Bianca scrubbed at the blood on her hands, letting it wash away in the sink, Allison and Kira standing a little too close behind her.
"Are you okay?" Allison asked tentatively, rubbing her back.
"I'm fine, Ally." Bianca insisted, because really besides the fatigue and cold spiking through her body every now and then, she was. Of course her mind wasn't doing all that great, with the whispers floating through her head, but she was sure that had to do with someone else.
"Blood is never a sign of okay." Kira pointed out, looking behind her to see if Ethan, Aiden, or Isaac had woken up yet.
"Well, when you're a siren, I think the rules bend a little for you." Bianca shrugged, wiping her hands with a paper towel. "What're we going to do with them?"
"I think I can help with that." Deaton said, bursting into the locker room. "Are the three of you okay?" They all nodded. "Good, good, can you help me wake them up?" He asked as he walked over to the showers and turned one on.
Allison kneeled down before Ethan, while Kira took Aiden, and Bianca automatically picked Isaac. Bianca patted Isaac's cheek lightly and shook his head from side to side, the other girls doing the same.
All three werewolves jolted awake and were panting heavily, their eyes shifting in and out of transformation.
"You good?" Bianca asked Isaac, patting his cheek. "You still wanna kill me?"
"Funny." Isaac choked out, but leaned over to gasp harshly.
"Isaac?'' Bianca said worriedly.
"They'll be okay." Deaton called. "Get them all over here." They hoisted all three of them up and lined them against the wall. "Ethan first."
He had Ethan stand underneath the shower and Deaton stuck his hand down Ethan's throat. Ethan tried to fight against him, but Deaton refused to let up until Ethan choked something out. A small firefly covered in the same black blood fell to the ground, washing away into the drain. Then the same happened to Aiden, and then Isaac too.
"What the hell is that?" Bianca asked, holding Isaac's face in her hands, looking him over for any lasting damage. He was still coughing out water and Bianca was wiping away the black substance stuck to the corner of his mouth.
"That was another trick from the nogitsune." Deaton explained. "Scott asked me to come get you because we've got a new problem."
"Which would be?" Aiden prompted, wringing out his shirt.
"Well, Scott and Lydia went into Stiles' mind to try and bring him back from the depth of his subconscious." Deaton explained.
"And did it work?" Bianca asked hopefully, stepping back into Isaac's grasp to steady her dizziness. She was still reeling from the effects of whatever had happened, but now didn't seem like the best time to say anything.
"In a way." Deaton said hesitantly. "The nogitsune split himself and Stiles apart."
"Split?" Ethan asked incredulously.
"When Scott and Lydia emerged, the nogitsune purged Stiles from his body." Deaton said. "Except that's not what I'm worried about."
"Great." Aiden said sarcastically. "What could be worse than that?"
"One of them took Lydia." Deaton winced.
"What?" They all exclaimed in unison.
"What do you mean?" Bianca demanded. It all made sense now, why she was feeling so cold and sick, because something was happening to Lydia. "Where is she?"
"Scott's working on it." Deaton explained.
"There's really two of them now?" Kira asked. "How's that even possible?"
"But how did the other one just take Lydia?" Allison demanded.
"We turned around and they were gone." Deaton shrugged, not able to offer a better answer. "So was her car."
"So no one notices him just kidnapping her right out of the house?" Aiden demanded angrily.
"Most of us were concentrated on the bizarre sight of a creature, materializing from out of the floor." Deaton defended himself.
"Hold on. How are you so sure which Stiles is which?" Bianca asked, her mind trained on ways to find Lydia.
"That's what they're trying to figure out now." Deaton said.
"If I could just find my keys." Stiles heard his father sigh out tiredly.
"There in your coffee cup." Stiles said, catching the end of his dad's rhetorical comment. "You always drop them in your empty cup." His father looked at him hopefully before stumbling over to hug him tight. "Hey, Dad."
"Is it over?" He asked Scott, keeping a tight grip on his son.
"Not yet." Scott said, pulling the keys out of the empty mug. "Lydia's missing."
"She's what?" Noah Stilinski asked. "What happened?"
Scott and Stiles jumped into the story of how they landed in this position. With two people running around with Stiles' face, a missing Lydia, and no solutions. The sheriff jumped into action and alerted the department, even going as far as to make a few other calls.
"Thanks, Dad." Stiles said appreciatively.
"We got an APB out on Lydia's car. Every unit on the road is looking for her." He assured the boys.
"Isn't there anything else that we could do?" Scott asked, hoping for more.
"At this hour? No, not really." The sheriff said regretfully. "I thought her and Bianca, kind of had this weird connection thing, can she find her?"
