Yikes it's been a while.
Guest: Thank you!
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf, just Loki.
Loki's black motorcycle rumbled as she pulled into her normal parking space. She pulled her helmet off, shaking her hair out before she bunched her curls into a loose bun on her head. The werewolf rubbed the bridge of her nose, pinching the arch as though it would alleviate her exhaustion. Despite her promise to Scott, she hadn't slept much that night. Or the nights in the week that had followed. She'd kept herself busy with schoolwork and extra credit assignments, hoping that her one-week cram session would be enough to keep her grades high if she missed school every now and then, as she knew she would.
And even when she hadn't been studying, the apartment was driving her crazy. It was too quiet, too big, too empty without the twins and the rest of her pack. She missed them so much that it hurt.
Heaving a sigh, Loki slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed into school. She dropped her bag down in the empty seat behind Lydia, and pulled out her math textbook and notebook. A familiar voice caught her attention, and she looked up.
"I hate math," Malia was saying as she was herded into the classroom by her boyfriend. "It's pointless."
"No, school is important, and math is essential," Stiles argued, steering Malia into the seat next to Lydia. He sat down next to Loki.
"For what?" Malia demanded. Stiles shrugged, pulling his stuff out of his bag as he attempted to appease his disgruntled girlfriend.
"Knowing how much to tip at restaurants." Lydia turned around, and gave Stiles a deadpan, unimpressed look. The Banshee then turned towards Malia.
"And less important things like medicine, economics, engineering…" She shot Stiles another pointed look, and Loki laughed.
"Tipping," Stiles asserted, winking at Loki. The werewolf snorted, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. She winced as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. No matter how long she'd been in school, the bells still bothered her ears, especially when she wasn't paying attention.
"Alright," Ms. Fleming brought the class to attention at the front of the room. "Volunteers to the board. Lydia, Diego, Malia." The werecoyote stiffened. She stared at the teacher indignantly.
"Um. I didn't volunteer."
"You did now," Ms. Fleming said briskly. She nodded towards the chalkboard. "To the board." Stiles was grinning, giving his girlfriend two thumbs up, but the smile slid off his face when Malia turned around to look at him. She was growling under her breath, just loud enough for Loki and Stiles to hear. Lydia was already at the front of the room.
Malia shoved her chair back and stomped to the front of the room. She picked up a piece of chalk, writing 'x =' on the board before pausing. She stood there, motionless, and Lydia glanced over. Loki could hear Malia's rising heartbeat, and she tensed behind her desk, ready to usher the girl out of the room if she lost control.
A phone buzzed, and Loki turned her head. Stiles was watching Malia carefully, and Loki hissed his name. He looked at her.
"Stiles. Phone," she whispered. He blinked, and reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and glancing down at the screen. His eyebrows rose, and he blinked rapidly as he read the message. "What is it?" She asked, sliding over in her seat and angling her body so Ms. Fleming wouldn't see that Stiles was on his phone in class.
The human tipped the screen towards her so she could read the text. It was a notification of an article from a news app, and the sinister headline read: 'Triple Homicide, Developing…'
Loki exhaled slowly, and shook her head.
It was always something in this town, wasn't it?
Loki ditched her bike around the corner of the Walcott's house. The Walcotts were the family that had been killed last night. One of them, the younger son, had survived and was in the hospital. Even though Loki knew that the cause of death was very un-supernatural like, something about the deaths still bothered her. Besides, she'd spent so many years with Deucalion that she knew that there was almost always more than meets the eye with investigations like this. In her hand she clutched a piece of paper.
Loki rapped on the window of the cop car twice, smirking when Jordan jumped. He turned towards her, and seeing whom it was, rolled his eyes. He turned back to the photos of the crime scene. Loki tugged on the car handle, but it was locked. She scowled playfully at Jordan, and he relented. But not in the way Loki expected.
Instead of letting her in, Jordan opened the car door and slid out of the vehicle, turning towards her. His eyebrows were arched in exasperation, even as a smile pulled at his lips at the presence of the girl.
"Shouldn't you be at school?" He asked. Loki opened her mouth the respond, and he waved her off. "Wait, don't answer that, because I know. You're never where you should be." Loki cleared her throat and held up the piece of paper.
