one, remember?"
"The pregnant lady. Jessica?" I ask.
"Since Matt had to kill her himself, someone at the hospital could have seen him." Stiles nods.
"Kids." We look over to the Sherrif, who waves us over as the officer buzzes us though the door.
We enter the office and the Sherrif goes straight over to the computer, and begins to pull up the hospital footage. The three of us stand behind him, peering over his shoulder to see.
"I don't know, guys. Look at this. There was a six car pile-up that night. The hospital was jammed."
"Just keep going. He'd have to pass one of the cameras on that floor to get to Jessica. He's got to be on the footage somewhere-" Stiles gets interrupted as Scott spots something.
"Hold on, stop. Did you see that? Scroll back." The Sherrif does what he says as scrolls back to see a young man walking down the corridor.
"That's him. That's Matt." Stiles exclaims.
"All I see is the back of someone's head." The Sherrif says in confusion.
"Matt's head. I sit behind him in History. He has a very distinct cranium." I look at Stiles strangly, he really is something that boy.
"Are you crazy?"
"Fine, then look at his jacket. How many people wear black leather jackets?"
"Millions. Literally."
"I can think of at least four people we know, Stiles." I says, agreeing with his dad.
"Can you scroll forward? There has to be a shot of him coming at one of the cameras, right?" Scott asks. He does as he's told and keeps the footage going.
"Stop, stop, stop! There he is again." Stiles shouts, right in my ear. I shove his head away and glare at him which he ignores.
"You mean there's the back of his head again." Stilinski says slightly annoyed.
"But look. He's talking to someone." He points to the screen, making Scott lean in for a clearer view.
"He's talking to my mom."
"Scott, you know how many people I deal with in a day?" Melissa says over the phone.
"This one's sixteen. He's got dark hair, looks like a normal teenager-"
"Tell her he looks evil." Stiles shouts to shout, earning a slap and glare from me and his dad.
"Scott, I already talked to the police about this." She says tiredly.
"Okay, one sec'. I'm going to send you a picture of him." Stiles flips open the yearbook to Matt's picture. Scott quickly snaps a photo with his phone and sends it to his mom.
"You get it?" He asks anxiously.
"Yeah."
"You recognize him? Did you see him?" He asks hopefully.
"Yeah, I did. I remember I stopped him because he was tracking mud into the hall." She says, concern in her voice. Scott turns to the Sherrif, Stiles and I.
"We have shoe prints alongside the tire tracks at the trailer site." Stilinski says.
"If they match, that means Matt was there for three murders. The trailer, hospital and rave." I state.
"Actually, four." The Sherrif says, looking up from his computer. "A credit card receipt for an oil change was signed by Matt at the garage where the mechanic was killed."
"When?" Stiles asks.
"A few hours before you got there." He answers his son.
"Dad, if one's an incident, two's a coincidence, three's a pattern, what's four?"
"Enough to get a warrant." Scott and Stiles high five over my head. "Scott, ask your Mom how fast she can be here."
"Now?" He asks worriedly.
"Right now. An official ID will get me a search warrant. Stiles, tell the front desk to let Scott's mom in when she gets here." The Sherrif goes into full officer mode. Scott talks to his mom again as Stiles nods and heads to the door. I stay behind and look at the still of the footage, wondering what had caused my old friend to do all this.
With nothing to do, I swirl around on the office chair, until the Sherrif stops me from moving.
"Go check on my son would you Nadia? He seems to be taking a while." I nod, standing up and walking over to grab the door handle when it's pushed open. It reveals Stiles with a scared look on his face.
"She's on her way here. Sherrif?" I hear Scott say behind me. But the Sherrif sees what I see, Matt pressing a gun to the back of Stiles' head.
"Nadia, show the man out." I stand up shakily, showing the Military man, whose name I forgot long ago, out. He mutters his condolences once again before closing the door behind him. I stumble my way back to the kitchen and take a seat next to Isaac, not noticing where dad had disappeared to. We had just been told that Camden had been killed in combat while serving in the U.S. army in Afganistan, I was too in shock to cry. I feel Isaac grab my hand and pull me closer to him. Our fathers heavy footsteps could be heard approaching in the hallway.
"I told him not to join the army and what did he do? He did it anyway, and now he's dead." Simultaneously, Issac and I turn our heads to see dad pointing a hand gun in our direction and walking towards us slowly. "But you two won't do the same, will you?" Isaac pulls me up and forces me behind him.