"They're kind of occupied with something else right now, and knowing Bianca, she's already looking." Scott said, but nodded along to the Sheriff's confused face.
"He took her for a reason, Dad. Look, If we can figure out the why, then we'll figure out the where." Stiles insisted, his voice raising slightly.
"Okay. What would a Nogitsune need with a Banshee?" His father asked, checking behind him to make sure no one was listening in.
"I don't know, Lydia's pretty good at finding dead bodies. Maybe he needs to find a body?" Stiles pointed out.
"Scott, you know more about this than all of us." The sheriff persisted.
"Me?" Scott repeated.
"You said you got the whole story from Noshiko?" He clarified.
"Yeah, but that happened during World War II. Like seventy years ago." Scott said, looking unconvinced it would help.
"Wait." Stiles asked, looking at his hands curiously, something he did when trying to figure out the latest mystery. "What did you say?"
"Noshiko told me about the internment camp-" Scott explained.
"No, before that. You said, the whole story." Stiles asked, more like demanded.
"Yeah. What is it?" Scott asked him.
"There's a girl at Eichen House." Stiles said, remembering the strange girl and the phone that only she could hear. "Her name's Meredith. I think she might be able to help."
"Parrish!" The sheriff called. The other man appeared instantly.
"Yes?" He asked, poking his head in.
"See what you can find out about a girl named Meredith Walker, I think she could help with the disappearance of Lydia Martin." Parrish nodded, but the sheriff called him back. "She's at Eichen."
Parrish froze for a moment, but backed out of the room slowly, never one to ignore a direct request from his superior.
Parrish came back a minute later. "Sheriff, Meredith Walker."
"She's still there?" He asked.
"Yeah, but they moved her to the Closed Unit." Parrish answered.
"Why?" Stiles asked, his voice a little concerned and hoarse.
"They said behavioral issues." Parrish said.
"What issues?" Scott asked.
Parrish grimaced. "She wouldn't stop screaming."
Bianca walked into her house, moving on autopilot. Ever since she'd found out Lydia had been kidnapped, things were getting worse and worse. Her mind was plagued with songs, rhymes, and whispers. They were all talking over each other, and she kept darting her head from side to side. Like they would tell her where Lydia was.
Later that night, around three am. Isaac had fallen asleep after the whole locker room incident, Scott was asleep in his room, and Stiles was asleep on the couch. Bianca had gotten out of bed, due to the copper taste filling her mouth, she rinsed out her mouth and knew she couldn't go back to sleep.
Instead, she slipped on her boots and one of Isaac's jackets, walking right out the doors. This is what she was supposed to be able to do, find people in danger, especially people she had a connection too. If there was anyone in the world she would've been able to find, it had to be Lydia.
Bianca stood on her porch and closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath and just waited. She waited for the music that only she could hear to tell her what to do, because her entire time as a siren, she only ever saw her powers as a burden, but now she needed them. It only took a moment before she started walking, she wasn't sure where, but her feet were moving and that was enough for her.
She wasn't sure how long she walked, but it was well over a couple hours because her feet hurt and the sun was coming out when she finally stopped at a lot, right in front of Lydia's car.
The doors were unlocked, and Bianca slid into the driver's seat, tapping the wheel. The keys were still in the car as well, so at least she'd be able to drive it back instead of walking.
Bianca sat there for a long time, wondering what the hell had happened. It was just one threat after another, alpha pack, nogitsune, kidnappings. She leaned her head down on the steering wheel and banged her head against it. She was starting to feel weaker, and she could physically feel the anxiety and panic now, like it was a force invading her body.
She sat there for almost an hour and she got nothing. Absolutely nothing. Bianca got out of the car and slammed the door hard, it was useless, so godman useless. Until a shimmer caught her eyes, she whipped her head towards the window and studied it, there were smudges, clear smudges. She blew hot breath over the driver's side and a message appeared, don't find me.
Stiles' didn't remember falling asleep, but he remembered the dreams. Well, more like the nightmares of what the nogitsune was doing to Lydia. The danger, fear, and panic she was in. He had to find her, he had to help her, he had to save her.
"Hey!" Stiles heard a shout, and it took him a minute for his senses to focus and realize Scott was trying to help him. "Hey. You okay?"
"What happened? Did I fall asleep? How long was I out?" Stiles asked, steadying himself.
"Just a couple of hours. You should sit down." Scott promised him.
"Where's my Dad?" Stiles asked frantically.
"He's at Eichen House, questioning everyone. Looking for Meredith. I promised him I wouldn't let you out of my sight." Scott answered, choosing the words specifically so Stiles could process them the way he does with clues.
