Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf. That is the awesome Jeff Davis
Here we are at Season 2! Hope you enjoyed the first half and are ready to dive deeper into the lives of Kinley and the Argents!
Kinley woke up to the sound of methodical beeping and mechanical whirs. She tried lifting her head, but it felt so heavy. She looked around the room and noticed she was back in the hospital again. She tried to move again, but her whole body felt weak and tired. Feeling was slowly coming back into her limbs and she felt something on her hand. She looked down and saw Stiles asleep on a chair with his hand in hers.
She really needed to stop collapsing in this boy's arms or he would never get a good night sleep. This was like the 4th or 5th time she had woken up not where she had fallen with Stiles right next to her. She was happy that he was there, but she hated herself for putting him there.
She pulled her hand free and her movement shook Stiles awake.
"Hey," He said sleepily and then his eyes widened with shock. "You're awake!" He screamed and then leaned over to hug her. "I was beginning to think you might never wake up even though the doctors were like 90% sure you would." He told her.
"What time is it?" She asked. Her throat was dry, making it hard to speak.
"Well, it's almost 2am, but your question might wanna be what day is it." He answered.
"What!?" She asked and tried to sit up but got dizzy. Stiles placed a hand on her back to steady her.
"Kin, you've been out for about three days." He told her and led her back to her pillow. "Just lay here, okay? I don't need you collapsing again. I'm kinda getting sick of carrying you everywhere. People are gonna start to think I do this to you." Kinley laughed, but it hurt. "You've been in and out. You seemed to wake up once or twice but not for very long. You've said some very interesting things though."
Kinley cringed. "Oh god, like what?" She groaned and wanted to throw the blanket over her head.
"Well, you called out my name." Stiles said smugly, feeling very proud of himself. "Of course then you called out Derek, Scott, and someone named Coco..." He gave her a suggestive look.
"Coco was an old dog." She replied and shook her head. "Not feeling so special now are ya?" She teased. She tried to laugh again, but it was still painful.
"Hey, my name was first." He huffed and crossed his arms pretending to be upset.
"Well, whatever makes you feel better." She replied.
"But in all seriousness. How are you feeling?" He asked.
Kinley assessed herself. She had definitely felt worse. However, this was a whole new type of exhaustion she had never felt before. "I'm feeling okay. My body feels like it's been completely drained of all energy, but other than that, I feel fine."
Stiles let out a sigh of relief. "Good." He smiled and took her hand again. "Do not do this to me again and not just because I don't want to be the one carrying you here."
Kinley nodded and looked at Stiles. They sat there just looking at each other, just happy to have the other in the room alive and well. They heard the door open and dropped hands. Mrs. McCall walked in.
"Stiles!" She yelled and glared at the boy. "You were supposed to call me if she woke up." She told him as she went to Kinley's side. She smacked Stiles lightly on the back of the head as she passed him too.
"Ow, and she only just got up. I was going to get you in a second." He said and moved out of Mrs. McCall's way and stood at the foot of the hospital bed.
"I have to check her over. Why don't you check on Lydia while I administer her exam."
Stiles hesitated not wanting to leave, but Kinley told him to go. "It's okay, I swear I'll be here when you get back." Stiles still hesitated. "I will have Mrs. McCall come and get you the moment you're allowed back in, okay?" She looked at Mrs. McCall to check if that was okay and she nodded. With all that, Stiles agreed to go.
"The minute I'm allowed back in." He said sternly to Ms. McCall before walking out. Mrs. McCall turned, put her hand and her hip and looked at Stiles to get out. Stiles sputtered and walked out the door. Mrs. McCall laughed and returned to checking on Kinley.
Mrs. McCall began checking her vitals. "Do you feel nauseated, dizzy, sore, anything like that?" She asked as she took her blood pressure.
"I was a little dizzy, but I feel okay now, and I'm a little sore all over. How's Lydia?" Kinley asked. She was curious why she was still here. If she was a wolf, she would have healed by now and the only other option after the bite is death. How could Lydia still be here?
"She's doing better. Her injuries are almost healed. She will have a pretty bad scar from the attack but other than that, she should fully recover." Mrs. McCall explained.
"Good, good." Kinley replied. "So how long am I trapped here?" She asked.
Mrs. McCall moved to checking her breath sounds. "We will keep you the rest of the night and if everything stays the same, you should be good to go in the afternoon."
Kinley could live with that. It was only one night. So that wasn't too bad.
"I'll just need a parent of guardian here to pick you up." She added.
Kinley sank down into the bed and groaned. Her uncle still had no idea what happened. He wasn't due back for another day or so. She was going to have to call him home and explain. She wanted to burrow into the sheets and never come out.
"Everything seems fine here, I'll go get Stiles." She told Kinley and walked out.
The moment she left the room, Kinley heard a loud crash and Stiles popped his head in the room. He scanned for Mrs. McCall and when he didn't see her, he slipped into the room.
"What was that-" Kinley started to ask, but Stiles spoke over her.
"Nothing, nothing. If they asked, I never left this room." He told her and he sat back in the chair next to her bed.
Kinley looked at him suspiciously but then just rolled her eyes. Whatever he did, it couldn't have been that bad, right?
Mrs. McCall walked by and stuck her head in. "Oh there you are." She said to Stiles. "By the way, did you see what happened to the vending machine? It fell completely over. Any idea who did it?" She asked them.
"Nope, no idea. Sorry." He replied.
Mrs. McCall shook her head and left. Kinley began to laugh and Stiles put his head in his hands.
"The vending machine, really? How does someone even manage that?" She asked him through her laughter. This time it didn't hurt so much to laugh.
He moved his head out of his hands. "I thought you might want something and it ate my money and I tried to get it out but it was stubborn... and I did this thing... that then made it move...so I did this other thing and then it was on the floor." He had hand gestures for each part of the story as he tried to explain, but Kinley didn't think even Stiles knew how he made it fall over. After explaining, he put his head back in his hands embarrassed. Kinley still laughed.