"Actually," she said pointedly. "I'm doing an independent study. I'm writing a paper on law enforcement and how it's evolved throughout time for extra credit and part of that entitles me to shadow an officer at Beacon County Sherriff's Department. My teacher, principal, and the Sherriff have already approved this. I asked if I could shadow you, and Stilinski told me to come here." Loki crossed her arms over her chest in satisfaction at the shell-shocked look on Jordan's face. He struggled to recover.
"What – what about your parents?" The smug expression on Loki's face flickered for a half a second, and she shrugged.
"They're comfortable with it, clearly," she said. She then leaned forward, tugging Jordan towards her by his jacket. "So what do you say? Can I shadow you?" Her voice was a low purr, dripping with gentle conviction. Jordan squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to focus.
"You're in high school." The words rasped in his throat, a mantra that he repeated consistently around Loki.
"I'll be nineteen in June," she reminded him. She arched a delicate brow. "How old are you, Deputy?" At this point, Loki wasn't trying to come onto him. She respected him enough to back off when he asked, she just liked to watch him squirm. So Jordan held her gaze.
"Old enough for this to be a bad idea," he said, motioning towards her. She laughed as she pulled back further, letting go of his lapels. "And," Jordan added, pointing at the paper in her hand. "Young enough for that to be a bad idea." Loki rolled her eyes.
"Whatever you say – " she broke of, tensing.
"What is it?" Jordan asked. Loki's eyes were focused beyond his shoulder, on the house. Jordan turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw a figure flit by the glass door. He put his hand on his sidearm, pulling it out and holding it in front of him.
"Stay here," he warned Loki. The young deputy approached the house slowly, pushing the door open with a slight squeak. He raised his voice. "Beacon Count Sherriff's Department! This is a crime scene, show yourself!" The person in the house turned around at the sound of the voice, a haze lifting off of her. She turned the corner abruptly, surprising the young man. He recognized the girl, and lowered his gun, his shoulders relaxing.
"Lydia!" Loki's voice sounded from behind Jordan, and he turned around in exasperation.
"I told you to stay at the car!"
"So? I never agreed." Loki passed the deputy, grabbing her friend's wrist gently. "Are you okay?" Lydia nodded slowly. She looked confused.
"Please don't tell me you have an independent study project too," Jordan said from behind the two girls. Lydia stared at Loki, raising an eyebrow. Loki smirked back.
"You got the independent study you were talking about at lunch approved in four hours?" Loki shrugged, a cocky expression plastered on her face. "That's impressive even for you." And then, turning to the Deputy: "I would try to explain it, but I've never gotten a satisfactory explanation myself."
"Just an unusual habit of showing up at places where people have been brutally murdered?" Lydia shrugged.
"Loki usually shows up at those places too," the redhead said, off-handedly. The werewolf grinned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What can I say? I'm curious."
"I'm aware," Jordan replied dryly. "Loki's clearly never heard the expression 'curiosity killed the cat.'"
"Curiosity may have killed the cat," Loki said airily as she cast her eyes around the house, looking for anything suspicious. "But satisfaction brought it back." Jordan scoffed from behind her and Loki's lips twitched at his irritation.
"Lydia shows up at these places before the news becomes public information – sometimes before the cops even know about it." Both girls turned towards Jordan expectantly, waiting for his conclusion as to why this happened. "Maybe she's psychic." Loki and Lydia exchanged an incredulous look.
"Don't tell me you believe all that," Lydia said, turning around and observing the empty house. There were blood stains on the carpet under their feet.
"I'd like to say I don't believe in anything," the deputy replied. "But I like to keep an open mind." Lydia was no longer paying attention, instead surveying the wooden molding on the wall in front of her. "But if you're looking for dead bodies, I think you're a little late." Instead of responding, Lydia moved forward. Her hands were shaking. Jordan reached out to her. "Lydia –"
"Wait," Loki said, grabbing his arm and pulling her back. "Don't distract her." She watching her friend in rapt attention, as Lydia pressed her hand against the wall, leaning her weight against it.