"Okay, what about the others?" Stiles asked, glancing out the windows and doors.
"Allison, Isaac, the twins, they're all looking for Lydia." Scott said. "Bianca found her car early this morning."
"It's starting to feel like we're waiting for a ransom call." Stiles said pessimistically, shoving on his jacket.
"We'll find her." Scott promised. "You all right?"
"Yeah. I don't know why, I just can't seem to get warm." Stiles huffed.
"Maybe you should sit down. Take it easy." Scott told him, but the second he touched Stiles' hand, he felt a sharp stab. "You're in pain."
"It's not that bad. Just more like a dull ache." Stiles reassured him, stuttering through his teeth.
"Where?" Scott asked.
"Sort of everywhere." Stiles murmured, refusing to look Scott in the eyes.
Scott looked at him oddly, grabbing Stiles' hand. Stiles yanked it back and dropped onto the couch. "Dude, you're freezing." Scott sat down beside him and watched his best friend shake. "Tell me the truth. How much does it really hurt?"
Stiles didn't say anything and Scott didn't think he wanted the answer.
"Sweetheart. Sweetheart." Coach said, snapping his fingers in front of the mysterious girl that appeared in his classroom. "Do you want to tell me which insane asylum you escaped from?"
"Coach, insane asylum isn't proper terminology anymore." Danny said, leaning over the coach's shoulder.
"Okay." He nodded, then turned back to the girl. "Sweetheart. What nuthouse did you escape from?"
"Eichen House." Meredith answered without hesitation. The entire class gasped and simultaneously backed up.
"Wanna tell me what you're doing so far from there?" The coach asked, not as disturbed as the others.
"Trying to help." She answered. "I can hear them. They scream." She said, pointing to her ears.
"That's got to be terrifying." He agreed with her. "What, uh, why do they scream?"
"They scream when someone's about to die." She said ominously.
"Are they screaming right now?" He asked her, and she nodded. "How many of them?"
Meredith snapped her head up. "All of them."
Meredith knew she had to help, and as soon as the man had put her in his office. She bolted out the other door. She tapped her fingers against the wall, and the little thuds provided her answers for where to go, and they led her all the way to the music room.
She leaned her head down near the piano strings, plucking them lightly. "I can hear you. But I can't understand." She plucked them again and again. "Just a little louder, please."
"Let's go, sweetheart." Meredith heard Brunski snapped at her. She was running out of time. "As you know, I'm not averse to using the tools of my trade. As often as necessary."
"I just, I need another second, okay?" Meredith begged. "They're trying to tell me something."
"Meredith." He said.
"Please. They're trying to tell me something." Meredith insisted, leaning towards the piano.
Brunski was very close to grabbing Meredith, when the taser in his hand was turned on him. "This school has a very strict no bullying policy." The coach looked down at him smugly when Scott and Stiles ran up behind him. "Well? Get her outta here."
"You little piece of-" Brunski stuttered out.
"We also frown on cursing." The coach laughed, tasering him again.
Meredith let Scott and Stiles lead her away, taking her all the way to Stiles' blue jeep.
"Okay. Where's Lydia?" Stiles asked, both turning around to look at her.
Meredith felt confused. "Who's Lydia?"
"Remember, you can start over. I was a bit of a perfectionist about it, myself." Argent told his daughter, bringing out his own collections of silver bullets. Despite the waywardness of his old family cold, he was glad to share this one with Allison. "I always wanted the seal to look just right."
"How many did you make?" Allison asked.
"Six. But I used them all." Argent told her. "Only at close range, though. Despite some other legends, silver's not really as accurate as lead."
"Dad, wait. I think I should use my own mold." Allison said, calling her father back.
"You have a bullet mold?" He asked oddly.
"No, not a bullet. An arrowhead." Allison explained. "The bow is my weapon. So, I should make a silver arrowhead." He smiled proudly at her and kissed her forehead. "Dad... If something happens... "
"Hey, hey. You don't need to worry about me." He reassured her.
"Well, yeah. I didn't get to say anything to Mom." Allison said softly.
"You didn't need to say anything." He promised her. "And I'm going to be around a long time. I promise."
"Well, then take it as a reminder." Allison insisted. "Maybe you don't need to hear it, but I need to know that I said it. I love you. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of us."
Isaac heard the lock click on the door and he rushed down the stairs, hoping it was Bianca finally coming home. Except he jolted back when he came face to face with Rafael McCall instead.
"Um." Isaac said awkwardly.
"Hello, Isaac." Rafael said, waving at him. "You wouldn't happen to know where my kids are, do you?"