"How's Lydia?" Kinley asked to change the subject.
"Fine. She'll still be here a couple more days. Her injuries are still healing."
"So she's not a...?" She trailed off.
"No, she still has her bite. Scott said it didn't heal like his." He told her.
"Then what the hell is she?" Kinley wondered.
"That is the same thing Scott and I want to know."
Kinley nodded and put Lydia's identity on hold for the moment. She would need more research materials to figure that one out. Besides, there was a bigger issue they had to deal with. "I need you to do me a favor." She told Stiles.
"Anything. What do you need?" He asked.
"I need you to find my phone and then prepare to not see me for awhile." She told him.
"What!?" He yelled and jumped out of his seat.
"I need a guardian to pick me up, which means I need to call my Uncle Sam, which means I need to tell him what happened, which means he is going to kill me." She replied.
Stiles breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that." He sank back into his chair. "So your Uncle grounds you for a few weeks, we'll see each other at school."
Kinley looked down and began fiddling with her sheets. "Stiles, there's a good chance that we won't be staying here." She told him and looked back up at his face. His face was blank. "My uncle was looking into cases to move us already. After all of this, he might just want us to leave, regardless of having a new place to go." She explained.
Stiles' face dropped. "But he can't do that." He told her. "He just..." He trailed off and started moving his hands along his pants. "I mean we could..." He started and stopped. He got up and started pacing. "There has to be something..."
"Stiles." She said and he stopped pacing. She looked at the chair and gestured for him to sit down. "I told you when you first met me that I don't stay places very long. I never have. And I'm pretty sure this is the last place my Uncle wants me to be. I don't think there's much I can do."
Stiles grabbed both of her hands and just stared at her. His look was pleading like he wanted her to think of something, anything to make her be able to stay.
"Stiles, my phone, please." She said to him.
Stiles pulled his hands from hers and shuffled out of the room to fetch her phone. Kinley wanted to do anything but make this call. She would face the alpha again, just to not have to make this phone call. Stiles came back a few minutes later with her phone and handed it to her, but didn't look at her when he did. She dialed and her uncle answered.
The next day her Uncle appeared at the hospital. She was signing the last of her discharge papers and just needed his signature to leave. She was still laying in her hospital bed, and her muscles still ached, but she wanted out of there. Stiles had left and come back. He'd been there for days and really needed to go home to shower and sleep a little. He was sitting with her when she heard her uncle frantically yelling at the nurses station, asking where she was. She groaned out of embarrassment and slight annoyance at her uncle's behavior. Stiles tried to give her a reassuring look, but it didn't help. Stiles was also not in his usual goofy mood. It was hard to be the comedic relief when you were having issues in your own life. The next second, Kinley's uncle came barreling into the room. He went straight to Stiles and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt.
"What did you do? You werewo- How did you drag-" He started yelling, but he just seemed too angry for words.
"Sam, Sam! Let him go." Kinley yelled and tried to reach her hands out to stop her uncle from accosting Stiles. She was still a little too weak to get any leverage to make them separate. Even the extra height on being on the hospital bed didn't help. "Sam!" She finally just screamed and didn't care if the whole floor heard her.
Sam stopped yelling and looked at her. He still had Stiles by the shirt. "Let him go." She said more calmly this time.
Sam looked from Stiles to her. Kinley never cut her gaze from her uncle. He finally sighed and released Stiles from his grasp. He gave Stiles an angry stare before turning to talk to Kinley.
"Explain this. Now." Sam stated and his tone was one of a controlled anger. He was trying his hardest not to lose his cool.
"It's complicated." Kinley told him and looked at Stiles. Stiles was staring at his shoes.
"Well un-complicate it because I'm not leavin' until I know why you completely disregarded my orders and continued with this case." Her uncle replied and gave Stiles another dirty look.
Kinley looked over at Stiles who was inching further away from her uncle and still staring at his shoes.
"Stiles could you give us a minute?" She asked.
She could tell Stiles didn't want to leave again. She gave him an imploring look, and he reluctantly left the room.
"Kinley, what happened?" He uncle asked and sat in the chair next to her, while she sat back on her bed. His anger was subsiding, luckily. He just seem tired and concerned at the moment.
Kinley took a deep breath not knowing where to start. Everything was just so jumbled in her head. So she just told the story from the day they arrived here. However, and she is not sure why, she left out the parts about her powers or gifts as they had also been called. So she just told the same lies she told to everyone else. At least this way if he heard anything around town, the stories would match.
"That's it." He uncle said when she finished. "We're leaving, we're packing up, and we're gone by tomorrow morning." Her uncle told her. He got up and began putting all of her things into Stiles' blue bag. Stiles had brought her a few things to help her feel more comfortable while she was in here. Her uncle didn't seem to notice that it was not her bag and packed it anyway.
"I'm not going." Kinley said and shocked herself. She wasn't planning on fighting this. She told Stiles only hours ago to get used to the fact that she was leaving, but all of a sudden, the reality hit and she knew that she couldn't do it.
Her uncle stopped packing the bag and turned to look at her. "Excuse me?" Sam asked. "What was that?"
"I'm not going." Kinley repeated with the same calm tone in her voice.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a choice in the matter, my bad." Sam replied sarcastically. "Oh wait you don't. You're 16 years old Kinley, you don't get to make these decisions. I do. And my decision is final. We're leaving here, packing up, and going." He said with as much authority as he could.
Kinely's calm resolve was fading and her rebellious teenager was taking over. "You can't make me. You can't make leave. If we go, the moment you take off, which you inevitably will, I'll just come back. You can't stop me."
"Kinely, don't play games with me!" Sam said and was losing his patience. "I will not have this useless argument with you here. We're leaving this place and that's final. Now grab your stuff. Let's go." He said and stood up from the chair.
"I'm not playing games. I'm serious. This is where I need to be," She replied.
"No, you need to be where I tell you to, and that's as far away from here as possible." He told her. "Now grab your stuff. Let's go." He repeated.
