I've been putting off writing this chapter for reasons you might easily figure out based on the contents, so I just want to apologize for it taking so long.
Reviews:
Bethisabear - Thank you! He really does deserve more love.
Warning: it does get a little dark since this is the episode where Stiles shows himself Void!Stiles and Isaac is put into a coma
"You'll never know what hit you
Won't see me closing in
I'm gonna make you suffer
This hell you put me in
I'm underneath your skin"
The Devil Within by Digital Daggers
A severed large wire whipped down from the roof of the hospital, and I ducked with a yelp before it hit me and dodged out of the way, tripping over my own feet in a hurry. My knees hit the pavement and I turned around to see an ambulance swerve, almost hitting Kira but instead hitting a fire hydrant.
Rushing over to Kira, I helped her up and we looked over the stalled ambulance and the water spreading from the broken hydrant with the severed wire sitting in the water. A dark car stopped before the enlarging puddle and we ran as far as the water's edge.
Allison and Isaac climbed out of the car, as Kira yelled, "Get back! Everyone, get back! Everyone, get back!"
I watched as Isaac pushed Allison away before the water reached him. Then he fell.
My heart dropped to my stomach. "Isaac!" Kira grabbed me before I could step forward.
"No," she gasped before the headlights of a car driving toward us blinded our eyes.
I fell onto the nearby grass when she shoved me back then leaped over the car herself, landing in the water unharmed. She snatched the wire from the air and capped the sparking end with her hand.
Someone knelt next to me and I looked up to see Noshiko staring at her daughter with wide eyes. A brief flash of pride at the sight of Kira absorbing the electricity was what I focused on until Kira dropped the powerless wire and my eyes found Isaac's lifeless body once again.
Picking myself up, I shoved away Noshiko's hand and ran past Kira, right to Isaac's side. I collapsed on my knees next to him, my breathing erratic. I barely registered the water no longer being electrified.
"Izzy, Izzy, can you hear me?" I said, tears welling in my eyes. My fingers on his throat could barely feel a pulse and I didn't see his chest move. "Iz-Izzy?" Derek knelt next to me, and I looked up at him. "He. . . he's not breathing. Der- he's not breathing!"
"Scott, Boyd!" Derek called, waving them over.
"He's not breathing," I repeated, shaking my head and staring down at Isaac. "He's not. . . he's not. . ." Warm arms wrapped around me from behind, using gentle force to pull me away. "He's not. . ."
"He'll be okay, Sara," the person behind me said, and they pulled me into their chest, making me look away from Isaac. "He'll be okay."
"He's not. . ." I choked back a sob.
"Shh, I know." Their hand stroked my hair as I buried my face into their chest.
He's not breathing. Isaac's not breathing. Izzy's not breathing. My best friend's not breathing.
Now I couldn't breathe.
The following two days passed slower than when staring at the clock in a class you find super boring. I could barely sleep. I couldn't eat. The only thing I could stomach was water which was apparent to Riichi who had taken to carrying around a water bottle and handing it to me every thirty minutes. There sat an empty pit in my stomach, gnawing at me from the inside out, tugging at my heart and leaving a lump in my throat. But all I could do was stare straight ahead of me, my mind replaying the night over and over again.
The electrified water reached Isaac's feet. His face blanked in shock. His body hit the ground. Blue eyes were wide open and empty.
It was a miracle he survived. That's what the doctors and nurses said. But they kept information about his progress quiet, or lack thereof.
We weren't family, they said.
But we were as good as.
Allison had joined Riichi, Boyd, and me the previous night, ending up falling asleep on my shoulder while Riichi fell asleep on Boyd's and Boyd was upright like an immovable tree, leaving me awake and alert. My brain wasn't letting me sleep for more than an hour at a time, tormenting with thoughts and images of Isaac not breathing and the pervasive voice of the nogitsune ringing through my head. If it was even the nogitsune and not my own fox spirit messing with me.
What was it that it had said in the time before the wire had swung down?
How are you going to tell yourself to leave you alone?
Stiles is possessed by a nogitsune, I'm going crazy, and Isaac is in the hospital. Great.
In the early morning after the forty-eight-hour mark of Stiles being missing and Isaac being in a coma, the elevator opened next to the bench the four of us were resting on. My ears picked up the sound, but my eyes didn't move from the fixed point they had found on the wall in front of me. Boyd jerked awake at the sound of the elevator, accidentally waking Riichi, and Allison twitched from my shoulder.
The three of them looked up at who had left the elevator. "Have you guys been here all night?" a voice asked, which I immediately recognized as Scott's. It was soft, concerned, as usual. One thing we could always count on was Scott's stability, I supposed, but it did nothing to lessen the uncomfortable knots in my stomach, only relieving some tension in my shoulders.
"Some of us for the past two days," Boyd said gruffly, reaching up to his eyes.