"I was just looking for Bianca." Isaac said, rubbing the back of his neck. Technically, this was the father of his girlfriend, and he wasn't exactly doing the best job of making a good impression.
"So, Melissa tells me that you and Bianca are dating?" Rafael asked, trying to make conversation. "Why don't you sit down and we can chat."
Isaac nodded once and sat down on the stool at the island, looking nervous. "Um, yes, sir, I'm Bianca's boyfriend."
"And you live in the same house as my daughter." Rafael said, definitely wasn't a question. "If you're going to be living in the same house as her, I'd like to know how this situation happened in the first place."
Isaac hadn't really even told Bianca how he ended up from his house to Derek's, and then her's. He wasn't so keen on telling her father either. "My father died, and then I was living with Derek for a while."
"Derek Hale?" Rafael clarified. "The man recently in held in jail for murder?"
"Um, yes." Isaac stuttered, a pink tint to his cheeks. "When his sister came back, he asked me to move out and Melissa was kind enough to let me stay here."
"I see." Rafael said, staring him down. "And did you begin dating my daughter before or after you moved in?"
"After, sir." Isaac confirmed, looking out the window and hoping someone would show up, and by some grace, Bianca did.
She looked worse for wear, her skin sickly paler than usual, and deep purple bags under her eyes. Isaac didn't want her going anywhere by herself, but she also needed the time alone to get her mind back in place.
"Dad?" She asked as soon as she walked in. Isaac had gotten up and checked her over, pulling the sweater tighter around her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Isaac asked, holding one side of her neck.
"Yeah." She murmured, leaning into his touch. "Just cold."
"Bianca?" Her dad asked, looking her up and down. "Are you alright, are you sick?"
"No." Bianca answered shortly, not unkindly though. She was too tired and weak to be snippy with her father.
"You don't look alright." He said concernedly.
"Come on, Doll." Isaac said, trying to lead her upstairs. "You need a break."
"I need to find Lydia." Bianca retorted, pushing Isaac's grip off her, but stumbling a little to the side. "Don't," she said to her father when he reached for her. "I'm fine."
"I think Isaac's right." Rafael stated, unconvinced by his daughter.
Bianca was about to protest, but instead her phone buzzed and she held up a hand to stop her father from lecturing her. "Oh, it's Allison, she wants me to come over."
"I'll take you." Both Isaac and her father said in unison.
"I'll take Lydia's car." Bianca said, shrugging them both off. She definitely didn't look in the right state to be driving, but when her father grabbed her arm. Bianca yanked it back and turned on him, her eyes glowing a bright pink. "I said don't."
"Bianca." Isaac said softly. "Bianca, we're not the enemy here."
She blinked once and stepped back against the door. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm just on edge. I'm going to Allison's, and we'll probably grab Kira and meet you guys before nightfall."
"Okay." Isaac said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "If anything happens, call me."
"Okay." Bianca promised. Isaac could hear her heartbeat, it was a blatant lie. But he knew better, and he knew her better.
Bianca had fully intended on going to Allison's, she had started Lydia's car and was on route to Allison's building, when the whispers in her mind raised in volume and turned into a pretty song for her to follow. She was taking random turns, nearly getting hit by another car, and almost hitting a few pedestrians, until she stopped at a gate.
It was rusted over and covered in vines, the words 'Oak Creek' splattered across the top in bold lettering. There was nothing special outside, but when Bianca stepped past the gates, was when she saw them. All of them, there were dozens of people, all dressed in forties clothing, most covered in blood. All their deaths laid out gruesomely for Bianca to dissect.
They were ghosts, she knew that much, but she'd never seen ghosts like this before. She'd only ever encountered the ones connected to the pack, ones that fit into her lifes like puzzle pieces.
Strangely, they didn't scare her, they just looked at her sadly, angrily, regretfully, but none of that was directed at her. They didn't try to touch her like the other ghosts, but those were the ones that moved on. Bianca could physically feel their pain and suffering, and somehow she knew, it was almost a living, breathing thing that held all these people back.
"I've been wondering when you'd get here." A voice called out to her. Bianca whipped her head back and forth, wondering if the ghosts were talking to her, but instead they all moved aside, creating a path to the nogitsune wearing Stiles' face.
"Where's Lydia?" Bianca demanded. She was definitely not going to make it out of this one on her own. She knew that.
"Oh she's in the tunnels." He mocked. "You may see the ghosts, but our dear Lydia can hear them."
"Give her back." Bianca snapped.
"Sorry, sweetheart." He said, walking closer and closer to her. Bianca was well aware that she should've been running, but her feet felt paralyzed. "The plan isn't to give her back, it's to lure you here." Then he placed a hand on the side of her head, and she fainted into his arms.
