I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own


Chapter 28: Disintegration


Before she could go to see Hayden, though, she had to help with placing the jammers around the school. She picked up three boxes and wandered around campus, putting them in random places, like the top of a trophy cabinet, behind a compost bin, and on Mr. Yukimura's desk. Then she turned all of them on and, hopefully, created a barrier that would block out the supernatural frequencies of the Dread Doctors.

Everyone else was in the boys' locker room. As soon as Sherry entered, Scott pushed a set of lockers back into place in front of the door, a physical barricade to add to the invisible ones. Lydia waited by herself on one of the benches, leaning against the lockers with a thick, aged book in her hands.

"Where's Hayden?" Sherry asked.

Lydia looked up reluctantly. "By the sinks. Liam's comforting her."

"Is she okay?"

"Just a little shaken up," Lydia drawled. "It's a lot to absorb."

Sherry knew the feeling. "I'll wait, then," she said, because she knew she was no good at comforting. She sat down next to the redhead and sighed, blinking drowsily. Oh, how she just wanted to curl up and sleep.

Scott was a bit farther away, staring away, toward the sinks and stalls. The tips of his mouth drooped. He was a sad, exhausted puppy.

Sherry closed her eyes.

She opened them again, not sure how much time had passed. Scott was now standing, looking impatient. Lydia had her head in her hands, and had slouched over slightly so that Sherry was pressing slightly against her. By the supply closet, Hayden and Liam sat on the ground, leaning against the metal wall of the closet. Hayden was asleep, her head leaning into Liam's shoulder restlessly as though he were a pillow.

Hayden, who'd made sure it was known that she couldn't stand Liam. Hayden, who now had almost a trace of a peaceful smile on her face.

There was no thought in Sherry's head but a pronounced oh. So that was what Malia meant. Still, Sherry wasn't upset. Enemies to friends to lovers — she had already seen it coming. That day out on the lacrosse field — only yesterday — she'd already known it.

Liam looked up, his blue eyes catching with Sherry's deep brown. She knew it was wishful thinking that made his expression look longing, or almost guilty. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, Sherry smiled at him, as benignly as she could.

He tore his gaze away, instead staring at a black duffel bag that lay on the other end of the bench. Carefully, in an attempt not to wake Hayden, he slid out from under her head and went to investigate.

Unzipping the bag, he pulled out a shiny, clinking mass: yards and yards of chains. He turned from curious to petulant.

At the other side of the room, Scott and Lydia set their gazes on him defensively.

"What were you going to do with these?" Liam demanded, his eyes flashing.

"Brought them just in case," Scott explained wearily.

Hayden was awake now, watching them sleepily.

"In case of what?" Liam continued, still visibly upset.

"In case we had a chance to catch one of them," Lydia said.

"If we can't make the school a fortress," Scott said, moving closer, "then maybe we can make it a trap."

"If they're coming for her, doesn't that mean she's the bait?" Liam kept his voice even, but it was obvious he was outraged. Hayden just stared, probably too drowsy to sort out her confusion. Sherry wanted to calm Liam down. He was clearly overreacting, misreading the situation as a dishonest plot, but Sherry couldn't help but feel scared for Hayden as well. If even Scott wasn't certain the plan would succeed, then they were all doomed.

"Liam," Lydia tried again, standing up, "We brought her here to protect her."

"And now she's bait."

"Am I?" Hayden said.

"No." Scott said, "No one's bait. But we can't be bodyguards to everyone every night."

"Then why aren't we talking to Stiles' dad?" Liam pressed. "Why aren't we doing something better than hiding in a school?"

"Because we still don't know anything about them or what they want, okay?" Scott exploded. "They're winning and we don't even know what the game is."

Liam wasn't done yet. "What if they come in here and those things don't work? What if you have an asthma attack again? What are we gonna do?!"

"I don't know."

"This plan sucks!"

"You got a better one?" Scott was nearly bellowing now. "Kids are dying! And she's next! So, somebody has to do something. Somebody has to save everyone. So somebody's got to be the bait!" His chest heaved, his brown eyes incendiary.

For several moments, nobody moved. The tension saturated the air so thoroughly that Sherry was afraid something would burst if she moved. She'd always wondered what would happen when the stress made Scott snap.

She pushed herself up, slowly, and hugged Scott's arm like a child would cling to a parent. But she wasn't looking for protection; she wanted to protect him. He reached over with his other hand, probably assuming the former. He knew Sherry liked Liam; it was the obvious choice to think Sherry was heartbroken at Liam's newfound adoration for Hayden. But that would have been wrong. When someone's used to unrequited feelings, the next one doesn't sink in as deeply.