"Dad, please don't do this. We're only fourteen, we're too young anyway." Isaac whimpers, tears fill my eyes so much now I can barely see. I latch onto the back of Isaac's shirt and squeeze. The barrel of the gun is now aimed at his chest, so the bullet would pass through him and hit me too.
I shut my eyes tightly, and hug my twin from behind and we hear the trigger being pulled. CLICK. Nothing happens. Manic laughter fills the room. I poke my head around Isaac to see dad chuckling at our scared expressions.
"You two seriously thought I'd shoot you? I don't wanna go to jail, and it'd be a pain to clear up. Go to your rooms both of you, you're pathetic..."
I'm broken out of my flashback as Stiles forces me backwards towards the desk, as he himself is forced in the room by Matt. I stand between him and Scott, the former grabbing my hand in comfort. I've never been a fan of guns, especially after Camden died.
"Matt, whatever's going on, I guarantee there's a solution that doesn't involve a gun." Stilinski says as calmly as possible.
"Funny you say that. Because I don't think you're aware of just how right you are." Matt makes no move to put the gun down.
"Come on Matt, look at Nadia. She's terrified right now, and I know you don't want to hurt people."
"Actually, I want to hurt a lot of people. Nadia is one of them as well as her brother, but he already died years ago." I whimper at this, Stiles squeezing my hand to comfort me. "You three weren't on my list but I could be persuaded. One way is to try calling someone with your phone in your pocket like McCall's doing. That could definitely get someone hurt." Scott's hand drops from his pocket at this. He places the phone down on the desk beside him."Everyone." We all follow suit, trying not to make him even more angry.
In the cell block, Stiles tightens handcuffs around his dads wrist, attaching him to the wall. Matt stands close by, gun pointed at me, Scott on my other side.
"Tighter." Matt demands. Stiles glares at him before looking at me.
"Do what he says." His dad says to him calmly, which Stiles does reluctantly. Matt motions for us to go down the corridor but Stiles can't turn form his father's fearfilled eyes, but Matt simply shoves him too.
Walking down the corridor, a pile of bloddied bodies catches our attention. A deputy is dragged back into a room by a clawed hand.
"You going to kill everyone here?" Scott asks in disbelief.
"No. That's what Jackson's for. All I have to do is think about killing them. He does the rest." Matt chuckles and pushes the gun into Scotts back to make him move.
Back in the office, Matt has the boys shredding all files and destroying all evidence against him on the computer, while I stand next to him with the gun pressed against my back. Both Stiles and Scott keep glancing up at me, checking to see if I'm ok. I'm trying my hardest not to freak out, as that would only make the boys do something that would end in them getting hurt.
"Deleted." Stiles states, looking at me again. I smile at him as Scott holds up the paperless file to Matt. "And we're done, you can let Nadia go now." Matt pushes the gun into my back, forcing me forwards. I hurry over to Stiles. "So, Matt, since all the people you brutally murdered deserved it because they killed you first, whatever that means, I think we're pretty much good here. Right? I'll get my dad and we'll go. You continue with the vengeance thing. Enjoy the Kanima."
"Not all of them are dead, Stiles." Matt chuckles, staring directly at me, making me feel uneasy. The sound of a car engine interrupts him, causing him to smile again. "Sounds like your mom's here, McCall."
"Matt, don't do this. When she comes to the door, I'll just tell her to leave, okay? I'll say we didn't find anything. Please." Matt simply shake his head, waving the three of us over to the open door.
"If you don't move right now, I'm gonna shoot Nadia first. Then Stiles. Then your mom." I shuffle closer to Stiles as he puts his arm around me. We approach the door leading to the front desk lobby. "Open it."
"Matt, please." Scott begs. The gun is now pointed at Stiles' back, Matt glaring at Scott.
"Open the door." Scott hesitates before opening it to reveal Derek. The three of us let out a subtle sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank God." But he drops to his knees, then hits the floor hard. Paralyzed. By Jackson. Right behind him.
Derek, who had luckily fallen on his back, stares up at Jackson, who in turn stares at him with glossy eyes. The boys and I can only watch on helplessly as Matt still has the gun on us.
"This is the one in control? This kid?" He seeths, anger rolling off him from being helpless on the floor.
"Well, Derek, not everyone's lucky enough to be a big bad werewolf." This catches us all by suprise. How did he know? "Yeah, that's right. I've learned a few things lately. Werewolves, hunters, Kanimas... Witches. It's like a frickin' Halloween party every full moon. Except for you Stiles. What the hell do you turn into?" Wait, how'd he know about me?