Kinley glared at her uncle, but his resolve didn't waiver. She groaned and knew this argument was over for the time being, but it was far from completely finished. Once she got home, she knew it would start again. She grabbed Stiles' bag and followed her uncle out of her hospital room and saw Stiles standing next to the door, leaning against the wall. He looked at her but he seemed distant.
She walked up to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later," she said.
He nodded slightly then went back to leaning against the wall with his head down.
"Kinley!" Sam yelled, and she turned around leaving Stiles' behind her. She really hoped that wasn't the last time she saw him.
Kinley walked with her Uncle out of the hospital. She knew that he might make her leave Beacon Hills, but she was going to fight him the whole way. She would find a way to stay or come back. Something in her turned on when he told her she would never return here. Something that made her want to fight. All of her instincts were urging her here, and she couldn't ignore them. She had ignored her life and her past for so long because of her uncle. She believed him when he said it was safer that way, and that was still probably true, but she was no longer taking safety over truth. It was the truth she needed now, regardless of what it might cost her in the end.
As they walked out of the hospital doors, a scream pierced the air. Kinley dropped her knees and covered her ears. The sound was so loud and high pitched that it sent searing pain through her body. Her uncle ran over to her and placed a hand on her back.
"Kinley, are okay? Kinley?" He asked.
The scream faded and Kinley began to relax. She looked up and could think only one thing.
"Lydia." She breathed out. Kinley quickly got up and ran back into the hospital to Lydia's room. She wound through the halls until she saw Stiles and Mrs. McCall leaving Lydia's room. Stiles looked scared out of his mind. Her uncle was on her heels.
Kinley ran up to Stiles. "Where's Lydia?" She asked frantically.
"Didn't you leave?" Stiles asked.
"Nevermind that. Where's Lydia?" She asked again.
"We don't know. Mrs. McCall is going to call my dad now. All we know is that she was in the shower, we heard a scream, and the next thing we know, she's gone. The window to her bathroom was open too." He replied.
"You don't think she left and is running around... you know...naked? Do you?" She asked.
"Well, she wasn't exactly clothed when she was in there." He replied.
Kinley groaned. Not even 5 minutes out of a hospital bed and things were already going array.
"Kinely," Her uncle said and she realized that he had been behind her the whole time. "This doesn't concern you. It's time to go back to the motel." He told her.
"Sam, this does concern me. I need to help find her. It's my fault she was in here in the first place. It's my responsibility." She told her uncle. "Please, just let me help them find her and then I will leave with you without a fight."
She didn't want to make this deal. She knew she had to stay, but this was the only agreement she could possibly get him to accept right now, and she also didn't have a lot to bargain with at the time either. She hoped by the time they found Lydia, she would have found a way to convince him to let her stay. It was a big gamble, but Lydia's life was at stake, so she made it.
Her uncle looked at her and hesitated a moment before agreeing. "Fine, but the moment that girl is found, we getting in the car and hitting the road, got it?" He asked.
"Got it." She replied.
"Good. I'll keep an eye out and see what I can find out about the girl. You do what you think you need to." He said and then turned to leave her and Stiles.
"I'm guessing you have a plan?" Kinley asked Stiles.
Stiles pulled Lydia's dressing gown out of his jacket. "I say we call Scott and see what our little bloodhound can find." He said.
Stiles called Scott on their way down to his car. Then Kinley and Stiles waited in the Jeep for Scott to appear. Scott knocked on the window a few minutes later and both of them jumped.
"That's it, I am getting you a collar with a bell." Stiles said and Scott glared at him. Kinley guessed that Scott did not find the dog jokes as amusing as Stiles did.
Scott opened the door and Kinley hopped into the back, so they could all talk. Stiles handed Scott the hospital gown Lydia was wearing before she disappeared.
"Are you sure this was the one she was just wearing?" Scott asked.
Stiles nodded but still had a worried look on his face. "Just shove the thing in your face so we can find her." He said agitatedly.
Scott put the clothes up to his nose and Stiles started the car. When the lights flashed on, they all saw Allison in front of the Jeep. This time it was Scott who jumped.
"What are you doing here? Someone's gonna see us." Scott told the girl when she reached the passenger side window.
"I don't care. She is my best friend, and we need to find her before they do." Allison replied.
"I can find her before the cops can." Scott said.
"How about before my father does?" Allison asked and then won this argument.
"He knows?" Kinley and Stiles asked at the same time.
"Yeah, I just saw him and three other guys leave my house in two SUVs" She replied.
"A search party." Scott said quietly.
"It's more like a hunting party." Allison corrected him.
"Get in." Scott told her.
Allison climbed over Scott and into the back of the jeep with Kinley. They started to drive toward the forest following where Scott told them to go.
"If she's turning, would they actually kill her?" Kinley asked, knowing what her family would do but not what the Argents might choose.
"I don't know. They won't tell me anything. All they say is, we'll talk after Kate's funeral when the others get here." Allison answered.
"What others?" Kinley asked and a shiver ran through her. She knew this could be bad. More Argents would lead to nothing good especially if certain ones appeared. If more of Allison's family was joining Beacon Hills, finding Lydia would be even more important than it already was. All of them were in danger if Allison's family decided to act before they could.
"They won't tell me that either." Allison said.
"Okay, your family has some serious communication issues to work on." Stiles commented from the front of the car. "Scott are we going the right way?" Stiles asked.
"Take the next right." Scott replied as his head hung out the window.
The group ended up at the Hale house of all places. The house was still in shambles from the fight with Peter. The whole front living room wall was still missing and police tape covered the whole area. It was eerie being back here. Kinley was trying to think if Lydia had ever been here before tonight. She was pretty sure Lydia never had.
"She came here." Stiles stated. "You sure?" He asked Scott.
"This is where the scent leads," replied Scott.
The group began to walk closer to the house. They were all taking cautious steps. Kinley knew none of them really wanted to be back on this spot so soon.
"Has Lydia ever even been here before?" Kinley asked to confirm her suspicions.