"What are you doing here?" Scott asked, bursting into his house with Stiles and Meredith behind him. His father was standing in the kitchen, towering over Isaac, who was sitting on the stool, looking nervous.
"Looking for you and Bianca actually." He said, looking oddly at Meredith.
"Hey, Dad, I'll explain all of this later." Scott said.
"Who's she?" He asked, nodding at Meredith.
"My girlfriend." Stiles lied awkwardly, putting an arm around her. Rafael might know about the supernatural, but telling him they practically kidnapped a girl from Eichen House seemed like a hard thing to explain in any scenario.
She looked at Stiles and shook her head. "You're not my type."
"We obviously have a lot to talk about, maybe we should take this upstairs?" Stiles muttered awkwardly.
Meredith looked at Isaac. "He's my type."
"Okay." Stiles said, scratching his cheek. "Isaac can come too."
"Oh, I don't know, Bianca-" Isaac started protesting.
"Dude, just," Stiles snapped, gesturing towards the stairs. Isaac shot a glare at Stiles, but followed them up anyway.
"I don't care that you're not in school. I know your grades are fine. All I want to do is talk." Rafael reasoned.
"Now's really not a good time." Scott insisted, looking over his dad at Stiles and Isaac going up the stairs.
"Scott." His dad warned. "We need to talk."
"Dad, can't we do this tomorrow?" Scott asked anxiously. He really didn't have the time to spare on this, not with Lydia hanging in the balance, and what seemed like Stiles' life as well.
"That's actually something I've been saying for a long time." His dad muttered. "Come here. You see this? This indent on the floor." Rafael asked his son, kneeling down in front of the stairs. "That was from your head. The night before I moved out your mother and I were fighting. Bianca was at a sleepover, but you were still home. You came out of your room. I grabbed you by the wrist. You pulled back. And you fell." He explained, tracing the small dent. "We watched you tumble down those stairs. You were out for probably twenty seconds. When you came to, you didn't remember a thing. Your mom told me to be out by the morning. That was the last time I ever had a drink. And that's why I left."
"Okay, Dad. Let me show you something." Scott said, moving into the living room. "See the edge of this window sill. When I got my first skateboard I slid right into it. Broke my collarbone." Scott said, borderlining on a shout, but he moved over to the coffee table. "This used to be glass. Until I fell on top of it trying to catch a lacrosse ball from Stiles. I got three stitches in my cheek." He said pointing at his face. "This house is full of accidents. The stairs? Maybe it was an accident. Maybe it was worse. But I healed."
"Scott, that's not my point." Rafael stressed. "Look, I was always so afraid that I'd hurt you after that. Hell, I was even shocked when your mother didn't say anything in court, and it cost her custody of Bianca." He said, slamming his hands down on the edge of the couch. "That's why I sent her away to boarding school, I couldn't take the risk of hurting her too."
"I don't need your apology." Scott murmured. "I get that you are trying to make amends here, but telling me all these things isn't going to change anything. Nor does it change anything between you and Bianca either, and she deserves more. So, see you at graduation. Or whenever you decide to show up again."
"Lydia? You mean the red-haired girl." Meredith said, realization hitting her.
"Yes! Yes! Good. Progress." Stiles said, nodding at her and exchanging a look with Isaac. "Now, all you gotta do is tell us where she is."
"Okay." Meredith paused. "If she tells me."
"If she tells you?" Isaac repeated, looking Meredith in the eye. She smiled awkwardly back at him and Isaac took a step back. "Can you ask her?"
"I already did." Meredith replied, proud of herself.
"Perfect. Perfect." Stiles nodded. "What did she say?"
"She said she doesn't want you to find them." Meredith responded.
"Them, her and the nogitsune, he's still with her?" Stiles asked.
"No." Meredith shook her head. "The other girl found her already, the pale one."
"Bianca?" Isaac demanded, fear lacing his tone.
"Yes." Meredith nodded with a smile. "Bianca."
"You're telling me that Bianca already found Lydia, and now they're both kidnapped." Stiles clarified, kneeling down to Meredith's height.
"Yes." Meredith said with conviction.
"You have to help us find them." Isaac demanded, stepping closer to Meredith. Stiles moved between them and pushed him back towards the bathroom.
"Can you give us a minute, Meredith?" Stiles asked kindly, and she nodded, darting her head back and forth to listen for sounds. "I thought Bianca was supposed to be with Allison."
"I told her not to go anywhere by herself." Isaac cried, pulling on his hair. "We need to do something, Stiles. Now he had Lydia and Bianca." Isaac snapped, pacing back and forth. "Maybe we should-"
"Isaac, we're not going to torture her." Stile cut him off, already knowing where he was going with that statement.