There was a faint click, and the secret door opened, cold condensation spilling out into the living room. Jordan's eyes were huge with shock, and he glanced at Loki, mouth open. She didn't look particularly surprised at Lydia's discovery, but she did appear apprehensive. After a moment of surprise, he snapped out of it, pulling out his flashlight and gun. He ducked into the tunnel, the two teenagers following closely behind.
The hallway turned off into a large room, one that looked like a walk-in fridge. Hanging from the ceiling were large bags, and although the cold kept whatever was in the bags from rotting, the smell of death was unbearable. Loki coughed, eyes watering at the stench.
"I think it's a game locker," Jordan said. He sounded confused.
"What, like for venison?" Loki asked, incredulously. She rubbed her hands together, her fingers already starting to feel numb. Jordan nodded, and a funny feeling suddenly tickled up Loki's spine – a sort of trepidation, a warning of what she knew was coming. One of Deucalion's old stories…
"Hunting's legal in some parts of the state, but…" Jordan continued. Loki's ears were ringing, and she stumbled forward, towards one of the bags. "Loki!" Without responding, Loki swallowed hard, carefully unzipping the bag nearest to her.
"What is it?" Lydia whispered, sounding like she didn't really want to know. Loki pressed her lips together, surveying the long-dead body of the woman in front of her. She closed her eyes.
"Not venison."
As the three stood in shock for a moment, Jordan gently guided Loki away from the body bag. She seemed to be in shock, but when Jordan touched her wrist, she snapped out of her state.
"Shit!" Loki whirled around, running back towards the tunnel they came through. She ran through the living room, ignoring Jordan and Lydia's cries of her name as she slid into the kitchen. She looked around wildly, praying for something, anything to destroy her theory.
There was nothing on the counter top – not a loaf of bread or a bowl of fruit. There was a toaster – unplugged – and salt and peppershakers, which Loki promptly turned upside down. Empty. All for show.
Loki yanked open drawers and cupboards, seeing nothing – no flour or sugar, no cutlery or plates or glasses.
"Loki, what are you doing?" Lydia sounded terrified, but Jordan wasn't there. Probably calling for backup and surveying the scene in the locker with more precision in order to give a coherent report. Ignoring her friend, Loki lunged for the refrigerator across the room. She yanked the doors open desperately, only to find –
Nothing. The shelves were bare, and the fridge was dark. Loki touched one of the metal ledges, and it was warm – room temperature. Like the toaster, the family had never even plugged it in.
And why should they? Why bother to waste electricity on that when you don't eat food. When you only eat…
Loki's mouth was bitter as she spoke.
"We need to call Scott. Now."
When Loki finally arrived at the hospital, Sean Walcott was already dead. The murderer had caught up to him. But not before the teenager had killed and eaten a deputy. Now, she stood on the roof of the building, watching as cops photographed the boy's bloody body. The Sherriff approached her and Jordan, acknowledging the werewolf with a nod before addressing his deputy.
"Let's get everybody off this roof," he said. "And see if we can stall the ME for five minutes. I've got an expert of my own coming in to take a look." Jordan stared at his boss in surprise.
"You have an expert on teenage cannibal?"
"Just – five minutes, Parrish." The young man sighed, nodding. He called to the other deputies on the roof before beckoning to Loki, but the Sherriff cut him off. "I need a word with Loki. She'll be down in a minute." Jordan nodded and he led the others of the roof, the door clicking shut behind them.
Faint footsteps caught Loki's attention, and she turned to see Derek standing over the body. She glanced back at the Sherriff, realizing quickly what he really wanted.
"Guessing you don't really want a word with me?" She asked, jumping up on the raised part of the roof and kneeling next to Sean's prone form.
"I was hoping you'd have one for me," Stilinski replied. "But we need to be quick about this. Scott said that he called himself a – win…win-something."
"Wendigo," Loki supplied. She glanced to Derek. "Cannibalistic shape-shifters." Derek nodded.
"But I haven't heard of them living in Beacon Hills for a long time. Must have been well-hidden." Derek looked around, as though something else had caught his attention. He breathed in deeply, trying to catch a scent. "How many people did Scott say were up here?"
"Just Sean and the axe-murderer who apparently has no mouth," the Sherriff said. "Either of you happen to know anything about that?" Derek nudged Loki, drawing her attention to bloody marks on the roof. It wasn't Scott or Sean's blood, and it was highly doubtful it was the axe-murderer's.