"Not with me." Allison replied. Scott and Stiles shook their heads no. "Maybe she came here on instinct like she was looking for Derek." Allison suggested. Kinley looked at Scott for this answer.
"You mean looking for an alpha?" Scott replied.
"Wolves need a pack, right?" Allison asked.
"Not all of them." Scott muttered softly that even Kinley almost didn't hear him. Kinley could tell he was obviously talking about himself.
"But would she have been drawn to an alpha? It is an instinct to be part of a pack." Kinely told the two of them.
"Yeah, we're stronger in packs." Scott replied to Kinely.
"Like strength in numbers." Allison said, trying to understand.
"No, like-like, literally, stronger, faster, better in every way." Scott replied.
Allison looked like she figured something out. "That the same for an alpha?" She asked.
Scott nodded. "That'll make Derek stronger too."
The whole time they were having this conversation, Stiles was wandering around looking for who-knows-what to try and find clues to Lydia. He stopped and bent down to examine something.
"Hey guys, you see this?" Stiles yelled and the three of them looked over at him to see what he'd found. He was staring at the ground just little up the hill from them. "I think it's a trip wire."
Scott and Allison walked over to see it. Kinley stayed up by the house trying to see where the trip wire led. She looked from where Stiles was and followed the line up to a tree near her. As she moved to examine the line, she felt something around her ankle and suddenly, she was hoisted up in the air and turned upside down, hanging by just her ankle.
"Stiles..." Kinely said.
"Yeah, Kin." He turned around and saw her tangling by her ankle. "Oh." was all he said after seeing her.
"Next time you see a trip wire. Don't trip it." She told him.
"Ah noted." He replied.
The group tried to figure a way to get her down, but then Scott froze and listened for a moment. "I hear someone. Hide." Scott told them.
Stiles waved at Kinley who obviously couldn't exactly hide since she was still a good 4 feet off the ground.
"It's okay. Go." She told them. They hesitated and looked at her. "Just go, I'll be fine. I'm human they won't hurt me." She said. It was only sort of a lie. As far as the anyone but a select few knew, she was just a hunter and nothing more.
Scott grabbed Stiles' shoulder and led the the three of them into the dark forest just before the the Argents waltzed in and saw her there.
"Kinely." Mr. Argent said with a wry smile.
"Mr. Argent. How's it hangin?" She replied and laughed at her own joke.
"Oh you know." He said sardonically. "How are you?" He asked.
"Oh, I'm just fine. Just spending a nice night out, walking through the woods, hangin' out." She paused for him to laugh but he didn't. "You know, some would think that was funny." He just stared at her, not amused. "Is this one of yours?" She asked and indicated the wire she was hanging from. "It's good. I was never good with trip wires. Maybe you can show me sometime?"
"What are you doing here, Kinley? Didn't you just get released from the hospital." He asked her and seemed fed up with her banter.
"I did, but I'm looking for my friend." She answered.
"Ah that's right. You're in that group now. You're running with that clique or what is the other word for it? Pack?" He replied.
That was meant to be an insult. Kinley was supposed to be mad at the insinuation that the hunter had joined the wolf pack along with Lydia, but she wasn't mad at all. She was kind of proud of herself actually. It did make her dislike him more which she didn't think was possible. He had no idea the amount of good her "pack" of Stiles, Scott and even Allison had done.
"Actually clique sounds better to me. Don't you think? It's just so perfectly high school. " She replied and looked him straight in the eyes.
"Let's hope so because I know you're a friend of Allison's and one special circumstance like Scott" He paused after saying his name. Kinley could tell he knew that Scott was nearby "-one, I can handle. Not two. And I can only believe you're just a hunter for so long with this behavior. You don't want the wrong people thinking you're something you're not or thinking that Lydia girl is the same." She could hear the threat in his voice.
"No, we wouldn't want that, would we?" She replied and tried to keep her voice playful and light.
"Glad we're on the same page." He replied and then turned to lead his group elsewhere. "Stop by sometime. I'll show you the trick with the trip wire." He added. Kinley knew that was his version of a joke. He left into the trees and didn't even bother cutting her down.
As the Argents disappeared, Kinley heard shuffling and Scott, Stiles, and Allison all came out from where they were hiding.
"You okay?" Stiles asked as walked up to her.
"Oh you know just a nice life threatening talk with Allison's dad. No big. Anyone wanna get me down?" She asked.
Allison and Stiles ran over to where the trip line started.
"Help me with this." Stiles asked Allison.
Scott stood by her and grew claws on his hands. He then jumped swiped at the wire and cut it. He landed on the ground and caught her before she hit the ground.
"Thanks guys," Kinley said as Scott placed her on her feet. "But I think Scott got it."
Allison and Stiles looked back at the two of them with confused looks. Then Stiles realized what happened. "Yeah." Stiles said and looked impressed. Scott laughed in response.
Scott and Kinley turned and they went up to the Hale house. "Comin?" Scott asked and turned to the two lagging behind.
Allison and Stiles ran to catch up. They walked in the Hale house or what was left of it. There was no signs of Lydia. Scott tried to find other traces of her scent, but he was not having a favorable time. They searched the perminator of the property and there was nothing new to lead them anywhere.
Once it hit 2am, they packed it in for the night. Everyone needed to get back before their parents knew they were missing. Kinley really didn't want to go home in fear of her uncle just making them leave now regardless if Lydia was found.
Kinley watched everyone head home, and they all thought she was doing the same. She knew Stiles would do something to make her go with him or just make her go home if he knew what she was going to do instead. Stiles dropped her off at the motel, and she waited for him to drive off before she wandered over to Deaton's.
Deaton lived just a few blocks away from the Animal Clinic. She found his address the day she went to find him at the clinic last time in case he was not there. It was a small blue house with a front garden. The home looked quaint and comfortable. There was a white fence that ran around the property. As she approached the gate, she could feel her blood begin to boil. Her whole body felt hot. She reached for the gate to open it, but she couldn't. The moment she touched it, searing pain coursed through her. She gritted her teeth and collapsed to her knees. She scrambled away from the fence and her body began to cool.