"Abominable Snowman. But it's mostly a winter time thing. Seasonal." Stiles, this is not the right time to be joking.
Not amused by his answer, Matt nods to Jackson. He goes to swipe at him when Scott speaks up.
"Wait, stop!" Jackson stops and turns his head to look at him, an animalistic curiosity look on his face. Scott turns to Matt. "Witches? We don't have any witches..." But Matt isn't looking at him, instead he's looking at me.
"They didn't tell you huh? Your bestfriend and his little girlfriend have been keeping a big secrect from you. Tell them Nadia."I breathe deeply, looking at Scott.
"I'm sorry, Scott. I know I should've told you. And you Derek, but I-I didn't really have the time." I look down, ashamed, I'm always letting people down.
"When did you... I mean how long have you..." He tries but can't seem to get his words out.
"Deaton said the bite awakened the magic inside of me but me hitting my head activated it. It's hereditary, he said my mother most likely had it, only the females of the family tend to be witches." I say nervously, fiddeling with my fingers.
"Very very boring Nadia, you couldn't of made it more exciting?" Annoyance in Matt's voice clearly present. I just glare at him in responce but Stiles seems to want to defend me.
"Hey! She told them what you wanted her too, there's no need to be rude. How did you know anyway?" I rub his arm, trying to calm him down.
"Well, Stiles, I saw you two getting pretty cosy with eachother on the field the other day. I was walking past when I heard you two talking about magic, then you nearly kissed. What was that about?"
"Wow, you really are a stalker, huh? First Allison, now Nadia. Who's next Matt? How about-" He's cut off by Jackson scratching the nape of his neck.
"Stiles!" I go to help him as he staggers but Matt points the gun to my head. Scott goes to help him too but Jackson raises his claws at him. Stiles eventually falls on top of Derek, an audible breath of air being let out of his chest. I look at Stiles helplessly, unable to do anything to help.
"Bitch." Stiles mutters, barely audible.
"Get him off me." Derek demands. Matt moves away from me to kneel by Derek. "Get him off me."
"I don't know, Derek. I think you two make a pretty good pair. Let's hope Nadia doesn't get too jealous. It must kind of suck, though, to have all that power taken away with one little cut to the back of the neck? I bet you're not used to feeling this helpless." Matt says in an overly cheerful tone.
"I've still got teeth. Why don't you come a little closer and we find out how helpless I am." He responds angrily.
Bright headlights roaming through the office windows stop Matt from answering.
"Is that her?" He asks Scott. He looks at the window in despair. Oh God, I really hope it isn't her. I know I haven't known her that long but she's looked after me, she's been the mother I've needed theses last few weeks. "Do what I say and I won't hurt her. I won't even let Jackson near her."
"Scott, don't trust him." Stiles' muffled voice screams. With sudden rage, Matt kicks Stiles off Derek onto his back and presses his foot down on his throat.
"This work better for you?"
"Stiles!" I go to help him when Jackson takes a threatening step towards me.
"Stop, just stop." Scott begs.
"Then do what I tell you to." I try to side step Jackson but end up getting scratched on the back of my neck too. I feel numbness quickly traveling down my body, causing me to fall to the floor, the other side of Derek.
"Nadia!" Scott screams out while Stiles chokes it out.
"Okay, all right." Scott gives in.
I hear Stiles begin to cough and sputter for air, Matt must've taken his foot off of him. The way I fell meant I was on my front with my head turned the opposite way to everyone else.
"Put them in there. You. With me." The sound of two footsteps walking away tells me that Matt and Scott have left, leaving Jackson to take the rest of us back into the office. He takes the boys first then comes back for me, leaving us lying on the floor while he stands guard at the door.
But I start to feel a tingling sensation in my toes, traveling fast up my body. I could feel my fingers twitching, my hand able to move. I'm sure that the paralysis was supposed to last longer. Both Derek and Stiles told me they couldn't move for hours.
"The evidence is gone. Why don't you just go?" Scott asks as he and Matt return to the office.
"You think the evidence mattered that much? I want the book." Matt argues back.
"What? What book?"
"The Bestiary. And not just a few pages. I want the whole thing."
"But I don't have that. It's Gerard's. And what do you want it for anyway?"
"I want answers."
"To what?"
"To this." I bend my head to see Matt lifting his shirt, revealing the skin on his side turning into scales. Just like the ones on Jacksons body right now. The leave the room again, unaware that Stiles, Derek and I could hear and see exactly what was wrong with Matt.
