(A/N)

Before you start with this chapter I would like to sincerely apologize to my readers because I haven't been committed. And I have a few reasons, both personal and general.

You might relate to some reasons, like Teen Wolf going downhill, at least that's how I see it. I still watch it but I don't exactly look forward to episodes anymore like I used to before. And I'm being very straightforward with this. I actually planned on making a sequel that occurs based on the events of 3B but I don't exactly understand what it's about, I don't really know what Kitsune has to do with Nogitsune or what either of them is about.

Nevertheless, thank you all for your support, I wasn't expecting any feedback at all and when I did I was thrilled and motivated. So again, thank you.

I hope you enjoy chapter twenty-four!

Picture: Scott.

"Stop thinking about it man." Isaac told Boyd. They were sitting next to each other on a bus on their way to a cross-country meet. The bus was occupied with lacrosse players including Scott, Stiles and one of the alpha twins, Ethan.

"Like you're not thinking about it too." His fellow beta responded. Boyd glanced sideways at Isaac.

"We'll both stop thinking about it." Isaac said without looking at him. Instead, he kept a firm gaze on the windshield of the bus as the rain poured profusely outside making Coach Bobby Finstock worried.

"I can't." Boyd's voice dragged Isaac back into their conversation.

"There's nothing you can do about it either." His friend replied.

"You're sure about that?" Boyd asked in a hopeful manner.

They were both silent for a few minutes before Isaac spoke up again, brining Boyd more bad news. "Jade doesn't know yet." That was when he turned to Boyd with a concerned look on his face.

Scott and Stiles were sitting on the seats at the far back of the bus. Scott, who didn't stop thinking about it either overheard the conversation but did not react. He was still in pain, physical and emotional. And hearing Jade's name brought him back to the series of events that lead them into this circumstance. He closed his eyes as he remembered.

"Yo, Scottie! Hey yo. Scottie?" Stiles called out his name as he snapped his fingers to get Scott's attention. Pulling him out of his sleep. "Still with me?" His friend asked, anxious and troubled. Scott's wound still hadn't healed but he didn't want to tell Stiles that it hurt so much, only so that he wouldn't fret.

"Yeah, sorry. What's the word?" He asked.

"Anachronism." Stiles repeated.

"Something that exists out of its normal time." He answered.

"Nice." Stiles said, impressed. "Okay next word. Incongruous."

Scott thinks for a split second before he asks. "Um. Can you say it in a sentence?" He turns to Stiles.

"Yes. Yes I can. It's completely incongruous that we're sitting in a bus right now on our way to some stupid cross-country meet after what just happened. Incongruous." Stiles said dryly.

"Out of place; ridiculous, absurd."

"Perfect. Okay next word. Umm- Darach." Stiles said as his friend turned around, surprised.

"Darach, it's a noun." They exchanged glances. "We have to talk about it sometime, okay? We're going to be stuck in this thing for five hours. Why not?" Stiles said, frustrated.

But Scott didn't respond, instead he tilted his head and leaned it against the window, ignoring Stiles.

Stiles shrugged and turned to his word game. "Next word. Intransigent."

"Stubborn, obstinate." He answered. That was when the bus driver stepped on the brakes before he drove into a slight bumpier road, making Scott groan in pain. Stiles looked at his friend, worried something might've happened to him. He wasn't exactly in good shape. The bumpy desert highway didn't help either.

"Buddy, are you okay?"

Scott didn't respond, he just kept his eyes firmly shut; he waited as the wave of pain slowly reduced back to its previous level.

"We shouldn't have come. I knew it, we shouldn't have come." Stiles repeated continuously.

"We had to." Scott said as he opened his eyes to look at his intransigently determinedfriend. "There's safety in numbers."

Stiles nodded. "Yep. Well there's also death in numbers, okay? It's called a massacre." He said before he returned to his electronic tablet. "Bloodbath. Carnage. Slaughter. Butchery. Wow. That's a-"

He was in so much pain; Scott had to let out another groan, interjecting Stiles' little game of memorizing words for the PSAT's.

"That's it, I'm telling coach to pull over." Stiles said.

Scott shook his head. "No. No, no, no. I'm alright."

"Well you don't look alright, just let me see it." He tried to grab Scott's shirt and pull it up to see his wound but couldn't.

He held down his shirt and said: "I'm okay."

Stiles wasn't very convinced. "Just let me see it. Okay?"

His wounded friend nodded and lifted his shirt up for Stiles to see. There were several claw marks scripted on the left side of his upper torso. They were deep and bloody. "Dude."

"I know it's bad, but it's because they're from an alpha. It'll take longer to heal." Scott said in an inconsiderate manner, trying to dispel Stiles' worry.

"How come Boyd and Isaac are fine then?" Stiles asked.

Scott disregarded his friend and went back to leaning his head against the window. He looked outside as they passed by trees and several cars. "I can't believe he's dead." He said. "I can't believe Derek's dead."

Stiles turned his glance at Scott and looked at him with hesitance, then drew his eyes back on the tablet, then back at Scott who looked like he was on the verge of losing it. "Shouldn't we tell Jade? I mean it's only right if we tell her." Scott suggested.

He shook his head. "She's going to lose it, Scott. I mean the reason she left is probably because she doesn't want to put up with all of this."