She looked up at the house and a light turned on over the porch. She saw the door open and Deaton come out. He ran down his front walk and opened the gate to get to her. He put Kinley's arm around his shoulder and carried her in.
He brought her into his living room which was just to the left of the door. The room was furnished with light brown couches, and he had different symbols hanging on the walls. To most people they would look like interesting pieces of art, but Kinley knew they were amulets and charms for protection. He placed her on one of the small couches. She was beginning to feel normal again.
"Kinley, what are you doing here at this hour?" He asked.
"I'm sorry." She croaked. She coughed and cleared her throat. "I was wondering if you could help me with something." She told him and her voice was back to normal.
"And this couldn't wait 'til morning?" He asked her.
She shrugged. "It technically is morning." She replied.
Deaton rolled his eyes. "Well since I'm already up, why not?" He said and sat on the couch across from her.
"First, what's with that fence? I thought it was werewolf protection, and last time I checked I don't get furry when angered. And second, I want to discuss what you told me we would. My mom." She replied.
"Okay, well, the fence protects against more than just werewolves. It protects against a lot of the Fae." He told her.
"The what?" She asked having absolutely no idea what he said.
"Otherwise known as the Fair Folk and sometimes fairies, but the representation of fairies has been changed so much that many don't like the term anymore. They don't want people thinking they're little people with wings that sprinkle sparkley dust. Basically, anything supernatural can fall under a type of fae. Some more than others." He replied. "Do you want me to make tea or anything. You must be tired." He moved to get up, but she put her hand up to stop him.
"No, I'm fine. Thanks." He nodded and moved back in his seat. "So are you telling me I'm some sort of fairy?" She asked him.
"I am not saying you're anything...yet. Besides, fae is a very broad term. In some cultures, even the wolves are considered Fae. Werewolves are usually in their own faction though, because they form pacts. So, certain rules don't apply to them. Also, mountain ash is used in most protection charms. It causes the most pain to the fair folk, but it hurts against other creatures as well. Also, you are just a tough one to figure out."
"And why is that?" She questioned.
"Within the fair folk there are two sides, the light and the dark. One can choose to be exiled but that can become dangerous. They are weaker on their own. Together they can drawn power from one another. Kind of like the wolf packs just on a much larger scale. They pull power from the entire faction.
"What does it matter which one you pick?" She asked. "It is like choosing between good and evil? The light fae are good while the dark fae are evil?" She asked.
"No, it's not that simple. Each side has different philosophies. Like, the light tend to favor peace while the dark favor justice. Of course these are old philosophies. No one really follows anything very strictly now. They just have a tradition of one side."
"Then what makes the factions even matter if they don't even follow anything different." She replied.
"Something I have been trying to figure out for eons. The fae like most supernatural creatures are deeply rooted in tradition. So much of the world has changed since they were here and since some have even been alive. All of this change makes them want to keep as much as they can regardless if it makes sense. Everyone fears change, Kinley." He told her.
Kinley nodded. She now understood that two factions with no actual set of ideals would get nothing done, ever. This entire light and dark business seemed ridiculous to her. "So why do these sides make me hard to figure out?" She asked.
"Well, I have been watching you. Your telekinetic power is Dark Fae but your empathic power that helped Scott turn back to a human is light fae. However, the way your eyes glow is not a fae trait I've heard of. I've heard their eyes glow like the lycans, gold, blue and red. You see the issues. You literally fall everywhere and nowhere."
"Hmm." She said and nodded. "So do certain creatures tend to choose one side over the other. Like if werewolves did pick, they would all pick the same side?" She inquired.
"Not necessarily. I mean they do largely stay on the same side, but they can choose the other and if they do their gifts might change slightly. Like if a kelpie picked to be light fae, they would have the power to lure men to their deaths by making the men fall for them and manipulating their emotions. If they were dark fae, they would be able to change form in order to lure a man to his death. The end result is the same but the manner is different. It all has to do with motivation on each side. What drives them."
Kinley sort of understood, but it was all so strange sounding. Either way, the men were lured to their death. What did it matter if they did it a different way? She wanted to ask Deaton more about it, but at the end of the day it didn't matter. She was never choosing a side if she was fae or not.
"Well, I guess this brings us to my second question. You said you knew my mom. What was she?" Kinley asked.
Deaton took a moment before he spoke. "As far as I knew she was just human and an exceptionally good hunter. She had no trace of fae in her. She walked through the gate of this house many times." He replied.
"What about my dad?" She asked.
"I never met your father actually, but again as far as I knew, he was not even a hunter. He was just a human. And don't ask me how you have these gifts from two mortal parents. I have no answer. Changelings are actually a myth. No fairy goes around swapping out children. With all of my knowledge, you should be human, but we all know you're not, or at least not just human."
The two sat there in silence. How could she have fae powers but not be a fae? Was there a way to become fae without being born into and if so, how did it happen to her? What kind of fae was she and not just light or dark but what classification? Was 'classification' even the right word for what she was asking? Was she even fae? None of her life made sense. She was almost becoming used to asking questions that only led to more questions and never answers.
"Do you know anything about the story 'The Green Eyed Girl?" Kinley asked. "Before I came to you, Derek was helping me and since my eyes glowed green, he thought I might have some connection to that story." She explained.
"I have heard the tale, yes." Deaton replied. "The myth is connected to many different parts of folklore. Some say that's where a family regained it's long lost powers. Some say that the girl who was given the powers was a daughter of a goddess who needed to earn her gifts. But goddesses haven't been heard of for centuries. Most think they were fae who manipulated humans into thinking they were more powerful than they actually were. I've only heard the story as a myth though, not ever as something factual."
"That's kind of what Derek said." Kinley replied. "I just have one more question." She said and Deaton looked at her skeptically. "...for tonight." She added. "How was my mom involved with the Argents when she was here? They all look at me with this creepy face, and I need to know why. It really freaks me out."