"They won't let us see him because we're not family," Allison explained. "We told them he doesn't have any."
"He's got us," another voice said, and I looked up that time to see Melissa standing beside her son. She pulled something from her pocket and held it up. "And I've got a key card." The only good thing to come out of the last couple of days. Melissa McCall coming to save the day.
We all stood, following Melissa right down the hall to Isaac's room, and I trailed behind with my expression blank.
Melissa swiped her card at the door and said, "Be quick."
I shuffled over to Isaac's side with Riichi and Boyd, standing opposite of Scott and Allison. I let in a sharp intake of breath as I zeroed in on the damage he had taken from the electrified water. The skin on the right side of Isaac's body was blackened, charred. Dead. It was surrounded by white and yellow skin. The only reason he was alive was because of his werewolf-itude. If I remembered correctly, two people had died that night by stepping into the water, but Isaac survived. A medical miracle.
"I thought he'd be healing by now," Allison said.
"So did I," Scott agreed.
From beside me, Riichi pulled his water bottle from his bag, opened the lid, and streamed water from it with his powers, bringing it down directly to Isaac's charred skin on his neck, shoulder, and arm. The water glowed the bright healing blue.
"Is he in pain?" Allison asked.
Both Scott and Boyd reached out, placing their hands precariously on Isaac, and black veins popped from their hands. Scott nodded in answer to Allison's question, and both werewolves grimaced in pain as they took Isaac's. In reaction to the change, Isaac gasped before settling back on the pillow. Boyd hugged his hand to his chest when he pulled away, and Scott had a similar reaction.
Riichi shook his head. "It's not working as well as it should be," he said, adjusting the placement of his hands as small beads of sweat formed on his forehead. "I think it's because of the electrical current. The high voltage is still affecting his ability to heal. His body is almost rejecting my healing." A sliver of the charring and blistering lessened beneath the water then Riichi jerked his arms back, panting like he had run a mile. The water was absorbed into Isaac's skin. "I'm sorry, but that's all I can do unless I. . ."
"It's okay," Scott said. "Thank you for trying."
Allison looked up with a hard gaze. "Did Stiles really do this?"
"It's not Stiles," Riichi corrected quickly. "The nogitsune inside him did. It's controlling him. Just because it looks like him, it doesn't mean Stiles has any control. He might not even know what his body is being used for."
Scott seemed to recognize what he was getting at. "Like a fugue state."
Reluctantly nodding, Riichi crossed his arms. "He's trapped in his own mind with no way out."
"How do we get it out of him?" Boyd asked, adjusting his weight. "Preferably before something like this happens again?"
"Have you heard of a way?" Scott asked, and I could feel his gaze on me, but I continued staring at Isaac, completely helpless to do anything. There was nothing I could do or say that could fix what was going on.
You only do fire.
Riichi was quiet for a few moments as well, as if waiting to see if I would answer. But I didn't, so he did. "No, only how to kill it with the host."
Adonis: I was thinking about going to Sinema on Friday, wanna join?
Adonis: They're doing a theme night.. guess what it is?
Adonis: It's something I think you'll like
At lunch, I stared down at my phone, picking at my sandwich absent-mindedly as another message popped up on the screen.
Adonis: Princess?
I hadn't answered his texts all day, and since we had a habit of quadruple texting each other, he didn't seem to get the hint that I perhaps wasn't wanting to talk to him, especially since we hadn't texted over the last two days anyway, so there was no reason for Brett to think something was wrong. Well, until now since he knew it was lunchtime for Beacon. And I always answered at lunch.
A small sigh escaped me, and I typed out a quick message and pressed send.
Me: Sorry just not really up for conversation
He replied quickly.
Adonis: Everything okay?
Adonis: Anything I can do to make you smile?
If he had magical healing powers that could do better than Riichi's, I'd marry him, but I seriously doubted that was even remotely possible. The sentiment was appreciated though.
Me: Just being yourself I guess
"Got a ring, yet?"
I looked up at the sound of the teasing voice to see Lydia smirking playfully at me from the other side of the lunch table. Allison sat next to her, Kira was beside me, and all three were staring at me. But Lydia was attempting to be distracting and playful while Allison and Kira showed their concern.
"Nothing?" Lydia pressed. "Not even name?" I shook my head and locked my phone, setting it aside. It dinged again with a text, making her give me a look. "Oh, come on. Something's gotta go right here."
"I know you're trying to. . ." I trailed off and cleared my throat, not having spoken more than a few words in the past few days. ". . . cheer me up or something, but it's not going to work. I just. . ." Ducking my head, I slouched against the table.
"It's okay," Lydia said. "We understand. But maybe indulging in teasing will help, too." She gave me a sweet smile which was nice to see. None of us had been smiling much. So while it was forced in an effort to provide some distraction for the group, I did appreciate it. It was just difficult to find happiness when everything seemed too bleak.