Finally, Liam spoke. "Scott," he said softly, his voice raw with desperation. "Promise me you'll do everything you can to save her." He stepped closer. "Scott. Promise."

He nodded. "I'll do everything I can. I promise."

A voice broke the moment, quick and urgent. "Guys," Hayden started, "I think I might need a little help right now. I forgot my pills." She pleaded with them with her eyes. "I have a bottle in my locker. I can get them, but—"

"I'll get them," Scott interrupted. "What's your combination?"

Relieved, Hayden tore a scrap of paper from inside her school backpack and scratched out a series of numbers on it.

Scott took it and headed for the door, moving the barricade aside. Lydia held the door for him and intoned, "Hurry." She shifted her weight, wary. "I'll keep watch."

"Hey, Lydia," Sherry called when Scott left, "Where did Malia and Parrish go?" She hadn't seen them since they'd split up outside.

"Malia's patrolling the halls," she said. "And Parrish is waiting outside, in his car."

"How will we know if they're not okay?"

Lydia set her jaw. "We won't."


Ten minutes passed, and Scott wasn't back yet. Lydia, having waited by the door the whole time, decided to go after him. Sherry caught up with her, stepping in the hallway just before the locker room door shut.

"You should've stayed inside," Lydia warned, creeping carefully through the hallway.

"I don't know why people are always telling me that." If Scott had disappeared going off on his own, there was no way Sherry would let someone else make the same mistake. Anyway, she didn't want to be cooped up in that humid place with the other two.

"Scott?" Lydia called, her plaintive voice echoing off the walls and lockers and recently mopped floors. "Malia?"

Sherry stuck close to Lydia, hugging her arms around her chest nervously. "I think our plan failed."

"Not yet. We still have plan B." She peered into classrooms as they passed by, scanning for any sign of their friends.

Sherry's eyes flicked to the windows. "What's plan B?"

"We follow the Dread Doctors to their hideout."

"They got to Scott and Malia. I don't think we'll be functioning enough to tail them."

Lydia froze. "Do you hear that?"

Sherry stopped, too, and listened. There was a faint sound, now getting ever so louder, like a crank being turned faster. She was hearing a living glitch, a sound that caught and skipped like a scratched CD, that probably mirrored the motions of the creatures emitting it. It was the anthem of the Dread Doctors, the hunting call that made every hair on Sherry's body stand on end.

"Where are they coming from?" she whispered, paling.

"The front doors. Run!"

Sherry took off, but in a moment she realized that Lydia hadn't followed. She turned back, slowing, and saw the girl walking slowly in the other direction. "Lydia! What are you doing?!"

She didn't stop. "Slowing them down. Go."

Sherry bounced in her spot, torn. Then she ran, again, veering down the halls, back toward the locker room. Voices drifted from the other end of the hall. She couldn't recognize them at this distance, but they were human, so she sprinted toward them, skidding to a halt in front of the biology classroom.

"Sherry?" said Mason, who held a blood-dipped scalpel in his hand. By him stood Scott, who was frazzled but alive.

"Ohmygod, you're okay," she said, relieved. "The Dread Doctors are here. I think they have Malia, and they'll have Lydia soon."

"We need to get to Hayden," Scott decided. They hurried to the locker room, but the door was already open, the frame broken and hinges loose. Liam must've moved the lockers in front of the door, because the metal contraption had been pummeled and thrown aside. The room itself was silent except for the incessant dripping of one of the showers. Hayden and Liam were gone.


She received a call from Mrs. Yukimura.

"Have you seen my daughter?"

Sherry glanced at Mason, who'd come home with her. "Mason, have you seen Kira today?"

He shook his head soundlessly.

"No," Sherry replied, cautiously. "Why?"

"I'm afraid the fox has taken over," Mrs. Yukimura said, and hung up.

Setting her phone down in confusion, Sherry ran a weary hand through her quickly dirtying hair. She retrieved two throw blankets from her room and flung one at Mason. They curled up on the couch together, exhausted, and stared at the local evening news. Sherry hugged her knees to her chest under the warmth of the blanket leaning her head on Mason. Every muscle in her body wanted to sleep, but her eyes remained wide open. She couldn't rest, not when lives were at stake.