"You know what's happening to Matt?" Stiles whispers to Derek.
"I know the book isn't going to help him. You can't just break the rules. Not like this." He whispers back.
"What do you mean?"
"The universe balances things out. It always does."
"Because he's using Jackson to kill people who don't deserve it?"
"And killing people himself."
"So if Matt breaks the rules of the Kanima, he becomes a Kanima?"
"Balance."
"You think he'd believe us if we told him?"
"Not likely." Silence follows. I sigh out loud.
"I think I know why he's doing this." I speak for the first time in ages.
"Why?" Stiles asks.
"Something that happened years ago. I forgot about it until now..." I take a deep breath, trying to remember the night correctly. "Stiles, you said everyone that was murdered was on the 2006 swim team, and my dad was the coach. Camden was on it too, and I know he's dead but I remembered something... Some of the team was celebrating at ours one night because they'd just won state, dad let them drink. Matt was over cause he was swapping cards or something with Isaac, I was wondering around the house even though I wasn't allowed downstairs."
"Nadia?" I freeze, caught in the act, and slowly lower my hand from the cookie jar. "What do you think you're doing?" I turn around from my spot on the counter to see who the voice belonged to, sighing in relief to see it was only Camden. I give him a cheeky grin and go to grab the jar again.
"Getting a snack silly." Just as my finger graze the jar, it's pulled from off the top of the fridge. I turn and glare at my older brother. "Hey!"
"Hey!" He imitates back, biting into a chocholate chip cookie. I cross my small arms and try to look as annoyed as possible. "Don't look at me like that Naddy. What are you doing down here anyway? You and Is are supposed to stay upstairs tonight, you're only ten."
"Because Matt is round to swap cards with Isaac so I'm bored. They're talking about boy stuff and said I can't join in cause I'm a girl. And you and you're friends are having a party down here with dad so I'm all alone." I widen my eyes and pull the face that I know works on him.
"Ok fine, here you go." He passes me a big chocolate chip cookie, before picking me off the counter and putting me on the floor. "I won't tell dad if you don't." He winks, taking another cookie before walking off to join back in with his friends. "Love you Naddy." He shouts as he walks off.
"Love you too Cammy."
"I went to the pool when I heard lots of shouting and laughing. I saw Matt splashing around in the pool and everyone was laughing at him. I thought he was just messing around, I didn't know he was drowning." I start to well up but continue the story anyway. "Then dad pulled him out and started doing mouth to mouth on him. I'd forgot about it till now, I'd forgot that he had died and come back again. Camden saw me and told me to act as if everything that night didn't happen." I fidget a little, suddenly remembering that I could move again.
"He's going to kill all of us when he gets the book, isn't he?" Stiles says, worry present in his voice, changing the subject.
"Yeah." Derek replies.
"So what do we do? Just lie here and wait to die?"
"Unless I can figure out some way to push the toxin out of my body faster. Like triggering the healing process."
Still pretending to be paralysed, as not to anger Jackson, I don't move my head but instead hear Stiles making a noise of disgust. I guess Derek's got his claws out.
A little while later, Stiles finally breaks the silence.
"So is that hypothetical situation we talked about getting any less hypothetical?" I know I should probably tell them I can move again but I don't want Jackson to hear.
"I think so. I can move my toes now." Derek says breathing out, claws digged into some part of him.
"Um, dude... I can move my toes now. What about you Nadia? Can you too?"
"Yeah, and my fingers." I whisper back. Derek huffs in dismay when the lights suddenly go out, surrounding us in complete darkness.
"Why'd the lights go out?" I ask, starting to freak out slightly. I've never liked the dark, especially as it reminds me of being locked in the cooler. While Isaac developed Claustrophobia from our abuse, I got stuck with a fear of the dark. My breathing quickens as Stiles tries to calm me down.
"You're fine, Nadia, nothings going to hurt you. I'm right here, ok? Try and grab my hand." I do as he says and grab his hand, feeling him try to give it a squeeze in comfort. Warmth spreds up my arm, small tingels on my skin where his hand touches mine. "Better?"
"A bit. Thanks." I turn my head and give him a small smile, which he returns, my heart now beating fast for an entirely different reason. I see Derek trying to sit up with one hand, grabbing Stiles with the other. Seeing Jackson disappear through the doorway, I sit up myself and grab the other side of Stiles. Scott then runs through the doorway, pausing to see us struggeling with Stiles. For such a skinny boy, he sure is heavy.