Deaton took a deep breath. "I was waiting for that question, but I'm not going to answer it." Kinley was about to say something but Deaton didn't let her. "That's a question for Chris. He needs to be the one to answer it." Deaton told her.
Kinley groaned. "See, I would, but Chris kind of wants me...okay, maybe not dead, but he at least doesn't trust me and probably never will. And I really don't have time to get him passed that little issue with me. So I need you to tell me." She told Deaton.
"I'm sorry, Kinley but, I don't know how accurate my information is. Even if I wanted to tell you, I wouldn't. Besides, that's a truth to be told only by the ones who experienced it, and Chris is the only one who can answer that now." Deaton replied.
Kinley accepted his answer, but didn't like it. She knew he had a valid point. That didn't mean she couldn't be mad about it though.
Deaton said that was enough questions for the night and offered her the couch for a few hours if she wanted to sleep, and he knew she should sleep. She took him up on his offer and stayed there. She didn't sleep much, only a couple hours, and then the sun streamed in the room and woke her. She looked at her phone and saw it was 40 minutes until first period and she needed to go quickly. She yelled bye to Deaton without knowing if he was even still there and ran out the door. She went quickly back to the motel to get her car and change. Luckily, no one was there. She then headed to school.
She parked her car and saw Stiles and Scott talking on the steps to the front entrance of the school. She ran to catch up with them
"Hey guys, what's going on?" She asked when she caught up.
"We're discussing how Scott has a very one track mind." Stiles replied and seemed irritated with Scott.
Kinley looked at him and furrowed her brow in confusion.
"We're trying to figure out where Lydia might have went using Scott as a test subject. You know, see if they were drawn to the same thing. Apparently, the only thing Scott can think about is Allison. So that's really helpful." He replied and gave Scott an annoyed look.
Scott just shrugged to Stiles reaction. Scott couldn't really help what his reaction to being bitten was.
"What about Jackson? Could she be drawn to him?" Kinley asked
Both of the guys looked at her and nodded.
"So I guess that means we talk to Jackson." Scott said.
Stiles groaned. "I knew there was a flaw in this plan."
Since the guys had a Lacrosse meeting with Jackson first thing this morning, they agreed to talk to him before coming to world history. The coach was calling them in for some reason. Usually, it was only academic or art clubs that held before school meetings.
Kinley went straight to world history since she wasn't in any club. She sat there and noticed there was someone new sitting in her class. He was not new to the school. She had seen him before, but he was new to the class. He had somewhat messy light brown hair. He was shorter than both Scott and Stiles, but was not a small kid. She could see defined muscles under his grey t-shirt. He sat in the back row with her and fiddled with what looked like a really nice camera.
The boy turned and saw her looking at him. He gave her a nod, and Kinley nodded back and then turned to pretend to write in her notebook. Kinley never trusted people anyway, but there was something off with this kid and more than the usual off.
A few minutes later Jackson, Scott and Stiles walked in. Jackson sat far away from the three of them and Scott and Stiles took their usual seats near Kinley.
"So how did it go with Jackson?" She asked.
"About as well as you would expect." Stiles replied as he took his seat next to her. Stiles then looked at Scott. "It's causing me severe mental anguish to say this but, I think Jackson's right."
"About what?" Kinley asked since she had no idea what they were talking about.
"What if the next body part she steals is from someone who's still alive?" Stiles asked.
"I know." Scott replied.
"Okay, now you really have to rewind. A body part?" Kinley commented.
Stiles looked at her confused for a second before he realized that she didn't know what he was talking about. "Oh right, sorry, I didn't tell you. Last night a grave was robbed and the liver was pulled out of a body."
"And you think it was Lydia?" She replied. Kinley highly doubted the girl could ever do anything like that.
"Who else could it be? And then Jackson also told us so nicely that she left claws marks in him when she was just a human. Who knows what she's capable of now." Stiles answered.
Kinley nodded. She knew it was possible that Lydia was turning. The transformation was different for everyone, but her wound didn't heal like Scott's did, and they all thought that she was not a werewolf. She showed no signs before running off, and it was days ago that she received the bite. Scott showed signs hours later. Of course she could always be something worse, Kinley thought. Either way they had to find her and figure out what was going on before someone else got hurt. Kinley wondered if maybe Lydia was like her.
The class began and disrupted them. They couldn't even talk during class since they had a quiz. They all started the quiz and then halfway through, Kinley saw Jackson run out holding his nose. What the hell was that? She quickly wrapped up taking her quiz. She wasn't going to pass it anyway and put it on the teacher's desk. She asked if she could go to the bathroom and the teacher let her leave.
She headed down the hall to the boys bathroom. That was her best guess for where Jackson went. As she approached it, she saw a tissue on the floor. She picked it up and looked at it. At first, she thought it was covered in blood, but then she saw that liquid on it was black. Thoroughly disgusted, she threw it back on the ground. She was about to knock on the men's room door when it opened forcefully and Derek stepped out. She jumped out of the way of the swinging door and Derek began to walked down the hallway. Kinley yelled to get his attention.
"Hey!" He turned toward her. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
He made a shushing noise and said. "I was checking on Jackson." He replied.
Kinley looked at him quizzically. "Why?" Derek just looked at her and waited until she figured it out. "You gave him the bite? What the hell is wrong with you!?" She said angrily, but also as quietly, as she could. She also hit him in the arm.
"Ow." He said. "You you know whatever power you have, it includes strength." He told her and rubbed his arm.
"Great, I'll add it to the list. What's wrong with Jackson? You look like you saw a ghost or something." She replied.
"His body's rejecting the bite and I have no idea why." Derek replied. "That doesn't happen. You turn or you die. Whatever he's going through makes no sense." He explained.
"Huh, he's not dead either." Kinley mused.
"What do you mean 'either?'" Derek asked.
"Lydia. Peter bit her but her bite didn't heal like Scott's. And I don't think she's turning either. The guys think otherwise since she's been missing since last night. They think she's looking for you, trying to find an alpha. Seen any naked girls lately?" She asked him.