"Can we at least ask who it is?" Kira wondered, gesturing to my phone.
I picked up my phone and spun it around a few times in my hand, giving up on even trying to eat any of my food. "I've been sorta seeing someone." Tapping my phone on the table, I set it back down but kept my hand on it. "It's really only sex and some banter, but uh, it's been an okay distraction over the past few weeks. Though it's a little hard to allow the distraction right now."
Allison leaned forward, more interested than ever, similar to her reaction at the start of the semester when we saw Ethan and Aiden in the library and Lydia said she wanted one. "Anyone we know?"
I quickly shook my head. "Oh, no, no. Different school." A small smile pricked at my lips as I thought of Brett. "It's just kinda nice to talk to someone who has no idea what's going on and doesn't want to fix it for you, you know?"
"Sounds like me over the summer," Lydia pitched in helpfully, plucking her drink from the table and bringing it up to her mouth. "Escape and evade. But that's not always sustainable."
I distinctly remembered hearing a thing or two about her exploits whenever we hung out over the summer, though I hadn't fully made the connection of it being a distraction for her. But it made a lot of sense since she had been struggling with her and Jackson's breakup and him moving to London. The guy was a grade-A asshole, but she loved him anyway, so it had to hurt. She hid it well though. The distractions she found herself probably helped take her mind off of things, like how Brett was able to distract me long enough to quiet my mind.
Sometimes you just need a distraction. Something to occupy your mind. Not everyone could find it in mindless sex like Lydia or a friends-with-benefits situation like me. Other times, people needed friends.
I sat up straight. "You know what? Maybe you're right," I said. "I should try to think positively. Positive thoughts. . ." I trailed off again. Friends, support. That's what being human was about, finding companionship. I'm not fully human, but shutting off my human side would be a bad move. Kitsune weren't known for their compassion. That's what made a nogitsune the most dangerous; they didn't have anything or anyone to ground them. My eyes met Allison's, giving me an idea. "Allie, when Isaac finally wakes up, do me a favor?"
She looked a tad confused but seemed willing to hear what I had to say. "What?" She tossed a cashew into her mouth while studying me.
"Ask him out." I scoffed and allowed a smile. "The stars know he won't do it first since you scare the ever-loving fuck out of him, and he's worried about dating Scott's ex-girlfriend. He talks a big game, but that's mostly it. He just needs a push."
A blush crept onto her cheeks as she let a bashful smile spread. "When we were going to talk to Katashi, I kissed him."
Lydia gaped and jumped in her seat to fully face her best friend. "And when were you going to announce this fun fact?"
Allison shrugged with a small laugh. "Well, we've kinda been a little busy and focused on more important things." More important things like demonic possession and critical injury, yeah, but damn, it was great to hear they'd finally kissed. It was about time.
"He might be a little difficult sometimes, but. . . he's still my best friend," I told her softly. "Take care of him."
She nodded. "I will."
Lydia clapped, beaming from ear to ear. "Finally! I don't have to worry about you two anymore." She turned abruptly to Kira who twitched at the sudden attention. "Now time for you."
"For what?" Kira asked, utterly clueless.
"You and Boyd, of course," Lydia said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's notoriously difficult to get a reaction from, but he hovers around you."
Kira shook her head. "He's just. . . being friendly?" She offered up an awkward almost-grin then noticed my raised eyebrow and dropped it. "Okay, so what do I do?"
"Boyd appreciates companionship," I offered. "Keep being his friend, listen to his troubles, make him your first choice."
"Well, that advice could be given to just about anyone," Lydia pointed out.
I frowned at her with a tilt of my head. "But that's what Boyd cares about above all else. It's the whole reason he accepted the bite. Friendship, loyalty, a bond. And I don't think he'd ever make a romantic move on someone he didn't already share those with. He's not the kind of guy into big spectacles or grand displays of love."
Lydia hmphed and nodded. "You've got a point. Suppose I'm just used to guys who go after what they want the moment they want it."
Allison grinned. "And that's why you don't have the best taste in guys."
"Hey!"
Kira, Allison, and I burst into laughter at Lydia's indignation. Eventually, Lydia joined in, too.
During the last period of the day, I received a text from Lydia saying that she and Allison were going to talk to Peter and that if neither of them got in touch with me within the next twenty-four hours to kick his ass. It was an interesting text to receive but alright, so I wished them good luck. And Kira told me she was joining the cross country team after school since she was on the team at her school in New York and wanted to continue here even with everything going on.
I assumed that the sport was going to be her chosen distraction, so I was glad she found a way to find a sense of normalcy, but I did warn her that kitsune are naturally quick and to try not to show it too much since she had come into her powers and would be faster than she was previously. She seemed surprised at the revelation, and I had a sneaking suspicion she was going to forget my warning the moment she started running and felt the unfamiliar surge of power.