"Take him. Go!" Derek orders Scott. He pulls him to his feet, turning to the door when a half transformed Jackson steps into his way. He slashes forward, making us drag Stiles back. It ends up with Scott dragging Stiles through different rooms, me lagging behind to close and lock the doors, which was in vain as Jackson just smashes through them each time.
We eventually reach the interrogation room, deadbolting the door when nothing happens. The only sounds to be heard are our gasping and panicked shouts from Melissa and the Sherrif in the cell block.
"What's happening?" Stiles asks.
"I don't know." Scott answers. "Nadia, help me." I turn and grab Stiles' other side, helping Scott to lower him onto a chair. I go behind him and hold his head, his limp neck not able to support it.
"Don't move." He whispers to us. Stiles gives him an annoyed look, still paralysed. "You know what I mean." He slips the door, leaving us alone.
"What do we do now?" I ask Stiles, staring at the wall.
"We wait. Wait until I can move again, then we go out and help... somehow." I sigh, we were going to be in here for a while. "You got up pretty fast back there. How long had you been able to move?"
"Since about five minutes after I got scratched. I know I should've said something but I didn't want Jackson to come hurt us."
"It's fine, I understand." I look down and see him smile up at me. "Do you reckon it has something to do with your magic? Like maybe it intervenes with it or something?" Feeling this gut instinct in my stomach start to form, I gently let go of Stiles head, letting it rest on the back of the chair. "What are you doing?"
I go around him so he can see me.
"I'm sorry, Stiles. I have this feeling that I have to go help. Now. I'm promise, I'll come back." I lean forward and kiss his cheek, the leave throuogh the door before he could argue back.
The urge inside me directs me to the bullpen of the station. Hiding by the doorrame, I see Allison stagger backwards, having just been scratched by the now fully formed Kanima. As she sinks to the floor, paralyzed, Matt walks towards her from the shadows and kneels down to remove a piece of hair from her face. I strain my head to hear what he's saying.
"You should have given me a chance. Because you know how I told you I wasn' the guy who would say something like 'If I can't have her, no one can?'" She starts to breath heavily in fear. It's then that I know I have to do something. "Because, Allison, if I can't have you... NO ONE CAN." As he screams those last three words in her face, she lets out a frightnened whimper.
Looking around me. I see a disregarded cup a couple feet away. Focusing on it, I use my mind to make it fall off of the table, the clattering alerting Matt and the Kanima, both of them moving away from Allison. I run down the corridor behinid me and hide behind a corner out of sight, watching as Matt walks past, headed towards the cell block. Where Melissa and the Sherrif are. I follow silently, keeping an eye out for the Kanima.
I make it to the doorway as Matt smashes the butt of his gun to the Sherrif's head, causing him to tumble to the floor. I see Stiles despretely trying to crawl to his fathers side, unable to protect him as his eyes flutter shut.
Hearing a sound behind me, I scuttle off to another corner, now unable to hear the conversation in the cell block. The Kanima stalks past me, heading towards the cells. After the sounds of fighting follows a few moments later, Matt storms out angrily.
"Hey, Matt!" I catch his attention, he throws me a furious glare and stalks towards me.
"What the hell are you doing out here? You're supposed to be paralysed." He stops right in front of me, eyes glaring into mine.
"I wanna know why you wanna kill me too. What have I ever done to you?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
"You wanna know? Really?" He waits for me to nod before continuing. "It's because you didn't do anything to help. You saw me drown, and you didn't do anything. And then you had the gaul to pretend that everything that night didn't happen. That's why." I stare at him, a solem expression on my face. "What? Nothing to say? Not an 'I'm so sorry you died Matt'? You're pathetic. You're worthless. You bitch!"
He raises his arm, as if to slap me. Multiple flashbacks of dad hitting and slapping me fill my vision, those words sounding so familiar to my ears. Suddenly, I see dad in front of me instead of Matt. Anger consumes my body, all of the years of built up fear turns into a urge to hurt. Focusing on him alone, I mutter the incantation and throw dad through a door using my power.
"I'm not pathetic... I'm not worthless... I'm not... I'm..." My heavy breathing stops me from saying anymore. I peer through the doorway I threw Matt through. He struggles to get up, splinters from the door covering his body, backing away from me frightenedly. He runs away, limping as he does, out of sight within seconds. I guess I'm more powerful than I thought.
Hey guys, here's the next chapter. I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying it. A lot of you are really wanting Nadia and Stiles to just get together already, but you'll just have to wait :P. Please continue to review as I love reading them. Enjoy! xxExx