"Yeah, no. I'm not having this conversation. I'll let you know if I see anything."
Kinley wanted to ask him something more. She wanted to know what he knew about the Fae and if any of it tied into the Green Eyed Girl folktale, but he was gone before she even spoke another word.
The bell was going to ring in just a few minutes so Kinley saw no point in going back to her class. Instead, she meandered slowly to her next class. On her way, she saw Allison at her locker wiping tears away from her face. Allison then saw Kinley in her locker mirror.
"Oh hi, Kinley." Allison said and tried to hide the sadness in her voice. "I should really apologize-"
"No need, I get it. Finding out about Scott and all of that was a lot. It's okay." Kinley replied and ended whatever fight they could have had. Allison smiled. "How ya holdin' up?" Kinley asked.
Allison just shook her head.
"Yeah, I don't know why I asked that." Kinley added. "People always ask that when people are dealing with a loss and everyone knows the answer. They're never good." Kinley ranted. "Sorry." Kinley said to end her stupid ramble.
"No, it's fine. It's a lot nicer than the rest of the student body. The only thing I've heard all day are whispers about the girl with the psycho aunt." Allison looked like she was trying as hard as she could to keep herself together. "I don't know if I can handle it and then later at the funeral, it's going to be awful." She let a tear escape her eye, but she wiped it away quickly.
"You'll get through it. The worst is today and then someone will do something ridiculous and you'll be old news."
"Hmph, yeah right. I don't know what can top psycho murderous aunt." Allison replied.
"I don't know. Try being the girl whose book bag fell open and was full of knives. That's one that lasts pretty long." Kinley replied and laughed. Allison laughed too.
"Did that really happen?" Allison asked.
"Ah, yeah." Kinley confessed. "I had just gotten some new chinese daggers and I was really excited. I just didn't think my peers would view me as a person trying to hurt them, but alas they did, and I was branded the girl with the knife collection who might stab you at your desk. Trust me, if not someone else, I will do something and take the heat of you eventually. I won't even have to try." Kinley replied and Allison laughed again. "So how about new fun subject. How are you and Scott? Kinley asked.
"Do you not know?" Allison replied.
"You know being in a coma for three days in this town really makes you miss entirely too much." Kinley commented.
"My parents forbid me from seeing him. So we're pretending we're not together. It's a day like today I could really use him though." Allison replied.
"Don't worry, we already went through this, you'll make it through and things will get better." Kinley told her.
"Actually, would you maybe mind coming with me to the funeral today?" Allison asked. "I can't have Scott and you're the first person to actually make me laugh in days besides him. And Lydia is still missing. Please." She pleaded.
"If your dad doesn't want you around Scott, I doubt he wants you around me." Kinley replied.
"Look, he can keep Scott away because my family knows about him, but they just think you're a misguided hunter. They can't deny you at the funeral. Maybe they will even take it as you coming to your senses and being a normal hunter like them." Allison said.
Kinley didn't want to do this, but she didn't want to leave Allison all by herself either. Chris may hate her, but that was only because he didn't know what her motives were. He only knew his past with her mom, whatever that was, and whatever lies Kate fed him. She got through to him on the night Peter was killed. Maybe she could do it again, and what better way than by paying respects to his fallen sister? It would show that she really did care about the hunters and not just the wolves. It was worth a shot. Also Allison deserved a friend there. She'd been through a lot.
"Okay, I'll meet you after school and we'll go."
The bell rang and Allison said she would see her at lunch and they both went to their separate classes.
After school, Kinley waited for Allison out in front of the school. Stiles was stuck in detention after talking over their chemistry teacher earlier in the day. That specific teacher did seem to have it out for Stiles. Stiles told her that after he got out of detention, he was going to sneak Scott and himself over to the funeral. At least Scott would sort of be there for Allison.
Kinley was expecting Allison to pull up in front with her small silver car, but instead, Allison was in the passenger seat of her Dad's SUV. The car stopped in front of Kinley, and Allison waved her in. Kinley awkwardly climbed in the car with Mr. Argent glaring at her.
"Dad, stop." Allison told her father who then turned around and began to drive. "Look, I know there's been some difficulties, but we're supposedly all on the same side, and I'm sick of having to separate my family and my friends. So just pretend to get along if you have to." Allison crossed her arms and that seemed like the end of the conversation.
"So, Kinley." Mr. Argent began and his voice sounded strained like someone was forcing it out of him. "How is your uncle doing?" He asked.
"He's fine, just got back from a case in San Diego. Some poltergeist or something. He said it was nothing big. " Kinley replied.
The awkward tension in the car was suffocating all of them. Kinley was happy to be there for Allison, but this was just awful. Kinley was really expecting to meet Allison's parents at the funeral where they would be too busy with others to notice she was even there. Kinley could handle the few glares from them throughout the service, but forced chit chat was torture.
"How are you and Mrs. Argent doing?" Kinley asked. She needed to ask him something since he asked her. She felt rude otherwise.
"We're doing the best we can." He replied.
Neither spoke the rest of the ride. Kinley tried to think of things to say but nothing came to her that didn't involve off-limit topics. This man could have all the answers she needed, but she had no idea how to get them from him. She also had at most a few days left here. She knew Sam wouldn't wait for Lydia to show up forever, and Kinley would prefer Lydia to show up sooner rather than later for Lydia's own well-being. The longer she was out there, the more likely they would only find a body. No one deserved that, not Lydia, and especially not any of the friends Kinley had. They had all dealt with too much already. So she should take her opportunity to talk to Chris, but she couldn't work up the nerve to do so.
The car pulled into the cemetery and Kinley felt under dressed. Allison tried to tell her not to worry about it since Kinley didn't know she was going to a funeral that day. Allison had brought her dress to school and changed before they left. Kinley still didn't feel very comfortable.