"There was someone else," Derek said.
"Yeah, another young male," Loki added. She curled her lip. "I can smell his fear." She looked up, making eye contact with the Sheriff. He looked concerned, and her next words didn't help. "And his blood."
The next day, Loki met her friends in the parking lot, in between two school buses. It was a relatively private place to talk, seeing as most people were in class, and those who weren't generally didn't hang out in the parking lot. As Scott filled the rest of them in on what had happened last night – how he'd bit a freshman, the one she and Derek and smelled on the roof – Malia was the first to speak.
"I'm not sharing my basement," she said obstinately, as usual jumping to the conclusion that affected her directly. Loki rolled her eyes at the were-coyotes single-mindedness.
"Actually, it's my basement," Lydia said coolly. "And my mom noticed how much you tore it up last time." Malia scowled, looking slightly offended.
"All right, she's still learning," Stiles defended his girlfriend as he draped an arm over her shoulder, rubbing her back. Malia relaxed slightly, leaning into Stiles' touch.
"And anyways, we're going to use the boathouse for Liam. It has support beams that we can chain him to," Scott added.
"Well, if no one else will address the gaping hole in this plan," Loki said, drawing everyone's attention to the dark-skinned girl. She raised an eyebrow at them. "How the hell are we getting him to the boathouse if he doesn't trust us?"
"Well, I say if it keeps him from murdering someone," Stiles began. "We just chloroform the little bastard and throw him in the lake." Loki shrugged, considering.
"I'm in," Malia stated, as Loki expected. Malia had the same violent urges that Loki was used to, having grown up with the twins, especially Aiden. Scott shook his head, looking exasperated.
"Okay, we are not killing or kidnapping him," the Alpha insisted.
"Then let's be smarter," Lydia insisted, flicking her red hair over her shoulder. She paused for a minute, thinking, and then continued. "We tell him there's a party and invite him." Scott nodded, but Stiles scoffed.
"Sorry, you're gonna ask out a freshman?" Lydia laughed, shaking her head.
"Nope. I was thinking we use the person who's used to tricks like this." A silence fell over the group as everyone's eyes turned to Loki. The werewolf had been slumped against the side of the bus, but at this, she straightened up. Her eyes bugged out as she stared at her friends in utter disbelief.
"No way! Are you kidding me?"
"You do have...experience with it," Scott murmured gently. But he looked uncomfortable as well, probably remembering the last time she'd been a honey trap was on him, and how that relationship had ended up progressing. Loki's face scrunched up.
"He's fifteen," she moaned. "That's weird."
"Oh, come on," Stile said encouragingly. "It's not like you'll actually be doing anything." Loki glared first at the human, and then at Lydia.
"Fine," she griped, slumping against the bus again. "But I need a car."
Loki spotted Liam exiting a classroom with his friend. She quickly dodged around another group of high school students before slowing her pace again. She touched him gently on the shoulder, and when he turned around, she offered him a winning smile.
"Liam, right?" The blonde nodded, his eyes wide as he stared at Loki. She smiled back encouragingly. "I'm Loki. I saw you playing yesterday – is your foot okay?" She mustered up as much concern as she could, over-acting. Liam didn't answer, just continued to stare at the girl in front of him. Loki fought the urge to roll her eyes as Liam's friend nudged him, bringing the freshman back down to earth.
"Uh –" the blonde started, cheeks flushing. "Uh. Yeah. I'm, uh. I'm fine." He elbowed his friend away. "Mason, go." Rolling his eyes, Mason turned around, leaving Loki and Liam alone at the side of the hallway. The human seemed mildly bemused as he left.
"That's good," Loki murmured flirtatiously. She reached up slightly to put her hand on his chest. Ugh, she thought. I hate this. "After all, you're such a good player. It would be a shame if you got injured before the team was even made." Liam's lips twisted up at the sickeningly sweet compliment, eating her words up. "I hear you're even a shoo-in for captain?" Sorry, Scott. Liam shrugged.
"I – I guess, yeah." Loki smiled again. She pursed her lips into a thoughtful pout, pulling Liam closer to her. His breath caught in his throat, as she leaned up, so that their faces were only inches apart.