"I meant scare her." Isaac rectified.
"We're not going to psychologically torture her either." Stiles hissed, waving her hands dramatically.
"Fine. How about this?" Isaac offered. "You said she hears things, right? Yeah. Doesn't that mean she's like Lydia? A Banshee?"
"Shit, I think you're right." Stiles muttered, wondering how it hadn't occurred to him earlier. "Meredith," Stiles called, kneeling in front of her, "if Lydia can't tell you where she is, do you think the voices can?"
"They might." Meredith shrugged.
"Okay, just try to focus on the sounds around you." Stiles said hopefully. "On what you're hearing, just focus on the silence."
"Listen to the silence." Isaac corrected him, that's what Bianca did.
"Focusing on the silence." Stiles argued.
"Listening to the-" Isaac insisted.
"Okay, will you just let me handle this, Isaac." Stiles snapped. "Please? I just have more experience with Banshees."
"Yeah, and mental patients." Isaac muttered under his breath.
"Isn't anyone going to get that?" Meredith cut into their bickering.
"Get what?" Stile stuttered.
"The phone." Meredith said like it was obvious, confused as to why they weren't getting it.
"What phone?" Stiles asked.
Isaac tapped Stiles shoulder and pointed to his pocket. "The phone."
"Oh, the phone. My phone?" Stiles said, pulling it out of his pocket. "Yes. Hello. Yes, she's actually sitting right here." He handed it off to Meredith. "It's for you."
Meredith accepted it and placed it to her ear, both boys stared at her for a long moment before she gave Stiles back the phone. "They say coup de foudre."
"Coup de what?" Stiles muttered.
"What is that Spanish?" Isaac murmured.
"French." Scott said, sliding into the door. "It's French."
"Why are you here?" Lydia demanded, but nonetheless, pulled Bianca into a tight hug. "You shouldn't be here."
"You didn't think I wouldn't be able to find you?" Bianca asked, trying to ignore the flurry of ghosts following her every step. "Of course I would."
"Bianca, I can feel it, someone's-" Lydia pleaded.
"I know." Bianca whispered, shaking her head. "I know."
"They can't find us, they have to stay away." Lydia said.
"Well, that's just not going to be possible." They heard the nogitsune interrupt them.
"What do you want?" Lydia demanded, her and Bianca still holding on tight to each other as they backed up into a gate.
"My dear harbingers, I need nothing from them, only answers from you." He said menacingly, tracing a finger down Lydia's cheek. She winced back and a tear fell from her eyes. "Such pretty girls with such unique powers."
"What answers do you need from us?" Bianca asked, but her tone was shaking when he turned on her.
"Nothing yet." He assured her. "You were the stupid one, coming after her. Then again, I only needed one of you. Clearly I took the better one, because you look like you couldn't handle the psychological whispers."
"You said you wanted answers, right?" Lydia murmured, turning to look at him, forcing his attention away from Bianca. "Can you feel that? Because I can. You're nervous, aren't you? You know they're coming. You know they're going to kill you."
He slammed a hand against the wall and leaned in. "That's why I'm keeping you so close." Then he grabbed Bianca's arm and pulled them apart. "But there's no reason for her to be here anymore."
"Bianca!" Lydia shrieked, running after them. But she was shoved back into the gate, slamming her head on one of the bars.
"You shouldn't piss off your kidnapper." He warned, smiling satisfyingly when Lydia was awake, but didn't look like she'd be getting up.
"Lydia!" Bianca cried, wincing when his grip tightened to the point of bruising her. "Lydia!"
But it was too late, he had shoved her into what looked like an old office and locked her in. Lydia was still stuck wandering the tunnels, with only the screams of the dead to keep her company.
Bianca pounded on the door, calling Lydia's name, but eventually her voice grew hoarse, and she turned around. Facing all the dead Japanese American's and American's killed seventy years ago. She slid to the floor and closed her eyes, but no matter what, the eyes of the dead weighed too heavily on her.
Scott got out of the jeep, Stiles and Isaac following close behind them. Allison and Kira had arrived at the same time. None of them looked particularly optimistic about any of this. So they stood in front of the gates, all opinions about how this was a death sentence were unvoiced and hidden beneath a layer of adrenaline.
"We've done this before, guys. A couple of weeks ago we were standing around just like this and we saved Malia, remember?" Scott tried to sound hopeful and assure them that everything would be okay. "That was a total stranger. This is Lydia and Bianca."
"I'm here to save my best friends." Allison said, she sounded sure and fearless, but that didn't mean she was.