Mrs. Argent was already there. She had a sombre look on her face that turned into a scowl when she saw Kinley get out of the car. Kinley just kept her head down and followed Allison. The other people that were there already were not other family but tons and tons of photographers and reporters. Police had blocked an area off to give the family room. However, it was still complete chaos. As the Argents pushed their way through, the reporters kept asking if they could get a few words with them. Mr. Argent put his arm around Allison to shield her and gave the reporters a very select few words. Sheriff Stilinski came up quickly and pushed the reporters back. The four of them made it through and continued to the burial sight. Kinley walked behind the three Argents. She heard Mr. Argent talking softly to his wife.
"I told you this was a bad idea." Said Mrs. Argent.
"Well, it wasn't my idea," replied Mr. Argent. "I tried telling him, but he insisted on making a point of out it."
"Well if he insisted then he can deal with this when he gets here." Mrs. Argent told her husband.
"When who gets here?" Allison asked.
"Just sit down, sweetheart." Her mother told her dismissively.
They all took their seats by the grave site. Kinley turned to look back at the reporters and saw the kid with the camera from her class earlier. He had slipped past the blockade and was taking photos. Kinley didn't really like this kid before, and now she kind of hated him. She was about to get the sheriff to tell the kid to move when an older man with a halo of white hair around his head appeared. He put his hand in front of the camera lens and pulled the camera from the kid's hands. He fiddled with the camera for a moment, and Kinley was sure he was going to break it. But then he took out the memory card, snapped it in half, and then gave back the camera.
Kinley then noticed scrambling to the right side of her. Stiles and Scott were there watching behind a headstone a few yards away. She was not the only one who noticed. Both Allison and her father did. Mr. Argent kept a cold stare on them. The two boys jumped back behind the headstone. As the boys were hiding, Kinley was watching the older man approach. The closer he got, the clearer Kinley saw him. He had a very intense look to him and walked very rigidly and with purpose. He must have a military background, she thought. Whoever this was, he was formidable.
The older man walked up to Mr. Argent and said, "Christopher," and gave him a hug. Mr. Argent just responded with "dad."
So that was who this was. This man was Allison's grandfather. This must be the person Allison's father meant by 'the others' that Allison mentioned last night. They were not just bringing in more family. They were bringing in reinforcements for the apparent werewolf epidemic in town. This just made matters so much worse for Scott and Derek.
The man then greeted Mrs. Argent with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Mrs. Argent just said, "I'm so, so sorry," and then took her seat next to Allison.
The man then turned to Allison and bent down to talk to her as if she was child. "Do you remember me?" He asked. Allison nodded yes in response. "Considering I haven't seen you since were three, I don't suppose I can assume you'd call me grandpa." He continued. "So if it's comfortable, call me Gerard for the time being, but I prefer Grandpa." Allison nodded and looked at her feet.
Gerard, Kinley thought and repeated the name in her head. She'd heard that name before. Her uncle's voice rang out in her head. "I knew Gerard, that would be Allison's grandfather, and he was an unapologetic killer." Not only did they bring in reinforcements, they brought in their top leaders. They were all going to have to be extremely careful if they were going to survive this man.
"And who is this?" Gerard asked indicating Kinley.
Kinley stood up from her chair on the other side of Allison and reached out her hand. "I'm Kinley, sir, Kinley Wesson. I'm a friend of Allison's." She kept his gaze the whole time and showed no fear. She wanted him to think she was tough. He would recognize her name, she knew it.
"It's nice to meet you Ms. Wesson." He replied and sat down. He was the first Argent not to mention her mother. Kinely wondered why.
Kinley returned to her seat and saw Allison was looking over at the boys. A smile crept onto Allison's face, but she quickly recomposed herself and just looked forward. Then Kinley noticed someone behind the boys. She tried to wave the boys away when she realized that the person behind them was Sheriff Stilinski. Both of the boys looked at her quizzically as she waved like an idiot until they were both grabbed by the back of their shirts and hoisted into the air by the sheriff. The sheriff then dragged them off.
Kinley stood next to Allison through the service. She didn't much pay attention to what was happening in front of her. She just kept an eye on Allison and nudged her every so often to remind her that she had someone here. The service was short and to the point. They were not at the cemetery long. After the service, the Argents hosted a wake at their home.
At the house, Kinley kept her distance. She sat in the corner of their impeccably designed living room. People came in and out, but not many spoke to her. Allison would check in now and again, but she was forced to mingle with family so Kinley let her be. Kinley looked at her watch and saw it was about 8pm and knew she had stayed long enough. The wake would wrap up soon, and she didn't want to be here any longer than she needed. She got off the couch to began to look for Allison, so she could say goodbye. However, she did not get out of the room before Gerard walked in.
"Leaving so soon?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I have school tomorrow and work I need to do. It was very nice of you to allow me at the wake. I know Allison appreciated it." Kinley replied politely, hoping she could step past him, but he remained in her way.
"Well, you deserve to be here. You are a hunter after all," Gerard said and Kinley froze. So he knew who she was and just pretended not to know at the funeral. That didn't make sense to Kinley. "...and I'm told you were also a friend of Kate's as well." He told her and then stepped farther into the room. He began examining a sword hanging on the wall.
"I guess that's true." Kinley replied and began to leave since he seemed so enamored by the sword and he was giving her seriously weird vibes.
"Wesson." She heard him say and she turned around. "I haven't heard that name in ages."
Kinley walked back into the living room and he was still looking at the sword and not at her. "I mean your mother. She was incredible, her speed, her strength, her reflexes. I have never seen any other hunter like that. It's a shame, you never got to train with her." He said and then turned to face her. "You could have been a phenomenal hunter."
Kinley wanted to argue with him. She was still an amazing hunter. Her uncle had trained her impeccably well. But she knew picking fights with the head of the Argent family was not the way to get the answers she needed.
"Yeah, who knows what I would have become with her. I guess we'll never know." Kinley replied. Gerard nodded. "Well thank you again, but I must be going." Kinley said. Gerard nodded again and then she left the room.
Gerard didn't threaten her at all but there was something in his voice that had a tone of warning. He was watching her and he wanted her to know it.