Which left me alone.
Smacking my phone with my hand as I stood in front of my locker with the school day coming to a close, I had no idea what I wanted to do. Riichi would be at the clinic with Deaton. Parents at work. I didn't want to go see Peter with Lydia and Allison. Scott and Boyd were on the cross country team with Kira hoping to join, though Scott was only there because it was required for lacrosse. Non-family weren't allowed in to see Isaac. Derek was doing who knew what.
Aw, is the kogitsune all alone? a menacing voice asked in my head.
Gritting my teeth, I set a hand on the edge of my locker door, gripping it tight at the sound of the voice returning. You've been oddly quiet these last few days, I replied. It made me wonder what the nogitsune had been up to.
Miss me?
My phone dinged, breaking my glaring at nothing. Scott's contact lit up the screen.
Wonder Pup: Parking lot NOW
Scott was never demanding. Ever.
I slammed the locker door shut and ran down the hall, weaving through the few students that were filling the hall then burst through the front doors. Hurrying down the stairs, I almost tripped over my feet when I saw Stiles starting up his Jeep. Scott caught my eye and waved me over with panicked eyes and frantic movements. Ethan and Aiden zoomed by on their motorcycles as I ran over to the Jeep.
"Get in," Scott said, holding open the passenger door. "We'll explain on the way."
I tossed in my bag, which Boyd already in the backseat caught, then climbed into the back of the Jeep. Scott got into the passenger seat, and the moment he closed the door, Stiles started driving.
Glancing down at the phone in my hand, I reread Scott's text. It had arrived the moment after the nogitsune's haunting voice asked if I missed it. And there sat Stiles, driving his Jeep as though he hadn't been missing for over two days.
"What's going on?" I asked when Stiles pulled out onto the road after leaving the school parking lot. "Stiles, where have you been?"
"I-I don't know, okay?" he replied, his hands twitching at the wheel. "Not for certain. But I had a blueprint of the hospital's electrical wiring covered in my handwriting along with a bunch of other stuff that did not look good. A-and there was a map with the cross-country trail highlighted up to the Tate car."
"Where Tate put out bear traps," Boyd added.
"But didn't Noah make Tate collect all the traps?" I pointed out. "So are we thinking there might be others he didn't put away or that there are traps that the nogitsune put out? Because those are two very different lines of thought."
The car went dead silent, everyone looking off in a different direction. Well, that answers that question, I thought and slouched back in the seat, crossing my arms over my stomach. The silence prevailed over the gears turning in everyone's head as we continued to the forest preserve.
Sara.
Twitching in the seat, I said in my head, Now is not the time.
When my name was repeated again, I realized it wasn't in my head. Looking up, I saw Stiles looking at me in his rearview mirror with sad eyes. Everything about his face screamed innocent, regretful, and exhausted, but he was still possessed by the nogitsune, and they're the biggest tricksters of all the kitsune. I didn't know for certain if he was really Stiles at that moment or not. And the shittiest part was how there was no possible way to know.
But there was still that familial pull I felt toward him like I felt toward Kira, Noshiko, Riichi, and my mom. And he still wore my fucking beanie.
"I just-" he started when I looked back at him, but he cut himself off, glanced at the road, then tried again. "About Isaac. . ." From the corners of my eyes, I spotted Scott and Boyd shaking their heads at him. Stiles ignored them. "I'm sorry."
How could I even respond to that? Either it was the nogitsune subtly taunting me by bringing up Isaac and the injuries he sustained because of the nogitsune, or it truly was Stiles who was trying to be sincere and apologize for something that wasn't even his fault. So the only thing I could think of doing was giving him a nod then looking out the window, leaning my head on the side of the Jeep.
Silence spread between the four of us once again as Stiles sped through the streets and soon after skidded to a stop at the start of the cross-country trail at the preserve. We quickly hopped out, stunning Finstock with our presence. And Aiden was running over which meant Ethan was likely getting Danny.
"Coach!" Stiles said as we ran toward Finstock, but Boyd, Scott, and I continued running past him, leaving Stiles to explain the situation.
We had to find Kira and the rest of the team.
"Kira will have passed everyone," I told them.
"I'll cut through the woods and cut her off," Boyd said veering away from us.
"Wait!" Scott exclaimed before Boyd ran off. Scott tilted his head like he was listening to something. "The rest of the team isn't very far behind. This way!" He led the way through the woods then pointed off in the distance. "She's over there."
Boyd started toward her. "On it."
Scott waved for me to follow him up the small hill. I could some of the team a short ways off.
Before we made it to the team, we heard Stiles yell, "Scott!"
Scott caught me by the waist before I could continue hurtling forward. "That can't be good," I heard him say. We quickly turned around and ran toward Stiles' frantic call, in the direction of where Boyd and Kira were.