"I came to save mine." Scott said, looking at Stiles.
"I just didn't feel like doing any homework." Isaac added to lighten the mood, but they all saw how shaky his hands were.
"Stiles and I will look for the girls." Scott decided. "Kira, do you think you can handle your mom?"
"Definitely." Kira nodded.
"Be careful." Scott said to them all, and then he and Stiles disappeared into the building.
Kira on the other hand had Isaac and Allison follow her into the open courtyard, coming face to face with her mother.
"Kira, turn around and go home. Take your friends with you." She demanded, the oni standing behind her, ready to attack.
"I can't. When I looked at the game I realized who I was actually playing. You." Kira said, pulling her sword out. Behind her, Isaac already had his claws ready, eyes glowing, while Allison raised her bow. "Call them off."
"You think you could take him alive? You think you can save him?" Noshiko almost taunted them.
"What if we can?" Kira asked.
"I tried something like it seventy years ago. Your friend is gone." Her mother responded.
"Are you sure? Or if Stiles doesn't have to die. Maybe Rhys didn't have to die either?" Kira replied. This time, she was taunting her mother.
"I see I'm no longer the Fox now, Kira. You are." She seemed almost proud. "But the Nogitsune is still my demon to bury."
Noshiko was ready to take a step towards her daughter, even fighting her if it meant she would go home, but a force shook within her. A familiar one that struck her every time a kaiken was broken. She looked down into the palm of her hand, and the firefly she'd been using as a means of war, vanished in her hands.
"Mom?" Kira asked nervously.
"What is that? What does that mean?" Isaac demanded.
"It means there's been a change in ownership." Stiles' voice rang out, but this wasn't their Stiles. He was standing before them, all the oni appearing behind him. "Now they belong to me."
Things had gone from bad to worse. With the oni now being controlled by the nogitsune, they were thrown straight into battle.
Kira was fighting off two, glad that whatever powers she inherited, seemed to come naturally or else she'd be dead. One did manage to knick her, but it wasn't enough to stop her from fighting.
Isaac was on her other side, trying to keep as many of them off her as he could. Tackling them to the ground wounding them long enough to delay any attacks. They wouldn't stay down, but at least they weren't coming after them.
Allison was a little ways away, watching Isaac's back, but she was losing arrows quickly. All she'd taken was her bow, and she wasn't sure how long she could last in a hand to hand combat fight with old Japanese demons.
"How do we stop them?" Isaac screamed at Noshiko.
"You can't!" She cried, looking on in horror at what her mistake had cost these kids, her own daughter.
"Lydia? Are you all right?" Scott called, spotting the strawberry blond trapped in a circular room. He ran forward and shattered the lock keeping her in.
"No. No, no, no. Why are you here?" Lydia cried, pushing them away from her.
"Lydia, we're here for you and Bianca." Stiles responded.
"You weren't supposed to be here." She cried helplessly. "You didn't get my message?"
"Lydia, what's happening?" Scott asked her.
"It was bad enough that Bianca was here, but the rest of you had to stay away!" She snapped, her hands were shaking and she looked too panicked, stray tears falling down her cheeks. "Who else is here? Who came with you? Who else is here!"
"Everyone." Scott whispered regretfully.
"No." Lydia cried. "No, no, no." She pushed passed them both and ran up the stairs. "We need to find Bianca and get everyone out of here now!"
"Take Stiles and go find Bianca." Scott responded, tuning his hearing to the fight outside. "They need help."
"But, Scott-" Lydia protested.
"Please." Scott whispered. "Find my sister, and get out. I'll make sure everyone else does." He didn't leave her a chance to argue again because he'd taken off running and that left Lydia and Stiles to find Bianca in the tunnels.
"Come on." Stiles murmured, tugging her along. He was getting too weak, barely able to run anymore, but he was hoping the adrenaline high would be enough to get him out of here.
Lydia was already running, banging on doors and calling Bianca's name. Stiles close behind her.
They'd been running too long, and Stiles collapsed against a wall. "Lydia... Lydia, I can't... I can't…"
"Stiles?" Lydia called, almost like she was pleading. She could feel the anxiety bottled up in her chest. It was just a reminder of the death that was coming, but she couldn't figure out who's. All the names kept running through her mind, like fate hadn't decided yet.
Stiles clutched onto Lydia and she slid to the floor with him. "Go, Lydia, get out of here."
"Not without you." Lydia said, trying to get him standing.
"I can't." Stiles whispered, leaning back on the wall.
"No." Lydia snapped in shock, patting his cheek. "Stiles, wake up! Wake up!"
"Go, Lydia." Stiles whispered breathlessly.