"Would…you be at all interested in doing something tonight?" Loki asked suggestively. Liam nodded rapidly. "Great! There's this party…I'll pick you up at nine, okay?" Without leaving him a chance to protest, Loki swept away, disappearing down the hallway.
Liam stared after the junior girl, mouth slightly open. A slow grin spread across his face.
True to her word, Loki pulled up outside Liam's house at nine. She glanced nervously at the moon in the sky as Liam ducked into her – Lydia's – car. He probably wouldn't start shifting until moon high, which wouldn't happen for another few hours. But it was hard to tell with young werewolves.
As Loki whipped the car through a road in the woods, it was clear Liam was feeling the effects of the full moon. He was sweating slightly, and breathing hard. He kept wincing, like something was hurting him. Loki grimaced inwardly. She wanted to get to the boathouse as fast as possible, but she was already going way too fast.
"Where – uh – where's this party at?" Liam bit out.
"Lydia Martin's lakehouse," Loki replied, glancing at her young companion in the mirror. "Well, her late grandmother's," Loki amended. Liam nodded, but his breathing had become more labored. He pressed his fingers to his ears.
"Can you turn the music down?" he practically shouted. Loki cast a curious glance at him, then down to the car speaker. The music was playing extremely quietly. Still, she took into account his new sensitivity to sound, and turned the music off completely. Liam visibly relaxed, only to jump again when his phone buzzed. Holding it in front of his face, he peered down at the screen. Biting his lip, he glanced at Loki. "Who'd you say was coming to this party again?"
"Oh, everyone will be there," Loki replied quickly. She didn't want to come off as more of a creepy flirt than she already had. Liam would see soon enough that there weren't that many people there, and by that time, he would know why.
Loki threw another nervous glance at the moon, and then at Liam. He was now panting, a hard scowl etched onto his face as his hand gripped the edge of his seat. Loki sighed, pressing her foot on the gas harder, and watched the speedometer creep up to seventy miles per hour.
As Loki pulled the car up in front of the lake house, Liam glanced around suspiciously. There were only two cars and one motorcycle in the driveway, and the house was silent and dark looking. It didn't look like there was any sort of party happening around the immediate area.
"Where is everyone?" he asked, confused. Loki grabbed his arm, gently ushering him inside.
"Don't worry, they'll be here soon," she replied smoothly. "I told Lydia I'd get here a little early to help get things set up. Sorry, forgot to mention that earlier." Liam grunted suspiciously, but allowed her to pull him inside the house. As soon as Liam crossed the threshold of the house, Loki the smile dropped of her face and she slammed the door behind her, leaning against it. She braced herself slightly, concerned that Liam would try to fight his way out once he knew what was going on. The young Beta stared at the group of Loki's friends gathered in the darkened entry way and then back at Loki.
"What the hell is this?" He snapped, his face contorted into an ugly glare.
"It's for your own good," she replied, pushing him forward slightly. He crossed his arms over his chest tightly, scowling at the group of juniors in front of him.
"Think of it like an intervention," Stiles added. "You have a problem, Liam." Scott stepped forward, focusing on his Beta.
"And we're the only ones who can help."
As Scott broke the news to Liam about what was happening to him and about what the others were, he looked a combination of incredulous and annoyed. Finally, when Scott stopped talking, he nodded, looking unimpressed.
"Okay, let me get this straight…" Liam pointed at Scott and Loki. "Werewolf. Werewolf." He looked at Malia. "Were-coyote. Banshee." Lydia nodded, lips quirking up at the corner. Liam pointed to Kira. "Fox?"
"Kitsune," she corrected. She smiled at him gently. "But fox works."
"What are you?" Liam asked Stiles. Liam looked unconvinced that any of what they had said had been true, but he seemed to be playing along for the time being. The human rubbed the back of his neck.
"Uh, for a little while I was possessed by an evil spirit. It was very evil." Liam nodded, raising his eyebrows.
"What are you now?" Stiles shook his head, like he didn't understand the question.
"Better? Um…" Liam nodded again, and his gaze fell on the chains in the duffle bag. His jaw clenched, and Loki heard his heartbeat quicken slightly.
"Are those for me?"