Coming up behind Boyd and Kira, we saw Aiden, Stiles, and Finstock running toward them and Stiles ordered, "Stop, stop, stop! Everyone stop!" Finstock and Aiden stopped just behind Stiles while Scott and I joined Kira, watching as Stiles looking down at the leaf-covered forest floor. He knelt, rustling through the dead leaves with his hands as the rest of the cross-country team joined us.
Stiles grabbed a hold of the end of a thick chain and slowly began lifting it up, following where it led to until it reached. . .
Nothing.
There was nothing at the end of the chain.
My expression twisted up as I glanced up at Scott beside me, and he looked just as confused, though it was laced with some concern as well. I could understand why. Concern for his best friend, sure, but also concern that this was all a trick and there was something far worse in store. I was banking on that, too. Boyd and Kira seemed to think something was wrong too since they both held onto each other just a little tighter.
Finstock started clapping with a slow, sarcastic rhythm. "Congratulations, Stilinski. You found a length of chain." He took a few steps forward as Stiles stared down at the chain in his hands then began looking around, undoubtedly trying to figure out whatever it was he had missed. "Can somebody now please tell me what the hell's going on?"
Scott caught it before anyone else did, yelling out, "Hey, Coach!" But it was too late.
I jumped back at an arrow hitting Finstock just below his chest. Kira and a few others gasped, everyone staring in shock.
"Oh, crap," Finstock muttered then fainted, hitting the ground on his back.
We all surged forward, surrounding the now unconscious Coach Finstock. Scott, Aiden, and Stiles knelt by his side with Stiles placing his hands around the wound.
As I was pulling out my phone to call an ambulance, Finstock came to with a shout, making everyone jump away. And he continued screaming while I stepped away to make the call. Scott caught my eye and he saw what I was doing, gave me a nod, then focused on his coach.
"911, what's your emergency?" the dispatcher said.
I winced at the sound of Finstock yelling in the background for them to pull the arrow out. "The cross-country coach was shot with an arrow in Beacon Hills Preserve."
"You said they were shot with an arrow?" the dispatcher repeated, and I could hear minor disbelief in her voice.
I refrained from sighing, knowing it sounded completely ridiculous. "Yes, Coach Bobby Finstock in Beacon Hills Preserve. We're about half a mile from the south entrance to the preserve, following the trail north."
"Stay on the line while I dispatch someone to your location." It was silent for a few quick moments before I heard her voice again. "Help is on the way. Can I get your name?"
"Sara Todd."
"And is your phone number the same one you're calling from?"
"Yes." I rattled off the number to be sure.
"Thank you. Did you see it happen?"
"Yes."
"Can you give me a description of the shooter?"
Patience was not my strong suit no matter how much I knew the person was just doing their job. "There was no shooter. Finstock hit some sort of tripwire or something and the arrow came out of nowhere. Hit him in the abdomen. Someone has their hands placed on the wound to help stop the blood flow, but the arrow is still in him." Behind me, the screaming stopped, and I glanced back to see Scott holding his hand, doing what looked like taking the pain away. "I think he just passed out."
"How many people are at the scene?" she asked.
I turned to the cross-country team. "I don't know, about twenty or so students. It's the whole cross-country team."
"We're sending police and an ambulance. If anything changes before they get there, please call back."
"Will do."
The dispatcher bid farewell then I hung up and joined the group, standing between Kira and Ethan. "An ambulance is coming," I told them, glancing over at Boyd on the other side of Kira. "And the police."
"Meaning Stiles' dad, probably," Ethan said, keeping his voice low so only we'd hear. "A little higher and Coach would be dead."
"I was almost hit with that," Kira muttered, staring at the arrow sticking out of Finstock's gut. "It would've been in my chest. It would've killed me."
Boyd tightened his arm around her back. "But you weren't."
"Because of you. Thank you."
He gave her a gentle smile. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
I couldn't see Kira's face, but I was definitely blushing for her, uncomfortable standing next to them at such a tender moment. I had to refrain from clearing my throat. Then I spotted Danny about a foot away looking all dirty and concerned for his coach. An inkling feeling of Ethan tackling him to get him to stop crossed my mind.
Looking up at Ethan, I asked, "So, he's putting the moves on her, you gonna put the moves on Danny Boy?"
He rolled his eyes with a groan. "Now is not the time."
"Lame."
It took about five more minutes for an ambulance to arrive, followed shortly by two squad cars. One with Noah Stilinski who seemed incredibly glad to see his son again.
While EMTs got to work quickly on Finstock, stabilizing the wound and loading him up on a stretcher, the deputies from the second squad car began taking names and statements, first talking to me as the 911 caller. Once they were done with me, I joined Scott and Ethan at Stiles' Jeep. Ethan was digging through the back and Scott seemed to be in shock.
Setting a hand on Scott's shoulder broke him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" I asked.