"I hate that we can't help," Mason said, his eyes half-lidded. He smelled of soap and spices, his skin sticky and chilled.

"We can," Sherry disagreed. "I just don't know how, yet. Everyone seems to think that because we're mundane, not supernatural, that we're next to useless. But even Stiles is always in on the action."

"Stiles knows what he's doing. He has experience."

"Or maybe he knows what he wants. And he goes to get it. As fond as I am of him, he's not perfect. He's blinded by... something."

"He's in love with Lydia."

Sherry considered. Stiles never seemed like much of a fit for Malia, and the werecoyote seemed to be slowly distancing herself. "I guess. Anyway, no one's perfect." Her voice caught for a moment. "Not even Scott." Or Theo, though that seemed just as unlikely to her. "You have to learn that people aren't perfect, and holding them on a pedestal only lead to broken expectations and unfounded hope."

Mason shifted. "I think you're talking more to yourself than to me."

"I just..." she sighed. "High expectations are what cause crushes, you know. You get too caught up in an imagined persona of a person you don't really know. If I would follow my own advice, I wouldn't have problems like that."

"Like getting heartbroken over Liam."

She turned and buried her head in the armrest. "I expected that."

"Expecting something to happen doesn't make the pain go away. Sometimes it doesn't even make it hurt less."

"You're not allowed to be the wise one," she protested. "Makes me feel like a child."

There was silence for a while, or at least what felt like it amidst the gray murmur of the TV. Sherry's phone rang.

"Yes?"

"We found Kira. Not to worry."

"Oh."

"Good night," Mrs. Yukimura said, sounding motherly. The call ended.

To Mason, Sherry explained the call, then asked, "If an adult tells me not to worry, does that mean I should?"

He grimaced. "Let's call Scott."

She did. "Do you know where Kira is?"

"Yeah," Scott said. "She's at the station. But meet at my house in five, alright?"

Mason jumped up. "Let's go."

Yawning, she nodded. "'Kay. You can go. I'm going to visit Kira first."

He seemed uncertain, but he didn't argue. "Hurry."


She got to the sheriff's station right as the Yukimuras were leaving. They all were surprised at her appearance, but Sherry didn't care. She ran to Kira with a hug.

The family looked troubled, but Mrs. Yukimura said, "I told you, you didn't have to worry."

"I know, but I just had to make sure. Did you tame the fox?"

Kira stared at her shoes. "Not exactly."

"Why... why were you at the station?"

"Someone was killed," Kira whispered. "And I think I did it."

That wasn't possible. Kira was the least murderous person ever. But to the contrary, Sherry thought back to the incident with Tracy and the brawl at Sinema. The fox spirit was evil, or at least unforgiving, and if Scott hadn't intervened, she would have killed at least two more times. Sherry shivered. "So what now?"

"I told Stilinski," Mr. Yukimura spoke up, "That I did it. Fortunately, he has enough sense not to press charges."

"Doesn't he have to? For murder?"

"He was threatening to," he said. "Melissa McCall helped us convince him not to."

Mrs. Yukimura shook her head, tsking. "He didn't say anything when his own son was possessed by a kitsune."

"My parents think we should leave Beacon Hills," Kira added, a pleading tone in her voice. "If I can't control myself, how can I prevent myself from hurting others?"

A memory flashed up, of Theo killing the chimera on the roof. He'd insinuated that Stiles had killed Donovan, too — was everyone hiding from murders they'd committed? Would Scott really be as upset about it as everyone seemed to think?

"When you come back, you'll be stronger, right?" Sherry asked.

"I hope."

She flung her arms around her friend again, a little bit of her heart cracking. "I'll miss you. Come back soon."

Kira squeezed her back. "Yeah. Don't forget me."

Sherry pulled away, forcing a laugh. "I hope you're kidding."

"I hope so too."


A/N: Who watched the season finale? I did and it wasn't ~that~ great but now I'm sad that I have to wait until SUMMER (I think?) for season 6. :(

On the bright side, maybe my writing will finally catch up to the episodes? Maybe. And tomorrow morning at 4 am I'm leaving to Hawaii for a cheer competition, so wish me luck!

For those of you that leave long reviews, or any reviews at all, just let me say, from the bottom of my heart, YOU MAKE MY WORLD GO ROUND. I would not be anywhere near as motivated to write as I am if not for you. Just, thank you. I love you to hell and back.

What did you guys think of this chapter? What are your thoughts on Sherry's relationship with Kira? Let me know!

xx Delaine