Lydia held his face in her hands, thinking to herself that they shouldn't have come. That it wasn't supposed to be them, it wasn't supposed to be Stiles. Except she never expected it to be Allison.
Scott's heart stopped as he watched the oni pull the sword from Allison's body, and she collapsed into his arms. "Allison."
He cradled her close and his hands shook as she pressed a hand to her wound. "Did you find them? Are they okay? Are they safe?"
"They're okay." Scott promised her, brushing hair away from her face. "Yeah." He gripped her wrist and rubbed her skin, but nothing was happening. "I can't. I can't take your pain."
Allison gasped out a slow breath and smiled up softly. "It's because it doesn't hurt."
"No." Scott said, refusing to accept her dying.
"It's okay." Allison nodded, leaning into his touch as she brushed her cheek.
"Allison." Scott cried, his tears hitting her jacket.
"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay." Allison said, wanting to do nothing more than wipe them away. "It's perfect. I'm in the arms of my first love. The first person I ever loved. The person I'll always love." She gasped out through strangled breathes. Scott held her cheek and leaned his forehead down to touch hers. "I love you, Scott." She whispered, tracing a finger along his jaw. "Scott McCall."
"Don't, please, don't." Scott begged through choked sobs. "Allison don't, please." And as Scott pressed his lips down to her forehead, she was gone.
Bianca heard Lydia before she felt it. Lydia's voice pierced through the air and all the ghosts disappeared. One by one they all faded away. Lydia's scream hit her with a force, much harder than anything else she'd ever felt. It physically made her hunch over and gasp for breath, but she didn't have a moment because that's when she felt it.
When the cold spread through her fingertips and the sounds echoed across the back of her mind, she knew. Allison had died, and then she was there.
Her face was pale and perfect, like a porcelain doll, the sweet babydoll dress gave her a soft look, and she had a small smile gracing her pretty features. But it was all marred by the blood staining her lips, the blood dripping from her wound.
All day, Bianca had felt the fatigue, coughed up the blood, the radiating pain. She'd been wrong about predicting Lydia's death, or Stiles', because it was Allison.
"Ally." Bianca whimpered, backing up closer to the wall.
"It's okay." Allison whispered, shaking her head softly. "It's okay, Bianca."
"It shouldn't have been you." Bianca said. "I-"
"Don't." Allison said, biting her lip. "It's okay, my death isn't your fault, it's not on Lydia, or Stiles. Don't, please."
"Please don't go." Bianca cried, shaking her head in denial. "We need you, Ally. Scott needs you."
"You have to tell my dad." Allison said, breathing hard to keep her voice even. "That I killed one of the oni, with my silver arrow, promise me, Bianca, promise me you'll tell him."
"I-I-I won't." Bianca whispered, stepping back when Allison took a step forward.
"I'm already gone." Allison whispered sweetly. "And it's okay, I think I always knew, it would happen like this. So, I need you to promise me."
"Cross my heart." Bianca choked out, they were the same words she'd said to Boyd when he died.
Allison blew out a shaky breath and laughed lightly, but the sound was heartbreaking. "Tell everyone I'll miss them, and that I love them. I love you." Allison added with a soft tilt of her head. "Tell Lydia I love her too, and that she needs to stop being in denial about Stiles." Bianca just gave a watery smile and nodded.
"I'm not ready, Ally." Bianca said, taking in the sight of one of the best, bravest, strongest girl's she'd ever known.
"Take care of my dad, please." Allison added, taking a step closer to Bianca. They were nearly two feet apart now. "Without his family, my mom, and me. I just, make sure he'll be alright."
"Please, don't go." Bianca begged one more time.
"You know I have too." Allison replied, she looked so heartbrokenly sweet. "Bianca, tell Scott that all I want for him is to find love, and happiness."
Bianca sucked up a harsh breath and her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Allison was gone, she knew that, but she didn't want to accept it, not that it was her choice. So, she held out her hand, curling in on herself, but it shocked her when Allison threw her arms around Bianca's neck and hugged her tight.
It lasted less than a second, but Bianca clung to whatever form of Allison she could, savoring the last and final moment she'd ever get to talk, see, and hug her. But it wasn't enough, nothing would ever be enough again. Bianca felt her heart completely shatter and she fell to her knees, caving in on herself. Letting the numbness of the cold take her pain and dull the ache that would never go away.
Allison's death left an absence that Bianca could feel in herself, but in the other's as well, because one of them was gone. Allison had stood up and fought harder than any of them, she cared for them like family, and most of all, she had protected them better than anyone. They had all wished they died fighting by her side, but in the end, she had died fighting for them.