Scott set his hand over mine, taking it from his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah." He nodded a few times and took in a deep breath before focusing on me. He didn't seem to notice himself still gripping my hand, but I found I didn't mind him holding it for reassurance. "Are you? Boyd said you hadn't been talking after. . ."
"I'm okay, all things considered." Waving my free hand toward the ambulance that the EMTs were loading up with a still unconscious Finstock.
"You don't have to brush it all aside, you know? It's okay to not be okay."
Before I could reply, the conversation was interrupted.
"Hey, guys?" Ethan said from the back of Stiles' Jeep. "You better look at this."
We shuffled over to see Ethan digging through a black duffle. He held up a box of nails and Scott picked up the wrapping paper. "This is the same wrapping paper we used on Coach's birthday present," Scott said.
"Wasn't that William Barrow's thing?" Ethan asked. "A bomb made from nails and bolts, all wrapped in a birthday present?"
My eyes widened. "That went off in a school bus."
Everyone rushed back to the school after Noah called it in, though we couldn't drive nearly as fast as the police could. Scott, Ethan, Aiden, Boyd, and Kira went to their respective locker rooms to change into their regular clothes while the police and school staff finished clearing the bus lot, leaving me with Stiles.
He was fidgeting and acting more anxious than usual, making me want to reach out and give him a hug or something, but I knew that was the kitsune connection talking. Under normal circumstances, Stiles and me hugging sounded odd. I wasn't a hugger unless extremely comfortable with the other person.
Then he abruptly reached up and pulled my beanie from his head, holding it out to me. "I almost forgot I stole this," he said, offering an awkward half-grin and chuckle.
"Thanks." Grabbing the beanie from him, I shoved it into my jacket pocket then folded my arms over my chest. "If you took it while not almost dying or possessed, I probably would've hit you."
Stiles huffed which turned into a short laugh. "I can imagine." He rocked on his heels, shoving his hands in his pockets. His gaze avoided mine before snapping up to me. "Sara. . ." Clenching his jaw then sighing, he shook his head. "I'm really sorry about Isaac. You probably hate me now, and I get it, I deserve it. I cut the wiring and set up the tripwire and made the-"
"Stiles," I interrupted, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder to get him to shut up. No one needed to hear about how he made the bomb because I guarantee people would immediately catch on to what he was saying if he said that word. "It's not you, okay? We all know it's not you."
"Except it still is me. My body, my mind it's using." Tears sprung up in his eyes. "I know it's still there. A-and I don't know what to do."
"Look, I don't know what I can say to ease your mind," I said honestly. "It'll probably always suck, knowing that it was sort of you, but listen when I say that it's not the same. You're not choosing this. You didn't ask to have a fox spirit invade your body and take over. You didn't ask it to jerk people around on goose chases or cause mortal harm. So shut up, and let's try and fix it, okay?" When he didn't say anything, I gave him a pointed look. "Okay?"
He reluctantly nodded. "Okay."
"Good."
Scott, Ethan, and Aiden rejoined us barely a minute later, sans Boyd and Kira. After Scott quickly explained that Kira saw her dad acting a little shady and going back into the school, the two decided to follow him. Then the students crowding around the outside of the bus lot began to quiet a young deputy walked up to the door of the bus dressed in tactical gear, gave Noah a tense glance, then climbed into the bus where a student sat with a birthday present.
Scott had mentioned he heard one of the teachers say the student on the bus was Jared, who had quit cross-country after the trip to the motel earlier in the semester. I couldn't blame him since Stiles had intentionally made him throw up on the bus to get Finstock to pull the bus up to a rest stop. I wouldn't want to be on a sports team with a teammate like that either. Poor guy just had to pick up a potential bomb though, right? Totally his semester.
My fingers were drumming on my knuckles as the deputy walked down the aisle of the bus, and a hand settled on top of mine, bringing my fidgeting to a stop.
Looking up I saw Scott with his concerned puppy-dog eyes, so I shoved my hands in my pockets to wait out the tense scene instead. He meant well, but Scott holding my hand wasn't something I wanted while we were waiting to learn if the bomb was real or not.
The wait didn't last long as the deputy stood and walked the length of the bus then pressed something against the windshield. I had to do a double-check. "Is-is that a nameplate?" I asked quietly, glancing at the guys. But they looked just as confused as I did.
Noah slowly turned around, muttering to himself, and Scott said, "Oh, no," as Noah then used his radio. Scott looked between Stiles and me, the two people without super-hearing. "It's at the Sheriff's Station."
Scott, Stiles, and I rode to the station in Stiles' Jeep. I shot a quick text to Boyd and Kira saying where we went, but I had no idea what the twins decided to do. We arrived shortly after Noah and followed him inside as the sun was setting, seeing the station in chaos and shambles.