"No," Malia responded. Her eyes glowed blue. "They're for me." That was clearly the wrong thing to do, because Liam's heartbeat picked up rapidly, and he backed away. Loki wrinkled her nose, the scent of his terror suddenly clogging her nostrils.
"How'd you do that?" He whispered.
"You'll learn," Scott said. "But first you have to get through the full moon." Liam shook his head, stepping backwards again, stumbling slightly. Loki touched his shoulder as though to steady him and he jerked away.
"The moon's already out," he snapped, turning to leave. Loki grabbed onto both of his wrists, bracing herself as he pushed back against her. His eyes widened when he felt her strength.
"And you're starting to feel something," Loki told him. It wasn't a question, it was a statement that she knew was true.
"I feel like I'm surrounded by a bunch of psychotic nut jobs," Liam growled. It was a human growl, not a wolf one. "You guys are out of your fucking minds. I don't know how you did that eye-thing, and I don't care." His voice rose into an angry shout. "I'm walking out that door right now, and if any of you try to stop me, I swear to – " Liam yelled out suddenly, clasping a hand to his ears and falling to his knees. He screamed again, pressing his hands harder into the sides of his head. Scott knelt beside Liam.
"Liam? Liam, what's wrong?" Panic edged the Alpha's tone as he stared at his distressed Beta.
"You don't hear that?" the blonde rasped out from where he was writhing on the floor. Loki moved to the window, looking out through the blinds. She bit her lip when she saw all the cars, all the people getting out of them.
"Shit," she muttered, running a hand through her hair.
"You said it was a party!" Liam defended himself. "I told my friend Mason."
"Yeah, yup. Shit. That's my bad," Loki responded, nodding her head as she observed the damage outside.
"Who'd Mason invite?" Stiles asked.
"Everyone," Loki muttered. She winced again, rubbing the back of neck. "Dammit." Liam groaned on the ground, and a scraping noise caught her attention. His claws were out, and they were gouging into the wooden slats of the floor, no doubt making marks.
"The floors!" Lydia gasped. "Get him off the floors." She started towards him, but Liam threw his head up, roaring. His eyes were golden. Lydia backed away quickly, wary of his sharp claws and uncontrolled anger.
"We need to get him to the boathouse!" Scott said. Kira and the Alpha pulled Liam off the ground, supporting and restraining him at the same time. They pulled him out of the room, towards the back door. At the same time, Malia fell forward, gasping. She braced herself against the table in front of her.
"Stiles," she hissed. He looked down at her, and she looked back, growling. Her eyes were shining again, fangs out. Sweat beaded across her forehead.
"Okay, yeah. Basement, now." He grabbed Malia in one hand and picked up the chains in the other. Lydia glanced back at him in incredulous shock.
"What am I supposed to do with the hordes of people gathering outside the door?" Lydia demanded. Stiles looked back, sighing.
"Lydia, who throws the best parties in Beacon Hills?"
"What?" She squawked. She threw her hands out. "Me! Obviously."
"Okay," Loki said, seeing what Stiles was getting at. "Then let's throw a party." She grabbed Lydia's hand, pulling her towards the door as she waved Stiles and Malia away. Loki glanced over her shoulder quickly to make sure the were-coyote was out of sight before the door opened. Once she knew they were, Loki threw the door open. Mason was in front of the crowd, and he looked slightly confused and apprehensive, probably by how long it had taken them to open the door.
"Hey," he greeted the two girls. "Are we in the right place?"
"For the party?" His friend next to him added. Lydia forced a smile onto her face.
"Absolutely," she gritted out. The crowd of people – all freshmen, Loki realized – cheered, and began to funnel into the house. Lydia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Come on." The Banshee stalked off towards the kitchen, leaving Loki alone in the entry way. The curly-haired girl sighed, brushing a hand across her face as she followed her friend, closing the door behind her.
Loki swerved around freshmen as she made her way to the kitchen. Someone had turned on the lights and put some music on. Even though Loki had long since mastered control over the full moon, her senses were still extra-sensitive, and she winced as someone turned the music up even louder.
When Loki reached the kitchen, she found Lydia facing off against a delivery guy with a keg of beer. The blonde freshman from earlier that night was there too, sniffing at a half-empty bottle of wine with interest.