"But this is Derek. He was like a mentor to her." Scott whispered.

"I know."

The sun was scorching hot and the weather was dry as a bone. The outskirts of California were only 90 miles away from where they were pulled over: Indio, CA. Jade contemplated on whether she should go for it or not as Peter attempted to convince her to return to Beacon Hills to find out 'what the hell is going on'. But she insisted on not knowing.

She left eventually; there wasn't anything that she could do to change Deucalion's plans for Derek or his plans for her, the best thing she could think of was to leave it all behind her. Jade went into her truck that same afternoon and decided to go for it, she drove east towards Phoenix, AZ.

A few hours later she pulled over by a gas station for gas. She could see the Colorado River less than half a mile away from where she was. Jade was anxious to cross the bridge over the river, as if everything would go away the moment she leaves the state.

When the tank was full, she took off in a rushed mode. As she was getting closer to the bridge, her phone rang a couple of rings before it went straight to voice mail. "Hey. It's me, again. We want to talk to you, Jade. Scott and I have something to tell you." Stiles said. He sighed before moving on. "Something happened and it's, Uhh-" her phone rang again interjecting Stiles' voice message.

Jade thought for a moment; worried something serious might have happened to her brother or her friends and decided to answer, but before she did, Jade looked at the caller ID and it said it was an unknown caller. She hesitated but picked up eventually.

Nothing. The silence was indescribable and she couldn't take it anymore: not knowing.

"Hello?" Jade spoke up first.

Still nothing.

"Who is this?" She asked in an interrogative approach.

"Jade?" A familiar voice said. It took her a split second to realize whom it was but she didn't understand why he was calling.

"Dr. Deaton?" She asked, shocked. "Is everything okay?"

"You need to get down here immediately." He said with concern in his voice.

Jade began to panic and started getting mixed up scenarios about what might've happened in Beacon Hills. The alpha pack slaughtering her friends is one possibility. "Why? What's going on? Did something happen? Is James okay?"

There was a long pause between the line, neither Jade nor Deaton spoke and it took a minute before someone else's voice echoed in her ears, a voice she never wanted to hear again. "Hello Jade. How's your trip to Arizona?"

Jade's heart thumped against her chest as soon as she heard Deucalion say her name. The accent and the tone in his voice rang in her ears; it had sent shivers through her spine. Scared about what the future holds for her and her brother. Jade changed the route immediately; she knew something was going to happen if she doesn't do something, so she made a new turn and started driving back to the West. She never got to the bridge.

She breathed hard as she clutched the phone close to her ear. "I don't think you heard the news yet. Did you?" He asked.

"What news?"

Deucalion let out a wicked laugh and it didn't amuse Jade. "Do you remember what I told you that night in the woods?" He asked. "Your first full moon. You would've turned if it weren't for that scrawny tall kid, what was his name? Isaac?"

"I remember it vividly." Jade responded.

"Good. Then you know how much I want Derek in my pack." He proclaimed. Jade didn't know where this this phone conversation was going but she knew it wasn't going to end well.

"Yes. Yes I do." She tried to remain concentrated on the road and on the phone at the same time. Jade stepped on the gas pedal and the car accelerated towards the west. It would take more than ten hours for her to get to Beacon Hills. She had to get there as soon as possible.

"Excellent. So here's the deal: you come back to Beacon Hills, do as I say and Derek won't have to remain dead. Deal?" Deucalion said.

Jade was confused. Is Derek dead? Or is he going to be? Is that why Stiles called? She wondered. She had no idea what she was getting herself into. "Deal."

He hung up the phone and Jade was left startled. She wanted to call Stiles back but no longer could, it wasn't going to be good and it won't get any better. Jade contemplated for a while, she knew she couldn't connect the dots without anyone's help.

So she grabbed her phone again, dialed the only number she could think of and called.

It rang for a few seconds before the person on the other line picked up. "Hello?"

Jade heaved a breath and let it out as she said: "Lydia?" Her voice was about to crack like she was on the verge of crying.

She could tell Lydia was startled. "Oh my god. Jade? Are you okay?"

Picture: Lydia

Allison threw Lydia a surprised glare as soon as she heard Lydia say Jade's name.

"I remember, I remember it all. J-James, is he okay? Is he alive?" Jade asked fretfully.

Lydia was slightly confused but answered. "Yes, he's okay. Jade, where are you? We have been trying to reach you for a week now. What? What happened?" She was getting worried about her friend.

Jade let out a sigh of relief. "What about the others? Scott? Stiles? Allison? Are they okay?"

"Jade what is going on with you? Are you okay?"

"Just tell me Lydia! Are they okay?" Jade yelled.

"Yes!" Lydia responded with the same tone as Jade's. "Everyone's okay, everyone's alive." She lied.

"Everyone?"

Lydia did not know what to say, even if she lied Jade would know. "Well not exactly everyone." She said before silence fell amongst them. Jade would find out eventually, but she couldn't tell her. "Jade, I'm- sorry but I can't tell you, I can't." Jade didn't respond for a few more seconds.

"I know Lydia, I just need someone to confirm it. I need someone to tell me the truth." Jade said.

(A/N)

This chapter is shorter than the usual and there's lots of dialog. Sorry about that! Hope you enjoyed.