My eyes immediately caught Chris and Derek in front of the blown-out windows of Noah's office. Noah was barking orders in the background, but I rushed over to Chris who was keeping Derek upright. A pale, weak-looking Derek.
"I'm okay," Derek said as I went up to them. "I'm okay. I'm okay."
Looking at his back told me another thing. "No, you're not. You need to sit down." His back, particularly his upper back, was riddled with glass and wood shards sticking out of it, so he must've been pretty damn close to the blast, but Chris looking unscathed aside from a few cuts and a lot of dust.
"I'll heal," he replied gruffly, but he still allowed me and Chris to guide him to the bench and ease him down.
Chris looked at the werewolf in shock and said, "You saved my life."
That clued me into why Chris seemed unharmed while Derek was all cut up: Derek had shielded him from the blast. I had no idea what to say to that and Derek seemed to be in too much pain to respond, so I sat next to him, gently turning his torso to face Chris. "Hold still," I whispered, not wanting the rest of the station to know what I was about to do. Meeting Chris's eye, I pointedly glanced down then back up at him, silently urging him to take Derek's hand. He seemed to get the gist when I wrapped my fingers on a shard of glass sticking out of Derek's back. "This is gonna hurt, Der."
Derek took in a haggard breath. "Just do it."
Sharply tugging on the glass, he hissed as it slid out and I dropped it immediately after. After taking out two more, Chris stopped me from doing more and gestured to Kira and Boyd who just arrived with panicked, desperate expressions.
"Go," Chris said. "I've got this."
"Thank you." I stood from the bench and met up with the group just as Scott had turned in my direction.
Scott grabbed Stiles and me by the arms and guided us out. "We've gotta hurry," he said.
The moment we all shoved into Stiles's Jeep, with Boyd, Kira, and I squeezed into the back, Kira explained how they watched her mom break two daggers while talking about Oni and how "these ones will be stronger" while Stiles drove on the roads with rain beginning to come down. As if the day couldn't get worse.
"Her tails," I quickly explained. "We can manifest our tails in physical forms, usually weapons. They're imbued with some of our power, and the more we have, the more powerful we are. By breaking them, we sacrifice our power to summon Oni."
"We better get to the animal clinic," Scott said.
"The animal clinic?" Kira repeated with an odd look.
"Yeah, the place is lined with Mountain Ash, just like my house. It will buy us some time."
"It barely kept them at bay for an hour last time," Boyd pointed out helpfully. "Let's hope it's built stronger than your house."
"Nobody's got any better ideas?" Stiles asked, looking particularly at Scott and me, but neither of us said anything. Stiles nodded, not pleased. "Okay, sure, animal clinic."
We made it there in record time, all of us hopping out of the Jeep the moment Stiles stopped the car in front of the back entrance, and we were immediately soaked to the bone by the downpour. Running to the back door, I stopped in my tracks when I heard the familiar sound of mechanical snarling and whipped around to see three Oni materializing from the darkness, staring straight past everyone, directly at Stiles.
"Stiles, get inside," Scott said, tossing his keys over.
Don't let them hurt me.
My eyes flared bright orange at the voice invading my mind, and I attacked the nearest Oni with a war cry. Sounds of fighting joined the pattering of rain. All I could see was the neon green of their eyes and the shadows surrounding them while dodging the slice of their sword, and all I could feel was the urgency to protect my friends as the rain soaked me to the bone, freezing my skin and threatening to freeze my nerve.
The Oni stabbed through the air, and I barely had time to dodge the blade and throw my fist toward the Oni's chest. My hand lit up in red flames, burning bright despite the rain, and it broke through the shadowy fabric that covered the Oni from head to toe.
I stared at my fist sitting in the Oni's chest and looked up into its eyes. For a moment, I thought it was just as confused as I was, but I felt something against my palm that hadn't been there before. Ripping my hand out of the demon, I opened my hand and saw a firefly flickering against my skin in the night. Then it dissolved into a shadow.
Snapping my head up, the Oni in front of me did the same thing: became nothing more than a shadow.
"Sara!"
Almost not registering the cry of my name, I spun around as quickly as I could only to watch as an Oni stabbed Scott. An attack that had been meant for me.
"Scott!" I gasped, catching him as he fell and Kira clammed her foot as hard as she could into the Oni, pushing it back long enough for Boyd to help me pull Scott with us.
"Alright, come on," Stiles said, ushering us to the door. "Get him inside! Get him inside!"
Boyd passed off Scott's other side to Kira with a growl, and I glanced back to see him swipe once more at an Oni then slam the door shut behind us. Kira and I helped Scott further into the clinic to the main exam room. But I heard another growl from Boyd and a loud thud. Turning, we saw Boyd crumpled on the floor in the adjacent room with Stiles standing over him, nothing more than a bored look on his face.
Kira let out a yell, but she barely made a few steps before Stiles- no, not Stiles -the nogitsune knocked her out with a single punch, and she hit the floor.