"Who put that there?" Lydia demanded, picking up a wine glass that was balancing precariously on a MacBook laptop. "That laptop is two thousand dollars." She muttered. Lydia snatched the bottle of wine out of the freshman's hand. "And that bottle of wine is four hundred." Loki sighed, turning towards the salesman.
"How much?" She asked, politely as possible. He pulled a receipt out of his pocket and handed it to her. She studied it and then glanced back up at him. "What's the extra hundred dollars?" She snapped, folding her arms.
"I call that the 'Yes, you do look twenty-one to me,' surcharge." He responded, winking at the werewolf. She rolled her eyes, glancing at Lydia, who snatched the receipt out of her hand and dropped it on the table. The redhead looked out of the kitchen, frowning as she saw Mason walk up the stairs to the second floor.
"Let me get you some cash," she said, rushing out of the kitchen. She sounded distracted, all of her annoyance gone. Loki stared after her friend.
"Uh, I opened the wine," the freshman said, pulling his wallet out. "I should probably pay for the keg." The salesman smirked, letting the keg fall to the ground as he pocketed the money. Loki raised her eyebrows, surprised at the kid's generosity. He glanced at her, smiling. "Garret," he said, offering her his hand. She eyed him, a little confused, but shook it nonetheless.
"Loki." A smile stretched across his face at that, and Loki pulled back, unnerved. She wasn't sure why exactly, but something about the kid bothered her. And the name Garret…seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it. "I'm gonna see where Lydia went."
Loki headed upstairs, looking around. She couldn't hear Lydia anywhere, which was odd. Looking around a corner, she called her friends name softly. Someone grabbed her shoulder, and Loki jumped.
"My god," she hissed, relaxing when she realized it was just Mason. "What the hell?" He pulled back, looking a little surprised at her reaction.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Uh, Lydia's in there." He pointed down the hall to a room, and Loki stared at in confusion. The door was closed, but despite that and the music, she should still have been able to hear them inside. Straining her hearing, Loki focused for any sign of sound coming from the door. Nothing. "She spilled some wine on the carpet, and she's kind of upset. I told her I'd get some club soda or something." Loki nodded, distractedly.
"Okay, thanks." Loki walked down the hall, placing her hand on the doorknob. Before she could even twist it, the door flew open from the other side, and Loki jumped back. Lydia was there, her eyes wide. She had clearly been crying, her mascara was smudged and her nose was red, but now she looked focused. The redhead grabbed her friend's hand, pulling Loki into the room.
"You can't hear anything outside," Lydia said, closing the door. Sure enough, the music stopped.
"I couldn't hear you from outside either," Loki added.
"Soundproof?" Lydia muttered, dropping Loki's wrist and walking around the room. Loki stayed where she was, not wanting to distract her friend. Lydia's eyes fell on the record player on the opposite side of the room. As if in a trance – and she probably was – Lydia drifted over to the record, and turned it on. Loki heard nothing but the empty scratching of the disc, but Lydia was perfectly still, her head tipped like she was trying to understand something.
"Lydia?" Loki whispered. She didn't want to break the Banshee's focus. "What do you hear?" The teenager didn't answer for a while, and Loki thought that maybe she hadn't heard. But after a few moments had passed, Lydia responded.
"The key," she said. She turned to Loki, eyes bright and feverish. "The key to break the code."
Loki leaned over the redheads shoulder as Lydia pulled the code onto the screen of her laptop. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as the code downloaded. Finally, it beeped, and a small box opened up to type in. Lydia's fingers hovered over the keyboard for just a moment, and then she typed seven letters and hit enter.
ALLISON.
Loki shook her head in disbelief, watching the results tumble onto the screen. A list of names, each with a number next to them appeared. The family of wendigos, the Walcotts, was at the top, with the number two hundred fifty listed by each name. Loki's eyes traveled down the list, and she saw hers, in between Lydia and Scott's. But it didn't say Loki. It said her real name, Elizabeth Carter, and the number listed beside it was twenty-three.
"What is it?" Loki asked, unnerved.
"It's a list of all the supernaturals in Beacon Hills," Lydia replied. "It's a deadpool." Loki glanced back at the computer screen, a chill running down her spine.
"And we're all on it."
uh yeah. so that's that chapter.
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