He walked toward me and Scott, stepping over Kira's unconscious form. Letting go of Scott who still had a sword sticking out of him, there was only one thing I could do: defend Scott. It wasn't Stiles standing in front of us. It was the nogitsune. It was Void. And as much as I hated to admit it, Scott, Boyd, and Kira were more important to me than Stiles. If Stiles was even still in there.
Forgive me, Batman.
A patronizing grin pulled at his lips. "Like a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter."
My eyes flashed orange again, and steeling my resolve, I marched toward him, hands heating and steaming off the water before I threw a punch at his smug face. But his hand met mine in the air, catching it in a firm grasp. His grip shifted to my wrist and twisted before I could blink, spinning me around to face Scott. Void's cold hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing just hard enough to be threatening.
Void darkly chuckled in my ear, and Scott stared in shock in front of us, leaning weakly against the metal table at the center of the exam room. The Oni ninjatÅwas protruding from his abdomen, much like the arrow in Coach from a few hours prior though even deeper, all the way through his body. And it was the sword of an Oni, not a simple arrow that likely came from a regular crossbow, potentially one of Chris and Allison's crossbows. Who knew what kind of effect the sword had on the supernatural? Or anyone? It wasn't a normal, man-made weapon. It could be draining his life force or be poisonous to supernatural creatures for all we knew.
We had been played. All of us. All day long. Void had planned this. All of it.
"What a pretty little vixen, don't you think, Scott?" Void toyed, a twist in his voice like he was enjoying every single second. Like he was playing a game. "I certainly see the appeal, even if she's only a halfling." I whimpered as Void contorted my arm more and ran his fingers delicately along my jaw, almost like a gentle caress from a loved one.
Scott vehemently shook his head. "Don't hurt her," he pleaded, desperation piercing through as he struggled to keep himself upright while bleeding out. I didn't know what hurt more, him pleading for my life instead of his or watching him grunt and gasp in pain.
Void simply seemed amused at Scott's request, tilting his head with a quiet hum then a click of his tongue. "You know, people think a nogitsune is the deadliest kitsune since we feed off pain, chaos, and strife, but there's something deliciously destructive about a fire kitsune." He turned his head to look at me, but I stared forward, not breaking eye contact with Scott. "So much potential if only it was unleashed, and we saw only a glimmer outside." He leaned closer to my ear like he was going to tell me a secret. "I can see the hatred in your eyes, kogitsune. Every survival instinct says to kill me."
Then his voice turned lighter, taunting. "But then there's the part of you that doesn't want to, that can't do it, the part that couldn't bear to kill another kitsune." Void made a sound of fake awe and affection, lacing his voice with a laugh that sent a shiver down my spine. "There are a few things I've learned in my many years. Certain kitsune are drawn to each other, you know. . . in more ways than one." His breath tickled my ear as he moved as close as he could, lips almost grazing the shell of my ear. "Fire and void. Light and dark."
I gritted my teeth as a snarl formed and I snapped, "Kutabare, kono yarou."
Shaking his head with the haunting grin, he clicked his tongue a few times and leaned his head back, tilting it around to look me in the eye. "You should really learn how to treat your elders with a little respect. And I thought we had been bonding so well, koishii."
Tightening his grip around my throat, cutting off my air, Void picked me up and threw me against the wall.
The pounding in my head was the first thing I noticed when I started walking up. The second thing was a warm, gentle embrace holding me. The third thing was the sound of voices, more than one and none of them chilled me to the bone as Void's had. The fourth thing was how I was laying on a cold, hard floor despite my upper half being held.
When a hand brushed aside hair from my face, I croaked, "Scotty?" He was the only one I could think of that would be holding me besides maybe Isaac or Derek, but Scott had been the last one I saw before blacking out, so call it a hopeful guess.
"I'm right here, Sara," Scott said, his voice coming from above me. Light assault my eyes as I peeked them open. "You're okay." Though hazy, Scott and his smile came into focus.
"My head hurts like a bitch."
Scott laughed, a nice sound after hearing Stiles' laugh get twisted by the psychotic fox spirit possessing him. "Based on the dent in the wall, I'd say you have a hard head."
"You get him?" I asked as I brought a hand up to my head, and Scott helped me slowly sit up, losing the warmth of his arms.
When Scott didn't answer, I looked at him and followed his line of sight, spotting Stiles laying on the exam table and Dr. Deaton nearby, tending to broken skin on Kira's face with Boyd standing right next to her. Figures I'm the last one to wake up, thought to be fair, I was the last one to get knocked out, too.
"The fox is poisoned," Deaton answered, overhearing my question. He glanced my way. "Stiles is fine for now, but we need to find a more permanent solution."
Kogitsune - Little fox
Kutabare - Drop dead
Kono yarou - You piece of shit
Koishii - Darling, dear, a term of endearment